事理说明:岁月不待人-Time and Tide Wait for No Man
岁月不待人
【内容提示】
“岁月不待人” （Time and tide wait for no man.）是众所周知的一条谚语。用英语写一篇文章，说明其中的事理。可用下列思路来写：
①“岁月不待人”是一条不朽的真理。时间从不为任何人或任何事而停顿，所以人人都得顺从其迅捷消逝的脚步。
②人们对待时间有不同的态度。
③有人认为时间永远用不完，所以总是把今天的事情推到明天去做。
④另外一种人认为，时间是有限的。人的一生用于工作的时间极其有限。
⑤人们应该努力工作，不要把今天的事推到明天去做。
【作文示范】
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.
【词语解释】
①everlasting[?ev+＇l%:stiR] a.永久的；不朽的
②infinite[＇infin+t] a.无限的；无边的
③finite[＇fainait] a.有限的
④meaningful[＇mi:niRful] a.意味深长的；富有意义的
【写法指要】
本文谈的是时间观。文章在引言段中首先引出谚语“岁月不待人”并展开说明：时间对任何人或事都是公平的，从不偏向任何人。然后，提出全文的篇题：“How to make good use of it?”（如何充分利用时间？）扩充段分两个层次来说明主题句中的制约思想“different attitudes towards it”。先从反面谈对待时间的错误观点，后谈对待时间的正确态度。结尾段总结扩充段的内容，回答篇题提出的问题：“To work hard and never leave today＇s work till tomorrow are the best ways to spend time.”（努力工作，永远不要把今天的工作拖到明天去做是利用时间的最好办法。）