Is Science an evil thing or a good thing? This has been an intensely discussed question for years. The following are the supporters’ and opponents’ opinions. Read carefully the opinions from both sides and write your response in NO LESS THAN 200 words, in which you should first summarize briefly the opinions from both sides and give your view on the issue. Marks will be awarded for content relevance, content sufficiency, organization, language quality. Failure to follow the above instructions may result in a loss of marks. YES Advances in technology have increased the destructive capacity of conflict by enabling killing to occur much more rapidly, as can be seen by the destruction of the First and Second World Wars with their unprecedented number of deaths. Besides, with the help of modern technology, Weapons of Mass Destruction have been developed, which has raised the threat of total global destruction. Science has produced the means for more suffering in an almost infinite capacity, which surely outweighs the benefits towards healing the sick. What’s more, the pursuit of industrialization and the use of modern technology require the generating of enormous amounts of energy. Such production creates severe damage to the environment via pollution. The damage to the environment also threatens to leave the earth uninhabitable, which would also harm humanity’s interests. NO Science is the discovery and use of knowledge. It is how we became the dominant species on earth, by using tools and techniques to improve our living standards and take control of our environment. Technological advances have enabled humans to become removed from the basic toil needed to survive and to consider other pursuits, so for example we no longer work all day every day as we are more productive. We are now able to pursue our desires or consider great questions. Science has created modern communication systems which allow individuals to communicate across the globe with friends and relatives. Communications also allow humanity to deal with wider problems collectively where this was previously impossible. One example is collective action to deal with natural disasters such as flooding or tsunamis. Aid is flown in from around the world and millions donate the necessary funds after seeing the suffering on their TV screens.

Many people today use electronic dictionaries instead of printed ones. Will printed dictionaries be replaced by electronic dictionaries? The following are the supporters’ and opponents’ opinions. Read carefully the opinions from both sides and write your response in NO LESS THAN 200 words, in which you should first summarize briefly the opinions from both sides and give your view on the issue. Marks will be awarded for content relevance, content sufficiency, organization, language quality. Failure to follow the above instructions may result in a loss of marks. YES In the past decades, the development of new technology promotes the increasing need of students and other customers, electronic dictionaries are becoming more and more popular. Electronic dictionaries are extremely portable and light, and numerous words and messages are stored in a small gadget less than 100 grams. If a paper dictionary contains the same messages, it will be much larger and heavier. Electronic dictionaries work very fast. When we want to check the words, we can type in the words, and then the words can be found in no more than three seconds, how convenient it is! Giving the advantages, electronic dictionaries will surely replace printed ones. NO In spite of the popularity of electronic dictionaries, many people still prefer the use of printed dictionaries. A printed dictionary usually costs less than ￥100, while an electronic one may cost ten times the price. For many students, who financially rely on their parents, can hardly afford an expensive electronic dictionary. Therefore, the printed ones are exactly what they need. Second, holding a thick, heavy dictionary brings the users the pleasure that can’t be replaced by using an electronic one, so they will like to keep using printed dictionaries.

Nowadays, digital products are used in many fields. What influences do you think it will bring to our work, study and life? Write a composition in NO LESS THAN 200 words on the following topic: The Digital Age You are to write in three parts. In the first part of your article, you should clearly present your view. In the second part, you should support your opinion with appropriate details. In the last part, you should bring what you have written to a natural conclusion or summary. Marks will be awarded for content relevance, content sufficiency, organization, language quality. Failure to follow the above instructions may result in a loss of marks.

Read carefully the following excerpt on social network and then write your response in NO LESS THAN 200 words, in which you should: - summarize the main message of the excerpt, and then - comment on people’s addiction to social network. You should support yourself with information from the excerpt. 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. Addicted to “likes“? How many times do you check your Moments or Facebook page in a day to see whether your latest post has got another “like“ or “thumbs up“? Although you might be embarrassed to admit how many times you do this, don’t worry—psychological findings have shown it’s completely normal. According to the findings of the UCLA Brain Mapping Center, which observed 32 teens aged between 13 and 18, the feedback circuit in the teens’ brains are particularly sensitive, and the “social“ and “visual“ parts of their brains were activated when they received “likes“ on an Instagram-like social network. The research also showed that though the thumbs up might come from complete strangers, the good they derive from it worked all the same. So, does it mean we should try our best to win as many thumbs up as possible? In fact, too much desire for attention can create anxiety, and in turn ruin your happiness even when you get it.

Many people believe that playing Internet games is very harmful, especially for children. But some young people don’t think so. Write a composition in NO LESS THAN 200 words on the following topic: My View on Playing Internet Games You are to write in three parts. In the first part, state clearly what your view is. In the second part, support your view with appropriate reasons. In the last part, bring what you have written to a natural conclusion or a summary. Marks will be awarded for content relevance, content sufficiency, organization, language quality. Failure to follow the above instructions may result in a loss of marks.