专业英语八级(作文)模拟试卷81(题后含答案及解析)

专业英语八级（作文）模拟试卷81 (题后含答案及解析)

题型有：1. summarize briefly the article; 2. give your comment. This Saturday night, a global effort is set to take place to promote energy conservation—the Earth Hour. To join in on the effort, simply turn off your lights from 8:30-9:30 pm in your local time zone. This worldwide effort is designed to demonstrate that each person has a choice in their energy consumption—and at any time can simply choose to use less. Some 2,400 cities in 82 countries have signed up to participate, six times more than last year. Some of the landmarks scheduled to go dark include the Great Pyramids and Sphinx in Egypt, Acropolis in Greece, Broadway Theater marquees, etc. Earth Hour began in Sydney in 2007, when 2.2 million homes and businesses switched off their lights for one hour. In 2008 the message had grown into a global sustainability movement, with 50 million people switching off their lights. This year, however, Earth Hour has been transformed from being just a sign of solidarity regarding energy conservation, to a “global vote.” The organizers of this year’s event are publicizing participation in the event as a vote “For Earth and Against Global Warming”. According to Earth Hour sponsor the World Wildlife Fund(WWF), “For the first time in history, people of all ages, nationalities, race and background have the opportunity to use their light switch as their vote—switching off your lights is a vote for Earth, or leaving them on is a vote for global warming. WWF are urging the world to VOTE EARTH and reach the target of 1 billion votes, which will be presented to world leaders at the Global Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. Some scientists are confident that the temperature increases we are experiencing are all within normal heating and cooling trends that have been occurring for centuries, long before industrialization was ever an issue. Other scientific bodies have stated unequivocally that global warming is occurring, and people are causing it by burning fossil fuels—and the only debate about global warming is about how much and how fast warming will continue as a result of heat-trapping emissions. As a result of this controversy, not everyone agrees with the message of Earth Hour—and at least one counter-protest is planned for Saturday. Suburban Philadelphia ice cream shop owner Bob Gerenser, 56, believes global warming is based on faulty science and calls Earth Hour “nonsense.” The resident of New Hope, PA, and owner of Gerenser’s Exotic Ice Cream planned to illuminate his store with extra theatrical lighting. “I’m going to get everyone I know in my neighborhood to turn on every light they possibly can to waste as much electricity as possible to underline the absurdity of this action... by being absurd.” Despite the controversy over “global warming” or climate change, I personally think that energy conservation is never a bad thing. So the lights will go out in our house for an hour on Saturday, for no other reason than to remind my family that at any time we can choose to reduce our energy usage by simply flicking a switch.

正确答案： Conserving Energy: More Than One Hour a Year The article above discusses this year’s Earth Hour movement to call for energy conservation by

encouraging people switching off their lights for one hour and vote for Earth to fight against global warming. However, scientists and citizens who are convinced that global warming has far been over-exaggerated don’t seem to appreciate this effort. For me, Global warming is a real problem whose enormity and seriousness cannot be underestimated, but there definitely are better ways to arouse people’s awareness of conserving energy. Simply asking our parents how much warmer it has become these years than the time when they were children we can understand what global warming means to us. Plus, all those pictures and research studies on disappearing icebergs, melting glaciers, and the desperate polar bears that have lost their habitats are hard proof of it. It makes total sense that environmentalists try to arouse people’s awareness, but urging everyone to switch off their lights at a certain time is too much to ask. First, that one hour may be very important for small businesses and people with special plans on that day. The inconveniences this event brings about might lead to people’s repulsion and resistance in spite of its good intentions. Furthermore, if energy conservation is only promoted once a year in this way, it’s very likely that people only participate for one hour a year and go back to their daily routine of wasting energy again. Energy conservation should not be only about an activity or demonstration. It should become a habit. To achieve this, more public service advertisements can be made to remind people of the significance of preserving energy. Also, courses need to be added to elementary school curriculum so that kids get to know the threats of global warming and form a good habit of saving energy at an early age. In conclusion, to fight global warming, more can be achieved when people participate in energy conservation willingly or even subconsciously in everyday life.

解析： 材料是一篇关于“地球一小时”活动的新闻报道。 前三段介绍了今年的地球一小时活动的情况，来自82个国家的2400个城市参加了活动，而且今年还以此作为一种投票的方式(global vote)，鼓励人们对抗全球变暖。 第四、五段指出有人反对这一做法，并不是所有人都相信地球一小时所传递的信息(not everyone agrees with the message of Earth Hour)，有人认为全球变暖是科学谬论(global warming is based on faulty science)，地球一小时的活动显得无意义(nonsense)。 文章最后一段总结，尽管存在全球变暖还是气候变化的争议，节约能源总是好的(never a bad thing)，地球一小时的目的就是提醒人们节约能源(reduce our energy usage)。 开篇：概括材料中关于全球变暖和“地球一小时”活动的主要争议所在，然后提出自己的看法：全球变暖是一个严重的问题，但是提高公众节约能源意识却有很多比“地球一小时”更好的方法。 主体：首先论证全球变暖的严重性，然后提出“地球一小时”活动可能造成的负面影响及其有限的影响力，最后提出一些更好的方法。 结尾：总结全文，并呼吁人们从日常小事做起节约能源。 知识模块：作文

2． Electronic gadgets such as smartphones are so overused in daily life that the relationships such as those between husbands and wives, parents and children, have been affected to varying extents. Thus, the All-China Women’s Federation (ACWF) has put forward a proposal, calling on cellphone addicts to switch off their devices at least one hour a day and spend more quality time with their families. The

following are different opinions on this proposal. Write an article of NO LESS THAN 300 words, in which you should: 1. summarize briefly the arguments from both sides; 2. give your comment.Chen Guangjiang, physician in Suzhou Central Hospital Just like Earth Hour, a global initiative for environmental awareness that encourages people all around the world to turn off the nonessential lights for an hour on the event day, cannot tangibly reduce energy consumption, this proposal constitutes a modest suggestion. In certain cases, however, the power of such a symbolic action should not be underestimated. It is likely that switching off one’s phones may help people to view things in a different light and maybe even to reevaluate their priorities. Besides, in my humble opinion, the fact that many people keep their smart phones on all day long may just mean they are deluding themselves into thinking that they are more important than they actually are!Ran Yu, Graduate Student at the University of Kansas People tend to spend a large amount of time on their smartphones, time that might otherwise have been spent on communicating within one’s family or participating in social gatherings, leading to a sum decline in the quality of their interpersonal relationships. Given this, the ACWFs proposal to put one’s mobile phones to one side for at least one hour every day is eminently reasonable. However, in this era of the mobile Internet, what an impractical idea it is! In any case, if the happiness some couples experience in their married life hangs on them switching off smartphones, their marriage is in the first place quite fragile. While it is indeed true that smartphones have caused conflicts between couples, the side effects of the use of such devices should not be so exaggerated.Liu Yunxi, Associate Advisory at KPMG Whether or not this initiative will really help to bolster familial connections remains a moot point. I, for one, do not hold high expectations. Apart from playing with our cellphones, we have at our disposal a multitude of other ways in which we can kill time. Those who turn off their phones will not necessarily spend the time with their family. They may go out to meet friends or spend the time reading instead. The key to improving family relationships lies not in switching off our phones, but in our desire to spend time with family members. If people are willing and able to be together with their loved ones, even their phones will not prove sufficient distraction. Placing the blame for the deterioration of family relationships solely on electronic gadgets is surely going a step too far.Wang Chuantao, journalist from Workers’ Daily: The ACWFs proposal is more of symbolic significance than of actual practical use. The message the ACWF seems to be trying to convey is that smartphones are distracting users from the real life and that life will still go on, and maybe even improve, if you power off your smartphones for one or more hours a day. This proposal does not mean to deny the convenience brought by modern hi-tech products, but people should remember that they are not the slaves of electronic devices, but rather should be the masters.

正确答案： Switch off Your Phone and Open up a Possibility It seems smart gadgets are eroding our life, like the quality time with our family. The All-China Women’s Federation, aware of this situation, proposes to switch off cellphones one hour every day. This symbolic gesture attracts attacks as well as support. Opponents

believe that smartphones are not the most important factor that influences family relationship. People might choose other ways to kill the hour instead of spending time with their family. I believe the attack holds water to some extend but is not 100% true. Switching off cellphone does not have an absolute correlation with improved family relationship but at least provides an opportunity for people to do things other than playing with smartphone, and spending time with family may be a choice. Therefore, the suggestion is not a cure but providing a possibility. I support this policy which may be beneficial in a couple of ways. Switching off phones will remind people that life still goes on without phones. Imagine yourself sitting on your sofa after a day’s work, you just scroll down the screen without any purposes. There is no new emails, no messages; you are just used to holding your phones and spending hours on it. If you switch off your phones, you will certainly do other things to kill time. You can read a bit, talk with the people in the same room or watch a TV show together. When you switch it on, you will probably find that there are no new emails, no messages, and no missed calls. Till then, you would realize that life goes on without you staring at the screen all day. With this realization, you would spend less time on your phone and more on other things interest you, such as being with family or friends. Therefore, I support this idea not because it provides a cure for improved family relationship but at least a possibility.

解析： 为了改善家庭关系，全国妇联(ACWF)倡议每天关机一小时。材料给出了社会各界人士对此的看法。大家都认为过度沉溺于手机不利于人际关系(decline in the quality of their interpersonal relationships)，但他们对于“每天关机一小时”的做法有不同的看法。 第一个人(陈医生)和最后一个人(王记者)都认为这一做法有象征性意义(symbolic significance)。这有助于人们采取不同的视角(view things in a different light)去重新审视生活的重心(reevaluate their priorities)；关注现实的生活(real life)，做电子设备的主人(masters)而不是奴隶(slaves)。 中间两个人则不看好这一做法(do not hold high expectations)。首先，他们认为在移动互联网时代，每天关机一小时并不可行(impractical)，不能过度夸大手机的负面影响(side effects…should not be so exaggerated)；其次，手机只是人们打发时间的其中一种工具，改善家庭关系的关键不是关掉手机，而是与家人相处的想法(desire to spend time with family members)，将家庭关系恶化简单地归咎于电子产品并不合理(going a step too far)。 开篇：由妇联倡议的“每天关机”一小时引出话题，并介绍反方观点。 主体：首先，反驳反方观点，说明关掉手机并不是解决方案，只能为人们提供与家人相处的可能性；其次，详细阐述我方观点。 结尾：总结全文，重申“关掉手机，打开可能性”的观点。 知识模块：作文

3． Human intelligence technology has been thriving over the past decade. Now, we have super-computers that even beat humans in go. Some experts say that one day computers will replace teachers in the classroom, believe it or not. The following article provides detailed information about this prediction. Read it carefully and write your response in NO LESS THAN 300 words, in which you should: 1. summarize briefly the article; 2. give your comment on whether computers will replace human teachers. Could Computers Ever Replace Teachers? In the early 1960s, Professor Donald Bitzer, an electrical engineer at the University of

Illinois, was creating one of the world’s first teaching machines. But with its growth came speculation and apprehension—could a computer replace a teacher? Fifty years on, this question is still being asked. Fiona Hollands, senior researcher at Columbia University’s Teachers College, says computers are now being used for several distinct reasons in the classroom: they help face-to-face teacher instruction in “blended learning” models; they can be used to supplement educators in “hybrid” teaching models; and replace teachers in “virtual” classrooms. “A few states and districts have created their own virtual schools with Florida Virtual School being the best known,” says Hollands, adding that a recent study claimed not only can students do just as well with this approach, but there may also be cost savings. In the US, Rocketship schools have cut overheads by introducing more online classes and employing fewer teachers. They have attracted global attention through their “blended learning” approach in which a quarter of a student’s school day is taught by a computer. Teachers without credentials supervise online sessions while qualified teachers focus on critical thinking. Any savings are used to pay existing teachers more. Hollands argued that Rocketship schools provide a lower quality education to deprived children. He believes it is hard, for example, to work alone online if your English reading skills are weak and if you are easily distracted. Tricia Kelleher, principal of the Stephen Perse Foundation, warns that technology should not spell the end for teachers. Rather, it should be seen as a useful tool in the teacher’s armoury. This May, Mitra did a Ted talk on the “school in the cloud” where he discussed his hole in the wall experiment. Mitra placed a computer in a kiosk in a Delhi slum and allowed children to use it freely. He found that many of them, lots who had never seen a computer, could teach themselves all on their own. “Teachers often ask me, am I going to lose my job? I say no because your job will get harder. It will become a different job. It will go from being a master standing at the front of class to a helpful friend at the back.” He adds: “There will have to be a dramatic change to teacher programmes but we are no where near that yet.” One thing that is going to change, however, is the need for teachers with technological skills. Jose Picardo, the assistant principal of Surbiton High school, says teachers who can use technology will replace those who cannot. He adds that tools like video now allow children to learn at any point, and teachers need to make the most of this.

正确答案： Teachers Won’t Be Replaced The article mainly discusses the growth of the world’s teaching machines and people’s speculation and apprehension. As for growth, computers have found their way into classrooms and are doing well with good student performance and cost savings. As for speculation and apprehension, researchers and school administrators generally believe computers will not replace teachers but there will have to be a dramatic change both to the teachers and teacher programmes. As far as I am concerned, computers cannot replace teachers. First of all, computer lacks face-to-face interaction. The point of the presence of a teacher in the classroom is not only that he can impart what he knows and repeat what has already been written in the textbook, but more importantly that he can discuss things with students in person. When they have questions about a certain topic, they can ask

him for an answer; when they have doubts concerning a point stated in the textbook, they can challenge him in order to gain deeper understanding. The fact that the teacher appears in flesh and blood makes it easier for the students to digest what they are learning. All these would be very difficult for a computer to achieve. Furthermore, computer also lacks necessary flexibility. Confucius, the greatest educator in China, once remarked that one should always teach students in accordance with their natural aptitude. Indeed, flexibility is vital in education because what a teacher faces is living and constantly changing students. A very significant part of the teacher’s role, therefore, includes frequently altering his teaching methods in order to suit the new progress of his students. A teacher will also have to understand the background of each student. It is highly doubtful that a pre-programmed computer would be able to shoulder such responsibilities. To sum up, although computer technology has advanced greatly over the past decades, it is still far away from replacing teachers in the classroom. Perhaps it simply lacks a bit of “human touch”.

解析： 材料开篇以世界上首台教学机器(the world’s first teaching machines)的诞生、发展及人们对此的思考和担忧(speculation and apprehension)展开探讨。 第二至四段主要阐述电脑在课堂的运用、发展及优点，包括：电脑以几种不同原因进入课堂(computers are now being used for several distinct reasons in the classroom)；将电脑引入课堂的学校，不仅其学生学业表现没有变差(students do just as well with this approach)，还能节省费用(there may also be cost savings)。 接下来几段主要围绕电脑进入课堂的影响展开，包括有研究者认为引进电脑的学校，弱势学生的学习质量会降低(provide a lower quality education to deprived children)、教师会担心自己的饭碗不保等等。 总的来说，这篇阅读材料的结论是电脑不会取代教师(computers will no replace teachers)，但教师及教学项目需做大调整(there will have to be a dramatic change)。 开篇：简要总结材料的内容，然后提出自己的观点——电脑不会取代教师。 主体：分两方面具体阐述原因。 1．电脑缺少面对面的互动，只有师生互动，才能帮助学生更好地消化、吸收知识。 2．其次，电脑还缺少必要的灵活性，很难做到因材施教。 结尾：重申观点，电脑少了点“人情味”，因此无法在课堂上取代教师。 知识模块：作文

4． As Internet have been quite popular, some argue that people’s problem-solving ability will deteriorate, because they are adapted to “Google” the solution, instead of thinking of one by themselves. The following article provides information about how the internet affects students’ way of doing research. Read it carefully and write your response in NO LESS THAN 300 words, in which you should: 1. summarize briefly the article; 2. give your comment on whether the internet worsens people’s problem-solving ability. How Teens Do Research in the Digital World Three-quarters of college teachers say that the internet and digital search tools have had a “mostly positive” impact on their students’ research habits, but 87% say these technologies are creating an “easily distracted generation with short attention spans” and 64% say today’s digital technologies “do more to distract students than to help them academically.” These complex and at times contradictory judgments emerge from an online survey of more than 2,000 middle and

high school teachers drawn from the Advanced Placement (AP) and National Writing Project (NWP) communities. Overall, teachers who participated in this study characterize the impact of today’s digital environment on their students’ research habits and skills as mostly positive. Yet, when asked if they agree or disagree with specific assertions about how the internet is impacting students’ research, their views are decidedly mixed. On the more encouraging side, virtually all (99%) AP and NWP teachers in this study agree with the notion that the best students access a greater depth and breadth of information on topics that interest them; students can take advantage of the availability of educational material in engaging multimedia formats; and many become more self-reliant researchers. At the same time, these teachers juxtapose these benefits against some emerging concerns. Specifically, some teachers worry about students’ overdependence on search engines; the difficulty many students have judging the quality of online information; the general level of literacy of today’s students; increasing distractions pulling at students and poor time management skills; students’ potentially diminished critical thinking capacity; and the ease with which today’s students can borrow from the work of others. Perhaps the greatest impact this group of teachers sees today’s digital environment having on student research habits is the degree to which it has changed the very nature of “research” and what it means to “do research.” Teachers and students alike report that for today’s students, “research” means “Googling.” As a result, some teachers report that for their students “doing research” has shifted from a relatively slow process of intellectual curiosity and discovery to a fast-paced, short-term exercise aimed at locating just enough information to complete an assignment. In response to this trend, many teachers say they shape research assignments to address what they feel can be their students’ overdependence on search engines and online encyclopedias. Nine in ten direct their students to specific online resources they feel are most appropriate for a particular assignment, and 83% develop research questions or assignments that require students to use a wider variety of sources, both online and offline. The vast majority of these teachers say a top priority in today’s classrooms should be teaching students how to “judge the quality of online information.” As a result, a significant portion of the teachers surveyed here report spending class time discussing with students how to assess the reliability of the information they find online, and how to improve their search skills.

正确答案： The Internet Is Not the End of the Academia This article is mainly about the impact of the internet on students’ research habits and skills, and more importantly, teachers’ corresponding judgment and response. On the one hand, teachers surveyed generally believe that the Internet is having positive influence since students are enabled to access more learning materials. On the other hand, they also spot some concerns that students may depend too much on search engines and fail to distinguish good information from bad one. To deal with such concerns, many teachers try varied means. As far as I see it, the Internet is not the end of the academia and won’t worsen students’ problem-solving abilities. Firstly, the internet is hardly omnipotent. The internet provides a quicker and more efficient option of

problem-solving for students, but it doesn’t apply to all problems. Google, for example, may be helpful when students are trying to search for background information or browse through studies, but it may prove unhelpful when, say, a student attempts to tackle one particular issue in his experiment. Even when students are solving a lot of problems by using Google, they will still have to deal with the unique, original and in most cases most significant ones by themselves. Secondly, the Internet actually trains students’ ability of problem-solving since it pushes them to be more original and innovative. Nowadays, due to very strict rules concerning cribbing in higher learning institutes, students will have to skim through and screen different materials, and try to come up with differentiated findings that do not resemble any of the works found. In this manner, students will naturally sharpen their skills of sorting out information and developing their own ideas upon the materials concerned. As Newton so rightly puts it, “If I have been able to see further, it was only because I stood on the shoulders of a giant”. The internet is not the end of the academia, but rather a shoulder for us to stand on. The worry that the internet may worsen students’ problem-solving ability is unnecessary.

解析： 材料以一项网络调查的结果展开网络对学生在学术方面的影响的探讨。 第二段主要介绍网络调查对象的情况。 第三至六段主要谈及教师对网络之于学生的研究习惯及研究技巧的影响的看法： 一方面，教师们认可网络对学生做研究的积极影响(Overall，teachers…characterize the impact…as mostly positive)；另一方面，教师们又发现了不少需要关切的点(juxtapose these benefits against some emerging concerns)，比如学生过度依赖网络搜索(students’overdependence on search engines)、学生甄别网络信息的质量有困难(the difficulty many students have judging the quality of online information)、学生的评判性思维能力可能会降低(students’potentially diminished critical thinking capacity)等等。 最后两段主要阐述教师为应对网络对学生的负面影响纷纷采取的应对措施。 开篇：简要总结材料内容，随后提出个人观点——互联网并不会降低学生解决问题的能力。 主体：从两方面具体阐述自己的观点。 1．互联网并不全能，不会导致学生解决问题能力的降低。 2．由于有剽窃机制的制约，互联网实际上能锻炼学生解决问题的能力。 结尾：引用牛顿的名言作结。 知识模块：作文