Lincoln's Autobiography
I was born on February 12, 1809, in Hardin County, Kentucky. My patents were both born in Virginia, of undistinguished families—second families, perhaps I should say. My mother, who died in my tenth year, was from a family named Hanks, some of whom now reside in Adams County, and others in Macon County, Illinois. My paternal grandfather, about 1781 or 1782, from Virginia to Kentucky, where he was killed by the Indians a year or two later, not in battle, but when he was laboring to open a farm in the forest.
My father, at the death of his father, was six years old, and he grew up literally without education. He moved from Kentucky to Indiana when I was seven. We reached our new home about the time the state came into the Union. It was wild region, with many bears and other wild animals still in the woods. I grew up there. There were some so-called schools, but no other qualification was ever required of a teacher beyond “reading, writing, and adding.” If a stranger supposed to understand Latin happened to reside for a time in the neighborhood, he was looked on as a wizard. There was absolutely nothing to excite ambition for education. Of course, when I came of age, I did not know much. Still, somehow, I could read, write, and add, but that was all. The little advance I have now made upon this store of education, I have picked up under the pressure of necessity.
I was raised to farm work, which I continued until I was twenty-two. At twenty-one, I came to Illinois. I remained in New Salem, Illinois for a year as a clerk in a store. Then the Black Hawk War came; I was elected a captain of volunteers, a success which gave me more pleasure than any I have had since. I went into the campaign, ran for the legislature the same year (1832), and the three succeeding biennial elections I was elected to the legislature. I was not a candidate afterward. During that legislative period, I studied law, and moved to Springfield to practice it. In 1846 I was elected to the lower house of Congress. I was not a candidate for re-election. From 1894 to 1854 I practiced law more assiduously than ever before. I was losing interest in politics when the repeal of the Missouri Compromise aroused me again. What I have done since then is pretty well known.
If any personal description of me is thought desirable, it may be said that I am nearly six feet, Four inches in height; lean in flesh, weighing one hundred and eighty pounds on the average; I have a dark complexion, whit coarse hair and gray eyes, I have no other marks or brands.
Autobiography of Myself
My name is Li Ming. I was born in Chongqing on Feb. 14, 1990. My father is a worker in a factory, producing clothes and shoes. My mother is a middle school teacher. There are two children in my family, and I am the elder son. My family owns a small bookshop near a college now. Most of my family members help us run the bookshop when they have time.
At the age of eighteen, I came to Hangzhou to attend a university. I stayed with my grandmother. For the first time I realized that nowhere is better than home. My grandmother's house is much larger than that of ours and furnished with modern furniture. However, I still miss my parents, brothers and sisters.
One thing I learned in those days of leaving away from home alone is that all parents love their children so much that they even sacrifice their own time to take care of their dear children. I hope I will be able to treat my parents well when they grow old. I owe my knowledge to my teacher Miss Lin who made me study hard, especially in English. During the summer vacation, she gave me free tutoring in her house. I learned to read English newspapers and magazines, and this opened my eyes to a lot of interesting things. I remember my teacher once said that “there is no shortcut in learning anything.”
I also learn to write simple letters and exchange correspondence with pen-pals in foreign countries. Some of them even came to Hangzhou to see me. We read those letters together and had much fun talking to each other. I showed them our happy life and was told about their homelands. I believe that this is a good way to promote friendship on a people-to-people basis. I began to teach in an institute two years ago, but I soon found that it would not do me much good to continue teaching, because I had little chance to learn more about the wider world. I don't mind working hard every day but I want to learn more and meet more people.
Life is always worth looking forward to. I firmly believe that everyone who works hard will see hope. No matter what happened in the past, we always have the opportunity to create the future. So we should cherish the present and cultivate our life for the future.
本文围绕作者自身的生活轨迹展开叙述。第一段进行简单的个人和家庭介绍，展示了作者成长的环境。第二段记叙了作者在大学时期的生活，以及在这一阶段的发现。第三段介绍自己在大学期间的努力和收获，并在段末提出对未来生活的期望。最后一段进行总结，呼吁大学生们珍惜大学时光，用心创造美好未来。最后一段进行总结，呼吁大学生们珍惜大学时光，用心创造美好未来。