推薦：大學英語六級考試短文寫作教材
十、寫作模擬題與范文
1.
directions: for this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a composition of no less than 150 words on the following topic and outline.
最近國內有些高校允許在校適齡大學生結婚。對此人們有不同觀點，有人贊成，有人反對。你的觀點如何？
1.有些人對高校允許學生結婚的做法持肯定態度
2.另一些人則反對
3.我的觀點
2.
directions: for this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a composition on the topic preferable work. you should write at least 150 words and you should base your composition on the outline (given in chinese) below:
1. 有些人喜歡與人打交道的工作
2. 有些人喜歡與事物或機器打交道的工作
3. 你的選擇
3.
directions: for this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a composition on the topic part-time jobs for college students. you should write at least 150 words and you should base your composition on the outline (given in chinese) below:
1. 有些人反對大學生做兼職工作
2. 你的看法
4.
directions: for this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a composition on the topic the development of private cars. you should write at least 150 words and you should base your composition on the outline (given in chinese) below:
1. 有些人贊成發展私人小汽車
2.另一些人則反對
3. 你的看法
5.
directions: for this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a composition on the topic scientific discoveries—a curse or a blessing?. you should write at least 150 words and you should base your composition on the outline given in chinese below:
1. 科學發現為人類帶來很多福利。
2. 科學發現也導致了一些災難。
3. 結論。
6.
directions: for this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a composition on the topic internet — a two-edged sword. you should write at least 150 words and you should base your composition on the outline given in chinese below:
1. internet的功績。
2. internet的弊端。
3. 結論。
7.
directions: for this part, you are to write a composition of 120～150 words on the greatest invention in the past century. in your composition, you should clearly state your opinion and give reasons to support your arguments. write your composition on the answer sheet.
8.
directions: for this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a composition on the topic brain drain. you should write at least 150 words and you should base your composition on the outline (given in chinese) below:
1. 人才流失是我國面臨的一個棘手的問題
2.人才流失的原因
3. 如何吸引人才
9.
directions: for this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a composition on the topic how to solve energy crisis. you should write at least 150 words and you should base your composition on the outline (given in chinese) below:
1. 人類面臨著能源危機
2.如何化解這一危機
10.
directions: for this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a composition on the topic fire accidents in big cities. you should write at least 150 words and you should base your composition on the outline (given in chinese) below:
1. 大城市火災有上升的趨勢
2.造成火災的原因
3.如何防止火災
11.
directions: for this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a composition on the topic practice makes perfect. you should write at least 150 words and you should base your composition on the outline given below:
1. 為什么說“熟能生巧”
2. 例如……
3.又例如
12.
directions: for this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a composition about “ against a robbery” based on the following picture. you are given the first sentence in english and are required to develop it into a full composition in no less than 150 words, not including the words given.
1. on yesterday afternoon, mrs. luo left home to go shopping.
2. in the flat opposite, a woman heard the noise outside.
3. the two criminals were arrested.
13.
directions: for this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a composition on the topic the robot is a machine after all. you should write at least 150 words and you should base your composition on the cartoons given below.
14.
directions: for this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a letter of application for a job you should write at least 150 words and you should base your composition on the outline (given in chinese) below:
假定你是李明，是北京外國語大學(beijing foreign studies university)一名英語專業的學生。你在china daily上看到一則招聘廣告：microsoft china要招聘口譯員。你認為自己符合條件，請寫一封申請信。
15.
directions: read the story in chinese below, and then write a composition of no less than 150 words under the titile of “the goal of life”. your composition should be based on the story and the following outline.
1. what have you learned from the story?
2. what is the goal of your life? if you have achieved the goal of your life, what would you do?
目 標
在英國有一位殘疾青年，他雙腿走起路來很困難，卻憑著堅強的信念和毅力創造了一次又一次的壯舉：他19歲時登上了世界最高峰珠穆朗瑪峰；21歲時登上了阿爾卑斯山；22歲時登上了乞力馬扎羅山，28歲前他登上了世界上所有著名的高山。然而，就在28歲這一年他自殺了。原來在他11歲時，他父母在攀登乞力馬扎羅山時不幸遭遇雪崩雙雙遇難。他的父母臨行前給他留下了遺囑，希望他能象父母一樣，登上世界上所有著名的高山。這位殘疾青年把父母的遺囑作為他人生奮斗的目標，當實現全部目標的時候，他感到前所未有的無奈和絕望。他留下遺言：“如今，功成名就的我感到無事可做了，我沒有了新的目標……”
16.
directions: for this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a composition of no less than 120 words under the title of "what will money bring us, fortune or misfortune?" your composition should be based on the following story given in chinese. give at least two reasons to support your choice.
奪命之物
一棟住宅樓發生了大火，一個中年男子在大火中喪生。奇怪的是，他5歲的兒子明明卻逃了出來。有人問明明：“你是怎么逃出來的?”明明說：“我拿了一塊濕毛巾捂住鼻子，貼在地上爬……”，這是科學有效的逃生方法。
人們不解：“你爸爸不會這么做嗎?”
明明說：“會，是爸爸教我這么做的。爸爸和我一起爬到了門口，他說忘了一件東西，就又爬回去了。”
參加救火的消防員說，他們發現那具男尸時，他的手里緊緊地攥著一沓百元大鈔。
于是，人們明白了：有一種東西殺人奪命，比大火還厲害。(摘自《深圳青年》第3期上半月刊，作者廖鈞)
17.
directions: for this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a summary of the following passage. you should write about 150 words and remember to write clearly on the composition sheet.
to lie or not to lie — the doctor’s dilemma
should doctors ever lie to benefit their patients — to speed recovery or to conceal the approach of death? doctors confront such choices often and urgently. at times, they see important reasons to lie for the patient’s own sake; in their eyes, such lies differ sharply from self-serving ones.
studies show that most doctors sincerely believe that the seriously ill do not want to know the truth about their condition, and that informing them risks destroying their hope, so that they may recover more slowly, or deteriorate faster, perhaps even commit suicide. as one physician wrote, “ours is a profession which traditionally has been guided by a precept that transcends the virtue of uttering the truth for truth’s sake, and that is as far as possible, do no harm.”
armed with such a precept, a number of doctors may slip into deceptive practices that they assume will “do no harm” and may well help their patients. they may prescribe innumerable placebos, sound more encouraging than the facts warrant, and distort grave news, especially to the incurably ill and the dying.
but the illusory nature of the benefits such deception is meant to produce is now coming to be documents. studies show that, contrary to the beliefs of many physicians, an overwhelming majority of patients do want to be told the truth, even about grave illness, and feel betrayed when they learn that they have been misled. we are also learning that truthful information, humanely conveyed, helps patients cope with illness: helps them tolerate pain better, need less medicine, and even recover faster after surgery.
not only do lies not provide the “help” hoped for by advocates of benevolent deception; they invade the autonomy of patients and render them unable to make informed choices concerning their own health, including the choice of whether to be a patient in the first place. we are becoming increasingly aware of all that can befall patients in the course of their illness when information is denied or distorted.
dying patients especially — who are easiest to mislead and most often kept in the dark — can then not make decisions about the end of life: about whether or not they should enter a hospital, or have surgery; about where and with whom they should spend their remaining time; about how they should bring their affairs to a close and take leave.
lies also do harm to those who tell them: harm to their integrity and, in the long run, to their credibility. lies hurt their colleagues as well. the suspicion of deceit undercuts the work of the many doctors who are honest with their patients; it contributes to the spiral of lawsuits and of “defensive medicine”, and thus it injures, in turn, the entire medical profession.
there is urgent need to debate this issue openly. not only in medicine, but in other professions as well, practitioners may find themselves repeatedly in difficulty where serious consequences seem avoidable only through deception. yet the public has every reason to be wary of professional deception, for such practices are peculiarly likely to become deeply rooted, to spread, and to erode trust. neither in medicine, nor in law, government, or the social sciences can there be comfort in the old saying, “what you don’t know can’t hurt you.”
18.
directions: for this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a summary of the following passage. you should write about 150 words and remember to write clearly on the composition sheet.
the leaning tower of pisa
the leaning tower has never been straight. not long after work began in 1173, the foundation settled unevenly, and the tower started inclining toward the north. evidence for this initial incline can be seen in the design of the tower itself: to keep the first few stories level, worker, make the columns and arched of the third story on the sinking northern side just slightly taller than the features on the southern side. political unrest in pisa halted construction in 1178, in the middle of work on the fourth level. work resumed almost 100 years later, in 1272, and by that time, the tower had tilted to the south — the direction it still points today. again, designer hoped to correct the lean, this time by adjusting the height of the fifth story, making the southern side somewhat taller than the northern side. in 1278, with seven stories completed, work on the tower ceased once again because of political unrest. by 1292, the tower’s tilt was so obvious that a group of masons(石匠) were asked to investigate the problem — the first of many commissions to study the tower appointed over the past 700 years.
the eighth story and final addition, the bell chamber, was built between 1360 and 1370. once more, architects attempted to correct for the southward lean, this time by angling the bell chamber northward. these efforts, combined with the slow time scale of construction, have so far prevented the tower from topping（倒塌） over.
throughout the monument’s history, architects and engineers have attempted to halt the lean, but since regular monitoring began in 1911, the offset（偏移） at the top of the tower has increased at a fairly consistent rate of about 1.2 millimeters each year. today the top of the tower is 5.227 meters off-center, visibly leaning south. fears about the safety of the landmark became acute when a similarly constructed bell tower at the cathedral at pavia collapsed suddenly in 1989. shortly thereafter, the tower at pisa was closed to visitors.
in 1990, a special commission, composed of italian and foreign experts in the fields of structural engineering, geotechnical engineering, history of art and restoration of monuments, was brought together by the italian government to determine new ways to save the tower. the tower of pisa project consortium has supervised several projects that have stabilized the structure and slowed the rater of its incline.
initial efforts focused on the exterior of the tower, but in the next few months, other, more radical techniques will be tried to halt the tower’s lean. there methods will be applied directly to the soil, modifying the tower’s footing. large-scale filed trials are now under way at the miracle square, where the tower stands, but all work is being done far from the monument itself to guard against the possibility that altering the ground too close to the tower could eventually damage the building.
the ultimate goal is not to straighten the tower. because the structure tilted in different direction during the early stages of construction, it became curved like a banana and will never stand truly upright. instead, the experts and engineers hope to ease its top back some 10 or 20 centimeters. with luck, their efforts will keep the landmark standing into the next century, when a new generation of scientists will tackle the 800-year-old problem of the leaning tower of pisa.
范文
1.should college students be allowed to get married?
there is no denying the fact that it is a hotly debated topic today whether college students should be allowed to get married. some time ago, the ban was lifted by some universities on students getting married. to this people’s attitudes differ sharply. some hold the positive view. they say that most college students are adults and that it is a basic right for those who have reached the appropriate ages to get married.
many others, however, hold the opposite view. they claim that the university or college is a place to study instead of a community to lead a family life. allowing college students to get married would adversely affect their study. for instance, they would spend too much time attending their family and love, unable to concentrate on their school work.
as far as i am concerned, i believe that it is ok to allow college students to get married. anyway, this is their freedom. actually, we don’t have to worry too much because facts have shown that most college students would choose not to get married in the face of such fierce competition and heavy school work.
(或 as far as i am concerned, i believe that college students should not be allowed to get married. though mostly adults, they are actually immature psychologically. their wish to get married is, more often than not, impulses. besides, as students, they are not ready to support a family financially.
2. preferable work
some people prefer to work with people. working with people usually makes one feel interesting and efficient. at the same time, it can give people power and competition and provides rivalry which can be a very effective motive in improving one's ability. in addition, people can get better ideas by way of consultation and conference with other people.
on the other hand, other people like jobs which mainly involve with objects or machine. they probably think that working with objects or machine will provide more peace and quiet. under such peaceful conditions, one can do more practical work, improve one's skill and make technical renovations.
of these two ways of working, i prefer working with people. first of all, i like working with people because of companionship. second, although there are competition and rivalry, we can learn something from other people even if we don't like them.
3. part-time jobs for college students
there has been much controversy over part-time jobs for college students. people who are against it hold that the sole purpose of higher education is for the students to acquire knowledge. if they are engaged in part-time job they will be invariably distracted from their studies and as a result they can not fulfill the requirements mapped out by the state education commission.
the writer, however, thinks that there are several advantages for college students involved in part-time jobs. firstly, part-time jobs provide opportunities for students to contact society so as to know the situation of the talent market. for instance, if a student works as a part-time governess, he or she will know what kind of professionals are urgently needed by the market and this will help him to choose a future job. secondly, there are some financial gains from part-time jobs. since the reform was carried out, institutions of higher education have started to collect tuition fees from students. needless to say this means another financial burden on parents. and part-time jobs can serve as a partial solution to this problem. last but not least, part-time jobs can cultivate students' sense of independence.
to sum up, part-time jobs can do a lot more good than bad to students as long as they can make best use of their time and raise the efficiency of their study.
4. the development of private cars
with the increase in the general standard of living, some ordinary chinese families can now afford a car. yet opinions on the development of a private car vary from person to person. some claim that there are many advantages in possessing a car. it gives a much greater degree of comfort and mobility. the owner of a car is no longer forced to rely on public transport, and hence no irritation caused by waiting for buses or taxies. with a car he can go where he likes and when he wants, so much so that he can enjoy his leisure to the full by making trips to the country or seaside on the weekends, instead of being confined to his immediate neighborhood.
however, others strongly object to developing private cars. they maintain that as more and more cars are produced and run in the street, a large volume of poisonous gas will be given off, polluting the atmosphere and causing actual harm to the health of people. in fact, private cars contribute to traffic congestion so greatly that the advantages gained in comfort and freedom are often cancelled out by the frustration caused by traffic jams.
in spite of all the above-mentioned, i still favor owning a car. the reason is that the car gives a person the freedom to schedule his own time. though we are confronted with a problem of energy crisis, i am sure that the real solution will have to be a new kind of car, one that uses cheap, efficient fuel and does not contaminate the air.
5. scientific discovery — curse or blessing
new scientific discovery nearly always brings mankind a blessing. take electricity for example. since its discovery, it has ushered in an era of countless inventions in close connection with it. nowadays people can read and write by means of lights instead of candles. fire is another example of discoveries which made human beings survive in ancient times and generates electricity in modern times. again, minerals such as oil or coal discovered by man have long been used as fuel to develop industry and agriculture.
yet sometimes scientific discoveries may prove a curse upon the human race. as we know, everything has two sides. electricity can shock one to death if used carelessly. smoke from factories and gases from cars are terrible pollutants. radium used in nuclear power plants can lead to a nuclear war.
the misuse of scientific discoveries must be prevented. since chemical elements or substances were discovered, some have been made use of for purpose of war. such weapons as atomic bombs or poisonous gases have proved to be destructive to mankind. therefore, it is the whole world's duty to prevent scientific discoveries from menacing the human race.
6.internet — a two-edged sword
internet is playing an increasingly important role in people's life. as a newborn information delivering system, the internet has made seas of information available at our fingers’ tips. besides, the internet serves as the most convenient means for communication. through the internet, people can discuss various problems and make friends who share common views.
but just as a coin has two sides, internet has its own drawbacks which should not be neglected. first, it costs an alarming amount of money to construct the system and the cost is very high to most chinese consumers. second, it is sometimes difficult for people to find the right information they are looking for since there is too much rubbish on the net. finally, it is also difficult to prevent the net from the invasion of criminals.
therefore, the internet should be viewed as a two-edged sword, which presents us with both conveniences and troubles. but we should not give up eating for fear of choking. the best policy, as i see it, is to further develop the net and exert proper supervision over it so that it can benefit us in a better way.
7.the greatest invention in the past century
when asked about the greatest invention in the past century, some people may claim that it is the computer; others may say it is the mobile phone; still others may say it is the automobile. in my opinion, however, it is the internet.
of course, the computer, or the electric brain, has greatly facilitated our mental work and spare us the burden of calculating, restoring and searching; the automobile saves us time and makes our travel more convenient and the mobile phone has got people closer. but, these are just the extension of human brain, legs and voice. the internet, however, has changed human life in a more fundamental way since its birth.
first, as a newborn information delivering system, the internet has made various information available at our finger's tip. besides, internet serves as the most convenient means for communication. through internet, people can discuss various problems and make friends. last but not least, the internet is also a faithful aid in our daily life since people can go shopping and get medical services online.
to sum up, the internet is indeed the most interesting and important invention man has ever made.
8. brain drain
brain drain is a delicate problem with which this country is confronted. in the last ten years or so, a lot of scientists and technicians have swarmed into developed countries for further studies or research work, let alone numerous promising students. and there are no indications that they will be back home before long. this country has paid the expenses of training them but lost them. how did that come about?
it is self-evident that their delay of coming back is due to those favorable working and living conditions which are essential to research work. sophisticated equipment makes it easier for one to gain academic achievements. our competent scientists abroad are offered higher rewards and greater opportunities which contribute to their success in career.
it seems that it isn't impossible to solve the problem. the scientists and the like can be attracted back home so long as great importance is attached to the intellectual's deserving treatment and effective measures are taken to provide them with excellent pay and agreeable conditions.
9. how to solve energy crisis
man is faced with a grave problem—the energy crisis, which is becoming increasingly serious. first, with the increase in the world's population, the demand for fuels is growing steadily. second, the rapid development of industry and agriculture calls for an increasing amount of coal, oil and natural gas.
confronted with the energy crisis, we should take a series of effective measures to save energy. for one thing, it is high time that people all over the world realized the severe fact that our natural resources have been fixed since the earth was created. for another, the governments of all countries are supposed to lay down the rules and regulations to restrict the amount of gas used by cars. finally, scientific researches should be encouraged to work out efficient methods of saving fuels and to seek new sources of energy.
personally, i believe that solar energy is a possible source of clean, inexpensive and abundant energy. it does not pollute the environment and costs only as much as the installation of solar panels to absorb the sun's rays. consequently, i'm confident that a bright future is awaiting us because solar energy will be able to help us to solve the energy crisis.
10. fire accidents in big cities
in recent years there has been a marked growth of fire accidents in big cities of our country. almost every day we see fire engines rushing through streets. fires have not only resulted in heavy economic losses but also injured and killed many people.
what are the causes of fire accidents? most of the fires are brought about by carelessness and violation of fire safety regulations. others are due to the poor quality of home electrical appliances. by the way, some people don't know how to use them properly. besides, there are quite a few businesses which focus so much of their attention on profits that they tend to neglect and even ignore fire precautions.
in my opinion, in order to prevent fires we should first of all foster people's sense of fire prevention. the second thing we have to do is to increase the number of professional fire fighters, to whom regular training courses should be offered. finally, we are to improve the existing fire engines and add more fire facilities to high-rise buildings. in this way, a reliable fire prevention system will be formed.
11. practice makes perfect
a well-known proverb goes “practice makes perfect”, which means that perfection lies in practice. without practice, you can never expect to be really good at anything. on the contrary, the more you practice, the more likely you are to do things in a perfect way.
taking a look around, we can find examples too numerous to list. the study of english is a case in point. if you wish to improve your pronunciation, you must practice pronouncing every english syllable again and again. likewise, if you want to write an excellent composition, you have to sit down and write.
another example is deng yaping, the world no. 1 woman ping-pong player. this short girl, who does not seem to be cut out for sports, owes her success to painstaking and perseverant practice.
in short, practice is essential if we want to make achievements in our studies or work, or indeed in any other aspect of our life. practice, to some degree, can make the difference between being merely good at something and becoming a champion.
12.against a robbery
yesterday afternoon，mrs. luo left home for shopping. halfway down the stairs, she found her way blocked by two men armed with knives. they threatened her, saying that they would stab her if she made any noise. then, they forced her to take them to her flat and open the door. it seemed that mrs. luo was be in a big trouble and was bound to lose money or life.
in the flat opposite, a woman heard the noise outside. when she looked out through the window, she discovered that her neighbor was threatened by someone. she immediately called the police. in answer to the call, a patrol police car arrived at the scene of the crime quickly. three policemen went inside the flat, others guarded outside the building to prevent anyone from escaping.
the two criminals were arrested and taken to the police station with their wrists handcuffed. there they would be questioned and probably charged with robbery.
13. the robot is a machine after all
as is vividly shown in the pictures, a man and a robot were playing cards. obviously, the man was losing, for he was with a sad face. the robot, on the other hand, was smiling. then the man went to open the body of the robot and changed something inside it. a moment later, they were back again to the game. now it was the robot’s turn to frown: nearly all the coins were won over by the man.
simple as the cartoons are, their symbolic meaning is profound and far-reaching: the robot is but a robot, a product by man. it can never really defeat human beings; much less can they control or replace man. with this in mind, we need no longer worry about the miserable fate of human beings as foretold by some pessimists or as described in some american films like “the star war” or “matrix”.
while we should be optimistic about the future of human beings, we need also be warrant of the danger resulting from some inappropriate use of modern technology, like that of gene and cloning, which might endanger mankind either physically or morally. we might not be defeated by robots, but we might be ruined by ourselves.
14. a letter of application for a job
june 17th, 2006
dear sir/madam,
i am responding to your advertisement in china daily on june 10th, 2006, which invites applications for interpreters. enclosed with this letter is my resume which details my background.
i believe that i am the best candidate for this position. in the first place, i have been studying for four years in beijing foreign studies university, one of the most prestigious language schools in china, which has provided me with a desirable command of english skills. in the second place, i have taken part in a number of social activities in the past years, which have helped cultivate my team-spirit and creativity. besides, i have attended training courses for interpretation and have obtained related certificates. last but not least, i have worked as a part-time interpreter, so i am well prepared for this job.
i would treasure the chance and exert every effort to do a good job if i had the luck to be provided with the position. besides, i shall be much obliged if you will afford me an opportunity for an interview, and i appreciate a response from you at your earliest convenience.
thank you for considering this application. best regards.
yours sincerely li ming
15.the goal of life
a story goes that a disabled young man managed to reach the peak of every famous high mountain in the world before he was 28. he did all this just as his parents told him to do in their will. but the young man committed suicide in the end and his last words were: “now i have nothing to do with all my goals achieved and my fame well established. i have no new goals.”
this story might not be true, but it conveys profound messages. first, one should have a grand ideal and associate it with the needs of society. secondly, one should have his own pursuits and should not follow others blindly.
the story is especially instructive when we think of similar happenings around us. some people, after making a fortune, feel empty and desperate, resorting to drugs or other low style of life. still more young people do the same because they are in lack of lofty ideals and are only drifting with the tide.
as far as i am concerned, i would like to devote myself to any cause that is beneficial to mankind. my short-term goal is to learn about environmental protection and find a job in this field. and i believe this is a meaningful and useful career. it is worth my life-long efforts. i will keep finding and attaining new goals in this field.
16.what will money bring us, fortune or misfortune?
a story goes that once an apartment building caught fire. among the survivors was a boy of five, who crawled out of the building by himself with a wet towel covering his nose. but his father, who taught the boy the way, got killed, for he went back again for his money.
simple as the story is, it conveys a profound message: money can be more deadly than fire.
actually, there is no denying the fact that it has been a controversial topic “what will money bring us, fortune or misfortune?” quite a few people would choose the former instantly, for they believe that money can buy them also everything. there are, of course, people who hate money and believe it is the source of misfortune.
as far as i am concerned, i think that money itself cannot bring us fortune or misfortune, but our attitudes towards it can. be the master of money and you will drive it to work for you, to buy you necessities and to enjoy your life. however, if you take yourself a slave of money, you will surely fall into the pit of misfortune one day. you will be tempted by money and lose your compass of life. you will even lose your life, as the father in the story did. so, friends, wake up and be the lord of money!
17.to lie or not to lie — the doctor’s dilemma
doctors are often confronted such a choice: to lie or not to lie to their patient. studies show that they often believe it is reasonable to lie for the patient’s own sake. most doctors believe that the seriously ill do not want to know the truth about their condition, and if they tell them the truth, they may lose their hope. because of such a belief, many doctors may tell “white lies” to their patients.
but now facts are proving that these doctors are wrong. actually, an overwhelming majority of patients do want to know the truth. we are also learning that truthful information can help patients deal with their disease if we tell it in a proper way.
lies cannot help the patients. besides, they invade their autonomy and make them unable to make sound decisions. lies also do harm to those who tell them, their colleagues and the entire medical profession. therefore, we need to debate this issue openly and put an end to professional deception.
18.the leaning tower of pisa
the tower of pisa has never been upright. its leaning can date back to the time not long after it was built in 1173. first, the tower tilted towards the north. then during the prolonged process of construction till 1370, the tower had always been leaning to the south.
throughout the monument’s history, many efforts have been made to halt the lean. these efforts have so far helped prevented the tower from topping over. but since 1911, the offset at the top of the tower has increased at a fairly consistent rate. shortly after 1989, for the sake of safety, the tower at pisa was closed to visitors.
in 1990, a special commission was organized to find new ways to save the tower. at first the commission worked mainly on the outside of the tower, but in the next few months, more radical techniques will be tried to stop the tower’s lean. the ultimate goal is not to straighten the tower but to ease its top back a little. with luck, the landmark can stand into the next century.
附錄 寫作練習答案
二、寫作常見錯誤分析
一、語法錯誤
（一）句子結構錯誤
1. 主從句疊置
1) there are more and more students who like to use the computer. / more and more students like to use the computer.
2) there are still many problems that should be noted and resolved. / many problems still should be noted and resolved.
2. 簡單句疊置
i like chatting on line very much, so i go to the net bar almost every weekend. / i like chatting on line very much. i go to the net bar almost every weekend.
3. 從句疊置
it is known to all that computers play an important role in many fields of our life. / as is known to all, computers play an important role in many fields of our life.
4. 句子成分缺失
if we work hard, we will surely be successful. /working hard, we will surely be successful.
5. 語序錯誤
1) why do college students spend more and more time on the computer?
2) i often wonder where they have got their money.
（二）動詞形式錯誤
1.時態錯誤
many people think that the internet will be more useful in the future.
2.語態形式錯誤
1) i have been excited several days at the news that you will come here.
2) most of the students are satisfied with the service in the dining hall.
3.單復數形式錯誤
1) wise men seek opportunities rather than wait for them. / a wise man seeks opportunities rather than wait for them.
2) some people are afraid that computers may control men in the future.
4.非謂語動詞形式錯誤
1) let me say “hello” to you on behalf of everyone.
2) doing exercise in the morning is good for one’s health.
3) having studied in our school for 3 years, i find that the canteen service has changed a lot.
（三）代詞錯誤
1) we can use computers in doing everything we like.
2) a college student should be able to do his washing on his own.
（四）冠詞錯誤
1) a/the horse is a useful animal.
2) the exam will be held in december, 2004.
（五）詞性錯誤
1) i wish you can consider my suggestions.
2) if a person wants to succeed, he must learn to endure sufferings and setbacks.
二、用詞錯誤
1) students must know how to operate a computer. / students must know how to work on a computer.
2) people can be exposed to many new things on the internet. / people can learn many new things on the internet.
3) the purpose of this letter is to express some opinions on the service in the dining hall. / the purpose of this letter is to make some complaints about the service in the dining hall.
三、表達習慣錯誤
1) what generated so large a change? / why is there so large a change?
2) now 6000 yuan is enough for you to buy a p4 computer. / now you can buy a p4 computer for 6000 yuan.
3) in a room often live 6-8 students.
4) i think there are three reasons for this great change.
5) the prices of the food are too high. / the food is too expensive.
6) the reason for this is that some people want to earn plenty of money without working hard. / this is because some people want to earn plenty of money without working hard.
四、標點符號及大小寫錯誤
1) however, every coin has two sides. i think the surroundings in our canteen are the best among all universities.
2) the man was racing down the street because he was late for the class.
3) at last i want to let you know that i love our university very much.
4) my favorite sports are swimming, jogging, mountaineering and playing table tennis.
5) the best english film in my eyes is forrest gump.
五、冠詞用法講練
exercise 1
a. 1. a 2. an
3. an 4. an
5. an 6. an
7. a 8. an
b. 1. a new office building 2. travel agent
3. an american scientist 4. a day’s outing
5. an indian stamp 6. a heart attack
7. an advanced country 8. an interesting play
exercise 2
1. a (telephone); a 2.x; x; x
3. a; a; an; a 4.a; a; a; an
5. a; a; a; a; a 6.an; a; x; an; x; a; a
7. a; an 8.x
exercise 3
a. 1. a (very bad night); a (wink)
2. an (honesty)
3. a (vision of a new and happier europe)
4. a (holiday); a (day off); a (month)
5. an (hourly service)
6. a (great honour); a (gathering)
7. a (mountain); a (horror)
8. an (early age)
9. a (word)
10.a (boy)
b. 1. a (big problem); (not too big) a (problem)
2. a (square nose); (so handsome) a (man)
3. (however great) a (disaster)
4. (many) a (shipwrecked sailor)
5. (such) an (urgent need)
6. (so urgent) a (need)
7. (as lovely)a (picture)
8. (what) a (serious crisis)
9. (many) a (greater man)
10. (how serious) a (crime)
exercise 4
1. the; x 2. x; the(forests)
3. x; the(nature) 4. the (education); x
7. x; the 8. the; x
exercise 5
a. 1.x; a; the 2. the (steam-engine); the
3. the (bat); a 4. x; the; x; a
5. the 6. a; the; x; x
7. the(prison);a 8. the (youngest); x; the; x
b. 1.the (horse); a (noble animal); a (faithful servant)
2. a (game)
3. the (school); the (behaviour);the (pupils)
4. the (dinner); the (speeches)
5. the (setting of goals)
6. the (hospital); (at) the (end of)t he (week)
7. the (radio)
8. the (flute)
9. (have) a; the (city center); (get) a; (on) the (bus)
10. the (ground); the (wood)
exercise 6
a. 1.the; the; the 2. the; the
3. the; the 4. the (wool); the
5. x; the; x 6. the; the; the; x
7. the; the 8. x; x; x
9. the; the 10. x
b. 1. the british museum 2. the suez canal
3. the difference between 4. the wilsons
these two words
5. in the first row 6. the year 1949
exercise 7
(the) people everywhere … when (the) strangers … (the) good manners … in (the) different parts … accepting (the) gifts … shows (the) bad manners … even (the) rudeness … with (the) good manners accept (the) important things with (the) both hands …to accept (the) important things shows not only (the) discourtesy … in (the) europe and (the) north america, however, (the) people…
六、標點符號用法講練
exercise 1
1. the…identity: lt, henry bedell, company d, 11th vermont volunteers…old.
2. it…that dad…already－farming 80 acres…job.
3. now i’m…point－but what …there?
4. rain, snow, sleet, fog…world.
5. during…tourists; during the winter…beach.
6. to…extent, mankind…earth.
7. like…wild life,…reproduce, grow…fall.
8. the…jim thorpe, the greatest american…times.
9. the…enormous, juicy…appetizing.
10. i…kids－educated…the west…movies－would be disappointed.
11. i…statue. its soul, so to speak, is…beauty.
12. the…students, teachers, doctors, businessmen, factory workers－people…life.
13. is…underground－in new…caves?
14. i…－by correspondence－that i…her at beijing hotel…thursday.
15. passengers…beverages: coffee, tea, milk or soda.
16. present…mr. ho, chairman…english department; mr. brown, a visiting…denmark; and…us.
17. the…patients; it…of “defensive medicine”.
18. his…with them－he had…once made…help.
exercise 2
1….work, for…
2….down; as a result, we…
3….note; it…
4….watch, yet…
5…..tired, so…
6. …booming; consequently, the company…
7. …in it, and it was…
8. … looking; the food, however, is…
9….compulsory; the students… choice, therefore
10…coffee; others…
11…costly; nevertheless, we…
12…weightlessness; moreover, they…
exercise 3
1. … death; …
2. …sunlight. we…/…sunlight; we…
3. …may, yet/but snow…
4. …years; for example, …
5. …quiet; …
6. …night; i…/….night, and/so i…
7. …punished; in fact…/…punished. in fact…
8. …food, and so…./food; therefore, i….
9. …very; what…./…vary. what…
10. …tv; marie…/…tv, and marie…
exercise 4
1. “on friday,” the teacher announced, “we’ll take up a new lesson.”
2. “ what,” he asked, “do we have to prepare for the camping trip?”
3. c
4. he greets everyone with “hi!”
5. “you may think i have a lot of garbage in these bags,” one shopping-bag lady volunteered in a church soup kitchen, “but it’s everything i need.”
6. c
7. “it pains me,” i said, “to find that you both have been panhandling so long that it no longer embarrasses you.”
8. retirement often brings many problems surrounding the “what do i do with myself?” question, even though there may be no financial worries.
exercise 5
1. at one o’clock on september 2, 1666, the great fire of london started inside a baker’s shop in pudding lane. it lasted five days, and nearly 80% of all the buildings within the london wall were razed. according to the official report, 13,200 houses, 87 parish churches, over 400 streets, and the enormous old st. paul’s cathedral－one of the wonders of the medieval world－were in ruins. out of london’s 450 acres, only 75 remained untouched.
robert hubert, a french watchmaker from rouen, was accused of the fire. the sentence said he “had deliberately started the fire”. after he was hanged, it was conclusively proved that he had not even arrived in london until two days after the fire broke out.
2. mr. jones was very fond of climbing mountains, so one year he went to switzerland for his holidays. after he had climbed some easy mountains, he decided one day to climb a more difficult one; but he did not want to go up it alone, so he found a good swiss guide, who had often climbed that mountain.
at first it was not a difficult climb, but then they came to a place which was not so easy. the guide stopped, turned round and warned mr jones. “be careful here,”he said “this is a dangerous place. you can easily fall, and if you do, you will fall straight down a very long way.” “but,”he continued calmly, “if you do fall here, don’t forget to look to the right while you are going down. there is a quite extraordinarily beautiful view there－much more beautiful than the one you can see from here.”
3. it is the simple things that really matter. if a man delights in his wife and children, has success in work, and finds pleasure in the alternation of day and night, spring and autumn, he will be happy whatever his philosophy may be. if, on the other hand, he finds his wife hateful, his children’s noise unendurable, and the office a nightmare, if in the daytime he longs for night, and at night he sighs for the light of day－then what he needs is not a new philosophy but a new pattern of life－a different diet, or more exercise. man is an animal, and his happiness depends on his physiology more than he likes to think. unhappy business men, i am convinced, would increase their happiness more by walking six miles every day than by any conceivable change of philosophy.
七、句型寫作練習
（一）并列句
1) it was a cold snowy day and he had no money left for food.
2) hurry up or you’ll be late.
3) it rained heavily last night but i went to the show anyway.
4) i enjoy classical music, so does she.
5) he must be ill, for he is absent today.
6) some people waste food while others haven’t enough.
7) she is fat whereas her husband is thin.
8) she cannot read, neither can she write.
（二）復合句
1.
1) it is quite obvious that they need more help in english.
2) it is good news that she is still alive.
3) it doesn’t seem likely that she will come here.
4) what the children like the best in the zoo are the pandas.
5) what we are badly in need of is raw material.
2.
1) it’s a pity that he did not come earlier.
2) it is a well-known fact that smoking can cause lung cancer.
3) it is true that i encouraged him, but i didn’t actually help him.
4) it didn’t seem likely that they would ever keep their promise.
5) it was hard to understand why prof. hardy had singled out mary for criticism.
3.
1) can you tell me what kind of show they are putting on?
2) i’m wondering if the letter is overweight.
3) i am thinking how we can improve our study habits.
4) we are still uncertain whether henry is the right person for the job.
5) peter has always been in good health except that he has a slight headache sometimes.
6) he suddenly remembered that he had forgotten to take his notebook with him.
4.
1) i always took it for granted that i was far more intelligent than he was.
2) we all thought it a pity that you were unable to attend our meeting.
3) we consider it important that you should mind your manners.
4) he didn't want it known that he was too ill to go on working.
5) i regard it important that every one of you should finish your homework on time.
6) he took it for granted that his father would come to his help if he got into trouble.
7) we thought it highly probable that he might change his mind at the last minute.
8) i think it likely that the train will be delayed by the dense fog.
9) the doctor thinks it advisable that you should stop smoking.
5.
1) could you show me what you have written?
2) this is what we should always keep in mind.
3) what they saw in china made a deep impression on them.
4) we must not put off till tomorrow what we can do today.
6.
1) nothing could hide the fact that he is growing old.
2) the fact that he works hard does not necessarily mean that he is a competent leader.
3) i have a complacent feeling that i’m highly intelligent.
4) the explanation that he didn’t see the notice is unsatisfactory./ the explanation is unsatisfactory that he didn’t see the notice.
5) most of us don’t agree with his view that there is no advantage in int