13. Computer and Man I% "'*7 U
It is believed that the computer can do almost every thing. At the time the computer was invented, scientists, carried away by its calculating speed, felt that they had created a miracle. It 8;8c"'Mn
Was gradually used not noly in mathematics,physics,chemisry and astronomy, but in places like the library, hospital and military army to replace the work of man. For the work of man. For this reason, the computer was entiled “Electronic Brain” in terms of appreciation. xx)-d,S
Can man be controlled by computers? The answer is negative. Although a computer works much faster and accurately than man , a fact is undeniable; it is designed, manufactured and programmed by man, and therefore by human beings. Of course, science fictions have made up many fascinating stories about a computer, or rather robot,who conquers man and the earth, even the whole universe; " xR[mJ@U
however, they are only unrealistic imaginatio. A horse helps man a lot runs much faster than we, but it is only a slave. R^n@.^8s
The future for the computer is very promising. With the help of it, we can do things that could not be done before.Conquering the universe, discovering new things, explaining mysteruiys phenomena puzzling us at present are all made possible by computer. g%a|q~ )
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14. what kind of life to live-realistic or romantic ? zl%>`k!>
There has always been an argument between the young and the old about what kind of life to live-realistic or romantic. Young people tend to think real think that real lofe is as dramatic and fascimating as it is in the novels and movies while more experiened adults think this naïve daydream is certain to be broken by later experiences and everyone should learn to get used to the dull routine of his everydy life. {6G?[
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However, there are some inadequacies in the opinions on the part of both sides. Life will be unimaginable if everything we do is only for realistic purpose, and the same is true if what we do everyday is just to enjoy ourselves. So it’s not difficult for us to see that neither way can ensure a happy life. + G;LX'B
In my opinion, a real happy lofe can never be separated from either of the two ways. On the one hand, let’s enjoy life-enjoy the excitement of sports. On the other, let’s not forget our work. Happy life can never go without hard work. ~AZWds(,N
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15. Fast Food VDGCWg6z
Fast food is becoming more popular in China, especially among children and teenagers. Today, it's certainly difficult to think of any other single thing that represents the fast pace of modern society as powerfully as fast food. xW_yLbE
There are several reasons for its popularity. First, it is very convenient and saves a lot of time. The trends of modern society seem to all point to one ultimate goal--saving time, and fast food well serves this purpose. You just go into a fast food restaurant, order your food, and your food is ready in no time. You can either eat it there or take it away. Second, its popularity is also attributed to the clean and comfortable environment of fast food restaurants, the excellent ervice, and the guaranteed quality of food. LL*mgT Q
However, in terms of nutrition, fast food is far from satisfactory. It usually does not compose a balanced diet and is low in nutritional value. Thus, doctors suggest that people, especially children, eat fast food as little as possible. Although cooking at home is time-consuming and the following washing-up tiresome, it offers healthy and delicious meals your body likes and needs. Fast food is only a good choice when you are in a hurry and turn to it once in a while. q,%:h`t\
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16. On the Attitude towards Fighting against Criminals e3(/qMl
Today crime rate in our cities seems to be rising. Thefts, robberies, and murders are reported to take place even in the broad daylight. JkQ\)^5v
Facing crime tide, people may take different attitudes. Some feel frightened and prefer to turn a blind eye to the criminals. Others are resolute and dare to run risk at the cost of their lives in fighting with the criminals. They take it as their duty to protect the social law and order. As for me, I take the attitude of the latter. v jT( Q
To ensure the social security and protect people’s safety, I may have some suggestions to make. First of all, the government should always keep a continuous law education among the people, especially, in the younger generations. Secondly, criminals should be punished severely. And finally, it is imperative to set up a public foundation system to award those who set merits in fighting criminals. Sr_V L:Gg
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17. Parents are too permissive with their children nowadays Anm=*;*M`
Few people would defend the Victorian attitude to children,but if you were a parent in those days, at least you knew where you stood: children were to be seen and not heard. Freud and company did away eith all that and patents have been bewildered ever since.The child’s happiness is all-important, the psychologist say, but what about the parents’ happiness?Parents suffer constantlu from fesar and guilt while their children gaily romp about pulling the place apsrt. A good old-fashioned spanking is out of the question: no modern childrearing manual would permit such barbarity. The trouble is you are not allowed even to shout. Who knows what deep psychological wounds you might inflict? The poor child may never recover from the dreadful traumatic experience. So it is that parents bend over backwards to avoid giving theie children complexes which a hundred years ago hadn’t evern been heard of. Certainlu a child needs love, and a lot of it. But the excessive permissiveness of modern parents is surely doing more harm than good. +q<B.XxkA
Psychologists have succeeded in undermining parents’ confidence in their own authority. And it hasn’t taken children long to get wind of the fact. In addition to the great modern classic on chidcare, there countless articles in magazines and newspapers. With so much un solicited advice flying about, mum and dad just don’t know what to do any more. In the end, they do nothing at all. So, from ear;y childhood, the kids are in charge and parents’ lives are regulates according to the needs of their offspring. When the little dears develop into teenagers, they take complete control. Lax authority over the years makes adolescent rebellion against parents all the more violent. If the young people are going to have a party, for instance, parents are asked to leave the house. Their presence merely spoils the fun, what else can the poor parents do but obey? fc
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Children are hardly creatures(far hardier than the psychologists would have us believe) and most of them survive the harmful influence of extreme permissiveness htat is the normal condition in the modern household. But a great many do not. The spread of juvenile delinquency in our won age is largely due to parental laxity. Mother, believing that little Johny cvan look after himself, is not at home when he returns from school; so little Johnny roams the streets. The dividing –line between permissiveness and sheer negligence is very fine indeed. >[10H8~bI/
The psychologists have much to answer for. They should keep their moths shut and let parents get on with the job. And if children are knocked about a little bit in the process, it may not really matter too much. At least this will help them to develop vigorous views of their own and give them something po9sitive to react against. Perhaps there’s some truth in the idea that children who’s had a surfeit of happiness in their childhood emerge like stodgy puddings and fail to make a success of life. !j:`7PT\
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18. Adveriser Perform A Useful Service to The Community %A/_5;PZ/
Advertisers tend to think big and perhaps this is why thery’re always coming in for criticism. Their critics smm to resent them because they have a flair for self-promotion and because they have so much money to throw around. “It’s iniquitous,” they say, “that this entirely unproductive industry (if we can call it that ) should be absorb millions of pounds each year. It only goes to show much profit the big companies are making. Why don’t they stop advertising and reduce the price of their goods? After all, it’s the consumer who pays.” %G 3(,Qz
The poor old consumer! He’d have to pay a great deal more if advertising didn’t create mass markets for products. It is precisely because of the heavy advertising that consumer goods are so cheap. But we get the wrong idea if we think the only purpose the knowledge we have about household goods derives largely from the advertisements we read. Advertisements introduce us to new products or remind us of the existence of ones we already know about. Supposing you wanted to buy a washing machine, it is more than likely you would obtain details regarding perfromance, price, etc., from an advertisement. SHVWwoieT
Lots of people pretend that they never read advetisments, but this claim may be seriously doubted, it is hardly possible not to read advertisments these days. And what fun they often are too ! Just think what a railway station or a newspaper would be like without advertisements. Would you enjoy gazing at a blank wall or reading railway bye-laws while waiting for a train? Would you like to read only closely-printed columns of news in your daily paper? A cheerful, witty advertisement makes such a difference to drab wall or a newspaper full of the daily reation to calamities. zj{r^D$
We must not forget, either, that advertising makes a positive contribution to our pockets. Newspapers, commercial radio and television companies could not subsist without this source of revenue. The fact that we pay so little fro our daily paper, or can enjoy so many broadcast programmers is due entirely to the money spent by advertisers. Just think what a newspaper would cost if we had to pay its full price ! .L6Zm U
Another thing we mustn’t forget is the “small ads.” Which are in virtually every newspaper and magazine. What a tremendously useful service they perform for the community! Just about anything can be accomplished through these columns. For instance, you can find a job, buy or sell a house, announce a birth, marriage or death in what used to be called the “hatch, match and dispatch” columns; but by far the most fascinating section is the personal or agony column. No other item in a newspaper provides such entertaining reading or offers such a deep insight into human nautre. It’s the best advertisement for advertising there is ! M~Ttb29{
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19. Only Stricter Traffic Laws Can Prevent Accidents >Z.\J2wM<j
From the health pointg of view we are living in a marvelous age. We are immunized from birth against many of the most dangerous diseases. A large number of once fatal illnesses can now be cured by modern drugs and surgery. It is almost certain that one day remedies will be found for the most stubborn remaining diseases. The expectation of life has increased enormously. But though the possibility of living a long and happy life is greater than ever before, every day we witness the incredible slaughter of men, women and children on the roads Men versus the motor-car! It is a never-ending battle which man is losing. Thousands of people the world over are killed or horribly mutilated each year and we are quietly sitting back and letting it happen. o=J9
It has been rightly said that when a man is sitting behind a steering wheel, his car becomes the extension of his personlity. Ther is no doubt that the motor-car ofter brings out a man’s very worst qualities. People who are normally quiet and pleasant may become unrecognizable when they are behind a steering wheel. They swear, they are ill-mannered and aggressive, willful as two-year olds and utterly selfish. All their hidden frustrations, disappointments and jeaslousies seem to be brought to the serface by the act of driving. m!tx(XsXU
The surprising thing is that society smiles so benignly on the motorist and seems to condone his behavior. Everything, is done for his convenience. Cities are allowed to become almost uninhabitable because of heavy traffic; towns are made ugly by huge car parks; the countryside is desecrated by road networks; and the mass annual slaughter becomes nothing more than statistic, to be conveniently forgotten. *J|(jdu7
Is high time a world code were created to reduce this senseless waste fo human life. With regard to driving, the laws of some countries are notoriously lax and even the strictest are not strict enough. A code which was universally accepted could only have a dramatically beneficial effect on the accident rate. Her are a few examples of some of the things that might be done. The driving test should be stadardized and made far more difficult than it is; all drivers should be made to take a test every three years or so; the age at which young people are allowed to drive any vehicle should be raised to at least 21; all vehicles should be put through stringent annual tests for safety. Even the smallest amount of alcohol in the blood can impair a person’s driving ability. Present drinking and driving laws (where they exist) should be made much stricter. Maximum and minimum speed limits should be imposed on all roads. Governments should lay down safety specifications for manufacturers, as has been done in the USA. All advertising stressing power and performance should be banned. These measures may sound inordinately harsh, but surely nothing should be considered as too severe if it results in reducing the annual toll of human life. After all, the world is for human beings, not motorcars. Y?J"wdWJNB
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20. Population Control Iq7}
Progress in science and the improvement of living conditions have led to the rapid growth of world population. Modern medicine, for example, has made it possible for babies to grow up healthily and for people to live longer. With improved living conditions particularly in the yifY%! @Xu
countryside, people tend to have larger families. As a result, the world population has increased so rapidly that it has now exceeded 6 billion. K J2Pb"s
But the overgrowth of population presents a threat to the existence of food supplies and shelter space. However, the limited productivity and scarce world resources can hardly meet the needs of the ever-increasing population. Thus, in the long run, the overgrowth of the world population will only harm mankind. J (4"S o_
To guarantee the steady development of human society, mankind must realize the consequences resulting from a fast population growth and carry out a family planning program. Only by adopting effective meausres, can human society develop steadily and have a bright future. 'G\XXf% J
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21．Part-time Jobs for College Students U6E\AvbRn
Nowadays, many college boys and girls take part-time jobs in their spare time. Some are employed by the companies near the campus, working as office clerks or computer programmers. Others have become salespersons for the commercial businesses. Foreign language students may serve as interpreters or translators where international cooperation is carried out. Or they may become tour guides for travel agencies. Also, it is a common practice for girl students to become governesses helping children with their school work in their homes. L|-98]8>
Many people, including some professors and parents, make no secret of their disapproval of this. On the one hand, they argue that academic pursuit is the main task for college students and that taking part-time jobs distracts their attention and consumes a lot of energy needed. On the other hand, professors and parents tend to believe that college boys and girls need to further cultivate their personality and develop their sense of responsibility before they can be ready for any serious jobs. v3d&*I
But in my opinion, every coin has two sides. It is true that the students’ major task is to study. It is also true that taking part-time jobs will take a lot of time and energy. However, if the students can learn to arrange their time properly, the professors and parents might as well be relieved from all their worries. As many students take jobs related to their fields of study, they can gain some first-hand experience instead of being distracted from their study. Moreover, treated as full adults on their part-time jobs, they will develop their sense of responsibility very soon. When they finally graduate, they will find themselves in a more agreeable social environment.(280w) EtbnE
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22. Private Cars 7>XDNI
A few years ago, having a private car might be a wild dream to many Chinese families. But today, you can see the number of private cars running along the road and street is increasing rapidly. Statistics show that one in every six families in big cities has a car. Some people say that it is good because the number of car ownerships indicates a country’s auto industry, which in turn shows the country’s general economic development. The fact that more and more people can afford a car demonstrates that people in China enjoy a higher standard of living than they did before. Besides, a private car also adds a new dimension to a family’s work, daily life and leisure activities. .MQ^(
Other people think differently. They argue that having private cars may not necessarily mean a more advanced society. It may bring about more stress, instead. More cars would consume more petroleum, produce more air pollution, and thus aggravate the already serious environmental problems. What’s more, another problem remains yet to be solved. Road conditions being what they are esp. in urban areas, accidents become a common occurrence, resulting in thousands of deaths per year. No wonder cars have been considered as the number one deadly weapon in the modern world. ui q^|5Z
I find some truth in both of the arguments mentioned above. I feel it a personal choice to buy a private car. If you can afford it and you really need it to get around, having a car is fine. But remember, try to use environment-friendly type of gasoline and take special care while driving. If you don’t have much need for cars in your work and life, there is no need to follow fashion or keep up with the Jones. Remember, when you cycle, you are living a healthy life and at the same time contributing to our environment protection. Z6\+
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23．What Have We Learned from SARS? cdqB,]"
In the spring of the year 2003, China has been afflicted with and successfully withstood SARS. The epidemic is now ebbing away. But we should never forget what we have gone through. What’s more important, we should learn a great deal from this experience. 2(5ebe[
First, we understand that in the face of danger, we should fight bravely instead of shrinking away from responsibilities. Doctors and nurses have set shining examples for us. They plunged into their work without considering their own safety. }_=eT]
Second, we have realized that diseases will yield not only to medical treatment but also to people’s will power. We are so determined in our final success that nothing can stop us from our effort. SARS has no way to go because everyone in the country is guarding against it. ~{sG| ;/!*
Third, we should try to get rid of unhealthy habits. Such behaviors as spitting on the ground and throwing rubbish everywhere are something we should be ashamed of. It’s important that everyone in society develop a good awareness of public sanitation. We should keep our living surroundings clean and healthy just as we do with our own homes. sf&]u;^DY
Fourth, we should enforce strict laws to punish those who capture, smuggle and eat rare wild animals. These people not only endanger the animal world by killing but also endanger the human society by bringing in odd diseases. v8AS=s Y4r
Most important is that we should have an efficient and effective system to deal with outbreak of epidemics. It is a promising sign that our government has already come up with some laws and regulations in this respect. 2'=T[<nNB
The lesson from SARS epidemic has gradually sunk in. To China, it means much more than the loss of over 1000 precious lives. How we respond to it sends a message to the world: China has been actively and effectively combating SARS and China will still be a safe place to live in and an attractive place for travelers and investors.
