听力课堂英语四级频道为各位备考四级的同学们，整理了大学英语四级听力美文第74篇:The Angler，希望对大家有所帮助，一起来看一下吧！

　　英语四级听力美文第74篇:The Angler

　　How comforting it is to see a cheerful and contented old age; and to behold a poor fellow, likethis, after being tempest-tost through life, safely moored in a snug and quiet harbour in theevening of his days ! His happiness, however, sprung from within himself, and wasindependent of external circumstances; for he had that inexhaustible good-nature, which isthe most precious gift of Heaven, spreading itself like oil over the troubled sea of thought, and keeping the mind smooth and equable in the roughest weather.

　　On inquiring further about him I learned that he was a universal favorite in the village, andthe oracle of the tap- room; where he delighted the rustics with his songs, and, like Sindbad, astonished them with his stories of strange lands, and shipwrecks, and sea-fights. He wasmuch noticed too by gentlemen sportsmen of the neighborhood; had taught several of them theart of angling; and was a privileged visitor to their kitchens. The whole tenor of his life wasquiet and inoffensive, being principally passed about the neighboring streams, when theweather and season were favorable; and at other times he employed himself at home, preparing his fishing tackle for the next campaign, or manufacturing rods, nets, and flies, forhis patrons and pupils among the gentry.