Some people believe that greed and selfishness has become the basis of modern society, and we should return to the old traditions of family and community, then we will have a better life. To what extent do you agree or disagree with the above opinion?
In this fast-paced world, many values are undergoing major changes. While people traditionally prioritize caring, sharing and generosity in life and work, modern people seem to be more self-absorbed and self-concerned.
Modern people act selfishly to survive the harsh competition of life. They say that it is a jungle out there. To survive, you have to fight with whatever means that come handy. Obviously greed and selfishness go perfectly well with such ideas. In a company, employees do everything they can to get better pay and higher position, even at the cost of colleagues. We are in any way advocating（拥护）any selfish conduct. It is just that people are pressured to behave in a different way due to outside influences.
Are we happier to share with others and be generous to them? There is no fixed answer, either. Some people take great pleasure helping and giving to others while others feel happy doing the opposite. But I personally think that people should not be too selfish. Caring for others can actually encourage the development of a friendly relationship.
In conclusion, modern people appear to be more self-centered than those in the past due to strong outside pressure. However, we should encourage people to know the importance of being caring and generous and to build a friendly relationship with others.
Are modern people becoming more selfish?
| Main comparisons |
Contexts |
| In the past people put caring, sharing and generosity in the first |
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| Nowadays, people seem to be more |
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| People in the past appeared to be modest and self-effacing(谦让的). |
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| People may strive to achieve their own |
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| The author’s understanding |
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| Fierce |
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| The author’s |
A |
In the days when an ice cream cost much less, Tom, ___ __8-year-old boy, entered a hotel coffee shop __
sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him. “How much is an ice cream?” “Fifty-cents,” replied the waitress. The little boy pulled __
_ right hand out of the pocket and studied a number of
in it. “How much is a dish of plain ice cream?” he asked. Some people were now waiting for her service and the waitress grew a bit __
_ (patience). “Thirty-five cents.” she said __
_ (rude). The little boy carefully counted the coins __
___.“I will have a plain ice cream,” he said. The waitress walked _
__ __. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left. It was not long
__ the waitress came back and then she began to wipe down the table and suddenly was surprised at what she saw. There, _
__ (place) neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies — her tip!
Paul Lucas can often be seen walking around the city of San Francisco. Sometimes people are surprised to see him walking any shoes or socks,
Lucas doesn’t mind at all.
likes to walk barefoot, and so do 640 other members of Dirty Sole Society, the club that Lucas
(start) years ago. Lucas’ idea for this is to encourage others to live
(free) --- free of shoes.
According to Lucas, the barefoot life has many advantages. most important is simply that it feels good. He also says
walking barefoot allows you to experience the world directly by touching it with your feet.
addition, the feet do not smell so much because they stay dry,
(make) it hard for bacteria to grow. And, of course, walking barefoot keeps your feet in good shape, so it’s actually
(healthy) than wearing shoes.
请认真阅读下列短文,并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格填入最恰当的单词。
注意：每空格一个单词。
Eat more, Play more—Weight Less
In the United States, 20 to 40 percent of the adult population have a “weight problem”. To many people, the cause seems obvious: we eat too much. But scientific evidence does little to support this idea.
Several modern studies have shown that fatter people do not eat more on average than thinner people and that slim people are more active than fat people.
I believe that this shows overweight people can become relatively slim gradually via a progressive program of regular exercise. The key is regular, enjoyable activity.
Use of energy(calories) by the body falls into two categories. The first is energy used for essential bodily functions—digestion, heart beat, breathing—and BMR(新陈代谢). In an average-sized adult, BMR requires about 1400 calories per day.
The second category is energy used for physical activity—standing, walking and all other movements. Together with the BMR, it makes up total calorie use, which should be balanced by food intake for weight to remain stable.
For years now, we have known that dieting—especially severe dieting(400 calories per day, for instance)—decreases BMR. This is the body's defense system to keep energy when food supply is reduced. Unfortunately, it tends to weaken the diet's effects by enabling the body to “get by” on fewer calories. For this reason, I believe that severe dieting is not a good way to lose weight, and all dieting should be seen as a temporary measure.
In addition to helping weight loss and continued weight control, regular exercise has many other features to recommend it. While weight loss by dieting alone results in some loss of muscle as well as fat, weight loss by exercise and moderate dieting leads to an increased proportion（均衡）of muscle mass. The regular exerciser has good heart function too.
Regular exercise helps to raise blood levels of high－density lipoprotein(HDL) and increased exercise leads to increased food intake and thus to increased intake of critical nutrients (营养).
The benefits of eating more because of an increase in physical activity are not widely appreciated. Many people in this country, by actual measurement, have remarkably low calorie intake. Often the amount is so low (1 200 to 1 800 calories a day) that nutritionists worry about the adequacy(足够的)of their vitamin and mineral intake. And too little food, with inadequate fiber content, leads in the old population to chronic constipation(长期便秘)．
To sum up, most Americans still get too little regular exercise, and it is within this group that almost all obesity is found. Severe dieting should not be used as it is unpleasant and tends to be self-defeating. Moderate dieting combined with regular exercise is much more effective and enjoyable. The choice is yours: life on the sofa, nibbling celery or the active, healthy-eating, healthful way.
| Title |
Eat more, Play more—Weight Less |
| Causes of weight problems |
●It's commonly believed that adults' weight problems are due to ●Studies show that fat people eat less and are |
| ●Energy used for essential bodily functions, BMR, and ●Food intake offers |
|
| Ways of weight loss |
●Dieting alone—a temporary measure ●Tending to weaken the diet's effects ● ●Exercising ●Having good heart function ●Helping to raise blood levels of HDL ●Attaining critical nutrients |
| ●Doing little exercise has much to do with obesity. ●Severe dieting should be ●Moderate dieting as well as regular exercise is much more effective and enjoyable. |
In ancient times, the most important examination was spoken, not written. In the schools of ancient Greece and Rome, testing usually consisted saying poetry aloud or giving speeches.
Generally, however, modern examinations are written. The written examination, where all students are tested on the same questions, was probably not known _________ the nineteenth century. Perhaps it came into
(exist) with the great increase in population and the development of modern industry.
Two types of tests are (common) used in modern schools. The first type is sometimes called an “objective” test. It
___________ (intend) to deal with facts, not personal opinions. On objective tests, the student has just one task: he must recognize the correct answer and then he must copy its letter or number onto his examination paper. Sometimes there is
answer sheet on which the four letters or numbers are printed. Then the student only has to circle the one
go with the correct answer.
For testing some kinds of learning, however , such a test is not very satisfactory. A lively student guess the correct answer without really knowing the material.
For a clearer picture of the student knows, most teachers use another kind of examination in addition to objective tests. They use “essay” tests, and the tests require students to write long answers to broad, general questions. When some essay questions are used along with some objective questions,
, a fairly clear picture of the students’ knowledge and ability can usually be obtained.
How do you usually buy what you need, shopping on line or going out to shop in person? With the help of the Internet, shopping is ______(easy) than before. We can just click our mouse to choose the items we like, pay for them online, and the shopping ___
___(finish). It is easy and quick. It helps save money, too. We can save thousands a year if we compare the prices of similar items before deciding ___
___ to buy.
However, there are always traps in shopping online. If we are ______(care), we may get into trouble. For example, we may find the color of the item different from ___
___ in the picture online. Sometimes, the size of the item we receive can be too big ___
___ too small. ___
___(avoid) such troubles, we should compare similar items on different online stores and pay more attention to what other customers say. From their comments, we can know better ___
___ an item’s color, size as well as ___
___ shortcomings. In this way we increase our chance of buying ___
___ more satisfactory item.
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