1、专业英语八级（作文）模拟试卷 59及答案与解析 一、 PART V WRITING 1 Debate about the policy to raise the retirement age of Chinese workers has been raging in China for the past few years. The compulsory retirement age in China is now 60 for male, 55 for female white-collar workers and 50 for female manual laborers. The fol
2、lowing excerpts offer opinions from different channels about this issue. Read the excerpts carefully and write your response in about 300 words, in which you should: 1. summarize briefly the opinions from every side: 2. give your comment. Marks will be awarded for content relevance, content sufficie
3、ncy, organization and language quality. Failure to follow the above instructions may result in a loss of marks. The media Beijing Times: Even if authorities bind older people to their positions by raising the retirement age, these workers might not contribute much to the overall productivity: worse
4、still, there might not be sufficient jobs for young people to enter the job market because older people are still working. Thats a possible negative result of delaying the retirement age, and policymakers need to be alert to it. Beijing Youth Daily: The ministry said Chinese workers retire at a quit
5、e early age. What they havent told us is Chinese peoples average life expectancy is low compared with developed countries. Japanese males retire five years later than Chinese males but they live about eight years longer. Therefore it is not fair for Chinese workers to retire at the same age as their
6、 counterparts in developed economies. The general public Satsu from Japan: In Japan people who officially retire at the age of 60 can still work for several years(until 65) for half or less of their last salary because the retirement allowance is not enough for a decent life after work. The official
7、 state pension sets in at the age of 65(probably soon 67) only. Eudaimonia from Greece: I think that it should be relevant to the type of work that the person is doing and the average life expectancy in the country. What this means? This means that, for example: If somebody works in very poor workin
8、g conditions, he should get early retirement. Theres absolutely no reason for women to retire earlier than men: if anything, it should be the other way around since women live longer. Tigerfish from the UK: Weve done it in the UK too, but the problem is that we still have a huge youth unemployment p
9、roblem. Employers are not taking on the new graduates and school leavers, so they just hang around on the streets and cause problems and manual workers are just not fit enough to keep going, and end up needing more medical help. Vivian from China: The retirement age should be left as it is. If peopl
10、e want to retire earlier they should be encouraged to do so. The whole idea is to give young people a chance to fill these positions and get a start in life. Icwu from France: Delaying the retirement age to 65 for men and 60 for women makes sense. However, its even better if its coupled with delayin
11、g job entry for youths by 1 - 2 years by introducing military training or community service(like the peace corps practice in the US in the past) or non-paid apprentice training(like that practiced in Germany) for our youths. These options will not only benefit our youths but also solve many employme
12、nt problems as a result of delayed retirement. Laowai2 from the US: The same thing is happening in most countries with a welfare system. People are living longer, so they require pensions for more years. In Chinas case, women are probably receiving pensions for over 20 years. Although people pay int
13、o a pension fund, this does not cover their future pensions. Pensions are financed out of current taxation, so it is our children who will actually fund our pensions. Write your response on ANSWER SHEET FOUR. 2 Beijing is contemplating charging congestion fees for cars that enter the city center dur
14、ing peak hours in a bid to ease the traffic condition and improve the air quality in the capital. Heated discussions on the effectiveness of congestion fees are aroused among people. The following are opinions from different sides. Read the excerpts carefully and write your response in about 300 wor
15、ds, in which you should: 1. summarize briefly the different opinions: 2. give your comment. Marks will be awarded for content relevance, content sufficiency, organization and language quality. Failure to follow the above instructions may result in a loss of marks. BadBreath(the US): Drastic measures
16、 must be taken or imposed in order to deal with the horrendous pollution problems throughout China. They can place enormous tariffs on cars to minimize traffic volume and pollution. Then, continue expanding the subway to the best of their ability. Brendan(the UK): The congestion charge was introduce
17、d in London in 2003 in a bid to reduce inner-city traffic volume and prevent pollution. The congestion charge of about 11.5 is required to enter the zone. In the 12 years since the congestion fees have been levied, traffic volume and pollution have fallen sharply. The policy can be named as one of t
18、he most successful policies. Matt(China): I support the move! I have to endure road congestion every day to and from work: I dont know whether this congestion charge will be an effective solution to this problem or not, but I sure hope so! The ways of managing cars that are currently in force are un
19、reasonable since they cost a lot in fees even for people who dont drive cars. It would be better to change to a situation where those who drive cars bear high costs, while those who do not drive cars pay no money at all. Britomart(China). Theres another very significant factor, which our citys offic
20、ials seem to be ignoring. Congestion fees are no barrier to the very wealthy, to whom fees and regulations are negligible. If anything, higher rates simply serve to show off that they are the elite, to whom money is irrelevant. Strangerl23(the US): Such fees are just more income for the government.
21、People who need to drive will pay the fee. No such fee can ever stop or deter anyone from driving. You know why? Driving is not a luxury as you imagine. To many people, driving is a necessity. Why dont you ban cars? This would work greatly. Arun(Singapore): The congestion charge is almost proven not
22、 to work all by itself. It has to come backed up with extensive public transport systems. Singapore has a decent public transport system and that is why the congestion charge works. Singapore has a metro stop almost every two blocks(in the central districts) and buses every 5 minutes to feed them. T
23、he inherent solution itself comes with the way the city is designed so that people travel less. China could solve part of the problems with ramping up the density of residential areas around their work places. PatrickInBeijing(Germany): Congestion fees might make more sense if they are coupled with
24、other programs. Several people have noted to improve mass transit. How about lower fees for cars with multiple passengers and higher fees for cars with only one person? Multiple passenger cars could also be given priority at toll booths. Electric cars could get reduced fees, while large cars that pr
25、oduce more pollution would pay more. There are a number of ideas which could help. Keep in mind that it is not just about congestion, but about pollution and that not all cars pollute equally. Write your response on ANSWER SHEET FOUR. 3 The recent tragedies involving small children dying from heat s
26、trokes after being left in cars have sparked online discussions. Should parents be held legally accountable for leaving their children in a car? Read the excerpts carefully and write your response in about 300 words, in which you should: 1. summarize briefly the different opinions: 2. give your comm
27、ent. Marks will be awarded for content relevance, content sufficiency, organization and language quality. Failure to follow the above instructions may result in a loss of marks. Ratfink(Australia) Penalties dont always work in cases like this. From a humanitarian viewpoint, losing a child in such a
28、tragic manner will cause a lifetime of grief for the parents. However, there are times when a steep penalty is needed, in the case of wilful neglect for example. Ted(Canada) Here in Canada criminal charges are sometimes brought against negligent parents and they are sometimes convicted and sometimes
29、 imprisoned. This has been the case for as long as Ive been alive(72.5 years). Heir(The Philippines) No. The loss of a child is enough to bear. Instead, as a result of the first incidence of such an accidental death of a child, the government should instruct the mass media to educate all the parents
30、 by forewarning them of such possible tragedies. Also educate law enforcers to check parked vehicles for children inside and how to get them out even if they have to break the windshield or side door window to free a trapped child. Hail(Australia) Here in Australia we have accidents on farms from ti
31、me to time where children are injured or killed. It is most often the case that the parents have been careless and this has resulted in their childs death but there is no sense in getting angry at them about it. These types of accidents are a tragedy and often the parents are in more need of counsel
32、ing than punishment. I do not think that parents that cause a tragic accident through being careless should be charged with manslaughter. Earthcitizen(the US) Its about time parents were held more responsible for their lack of action. Too many times a child has drowned in a dam or at the beach, been
33、 run over in the driveway or on the road outside the house, been in a room many storeys up with insecure windows or left in the car to cook. Too many times people say “ oh those poor parents“. We need to start saying “Where were the parents?“ There is NO EXCUSE for failed parenting. If I live in a p
34、roperty with water or dangerous equipment I never let my children out of my sight. If I am at a beach or lake I never let my children out of my sight and this also applies to the park, my own yard, etc. Children and accidents happen easily, but when it is because of the failure of the parents, they
35、need to be held responsible. Team(France) I dont believe any prison sentence could be more tortuous to a parent who has forgotten his/her child than his/ her own conscience. I dont think the threat of prison would deter any further instances of children dying in cars. Again, it is not an intentional
36、 act. People who had the misfortune of leaving their child in the car most likely did not intend to harm their child. What is needed is a proactive measure. The technology exists to implement security sensors in the back seat of a vehicle that would sound an alarm once the car door is opened, indica
37、ting that there is something in the back seat of a car a package or a child. It can be as simple as a pressure sensor blanket installed under the fabric of the seat that activates as soon as it senses a measure of weight say, that of a child. Write your response on ANSWER SHEET FOUR. 4 If you saw so
38、meone lying on the ground in pain or bleeding, would you stop to help him? Or would you just walk by for fear of being scammed? The following are opinions from different sides. Read the excerpts carefully and write your response in about 300 words, in which you should: 1. summarize briefly the opini
39、ons from different sides: 2. give your comment. Marks will be awarded for content relevance, content sufficiency, organization and language quality. Failure to follow the above instructions may result in a loss of marks. Yes, but with caution Casseopeia(Thailand): I think you should trust your intui
40、tion. Different situations will call for different reactions. Maybe if you are afraid of being scammed, you can bring a few witnesses with you get about four or five people together around you and go to help the person together. DSseeing(the US): If the situation is physically violent or it seems th
41、at it might become so, be cautious when you are involved. If you dont feel safe to lend a hand, even standing nearby and making it clear that you are watching and are a witness to what is happening can help. If youre concerned for the victims immediate safety, stay back and call 911. Gabrielleleilei
42、(India): Helping others may sometimes bring us trouble or even put us in danger. So when we are helping others, we should also protect ourselves and offer our help in an appropriate way. For example, to help someone who was robbed of, calling the police is a much wiser way than chasing after the rob
43、ber alone. Yes, certainly BlondeAmber(Canada): My instinct is to go and help: I am first aid trained. At home I have done this and there have been no problems. In China I would think twice unless I was with a friend who filmed everything should I be accused of causing the accident, I would certainly
44、 call an ambulance, although I would probably be charged for it. Jarek(Belgium): In Belgium by law you are obliged to help people in distress. The only time you are free from helping is in case you will put your own life at risk by helping someone else, otherwise you can get fined for not helping. A
45、nboyce88(the UK): I have seen an old fellow fall down in the cold winter in Harbin. I couldnt get him up on my own(he was a big guy) and I screamed at the passers-by who took out their phones to take videos of “a white boy helping an old Chinese man“. First time I swore at the Chinese. After a good
46、bit of abuse from me, I persuaded them into helping me. Afterwards they all started telling me I shouldnt be helping random strangers as he could be a con artist, then I replied: He could just be an old man who fell down in the winter, couldnt get up on his own and died. I will take the risk. Foreig
47、nchinese(Malaysia): It happens but not all the time. I once helped a guy groaning in pain underneath his bike. He crashed under the rear of a taxi. The driver went off and the bike guy was left alone in the middle of the street. Two weeks later, he wanted to thank me for my assistance. I had already
48、 gone home. Definitely no MsLong(the US): Why would I do that? How do I know if he is injured because of gang violence or what so ever? If I dont know him then I dont care about him. The most I would do is to call the police for suspicion. He/ She got himself/herself injured. Nobody hurts him/her fo
49、r no reason. Write your response on ANSWER SHEET FOUR. 5 With concerns over environmental degradation rising, a majority of Chinese people believe that environmental protection should be given higher priority, even if it risks the economic growth. Do you think the environment is more important than the economy? Read the following excerpts on environment and economy carefully and write your response in about 300 words, in which you should: 1. summarize briefly the different opinions: 2. give your comment. Marks will be awarded for content relevanc
