1、专业英语八级（作文）模拟试卷 78及答案与解析 一、 PART V WRITING 1 Chinese are no longer strangers to Western Festivals. Many Chinese people now celebrate the Valentines Day, Christmas, Halloween and even Thanksgiving Day. Some people think it is absurd for Chinese to observe these Western Festivals. The following are exc
2、erpts about this issue. Read them carefully and write your response in NO LESS THAN 300 words, in which you should: 1. summarize briefly both excerpts, and then 2. give your comment on whether we should discourage Chinese to celebrate Western Festivals. Excerpt 1 Citizens, schools and even whole tow
3、ns in China are attempting to curb Christmas celebrations amid a backlash against what is seen as the increasing influence of Western culture. Schools in the city of Wenzhou in Chinas Zhejiang province have been forbidden from holding any Christmas-related events, after authorities issued an officia
4、l ban. An education official in the city, which is home to one million Chinese Christians, told the paper “We are not suppressing western festivals, but we hope schools can be more balanced on this. Students can learn about western festivals but they should not be over-enthusiastic about it.“ In add
5、ition, Modern College of Northwest University, located in Xian, has banned Christmas celebrations, according to reports, choosing instead to have students attend screenings of what were described as propaganda films about Confucius on Christmas Eve. In another protest, college students in Hunan took
6、 to the streets to protest against Christmas celebrations. Xinhua news agency noted that celebrating Christmas has become trendy among young Chinese, who see the festival as a time to shop, party and dine with friends, but that proponents of traditional Chinese culture have warned against cultural i
7、nvasion. Ironically, despite the authorities hostility to Christmas in China, the country manufactures 60 percent of the worlds Christmas decorations, according to The Guardian. Excerpt 2 Many Westerners may be surprised at the way Chinese people have made Christmas a festival of their own. Todays y
8、ouths are under great pressure either from work or studies and dont get enough time to spend with their families or friends. And western festivals like Christmas provide them a good opportunity to make up for that loss. The popularity of western holidays in China shows that an increasing number of C
9、hinese people are pursuing individuality and are ready to spend money to buy more quality leisure time. The increasing popularity of western festivals, however, has drawn the anger of nationalists. A few years ago, 10 scholars from prestigious Chinese universities wrote an open letter asking Chinese
10、 people to boycott Christmas celebrations and resist the invasion of foreign soft power. In a recent online survey on what netizens think of Chinese-style Christmas, 39.2 percent of the respondents said they merely use Christmas as an opportunity to celebrate an occasion. But there is no denying tha
11、t many of the Chinese people, especially the youth, who celebrate western festivals dont know why they are celebrated or observed. In contrast, most Chinese know full well the origins and importance of Chinese festivals. This is the power and unconscious influence of traditional culture and that can
12、not be erased by the influence of western festivals. The seeming “invasion“ of foreign culture, to a certain extent, poses a threat to traditional Chinese culture. But Chinese culture, rooted as it is in thousands of years of history, can ward off the evil influence of foreign cultures and absorb th
13、e merits of exotic cultures to become even richer. 2 The Slow City Movement, which is initiated in Italy and advocates slowing down the rhythm of life and tuning in a green and sustainable lifestyle, has recently awarded Gaochun, a little village in Jiangsu the title of “Slow City“ for its laid-back
14、 lifestyle and sustainability. The following article provides detailed information about this movement. Write an article of NO LESS THAN 300 words, in which you should: 1. summarize briefly the article; 2. give your comment on this movement. Sleepy Organic Town Wins First “Slow City“ Prize A quiet v
15、illage within Gaochun county, Jiangsu province of East China, has recently come under the media spotlight. Yaxi village, with a population of 20,000, has been designated Chinas first “slow city“ by Cittaslow, the sustainable lifestyle movement that first surfaced in Italy 11 years ago. At home, the
16、residents at Yaxi are unfazed and pretty much unimpressed by the honor. To them, life has been like this for as long as they can remember. “Slow city? That sounds like us,“ said 81-year-old Mei Weibing, whose shoe shop in Gaochuns Old Street has been around for more than 50 years. Every cloth shoe i
17、s painstakingly hand-stitched and Mei proudly declares: “I spend three days making one perfect pair of shoes.“ It is this pride and spirit that first impressed Cittaslow, and the award is only a confirmation of the concerted efforts to preserve an old-country, small-village atmosphere where growth i
18、s limited, chain stores are discouraged and civic life revolves around a close-knit society. Nobody living in this little county had heard of Cittaslow or the words “slow city“ before this. “The first time I heard the term was last July, when the vice-president of Cittaslow, Angelo Vassallo, visited
19、 Yaxi village,“ said Zuo Niansheng, the chief editor of local newspaper Gaochun Today. “Vassallo was deeply impressed by this villages natural and cultural resources and said it perfectly fitted the requirements for a slow city,“ Zuo said. Cittaslow was founded in Tuscany, Italy, in 1999, and it act
20、ively advocates a lifestyle that is sustainable, that will improve quality of life, and will preserve cultural and culinary heritage. There are now 135 accredited slow cities in 24 countries across the world. “In China, we will start with Gaochun,“ said Cittaslow chairman Pier Giorgio Oliveti. “Slow
21、 city is not a Europe-centered project, it is for the planet.“ But the Slow City label has drawn criticism from some people who see it as further proof that Gaochun has walled itself off as an isolated enclave. Wang Hongtao, who comes from a farming family in Yaxi village, has another take on the la
22、id-back life. He said he probably has a higher happiness index than those living in big cities like Beijing or Shanghai. “We are homebodies. We love our hometown and we are not interested in moving to big cities in pursuit of the so-called better life. I guess there are two sides to the coin.“ Being
23、 awarded the Slow City tag may also have its flip-side, if things are not carefully managed. Tourism is set to boom. Already, a new resort villa has opened and a new tour route to Yaxi is already in operation all prepared for the potential rise in visitors. 3 Chinese visitors are received with mixed
24、 feelings by overseas destinations. On the one hand, Chinese visitors are the largest portion of luxury consumers in the world. On the other hand, they are usually noisy, tacky and uncivil. The following article illustrates Chinese visitors misbehavior. Read it carefully and write your response in N
25、O LESS THAN 300 words, in which you should: 1. summarize briefly the article; 2. give your comment, especially on what measures could be taken to regulate Chinese tourists behavior. Watch Your Behavior Overseas, Chinese Tourists Told The number of Chinese tourists the worlds biggest tourism spenders
26、 visiting Indonesia last year exceeded Australians, who over the years have been ranked third after Singaporeans and Malaysians. Chinese tourists have been reminded by overseas embassies to behave well and respect local laws, regulations and customs as the National Day holiday approaches. In a secur
27、ity notice on its website, the Chinese embassy in Canada reminds Chinese tourists visiting the country to dress well, avoid loud arguments and to refrain from drawing graffiti. “When flights are delayed, these tourists should do their best to understand and cooperate,“ the embassy said. The Chinese
28、embassy in Thailand released a similar notice on its website, saying that anyone traveling overseas with a condescending attitude would “ruin their own image“. Every Chinese tourist should represent the countrys image, the notice said, adding, “It is true patriotism to respect other people and behav
29、e civilly.“ Chinese tourists have a longer vacation this year, with Sundays Mid-Autumn Festival falling close to the National Day holiday. Travel agencies including C, China Youth Travel Service and L all reported outbound bookings during the holiday increasing by at least by 150 per cent year-on-ye
30、ar. But amid the boom, some Chinese tourists have triggered controversy with reports of bad behavior, including four visitors who vented their anger in Bangkok on last month after an announcement that their return flight to Chongqing would be delayed by about nine hours because of bad weather and te
31、chnical issues. China Central Television reported that many scenic areas in Thailand have put up signs in Chinese reminding Chinese tourists to be well behaved. In April, the China National Tourism Administration started to keep records of bad behavior. So far, 11 incidents have been reported on its
32、 website, including six related to tourists in Thailand. Ctrip, Chinas leading travel service provider based in Shanghai, said it had introduced a mobile app and videos to help guide its clients, especially individual travelers. Yan Xin, a publicity officer at the company, said, “Much bad behavior i
33、s caused by misunderstandings, language barriers and lack of overseas travel experience. Some incidents could be avoided if homework was done in advance.“ Dai Bin, director of the China Tourism Academy, said more legal measures should be introduced to regulate tourists behavior. “Some behavior canno
34、t just be categorized as uncivilized behavior, such as drawing graffiti on ancient relics. Such behavior should be punished according to laws or regulations,“ Dai said. 4 As flourishing tourism brings economy interests to many places while also destroying their local cultures, some people are callin
35、g on restriction for it. However, some hold that tourism, to some extent, can also help to save local cultures. From the following excerpts, you can find different opinions towards tourisms influence on local cultures. Write an article of NO LESS THAN 300 words, in which you should: 1. summarize bri
36、efly the arguments on both sides, and then 2. give your comment. Excerpt 1 In a town along a river cutting between green mountains, men and women spin and stamp feet to the beat of drums. One dancer waving a knife is wrapped head-to-foot in leafy branches, his flashing eyes barely visible through th
37、e mask. This traditional dance reflects the Jamaican Maroons specialty: the ambush. It was once a secret ritual of the fierce bands of escaped slaves who won freedom by launching attacks and repelling invasions of their forest havens. But on this day, descendants of those 18th century escapees are p
38、erforming for tourists in a fenced dancing yard in Charles Town, a Maroon settlement in eastern Jamaica that seemed destined to lose its traditions until revivalists gradually brought it back. Maroons in the Caribbean are increasingly showcasing their unique culture for visitors in hopes that herita
39、ge tourism will guarantee jobs for the young generation and preserve what remains of their centuries-old practices in mostly remote settlements. “For a long time, its been very difficult to keep the young people because they tend to leave for the cities to seek work. But now we can train tour guides
40、 and our people can sell their crafts, their banana and coconuts,“ said Fearon Williams, the leader one of Jamaicas semi-autonomous Maroon region. An annual Jan. 6 celebration draws thousands of visitors to the isolated town, which sits among rocky cliffs and stone towers in northwestern Jamaica. “T
41、ourism is making us stronger.“ Excerpt 2 Bali, which is known as “the island of gods,“ is threatened to the point that it could soon be unrecognizable. “In the beginning, Bali was mostly cultural tourism. Today, we are witnessing mass tourism. And thats the very problem!“ says Wayan Suardana, a mana
42、ger at the Walhi NGO, which fights to preserve the environment. “We used culture like merchandise,“ says Ketut Yuliarsa, a poet from Ubud. “The Balinese are people who are still deeply attached to their religion and culture, they spend a lot of time in temples, they respect the rites. But mass touri
43、sm is disrupting their practices: the diversity of local cultures and the specificity of rituals is being unified, homogenized. We offer a standardized package to foreigners. One example: tourist guides use Polynesian practices, like giving out garland of flowers to new arrivals as though it was a B
44、alinese custom! “ The difficulty in curbing these excesses is all the more difficult since tourism does have positive aspects. “People have gotten richer, standards of living have increased. Many Balinese arent aware of the current changes: most of them say they are satisfied with the evolution of t
45、hings,“ says Ketut Yuliarsa. Audrey Lamou, former director of the French cultural center, has been observing this phenomenon for several years. “Balinese people are increasingly obsessed with easy money. Institutions like the gamelans traditional orchestras are disappearing and the Balinese language
46、 is slowly yielding to Indonesian. With this spectacular evolution, one wonders if the Balinese are culturally driving straight into the wall,“ she says. 专业英语八级（作文）模拟试卷 78答案与解析 一、 PART V WRITING 1 【正确答案】 On Celebrating Western Festivals As our life is increasingly globalized, it is not uncommon to s
47、ee Chinese celebrate some of the western festivals. However, people do not always see eye to eye on this. As mentioned in the above two excerpts, owing to the concerns for the invasion of foreign culture, there were both protests and boycotts against celebration of western festivals, typically Chris
48、tmas. Although youths may see western festivals only as a chance to maintain relationships with their families and friends or enjoy themselves, some scholars see a potential threat to Chinese traditional culture. However, with its thousands of years of history, Chinese culture is able to continue it
49、s prosperity by warding off the evil influence of foreign cultures and absorbing their merits. As I see it, despite the legitimate skepticism of celebrating foreign holidays, we should not discourage Chinese to do so. To begin with, Chinese, by observing western holidays, are looking for more reasons to do something special. For instance, people send out “thank-you“ messages via social network on Thanksgiving Day to express their gratitude. Those who present a bouquet of red roses to their girlfriends on Valentines Day are s
