《英语写作》试题

2017年10月高等教育自学考试《英语写作》试题

课程代码：00603

I. Supplythe missing paragraph.

The following passage is incomplete with oneparagraph missing. Study the passage carefully and write the missing paragraphin about 100 words. Make sure that your tone and diction are in unity with thepassage provided.

My Love ofLiving a Frugal Lifestyle

For some reason, itseems that frugality is often associated with deprivation and being cheap. Inmy opinion, true frugality is anything but this. Frugality is about having moreexperiences. It's about living more on a little less. Ever since discoveringthe world of personal finance about fouryears ago, I've become totallyfascinated by the power of frugality.' It's a lifestyle I've learned toembrace. I love living a frugal lifestyle because my efforts have resulted inadditional benefits that go beyond the immediate impact of cash savings. It hasturned me into a more goal-oriented, resourceful and appreciative person.

Frugality leads me tofocus on my priorities. My commitment to being frugal started with identifyingmy motivation for embracing the lifestyle. Why am I willing to give up a shoppingtrip to the mall? What makes me unwilling to eat out for birthday celebrationsthese few years? Evidently, I need to place the top priority on paying off mystudent loans by next year! Frugality inspires me to constantly evaluate thechoices I'm making in order of importance.

One other reward isthat frugality has helped me to appreciate what I have, which has nothing to dowith money. When I choose to live with less, I begin to respect what I already have.I take better care of the things I own and this attitude extends toappreciating the beauty of life itself. I often experience this enhanced levelof thankfulness for the wonders of nature and the items I value, thanks to myfrugal mindset (思维方式). It sounds clich6, yet the more grateful Ifeel, the less I want.

To sum up, I takegreat pride in my present frugal living. Cutting back unnecessary purchases andthrowing away the non-value stuff makes room for what's really important. I'velearned to handle budget-related problems more resourcefully, repairing andreusing old items for a more sustainable, greener way of living. Spending lessbut appreciating what I have encourages me to live a richer life. In manycases, one doesn't need to spend money to be happy.

II. Writean outline.

Read the following passage carefully andcompose a "topic outline" for it.

When YouRefuse to Be a Victim

Sometimes life can bedownright nasty. People can wrong you, cheat you, betray you, and put you in asituation where you are victimized. If you fall a victim to an abuse or arumor, you may feel hopeless and helpless, or even desperate. It's unfortunate,but it happens. Complaints in cases like these certainly lead you nowhere. Yourown initiative does. It plays a decisive role if you want to take back controlof your life.

The easiest approachto the problem is asking whether you can remove yourself from the situation.For example, if you're betrayed in a relationship for whatever reason, can youput yourself out of harm's Way? On many occasions, we find ourselves helplesslyvictimized. It's time to change that. You could go stay with a friend, familymember, or get a hotel. Either way, refusing to leave the harmful situation isnot healthy.

If leaving is not thebest choice, what can you do? More often than not, you cannot force a person tochange, but you can greatly influence him. You can act as a catalyst. Forexample, if you live with a family member who has an abuse problem and tends tobe really mean to you, what can you do? You can start changing the situation bysetting boundaries. You can take your power back by letting that person knowwhat is unacceptable. You cannot change others it's up to them, but you caninfluence their behavior by changing how you interact with them.

When these approachesfail, accepting the situation and then changing your mindset should be appliedwhere you have been victimized. This is definitely a hard thing to do, but youcan do it. If a tragic wrong has been done, accept it, put it in the past andlive in the present. It may take time, but the greatest gift you have is thepresent. Changing your mindset means you will no longer assume the role of avictim. You will reclaim your power and voice--they are yours and should havenever been taken. Regardless of how you are victimized, you can change yourlife by changing your mindset, knowing that you have complete power over yourthoughts, actions and reactions.

You know what willhappen when you decide to stop playing the victim and take your life back? Alifetime is full of possibilities. You will have your personal power back. Yourcreative spark will glow to help solve problems where most other peoplewouldn't know what to do. By taking back your power and no longer playing thevictim, you will have more freedom, as you no longer depend on others. You willbecome the master of your own life. You set the pace and decide what road totake.

III.Compose an essay.

Some people argue thata college degree does not necessarily mean the holder has superior intellect orstronger capability. What is your opinion? Write a 300-word argumentative essaystating your views.

2018年4月高等教育自学考试《英语写作》试题

课程代码：00603

I. Supply the missing paragraph. (20 points)

   The followingpassage is incomplete with one paragraph missing. Study the passage carefullyand write the missing paragraph in about 100 words. Make sure that your toneand diction are in unity with the passage provided.

Happiness

     What makes a person happy? If people wantto be happy, should they seek money and professional success? Many experts aretrying to find out the obstacles to happiness and the ways to overcome them.The strategies they have offered are simple yet effective: to be true tooneself, avoid comparison with others financially, and welcome laws and rulesthat increase the general happiness of the population.

     One of the chief obstacles to happiness isbeing untrue to one's real desire. Researchers have found that people whofollow their authentic desires generally report being happier than those who donot. At its core, authenticity implies discovering and pursuing what peoplecare about most. Take Linda's choice of career as an example. She found herselfcaught in the middle between her own dream of being a navigator and followingher parents' advice of becoming a teacher. Her compromise to familyexpectations and social traditions has caused her lifelong regret. Therefore,people need to be true to themselves to increase the sense of personalhappiness.

Finally, people often benefit from some laws and social rules, which mayeven cost money, like paying taxes. People need to realize that some taxes canmake the public happier,because they improve the overall quality of life. Inone study of cigarette taxes, researchers conclude that "taxes may affectthe happiness of former smokers (by making it easier to resist the temptationto resume smoking) or would-be smokers (by making it easier to never start

smoking)." This example demonstrates how socialrules can lead to the general happiness of its population, even through theapparently negative practice of increased taxation. Taxes also contribute tothe funds available for other social purposes. This further proves the need fortaxation.

     These are merely three ways that scholars of happiness studies haverecommended to help enhance personal happiness. People should seek to live astheir authentic selves in their personal and professional lives. They shouldavoid social comparison and live within their means. Furthermore, they shouldwelcome any practice that increases the general happiness of the population.Everyone says they want to be happy, and happiness studies may help people

learn how to lead happier lives rather than to passivelyexpect happiness to find them.

II. Write an outline. (20 points)

   Read thefollowing passage carefully and compose a "sentence outline" for it.

Smart Ravens

    A flock of ravens ravaging a dead body maytechnically be called an unkindness. People hate them, but ravens are notterrifying. Do they have sharp, curved beaks (~) that they use to tear dead animalsto pieces? Yes. Are their calls close to a horrifying and mysterious laugh?Most definitely. But that doesn't make them evil. Rather, they are masterminds,good at making awesome plans for the future.

    The latest findings of ravens come from twoSwedish scientists who literally put ravens to test. Up until now, we know thatravens have some ability to plan ahead for their own food needs because theyhide food to dig up later. Then again, squirrels store food in the ground forlater and they're, well, not the smartest. They forget about 75 percent oftheir nuts, accidentally planting millions of trees in the process. And if"stupid" squirrels can be biologically programmed to store food forlater, maybe ravens aren't as smart as we thought. Except obviously they are.

    Ravens, as it tums out, will often chooseto give up a tasty nut now in favor of getting a better treat later. Faced witha piece of food and a tool that they know can open a box containing moredelicious food, they will generally choose the tool  even if they don't have the box yet. They'velearned that when researchers present them with the box in 15 minutes' time,they can use that tool to unlock their prize. That's great vision right there. Evensmall children often choose to eat one ice-cream immediately rather than wait afew minutes for more.

   This shouldn't come as such a shock. Ravens also steal from each otherby watching competitors hide food, noting the location, and returning later todig it up. And because they get stolen from, some ravens will actually pretendto hide food to mislead thieves. What's more, they can tell other ravens whereto find a juicy, rotting animal body and team up to scare off theircompetitors. That ability to communicate information about a distant locationis shared only by ants, bees and humans. Besides deceiving one another to keepa food source a secret, they can also take advantage of other animals. Forexample, they would call wolves over to a dead body that hasn't broken downenough yet so that the wolves can rip it apart, leaving more convenient scrapsfor the ravens to eat.

    If all thatdoesn't make you love and embrace our raven lords, nothing will. These birdsare geniuses in their own fight  so whatif their look is a little weird? Their intelligence isn't to be feared; it's tobe revered.

HI. Compose an essay. (60 points)

    Tourists are advised to follow the saying"When in Rome, do as the Romans do" while traveling abroad. What willyou do to become a welcome tourist if you go abroad? Write a 300-wordexpository essay expressing your opinion.

2018年10月高等教育自学考试《英语写作》试题

课程代码：00603

I. Supplythe missing paragraph.

The following passage is incomplete with one paragraphmissing. Study the passage carefully and write the missing paragraph in about100 words. Make sure that your tone and diction are in unity with the passageprovided.

TheBenefits of Solo Journeys

John Steinbeck once said, "People don't taketrips--trips take people." A solo trip, in particular, can have lastingbenefits. Generations of adventurers have set off on journeys of self-discovery-traveling alone to many breathtaking destinations. Some of the best travel memoirstell stories of solo travelers finding themselves on their own. Apart fromeasing tension to boost happiness, the solitude during the trip also helps tobuild new relationships, allow for flexible schedules and arouse worthyreflections.

Solo journeys can alleviate mild depression, therebybringing joy. Recent research has found that the expectation of an upcomingvacation boosts feelings of happiness for up to eight weeks before the trip.Another study on adolescents suggests that time spent in solitude can help toshake off depression in young people. Free from the distractions of daily life,the traveler can focus his full attention on absorbing the present moment withall the senses.

The solo traveler can be his own master of the day,because he does not have to adhere to anyone else's schedule. He can relax asmuch as he wants; he can rest and loosen up as long as he likes. He mightindulge in full days reading on the beach, take a leisurely hike, or sit on abench admiring a work of art--all on his own. "The experiences are mineand mine alone," said a solo traveler. "I've really learned to enjoyspending time with myself."

Traveling solo also offers a great chance for reflection.As one travel memoir writer stated, "There is a soul-searching power ineach adventure on your own." Getting to really know oneself is a wonderfulby-product of a solo journey. Traveling alone allows one to witness how hereacts to different situations. Those reflections can help him to gain a deeperunderstanding of who he is and what matters to him. He will have a strongersense of self and feel more self-assured.

Solo travel can afford the traveler the necessary timeand solitude for experiencing unexpected pleasures, building new relationships,enjoying the slow pace and the reflections of life. Aside from all theexcitement and adventure, it ultimately leads to self-discovery. The traveler,once hitting the road solo, will fall in love with it and the journey neverends.

II. Write an outline.

Read thefollowing passage carefully and compose a "Topic Outline" for it.

LivingTrash Free

Three years ago, I heard on the radio the tale of aBritish couple who lived trash-free. Walking home from my laboratory, I told myroommate that I could also do that and I'd start soon. "No," he said."If you care about this, you start today." Just like that, I began anexperiment of a trash-free life in the face of large environmental problems.

The average American produces about four pounds of trashper day, about 1,500 pounds per year. In my first year of living trash-free, Iproduced less than eight pounds of waste. In year two, I made it down to sixpounds  about 0.4 percent of the Americanaverage. That was an accomplishment of my experiment.

To get there, I needed to change the way I lived. Icollected my waste, such as concert tickets, packaging and glass, and didn'tthrow it away. I knew my experiment wouldn't make much difference, but I felt Ishould do it. Since unnecessary consumption existed everywhere, I had to getcreative. When a restaurant furnished a napkin-wrapped fork and knife, I asked thewaiter to give me a set without the napkin. I carded a fork, a spoon, a plateand a bowl wherever I went, just in case the food was served only with plasticto eat with. Sometimes it was awkward.

The hardest part was figuring out the best way to talkabout what I was doing. It is important to speak to people in a language theyunderstand from their background. Also, big issues such as trash and recyclingare tied to other big issues such as economic growth and climate change. So, asI wrote about the experiment on reducing trash, I had to discuss economy,peace, poverty, and so on. It was much harder to explain all that than simplyannouncing myself as a vegetarian, for instance.

Sometimes I failed, as some people didn't see the need ofmy experiment. More often, though, people gave me their support. The experimentinspired others to do similar experiments on their own. A couple of friends inAnn Arbor are doing it for a year. Their efforts have paid off. Ann Arbor hasbecome one of the most environmentally conscious cities in America. When Ivisit that city now, I can get nearly all of my food unpackaged. There areseveral great secondhand stores I can go to, if I really need something. I canget shoes and tools that don't come in paper or plastic boxes.

Humans have caused terrible problems: The polar ice capsare melting, and the oceans are full of trash. My project did not reshape thosetrends. But my views on consumption and social change had an impact. Myexperiment of trash-free life allowed me to answer the question of how we standup in the face of large environmental problems. I am convinced each individualcan help to create examples and communities of change.

III. Compose an essay. (60 points)

Some people think that online shops will eventuallyreplace entity shops (offline shops). What is your opinion? Write a 300-wordargumentative essay stating your views.

2019年4月高等教育自学考试《英语写作》试题

课程代码：00603

I.Supply the missing paragraph. (20 points)

Thefollowing passage is incomplete with one paragraph missing. Study the passage carefullyand write the missing paragraph in about 100 words. Make sure that your toneand diction are in unity with the passage provided.

WhyWe Love Holiday Rituals and Traditions

The merethought of holiday traditions brings smiles to most people's faces and elicits feelingsof sweet anticipation and nostalgia. Holiday rituals are bursting with sensory pageantry.The fireworks or flowers signal to all of our senses that this is no common occasion.Such a sensory feast helps create lasting recollections of those occasions andmarks them in our memory as special events worth cherishing. Indeed, there areplenty of reasons to value family rituals. They can help us take a respite fromthe daily grind, enjoyfestive meals and connect with our loved ones.

Everydaylife is stressful and full of uncertainty. Having a special time of the yearwhen we know exactly what to do and how to do it provides a comfortable senseof structure, control and stability. Holiday traditions comprise rituais. Thestructured and repetitive actions in such rituals can act as a buffer againstanxiety by making our world more predictable. For this reason, more peopletravel during the year-end holidays. Gathering together from remote locationshelps people leave their worries behind, and at the same time lets themreconnect with time-honored family traditions.

The mostimportant function of holiday rituals is their role in maintaining and strengtheningfamily ties. In fact, for relatives who live far apart, holiday rituals may bethe glue that holds the family together. Rituals are a powerful marker ofidentity and group membership. Taking part in collective rituals createsfeelings of belonging and increased generosity toward other members of thegroup. It's no surprise, then, that spending the holidays with the in-laws forthe first time is often regarded as a rite of passage a sign of true familymembership.

Holidayrituals strengthen family harmony. Sure, we might need to take three flights toget there. And our uncle might get drunk and start an argument with his son-in-lawagain. But when we evaluate past experiences, we tend to remember the bestmoments and the last moments. In other words, our memory of the family holidaywill mostly consist of all the joyful rituals, the good food, and the warmgoodbye hugs (after our uncle made up with his son-in-law). After getting backhome, we'll have something to look forward to for next year.

II.Write an outline. (20 points)

Read thefollowing passage carefully and compose a "Topic Outline" for it.

Howto Make Friends

What arefriends for? This isn't a rhetorical question, but of essential concern for everybody.We might find friends extremely valuable in difficult situations. The truth isthat friendship is always one of life's most important features, and one toooften taken for granted. As a matter of fact, making friends requires time andeffort, sometimes involving strategy.

The humandesire for companionship may be boundless, but research suggests that our socialcapital is finite--we can handle only so many relationships at one time. Socialscientists have used a number of ingenious approaches to gauge the size ofpeople's social networks; these have returned estimates ranging from about 250to about 5,500 people, though a Stanford thesis focusing exclusively on FranklinD. Roosevelt, a friendly guy with an especially social job, suggested that hemight have had as many as 22,500 acquaintances. Looking more specifically atfriendship, a study using the exchange of Christmas cards as an indicator forcloseness put the average person's friend group at about 121 people.

However vastour networks may be, our inner circle tends to be much smaller. The averageAmerican trusts only 10 to 20 people. Moreover, that number may be shrinking:From 1985 to 2004, the average number of bosom friends that people reporteddecreased from three to two. This is both sad and consequential, because peoplewho have strong social relationships tend to live longer than those who don't.

So whatshould you do if your social life is lacking? Here, research findings can be instructive.

Generallyspeaking, people tend to dismiss the humble acquaintance. However, building deeperfriendship from acquaintance may be largely a matter of putting in time. Arecent study found that it takes about 50 hours of socializing to go from anacquaintance to a casual friend, an additional 40 hours to become a"real" friend, and a total of 200 hours to become a close friend.

If thatsounds like too much effort, reviving dormant social ties can be especially rewarding.Reconnected friends can quickly recapture much of the trust they previouslybuilt, while offering each other a dash of novelty drawn from whatever they'vebeen up to in the meantime.

And if bothfail, you could start randomly confiding in people you don't know that well inhopes of letting the tail wag the relational dog. Sharing personal storiesmakes us more likable, and as a bonus, we are more inclined to like those towhom we have bared our soul.

The academicliterature is clear: Longing for closeness and connection is pervasive, whichsuggests that most of us are stumbling through the world yearning forcompanionship that could be easily provided by the lonesome people all aroundus. So set aside this article, mm to someone nearby, and try to make a friend.

III.Compose an essay. (60 points)

Many peopleenvy others' possessions or status instead of cherishing their own, as describedin the saying "The grass is always greener on the other side." Whatdo you think of it? Write a 300-word expository essay to express your opinionin this respect.

2019年10月高等教育自学考试《英语写作》试题

课程代码：00603

I.Supply the missing paragraph. (20 points)

The following passage is incomplete with one paragraphmissing. Study the passage

carefully and write the missing paragraph in about 100words. Make sure that your tone

and diction are in unity with the passage provided.

Smartphone Mania

Did yourfather's old car just blow two rear tires on a rural dirt road? Don't worry,pick up your smartphone and open a car service app. Whether you are stuck in ahorrendous traffic jam or relaxing in a romantic restaurant, the smartphone,one of the world's latest high-tech gadgets, may be either the answer to yourprayers or a major thom in your flesh. Like it or not, the smartphone isindispensable in your life. While this technological device positively affects societyby providing instant communication, it also dehumanizes (使丧失性情)relationships and threatens an individual's right to privacy.

Thesmartphone's positive effect on society stems from its ability to provideinstant communication. The device is invaluable to car owners. Nothing makes amotorist with a defective engine happier than opening an app on his smartphoneand receiving a message, "The tow truck should arrive in tenminutes." Besides, smartphones help keep friends and family members intouch. For example, a minute before midnight, the parents of a 16-year-old canvideo call their son and gently shriek, "Get home now, or you will begrounded for the next six months." In short, the smartphone's ability toallow anyone to be reached at any time is a great comfort.

Ironically,the technological device that binds society together also threatens to destroyit through the process of dehumanization. Just stride down the main street inthe city and in less than five minutes you will observe a hundred passers-byignoring each other as they mindlessly browse their Wechat moments. Literally,smartphones are replacing living, breathing human beings. Some phone owners,for example, can be heard whispering sweet nothings, such as "Where areyou, darling?" to their beloved smartphones. The smartphone, along withother technological advancements, removes the "human" element fromsociety.

So, yourboyfriend tried to pop the big question but you couldn't hear him, because anotherdiner's smartphone conversation drowned out his soft, romantic words. Then, whydid you kiss your phone yesterday after searching the map online when you werehopelessly lost in the center of the city? Even though smartphones, the greatcommunicators, dehumanize relationships and threaten our privacy, they are toodeeply embedded in today's society to become obsolete.

II.Write an outline. (20 points)

Read the following passage carefully and compose a"Topic Outline" for it.

Knowledge About Different Cultures Is Shaking theFoundations of Psychology

Psychologywas developed largely in North America and Europe. Some would argue it's beenremarkably successful in understanding what drives human behavior and mental processes,which have long been thought to be universal. But in recent decades, some researchershave started questioning this approach, arguing that many psychological phenomenaare shaped by the culture we live in.

Considerwhich two of these objects go together: a panda, a monkey and a banana. Respondentsfrom Western countries routinely select the two animals. This indicates an analyticthinking style, in which objects are largely perceived independently from theircontext. In contrast, participants from Eastern countries often select themonkey and the banana, because they share a relationship (monkeys eat bananas).This is a holistic thinking style, in which object and context are perceived tobe correlated.

In a classicdemonstration of cultural differences in thinking styles, participants from Japanand the USA were presented with a series of animated scenes. Lasting about 20seconds, each scene showed various creatures, vegetation and rocks in anunderwater setting. In a subsequent recall task, both groups were equallylikely to remember the larger fish. But the Japanese participants were betterat recalling background information, such as the color of the water. This isbecause holistic thinking focuses on background and context just as much as foreground.

The wayWesterners describe themselves seems to be culturally bound. They tend to viewthemselves as free, autonomous and unique individuals, possessing a set offixed characteristics. This feature regarding self-knowledge has even beendemonstrated at the brain level. In a brain-scanning study, Americanparticipants were shown different adjectives. They were asked how well theseadjectives represented themselves and how well these adjectives representedtheir mother. The study showed there was a clear difference in brain responses betweenthinking about the self and the mother.

However, inmany other parts of the world, people describe themselves primarily as a partof different social relationships and strongly connected with others. This ismore prevalent in Asia, Africa and Latin America. The brain-scanning study withChinese participants showed little or no difference between the self and themother, suggesting that the self-presentation shared a large overlap with thepresentation of the close relative.

Clearly, theway we define ourselves is linked to differences in social relationships, motivationand upbringing. Culture has a massive effect on how we view ourselves and how weare perceived by others. The field, now known as "cross-cultural psychology",is increasingly being taught at universities across the world. With moreresearch, we may well find that cultural differences pervade into even moreareas where human behavior was previously thought of as universal. But only byknowing about these effects will we ever be able to identify the corefoundations of the human mind that we all share.

III.Compose an essay. (60 points)

Are yousometimes bothered by peer pressure, the strong feeling that you must follow thefootsteps of other people of your age? What are the advantages or disadvantagesof peer pressure? Write a 300-word expository essay to get across your idea.