Information and My Life Q*h%'oc`
As you know, information plays an important role in our modern society. Someone ~ys that ours is a society of information. I agree with him. In fact, information is expanding at an increasing rate. As a member of modern society, I am fully aware of the significance of information to my life. It affects nearly every aspect of my life. Then how to obtain and deal with information seems to be of utmost importance. v!b
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As for me, the first way to obtain information is to go to library. Our library is so large that it covers a wide range of subjects. Various kinds of information can be got in it. Information about society, economy, politics and sciences will give you a fresh mind. Of course, library isn' t the only source of information. I can learn much information by other means. Even when talking with my friends I can get a lot of useful information. y!;PBsU%Sx
But information is so immense that we haven' t ample energy and time to deal deeply with' it. Moreover, some of the information might not be true. So, how to select information is also significant to me. Listen to all, trust only three tenths. To obtain accurate information and to throw off the false part of it should be our goal. 3jG
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Information should be made full use in my life. Right now, I try to use information mostly on my studies. When I get into society several years later, information will probably become more and moreimportant Edi`x5"l
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Today's Luxuries Are Tomorrow's Necessities ag
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By "luxury", we mean "a pleasant and often expensive thing that is not necessary". From a historical point of view, things which Were a luxury when they first came into being all became necessities later. When the electric bulb was first invented in the U.S., it was such a luxury that only government bodies could afford to use it. Nowadays, however, it has reached every part of the world. It is the same case with telephone, TV, and a lot of others, which were all luxuries years ago. N1Pm4joH%
Anything, no matter how luxurious it is, will become a necessity when it is widely used. This is true of many of the present luxuries, including mobile phones, cars, computers and many other things. It is known to all that the purpose of the development of science is to make things easy for the mankind, not for only a small number of people. Therefore, the first thing to do after a new invention occurs is to spread it so as to benefit as many people as possible. In the course of the spread, the luxury becomes decreasingly luxurious until in the end it becomes a necessity. This is an objective law, nothing can be an exception. M zbs
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With the quick development of science and technology, the process for many things to become a necessity from a luxury will be greatly shortened. Anything that can be imagined will be invented and in no time becomes a necessity accessible to ordinary people. ZJ7<!?6
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Value of Knowledge t=;84lA
In the Information Age, public awareness of the value of knowledge critically affects the economic growth of a nation. The schematic diagram clearly shows how the value of knowledge evolved in China in the past 50 years. EC6Q<&]Iw
The schematic diagram mainly consists of three parts. From 1950 to 1966, the curve was roughly a straight line slightly above zero, showing that China was a poorly-educated nation then. In 1966, the curve drastically dropped below zero, moving down hopelessly in the next 11 years. This periodcoincided with the "Culture Revolution". Our society went mad then, books were burned,schools were closed and all kinds of academic activities were banned. Knowledge inflicted its masters nothing but disasters. Life was a nightmare for Chinese intellectuals, including famous scholars as well as common people who received higher education or whose profession had anything to do with knowledge. It was a time when ignorance was a virtue and knowledge was a crime. People tried desperately to be away from knowledge. As a result, China lagged farther behind the rapid progressing world. This was the darkest time in the history of New China. The curve returned to its original non-zero position around 1978 and moved up but slowly. From 1984 on, it has been shooting up. The open-up policy encourages people to study and to channel their knowledge to the market economy. Millions of Chinese are bettering off by means of their knowledge and more Chinese enjoy the fruits of knowledge and say goodbye for good to poverty that haunted them for generations. @^)aUOe
As our world is rapidly advancing towards the Information Age, increasing number of people realize that knowledge is power and creativity is everything. Only when China becomes a better educated nation, can China be a great nation with international prestige. x` #
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Task 1 P(Fd|).j$
A. Title: Private car XazKS4(
B. Word limit: about 200 words (not including the given opening sentence) |4F 3Gu
C. Your composition should be based on the outline below and should start with the given opening sentence: “Nowadays any Chinese can enjoy the luxury of owning a private car- if he can afford it.” EpO5 _T_
D. Your composition should be written neatly on ANSWER SHEET 2. U W%.G
Outline: 4&+; n[ D
1) Advantages of owning a private car. u* <G20~A
2) Disadvantages of owning a private car. VTQxg5P c
3) Should it be necessary to enlarge the private car market? Why or why not? sZ,mRT
Nowadays, any Chinese can enjoy the luxury of owning a private car – if he or she can afford it. Having a car of your own means no more traveling to work on crowded buses or subway trains, and you can drop off the children at school on the way. Moreover, it also means that you can enjoy the weekends and holidays better, because with a car you can go to places where the regular buses and trains do not go, and so you can find a quiet scenic spot with no crowds. 0uf'6<f R
However, there are drawbacks to owning a car. For one thing, with the increase in car ownership in recent years, the roads are becoming more and more crowded, often making the journey to work more of a nightmare than a dream. For another, it is not cheap to run a car, as the prices of gasoline and repairs are constantly rising, not to mention the prices you have to pay for a license and insurance coverage. r95l.
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Having considered both sides of the argument, I have come to the conclusion that the advantages of owning a car outweigh the disadvantages. Therefore, it seems to me that China should increase its output of automobiles and enlarge the private car market. The result would be that cars would become cheaper, while at the same time the extra demand would encourage the auto industry to produce more efficient and family-oriented vehicles. 'Si 1r%'m#
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Task 2 p$5+^x'(
Assuming that a manager is going to interview some job applicants and one of his friends gives him a piece of advice that the first impression is not a reliable basis for judgment. This manager wants to hear more from others and decides to have a wall newspaper put up for more views on that topic. $=? CW(
You are going to write an article to offer your opinion about it. '5Zt B<
You should write about 200 words neatly on ANSWER SHEET 2. n j7wc9z4
It is commonly said that one's first impression of a person is the most important one, and this is certainly true when applied to job interviews. This is because the manager often has to interview a dozen or more candidates in the space of only one or two hours, allotting no more than a few minutes to each. Therefore, it is vital for the interviewee to make the best possible impression on his prospective employer during the interview. r] +V:l3
However, the manager must be aware that he is seeing only the best side of the prospective employee and, as the saying goes, appearances can be deceptive. For instance, that smart new suit that the interviewee is wearing might have been hired from a tailor shop, or lent to him by his brother. In addition, the brief interview does not allow the manager to observe how well -- or how badly -- the interviewee might get along with his future colleagues. `z =I}6){
On the other hand, an interviewee might give a bad impression through no fault of his own. It is possible that he woke up with a headache that morning, or arrived late for the interview because of a traffic jam. The manager must be alert to such accidents, and not judge the interviewee too harshly.So I think that, although the first impression counts for a lot, the employer should find out some background knowledge about the interviewee before deciding whether to hire him or not. GY
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Task 3 8%UI<I,
据权威机构调查显示，2001年，我国空调总产量为2500万台，而市场容量仅为1500万台。空调已经成为继VCD、彩电后又一个家电企业力拼的市场。于是空调厂家坐不住了，打折、送礼品，甚至出现了空调论斤卖的怪事。近日，空调企业又想出了新花样：举办空调流行趋势发布会。面临巨大的竞争压力，多数空调生产厂家都意识到了自己生存的危机，他们不得不推出新产品以占据消费市场。同时，许多空调大企业都声称他们不会去挑起空调价格战。但是，will there be an air-conditioner "price battle" this year?There is a discussion in a newspaper on the issue.Write an essay to the newspaper LN8V&'>
1) giving a brief introduction to the issue, QPi]5z?
2) stating your view about the "price battle", and i6^COr
3) justifying your prediction. CaZ{UGokL
You should write about 200 words neatly on ANSWER SHEET 2 0Wf,SYx`s
With the rapid advances in the standard of living of the Chinese people in recent years, air-conditioners have joined other household electrical appliances as items in great demand. However, output has far exceeded supply, as manufacturers have scrambled for sales in this profitable market. As a result, fierce competition has driven them to resort to all sorts of measures to pull ahead of their rivals and avoid going bankrupt. K#=)]qIk
These measures include aggressive advertising campaigns, offering a free gift with every purchase of an air-conditioner, and -- most important of all - lowering prices. Price wars are a common phenomenon whenever supply outstrips demand in a free-market economy, and China's newly liberalized economy is no exception. Nevertheless, I do not think we will see a repeat of the recent price war in the air-conditioner market this year. ~ituPrH%<
I have three reasons for my prediction. The first is that the earlier round of price-cutting eliminated the less-efficient manufacturers from the industry; so there are fewer companies supplying the market. The second is that the government has taken measures to regulate the air-conditioner market, eliminating the chaos that price wars entail. And the third is that with China's admission to the WTO, manufacturers will have to offer more attractive - not cheaper - products. *{ ]9e\DF
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Task 4 ,3k"J4|d
1. Describe the picture UGy~Ecv
2. Deduce the purpose of the drawer of the picture g+ik`q(ge
3. Suggest your counter-measures F<y5zqGy@
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Basically, what we see in this picture is a bird lamenting the fact that its home has been destroyed. Of course, birds usually make their homes in trees, and since there are no trees left in the picture - only the stumps, to show that the original trees have been chopped down - the bird is left without shelter. In fact, the bird has no choice but to perch on the handle of an axe, which has been used to destroy its original home. =o5ZcC
We can deduce from this picture that the drawer is trying to attract our attention to the tragedy of the destruction of forests, which is part of the threat to the ecological balance of the planet. He seems to be saying that soon there will be no trees left in the world. In my opinion, the sad little bird is a symbol of all living things, including human beings, and, like the bird, we too will be left homeless if we allow the destruction of the environment to continue. :@TfhQV_=Q
This simple picture is a wake-up call for the whole of the human race. If this vivid image of the grim future of our planet is not to become a reality, we must take positive steps right now to put an end to the plundering of the Earth's natural resources. It is clear that the drawer of the picture is urging us to start with a campaign to save the forests, which is something all of us can join by urging our local authorities to take positive measures to save the trees. Ks.pb !r
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Unemployment jXO*_R
Unemployment is viewed as the number one problem in China now and the government has launched a major attack on the problem. w0x%7mg@
The steps the government has taken to deal with unemployment are' as follows. Firstly, unemployment fund has been established to help the unemployed workers to support themselves. Secondly, the unemployed receive vocational training, which is expected to pay off in the short term and give the unemployed an advantage in the job market. It is due to the lack of professional skills that these workers have lagged behind in the society. These training programs aim to equip the workers with some special skills, such as typing, sewing, and cooking. Finally, psychological advice is also available, since unemployment, apart from exerting financial pressures, brings enormous psychological discomfort. With the advice, the unemployed will learn how to adapt to the fierce competition in the technological age. (hefpqpi
With the joint efforts of the government and the society, we are optimistic that we can win the current war on unemployment. l>RW&C&T
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Air-conditioners +_gPZFpbx
In recent years, the air- conditioner has become one of the many indispensable electrical appliances for thousands upon thousands of families, especially those in the south, where the intense heat overwhelms the earth throughout the summer. The advantages of the air- conditioner are self - evident. Armed with the ability to refrigerate, the air- conditioner makes you feel refreshing and comfortable no matter how hot it is outside. Thus it guarantees the efficiency of your work and the quality of your rest. Without it there would be no knowing what would happen to you in the dog days. Moreover, it can also create a proper condition in summer for the operation of computers -- the best friends of yours in the information age. Too high a temperature would make computers work improperly, causing much inconvenience for your daily life and work. g q aENU>
With all the advantages the air- conditioner offers, its disadvantages are also obvious. To begin with, the installment of the air - conditioner always involves the hole making in the wall, which undoubtedly makes the wall less pleasing to the eye than if not. Besides, the air- conditioned environment may make you more and more dependent on the air - conditioner, thus physically weakening your ability to cope with hot weather. Most important, the air - conditioned environment provides poor ventilation, and sometimes may even give rise to a strange kind of smell, which makes you feel dizzy and sick. Consequently, you will be in no mood for enjoying the cool air produced by the air- conditioner. 8>
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All things considered, I think its advantages outweigh its disadvantages. Actually, nothing in the world is perfect. It is unwise to make light of the favorable aspects of a thing on account of its unfavorable aspects. The same is true of the attitude you take towards the air - conditioner.
