【题目】 II. Write an outline. (20 points)
Read the following passage carefully and compose a "sentence outline" for it.
What Technology Has Done to Us
I am not a patient person. As I was waiting for the clevator the other day, I
must have looked at my watch 25 times in one minute. Living in a world of
fast-moving technology, I am used to instant reactions. I push a button, the
elevator should open, right? Ah, this is what technology has done to me.
So, why do we use technological devices so mucb? It saves time and is
convenient. With the Internet, we can receive and send information, communicate
with friends and buy various items all instantly by the click of a mouse. In fact,
our patience level has changed drastically all because of faster connections.
While this technology does make it more convenient to receive information,
sometimes I wonder if all this is too convenient. We take advantage of the speed
so much that if the Internet is not working or the fax machine is not sending
properly, our world seems to shut down temporarily. We simply find it difficult to
function without access to our e-mail or updated news. In fact, technology can
often make us lazy. I cannot possibly spend the time to mail a letter in the
acclaimed snail mail. “Fax it. E-mail it," the world cries. Society seems to revolve
around time as it never did before.
This speed of communication has caused us to be so impatient that we have
grown apart from each other. Our society can practically thrive without physical
contact. Many people have all the required devices already in their homes: a
computer, Internet access, a phone and a fax machine. Does anyone else think it is
scary that a person does not need to even leave his or her bedroom to have fulll
contact with anyone in the world? I think it decreases our value of face-to-face
human contact as a whole. Why visit someone who lives 40 minutes away when
you can e-mail them or chat online? It saves time, yet nothing can replace having
face-to-face conversation with someone.
What about those who have limited access to the Internet or other technology?
They seem to get lost. Sometimes, when I am too busy to check my e-mail or have
no access, I miss out on important information and events that have already taken
place without my knowledge. The common thought seems to be that if you have
an e-mail address, you must check it every hour, right? Sadly, this idea is
becoming truth.
While technology is an essential part of our thriving society, it should be less
emphasized as the only way to communicate efficiently. Instead, accuracy should
be the priority. While the Internet and fax machines are faster, efficiency can have
its drawbacks. They do not always promise accurate information in sending. For
example, these devices might not be the best way to submit important documents,
such as college applications. Also, with the Internet, valuable information, such as
credit card information, can fall into the wrong hands without being detected.
While completely abandoning these communication devices is not feasible,
society needs to be more patient with the inefficiencies of human-made inventions
and of course with human connections.

1、[主观题]II. Write an outline (20 points)
Read the following passage carefully and compose a “topic outline” for it.
Smell
Smell, as a means of nonverbal communication, is important. Odor communicates not only when we are face to face with another person, but also when the other person is not present. People from different cultures may have different attitudes toward body odors.
Most people in the West respond negatively to what they consider bad odors such as body odor, breath odor, or clothes that emit unpleasant smells such as sweat. They work hard to cover up their body odor and view those with body odor as dirty and unsanitary. However, people usually are not comfortable in discussing the topic, and generally will not tell another that his or her body odor is offensive. They will simply avoid being close to the person and will end the conversation as quickly as possible.
Other cultures have quite different concepts of natural odors; they consider them as normal and believe that it is an act of friendship to “breathe the breath” of the person with whom they converse and to feel their presence by smelling. For example, Arabs don’t seem to feel comfortable unless they can smell each other. When Arabs talk, they virtually envelop each other in their breath. Smelling the natural body odors of one’s friend is desirable; denying him or her this privilege is to act ashamedly. In other cultures smell also plays an important role. In Japan, young girls will often play a game involving the placing of five fragrances in tiny boxes. The girl who identifies the most aromas wins the game. In Bali, Indonesia, when lovers greet one another, they often breathe deeply in a kind of friendly sniffing. It is not uncommon for young lovers in the Philippines to trade small pieces of clothing on parting so that the smell of the other person will evoke their affection for each other.
Not knowing cultural variations in attitude toward smell can create uncertainty and even ill feeling. For example, a medical doctor from Saudi Arabia once worked in a hospital in the southern United States. Problems arose when patients refused to have the Saudi doctor examine them. Interviews with patients revealed two problems: He “smelled bad” and he breathed on the patients. The doctor’s training had apparently failed to include the difference between Arabic and American attitudes and practices relating to smell. Clearly, encounters between people with such widely differing attitudes could lead to serious miscommunication. To maintain harmonious intercultural business relationships, one should remember these diverse attitudes toward smell.

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2、[主观题]Ⅲ. Compose an essay (60 points)
Nowadays, some traditional beliefs and customs tend to be less valued. Choose one such belief or custom and explain why you think it should be continued or maintained. Write a 300-word argumentative essay defending your views.
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3、[主观题]II. Write an outline (20 points)
Read the following passage carefully and compose a “sentence outline” for it.
Nowadays, giant jumble jets carry millions of people each day to and from almost all corners of the globe, giving most people the chance of visiting distant countries. However, many of us are sometimes, troubled by unfamiliar customs and traditions and are puzzled by the way foreigners behave. In my essay, both sides of the argument would be presented and analyzed as to whether we should follow the customs of the visited country, or all nations should be more willing to embrace exotic culture.
Some people maintain that it is better for one to adopt host countries’ culture for the following reasons. First of all, as the old saying goes, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do,” by observing and following their particular way of doing things, travelers can greatly reduce the chances of misunderstanding and embarrassment. For instance, it is advisable not to ask a western lady personal questions such as her age or her marital status on the first meeting, which is common practice in China. Secondly, a nation’s customs and traditions are often fascinating and offer a unique insight into that very country. Obviously, people travel in order to broaden their horizon or merely to relax and enjoy themselves. But these aims could not be satisfactorily fulfilled if they have no idea about a country’s culture. Moreover, your interest in and understanding of their ways of life could help to establish a rapport with the local people, because people feel respected when their customs and behaviors are understood and imitated, and by doing things in their way, you become unconsciously a member of them and thus will no longer experience culture shocks.
However, others also have strong reasons to believe that a country should tolerate and embrace foreign culture. In the first place, no country should cling to its old customs and traditions at all cost and expect others to follow suit. Culture should also be subject to changes brought about by advances in science and technology and the process of globalization. Like everything else, numerous traditional practices have been abandoned and people are forming new customs all the time. Besides, instead of challenging and damaging the local traditions, the customs brought by international visitors actually help to enhance our awareness of our own culture, by pointing out that what we take for granted is really not universally praised but rather unique characteristics of our own. In China, for instance, the Spring Festival is being celebrated with ever more enthusiasm despite the popularity of Christmas. Moreover, it is unjustifiable and unrealistic to expect visitors to alter their ways of doing things, and pick up some new behaviors and customs at short notice. Many Chinese Americans, for example, still live exclusively in Chinatowns and celebrate all the traditional Chinese holidays. Like a religious belief, one should be allowed to follow their own customs whenever and wherever they like.
As far as I am concerned, I agree with the latter view that people can keep their own customs and nations should welcome cultural differences and integrate the positive aspects from other cultures to update their own. Apparently, if all are open-minded about different traditions and behaviors, the idea of a global village could come true in every corner of the earth, with people living in harmony and each enjoying his own cultural heritage.

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4、[主观题]Ⅱ.Write an outline (20 points)
Read the following passage carefully and compose a “topic outline” for it.
Last year alone, more than one million children in the United States chose home-schooling over traditional education. This stunning figure was released according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Home-schooling is a recent development in education. Not long ago, it was considered too radical by many education experts. Nowadays, it is legalized in every state and more than one million children have undergone home-schooling and many more parents are seriously considering home-schooling.
The interesting thing was: What prompted such a change? There have been many recent surveys to suggest that parents are getting impatient and fed up with our public schooling system. It is seen as being superficial with no real-life skills being applied and taught.
Parents are also concerned about the negative publicity often portrayed in news. Examples are school students taking drugs in schools, abusing fellow students physically and even students bringing guns and knives to schools. Parents are concerned about the negative peer influences that these students have on their children.
Home-schooling offers an opportunity to end all that and allows parents to bring up their children in a natural and loving environment. It is especially important in the early years of a child’s development (between three to twelve years old ) as this is the period where they are prone to negative influences and peer pressure and cannot differentiate what is right and what is wrong. Home-schooling helps to protect them from such negative influences.
Another benefit of home-schooling is that it is an inevitable bond between the child and the parents. The parents and the child spend more time together forming a unique bond. The bond gets stronger as time passes and later you will find that you can connect with your child better than you never thought before.
Parents can also have better control over the kind of moral and religious beliefs that a child should have. Parents can impart their moral values and beliefs to their children easily since they spend more time together.
So what is stopping parents from adopting home-schooling? For one thing, home-schooling requires a lot of time and money. For most families, both parents need to be working full-time to support the family. Many home-schooling families are dependent on one parent for the income. The other parent has to devote full-time to home-schooling the child. Therefore in some cases, it is not possible to adopt home-schooling unless you are financially stable.
The other interesting phenomenon is that more and more home-schooling support groups are appearing in the neighborhood. They help to guide and support each other. Some home-schooling support groups have even gone online. If you do decide to go home-schooling, find a home-schooling support group in your area.

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5、[主观题]III. Compose an essay (60 points)
In China, old people are usually taken care of by their family members, but now some people send their aging parents to nursing homes. What is your opinion on this? Write a 300-word expository essay stating your views.

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