古人有云：“读书足以怡情，足以傅彩，足以长才。”暑假将临，利用假期阅读经典是一个不错的选择。本文向读者介绍八本适合高中生赏读的美国经典小说，它们或风趣，或深沉，或惊险，或感人，相信一定会让你获得一次愉悦的阅读体验。
1. To Kill a Mockingbird 《杀死一只知更鸟》 哈珀·李 著
This beloved American classic set in Macomb County， Alabama during the Depression is a story about a small town dealing with the issues of class and prejudice. Scout Finch， 8， and her brother Jem， 10，英语论文题目， learn lessons about love and humanity from their father Atticus and from other memorable characters. Written in 1960 by Harper Lee， this book has won numerous awards including the 1961 Pulitzer Prize and has been listed by The Library School Journal as one of the “Best Books of the 20th Century”.
这是一本备受喜爱的美国经典小说，故事发生在大萧条时期阿拉巴马州的马科姆县，讲述了一个小镇有关阶级和偏见的故事。八岁的司各特·芬奇和她十岁的哥哥杰姆从他们的父亲阿迪卡斯和其他令人印象深刻的人物那学到了有关爱和人性的道理。本书写于1960年，作者是哈珀·李，该书赢得了无数大奖，包括1961年的普利策奖，并被《学校图书馆》杂志列为“20世纪最好的书”之一。
2. Lord of the Flies 《蝇王》 威廉·戈尔丁 著
An airplane carrying schoolboys from Britain during World War II is shot down over a remote tropical island. Two boys， Ralph and Piggy， find the other surviving boys and begin to organize the group. They cope with tough situations jointly and it turns out satisfying at first. As time passes， rivalries are formed， rules are broken and civilized behavior has turned savage. This is a classic study on human nature， adolescence， and competition by Nobel Prize-winning author William Golding. It was required reading in many schools and colleges in the US.
二战期间，一群孩子乘着飞机离开英国，飞抵某热带小岛上空时，飞机被击落。其中的两个小孩，拉尔夫和佩吉（猪仔）找到了其他幸存下来的孩子，共建新社会。起初的效果很好，大家齐心协力，应对种种困难局面，但随着时间的推移，他们出现了分裂，规则被破坏，文明被野蛮代替。这是一部对于人性、青春期和竞争的经典小说，作者是诺贝尔文学奖得主威廉·戈尔丁。该书曾是美国很多中学和大学的必读书目。
3. A Separate Peace 《独自和解》 约翰·诺里斯 著
A friendship forms between two boys attending a New England boarding school during World War II. Gene， smart and socially awkward， draws the attention of Phineas， a handsome， athletic and outgoing boy. The two become friends， but war and rivalry lead to a tragic accident. John Knowles is the author of this classic story about friendship and adolescence.
二战期间，两个在新英格兰寄宿学校读书的男孩产生了深厚的友谊。吉恩是个聪明却拙于社交的男孩，菲尼则是一个帅气、外向、喜好运动的男孩子。吉恩吸引了菲尼的注意，他们成为了好朋友，但是战争和竞争却带来了一场悲剧。本书作者是约翰·诺里斯，讲述了友谊以及青春期的故事。
4. The Old Man and the Sea 《老人与海》 欧内斯特·海明威 著
Using only 27，000 words， Ernest Hemingway’s shortest novel depicts the classic struggle of an old Cuban fisherman who hasn’t caught a fish in 84 days. With courage and determination the elderly man goes out on his small boat one more time. Although simple in its telling， this is a story of never giving up and living life to the fullest.
海明威仅用了2.7万个词写出了这本最短的小说。这个经典故事叙述了一个古巴老渔夫连续84天没有捕到鱼。带着他的勇气和决心，这位老人乘着他的小船再一次出海捕鱼。全书语言朴素，讲述了一个永不言弃、将人生展现到极致的故事。
5. Of Mice and Men 《人鼠之间》 约翰·斯坦贝克 著
Best friends Lennie and George travel from farm to farm in California looking for work while trying to avoid trouble. Although both men are good workers and have dreams of owning their own farm，英语论文范文， they never stay at one job long because of Lennie. Lennie is a simple- minded gentle giant who doesn’t know his own strength and often gets into trouble. When tragedy strikes， George must make an awful decision that will alter the plans he and Lennie have made for their future. This is a classic Steinbeck story about migrant workers and the downtrodden surviving the Great Depression.
雷尼和乔治是两个好朋友，他们游走在加利福尼亚不同的农场，躲避麻烦，找工作糊口。虽然两人都是干活好手，一直梦想拥有属于自己的农场，但是因为雷尼，他们没有一个农场能长待。雷尼是个大块头，和善，但是轻度智障，总是不知轻重，惹出祸端。悲剧发生，乔治不得不作出一个可怕的、将改变他和雷尼原定的未来计划的决定。斯坦贝克的这部经典作品描写了大萧条时期流动劳力备受压迫的生活。
6. The Scarlet Letter 《红字》 纳撒尼尔·霍桑 著
Set in 17th century Massachusetts， a young married woman living in a Puritan colony becomes pregnant and refuses to name the father. Hester Prynne， the strong heroine of this American classic by Nathaniel Hawthorne， must endure prejudice and hypocrisy from a society who demands she be punished by wearing a scarlet letter “A” upon her dress. This novel is an in-depth look at morality， guilt， and sin and is a must read for every high school student.
故事发生在17世纪马萨诸塞州，清教少妇海斯特怀孕三个月并且拒绝说出孩子父亲的名字，于是纳撒尼尔·霍桑笔下这个坚强的女主人翁海斯特·普莱恩就必须忍受清教社会的偏见和虚伪，他们让海斯特在胸前佩戴一个鲜红的字母“A”。这部经典小说深度剖析了道德、内疚以及罪恶，是每个高中生的必读之书。
7. The Great Gatsby 《了不起的盖茨比》 司各特·菲茨杰拉德 著
James Gatz from North Dakota reinvents himself as the self assured and wealthy Jay Gatsby as he tries to win the love of his childhood sweetheart Daisy Buchanan. Set in the Jazz Age of the 1920s， Gatsby and his friends are blinded by the glitz and glamour of wealth and learn too late of its inability to bring them true happiness. Author F. Scott Fitzgerald’s greatest novel is a classic study of the Gilded Age and one man’s corrupted view of the American dream.
为了赢得儿时钟爱的姑娘黛西的芳心，来自北达科他州的詹姆斯·盖茨努力把自己打造成了一个自信而富有的人——杰伊·盖茨比。故事发生在20世纪20年代的“爵士时代”，盖茨比和他的朋友们都被财富的浮华光彩蒙蔽了双眼，而当他们发现金钱并不能给他么带来幸福时，已经为时过晚。这部小说是F.司各特·菲茨杰拉德的最经典之作，让我们了解“镀金时代”以及一个人美国梦的毁灭。
8. The Call of the Wild 《野性的呼唤》 杰克·伦敦 著
The Call of the Wild is written by American author Jack London. The story takes place in the extreme conditions of the Yukon in the 19th century， where strong sled dogs were in high demand. Buck is a dog that is stolen from a farm in California and sold to the Yukon as a sled dog. The novel tells about Buck’s struggle to adjust and survive the cruel treatment he receives from humans， other dogs， and nature. He eventually left human civilization behind and goes into the wild， becoming a respected and feared leader in the wild.
The novel is often classified as children’s literature because of its animal protagonist， but the maturity of its subject matter makes it valuable for older readers as well.
《野性的呼唤》由美国作家杰克·伦敦所作。故事发生在19世纪条件极端恶劣的育空地区，那里雪橇狗的需求量极大。巴克是加利福尼亚某农场的一条狗，被偷贩到这一地区充当雪橇狗。小说讲说了巴克面对人类、其他狗和大自然的种种残酷挑战，为了存生而作的种种抗争。他最终将人类文明置之身后，听从野性的呼唤，走进了荒野，并成了荒野中备受尊重和敬畏的领头狼。
由于主人公是动物，该小说被归类为儿童文学，但其成熟的主题使其也颇值得成人一读。 | 
