1、關(guān)于英語(yǔ)四級(jí)小短文欣賞Now the income gap is getting wider and wider. In some privately owned firms, joint-ventures, or foreign-fund companies, an executivef s yearly income is ten times or even a hundred times as much as an ordinary worker1 s.Faced with this situation, people will undoubtedly have different op

2、inions. Some believe that it benefits the social and economic development since driving force is often derived from the gap. In other words, the gap inspires people and gives a push to advancement. Others speak of its side effect： income gap is often the root of social unrest and also contrary to ou

3、r country, s principle.From my point of view, while it is true that the income gap may stimulate the social development to some extent, it causes trouble as well. An income gap that is too wide for most people to bear can neither contribute to the stability of a country nor promote its economic deve

4、lopment. Therefore, while we are advocating the rapid development of our country, we should tolerate the narrow income gap but narrow the wide one.The Advantages and Disadvantages of Living in the 21st centuryLiving in the 21st century offers certain advantages, such as a higher standard of living,

5、but it also has some disadvantages, such as a polluted environment.To begin with, most people now have more money for less hard work. They earn higher salaries than before and enjoy better social security, such as social welfare for laid-off workers and disability insurance.Secondly, because of the

6、advance in medical technology which leads to better medical care and treatment, people' s life expectancy is longer. Moreover, most people now can afford to buy foods of high nutrition and enjoy their leisure time.Thirdly, modern conveniences such as radio, TV, internet, various vehicles and lab

7、our-saving machines in the home, all greatly facilitate human communication, transportation and housework as well.Nevertheless, living in the 21st century also has its disadvantages. The most serious one is the increasingly polluted environment; air is filled with smog and water is contaminated by i

8、ehemicals from factories. Another maindisadvantage is the personalization of human relationships which mostly result from peopler s ever-increasing contact with machines and numbers. Still one more disadvantage is the weakening of spiritual values. An undeniable fact is that a large number of people

9、 are solely interested in materialistic culture, while neglecting spiritual civilization. Limited by space, we have to skip the examples.In conclusion, although the 21st century has indeed given us a lot of advantages, it may not have made us wiser, because it has also made our earth dirtier, our pe

10、ople less humane, and our spiritual! life poorer, We shpuld continue to enjoy the benefits of technological advancement, however, we mustmake a concerted effort to preserve our natural environment for future generations. Moreover, we should take the time now to make our lives more meaningful in anih

11、creasingly impersonal, computerized world.No one knows for sure just how old kites are. In fact, they have been in use for centuries. 25 centuries ago, kites were well known in China. These first kites were probably made of wood. They may even have been covered with silk, because silk was used a lot

12、 at that time.沒(méi)有人確切知道風(fēng)箏有多少年歷史C實(shí)際上，風(fēng)箏的起源可追溯至幾個(gè)世紀(jì)以前。 2500年前，風(fēng)箏開始在中國(guó)流行起來(lái)。最早的風(fēng)箏可能是用木頭制成的。當(dāng)時(shí)的風(fēng)箏甚至 還會(huì)使用絲綢，因?yàn)楫?dāng)時(shí)絲綢使用廣泛。Early kites were built for certain uses. In ancient China, they were used to carry ropes cross rivers. Once across, the ropes were tied down and wooden bridges were hung from them. Legend t

13、ells of one general who flew musical kites over the enemies* camp. The enemy fled, believing the sounds to be the warning voices of angels. By the 15th century, many people flew kites in Europe. Marco Polo may have brought the kite back from his visit to China. The kite has been linked to great name

14、s and events. For instance, Benjamin Franklin used the kite to prove that lightning is electricity. He flew the kite in the storm. He did this in order to draw lightning from the clouds. He tied a metal key and a strip of silk to the kite line. The silk ribbon would stop the lightning from passing through his body. Benjamin's idea was first laughed at. But later on, it enlightened the invention of the lightning rod.早期的風(fēng)箏用于特定的用途。古代中國(guó)會(huì)在過(guò)河時(shí)用風(fēng)箏牽引繩子。過(guò)河之后，把繩 子系緊，掛在木橋上。傳說(shuō)古代有一名將軍曾在風(fēng)箏上放上樂(lè)器，然后放至敵軍軍營(yíng)。敵 人以為聲音是天使的警告，便四散逃走。15世紀(jì)時(shí)歐洲有許多人開始放風(fēng)箏。拒傳風(fēng)箏是 馬可波羅從中國(guó)帶至歐洲的。從古至今，風(fēng)箏和許多大人物以及重大事件聯(lián)系在一起。 比如，本杰明富蘭克林曾用風(fēng)箏證