Sample 4

How Will Life Go on without Internet?

1. 网络提供给了人们丰富多彩和便捷的生活 2. 很多人开始感觉离开网络寸步难行 3. 你对网络依赖症的看法 范文1：

If asked whether the Internet is the greatest discovery of the 20th century, my answer would be yes. The Internet has drawn the world closer together, realized countless incredible dreams, and provided modern people with a great many conveniences and a brilliant life.

Today, many people simply feel they cannot live without the Internet. Governments publish their latest policies and decisions online for worldwide recognition. Political campaigns are often done online to gain wider public support. Companies and enterprises resort to the Internet for more business opportunities and potential customers home and abroad. Universities and researchers turn to the Internet if they’d seek international cooperation or funding. Common folks like us also rely on the cyber world in various ways, for communication, entertainment, banking and shopping.

True, the power of the Internet is all pervasive and its many negative effects are already visible. For example, Internet addicts tend to withdraw to their own fantasy world rather than communicate with a real person. Children are exposed to online pornography and violence. Internet frauds are an everyday occurrence. In view of all this, you are advised to use the Internet with wisdom. Keep it at a safe distance and never lose yourself. 范文2：

As a primary source of information as well as an efficient means of communication, the Internet offers people a colourful and convenient life. Just by clicking the mouse, we can enjoy a brilliant and easy life that could not be achieved ever before: shopping, making friends, contacting relatives, looking for jobs, downloading music and movies, conducting business deals, and freely airing our opinions.

For its convenience, the Internet has attracted people like magnets and some people even claim that it is indispensable. To them, life can’t go on without it. Every day millions of people spend hours on end surfing the Internet. They are obsessed with it so much so that they forget many other important matters.

As for me, I don’t approve of unrestrained Internet reliance. Although the Internet is a gift of the technological revolution and a blessing of this information age, we should never let it control our life. The Internet absolutely doesn’t mean the whole world to us. Instead, we should guard against its negative effects. To those Internet addicts, I would add: ―Self-control can make or break your life. With proper use, the Internet serves you; otherwise, it kills you.‖

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Sample 5

Craze for Civil Service Examinations

1. 现在有越来越多的大学毕业生报考公务员 2. 引起此现象的原因 3. 你的看法

Every year hundreds of thousands of people in China take civil service exams conducted at various levels in the hope of becoming government employees. Among them, college graduates are a fast-growing force that can’t be ignored. The craze for being a civil servant is not limited to liberal arts majors, as it’s also gaining popularity among science and engineering students.

In the final analysis, this growing trend among the youngsters is mainly attributable to two factors – ambitions and comforts. On the one hand, many ambitious college graduates view these exams as a springboard to a higher social status, greater power and prestige, on which many of their other wishes rest. On the other, as being a civil servant generally means a stable income, enviable healthcare and pension programmes, as well as other comforts of life, it’s quite an appealing career option to many people, especially in this age of sluggish world economy.

Personally, the desire to be a government official is beyond reproach, as the nation and the people do need an injection of new blood into the civil service sectors. The fresh-faced college graduates, armed with lofty ideals, new vision, and strong drive, are undoubtedly among the best candidates.

Sample 6

Effects of Financial Crisis on College Students

1. 金融危机给各行各业都造成了一定影响 2. 金融危机对大学生造成何种影响 3. 作为大学生，应怎样应对这种影响

Since the financial crisis swept the world, the global economy has sunk into a severe recession. It’s hard to get through a day without hearing or reading news about the devastating effects of the crisis: A world of companies go bankrupt, millions of employees are laid off, high-return investment bubbles burst, and huge sums of loans can never be retrieved. Its impact on our daily life can be felt in all walks of life.

College students inevitably fall victim to this pervasive slump as well. On top of that, internships and job vacancies are reduced to the minimum as companies keep shrinking. New graduates find themselves hard to get a job, not to speak of a satisfactory one. What comes next? Poor students will be hard-pressed if they find student loans unavailable any more. As a result, some even cannot afford to continue their studies. Lastly, more students are probably out there anxiously looking for part-time jobs now that they have to help cover their expenses in this gloomy economy. Their innocence and

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eagerness might be taken advantage of by some malicious businesspeople, or even criminal gang.

In response to these threats, we students must act promptly and wisely. Since we definitely will be facing a competitive job market, it’s crucial that we submit high quality resumes. Therefore, we must commit more to our professional studies. Even better, master more job-related skills as a double security. Furthermore, apply for scholarships and grants, as these are still available and we don’t have to pay them back. As for the safety issues, trust our instinct – there’s no free lunch in this world. Anything that promises quick returns without much work is a sure trap. Stay alert and protect ourselves.

Sample 7

The Rise of Shanzhai Culture

1. 最近兴起了一股―山寨热‖ 2. 你如何看待山寨现象

The vast array of knockoff name-brand products, such as cell phones, DVDs, MP3 players, have made ―shanzhai‖ the hottest word of the year. Now we wear shanzhai watches, talk through shanzhai cell phones, play shanzhai video games, use shanzhai computers, even watch shanzhai TV shows. Once a term used before some electronic products to suggest a copycat version of inferior quality, shanzhai now suggests to many Chinese creativity and trendiness. With the media all over the rise of shanzhai culture, public opinions are clearly divided.

Advocates invariably associate it with innovation, stylishness, the DIY spirit, open-mindedness and practicality, as shanzhai products often mix imitation with innovation – a similar skin but a different heart. The end products are usually more functional and much cheaper than the original. Besides, they respond to the market more swiftly and they are more considerate in design. Thanks to them, more people at the grassroots level can enjoy the benefit of modern technology.

However, other people, including myself, hold more reserved attitudes towards the shanzhai fever. For all the popularity it has won, a copycat is a copycat. The mockery of the prestige products not only steals their profits but also upsets market competition. Moreover, shanzhai products thrive on the current legal loopholes. Under the disguise of anti-dominance slogans, they make illegal profits by violating intellectual property rights and evading taxes. And to top it off, the so-called innovation is only senseless talk as true innovation always faces huge costs and potential failures, while plagiarism simply builds success on other people’s risks.

Sample 8

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Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay entitled Shopping Online: A Blessing or a Curse? You should write at least 150 words following the outline given below:

1. 随着互联网的普及，网上购物已经成为一种时尚 2. 网上购物的好处

3. 网上购物的风险，以及如何规避风险？

Shopping Online: A Blessing or a Curse?

The Internet proves to be a blessing to mankind, making our life far easier with its convenience in information exchange, communication, entertainment, and of course, in the field of e-commerce. Although people still enjoy the great fun of conventional shopping, shopping online is gaining sweeping popularity as a trendy fashion.

Shopping online offers a great many benefits that one can’t find at a mall or by catalogue-shopping. For example, just as cyberspace is always open, so is the business at those online retailers. Buyers can click in, check the items, place the order, and pay for them instantly 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Besides, bargains are easy to find online. It takes just a couple of searches to nail down the most reasonably-priced product on sale, saving endless trouble in hopping from store to store to compare prices. Even better is the true one-stop experience provided by shopping online. The Internet is simply an enormous warehouse with almost anything conceivable, books, clothes, cosmetics, furniture, electronic appliances and airline tickets. Better deals are merely a click of a mouse away.

Fast, economical and efficient as it is, online shopping is not without risks. Internet fraud, the loss of personal information and after-sales services can often be significant enough to make a potential online shopper reconsider the decision to purchase again. Therefore, to make the best of our online shopping experience, we should keep two things in mind before we plunge in: stay alert to any dubious offer, and always opt for a reputable brand as well as a reliable seller.

Sample 9

Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a letter to the

railway station master about the buying of train tickets. You should write at least 150 words following the outline given below: 假设你是李明，寒假快到了，你需要乘火车回老家过年。尽管你已经去车站排队了好几次，但至今仍未买到车票。请给火车站站长写一封信，反映学生买票难的问题。建议在春运期间增发火车班次，增加火车票售票网点，给在校学生提供上门集中售票的服务，并允许学生提前购买返程票。

18 January 2011

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Mr. Station Master,

I am Li Ming, a student studying at a local university. For the last couple of weeks, I’ve tried my luck at the ticket counters of your station more than you can imagine, but a train ticket back home is still nowhere to find. As the winter break is only two weeks away, I am worried sick. Besides, I’m not the only one among my poor fellow students, who are no more fortunate than I am. And I know, the closer to the Spring Festival travel rush, the less likely we are to get a ticket. Therefore I’ve got no choice but to write to you in hope that you will help me, and my fellow students, to get a little closer to our dream.

I know you must be extremely busy at this time of the year, so I’ll save you all the trouble by cutting directly to the chase (getting to the point) and putting in a few suggestions. First, could you please consider arranging extra trains, if possible, in this critical period to meet the hiking (increasing) demand? Second, as the never-ending queues and the ―closed‖ boards before the overworked ticket counters at your station have set customers scrambling (struggling) by all means to jump the line, often resulting in fist fights, would you kindly open more temporary ticket booths around the city downtown and some densely-populated areas, such as my school? Lastly, since all the students are about to leave school at roughly the same period, could you accept batch orders from schools and organize the delivery to the door? More preferably, please allow the students to book return tickets in advance.

Thank you for your time in reading my letter. It will be greatly appreciated if you will kindly consider my suggestions, for I do hope that no one else has to go through the trouble and embarrassment I have endured these past few weeks. Best regards,

Sincerely yours,

Li Ming

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