1、专业英语八级（作文）模拟试卷 94及答案与解析 一、 PART V WRITING 1 Smoking bans in public places are becoming more and more common in many countries. Whether the rights of the non-smokers to breathe in fresh air outweigh those of the smokers to smoke freely is a matter of opinion, manifesting itself in a heated smoking ba
2、n debate. In the following excerpt, the author states the effect of the smoking ban. Read the excerpt carefully and write your response in about 300 words, in which you should: 1. summarize briefly the authors opinion; 2. give your comment. Marks will be awarded for content relevance, content suffic
3、iency, organization and language quality. Failure to follow the above instructions may result in a loss of marks. The English smoking ban came into force on July 1, 2007. Smoking is banned in almost all enclosed public spaces, including pubs, restaurants and on public transport. Only places that are
4、 “like homes“ or are specifically excluded by the health secretary are exempt from the ban. In essence, smoking is only allowed outdoors and in private homes. Posters must be displayed in all workplaces reminding people that smoking is illegal. Individuals who defy the ban face a 50 on-the-spot fine
5、; businesses can be fined 200 for allowing smoking or not displaying the signs. There are many shocking things about the smoking ban or, at least, they would be shocking if we were not inured to them. First, theres the fact that the flimsy evidence that passive smoking causes any significant harm is
6、 taken seriously. According to figures from Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) Britains fundamentalist anti-smoking lobby group the incidence of lung cancer for non-smokers is about 10 cases per 100,000 people. Regular passive smoking (that is, living with a smoking partner, not just encountering on
7、e in bars or restaurants) increases that by about 25 percent 12.5 cases per 100,000. So, even if these figures are correct, passive smoking causes 2. 5 cases of lung cancer per 100,000 of the population; to put it another way, these are odds of 40,000-to-one of potentially getting lung cancer from p
8、assive smoking. On the basis of these remote risks, a war against smokers has been built. The second shocking thing is that governments now believe it is their right even duty to decide what vices we engage in. In this, the UK is not alone. From Argentina to Zambia, governments and local authorities
9、 have been queuing up to make it extremely difficult for people to indulge in filthy habits. Only this week, the Dutch joined the smoking ban club, exactly a year after Englands pubs and restaurants went smoke-free (or “smokefree“ to use the single-word, Orwellian Newspeak preferred by the New Labou
10、r government). On the same day, patients in Englands mental institutions received the “protection“ of the law, too that is, they will from now on be “protected“ from smoke by a super-killjoy ban on smoking even in hospitals for the mentally ill. Another shocking thing is the way in which the people
11、have been browbeaten into accepting this kind of state intervention. A quarter of the population is actively engaged, at some time or other, in the pastime of smoking; and most of the rest of the population was once happy to tolerate that pastime. Yet a noisy minority, joining forces with government
12、s that are increasingly keen to micromanage our most personal affairs and behaviour, has managed to criminalize a perfectly normal activity. This state of affairs has been accepted with barely a murmur of protest. The consequences for our everyday life have been profound. Smokers are now marked out
13、as “undesirables“, shunted on to the street or to some other open area to partake in their evil habit. The simple business of socializing has been undermined: alcohol-fueled chatter is persistently interrupted by the disappearance of smokers to the nearest open space. Many people, particularly the e
14、lderly, for whom getting up and walking outside every time they want a cigarette is something of an ordeal, are visiting pubs less and less. There is something rather inhumane in the zealous anti-smoking crusade, where the health authorities and their cheerleaders seem happy to make our life worse i
15、n the name of “protecting us“ from harm. Write your response on ANSWER SHEET FOUR. 2 In recent years, TV talent shows have burst onto our screens with a vengeance. With most showing ordinary members of the public competing for a large monetary prize, they are only increasing in popularity. So, whats
16、 your opinion on the talent show? Read the excerpt carefully and write your response in about 300 words, in which you should: 1. summarize briefly the authors opinion; 2. give your comment. Marks will be awarded for content relevance, content sufficiency, organization and language quality. Failure t
17、o follow the above instructions may result in a loss of marks. A point often brought up these days is that every young person wants to be famous “just for fames sake“. A generation is growing up in a society that embraces the status of celebrity, even when some celebrities actually do not appear to
18、“do“ anything much. With days gone by, celebrity status was achieved by being “good“ at something and not just “good“, but one of the best in the game. Now, however, we have celebrities gracing the covers of magazines who do not actually seem to possess any particular talents at all. Take “Big Broth
19、er“ contestants for example. Even though the fame might not be long lasting, for a period of time a certain percentage of the population wants to read about them. It is the era of the five-minute fame. Perhaps there is nothing wrong with languishing in your five-minute fame. If you have your head on
20、 the shoulders and your feet on the ground, then why not go for it? But is it a different story when young people put all their hopes and dreams into becoming famous, instead of focusing on a traditional career? It sounds silly, but if you actually watch the auditions of many TV talent shows, there
21、will always be contestants who admit that all they want in life is to be famous. Obviously, these are often the unsuccessful, but it gives us a glimpse into the psyche of some young people. Brought up on a diet of reality TV shows and celebrity magazines, many seem to have lost both the ambition and
22、 the desire to work hard towards a credible goal. They think they can “make it“ without the drive and determination, long hours and sacrifices. Its not all about those who audition, either. Thousands of impressionable young people are fixated on shows like these, and become convinced that this is th
23、e path to the good life. Rather than nurture an ambition to become a doctor, scientist, teacher, etc. , too many teens assumed that success can be reached by being noticed in a TV talent show. Most of these young people will never have a shot at “making it“, simply because they do not possess the ta
24、lent needed. Some seem to exist in a state of delusion, oblivious to the fact that they are just not up to the marks. The truth is that over 100,000 competitors may audition for a TV talent show, and only a handful of them will make the finals. Instant rejection may come as a short, sharp shock and
25、even then, many declare they will not give up but return again the following year. Some even verbally attack the judges who put an end to their dreams, convincing the rejection is a gross misjudgment. Write your response on ANSWER SHEET FOUR. 3 Violence in films has been a hot topic ever since the s
26、ilent era, but its never going to go away. Some sections of the audience love a bit of vicarious blood and gore. But theres little doubt that excessive violent films dont come without bad consequences. This question has been debated for decades. The following are opinions from different sides. Read
27、the excerpts carefully and write your response in about 300 words, in which you should: 1. summarize briefly the opinions 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 instr
28、uctions may result in a loss of marks. Psychotherapists Stephannoi (the UK): Violent movies should be banned because you can compare violent scenes in the movie to real life. The more you see violent scenes, the more you get aggressive. And violent movies dont make people productive or smart. Onceak
29、night (Canada): Humans are affected by their surroundings. Its time to accept that we take influence from what we see and feel. A non-violent person can turn into a violent one with enough exposure to violent media. Simply saying that “they have a choice“ doesnt solve the problem. Not all people are
30、 philosophers to tell the right from the wrong accurately, and if we allow them to become violent, other people will be put at harm. Parents Bandito (the US): Violent television shows should be banned because younger children are likely to be influenced and when they grow up they might think it is r
31、ight to do something wrong because someone on a television show did it. Also sometimes in violent films there are a lot of gruesome sights which normal kids would think is disgusting. Xuedong (China): Violent films may need regulations regarding who should be allowed to watch them, and I do not feel
32、 that they should be banned. People always have a choice when it comes to what they decide to watch, and what they want their children to watch. The television can be turned off if I feel something is too violent for my children. Violent movie lovers Raton (Italy): If we ban violent movies, then wha
33、t will happen for the people who love violent movies? Imagining that many people would stop watching movies, there will be a great fall in the entertainment industry. Recent studies show that 70% of the people like to watch violent movies. Gooddog ( Singapore) : Banning violent movies will lead to m
34、ass unemployment. Many stuntmen, junior artists, etc., will be unemployed and they will only have some petty leftover jobs which do not pay well. Many will fall to poverty. And the lack of teens and adults who like to watch these films will bring the entertainment industry to a downfall due to the b
35、ad economic conditions. Hence, violent movies should not be banned. Waitonesec (the US): Violent films should not be banned. There should, however, be regulations in more detail to the audience before they watch the movie. For instance, the violent movie need to clearly show the audience what some o
36、f those violent scenes are, so as to persuade people to watch the movie or not. PPsally (the UK): People should have the right to watch whatever they want. Horror slashers are so funny that they get us into the spirit of Halloween. Action and shooting movies are exiting and thrilling which keep life
37、 more interesting. I love those movies, so do others. Thus, they should not be banned. Write your response on ANSWER SHEET FOUR. 4 Smog has been a national fixation of China. The government has declared “war“ on air pollution. However, economic growth means more production and consumption of energy,
38、 which means more emission of gases related to the pollution. What measures should be taken to improve the air quality is under heated discussion. The following is a report about the cost of clean air. Read the excerpt carefully and write your response in about 300 words, in which you should: 1. sum
39、marize briefly the news report; 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. The Cost of Clean Air Measures to combat air pollution are biting hard in
40、 industrial areas already hit by an economic slowdown. Last year on a typically smoggy day in Beijing, Chinese government declared “war“ on air pollution a problem that has become a national fixation. Smog remains a grave danger in most Chinese cities, but environmental measures are beginning to sho
41、w teeth. Regulators in the most polluted provinces are ordering mass closures of offending enterprises. In some areas officials are being punished for failing to control pollution. Policymakers are placing less emphasis on GDP growth long an obsession of officials at all levels of government and tal
42、king up greenness. The transformation will be painful. Chinas new toughness on polluting quarries, mills and factories coincides with an economic slowdown that will make it harder to create new jobs for those laid off. Slower growth is in line with the governments efforts to curb wasteful investment
43、, and with it a dangerous buildup of debt. The slowdown also happens to be helpful in curtailing pollution; Chinas consumption of coal, a huge contributor to smog as well as to climate-change emissions, fell slightly in 2014 after 14 years of growth. The war is especially bloody in Hebei, which is b
44、lamed for much of the smog in Beijing. Keeping the air of the capital clean is a political priority. Dutifully, Hebei, which surrounds Beijing, has been trying to clean up. Since the beginning of 2013 it has reported closing down 18,000 polluting factories. In January Hebei Daily, a state-run newspa
45、per, said that in Mancheng county, to which Shijing township belongs, 37 rock quarries and rubble pits had been shut. Hebeis economy has suffered. Until 2014 real GDP growth in the province had outpaced national GDP growth for all but one year since 2000. But as Chinas GDP growth slowed from 7.7% in
46、 2013 to 7.4% last year, Hebeis fell much more sharply, from 8.2% to 6. 5% , according to official figures. The slowdown in Hebeis industrial sector last year was particularly severe, from 10% growth in 2013 to just 5.1% last year, compared with a much gentler decline nationwide from 9.7% to 8. 3%.
47、The closures may be having some effect. The environmental ministry reported that in the region encompassing Beijing, Hebei and the city of Tianjin the average level in the air of PM2. 5 , the smallest measured particles which are most harmful to health, was 93 micrograms per cubic metre last year, d
48、own from 106 in 2013. In Beijing itself the level dropped by 4%, to 85. 9 micrograms per cubic metre. A daily level above 35 micrograms per cubic metre is considered unsafe. Beijings is sometimes above 500. Farther from Beijing, in places where the anxieties of leaders in the capital are felt less k
49、eenly, some officials have been trying to shift attention away from the polluting industries that keep people in work. In November a senior planning official said China would have clear skies by 2030, when carbon emissions are also expected to reach their peak. But public resentment will be slow to ebb. Write your response on ANSWER SHEET FOUR. 专业英语八级（作文）模拟试卷 94答案与解析 一、 PART V WRITING 1 【正确答案】 My Views on the Public Smoking Ban The harsh English public smoking ban has been in effect for more than nine years, followed by many facts that s
