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Directions: You are planning to study abroad. Write a letter of inquiry to (1) give your brief personal information; (2) ask for the terms of admission into that university; (3) ask for the possibility of getting a scholarship. You should write about 100 words. Do not sign your own name at the end of the letter. Use "Li Ming" instead. You don't need to write the address.
Directions: Cars play an important role in modern society. But they are also responsible for a good part of air pollution in big cities. Write an essay on car and air pollution and base your composition on the outline below: (1)the serious problem of air pollution caused by cars; (2)your suggestions on how to deal with the problem. You should write about 150 words neatly on the ANSWER SHEET.
Practice 2 Directions: Read the following text(s) and write an essay to 1) summarize the main points of the text(s), 2) make clear your own viewpoint, and 3) justify your stand. In your essay, make full use of the information provided in the text(s). If you use more than three consecutive words from the text(s), use quotation marks (“ ”). You should write 160—200 words on the ANSWER SHEET. It is all very well to blame traffic congestion, the cost of petrol and the hectic pace of modern lift, but manners on the roads are becoming deplorable. Everybody knows that nicest men become monsters behind the wheel. It is all very well again to have a tiger in the tank, but to have one in the drivers seat is completely another awkward and difficult situation. You might tolerate the odd mad hog, but nowadays the well-mannered motorist is the exception to the rule. Perhaps the situation calls for a “Be Kind to Other Drivers” campaign; otherwise it may get completely out of hand. Road courtesy is not only good manners, but good sense too. It takes the most levelheaded and good-tempered of drivers to resist the temptation to retaliate when subjected to uncivilized behavior. On the other hand, a little courtesy goes a long way towards relieving the tensions and frustrations of motoring. A friendly nod or a wave of acknowledgement in response to an act of courtesy helps to create an atmosphere of goodwill and tolerance so necessary in modern traffic conditions. But such acknowledgements of courtesy are all too rare today. Many drivers nowadays don't even seem able to recognize courtesy when they see it. Lorry drivers say they have almost abandoned the practice of signaling cars to overtake when the road is clear, because many of the cars took too long to pass. Their drivers couldn't be bothered to select a lower gear. Others, after overtaking, slowed down again and hogged the road. They manufacture them by force, using their direction indicators as a threat rather than a warning. Slanting matches and even punch-ups(打架斗殴)are quite common. It can't be long before we hear of pistols and knives being used: we can then call our dual carriageways, and solve a spelling problem in the process. Driving is essentially a state of mind. However technically skilled a driver may be, he can't be all advanced motorist if he is always arrogant and aggressive.
Directions:You have made an email appointment with your foreign language teacher, Peter Brown, but failed to keep it. Write a letter to your teacher to 1) apologize for your failure to keep the appointment, 2) explain your reason, 3) express your wish to make another appointment. You should write at least 80 words on ANSWER SHEET. Do notsign your name at the end of the letter. Use “Li Ming” instead. Do not write the address.
Directions:In this section, there is one passage followed by 5 questions. Read the passage carefully, then answer the questions in a maximum of 10 words. Remember to write the answers on the Answer Sheet.
Questions 1 - 5 are based on the following passage.
Alarmed by a 20-year decline in student achievement, American schools are considering major upheavals in the career structure of teachers, school boards around the country are planning to abandon traditional salary schedules and single out outstanding teachers for massive pay rise.
The idea is regarded with deep suspicion by the United States’ biggest teachers’ unions, the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers. They say the creation of a cadre of elite teachers will sour professional relationships and encourage teachers to compete instead of cooperate; they also question whether a fair way can be devised to tell which teachers really do perform better than their colleagues.
But heightened public anxiety about secondary education appears to have given the master teacher concept unstoppable political momentum. Florida and Tennessee are racing to introduce ambitious statewide master teacher schemes before the end of the year. Less grandiose proposals to pay teachers on the basis of merit instead of seniority have already been implemented in countless school districts. And the Secretary of Education, Mr. Terrel Bell, recently promised substantial incentive grants to states which intend to follow their example.
Low pay is believed to be the single most important reason for the flight from teaching. The average salary of a teacher in the United States is just under $19,000, much less than that of an engineer ($34,700) and not much more than that of a secretary($16,500). To make ends meet it is common for teachers to take second jobs in the evening and in their summer holidays, and women, who used to make up the bulk of teacher candidates are turning to better paid professions.
The unions insist that the answer to this problem is to increase the basic pay of all teachers, but most states would find that too expensive, they would be better able to afford schemes that confine pay increases to a small number of exceptional teachers. Champions of the idea say it would at least hold out the promise of high pay and status to bright graduates who are confident of their ability to do well in the classroom, but are deterred by the present meager opportunities for promotion.
One of the first large-scale tests of this approach will come in Tennessee, where a year of painstaking negotiations has just overcome bitter union opposition to a wide-ranging master teacher scheme. Tennessee promised that they will allocate $300 million as education budget. In return for a chance to earn bigger salaries and faster promotion, teachers will subject themselves to closer scrutiny.
The Tennessee plan will make it harder for poor teachers to join the profession. Beginners will have to serve a probationary year before qualifying, and another three apprentice years before receiving tenure. Apprentice teachers who fail to reach a required standard will not be allowed to stay on. Survivors will be designated “career teachers” and given a chance to climb through three career rugs and earn bonuses of up to $7,000. Advancement will not be automatic. The performance of each teacher will be closely assessed by committees of teachers drawn from other districts.
Questions:
1.What support is the federal government offering to states that set up a master teacher scheme?
2.What’s the purpose of the master teacher scheme?
3.In the state of Tennessee, how will teachers be assessed?
4.What is the main idea of the text?
5.What can be inferred from the text about the master teacher scheme?
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Test 17 Directions: Study the following charts carefully and write an essay in about 200 words.
In the essay you should cover the following three points:
(1)Effect of the country’s growing poaching cases on its precious wild lives.
(2)Possible reasons for the effect.
(3)Your suggestions for wildlife protection.
Directions:
Among all the worthy feelings of mankind, love is probably the noblest, but everyone has his/her own understanding of it. There has been a discussion recently on the issue in a newspaper. Write an essay to the newspaper to
(1)show your understanding of the symbolic meaning of the picture below,
(2)give a specific example, and
(3)give your suggestion as to the best way to show love.
You should write 160-200 words on the ANSWER SHEET.
Directions:In this section you are required to write a letter in reply to a friend’s inquiry about applying for admission to your college or university. You should write at least 80 words and base your composition on the outline given in Chinese below: 1.建议报考的专业及理由; 2.报考该专业的基本条件; 3.应当如何备考。