山西省永济市涑北中学高三英语总复习：美文欣赏（2）（What Will Matter in Life）

　　Ready or not，someday it will come to an end．There will be no more sunrises，no days，no hours or minutes．All the things you collected，whether treasured or forgotten，will pass to someone else．

　　Your wealth，fame and power will turn to irrelevance．It will not matter what you owned or what you were owed．

　　Your grudges，resentments，frustrations and jealousies will finally disappear. So，too，your hopes，ambitions and plans will all expire． The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away．

　　It won’t matter where you came from，or on what side of the tracks you lived. It won't matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant. Your gender，skin color and race will be irrelevant.

　　So what will matter? How will the value of your days be measured？

　　What will matter is not what you bought，but what you built：not what you got，but what you gave·

　　What will matter is not your success，but your significance．

　　What will matter is not what you learned，but what you taught．

　　What will matter is every act of integrity，compassion，courage and sacrifice that encouraged others．

　　What will matter is not your competence，but your character.

　　What will matter is not how many people you knew，but how many will feel a lasting loss when you’re gone．

　　What will matter is not your memories，but the memories of those who loved you.