阅读材料 Amtrak is an intercity train service currently owned by the United States government. There are a number of critics who believe that the government should not own Amtrak and that Amtrak should be sold to a privately-owned company. These critics put forward several arguments to support their position. First, the critics point out that the government loses money on many Amtrak routes. In its effort to serve citizens in all parts of the country, Amtrak maintains routes even in remote and less populated areas. Those routes are not used by enough passengers to cover the cost of maintaining them. The amount of money lost every year due to underuse is sizeable: the government loses up to several hundred dollars per passenger on some routes: and the total losses due to underuse add up to hundreds of millions of dollars every year If Amtrak was privatized, these unprofitable routes could be cut. Second, government ownership of Amtrak is unfair to privately owned transportation companies such as airlines Government fundi ng of Amtrak means that ticket prices on Amtrak are cheaper than they otherwise would be. However, the government does not give airline companies money so they can lower their ticket prices. This situation clearly is unfair to airlines and other private transportation companies because they must compete against trains for customers. Third, critics maintain that if the government wants to support national transportation, it should spend its money elsewhere Rail travel is relatively unimportant in the United States: Amtrak currently transports less than 1 percent of the people traveling between cities. A large majority of intercity travelers use other means of transport, such as private cars. The critics argue that rather than finance Amtrak, the government should direct its funding at maintaining and improving the highway system so that intercity car travel becomes faster and more efficient. Summarise the points made in the lecture,being sure to explain how they cast doubt on specific points made in the reading passage.
听力文本 Now listen to the part of a lecture on the topic you just read about. Should the government sell Amtrak and let a private company run it instead? The answer is: no.First, losing money due to underused routes, people who complain about this fail to understand that the main purpose of Amtrak is not to make a profit but to provide needed transportation services to citizens of the United States. Some of these citizens live in remote areas and yes, it’s true, train routes to these hard-to-reach areas are underused and expensive to maintain. But citizens living in these places have just as much right to government services as people living in more accessible areas do. So it would be wrong to sell Amtrak to a private company that would cut these routes. Second, the idea that government funding of Amtrak is unfair to Amtrak’s competitors, that’s just silly. The United States support the airline industry in all kinds of ways. For example, it pays for the building of air traffic control towers and the training for the air traffic control officers. It also pays for the weather satellites that the airlines depend on to fly safely. The truth is private airlines and other forms of mass transportation couldn’t exist without lots of financial support from the government. Third, it’s true that train travel is less popular than car travel in the United States, but that’s only because the Amtrak system is out of date. If people in the United States had trains that were affordable and fast, they’d gladly take them and leave their cars at home. We know this because that’s what people in Japan and Europe do. The governments in those places have invested in high-speed train lines and train travel is very popular. What the United States government should do is invest more money in Amtrak to improve the service.
独立写作 Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? The best way to truly relax and reduce stress is to spend time alone. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
TPO 58 综合写作 阅读材料 Spartacus: the rebel leader who fought against the Romans with an army of fellow escaped slaves, is one of the most famous figures in ancient Roman history. Spartacus led his men against their Roman oppressors and managed to defeat the Roman army in several battles. Eventually Spartacus and his army were defeated and put to death. To this day，Spartacus fascinates both historians and the general public. Several aspects about his story have made him a particularly appealing hero. Firs，Spartacus‘ original goal in his conflict against Rome is one everyone can empathize with-he wanted to return home Spartacus and his men had been taken by the Romans from faraway lands In fighting the Romans, Spartacus and his men initially sought to return to the homelands from which they had been uprooted Spartacus and his men's desire to return home is one we can all appreciate. Second, Spartacus' initial success in fighting against the powerful Roman army has earned him the admiration people feel when someone who is overmatched triumphs through sheer skill. Spartacus and his men formed a relatively small, ill-equipped army; the Roman army? in contrast, was large, well-financed, and highly trained. Spartacus' ability to seriously trouble the Romans on the battlefield testifies to his military brilliance, making him a hero in most people's eyes. Third, in fighting against Rome: Spartacus sought to liberate all Roman slaves and thus commanded respect as an early human rights advocate. Before his final battle with the Romans, Spartacus was sent an offer by a Roman general: if Spartacus would stop fighting, he would be made a Roman senator, a member of Rome's powerful elite: and his men would be freed. However, Spartacus rejected this offer because it would have left the institution of slavery in place. Summarise the points made in the lecture,being sure to explain how they cast doubt on specific points made in the reading passage.
听力文本 Now listen to part of a lecture on the topic you just read about. Professor: Spartacus was a real person who escaped from slavery and fought against the Romans. However, many stories that are told about the life of Spartacus are not historically accurate. The information in the reading relies on those inaccurate stories.
First, returning to their homes overseas was not the only goal of Spartacus and his men. You see, those first battles in which Spartacus’s army defeated the Roman army cleared a route by which Spartacus and his men could have escaped the Roman territory, but they didn’t take that opportunity. Instead, Spartacus’s men started marching towards the city of Rome. They probably wanted to conquer the city and take as many valuables from the Romans as they could. So Spartacus was not fighting just to get home. He was interested in revenge and wealth. And those are less admirable goals. Second, although Spartacus did win a few battles, he was not necessarily a military genius. What really happened was: The Romans didn’t take Spartacus and his army very seriously at first, so they initially sent only poorly trained and ill-equipped army units to put down the revolt. It was these weak units that Spartacus defeated. When the Roman army sent their best soldiers, Spartacus was quickly defeated, suggesting that Spartacus wasn’t a brilliant military leader. Third, the story that Spartacus wanted to liberate all Roman slaves is not backed by historical evidence either, so where did the story come from? Well, we know exactly who created this story and why. It happened in 18th century Europe. 18th century Europeans widely practiced slavery themselves, but there was also an anti-slavery movement. Thinkers and writers who were strongly opposed to slavery. People in the anti-slavery movement wanted to have an inspirational hero from ancient times, and they thought Spartacus could be that hero. And so an 18th-century playwright wrote a play in which Spartacus fought to liberate all slaves, but it was just an inspirational story in a play, not the historical truth.
独立写作 Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Providing Internet access is just as important as other services, such as building roads, so governments should offer Internet access to all of their citizens at no cost. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
TPO 59 综合写作 阅读材料 The Plain of Jars is an archaeological site in the Southeast Asian country of Laos. At the site, hundreds of large stone jars, ranging in size from one to three meters, are scattered across the countryside These numerous large containers are around 2,000 years old. The original purpose of the jars is unknown, but archaeologists have several theories. First； the jars may have been used for fermentation. In fermentation, food or drink is left in a sealed container in order to undergo a chemical change According to some local residents, the jars were originally constructed by a king in order to ferment a special beverage to celebrate a great victory It would be possible to use the jars for fermentation, so the local people's story could be true. Second, the jars may have been used for water storage. Laos experiences rainy and dry seasons, and finding water during the dry seasons can be difficult. The Plain of Jars is located near ancient trade routes, where traveling traders may have needed drinking water. The jars could have been constructed to collect water during the rainy season so that traders passing through the area would have a source of drinking water during the dry seas on. Third, it is possible that the Plain of Jars was an ancient burial site, and the jars were tombs (places where human remains are deposited). Much of the contents of the ancient jars is now gone, but they are large enough to hold human remains. Furthermore, artifacts such as metal tools, jewelry, and glass beads have been found in some of the jars. Burying the dead alongside valuable artifacts was a common practice in ancient cultures. Ancient people may have buried their dead in the jars along with the artifacts Summarize the points made in the lecture, being sure to explain how they cast doubt on the specific theories mentioned in the reading passage
听力文本 Professor: Now listen to part of a lecture on the topic you just read about. Despite what you just read the Plain of Jars is actually quite mysterious. The purpose of the jars is still uncertain. First, the fermentation theory is probably not true. In Laos, pots that are traditionally used to ferment drinks are made of clay. You could use stone jars for fermentation too, but frankly, creating stone jars is difficult. Creating stone containers is much time-consuming and expensive than making containers from clay. Why would ancient people have expended all this effort on creating stone jars for fermentation when clay pots were easier to make and could have served the same purpose just as effectively? Second, it’s unlikely that the jars were created for the purpose of storing water for travelers. Although the jars were located near ancient trade routes, these routes were also close to rivers and streams. People who were travelling near a river probably had no need for an additional source of fresh water, so it’s unlikely that the jars would have been used for this purpose. Third, the large size of the jars and the presence of tools, beads, and jewelry in some jars suggests that the jars may have been used as tombs for burying human remains. But there is one serious problem with this theory. Tombs are usually covered in order to protect the human remains and artifacts that are buried alongside them from the weather, from thieves, and so on. But the stone jars found in the Plain of Jars do not have any covers. No one has found any type of cover either on the jars themselves or nearby. Without covers to protect the human remains, it’s unlikely that the jars were used as tombs.
独立写作 In many places, students must arrive very early in the morning to attend school. Some people believe that starting the school day early is the best approach to support learning, but others believe that starting the school day at a later time in the morning would be better for students. Which view do you agree with and why?Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
TPO 60 综合写作 阅读材料 Although the sale of rhinoceros horns is illegal worldwide, rhinoceroses (Rhinos) are commonly poached (hunted illegally) for their horns, which can be sold for tens of thousands of dollars per kilogram. Rhino horns are so valuable that one type of rhino is already extinct because poachers killed too many of them. All rhinos may soon become extinct unless something is done to help save them. Several ideas have been suggested The first idea is for wildlife experts to “dehorn" Rhinos living in the wild. Dehorning means removing the horns of living rhinos to make them less attractive to poachers Horns can be removed without hurting the animals if medical equipment and drugs to calm the animals are used When this strategy was tried on a small scale in the early 1990s; none of the rhinos dehorned at the time were killed by poachers. The second possibility is to educate consumers. The majority of rhino horn sold is used in medicines Although rhino horn is believed to have health benefits, this belief has no scientific foundation Rhino horn consists almost entirely of keratin, the same material found in human hair and nails. Keratin has no known health value. Educating consumers about keratin could greatly decrease the demand for rhino horn The third possibility is to legalize government sales of rhino horn. Some governments have large amounts of horn, taken from poachers they have arrested This horn is often kept in storage. However, if government sales were legal, large quantities of horn that governments already have could be sold at very low prices Poachers kill rhinos because consumers pay high prices for their horns If governments started selling cheap rhino horn, rhino poaching would no longer be profitable and would probably stop, at least for a while. That might help endangered rhino populations to recover. Summarize the points made in the lecture, being sure to explain how they cast doubt on the specific theories mentioned in the reading passage
听力文本 Now listen to part of a lecture on the topic you just read about. Professor: Some things certainly must be done to save the Rhinoceros from extinction. However, the solutions proposed in the reading have significant weaknesses. First, the idea of de-horning Rhinos is neither practical nor good for Rhinos’ survival. To de-horn Rhinos, you have to find them in the wild, prepare them for surgery, and then remove their horns. But even if we had the time and money to do all this, we would likely be reducing Rhinos’ chances for survival. Rhinos have horns for good reasons. They use them to dig for water, to break branches when looking for food, to guide and protect their young, and to protect their territory. So while de-horned Rhinos maybe unattractive to poachers, they are also really disadvantaged in the wild. Second, educating consumers is unlikely to be effective. Many people have strong cultural beliefs about the healing powers, the health benefits, of Rhino horn. These beliefs are very ancient. They go back thousands of years. Educating consumers works best when the consumers don’t already have strong ideas about something. But when consumers have very old and very strong beliefs, new scientific evidence is unlikely to easily change their minds. Third, the effect of government selling Rhino horn legally could actually be unpredictable. Currently, many people who want Rhino horn may not buy it because it’s illegal. But if government starts selling Rhino horn, buying Rhino horn will become acceptable. And many more people might start buying it. In other words, the demand for Rhino horn might grow dramatically, creating a much larger market for the horn. The laws of economics suggest that the larger demand would increase prices, and the high prices would in turn attract poachers, so poaching might not stop. Instead, poachers might continue killing Rhinos and sell their horn because the government sales might create a large and lucrative market.
独立写作 Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? It is better to live in one town or city all your life than to move from one place to another. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
TPO 61 综合写作 阅读材料 The golden frog is a small bright-yellow amphibian that lives in and around mountain streams in Panama The species is severely endangered because of a fungus that infects the frog through its skin and inhibits the frog's critical life functions, such as breathing. Conservationists have proposed a few solutions to the golden frog's fungus problem. Bacterial Protection First, scientists have identified a natural enemy of the fungus: a type of bacterium. This bacterium produces a chemical that kills fungal cells. Scientists think that they may be able to introduce colonies of this bacterium to the skin of golden frogs. The bacterial colonies would then protect the frogs against the fungus infection Breeding Frogs in Captivity Second, researchers are considering the possibility of breeding golden frogs in captivity and then releasing them in the wild to replenish wild populations The golden frog can develop disease-free in captivity; where it is isolated from the fungus When golden frogs bred in captivity are released in habitats where wild golden frogs have died out, the frogs bred in captivity will give rise to a healthy, fungus-free population. A Natural Defense Third, it is possible that golden frogs w 川 overcome the threat posed by the fungus without human intervention. Some golden frogs have what seems to be a natural defense against the fungus. When infected, they increase their body temperature, which slows down the growth of the fungus If this ability to resist the fungal infection spreads among the golden frog population as a whole, the frog population is likely to overcome the crisis and start increasing again. Summarize the points made in the lecture, being sure to explain how they cast doubt on the specific theories mentioned in the reading passage.
听力文本 Listen to part of a lecture on the topic you just read about. Professor: Unfortunately, none of the solutions you read about will be very effective in helping to save golden frog populations. First, using the protective bacterium will probably not work. Scientists introduced this bacterium to the skin of golden frogs. The bacterium did have a positive effect, but it did not last very long. The protection against the fungus was only temporary. You see, the bacterium produces a chemical that attacks the fungus. Unfortunately, the bacterium only produces this chemical early in its colonization of the frog skin. After this brief period, the bacteria stop producing the chemical and therefore stop protecting the golden frogs from the fungi infection. Second, if we release healthy golden frogs bred in captivity to an area where the wild golden frogs have died out, this new frog population is not going to stay healthy. That’s because some other animals living in that environment carry the same disease-causing fungus. So if we release golden frogs raised in captivity into that environment, they will soon get infected by the fungus, as they come into contact with the wild animals there that are already infected. So this plan probably won’t work either. Third, what about the frogs that defend themselves against the fungus by heating up their bodies? Well, this type of natural defense seems to have a big drawback. Frogs that heat up their bodies have to use up a lot of energy. The expenditure of so much extra energy weakens the frogs, and frogs that are weak can easily get ill or even die from other causes. So frogs that use this defense might be protected from the fungus but they are not strong and healthy. It’s unlikely that using this defense will help the golden frog population to recover.
独立写作 Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Providing Internet access is just as important as other services, such as building roads, so governments should offer Internet access to all of their citizens at no cost. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
TPO 62 综合写作 阅读材料 Throughout the world's oceans, hard structures such as natural reefs provide ideal marine habitats Reefs provide hard surfaces to which plants, coral and sponges can attach: and thereby provide food and shelter for many types of fish. Recently, workers in the fishing industry have tried to increase the amount of suitable habitat for fish by constructing artificial reefs from old metal objects and industrial materials and placing them in coastal waters. Artificial reefs have several benefits. Artificial reefs can also improve the economic competitiveness of small-scale fishers This is possible because small-scale fishers are able to create their own private artificial reefs in secret locations only they know. Currently, small-scale fishers struggle to compete with larger corporations because fishing grounds are limited in number and most are known to everyone. Creating fishing areas known only to the fishers who make them will help independent fishers support themselves and their local communities. Next, some asteroids are rich in valuable elements and precious metals that are relatively rare on Earth, such as gold and platinum. An asteroid colony would be extremely profitable and a good source of these raw materials. The colonists or businesses sponsoring them could more than pay for the cost of their support by mining minerals and sending them back to Earth. Finally, artificial reefs are a good way to recycle materials no longer needed for other purposes. Artificial reefs can be made from old cars and other objects that are otherwise difficult to dispose of Once these materials have been cleaned to ensure that no harmful chemicals remain, they can be placed in the ocean to serve as reefs for marine life Artificial reefs thus provide a relatively inexpensive, environmentally friendly way to reuse materials. Summarize the points made in the lecture, being sure to explain how they cast doubt on the specific theories mentioned in the reading passage.
听力文本 Now listen to part of a lecture on the topic you just read about. Professor: Many scientists believe that artificial reefs are likely to create more problems than benefits.First, the fact that more fish are reported as being caught near artificial reefs doesn’t necessarily mean that overall populations of fish have grown larger. Remember how reefs work. Reefs attract fish to them, right? This means that fish that once lived in more distant locations have moved to and stay near these reefs. So the higher catch numbers may simply mean that the reefs have attracted a lot of fish that once lived somewhere else. In fact, by attracting a lot of fish to a single location, artificial reefs may cause a decrease in fish populations because they help fishers to catch so many fish that the fish cannot maintain their populations. Second, it’s a bad idea to allow small-scale fishers to create artificial reefs in secret locations and not tell other people where they are. Not knowing where the reefs are can cause all kinds of safety problems. For example, Other fishers who use large nets to catch fish could get their nets caught on reefs and destroyed as a result. In shallow waters, boats might even crash into secret reefs. Now, the only way artificial reefs could be made safe is to make their locations known. But when reef locations are public, small-scale fishers have no competitive advantage in using those reefs. Finally, artificial reefs could cause serious environmental damage. Even when harmful chemicals have been removed from them. This happened to the Osborne Reef. The Osborne Reef was an artificial reef made of used car tires. The tires were bound together, but when a storm came, parts of this artificial reef came loose and started crashing into the surrounding seafloor. The loose parts of the Osborne Reef propelled by the force of the storm caused a lot of environmental damage, harming many marine plants and animals living on the seafloor.
独立写作 Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? After completing high school, students should take at least a year off to work or travel before they begin studying at a university. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
TPO 63 综合写作 阅读材料 Native to Europe and Asia, cheatgrass is an invasive species of grass that is causing problems in North American fields. The plant quickly dominates fields that it has invaded and drives out other plants. This can cause, among other problems, severe damage to animal habitats and to scenic areas. Several solutions to the cheatgrass problem have been proposed by ecologists. One option is to encourage animals such as cattle to feed on cheatgrass. Cattle and other livestock are known as grazers because they graze, or eat. small portions of grass or other plants throughout the day. If grazers were released in fields where cheatgrass is prevalent, the cheatgrass would be reduced That would create room for native species to reestablish themselves and flourish. This plan is appealing because cheatgrass is most prevalent in areas of North America where cattle and other livestock are raised. Another option is to burn the cheatgrass off the fields with controlled fires. This plan has the advantage of eliminating vast amounts of cheatgrass in a short time Cheatgrass, it turns out? is a highly flammable plant: it burns much more easily than the native plant species that have been crowded out. Strategically set fires could bum away the cheatgrass where it has come to dominate, creating space so the newly cleared fields could be reseeded with native grasses and other plants. Still another option is to introduce a fungal parasite that specifically attacks cheatgrass. In Europe and Asia, where cheatgrass is a native species, there is a species of fungus that has the ability to prevent cheatgrass from reproducing. Introducing this fungus in North American fields where cheatgrass has proliferated could slow the spread of cheatgrass, making it possible for native species to better compete against cheatgrass. Summarize the points made in the lecture, being sure to explain how they cast doubt on the specific methods proposed in the reading passage.
听力文本 Now listen to part of a lecture on the topic you just read about. Professor: The methods mentioned in the reading are not likely to work very well in controlling cheat grass.Here’s why. First, cheat grass is not a plant that grazers prefer. This means that if grazers are released in a field that has a lot of cheat grass, but that also has other kinds of plants, the grazers will eat the other kinds of plants first. The grazers might eat some of the cheat grass, but only after the native grasses and plants, the grasses and plants that we are trying to protect, have been destroyed. So releasing grazing animals into fields with cheat grass with probably have the opposite effect of the one intended. There will be fewer native grasses, but plenty of cheat grass still around. Second, fire will destroy cheat grass plants on the surface, but that doesn’t mean cheat grass won’t quickly come back. Cheat grass produces many many seeds. The seeds can germinate even a few years after falling to the ground. Many seeds get pushed down into the soil below the surface. If the seeds are below the surface, Fire cannot harm them. So after the fire has burned away cheat grass plants and seeds on the surface of a field, the seeds that are buried in the soil below the surface sprout and give rise to new plants, and the field is soon again filled with cheat grass. Third, the fungi parasite. Here you have to understand that cheat grass and the fungi parasite have lived together in their native habitats for thousands of years. During this time, cheat grass plants have been able to develop some resistance against the fungus, so while the fungus has the ability to harm cheat grass, in reality it only harms cheat grass plants that are already weak or sickly. The healthy and strong cheat grass plants can usually resist the fungi infection. So introducing the fungi parasite into North America will probably not be efficient.
独立写作 Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Nowadays people are more willing to help people they don't know (for example, by giving clothing and food to people who need them) than they were in the past. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer Be sure to use your own words. Do not use memorized examples
TPO 64 综合写作 阅读材料 Broccoli is a vegetable that is popular throughout the United States, but it can be grown only in temperate climates with mild summers. Because of this limitation, 90 percent of the broccoli consumed in the United States is grown in the cooler regions of California, on the West Coast. It must be shipped 4:000 kilometers across the entire country to reach the populous East Coast. This situation may soon change, however: scientists are attempting to create a new type of broccoli that can be grown on the East Coast despite the hotter summers there. This project has several potential benefits. First, growing broccoli on the East Coast and distributing it to nearby grocery stores would lower broccoli costs for consumers Transporting the vegetable from California by truck takes several days, which makes transportation costs high. Growing broccoli locally would reduce transportation costs, so stores could sell broccoli for less money. Second，the new type of broccoli will probably be much more desirable to consumers than some other new crops. The new broccoli is being created using traditional breeding techniques: researchers are crossbreeding broccoli with other similar plants that have desirable characteristics, such as resistance to hot summers Other new crops—varieties of squash or maize, for example—were created using genetic modification technology. Genetically modified crops are very controversial: many consumers believe they are unsafe and so reject them. However, the new broccoli will not be in that category. Third, vegetables are healthiest to eat right after they are harvested because they retain most of their beneficial nutrients and vitamins. The Ion ger it takes for a vegetable like broccoli to reach consumers, the fewer nutrients and vitamins it contains. Broccoli that is grown locally can be eaten much sooner after it is cut, which will make this new broccoli healthier for East Coast residents than California broccoli. Summarize the points made in the lecture, being sure to explain how they cast doubt on the specific methods proposed in the reading passage.
听力文本 Now listen to part of a lecture on the topic you just read about. Professor: East coast broccoli might not actually be as successful or beneficial as its creators claim. First, it’s true that growing and selling crops locally saves money on transportation costs, but that will not necessarily make the new broccoli cheaper for consumers. Yes, the new breed of broccoli will be able to survive the hot summers on the east coast, but unfortunately it will also have lower yields than the broccoli grown on the west coast. This means that farmers on the east coast will harvest less broccoli per hectare, and so they’ll have to sell their produce at a higher price. This price increase will cancel out the savings on transportation, so the east coast consumers will probably not save any money buying the locally grown broccoli. Second, even though researchers are using traditional breeding techniques in creating the new broccoli, the public might still be suspicious. You see, financial support for this research comes from the same companies that created genetically modified crops in the past. Because those companies used genetic modification techniques with other crops, many American consumers distrust those companies and might distrust any project that those companies are involved in. This might lead the consumers to reject the new broccoli as well. Third, it’s true that fresh broccoli has the greatest amount of health-promoting nutrients and vitamins, but is that a good argument for creating a new breed of broccoli that can be grown on the east coast? Not necessarily. Other vegetables that are already grown on the east coast contain similar nutrients that broccoli contains. For example, kale, a leafy green vegetable, provides comparable health benefits. And kale is in some respects better. It’s grown on the east coast not only during the summer, but also during the fall and winter. Instead of wasting money and resources on creating new vegetables, we should educate people about eating fresh healthy vegetables that are already available locally.
独立写作 Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? It is more important to read or watch news presented by people whose views are different from your own than it is to read or watch news presented by those whose views are similar to your own. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
TPO 65 综合写作 阅读材料 Wild tuna, a species of large ocean fish, have decreased in number because of overfishing Recently, attempts have been made to farm tuna by feeding the fish in ocean cages until they become large enough for sale. However, tuna farming has faced several problems and criticisms. First, female tuna do not lay eggs in captivity, so tuna farmers must capture large quantities of young wild tuna to stock their farms, further reducing wild tuna populations. These young tuna are caged and fed until they are large enough to be sold. Since the captured females in tuna farms cannot lay eggs to replace the tuna that are sold, tuna farmers continue to catch young wild tuna to keep their farms going and so worsen the decline in wild tuna populations. Second, tuna raised on farms are very expensive because they depend on a costly, high-protein food derived from other fish. Tuna feed almost exclusively on small fish, which supply them with the proteins and nutrients they require. A single tuna can grow more than four meters long, weigh close to 700 kilograms, and eat 70 kilograms of food a day! It is unlikely that tuna farms can remain profitable while supplying so much expensive food for the tuna. Third tuna confined to ocean cages are likely to become infested with parasites, organisms that feed on and weaken the animal they attach to. Tuna farmers off the coast of southern Australia have had problems with infestations of blood flukes, a type of parasite that lives within the blood vessels and heart of infected fish. Parasite infestations weaken tuna, slow their growth, and can even cause death, usually by making them susceptible to other diseases. Tuna farms in southern Australia have had 10 percent of their tuna die before they could be sold. Summarize the points made in the lecture, being sure to explain how they cast doubt on the specific methods proposed in the reading passage.
听力文本 Now listen to part of a lecture on the topic you just read about. Professor: You read about some concerns that have been raised about farming tuna.However,researchers are finding promising solutions to these problems. First, it’s true that tuna farms need to be stocked with wild young, but this may soon no longer be the case, thanks to a breakthrough. Scientists found that they can get captive females to lay their eggs by injecting them with certain hormones. These injected hormones get the females to lay eggs reliably, without posing health risks to the tuna or to the consumers later on. With this advancement, tuna farming can be done without further reducing wild populations. Second, yes, tuna must eat a high-protein diet and they usually get protein from fish, but the protein that tuna need doesn’t have to come from fish. It can also be gotten from plants. Certain plants that are high in protein can be processed to make an inexpensive food for tuna. This food made from plants could supply captive tuna with all the protein and nutrients they need,and since the plant-derived food is inexpensive, the cost of tuna from tuna farms can be kept low. Third, parasites attack many ocean fish farms, but steps can be taken to treat infestations. For example, scientists studying a parasite problem in tuna farms in southern Australia discovered how to greatly reduce blood fluke infestations there. They found that when tuna cages were moved farther off-shore into deeper waters, far fewer tuna had blood flukes in their bodies. It turns out that blood flukes need to stay close to shore to do well. That’s because certain resources that blood flukes require for their life cycle are not available farther off-shore. Because the tuna cages were moved into deeper waters where the blood flukes cannot thrive, blood fluke infestations among the caged tuna were basically stopped.
独立写作 Nowadays many high schools and universities require students to work on projects in groups, and all members of the group receive the same grade (mark) on the project. Do you agree or disagree that giving every member of a group the same grade is a good way to evaluate students? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer Be sure to use your own words Do not use memorized examples.
TPO 66 综合写作 阅读材料 An airship is a type of aircraft that flies using a very large balloon filled with a lighter-than-air gas. Airships were an important means of air transportation before the 1940s but are little used today, having been largely replaced by airplanes and helicopters.However,some aeronautical engineers believe that airships could become popular again because they offer a number of advantages over airplanes and helicopters. One advantage of airships is that for vertical lift(the force that keeps the ship airborne),they use a balloon that floats rather than an engine.Airplanes and helicopters use engines for both vertical lift and horizontal movement,but airships use engines solely for horizontal movement.So,airships use less fuel than a typical aircraft-thus making their fuel costs more economical. Another advantage of airships is that they can be used in hard-to-reach locations.Unlike airplanes, airships do not require a long runway for takeoff and landing because of their ability to lift off and land vertically.The only other aircraft capable of ascending into the sky by going straight up and descending straight down to the ground is the helicopter,which can carry only a small amount of weight.Airships,meanwhile,are able to carry very heavy loads.As a result,airships could do jobs that neither airplanes nor helicopters can do,such as carrying heavy logs from forests to distribution centers. Finally,airships could even be used to replace satellites.Currently, satellites are launched into Earth's orbit carying all kinds of equipment important in telecommunications or in surveying large areas of Earth's surface for military purposes.Since airships can also rise high above the surface and stay there without refueling for a significant amount of time,they could provide services similar to those provided by satellites,and at a considerably cheaper cost. Summarize the points made in the lecture, being sure to explain how they cast doubt on the specific methods proposed in the reading passage.
听力文本 Now listen to part of a lecture on the topic you just read about. Despite what was stated in the reading, there are several reasons why airships are not likely to be widely used in the future. Yes, airships use less fuel, but don’t forget that airships also require special, lighter-than-air gases that give them lift. The two most efficient lifting gases are hydrogen and helium, and each has its own problems. Hydrogen catches fire easily, and this has led to many tragic airship accidents in the past. Helium is safer but it’s difficult to obtain, expensive, and it doesn’t provide as much lifting power as hydrogen, so finding a truly economical solution for the lifting gases, a solution that balances safety and cost, is not an easy matter. Second, using airships for picking up loads off the ground has its challenges. Imagine for a second an airship picking up tree logs in the forest. It has to slowly come down, pick the logs up and then safely rise again. Throughout this process, the airship has to be kept very steady so as to pick up the loads safely and not crash, but airships are large and light like balloons. It’s difficult to keep them steady, especially under windy conditions. A sudden gust of wind can easily blow the airship against the surrounding forest trees and seriously damage it. Finally, airships are not quite ready to replace satellites yet. You see, the types of airships currently in use can only rise to heights of about 14 kilometers above the surface. The problem is that at that height there are very strong winds. Airships have to spend a lot of their fuel to resist those winds and stay in one place, which they need to do to carry out communications or surveying functions. So the airships working at that height quickly use up the fuel and have to descend and refuel, so right now they cannot provide the kind of continuous, uninterrupted service satellites can.
独立写作 Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? People who develop many different skills are more successful than people who focus on one skill only. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
