ⅰ. supply the missing paragraph (20 points)
the following passage is incomplete with one paragraph missing. study the following passage carefully and write a conclusion of about 100 words on“buying a car or going on a vacation?”. make sure that the tone and vocabulary you use are in unity with the passage provided.
buying a car or going on a vacation?
trying to decide how to use your money is always tough. should you use your money to buy a car or go on a vacation? since both of them can provide pleasure, it always makes it difficult for you to make a sensible decision.
the pleasure you get from driving a car is always unforgettable. every time you drive a car, it gives the pleasure of not having to depend on public transportation. therefore, you can go to places where public transportation doesn’t reach. moreover, driving a car can also shorten the distance you are traveling and save your time, thus making your life easier and more enjoyable. with a car, your life can be more interesting and convenient.
a vacation gives you the opportunity to learn new things and meet new and interesting people. from a vacation you get the pleasure of doing wonderful things and of totally relaxing and enjoying yourself. the memories you bring home with you can give you the same pleasure again every time you think of them.
ⅱ. write an outline (20 points)
read the following passage carefully and compose a “topic outline” for it.
the internet and the modern society
recently the influence of internet has attracted much public attention. people worry about the time wasted on it, the damage caused by virus spread on it, and most of all, some violent crimes committed due to the violent games played on it. all these concerns may be reasonable. but if we take a broader perspective, we may find that internet has had many positive impacts on the modern society.
internet has made the access to information more convenient. in the past, people could get information they wanted through only limited channels, such as newspaper, radio, and television. this means that only a certain amount of people could get the information at a certain time and in a certain place. but now with the help of internet, people can get information any time they want. information explosion means that people live in the ocean of information, and internet has been essential to make that true.
internet has also made communication more convenient. sociologists aGREe that communication is vital to maintain harmonious human relation, but the communication was rather inconvenient in the past despite the continuous improvement of technology. letters have been so slow as to be nicknamed as “snail mail”；telegraph and telephone may be quicker, but they are very costly. but now many new communication tools developed on the basis of the internet, such as e-mail, msn and qq, have made talking to a person extremely quick, convenient, and virtually free of charge. this will undoubtedly improve the human relation in the modern world.
the most important impact, however, is that internet has made social interaction more convenient. before the internet era, various social institutes had only limited options to choose from if they wanted to reach the public, and naturally the result was usually unsatisfactory. but now in the internet era, all these institutes can set up their own websites, which can not only provide the public with information but also collect feedback from the public. for example, the government can collect people\’s opinions about a certain project through the internet, producers can promote products through internet, and universities can clarify admission policies through internet. the result is that internet can help to bring about a more open, fair and interactive society.
in a word, more convenient social interaction, personal communication and access to information are the three major changes the internet has made in the modern society. although there do exist some problems with the internet, these positive influences certainly are more important. what we should do is to find measures to solve the problems rather than just talk about them. just as the proverb goes, we should not stop eating for fear of being choked.
ⅲ. compose an essay (60 points)
it is known to everybody that people can\’ t stay alive in a world without emotion. living in a world which lacks rewards and punishments, people would be as likely to harm one another as to provide help and support. try to imagine the consequences of such a world by writing a short expository essay entitled “a world without emotion” (about 300 words). your essay should cover the following points.
a. citing some examples to show what they would feel and what they would do.
b. giving reasons to illustrate what this world would BECome.
c. what functions emotion can play in the relationship between people.
d. how important emotions are to the survival and adaptation of human being.
a world without emotion
