Desert FormationA) The deserts, which already occupy approximately a fourth of the Earth's land surface, have in recent decades been increasing at an alarming pace. The expansion of desert-like conditions into areas where they did not previously exist is called desertification. It has been estimated that an additional one-fourth of the Earth's land surface is threatened by this process.B) Desertification is accomplished primarily through the loss of stabilizing natural vegetation and the subsequent accelerated erosion of the soil by wind and water. In some cases the loose soil is blown completely away, leaving a stony surface. In other cases, the finer particles may be removed, while the sand-sized particles are accumulated to form mobile hills or ridges of sand.C) Even in the areas that retain a soil cover, the reduction of vegetation typically results in the loss of the soil's ability to absorb substantial quantities of water. The impact of raindrops on the loose soil tends to transfer fine clay particles into the tiniest soil spaces, sealing them and producing a surface that allows very little water penetration. Water absorption is greatly reduced; consequently runoff is increased, resulting in accelerated erosion rates. The gradual drying of the soil caused by its diminished ability to absorb water results in the further loss of vegetation, so that a cycle of progressive surface deterioration is established.D) In some regions, the increase in desert areas is occurring largely as the result of a trend toward drier climatic conditions. Continued gradual global warming has produced an increase in aridity for some areas over the past few thousand years. The process may be accelerated in subsequent decades if global warming resulting from air pollution seriously increases.E) There is little doubt, however, that desertification in most areas results primarily from human activities rather than natural processes. The semiarid lands bordering the deserts exist in a delicate ecological balance and are limited in their potential to adjust to increased environmental pressures. Expanding populations are subjecting the land to increasing pressures to provide them with food and fuel. In wet periods , the land may be able to respond to these stresses. During the dry periods that are common phenomena along the desert margins, though, the pressure on the land is often far in excess of its diminished capacity, and desertification results.F) Four specific activities have been identified as major contributors to the desertification processes: over-cultivation, over-grazing, firewood gathering, and over-irrigation. The cultivation of crops has expanded into progressively drier regions as population densities have grown. These regions are especially likely to have periods of severe dryness, so that crop failures are common. Since the raising of most crops necessitates the prior removal of the natural vegetation, crop failures leave extensive tracts of land devoid of a plant cover and susceptible to wind and water erosion.G) The raising of livestock is a major economic activity in semiarid lands, where grasses are generally the dominant type of natural vegetation. The consequences of an excessive number of livestock grazing in an area are the reduction of the vegetation cover and the trampling and pulverization of the soil. This is usually followed by the drying of the soil and accelerated erosion. Firewood is the chief fuel used for cooking and heating in many countries. The increased pressures of expanding populations have led to the removal of woody plants so that many cities and towns are surrounded by large areas completely lacking in trees and shrubs. The increasing use of dried animal waste as a substitute fuel has also hurt the soil because this valuable soil conditioner and source of plant nutrients is no longer being returned to the land. H) The final major human cause of desertification is soil salinization resulting from over-irrigation. Excess water from irrigation sinks down into the water table. If no drainage system exists, the water table rises, bringing dissolved salts to the surface. The water evaporates and the salts are left behind, creating a white crustal layer that prevents air and water from reaching the underlying soil. The extreme seriousness of desertification results from the vast areas of land and the tremendous numbers of people affected, as well as from the great difficulty of reversing or even slowing the process. Once the soil has been removed by erosion, only the passage of centuries or millennia will enable new soil to form. In areas where considerable soil still remains, though, a rigorously enforced program of land protection and cover-crop planting may make it possible to reverse the present deterioration of the surface. I) In geography, an oasis is an isolated area of vegetation in a desert, typically surrounding a spring or similar water source. Oases also provide habitat for animals and even humans if the area is big enough. The location of oases has been of critical importance for trade and transportation routes in desert areas. Caravans must travel via oases so that supplies of water and food can be replenished. Thus, political or military control of an oasis has in many cases meant control of trade on a particular route. For example, the oases of Awjila, Chadames and Kufra, situated in modern-day Libya, have at various times been vital to both North-South and East-West trade in the Sahara. Oases are formed from underground rivers or aquifers such as an artesian aquifer, where water can reach the surface naturally by pressure or by man made wells. Occasional brief thunderstorms provide subterranean water to sustain natural oases, such as the Tuat. Substrata of impermeable rock and stone can trap water and retain it in pockets, or on long faulting subsurface ridges or volcanic dikes water can collect and percolate to the surface. Any incidence of water is then used by migrating birds who also pass seeds with their droppings which will grow at the water's edge forming an oasis.

除了扫墓，人们还参与包括荡秋千、放风筝等各种活动。

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人民币升值 (appreciation of the RMB)意味着相对于其他货币而言，人民币的 购买力 (purchasing power)增强。人民币升值既有来自中国经济内部动力的原因，也有主要来自于日本和美国的外部压力。人民币升值对中国经济的发展和人民的生活状况既有利也有弊。人民币升值有利于刺激进口、稳定物价、提高人民收入。但是不利于产品出口，会降低中国对外国投资者的吸引力。

Topic Will High Technology Eliminate Cultural Diversity? For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay entitled Will High Technology Eliminate Cultural Diversity? following the outline given below. You should write at least 120 words but no more than 180 words. 1．高科技的发展给人们带来了不少影响 2．一些人担心高科技发展会抹杀文化差异性，另一些人却认为不会 3．我对此的看法是……

Forthispart,youareallowed30minutestowriteanessaybasedonthepicturebelow.Youshouldstartyouressaywithabriefdescriptionofthepictureandthencommentonwaystoachieveeffectivecommunication.Youshouldwriteatleast120wordsbutnomorethan180words.

For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay on the importance of innovation ability. You should write at least 120 words but no more than 180 words.

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1978年底召开的中共第十一届三中全会(The Third Plenary Session of the CPC llth Central Committee)代表了新中国历史上一个意义深远的转折点。自1979年起．中国开始实施由邓小平发起的改革开放政策。对重新调整经济结构及改革经济、政治制度做了较大努力。中国正在逐步建立一条引导走向社会主义现代化的有中国特色的道路。自1979年起，中国已发生巨大变化。国家形势比以往好，人民正享受到比以往任何时候都更多的物质利益。

A friend of mine, in response to a conversation we were having about the injustices of life, asked me the question: "Who said life was going to be fair, or that it was even meant to be fair?" Her question was a good one. It reminded me of something I was taught as a youngster—life isn't fair. It's a disappointment, but it's absolutely true. One of the mistakes many of us make is that we feel sorry for ourselves, or for others, thinking that life should be fair, or that someday it will be. It's not and it won't One of the nice things about surrendering to the fact that life isn't fair is that it keeps us from feeling sorry for ourselves by encouraging us to do the very best we can with what we have. We know it's not "life's job" to make everything perfect; it's our own challenge. Surrendering to this fact also keeps us from feeling sorry for others because we are reminded that everyone is dealt a different hand (一手牌); everyone has unique strengths and problems in the process of growing up, facing the reality and making decisions, and everyone has those times that they feel victimized or unfairly treated. The fact that life isn't fair doesn't mean we shouldn't do everything in our power to improve our own lives or the world as a whole. To the contrary, it suggests that we should. When we don't recognize or admit that life isn't fair, we tend to feel pity for others and for ourselves. Pity, of course, is a self-defeating emotion that does nothing for anyone, except to make everyone feel worse than they already do. When we do recognize that life isn't fair, however, we feel sympathy for others and for ourselves. And sympathy is a heartfelt emotion that delivers loving kindness to everyone it touches. The next time you find yourself thinking about the injustices of the world, try reminding yourself of this very basic fact You may be surprised that it can push you out of self-pity and into helpful action.

In China, it is necessary to serve tea to visitors. You can ask them about what kind of tea they fancy most in advance so as to serve them with the most appropriate tea set. In the course of serving tea, the host should take careful note of how much water remaining in the kettle and in the cups of the guests. Usually, boiling water should be added after half of the cup has been consumed, and thus the cup is kept filled so that the tea retains the same concentration and remains pleasantly warm throughout the entire course of tea-drinking. Snacks, sweets and other dishes may be served at tea time to complement the fragrance of the tea and to allay one's hunger.

If you sit all day at an office and worry about its effect on your weight and health, take a few breaks. That's the advice from a new study that finds that people who sit for extended periods of time without taking short breaks are at higher risk for heart disease than those who take more frequent timeouts to stand up and walk around. The cardiovascular(心脏血管的)risk that stems from remaining sedentary for prolonged periods of time(at the office, for example)manifests itself in the form of larger waists, higher blood pressure, increased body inflammation and lower levels of "good" cholesterol(胆固醇), the authors noted. What's more, the negative impact of such lengthy bouts(一阵)of inactivity seems to apply even to those who routinely go to the gym. "These findings are not surprising," said Dr. Murray A. Mittleman, director of the cardiovascular epidemiology research unit at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and an associate professor in the department of epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston. "In fact, the Surgeon General report recommends that individuals should accumulate activity incrementally throughout the day," noted Mittleman, who was not a member of the Australian research team. "And this is really consistent with that." The team, led by Genevieve N. Healy, of the Cancer Prevention Research Center in the School of Population Health at the University of Queensland in Herston, Australia, reported their findings in the Jan. 12 online edition of the European Heart Journal. "Even if you exercise for 30 to 60 minutes a day, what you do for the rest of the day may also be important for your cardiovascular health," Healy explained. "This research suggests that even small changes to a person's activity levels(as little as standing up regularly)might help to lower cardiovascular risk. These changes can be readily incorporated into the person's day-to-day life(including the work environment). Stand up, move more, more often, could be used as a slogan to help get this message across."

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越来越多受英文教育的海外华人父母，已经认识到孩子在掌握不可或缺的英文的同时，也通晓中文的重要性。中国的崛起，让他们充分认识到孩子掌握双语的好处——既能增加他们的就业机会，也能让他们接触和熟悉东西方两种不同的文化。这些人对中文的态度几乎完全改变。曾几何时，他们还非常骄傲地宣称自己只懂英文。现在，他们已开始积极支持孩子学习中文和中国文化，而且还不时走访中国，欣赏壮观的自然风光，认识丰富的文化遗产。

Topic On the Importance of Teamwork For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay entitled On the Importance of Teamwork following the outline given below. You should write at least 120 words but no more than 180 words. 1．在现代社会，人们都很强调团队合作 2．团队合作如此重要的原因是…… 3．我认为应如何加强团队合作

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九寨沟风景区 (Jiuzhaigou Scenic Area)是世界上最佳的旅游景区之一。它位于四川省九寨沟县内，距离成都约450公里，因沟内有9个村寨而得名。九寨沟里森林遍布，沟内有108个色彩斑斓的湖泊。九寨沟 海拔 (elevation)2000多米，气候宜人，夏季凉爽，冬无寒风。九寨沟以其独特的风景每天吸引着数以万计的海内外游客。1992年，九寨沟风景区被列入 世界自然遗产名录 (World Natural Heritages)。

中国实行在公共场所禁止吸烟的规定。此举旨在遏制死于 与吸烟有关的疾病 (smoking-related diseases)的人数，并保护那些不抽烟民众的健康。然而禁烟令的有效性却遭到了质疑，因为它没有明确规定如何处罚那些违反规定的人。在中国，大约有3亿烟民。很多商家因为抽烟客人的抱怨并不欢迎禁烟令。禁烟令涉及的公共场所包括酒店、饭店、剧院和火车站候车室等，却不包括 办公场所 (workplace).

BSection C/B

刺绣(embroidery)是中国的民间传统手艺之一，有超过两千年的历史。刺绣就是用针线在织物上绣上(embroider)各种装饰的图案。中国刺绣与养蚕业(sericulture)紧密相连，因为中国是世界上最早使用蚕丝的国家。刺绣的用途主要包括生活和艺术装饰，如服装、床上用品(bed-clothes)、台布和舞台装饰。刺绣在国外也享有很高的声誉，是中国文化的杰出代表之一。