英语专业四级历年写作真题(TEM-4)

英语专业四级历年写作真题(TEM-4)

2017年

Read carefully the following excerpt and then write your response in NO LESS THAN 200 WORDS, in which you should:

1) summarize the main message of the excerpt, and then

2) Comment on whether our brains will get lazy in a world run by intelligent machines You can support yourself with information from the excerpt.

Marks will be awarded for content relevance, content sufficiency, organization and language quality. Failure to follow the above instructions may result in a loss of marks.

With intelligent machines to do the thinking, will our brains get lazy? Changing technology stimulates the brain and increases intelligence. But that may only be true if the technology challenges us. In a world run by intelligent machines, our lives could get a lot simpler. Would that make us less intelligent? Artificial intelligence is taking over many human jobs. For instance, planes are being flown much of the time by automatic pilots. And the complex problem of controlling air traffic around large modern airports is also achieved by artificial intelligence that operates well beyond the capacity of mere human air traffic controllers. Artificial intelligence is embedded in many features of modern life for the simple reason that intelligent machines can already outperform humans, including some aptitudes where there was once thought to be a human advantage, such as playing chess, and writing poetry, or even novels. As machines get smarter, they will do more of our thinking for us and make life easier. In the future, the electronic assistant will develop to the point that it serves similar functions as a real living butler, fulfilling requests such as: “Organize a dinner party for six on Thursday, Jeeves, and invite the usual guests.” At that point, our long struggle with challenging technologies is at an end. Like Be Wooster, we can take it easy knowing that the hard work of planning and organizing is being done by a better brain-the electronic assistant. Starved of mental effort, our brains will regress. 2016年 Read carefully the following excerpt on term-time holiday arguments in the UK, and then write your response in NO LESS THAN 200 words, in which you should:

 summarize the main message of the excerpt, and then

 comment on whether parents should take children out of school for holiday during term time in order to

save money

You should support yourself with information from the excerpt.

Marks will be awarded for content relevance, content sufficiency, organization and language quality. Failure to follow the above instructions may result in a loss of marks.

Term-time holidays will be banned Parents are to be banned by Michael Gove, UK’s Education Secretary, from taking their children out of school to save money on holidays. He is to abolish the right of head teachers to “authorize absence” from the classroom, which has been used to let families take term-time breaks, and will warn them they face fines for their children not being at school. “Any time out of school has the potential to damage a child’s education, ” a senior source at the Department for Education said this weekend. “That is why the government will end the distinction between authorized and unauthorized an absence.” “This is part of the government’s wilder commitment to bring down truancy levels in our schools. There will also be stricter penalties for parents and schools.” The tough measures on truancy are part of a wilder attempt by Mr. Gove to make education more academically rigorous and to tackle a culture in the educational establishment which he believes has accepted “excuses for failure”. Russell Hobby, the general secretary of the National association of Head Teachers, said the measure would discourage parents from trying to put pressure on heads to sanction term time holidays. “the high cost of holidays 1 / 7

哈尔滨 李海斌 outside of term time is still an issue but ultimately as child’s education is more important than a holiday,” he said 2015年 Should working parents send their children to daycare centers? This has been an intensely discussed question for years. The following are the supporters’ and opponent’s opinions. Read carefully the opinions from both sides and write your response in about 200 words, in which you should first summarize briefly the opinions from both sides and give your view on the issue.

Marks will be awarded for content relevance, content sufficiency, organization and language quality. Failure to follow the above instructions may result in a loss of marks. YES Daycare centers can provide children wit the professional childhood education, because generally there are well-trained teachers in daycare centers to teach children different skills, such as dancing, singing and painting through various activities. More opportunities are provided in daycare centers for children to play with other peers, which can not only increase their social interactions, but also make them learn a little about unity and team spirits. Living in daycare centers helps children gain independence and confidence since they can do things by themselves and have more freedom in making their own choice. NO Normally, there are more than twenty or thirty children per class in daycare centers. However, only two or three teachers are assigned to take charge of one class. Therefore, children are less likely to get the one-on-one care because of the limited number of caregivers. Children may not get as much love and attention from the caregivers in daycare centers as from their relatives. For instance, grandparents always have enough time, patience and love to take care of their grandchildren. Children may get ill-treated by caregivers in daycare centers. Some of the teachers can easily lose temper and get angry at the children who have no defense. 2014年 Should we elect young people as the leaders of organizations or continue promoting older people? This has been an intensely discussed questions for years. The following are the supporters’ and opponent’s opinions. Read carefully the opinions from both sides and write your response in about 200 words, in which you should first summarize briefly the opinions from both sides and give your view on the issue.

Marks will be awarded for content relevance, content sufficiency, organization and language quality. Failure to follow the above instructions may result in a loss of marks. YES With creative thinking and sufficient energy, young people can inject inspiration and vitality into their work, which is essential for an organization to keep innovative and productive. Young people are willing to challenge themselves and explore the unknown world. If they are promoted to senior positions, they will show great passion and potential in their work. An emerging organization is starved for quality talents. Unlike elderly people in top positions, young leaders have less interpersonal relationships to handle when approaching their work. It is more convenient for them to implement their ideas. 2 / 7

NO Young leaders are likely to put the organization at risk as they are prone to impulse and puzzle when facing adversity. However, the old can generally keep calm and show strong will in an emergency, which is quite important for an organization since there is fierce competition in the society. Young people are inexperienced and unsophisticated. Compared to young people, it is easier for the old to make right decisions and lead the organization to develop in the right direction because they have rich experience, a global view and long-term vision. Young leaders are lack of credibility and influence which they can’t get in a short time. Most people support leaders with long-established reputation. 哈尔滨 李海斌 2013年 Should college students undertake a period of unpaid work helping people in the community or only do paid work? The following are the supporters’ and opponent’s opinions. Read carefully the opinions from both sides and write your response in about 200 words, in which you should first summarize briefly the opinions from both sides and give your view on the issue.

Marks will be awarded for content relevance, content sufficiency, organization and language quality. Failure to follow the above instructions may result in a loss of marks. YES Through voluntary work in the community, college students can gain working experience and practice their skills, which are helpful for their future career life. For example, college students can improve their problem-solving abilities, communication skills and teamwork spirit via interactions with people in the community. As college students are easy to get lost in terms of what they want for their personal life, they will get a sense of belonging to the community through their work, which is beneficial for their personal development. The unpaid work of college students can reduce the financial burden of the community, which enables the local government to improve the residential environment or support the old the handicapped. NO Unpaid social work might occupy college students’ studying time, which will lead to a reduction in their learning efficiency in school. The community has to spend much energy ensuring college students’ safety and avoiding potential conflicts between them because they come from different social backgrounds. With so many voluntary college students possessing different specialties and characters, the community has to do a lot of work to investigate them in order to make sure whether he or she is suitable for the job, so it’s difficult for the community to organize them to work systematically and efficiently. 2012年 Should museum entry be free? This has been an intensely discussed question for years. The following are the supporters’ and opponent’s opinions. Read carefully the opinions from both sides and write your response in about 200 words, in which you should first summarize briefly the opinions from both sides and give your view on the issue.

Marks will be awarded for content relevance, content sufficiency, organization and language quality. Failure to follow the above instructions may result in a loss of marks.

YES Museums preserve and display our artistic, social, scientific and political heritage. Everyone should have access to such important cultural resources, which offer educational opportunities to people of every age. Museums have a valuable role in preserving and transmitting a nation’s history and heritage to new generations. Free access will encourage more people to find out more about their country and help to promote feelings of national unity and identity and greater understanding and acceptance of foreign cultures. Free access is an investment in the future of this sector of the economy and therefore has long-term benefits in securing prosperity for the whole society. NO Free entry could limit the development of museums. Without the revenue from entry fees, museums would not have enough money to collect and preserve cultural objects and hold extra exhibitions of rare pieces. If museums are to be funded entirely by public money, the pressures on the government’s other budgets, such as the demands of hospitals, schools, pensions, etc., will museums an under-funding and poor sector. This will not help our creative industries or tourism. If museums, are entirely funded by the government, they will lack an incentive to increase the number of visitors and to make their collections exciting and accessible for all. 2011年 Should students take a gap year to travel or work after finishing high school or go to university directly? This has

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哈尔滨 李海斌

been an intensely discussed question for years. The following are the supporters’ and opponent’s opinions. Read carefully the opinions from both sides and write your response in about 200 words, in which you should first summarize briefly the opinions from both sides and give your view on the issue.

Marks will be awarded for content relevance, content sufficiency, organization and language quality. Failure to follow the above instructions may result in a loss of marks. YES Spending one year travelling or working can broaden students’ horizons and enrich their knowledge to understand the world better. It is a great opportunity for them to gain exposure to a new environment and meet different types of individuals with diverse backgrounds. Sometimes they can even learn about the culture and society of other peoples. Taking a gap year will help students to accumulate social experience. They cannot only enhance personal capacities, but also associate themselves better with the society. During the travel or work, students may have a clear perspective of their own career development. It is not an easy task for high-school graduates to make the right choice about his or her major at university since high school always emphasizes academic development. NO Parents are worried about students’ safety when they spend one year travelling or working. It is inevitable for those young students to get into trouble of one kind or another when taking a gap year. Besides, they are too young to cope with emergencies well or protect themselves from getting hurt, which might have a great impact on their future development. It is not easy to implement this plan since not every student can find a good job or afford his or her travel after graduating from high school because of the global economic downturn. Students may give up their academic development after taking a gap year, which will have a negative effect on their career. It is less likely for a graduate with only a high-school degree to find an deal job with high income. 2010年 It was recently reported in a newspaper that six students who shared a dorm at a local university hired a cleaner to do laundry and cleaning once a week. And each of them paid her 60 yuan a month. This has led to a heated debate as to whether college students should hire cleaners.

Write on ANSWER SHEET THREE a composition of about 200 words on the following topic:

Should College Students Hire Cleaners?

You are to write in three parts.

In the first part, state clearly what your view is.

In the second part, support your view with appropriate reasons.

In the last part, bring what you have written to a natural conclusion or a summary.

Marks will be awarded for content, organization, grammar and appropriateness. Failure to follow the instructions may result in a loss of marks. 2009年

Tourism is a booming business in China. However, some people worry that too many tourists may bring harm to the environment, while others don't think so. What is your opinion?

Write on ANSWER SHEET THREE a composition of about 200 words on the following topic:

Will Tourism Bring Harm to the Environment?

You are to write in three parts.

In the first part, state specifically what your opinion is.

In the second part, provide one or two reasons to support your opinion.

In the last part, bring what you have written to a natural conclusion or make a summary.

Marks will be awarded for content, organization, grammar and appropriateness. Failure to follow the instructions may result in a loss of marks. 2008年

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December 5th is International Volunteers Day. Since 1985, when the United Nations announced the special day, tens of millions of people around the world have volunteered to help those in need. China now has 4.5 million registered volunteers who have provided more than 4.5 billion hours of volunteer work. What can you gain from volunteering?

Write on ANSWER SHEET TWO a composition of about 200 words on the following topic:

The Benefits of Volunteering

You are to write in three parts.

In the first part, state specifically what your opinion is.

In the second part, support your opinion with appropriate details.

In the last part, bring what you have written to a natural conclusion or a summary.

Marks will be awarded for content, organization, grammar and appropriateness. Failure to follow the instructions may result in a loss of marks. 2007年

Nowadays the Internet has become part of people’s life , and millions of young people have made friends online.

Write on ANSWER SHEET TWO a composition of about 200 words on the following topic:

Is It Wise to Make Friends Online?

You are to write in three parts.

In the first part, state specifically what your opinion is.

In the second part, support your opinion with one or two reasons.

In the last part, bring what you have written to a natural conclusion or a summary.

Marks will be awarded for content, organization, grammar and appropriateness. Failure to follow the instructions may result in a loss of marks. 2006年

Recently a Beijing information company did a survey of student life among more than 700 students in Beijing, Guangzhou, Xi'an, Chengdu, Shanghai, Wuhan, Nanjing and Shenyang. The results have shown that 67 percent of students think that saving money is a good habit while the rest believe that using tomorrow's money today is better. What do you think?

Write on ANSWER SHEET TWO a composition of about 200 words. You are to write in three parts.

In the first part, state specifically what your opinion is.

In the second part, support your opinion with appropriate details.

In the last part, bring what you have written to a natural conclusion or a summary. You should supply an appropriate title for your composition.

Marks will be awarded for content, organization, grammar and appropriateness. Failure to follow the instructions may result in a loss of marks. 2005年

The Students' Union of your university is planning to hold an arts festival next semester, and they are inviting students to contribute their ideas and suggestions as to how it should be organized or what should be included. Write on ANSWER SHEET TWO a composition of about 200 words on the following topic:

My Idea of a University Arts Festival

You are to write in three parts:

In the first part, state specifically what your idea is.

In the second part, provide one or two reasons to support your idea OR describe your idea. In the last part, bring what you have written to a natural conclusion or a summary.

Marks will be awarded for content, organization, grammar and appropriateness. Failure to follow the instructions may result in a loss of marks. 2004年

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Nowadays young people tend to phone more often than write to each other. So, some say that phones will kill letter writing. What is your opinion?

Write on ANSWER SHEET TWO a composition of about 200 words on the following topic:

Will Phones Kill Letter Writing?

You are to write in three parts:

In the first part, state specifically what your view is.

In the second part, support your view with one or two reasons.

In the last part, bring what you have written to a natural conclusion or a summary.

Marks will be awarded for content organization, grammar and appropriateness. Failure to follow the instructions may result in a loss of marks. 2003年

People in modern society live under a lot of pressure, from education, career, or family. So it is important for them to keep a good mood under whatever circumstances.

Write on ANSWER SHEET TWO a composition of about 200 words on the following topic:

The Importance of Keeping a Good Mood

You are to write in three parts.

In the first part, state specifically what your view is.

In the second part, support your view with one or two reasons.

In the last part, bring what you have written to a natural conclusion or a summary.

Marks will be awarded for content, organization, grammar and appropriateness. Failure to follow the instructions may result in a loss of marks. 2002年

Nowadays people are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of health. And they have different ways to stay healthy. For example, some exercise every day; others try to keep a balanced diet. What do you think is the best way to stay healthy?

Write on ANSWER SHEET TWO a composition of about 200 words on the following topic:

The Best Way to Stay Healthy

You are to write in three parts:

In the first part, state what you think is the best way.

In the second part, support your view with one or two reasons.

In the last part, bring what you have written to a natural conclusion or a summary.

Marks will be awarded for content, organization, grammar and appropriateness. Failure to follow the instructions may result in a loss of marks. 2001年

Travel has become part of our life. And more and more of us have come to know the significance of travel through our own experience.

Write on ANSWER SHEET TWO a composition of about 200 words on the following topic:

Travel Broadens the Mind

You are to write in three parts:

In the first part, state what you think is the best way.

In the second part, support your view with one or two reasons.

In the last part, bring what you have written to a natural conclusion or a summary.

Marks will be awarded for content, organization, grammar and appropriateness. Failure to follow the instructions may result in a loss of marks. 2000年

College life should be varied and colorful. And extracurricular activities are an important aspect of it. However, at present, there is much room for improvement in this regard. Write an article to the university radio entitled:

The Importance of Extracurricular Activities

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哈尔滨 李海斌 1999年 We see advertisements on television everyday. Some people think that TV advertising brings as benefits, but others don’t think so. What is your opinion?

A Major Advantage/Disadvantage of Advertising on Television

1998年

It is now generally accepted that vehicles (cars, trucks, etc.) are a major source of air pollution in cities. Your are to suggest only ONE way to solve the problem. 1997年

Some of your classmates think that more pressure from academic studies is not beneficial to students. You either agree or disagree with them. 1996年

Every college student would agree that life in college is not the same as it was in the middle school. Now, you have been asked by the Student’s Union to write a passage entitled:

The Main Difference between My College Life and My Middle School Life

1995年

Nowadays it has become fashionable for college students to take a part-time job in their spare time. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of this trend. 1994年

TV: a good thing or a bad thing?

1993年

My Idea of Becoming a Teaching in the Future

1992年

My View on Reading Extensively

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