Asking for More Time to Finish a Task Write a letter of about 100 words based on the following situation: You failed to finish an important task assigned by Professor Liu because of a severe illness. Write him a letter to express your apology, explain your reason, and ask for more time to finish the task. Do not sign your own name at the end of the letter. Use "Li Ming" instead. Do not write the address.

Writeanessayof160—200wordsbasedonthefollowingdrawing.Inyouressay,youshould1)describethedrawing,2)interpretitsmeaning,and3)giveyourcommentonit.Youshouldwriteneatly.

Now that the damage inflicted by the Asian financial crisis looks like it was caused by an economic neutron bomb. The crisis has hurt great numbers of people, but has left the main structures of the world economy standing. The worst of the direct impact may be over. Many of the hardest-hit countries are on the road to recovery, financial "contagion" has been contained and world economic growth seems set to pick up soon. The most important development, however, is a non-event: the collapse of global capitalism has not occurred. Instead, the post-crisis world is likely to be even more market-oriented than the one that preceded it, with a proliferation of new rules and practices that will help markets to operate more smoothly. The countries recovering best, such as Thailand and South Korea, are doing so by moving further in a free-market direction. None of the affected nations has tried to isolate itself from the global economy, and the widely feared worldwide wave of protectionism has not yet materialized. Nor has there been the great rethinking of economic globalization that some feared and others advocated. The critics of global capitalism pounced on the crisis as proof of globalization"s fatal flaws. Their analyses often concluded that "there must be something better." On the contrary, economists have taken free-market principles as the starting point for new ideas, not called them into question. There has been much criticism of the so-called Washington consensus—the traditional free-market orthodoxy that uniformly prescribes fiscal discipline, deregulation, and financial liberalization. Partly as a result of the crisis, a new consensus simply adds extra prescriptions—such as better financial supervision, labor market, etc.—to the list. It is an elaboration of the original consensus, not a new departure. Numerous studies also show that engagement in the global economy leads to higher growth and helps to reduce poverty in developing countries. Today"s economic arguments are not over fundamental free-market policies, but what must be done to supplement them. Likewise, the efforts to devise a new "international financial architecture" in the wake of the crisis, due to continue during the spring meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund in Washington, will not involve rebuilding the system from scratch. The aim is to make incremental improvements in financial rules and practices that will oil the wheels of the market system, not to trade it in for a non-existent new model.

For most people Britain"s bouncing economy, now growing at its fastest for three years, is cause for cheer. Not,【C1】______for those who manage the country"s electricity power system. For them【C2】______growth means faster progress towards a critical situation. Ofgem, the energy regulator, has long【C3】______that the margin between peak electricity demand and【C4】______supply is falling. In June it said the margin would【C5】______from 14% in 2014 to just 4% in the winter of 2018, increasing the risk of blackouts【C6】______the weather turn cold or a power station or two【C7】______ . Since that report Britain"s economy has grown fast. Ofgem"s assessment【C8】______that Britain would grow by about 1.6% in 2017. The Bank of England now【C9】______2.8% growth. This will【C10】______consumption. Over the past decade an increase in peak electricity demand of 0.5% 【C11】______each additional percentage point of economic growth. John Feddersen of Aurora Energy Research thinks the capacity margin will therefore【C12】______to 2.6% by 2018 unless action is taken. That【C13】______into a one-in-seven chance of shortages, up from the one-in-twelve chance【C14】______was thought most likely last summer. Falling coal prices have kept Britain"s coal-fired power stations running at full【C15】______. That means many will have to close sooner than was【C16】______because European environmental laws【C17】______the total number of operating hours left to them. At the same time cheap coal has made electricity from gas uncompetitive, 【C18】______operators to put some gas-fired plants into long-term【C19】______. Renewable capacity cannot yet make up the【C20】______.

America"s central bank sent a clear message this week. For the second consecutive meeting, the Federal Open Market Committee, the central bank"s policy-making committee, left short-term interest rates unchanged at 1.75%. But it said that the risks facing the economy had shifted from economic weakness to a balance between weakness and excessive growth. This shift surprised no one. But it has convinced many people that interest rates are set to rise again—and soon. Judging by prices in futures markets, investors are betting that short-term interest rates could start rising as early as May, and will be 1.25 percentage points higher by the end of the year. That may be excessive. Economists at Goldman Sachs, who long argued that the central bank would do nothing this year, now expect short-term rates to go up only 0.75% this year, starting in June. But virtually everyone reckons some Fed tightening is in the future. The reason? After an unprecedented 11 rate-cuts in 2001, short-term interest rates are abnormally low. As the signs of robust recovery multiply, analysts expect the Fed to take back some of the rate-cuts it used as an "insurance policy" after the September 11th terrorist attack. But higher rates could still be further off, particularly if the recovery proves less robust than many hope. The manufacturing sector is growing after 18 months of decline. The most optimistic Wall Streeters now expect GDP to have expanded by between 5% and 6% on an annual basis in the first quarter. But one strong quarter does not imply a sustainable recovery. In the short term, the bounce-back is being driven by a dramatic restocking of inventories. But it can be sustained only if corporate investment recovers and consumer spending stays buoyant. And since consumer spending held up so well during the "recession" it is unlikely to jump now. These uncertainties alone suggest the central bank will be cautious about raising interest rates. That caution is all the more necessary given the lack of inflationary pressure. Although America"s consumer prices have stopped falling on a monthly basis, the latest figures show few signs of nascent price pressure. Indeed, given the huge pressure on corporate profits, the Federal Reserve might be happy to see consumer prices rise slightly. In short, while Wall Street frets about when and how much interest rates will go up. The answer may well be not soon and not much.

Parents"Expectation,Children"sBurdenWriteanessayof160-200wordsbasedonthedrawing.Inyouressay,youshould1)describethedrawingbriefly,2)interpretitsintendedmeaning,and3)giveyourcomments.

In the following text, some sentences have been removed. Choose the most suitable one from the list A—G to fit into each of the numbered blank. There are two extra choices, which do not fit in any of the gaps. Nonverbal communication is hugely important: in any interaction with others, its importance is multiplied across cultures. This is because we tend to look for nonverbal cues when verbal messages are unclear or ambiguous, as they are more likely to be across cultures. (41)______. Low-context cultures like the United States and Canada tend to give relatively less emphasis to nonverbal communication. This does not mean that nonverbal communication does not happen, or that it is unimportant, but that people in these settings tend to place less importance on it than on the literal meanings of words themselves. In high-context settings such as Japan or Colombia, understanding the nonverbal components of communication is relatively more important to receiving the intended meaning of the communication as a whole. (42)______. For instance, it may be more socially acceptable in some settings in the United States for women to show fear, but not anger, and for men to display anger, but not fear. At the same time, interpretation of facial expressions across cultures is difficult. In China and Japan, for example, a facial expression that would be recognized around the world as conveying happiness may actually express anger or mask sadness, both of which are unacceptable to show overtly. (43)______. For a Westerner who understands smiles to mean friendliness and happiness, this smile may seem out of place and even cold, under the circumstances. Even though some facial expressions may be similar across cultures, their interpretations remain culture specific. It is important to understand something about cultural starting-points and values in order to interpret emotions expressed in cross-cultural interactions. (44)______. In a comparison of North American and French children on a beach, a researcher noticed that the French children tended to stay in a relatively small space near their parents, while US children ranged up and down a large area of the beach. (45)______. These examples of differences related to nonverbal communication are only the tip of the iceberg. Careful observation, ongoing study from a variety of sources, and cultivating relationships across cultures will all help develop the cultural fluency to work effectively with nonverbal communication differences.A. These differences of interpretation may lead to conflict. Suppose a Japanese person is explaining her absence from negotiations due to a death in her family. She may do so with a smile, based on her cultural belief that it is not appropriate to inflict the pain of grief on others.B. Another variable across cultures has to do with ways of relating to space. Crossing cultures, we encounter very different ideas about polite space for conversations and negotiations. North Americans tend to prefer a large amount of space, perhaps because they are surrounded by it in their homes and countryside. Europeans tend to stand more closely with each other when talking, and are accustomed to smaller personal spaces.C. Americans are serious about standing in lines, in accordance with their beliefs in democracy and the principle of "first come, first served". The French, on the other hand, have a practice of line jumping, that irritates many British and U S Americans.D. Since nonverbal behavior arises from our cultural common sense, we use different systems of understanding gestures, posture, silence, spatial relations, emotional expression, touch, physical appearance, and other nonverbal cues. Cultures also attribute different degrees of importance to verbal and nonverbal behavior.E. The difficulty with space preferences is not that they exist, but the judgments that get attached to them. If someone is accustomed to standing or sitting very close when they are talking with another, they may see the other"s attempt to create more space as evidence of coldness, or a lack of interest.F. It is said that a German executive working in the United States became so upset with visitors to his office moving the guest chair to suit themselves that he had it bolted to the floor.G. Some elements of nonverbal communication are consistent across cultures. For example, research has shown that the emotions of enjoyment, anger, fear, sadness, disgust, and surprise are expressed in similar ways by people around the world. Differences surface with respect to which emotions are acceptable to display in various cultural settings, and by whom.

You are to inform Mrs. Benton that you will have to break the dinner engagement. Write a note(短笺) to 1) express your regret, 2) state your reasons and 3) hope to meet in the near future. You should write about 100 words and do not sign your own name. Use "Li Ming" instead. You do not need to write the address.

back and forth

BPart BDirections: Write an essay of 160-200 words based on the following information./B

Americans' pride and faith of their economic system, 【B1】______ that it provides opportunities for all citizens to have good lives, are 【B2】______ by the 【B3】______ that poverty persists in many parts of country. Government anti-poverty efforts have made some progress but have not eradicated the problem.【B4】______, periods of strong economic growth, which bring more jobs and higher wages, have【B5】______poverty but have not【B6】______it entirely. The federal government 【B7】______ poverty line as a minimum 【B8】______ of income 【B9】______ for basic maintenance of a family or four. This amount may fluctuated【B10】______the cost of living and the location of the family. In 1998, a family of four with an annual income below $ 16,530 was classified【B11】______living in poverty. The percentage of people living below poverty line dropped from 22.4 percent in 1959 to 11.4 percent in 1978. But【B12】______, it has fluctuated in a fairly narrow range. In 1998, it stood at 12.7 percent. 【B13】______, the overall figures mask much more severe pockets of poverty. In 1998, more than one-quarter of all African-Americans lived in poverty; though【B14】______high, that figure did represent an improvement from 1979 when 31 percentage of blacks were officially classified as poor. There are【B15】______estimations on the accuracy of official poverty figures. Some analysts have suggested that the official poverty figures【B16】______the real【B17】______of poverty because they measure only cash income and exclude certain government assistance programs such as Food Stamps. Others point out, however, that these programs【B18】______cover all of a family's food or health care needs.【B19】______others point out that people at the poverty line sometimes receive cash income from【B20】______work and in the underground sector of economy which is never recorded in official statistics.

It seems likely that most people who try to evaluate the intelligence of animals are probahly measuring the wrong things! Yes, there is great importance in the fact that parrots and parakeets can often quickly learn to copy sounds they hear. Similarly, most dogs can be conditioned to behave in specific ways on command. These are certainly aspects which show native intelligence. But I believe that it is important to place higher standards on what is expected. Here is an example of what I consider to be far clearer evidence of the native intelligence of one specific dog. As a puppy, a dog of mine was frightened by a very loud sound, the firing of a shotgun just a couple feet away from her. As a result, Deimos always hated loud sounds throughout her life. Even though she was a hunting dog(a Redbone Coonhound)she grew up being very spoiled and somewhat of a sissy, always expecting to be covered up to sleep in her dogbed. Early in her life, I had noticed that when she saw the flash of lightning, she would invariably run to her dogbed and start to shiver. I eventually realized that she wanted not only to be covered, but to have her head covered as well. At the time, I did not understand the implications of that, but there was every appearance that she was frightened of the flash of lightning. It was only after watching this happen many times that 1 finally realized that she had somehow figured out the relationship between lightning and thunder! When she would see the bright flash, she had figured out that a few seconds later, there would be a loud boom! So it was not the bright flash at all that she was afraid of, but the thunder that she knew would soon follow. That is amazing analytical thinking! How could a dog discover such a relationship? It actually had some humorous side effects! Whenever a flash camera was used to take a photo of anyone, she would immediately run to her bed and start shivering! 1 would wonder if she was confused as to why there was no sound of thunder then! This example shows a combination of good observation and good logic in an analysis and then in arriving at a reliable conclusion. That is pretty close to what is considered the Scientific Method of investigation! That is quite different from an animal simply learning to copy some sound or behavior, or to reinforce a specific behavior based on treats or praise training.

BPart BDirections: Write an essay of 160-200 words based on the following information./B

You borrowed a book from Wang Lin, a friend of yours, Unfortunately you lost the book and can"t find it anywhere. Write a letter to apologize for it, trying to make up, for your fault. You should write about 100 words2. Do not sign your own name at the end of the letter. Use "Li Ming" instead. You do not need to write the address.

Imagine being asked to spend twelve or so years of your life in a society which consisted only of members of your own sex. How would you react? Unless there was something definitely wrong with you, you wouldn"t be too happy about it, to say the least. It is all the more surprising, therefore, that so many parents in the world choose to impose such abnormal conditions on their children—conditions which they themselves wouldn"t put up with for one minute! Any discussion of this topic is bound to question the aims of education. Stuffing children"s heads full of knowledge is far from being foremost among them. One of the chief aims of education is to equip future citizens with all they require to take their place in adult society. Now adult society is made up of men and women, so how can a segregated school possibly offer the right sort of preparation for it? Anyone entering adult society after years of segregation can only be in for a shock. A co-educational school offers children nothing less than a true version of society in miniature. Boys and girls are given the opportunity to get to know each other, to learn to live together from their earliest years. They are put in a position where they can compare themselves with each other in terms of academic ability, athletic achievement and many of the extra-curricular activities which are part of school life. What a practical advantage it is (to give just a small example) to be able to put on a school play in which the male parts will be taken by boys and the female parts by girls! What nonsense, boys and girls are made to feel that they are a race apart. Rivalry between the sexes is fostered. In a co-educational school, everything falls into its proper place. But perhaps the greatest contribution of co-education is the healthy attitude to life it encourages. Boys don"t grow up believing that women are mysterious creatures—airy goddesses, more like book-illustrations to a fairy-tale, than human beings. Girls don"t grow up imagining that men axe romantic heroes. Years of living together at school dispel illusions of this kind. There axe no goddesses with freckles, pigtails, piercing voices and inky fingers. There are no romantic heroes with knobby knees, dirty fingernails and unkempt hair. The awkward stage of adolescence brings into sharp focus some of the physical and emotional problems involved in growing up. These can better be overcome in a coeducational environment. Segregated schools sometimes provide the right conditions for sexual deviation. This is hardly possible under a co-educational system. When the time comes for the pupils to leave school, they are fully prepared to enter society as well-adjusted adults. They have already had years of experience in coping with many of the problems that face men and women.

The U.S. government has recently helped people learn more about the dangers of earthquakes by publishing a map. This map shows the chances of an earthquake in each part of the country. The areas of the map where government is spending a great deal of money and is working hard to help discover the answer to these two questions: 1. Can we predict earthquakes? 2. Can we control earthquakes? To answer the first question, scientists are looking very closely at the most active fault systems in the country, such as the San Andreas Fault in California. A fault is a break between two sections of the earth"s surface. These breaks between sections are the places where earthquakes occur. Scientists look at the faults for changes which might show that an earthquake was about to occur. But it will probably be many years before we can predict earthquakes accurately and the control of earthquakes is even farther away. Nevertheless, there have been some interesting developments in the field of controlling earthquakes. The most interesting development concerns the Rocky Mountain Arsenal earthquakes. Here water was pat into a layer of rocks 4,000 metres below the surface of the ground. Shortly after this injection of water, there was a small number of earthquakes. Scientists have decided that the water which was injected into the rocks worked like oil on each other. When the water" oiled" the fault, the fault became slippery and the energy of an earthquake was released. Scientists are still experimenting at the site of these earthquakes. They have realized that there is a connection between the injection of the water and the earthquake activity. They have suggested that it might be possible to use this knowledge to prevent very big, destructive earthquakes, that is, scientists could inject some kind of fluid like water into faults and change one big earthquake into a number of small, harmless earthquakes.

Are you for or against the project?

Your friend Mary Brown will go to Washington D.C. next month. Write a letter to Tony who is there and introduce Mary to him. You should write about 100 words. Do not sign your own name at the end of the letter. You do not need to write the address.

If I Have an Introverted Friend Extroverts and introverts usually perform differently in their social lives. Extroverts get energized by being around people, while social activity, on the other hand, can exhaust introverts. Some people might think introverts is not easy-going and stay away from them, but that"s misleading. If you have an introverted friend, what will you do? Write a composition of 160-200 words.

You are annoyed by too many family comedies of a TV station. Write a complaint letter to the station. In your letter, you should tell them: 1) your annoyance at the programs, 2) the same feelings of others, 3) your request of the station to reform. You should write about 100 words. Do not sign your own name at the end of the letter. Use "Li Ming" instead. You do not need to write the address.