2018年英语四级美文：The Angler

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　　The Angler

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　　How comforting it is to see a cheerful and contented old age;

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　　and to behold a poor fellow, like this,

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　　after being tempest-tost through life,

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　　safely moored in a snug and quiet harbor

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　　in the evening of his days!

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　　His happiness, however, sprung from within himself,

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　　and was independent of external circumstances;

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　　for he had that inexhaustible good-nature,

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　　which is the most precious gift of Heaven,

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　　spreading itself like oil over the troubled sea of thought,

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　　and keeping the mind smooth and tranquil in the roughest weather.

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　　On inquiring further about him I learned

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　　that he was a universal favorite in the village,

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　　and the oracle of the tap-room;

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　　where he delighted the rustics with his songs,

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　　and, like Sindbad,

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　　astonished them with his stories of strange lands,

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　　and shipwrecks, and sea-fights.

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　　He was much noticed too by gentlemen sportsmen of the neighborhood;

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　　had taught several of them the art of angling;

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　　and was a privileged visitor to their kitchens.

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　　The whole tenor of his life was quiet and inoffensive,

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　　being principally passed about the neighboring streams,

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　　when the weather and season were favorable;

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　　and at other times he employed himself at home,

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　　preparing his fishing tackle for the next campaign,

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　　or manufacturing rods, nets, and flies,

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　　for his patrons and pupils among the gentry.