1、英语写作自考题-11 及答案解析(总分：100.00，做题时间：90 分钟)一、Writing(总题数：6，分数：100.00)1.Read the following passage of nonfiction carefully and write a summary about 100 words. When most people think of the word “education“, they think of a pupil as a sort of animate sausage casing. Into this empty casing, the teachers ar
2、e supposed to stuff “education“. But genuine education, as Socrates knew more than two thousand years ago, is not inserting the stuffing of information into a person, but rather eliciting knowledge from him; it is the drawing out of what is in the mind. “The most important part of education,“ once w
3、rote William Ernest Hocking, the distinguished Harvard philosopher, “is this instruction of a man in what he has inside him.“ And as Edith Hamilton has reminded us, Socrates never said, “I know, learn from me.“ He said, rather, “Look into your own selves and find the sparks of truth that God has put
4、 in- to every heart, and that only you can kindle to a flame.“ In the dialogue called the “Meno“, Socrates takes an ignorant slave boy, without a day of schooling, and proves to the amazed observers that the boy really “knows“ geometry-because the principles and axioms of geometry are already in his
5、 mind, waiting to be called out. So many of the discussions and controversies about the content of education are futile and inconclusive because they are concerned with what should “go into“ the student rather than with what should be taken out, and how this can best be done. A college student, who
6、once said to me, after a lecture, “I spend so much time studying that I don“t have a chance to learn anything.“ was succinctly expressing his dissatisfaction with the sausage casing view of education. He was being so stuffed with miscellaneous facts, with such an indigestible mass of material, that
7、he had no time(and was given no encouragement)to draw on his own resources, to use his own mind for analyzing and synthesizing and evaluating this material. Education, to have any meaning beyond the purpose of creating well-informed dunces, must elicit from the pupil what is latent in every human be
8、ingthe rules of reason, the inner knowledge of what is proper for men to be and do, the ability to sift evidence and come to conclusions that can generally be assented to by all open minds and warm hearts. Pupils are more like oysters than sausages. The job of teaching is not to stuff them and then
9、seal them up, but to help them open and reveal the riches within. There are pearls in each of us, if only we knew how to cultivate them with ardor and persistence. （分数：20.00）_2.Read the following passage of nonfiction carefully and write a summary about 100 words. When television was first introduce
10、d into American society thirty years ago, writers and social scientists thought that this new invention would better American life. “Television is going to bring American families closer together.“ predicted psychologist Joel Gold in 1949. Pictures which advertised television in the 1950s invariably
11、 showed a happy family gathered together in the living room, sharing the TV viewing experience. Who could have guessed that a quarter of a century later Mother could be in the kitchen watching a daytime drama, Dad would be in the living room watching a ball game, and the children would be watching c
12、artoons in their bedrooms? Television has certainly changed American life, but not the way the first critics predicted. Because the first televisions were enormously expensive, most families owned only one. By 1975, however, 60% of American families owned two televisions or more and some middle clas
13、s families had as many as five television sets under one roof. Such multi-set families may keep families members in the same house, but that hardly brings them “together“. In fact, family outingshiking, going to the movies, going out to dinnerare often limited by TV be- cause one or more family memb
14、ers don“t want to go: “I“ll miss my program.“ is the common complaint. Perhaps more important than the lack of family outings is the destruction of family time together at home. Social scientists in the 1950s could not have realized how much television Americans would watch in the 1980s; the average
15、 American watches 6 hours of TV a day. That leaves little time for the special family characteristics and traditions that used to be formed during long evenings together. The time devoted to games, songs, and hobbiesall shared activitiesin the years before TV is now dominated by “the tube“. And espe
16、cially damaging to family relationships is the elimination of the opportunities for talking, chatting, arguing, and discussing. Without such communication, family life disintegrates. Domination is the key word. Families in American today schedule their lives around the television. Children rush home
17、 from school to watch their programs while they do their homework. Mother shops between her special programs. The ski slopes are nearly empty on Superbowl Sunday; football on TV takes precedence. The family may even eat meals in front of the television. Moreover, television is used as a baby-sitter;
18、 small children nationwide spend countless hours in front of the TV, passively ingesting whatever flashes before their eyes. Addition of some sort inevitably follows; TV becomes a necessary part of life, and receiving a TV for his own room because the wish of every child. Moreover, parents use the t
19、elevision as a source of reward and punishment: “If you mow the lawn, you can watch TV an extra hour tonight.“ or “No TV for you. You didn“t do your homework.“ Ultimately, life- styles revolve around a regular schedule of eating, sleeping, and watching television. Isn“t there a better life than this
20、 dismal, mechanized arrangement? According to social scientist Mary Helen Thuente, “The quality of life is diminished as family ties grow weaker, as children“s lives grow more and more separate from their parents, as the opportunities for living and sharing within a family are eliminated.“ Indeed, i
21、f the family does not accumulate shared experiences, it is not likely to survive. Consequently, if parents and children alike do not change their priorities, television will continue to exert its influence on American family life as baby-sitter, pacifier, teacher, role model, and supplier of mores a
22、nd morals, thus sup- planting the place of the family in society. （分数：20.00）_Write a “sentence outline“ for each of the following topics, and then change them to “topic outlines“.（分数：20.00）(1).Our Endangered Environment（分数：10.00）_(2).Owning Your Own Home（分数：10.00）_3.We are all sensitive to color. Th
23、ere are some colors we like a lot and some we don“t like at all. Some colors soothe or excite us and some make us happy or sad. People are affected because color is tied to all aspects of our lives. Experts in colorgenics believe that the colors we wear say a lot about us, and that we subconsciously
24、 choose to wear certain colors in order to communicate our desires, emotions and needs. Colorgenics experts claim that our clothes send messages to others about our mood, personality and desires. For them, pink expresses peace and contentment of the wearer. People who often wear pink are supposed to
25、 be warm and understanding. The message is that you would like to share your peace and happiness with others. Red garments indicate a high level of physical energy. People who wear red like to take life at a fast pace. Brown is the color of wealth and shows a need for independence and material secur
26、ity. Wearers of green have love of nature and enjoy peaceful moments. Color is used symbolically in all cultures and it plays an important role in ceremonies and festivities. Yellow is a symbol of luck in Peru and it can be seen just about everywhere. Yellow is also an important color to the Vietnam
27、ese who use it at weddings and on their flag, where it represents courage, victory and sacrifice. In many cultures, white symbolizes purity, and black, on the other hand, symbolizes death. Some experts believe that colors have a strong effect on us and that colors can be used to heal. They say that
28、by concentrating our thoughts on certain colors, we can cause energy to go to the parts of the body that need treatment. White light is said to be cleansing, and it can balance the body“s entire system. Yellow stimulates the mind and creates a positive attitude, so it can help against depression. Gr
29、een, which has a calming and restful effect, is supposed to be good for heart conditions. Some psychologists also use color to treat patients with emotional and psychological problems. By giving them what is called the Luscher color test, in which people select the colors they like and dislike, doct
30、ors can learn many things about a patient“s personality. In conclusion, the study of color can help us understand ourselves and improve our lives. It offers an alternative way to heal the body and spirit, and it can help us understand what others are trying to communicate. We can then respond to the
31、ir needs and achieve a new level of understanding. （分数：20.00）_4.Read the following passage carefully and try to compose a “topic outline“ for the passage provided. A bill has been introduced in the United States Congress which, if passed, would reduce the minimum wage for working teenagers under the
32、 age of 18. The minimum wage would be decreased a small amount for each year under 18 until the age of 15. A few teenagers react negatively towards the bill, but they are probably the lucky ones who have a job. Although these people would have to take a cut in pay, the bill has many advantages and s
33、hould be pas- sed. First of all, the idea of a reduced minimum wage would allow for the hiring of more teenagers. Unemployment is high for teens under 18, especially in minority groups. If the bill became a law, two teenagers would be hired for the price of one. Even though some people say that a bu
34、siness might hire teenagers in place of older people, this is highly unlikely. Most teens only work part-time and therefore would not interfere with hiring in the older work force. Putting more teenagers in the work force would be beneficial because the wages that they make would help their parents
35、out financially. These teenagers would have their own spending money for dates, for gas, and for clothes. Also, putting more teenagers on the job could possibly reduce the crime rate among them. With some money in their pockets, teenagers would not need to shoplift or to commit robbery. Some teens t
36、hink the proposed wages would be so low. It would not be worth their working. However, a reduced wage does not mean that employers are free to pay unreasonably low wages. As it is, many small businesses pay below minimum wage now, and they have no trouble finding teenagers who are willing to work. I
37、n addition, no income tax is taken out for teenagers, so almost all their wages are pure income. Some people fear this bill will mark an end to the minimum wage requirements for every- one. These people are misinformed, for this minimum wage reduction would not affect any- one 18 or older. Instead i
38、t would mainly affect the teenagers that work during the summers and after school. These teenagers are making money to save and to spend for extras. They are not, in the main, breadwinners. The older teenagers and adults, who are breadwinners, would continue at their same salaries. The reduced minim
39、um wage could also take a small burden off already aiding business that hires teenagers. If they do not have to pay so much for wages, the business could take the money saved and invest it in their own businesses. They could renew or expand their machinery to increase production. Finally with the ov
40、erall decrease in expenditures because of the reduced minimum wage, prices could go down, which would help to fight inflation. Although some younger teenagers do not want to take the wage cuts, this idea has many positive economic possibilities: it might help in Solving problems with unemployed teen
41、s, parents“ financial burdens, crime, and revitalization of business. The bill deserves a chance. （分数：10.00）_5.Read the following passage carefully and compose a “topic outline“ for it. What Is a Rodeo?“Rodeo“ is a Spanish word meaning “gathering place or marketplace for cattle.“ A rodeo itself is a
42、 competitive contest based loosely on traditional cowboy skills of riding and roping. It consists of six major events: riding an untamed horse in a saddle; riding an untamed horse without a saddle; riding a bull; roping a calf; wrestling a bull to the ground; racing horses around barrels with women
43、riders. A rodeo is perhaps the most genuinely American of all sports. The first rodeo took place following a cattle roundup in the 1880s. From this informal cowboy pastime, a colorful spectacle has evolved that contains many familiar American elementsthe exciting action of bucking horses and bulls,
44、the explosive masculine environment, the hot dog stands, beer barrels, boots, jeans, and cowboy hats. Today, most rodeos are staged in a large, flat arena that is fenced off to protect the viewing public. Grandstands are erected on two sides of the arena; on the other sides are places to hold the ho
45、rses, calves, and bulls. Nearby are narrow chutes from which animals are re- leased into the arena. On a platform a loudspeaker system is set up for the announcer, who introduces the riders and comments on the events as they happen. Near the arena are refreshment stands where people gather to buy fo
46、od and drink. Portable rest rooms are set up near the grandstand, and an ambulance is parked nearby in case of an accident. An opening parade of proud riders on proud horses usually begins a rodeo; the performers carry flapping national and state flags. Then the two-act performance begins. Calf ropi
47、ng and bull wrestling are timed events. In the fastest possible time, a man must rope and throw to the ground a calf and tie three of its feet together. In bull wrestling, the object is to tumble the bull onto its back with its head and all its feet in line. Calf roping has been done under fifteen s
48、econds, and a bull has been wrestled in less than ten seconds. When riding an animal, a contestant mounts before the chute gates are opened. The rider must stay on the bucking animal for eight seconds; points are given for the performance of both the animal and the contestant. In all riding events, the contestant is disqualified if he touches the animal with
