歲月不待人
【內容提示】
“歲月不待人”（Time and tide wait for no man.）是眾所周知的一條諺語。用英語寫一篇文章，說明其中的事理。可用下列思路來寫：
①“歲月不待人”是一條不朽的真理。時間從不為任何人或任何事而停頓，所以人人都得順從其迅捷消逝的腳步。
②人們對待時間有不同的態度。
③有人認為時間永遠用不完，所以總是把今天的事情推到明天去做。
④另外一種人認為，時間是有限的。人的一生用於工作的時間極其有限。
⑤人們應該努力工作，不要把今天的事推到明天去做。
【作文示範】
Time and Tide Wait for No Man
“Time and tide wait for no man.”This is a proverb we learned in high school. Simple as it is, it tells an everlasting①truth of life. Since time never stops for anyone or anything, all people have to give in to its quick-passing steps. The pressing problem then is this: how to make good use of it?
People may have different attitudes towards it. Some think time is never to be used up. If today ends, there is still tomorrow. So they do not think it necessary to finish today＇s work within the day. They always put it until tomorrow. In the end they will succeed in nothing. Another sort of people do not think this way. They know the limit of time. Although as a whole, time is infinite② but it is finite③ to every single person. An average person may have 70 years of life, much of which has to be spent on eating, sleeping and other ordinary matters. That which one uses on study and work takes only a small part. But it is this small part that really counts. Whether one is successful or one＇s work is meaningful④ depends on it.
Now the answer to the question raised in the first paragraph seems clear. To work hard and never leave today＇s work till tomorrow are the best ways to spend time.
【詞語解釋】
①everlasting[?ev+＇l%:stiR] a．永久的；不朽的
②infinite[＇infin+t] a．無限的；無邊的
③finite[＇fainait] a．有限的
④meaningful[＇mi:niRful] a．意味深長的；富有意義的
【寫法指要】
本文談的是時間觀。文章在引言段中首先引出諺語“歲月不待人”並展開說明：時間對任何人或事都是公平的，從不偏向任何人。然後，提出全文的篇題：“How to make good use of it?”（如何充分利用時間？）擴充段分兩個層次來說明主題句中的制約思想“different attitudes towards it”。先從反面談對待時間的錯誤觀點，後談對待時間的正確態度。結尾段總結擴充段的內容，回答篇題提出的問題：“To work hard and never leave today＇s work till tomorrow are the best ways to spend time.”（努力工作，永遠不要把今天的工作拖到明天去做是利用時間的最好辦法。）