高中必背英语美文

1.The Force of Habits Habits, whether good or bad, are gradually formed. The more we do a thing, the more we tend to like doing it; and if we do not continue to do it, we feel uncomfortable. This is called the force of habits, and the force of habits should be fought against.This applies even to such good things as work or rest. Some people form a bad habit of working too much, and others of idling too much. Bad habits, once formed, are difficult to get rid of.The wise man always remembers to check any ba d habit. He warns himself “I am now becoming idle” or “I like too many sweets” or “I smoke too much”. And then adds, “I will get myself out of this bad habit at once.”2.The Way to Achieve Success Many people say that they owe much of it to the cultivation of certain good habits in early life. In forming good habits, I think we should pay attention to four things, that is honesty, industry, enthusiasm and thrift.“Honesty is the best policy.” This is a proverb to which we must pay attention. There are so many temptations in society that through a little carelessness we may go astray. But when we are honest, people will not be dishonest to us.Industry gives every man and woman, every boy and girl, proper work to do. To do nothing is going to ruin oneself.En thusiasm is a great force. One’s soul will expand if one devotes oneself to a noble cause. The difficulties in our way are tremendous, but what can we not accomplish, if with enthusiasm?There are many proverbs, which set forth the advantages of thrift. Since we live in the world in which money is a very powerful thing, we should always try to save a portion of our earnings for future use.These are the four things to which we must pay attention. It is only by this way that we can achieve success. --- A Blessing or a Curse?As TV enters more and more families, people begin to wonder about its advantages and disadvantages. Some believe it is a blessing, others hold that it is a curse to society.TV, as a mass media, can bring to people new information on economies, culture, arts, and many other fields. People can enjoy their favorite programs at home. In some countries, some TV stations provide such programs as looking for dangerous criminals and lost children, helping to find an ideal lover, and others which are quite beneficial to society, some TV stations provide various useful seminars for people of various ages and social status. But on the other hand, TV may exert bad influence on people. Some programs are full of violence. As a result, people, especially juveniles, are led to commit crimes. An increasing number of people are so indulged in TV programs that some even neglect their duties.In my opinion, the attitude towards TV all depends on oneself. People should choose those programs, which are useful, and can bring to them the sense of beauty.4.On Test and Test TakingThe purpose of a test is to check how much we students have learned about a subject. It not only helps make our newly acquired knowledge permanent, but also enables us to find out what needs to spend more time improving.But some students do not deal with test correctly. Some of them are afraid of failing in a test. They cheat even at the risk of being caught on exams. Though cheating might give one “better grades”, it adds nothing to one’s knowledge. This dishonest behavior will do one more harm than good.I think that we go to college in order to have our further studies, and prepare us to be qualified for the future job. Therefore, weshould take a correct attitude towards test. As long as we study diligently and review our lessons regularly, we are sure to be used to serve its real purpose.5.The DictionaryThe dictionary is a living teacher. Whenever you come across a new word, just consult it and you will get a clear definition. Every student, whether attending school or self-taught, should always have a dictionary at hand. As a study aid, it is convenient, inexpensive and almost omniscient (all-knowing).Language skills will develop with your constant use of various dictionaries. The more you use them, the more familiar you will become with them. Sooner or later, you will be quite skilled in finding the page, scanning the entries and locating the exact meanings of the new words. But you should have one thing in mind. As a language student, you can never become too much attached to dictionaries; basic language skills do not come from dictionaries, but from your practice. Expose yourself to the language by listening, speaking, reading and writing more, and that is the only way to the mastery of a language.6.On LearningLearning is one’s own business, which cannot rely on others. As we know, learning is a process of accumulating knowledge. It is one’s life-long task, which cannot be accomplished in one move. A successful learner is an independent one who has both an indomitable (unyielding) will and amazing endurance. He will try to discover his own way of learning. Instead of waiting for the teacher’s help, he will make efforts to create favorable conditions on his own initiative. It will certainly be of great help, if there is good environment, sufficient books and equipment, as well as instructions from teacher and beneficial friends. But even if one has got all these favorable conditions, one cannot be sure to succeed in learning.So the most important factor in learning consists in one’s own effort. To learn is rather a painstaking and persevering business. Many a man is a failure because he cannot bear such indispensable hardships. Unremitting (never stopping) efforts can compensate for the lack of talents and thus enable one to get considerable progress in learning.7.Is Failure a Bad Thing? Failure is a common occurrence (happening) in our daily life. Whatever we do, there are always two possible results: success or failure. Although everyone wants to succeed in what he tries, sometimes failure can’t be avoided. Different people hold different attitudes towards failure. When faced with it, some can stand up to it, draw a useful lesson from it and try their best to fulfill what they are determined to do. Others, however, lose heart and give in. They do nothing but complain about themselves and objective conditions.As a popular saying goes, “Failure teaches success.” In my opinion, what really counts is not the failure itself, but the proper attitude we should take after it. I trust that as long as we keep to what is right and correct what is wrong, that is to say, learn a lesson from failure, we will be certain to succeed. So I am of the opinion that failure is not a bad thing.8.RecreationIt is impossible to keep in good health unless we take sufficient (enough) recreation. The mind, too, requires change to make it acute (sharp) and vigorous. There is much truth in the old saying, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.”There are many games for people to indulge (enjoy) after their work of study. Among them are football, tennis, and kite-flying. Other forms of recreation are boating, fishing, gardening, cycling, walking, chess-playing, and reading. Those who spend most of their time in the open air and have constantmuscular employment, should adopt reading or some other quiet forms of recreation. Persons who sit much at their business should take a kind of recreation that will supply their muscles with exercise.Recreation provides people with the kind of rest and relaxation. It makes people feel happy, energetic and confident, meanwhile it prepares people to do much better than ever in their daily work.9.On Today’s EducationI think one of the main problems with today’s education is that too much emphasis is placed on test score. It has become the most important criterion (standard) for college enrollment. A student, however creative and intelligent, will not be admitted into a college for his total scores are just one point less than required. It is also on of the crucial (decisive) factors either in job assignment or in employment competitions.The competition for high scores among students becomes intense. Students find themselves concentrating more on strategies to achieve high scores than on acquiring the knowledge. They will play truant (stay away from) of some subsidiary (less important) courses and skip over the substance, which will not be tested on.Teachers are apt to give their students high scores. As their job is judged mainly by the students’ performance in terms of scores, some teachers tend to set easy papers to test their students on or narrow down the scope of the exam, even give them the hints to exams, or favor their students with higher scores.As a result, the competition for high scores becomes so intense that it actually affects our education results.10.WeekendWeekends are important. They provide people with the kind of rest and relaxation that are essential to a happy and healthy life. I’m one of those who know how to enjoy their leisure on the weekend. A good sleep at Saturday night usually helps me to recover from the hard labor of the week. A delight Sunday trip to the suburbs makes me fresh and free from any tension.If I stay at home, I usually do some light reading or practice Chinese calligraphy ---- a traditional writing skill which has an extraordinary calming effect. Sometimes mother invites me to help her cook and I am always happy to accept her invitation.A good rest on the weekend always makes me feel happy, energetic, confident and ready to all the hard work ahead of me. You cannot work happily and efficiently until you learn how to rest and relax on the weekend.11.My View on Job-Hopping Some people tend to stick to their positions all the time, as they think the longer one works in a particular field, the more skillful one will be at it. Some have been teachers all their lives. Some devote their life energy to scientific research. Such people love their work and turn out to be specialists in their own field. They are usually high achievers.Some are different. They are in the habit of job-hopping, for they always pursue (follow) what is new and stimulating (interesting). They never seem content with their present situation. Some like to meet more people, make more money and new acquaintances, so they hop from job to job.As far as I am concerned, I want to be professionally strong. I am not in favor of constant job-hopping, as the saying goes “Jack of all trades, master of none”. But I want to cooperate and communicate with someone else so as to be more creative and less partial.12.Attending College at One’s OwnExpenseNowadays, colleges and universities tend to accept more and more candidates with a score close to the required by charging a portion of their tuition. Moreover, the percentage of thestudents attending college this way will be increasing year by year.Owing to this practice, college candidates have much freedom in choosing the major they mostly interested in. In addition, those who did not perform well on the College Entrance Exam are able to attend college to have further studies. It is reported that most of these students work harder than their classmates. Certainly this practice has some disadvantages. For example, those candidates who cannot afford the tuition might have fewer opportunities to receive higher education.In my opinion, the advantages of this practice weigh more than its disadvantages. So I am in favor of it and I believe people will be more willing to accept it as time goes by.13.School-aged Children Drop Out It’s reported that in China about one million school-aged children drop out of school each year and 80% of the drop-outs are from the families which are too poor to keep their children at school.To tackle the problem, the government has launched the Hope Project. It has helped thousands of children go back to school. But in my opinion, this is far from enough. In order to change this situation completely, the government should set aside an adequate amount of money for education, especially for elementary education. And also, the government should establish laws to ensure that no children should drop out of school as elementary school education is compulsory in China, and local governments should aid the poor families so that they can send their children to school.To sum up, so long as our central and local governments and the whole society pay enough attention to this problem and take effective action, this situation will be changed.14.Knowledge and Power Knowledge and power are the two things most desired by man. There is close connection between these two things. The man, having done his best in acquiring knowledge, will easily get a high position and perform it successfully.Power depends on knowledge. Knowledge to power is just like a compass to a ship, by which her sailing is made safely across an unknown ocean. A great statesman or a learned scholar can render (give) his good services to his country just because he has perfect and profound knowledge.Power only follows knowledge. A man cannot do anything well unless he has some information as how to do it well. A man will sometimes lose his way in a strange land; an apprentice cannot produce any delicate work. Why are these so? Because they are in want of knowledge. If the apprentice wishes to produce good work, he must pay attention to his instructor’s advice.We are all the future masters of our country. Our country needs our services. How can we fulfill our future tasks? To get more knowledge is the only answer.15.BreakfastWe get the energy for our movements from food. Human beings are just like machines. For us to work properly, we must be well energized. The energy, of course, comes from the three meals a day, that is, breakfast, lunch and dinner.Breakfast is more important than any other meal in a day. For one thing, after a night’s sleep, most of the energy stored in the human body has been consumed. Breakfast serves the purpose of replenishing (fill up again) energy, thus making us energetic again. For another, in the course of a day, morning is the period of time in which we work with most efficiency. Without breakfast, the efficiency would be lost. Finally, the constant lack of breakfast can contribute to stomach troubles.Therefore, to keep fit, we must have breakfastevery day. It can be a cup of mild with some bread, or a bowl of porridge with some steamed bread, or anything else of the similar kind. Anyway, we must eat our fill (eat as much as we can), because a good breakfast can not only ensure our good health but also make a good beginning for a new day.16.Ability and Gook LooksOld people usually tell the young, “Don’t judge a person by his appearance.” Meaning ability is more important than appearance. Indeed, we’ve seen so many brilliant b ut not at all good-looking people. In the film Mozart, an opera singer reiterates (repeat) this view by saying, “For a woman of taste, it is not the looks, but the talent that interests me.” For her, the preference shows one’s taste. However, nowadays, with more and more interviewers putting much emphasis on the looks, the appearance of the job-applicants, a lot of people come to the conclusion that appearance is more important than ability because many beautiful girls acquire very good positions although t hey don’t have much talent.In my opinion, ability is definitely much more important than good looks, because it demonstrates one’s own self-cultivation. It bespeaks (show) the efforts and the glory of acquiring something through one’s hard work whereas a good look bespeaks no struggle of the individual. Good looks are pleasant, but I like the ability because it really shows something of my own self.17.Life Is Struggle Everything in the world is in constant struggle. Struggle is in a sense of the competition in natural selection among organisms.Animals and plants struggle for their existence. Nature provides them with weapons for that struggle. Lions have claws; fish have scales; roses have thorns. They use these weapons for the unavoidable war of existence. Nature also orders us to struggle; when we obey the nature, we win our existence.The result of struggle is the evolution of a better society. In order to surpass the others, one has to devote himself to what he does. If every individual does so, the society will make progress.Struggle is inevitable. But we should struggle with sportsmanship, not to stand in the way of others in order to achieve our own success. It is only by struggling in such a way, mankind will see a world getting more glorious day by day.18.Can Computer Replace Human BrainComputers are working faster than human brain. But is it possible that some day the computer will replace human brain and control the human being?It is quite impossible. Computers are designed and developed by human brain. They are used to speed up the calculation. Computers are working according to the orders designed by human being. The running of computer is a group of integrated circuit run by a set of programmes. Without programmes, the computers will not know what to do.It is true people are relying more and more on computers. If people don’t know how to control computers, they may be replaced by computers and lose their jobs.19.SuccessSuccess is a lousy (very bad) teacher. It seduces (tempt) smart people into thinking they can’t lose. And it’s an unreliable guide to the future. What seems the perfect business plan or latest technology today may soon be out-of-date.Usually winning lottery (彩票) is thought to be one’s luck. Many people like to try their luck.One of the lottery’s new millionaires gave an interview on television. When he was asked by the reporter how he had picked his winning numbers, he said that while “two of the sixnumbers he just pulled for no particular reason.” As for the other four n umbers, he used family birth dates. “ So, you see,” he boasted（自夸）, “Winning the lottery is not all just luck.”20.The Car and PollutionMost Americans would find it hard to think what life would look like without a car. However, some have realized the serious problem of the air pollution caused by the car. The polluted air becomes poisonous and dangerous to health.One way to get rid of the polluted air is to build a car that does not pollute. That’s what several of the large factories have been trying to do. But to build a clean car is easier said than done. Progress in this field has been slow. Another way is to take the place of the car engine by something. Now inventors are working on steam cars as well as electric cars. Many makers believe that it will take years to develop a useful model that pleases men.To prevent the world from being polluted by cars, we make some changes in the way many of us live. Americans, for example, have to reduce the number of their total cars. They are encouraged to travel and to work by bicycle. It is thought to help man to keep the air clean. But this change does not come easily. A large number of workers might find themselves without jobs if a car factory closed. Thus the problem of air pollution would become less important than that of unemployment. Although cars have led us to better life, they have also brought us new problems21.Time Is Money“Time is money.” This saying means that time is very valuable.But time is more valuable than money. The money we have lost can be gained again, but the time we have wasted cannot be regained. Moreover, sometimes persons can exist without money, but nothing can be done without time, just as no one can live without air.Despite being so valuable, time is often neglected by men. Since time is an invisible thing, men often waste their time unconsciously（无意地）. Without anything to do, they may gossip from morning till night. Man can live only at most to about 100 years. It seems fairly long, but in fact it is rather short. We often say “How quickly time flies!” How many things can a man accomplish in such a short period? Hence we should use the valuable time properly to do our work. We will race with it. We will study and work hard. Never waste a little bit of it.22.Try to Be a Good Student Perhaps it is the dream of everyone to be a good student at school, but quite a few students feel at a loss on how to make it. In my opinion it is rather easy if you can act on the following points.First of all, make full use of your time and work hard. Don’t put off till tomorrow what should be done today, as time past will never come back. The fast developing society requires adequate knowledge, which presses us to spare no efforts to study. Of course, your hard work will be rewarded one day.Secondly, use your own head and present your point of view. Credulous（轻信的）attitude will only make you take anything for granted. With your own judgment you will be able to tell right from wrong and set up your own theory.Thirdly, set aside enough time for relaxation, entertainment, etc. don’t ignore the harm of all work and no play. Proper sports will build up your body and improve the efficiency of your studying.To be a good student is easier said than done, for it needs a student’s consistent efforts. But nothing is difficult to a man if he puts his heartinto it.23.Natural ResourcesNature has provided us with many kinds of resources. Almost everything we use in our everyday life comes from Nature. The food we eat, the water we drink, the clothes we wear, the concrete and bricks to build our houses, the materials to make bikes we ride, etc. all come originally from Nature.People have been making use of these natural supplies for thousands of years. With the development of technology and the increase of the population, the amount and range of materials taken has increased. It is estimated that this tread will continue in the years to come.However, natural resources are not in exhaustible. Some resources are already nearly used up. For example, the end of the world’s fuel is already within sight. Such an essential daily item as water is in short supply in many parts of the world. We can no longer thoughtlessly use the many resources provided by Nature. We must learn to conserve what remains.24.We Have Only One WorldWhen industries grow, pollution also grows. Today the problem of environment has become more and more important. The world population is rising so quickly that the world has become too crowded. We are using up our natural resources too quickly and at the same time we are polluting our environment with dangerous chemicals. If we don’t take action immediately, then we will destroy our only world.Man has made great progress in environment protection. Government of many countries has established laws to protect the forest and sea resource and to stop the environmental pollution.Still more measures should be taken to solve the problem. First, we should start by educating the public about the hazards of pollution. The government on its part should also design stricter laws. This is not only for our own generation but also for the future generation to come.It is necessary to protect our nature environment. We must begin now to protect our only world.25.Make The Best Use of Our LandIt is the land that has been providing us with everything we need for centuries. In other words, almost everything we use daily comes from the land directly or indirectly. The food, clothes, houses, even the books and furniture are all supplied by the land. But the limited land is decreasing at a surprising speed. With the expanding of the cities, the development of the industry and over population, lots of large pieces of good farmland are being turned into residential areas with many houses and apartment buildings, or industrial areas, or warehouses.Therefore some measures must be taken to stop the abusing of our farmland. On the other hand, we should let everyone realize the danger of being short of land. And also we should educate them how to make better useof our land.26.HealthIt is said that we do not properly value a thing until we have lost it. It is only when a friend dies that we find out how much he was to us. So it is with health. When we are young and strong and have good health, we think little about it. It seems natural to us to be always well, and we cannot imagine what it is like to be ill. Wo we are often careless about our health, and without thinking we spoil our health by bad habits and doing silly things. It is only when we have our good health that we find that it was one of God’s best gifts to us.Health is our most important possession. We should do our best to maintain it. Good health is necessary to happiness and success. People who are in poor health are often pessimistic or depressed. As a rule, bad health means misery and failure.How can we keep our health? Only by knowing and carefully obeying the laws of health. A happy man is a healthy man, and only the healthy man can live a happy life.The desire for good health is universal. Everyone who loves life understands how important health is. First, good health is the guarantee for enjoying life. The only desire of a patient is always to live an ordinary and healthy life. Second, good health establishes a firm foundation for your ambition of the career. Without it, any lofty aspiration turns to be a daydream.Then how to keep fit? Everyone has his own answers to this question, while I think three principal suggestions should be followed. The first one is that a scientific diet should be adopted, which offers the necessities for your body. The second one is that physical exercises must be persisted, especially for the indoor people. The last, but not the least, is that the cheerful mood should be kept.In order to keep fit, I force myself to keep away from the “junk food”, although it usua lly tastes good, I even form a good habit of doing morning exercises. And the beautiful music and good books always cheer me up.27.Sports and GamesSports and games do a lot of good to our health. They can make us strong, prevent us from getting too fat, and keep healthy and fit. Especially they can be of great value to people who work with their brains most of the day, for sports and games give people valuable practice in exercising the body.What’s more, they make our life richer and more colourful. If we do not have a strong body, we will find it hard to do whatever we want. So persons of all ages enjoy watching and taking part in various kinds of sports-track and fields, swimming, skating, football, volleyball and basketball, etc.Sports and games are also very useful in character training. They demand not only physical skills and strength but also courage, endurance, discipline and usually teamwork. For boys and girls, what is learned in the playground often has a deep effect on their character. If each of them learns to work for his team and not for himself on the football field, he will later find it natural to work for the good of his country instead of only for his own benefit.A healthy citizen makes a strong country. Let’s all take part in s ports and games.28.SmokingIt is well known that smoking does harm to the health. Today, so many people still keep smoking, which has drawn wide attention of the society.Smoking has so many disadvantages but no advantages at all. First, the cigarettes with nicotine in them do great harm to the health. Such diseases as pneumonia, lung cancer may be caused or partly caused by them. Furthermore, the bad effects of cigarettes cost the smokers lots of money, which could be spent on other meaningful things. Thirdly, the accidents of fire all over the world every year are mostly caused by the still-burning butts (end).The government has formulated the regulation of no smoking in public places. Yet its result is not so satisfactory. From my point of view, it needs the common efforts of the society. Not only the nonsmokers but the smokers should cooperate on this matter.29.My Views on Large Modern CitiesSince every coin has two sides, living in large modern cities offers us many advantages, simultaneously causes many troubles. Better education and better jobs are easy to get, and better medical care is convenient to receive in large modern cities. People are usually well informed due to the advanced media, such as television, newspaper and net PC. Large modern cities also provide varied entertainment for the city-dwellers. The public places like cinema, bar, disco-ball are everywhere.On the other hand, large modern cities are too big to control, so the traffic jams and traffic accidents often happen, and the social security is a headache problem. And city-dwellers have to face the housing problem. Usually a house is too expensive for the salary earning class to buy and the rent is also high. Moreover, noise and pollution in large cities bring harm to p eople’s health.30.Live in the City or in the CountryWhere do you like to live, in the city or in the country?Most cities are centers of economy, trade, transportation or culture. With the development of economy and society, more and more people have flooded into the cities, which makes the scale of the cities larger and larger. Surely, it is very convenient for shopping, education, business and so on. But it also has many disadvantages: the large population makes it crowded in each corner of the city; the big factories, too many cars, buses and trucks pollute the clean air; too much noise can make people mad. To live in the city, one even can’t get enough room for living.To live in the country is another thing. You can breathe the fresh air cheerfully, own a spacious house with a big backyard, and relax yourself in quietness. But when you want to go shopping, or take your child to school,。