文章献给准备过英语专业四级的同学，给同学一些写作素材，希望大家考试成功。
1. There has been undesirable trend in recent years towards the worship of money. A recent survey showed that X percent of respondents ranked getting rich as their top priority, compared to X percent only a few years ago. Why do people fail to realize that wealth does not necessarily bring happiness?
近年来出现了对社会有害的拜金主义倾向。最近的一项调查表明，X%的调查对象把致富作为他们的首选，相比之下，就在几年前，只有X%的人这样想。为什么人们没能意识到财富不一定带来幸福呢?
2. Some months ago, a friend of mine was killed in a tragic automobile accident involving a drunk driver. The incident was far from rare, and was in fact typical of thousands of cases involving people driving under the influence of alcohol.
几个月前，我的一个朋友死于一场与酒后驾车有关的悲惨车祸。这件事情一点儿也不罕见，事实上是数以千计的案件的典型，这些案件与在酒精作用下开车的人有关。
3. I recently read a newspaper article on the rampant spread of child abuse. The deplorable problem of the widespread abuse of innocent children has aroused public concern nationwide.
最近，我在报纸上读到一篇关于虐待儿童现象变得猖獗的文章。普遍虐待无辜儿童的问题令人深感遗憾，它已经引起了全国公众的关注。
4. Should parents spare the rod and spoil the child? Opinions concerning strict parental discipline vary widely. Some view strict discipline as nothing more than a form of abuse, while others argue it is an essential factor for instilling appropriate social behavior.
家长应不应该闲了棍子、惯了孩子?针对严厉的家教的看法大相径庭。有的人就是把严厉的管教看成一种虐待，而另外的人认为这是逐渐灌输得体的社会行为的要素。
5. What do you think of the increasing openness accompanying the ongoing sexual revolution? Do you ever fantasize? Answers to these questions should be based on a determination between appropriate and inappropriate behavior.
你如何看待对现在的性革命越来越开放的态度?你曾经想像过吗?回答这些问题之前应先界定得体和不得体的行为。
6. Why do some governments persist in spending billions of dollars on space exploration when starvation and poverty continue to grip many countries throughout the world? This particular question is being raised by an ever increasing number of people.
既然世界上许多国家仍被饥饿和贫困所困扰，为什么有的政府还坚持花费数十亿美元用于太空探索?现在越来越多的人提出这个问题。
7. Judging from the reams of evidence presented, we can safely conclude that the Three Gorges Project will change the lives of an untold number of people forever.
根据现有的大量证据，我们可以有把握地得出这样的结论：三峡工程将永远改变无数人的生活。
8. The ample evidence presented enables us to reasonably conclude that the scourge of AIDS will be brought under control in the foreseeable future.
提出的充分证据使我们能够合理地得出这样的结论：艾滋病的祸害在可预见的将来就能得到控制。
9. We must seek immediate solutions for problems leading to the rapid depletion of the earth's ozone layer. If allowed to proceed unchecked, the problem will undoubtedly exacerbate global warming and threaten life as we know it today.
我们必须寻求立即解决引起地球臭氧层快速损耗的问题的办法。如果任其自由发展，这一问题无疑会加剧全球升温，并且正如今天我们所知道的那样危及生命。
10. Quite obviously, immediate action is needed to extricate 80 million Chinese people from the grips of poverty in order to remove the danger of social unrest and ensure continuing stability.
很明显，需要立即采取行动使八千万中国人摆脱贫困，从而消除社会动荡的危险，确保持续的稳定。