甲骨文
(oracle bone script)是中国现存最早的文字。这些刻在
龟甲
(tortoise shell)或兽骨上的文字已相当成熟。没认识甲骨文之前,人们都把这些甲骨当作药材。
清代
(the Qing Dynasty)学者王懿荣偶然发现了这些龟甲和兽骨。在仔细研究之后,他认为这些刻在甲骨上的符号是3000多年前
商代
(the Shang Dynasty)的文字。从这些文字中可以大致了解商代统治者的日常生活情况。甲骨文为研究汉字起源提供了重要的资料。
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For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay entitled Computers in Our Life following the outline given below. You should write at least 120 words but no more than 180 words.1.当今,计算机已进入千家万户。2.计算机给我们的生活带来了许多方便。3.但同时计算机也给我们带来了一些麻烦。
It Isn' t Easy Being Green Green stories of hotels A)Over the summer, I stayed at four hotels in the United States. They were all owned by different companies, but they had one thing in common: A little card on the bathroom counter telling me that the establishment was very concerned about the environment, and appealing to me to do my part to help them save the earth by hanging up my wet towels and using them again the next day. Two of the hotels also placed a card next to the bed informing me that housekeeping would not change the sheets unless I left the card on the pillow. B)It is true that keeping all those towels clean requires an enormous amount of electricity and water and soap, and that cutting down on the number of loads of laundry would be more eco-friendly than my insisting on a new towel each day. But am I a heartless cynic for doubting that a collective environmental anxiety has seized the hotel industry? C)Here is an alternative explanation: All that water, soap, and electricity costs a lot of money and eats into the hotel's profits. A little card on the counter telling customers that they won't get new towels because the hotel doesn't want to pay for laundry wouldn't go over very well. But by couching it as a green campaign, the hotels actually get credit for providing less service to their customers, while pocketing the difference. D)Industry groups that advise hotels on becoming more environmentally friendly tend to stress the money they'll save just as much as the benefits to the planet. "Why should hotels be green?" asks the Green Hotels Association's Web site. "Haven't you heard? Being green goes directly to your bottom line." The site explains that by getting guests to recycle towels and sheets, hotels can save 5 percent on utility bills. "Some days, housekeeping workers, who usually clean 15 rooms a day, don't change a single bed, " said one satisfied hotel owner, who estimates that "70 percent of people staying more than one night participate in the program." Another member reports that far fewer guests ask for new towels. E)So let's review: We give up a nice luxury to save the hotel money: the hotel congratulates itself on being green for peer pressuring us into giving up the luxury under the excuse of environmental consciousness: the hotel keeps the money. Nice work. After all, even if profit is the motive, the net result is a reduction in the hotel' s "carbon footprint". But here' s what gets me: the hotels I stayed in this summer didn't seem all that interested in being green when it came to other things. The lobby of the big resort was air conditioned to meet locker temperatures. All day long, that frosty air rushed out the vast double doors, which were left open in the July heat. The resort also had a fleet of big, gas guzzling(耗油的)vans idling at the curb to transport guests around the grounds. Green stories of companies F)Hotels are not the only offenders in this kind of green fakery. Some companies have embraced conservation for real. They build headquarters with solar panels and rainwater collection systems: they think of the environmental impact of every aspect of their businesses and actually change the way they do things to reduce waste. But this is labor intensive, often expensive, and takes commitment. Faced with that, many corporations take a different approach: They don't do much of anything to change the way they do business, but make a big show of their contribution to Mother Earth. G)It' s usually easy to spot these companies: They make their customers do the work, and then take the credit. In the name of saving the planet, my cable TV operator keeps asking for permission to stop sending paper statements in the mail each month. Instead, firms are supposed to check my statement online. The real reason, of course, is that doing so would save them paper, printing and postage. This is a perfectly reasonable reason for them to want me to switch. But when they pretend that it' s all about the environment, it just makes me hate my cable company even more than I already do. Green stories of ad campaigns H)Sometimes a good ad campaign does a better job of enhancing a company's green reputation than going through the expense and difficulty of adopting actual environmentally sound practices. Billboards in Washington appeal to me to join the cause. "I will unplug stuff more, " reads one. Another says, "I will at least consider buying a hybrid(合成物)." These ads are the work of Chevron, the giant oil company, whose "Will You Join Us?" ads try to convince people that saving the planet is at the top of their fist. You might think that if Chevron was really worried about problems like global warming, they would spend some of those dollars lobbying Congress to adopt stricter gas mileage(英里数)requirements for automobiles. They do not do this. Instead, firms are apparently supposed to praise them as environmental heroes because they tell me to unplug my toaster and think about getting a Toyota Prius. I)Yet, ad campaigns like these work. Chevron lands at No. 371 out of 500 companies on Newsweek' s green ranks. But it claims the No. 62 spot when it comes to green reputation thanks in part to those pretty, polished ads. Green marketing has also helped Wal-Mart appear kinder and gentler in recent years. To be fair, the retailing giant has done more than redesign its logo. The company, which ranks 59th on Newsweek's list, has embraced a series of in-house green initiatives and is demanding its suppliers do the same. The result: Wal-Mart scores first place in our reputation survey. J)Given the power of positive marketing, it' s easy to see why those little towel cards are so popular enough so that there are now a lot of companies that market them to hotels, along with all manner of products intended to make customers feel good about themselves while helping the hotels feel good about their bank balances. I suppose it is time that I step up and do my part. On behalf of the planet I will dutifully sleep on day-old sheets. But please, for the love of all that is good and right, keep the towels coming.
For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay. Suppose there are two options upon the practice of setting fireworks: One is the severe prohibition and the other is permission. You are to make a choice between the two. Write an essay to explain the reasons for your choice. You should write at least 120 words but no more than 180 words.
Teenage boys, regardless of race, are more likely to die from gunshot wounds than from all natural causes combined. By the time the average American child leaves elementary school, he or she will witness 8,000 murders and more than 100,000 acts of violence on television. Youth are becoming involved in violence at an alarming rate. In fact, the youth arrest rate for murder doubled, from 6 arrests per 100,000 youth age 10 to 17 to over 12 per 100,000. The American Psychological Association Commission on Violence and Youth reported on a study of first and second graders in Washington D.C.: 45% said they had witnessed muggings (行凶抢劫), 31% said they had witnessed shootings, and 39% said they had seen dead bodies. For the many youth who have not been directly exposed to violence in their own communities, the entertainment media(television, movies, music and video games, provides many opportunities for children to see and hear violent exchanges. Research shows that there are about 5-6 violent acts per hour on prime time and 20-25 violent acts on Saturday morning children's programming. In its report, Psychology and You: Violence on Television, the American Psychological Association(APA) reported that viewing violence on television hurts children in many ways. In particular, the APA concludes that children may become less sensitive to the pain and suffering of others, be more fearful of the world around them, be more likely to behave in aggressive or harmful ways toward others, and gradually accept violence as a way to solve problems. The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry also cautions that children may imitate the violence they observe on television. Another form of violence involving youth is physical punishment in the schools. This form of discipline still remains legally supported in 23 of our nation's states. The Office for Civil Rights in the Department of Education reported that 555,000 students were physically punished in the schools during this school year. Although such punishment has been regarded as an effective method of discipline by those who apply it, the findings are obvious that physical punishment does not work and that children who are victims of physical punishment are subject to potential long-term physical and emotional damage.
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During the Second World War, doctors tried to save severely burned pilots with grafts of donated skin. The grafted skin looked good for a few days, but then withered and died. Studies led by Peter Medawar—who won a 1960 Nobel Prize for his work—found that grafts of an individuals own skin did work, while those of a donor did not. We now know that the donor skin grafts failed because the recipient's immune system recognized the grafted skin as foreign and killed it. The same process leads to the rejection of donated organs. But how does our immune system learn what is self and what is foreign? As immunologist Daniel Davis explains in The Compatibility Gene, it is all down to specific genes—formally known as the major histocompatibility complex genes. Although our appearance, lifestyle and career path may make us feel unique, we are actually always one of a group: it is only our compatibility genes that define us as true individuals. Davis provides a well-written and easy-to-read account of the sometimes complicated biology behind the crucial genes that affect our lives so profoundly. From early on in the evolution of life, individual cells—and later multicellular organisms— developed the ability to recognize that which was the same as them, and that which was different. Davis recounts how, when we are growing as fetuses, our compatibility genes train the immune system to recognize our own cells and tissues as "self" and so, in healthy people, they know what not to attack. Our cells are identified by the presence of unique surface molecules, coded for by the compatibility genes. Meanwhile, our immune systems make antibodies. These are randomly generated in a kind of lottery, which means they will be able to attack a great diversity of molecules, especially those of pathogens. By chance, though, a few of these antibodies will also match the compatibility-gene molecules on our own cells. Leaving such antibodies around would be suicide—literally. To stop this, Darwinian-style selection comes into play within the immune system, eliminating any cells that produce antibodies matching "self".
四合院
(siheyuan)是中国传统民居中最重要的形式。它数量多,分布广,并且在汉族、满族、白族以及其他少数民族中十分流行。大多数房屋采用木质框架。主屋建在南北走向的轴线上,两个厢房则位于四合院的两侧。家庭中的长者住在主屋中,而两翼则是年轻一代的卧室。妇女住在内院,客人和男仆住在外院,这种分布符合
封建礼制
(feudal regulations)。四合院遍布中国的城乡,但由于各地自然条件和生活方式各有不同,因此发展出各自的特征。北京的四合院是最具代表性的。
The earliest process of making paper was done almost 5,000 years ago in Egypt and the Nile Valley. In those days, paper was made from strips of the papyrus plant. Modern paper-making began in China about 2,000 years ago. This process produced paper from cloth, straw, wood or the bark of trees. The raw materials are struck over and over until they become loose. Then they are mixed with water. After the water has been removed, the flat, thin form remaining is permitted to dry. This becomes a sheet of paper. Large machines started to be used for making paper near the end of the 16th century. Today, paper-making is a big business. But it is still possible to make paper by hand, since the steps are the same as using big machines. You should choose paper with small amounts of printing. Old envelopes are good for this reason. Colored paper also can be used, as well as small amounts of newspaper. Small pieces of rags or cloth can be added. These should be cut into pieces about 5 centimeters by 5 centimeters. Everything is placed in a container, covered with water, and brought to a boil. It is mixed for about 2 hours with some common chemicals and then allowed to cool. Then it is left until most of the water dries up. The substance left, called pulp, can be stored until you are ready to make paper. When you are ready, the pulp is mixed with water again. Then the pulp is poured into a special box or mold. The mold is made of small squares of wire that hold the shape and thickness of the paper. To help dry the paper, the mold lets the water flow through the small wire squares. After several more drying steps, the paper is carefully lifted back from the mold. It is now strong enough to be touched. The paper is smoothed and pressed to remove trapped air. You can use a common electric iron used for pressing clothes.
崇左市因其美丽的跨国瀑布(transnational waterfalls)和独具魅力的民族文化吸引了大量的游客。
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据报道,
北京市教委
(Beijing Municipal Commission of Education)将对
高考
(the college admissiontest)进行改革。英语的分数由150分减为100分,而语文由150分增至180分。现行的高考制度中,语文、数学、英语三门考试分数相同。有关官员称,此次高考改革方案既是一个符合实际的决定,也是一项关乎民族自豪感的重大举措,因为它强调了母语学习的基础性重要地位。但是,也有专家称此次高考改革只是微调,不会削减英语本身的重要性。
庙会(temple fair)是中国一种传统的节日活动。它源于古代人们的祭祀仪式(sacrificial ceremony),逐渐演变成物品交流的集市和文化表演的场所。庙会一般在寺庙里或寺庙附近的空地上举行。虽然各地举办庙会的日子有所不同,但活动内容都差不多。老百姓从四面八方赶来,买卖物品、观看表演、品尝小吃。近几年来,庙会已经成为人们欣赏民间艺术和体验传统文化的首选之地。
A Logger's Lament A)My father was a logger. My husband is a logger. My sons will not be loggers. Loggers are an endangered species, but the environmental groups, which so righteously protect endangered species in the animal kingdom, have no concern for their fellow human beings under siege. Loggers are a much misunderstood people, pictured as brutal rapists of our planet, out to denude it of trees and, as a result, of wildlife. B)It is time to set the record straight. Loggers take great pride in the old growth trees, the dinosaurs of the forests, and would be sorry to see them all cut. There are in the national forests in Washington and Oregon(not to mention other states)approximately 8.5 million acres of forested land, mostly old growth set aside, never to be used for timber production. In order to see it all, a man would have to spend every weekend and holiday for sixty years looking at timber at a rate of more than one-thousand acres per day. This does not include acreage to be set aside for spotted-owl protection. C)In addition to this amount of forested land never to be logged, the State of Washington forest Practices Act, established in 1973, specifies that all land that is clear-cut of trees must be replanted unless converted to some other use. As a tree farmer generally plants more trees per acre than he removes, more trees are being planted than are being cut. In the last twenty years in Clark County, Washington, alone, the Department of Natural Resources has overseen the planting of at least 15000 acres of previously unforested private lands. D)The term logger applies to the person harvesting trees. A tree farmer is the one who owns the land and determines what is to be done with it. To a tree farmer, clear-cutting is no more than the final harvest of that generation of trees. The next spring, he reforests the land. To the public, clear-cutting is a bad word. Does the public cry shame when a wheat farmer harvests his crop and leaves a field of stubble in place of the beautiful wheat? E)In the Pacific Northwest, in five years, the nearly planted trees will grow taller than the farmer's head:in ten years, more than fifteen feet tall:and in twenty to thirty years, the trees will be ready for the first commercial harvest. The farmer then thins the trees to make room for better growth. In forty to fifty years, he will be ready to clear-cut his farm and replant again. Contrary to public opinion, it does not take three hundred years to grow a Douglas fir tree to harvestable age. F)Tree farming keeps us in wood products. We build with wood, write on paper, and even use the unmentionable in the bathroom. But in order to keep this flow of wood products available, we need to keep it economically feasible to grow trees. If we restrict the tree-farming practices because we do not like clear-cuts or because some animals might(and probably might not)become extinct, or we restrict markets for the timber by banning log exports or overtax the farmer, we are creating a situation where the farmer will no longer grow trees. If he cannot make money, he will not tree-farm. He will sell his tree farm so that it can grow houses. The land that grows trees is the natural resource: the trees are just a crop. G)Legislation is constantly being introduced to take away the private property rights of tree farmers. They are beleaguered by the public, who believe that any forest belongs to the public. Who, after all, buys the land and pays the taxes? Who invests money in property that will yield them an income only once every twenty to thirty years? Would John Q. Public picnic in a farmer' s wheat field? H)The tree farmer must have a diversified market. When there is a building slump in this country, it is vital to the industry to have an export market. Earlier recessions were devastating to tree farmers until markets were developed overseas. Some trees have little market value in the United States. The logs China and Korea bought in the late 1980s could not be sold here to cover the cost of delivery. I)As to the wildlife becoming extinct, that is a joke that is not very funny. Animals thrive in clear-cuts better than in old-growth timber. Look at the Mount St. Helens blast area. Nature created an immense clearing and now deer, elk, and other wildlife are returning in numbers. Why? Because there is more food growing in an open area than under the tall trees. And as for the spotted owl, surely the 8.5 million acres set aside is enough to maintain quite a respectable owl population. Numerous recent observations show that the owl lives in second-growth timber as well as in old growth. In the Wenatchee National Forest there are more than two hundred fifty examples of spotted owls living in other than old-growth timber. The owl is a tool of the environmentalist groups to get what they want: the complete eradication of the species Logger. J)Consider the scenic value of a preserved old-growth forest versus a managed stand of timber. In Glacier National Park, Montana, for example, which is totally untouched, one sees the old trees, the dead and dying trees, the windfalls crisscrossing the forest. In a managed forest, one sees the older stands with the forest floor cleared of the dead windfalls, leaving a more parklike setting. In the younger stands, one sees the beautiful new trees with their brilliant greens thrusting their tops to the sky and, in the clear-cuts, before the new trees obscure the view, one sees the huckleberry bushes with their luscious-tasting berries, the bright pink of fireweed and deer and elk feeding. True environmentalists husband the land:they do not let the crops stagnate and rot. Tree farming regenerates the trees and utilizes the product.
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BSection C/B
