英语四级美文

1、1.HappinessMany people think that when they become rich and successful,happiness will naturally follow.Let me tell you that nothing is further from the truth.The world is full of very rich peoplewho are as miserable as if they were living in hell.We have read stories about movie stars who committed

2、suicide or died from drugs.Quite clearly, money is not the only answer to all problems.Wealth obtained through dishonest means does not bring happiness.Lottery winnings do not bring happiness.Gamble winnings do not bring happiness.To my mind, the secret to happiness lies in your successful work,Ther

3、e is no use sayingin your contribution towards others happinessand in your wealth you have earned through your own honest effort.If you obtain wealth through luck or dishonest means,you will know that it is ill earned money.If you get your money by taking advantage of others or by hurting others,you

4、 will not be happy with it.You will think you are a base person.Long-term happiness is based on honesty, productive work, contribution, and self-esteem.Happiness is not an end; it is a process.It is a continuous process of honest, productive workwhich makes a real contribution to othersand makes you

5、 feel you are a useful, worthy person.As Dr. Wayne wrote, “There is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way.”“Some day when I achieve these goals,when I get a car, build a house and own my own business,then I will be really happy.”Life just does not work that way.If you wait for certain things to

6、happenand depend on external circumstances of life to make you happy,you will always feel unfulfilled.There will always be something missing. 2.The English CharacterTo other Europeans, the best known quality of the British,and in particular of the English, is “reserved”.A reserved person is one who

7、does not talk very much to strangers,does not show much emotion, and seldom gets excited.It is difficult to get to know a reserved person:he never tells you anything about himself,and you may work with him for years without ever knowing where he lives,how many children he has, and what his interests

8、 are.English people tend to be like that.Closely related to English reserve is English modesty.Within their hearts, the English are perhaps no less conceited than anybody else,but in their relations with others they value at least a show of modesty.Self-praise is felt to be impolite.If a person is,

9、let us say,very good at tennis and someone asks him if he is a good player,he will seldom reply “Yes,”b ecause people will think him conceited.He will probably give an answer like,“Im not bad,” or “I think Im very good,” or “Well, Im very keen on tennis.”Even if he had managed to reach the finals in

10、 last years local championships,he would say it in such a way as to suggest that it was only due to a piece of good luck.Since reserve and modesty are part of his own nature,the typical English tends to expect them in others.He secretly looks down on more excitable nations,and likes to think of hims

11、elf as more reliable than they are.He doesn t trust big promises and open shows of feelings,especially if they are expressed in flowery language.He doesn t trust self-praise of any kind.This applies not only to what other people may tell him about themselves orally,but to the letters they may write

12、to him.To those who are fond of flowery expressions,the Englishman may appear uncomfortably cold.3.ExerciseA state of physical and mental health allows you to take part in exercise comfortably and enjoyably so that it doesnt hurt, so that you can look forward to it, and feel good afterwards. If you

13、are feeling down, exercise may help pick you up. Although researchers disagree on this issue, one review of past studies found that long-term exercise, especially when it includes long-lasting, strenuous training sessions, has about as much of an effect on depression as psychotherapy.Working out hel

14、ps you deal with stress in your job, relationships or any area of life possibly because exercise is a form of stress itself and helps condition your body to deal with it.When Australian researchers compared people who did 30 minutes of aerobic exercise three times a week to those who practiced progr

15、essive relaxation techniques, they found that the former group responded better to acute stress and had lower blood pressure. Even a little exercise can make you think less anxiously. Studies have shown that any amount of exercise, from a brisk10 minute walk to an intense aerobics or weightlifting s

16、ession seems to decrease feelings of anxiety.Working out regularly may make you smarter now and lessen the possibility that youll lose brain function as you age. According to a recent animal study at the University of Illinois, exercise can actually help the brain develop new cells. In several studi

17、es, regular weight training or aerobic exercise was shown to improve the quality and duration of sleep. Naturally, this can make you less fatigued and be able to function better during the day. Like meditation, hobbies or any other leisure activity, exercise gives your mind a needed break from every

18、day thoughts, responsibilities and commitments. Finally, theres one more reason to keep exercising. When you work out regularly, your body simply functions better you are better, healthier and less likely to suffer painful physical conditions. And that just plain feels good.5. All Ever Really Needed

19、 to Know I Learned in KindergartenMost of what I really need to know about how to live and what to do and how to be, I learned in kindergarten.Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate mountain, but there in the sandbox at nursery school.These are the things I learned:Share everything.Play fair.Dont

20、 hit people.Put things back where you found them.Clean up your own mess.Dont take things that arent yours.Say youre sorry when you hurt somebody.Wash your hands before you eat.Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.Live a balanced life.Learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and d

21、ance and play and work every day some.Take a nap every afternoon.When you go out into the world, watch for traffic, hold hands and stick together. Be aware of wonder.Remember the little seed in the plastic cup?The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all

22、 like that.Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the plastic cup they all die. So do we.And then remember the book about Dick and Jane and the first word you learned, the biggest word of all:Look. Everything you need to know is in there somewhere.The Golden Rule and love a

23、nd basic sanitation.Ecology and politics and sane living.Think of what a better world it would be if we all the whole world had cookies and milk about 3 oclock every afternoon and then lay down with our blankets for a nap.Or if we had a basic policy in our nations to always put things back where we

24、found them and cleaned up our own messes.And it is still true, no matter how old you are, when you go out into the world, it is better to hold hands and stick together.6.Come as You AreCome as you are; do not loiter over your toilet.If your braided hair has loosened,if the parting of your hair be no

25、t straight, if the ribbons be not fastened, do not mind.Come as you are; do not loiter over your toilet. Come, with quick steps over the grass. If the red come from your feet because of the dew,if the rings of bells upon your feet slacken, if pearls drop out of your chain, do not mind. Come, with qu

26、ick steps over the grass.Do you see the clouds wrapping the sky? Flocks of cranes fly up from the further riverbank. The anxious cattle run to their stalls in the village.Do you see the clouds wrapping the sky? Come as you are; do not loiter over your toilet. Let your work be. Listen, the guest has

27、come. Do you hear, he is gently shaking the chain which fastens the door? See that your anklets make no loud noise, and that your step is not over-hurried at meeting him.Let your work be, the guest has come in the evening. It is the full moon on a night of April; shadows are pale in the court yard;

28、the sky overhead is bright. Draw your veil over your face if you must, carry the lamp in the door if you fear.Have no word with him if you are shy; stand aside by the door when you meet him. If he asks you questions, and if you wish to, you can lower your eyes in silence. Do not let your bracelets j

29、ingle when, lamp in hand, you lead him in. Have you not finished your work yet? Listen, the guest has come.7.An Irish WeddingHave you ever been to an Irish wedding? I have just returned from one. It is a quarter to five in the morning; the sun has already climbed above the horizon;the birds are busy

30、 celebrating the new day and have eagerly been in search of food.But some of the guests have not yet left. They are still prolonging the night: dancing, singing, gossiping, and postponing the unfortunate necessity of undertaking a days work in the fields after a sleepless night.The evening party was

31、 to start at ten oclock, but many of the guests arrived earlier.A few of the nearer male relatives were looking rather awkward in evening suits with smart bow ties, and the pleasant, unsophisticated countrywomenappeared a little self-conscious in their Sunday best. Two men squeezing accordions provi

32、ded the music: the old Irish tunes that have been played at weddings for many years.Half the people in the room were dancing the square dances which have been enjoyed even longer. A score of men stood in the narrow dark hall leaning against the wall, drinking beer from bottles and speculating about

33、crops, cattle and the current political situation. And whenever the dancing stopped, somebody would start singing one of the sentimental, treasured Irish songs: the exile longing for his home, the grief-stricken lover mourning his fate. Sometimes we all joined in the chorus, sadly and solemnly, befo

34、re getting up to dance again.Irish weddings are almost certain to have been celebrated in this way for generations. I have been to wedding receptionswhere champagne has been served to the accompaniment of soft unnoticed orchestral music; I have listened to carefully prepared speeches and eyed a litt

35、le enviously the model gowns of women far more elegant than I could ever hope to be. I have been impressed, and a little bored. I have just been sitting up all night in a small, uncomfortable Irish cottage and I have been enjoying every moment of it. 8.Challenges of SchoolLife is full of challenges.

36、 School has to be the most challenging obstacle in the lives of youth today. Elementary school brings about a few challenges characteristic of those years spent there. Theres the challenge of coloring in the lines, a very real problem to any youngster. Or how about the challenge of remembering to ra

37、ise ones hand before one speaks?There are hundreds of rules and regulations that govern these young children. The one thing that keeps these children in line is the hope of reward. Yes, this is the brass ring. The reward for a clean desk is an extra five minutes of recess!The prize for having all ho

38、mework done, a shiny-new pencil topper! These small wonders keep small people in line.They make the children love challenge. Middle school is not so easy. It is not easy for the students, and it also isnt easy for the teachers.The challenge of staying out of trouble, or writing that research paper t

39、hese are the new confrontations of an older, wiser group. This clan has outgrown the recess and pencil-topper tricks. They know that their efforts have to bring them something really useful, so mom and pop are pulled onto the scene. How does five, ten dollars for each “A” sound? Or, how about no tel

40、ephone if one doesnt do good in school? Need I say more? By the time high school arrives, a students place in academic excellence or else their unlikelihood to even graduate has been established. Little can be done now to make lifes challenges seem interesting, especially where school comes in. The

41、slothful are rewarded with a nice job at a gas station, a pregnant girlfriend, and a fifteen-year-old Ford. The diligent are rewarded with an SAT score of over 1100, acceptance into Yale University, and a ticket to life. By meeting the challenges of school, sticking it out, and pulling through, they

42、 are given their greatest reward: success.9.Building BridgesWhen you hear the phrase cultural heritage, what comes to mind? Maybe you remember going to see ethnic folk dances with people wearing traditional costumes. Perhaps you were exposed to the music and arts of this culture.Most likely, however, what comes to mind will be the food. It might begin with the r ecollection of your mothers cooking, or visiting grandmas house and receiving a special treat as a reward for good behavior. As you close your eyes