梗概写作与六选四新题型.docx

Ex. 1
(A)

In North America, the Colorado River is a legend. It has sustained generations of people and many generations of wildlife. Once free, the Colorado now has many dams along its 1,450 miles. Its life-giving water is divided up among seven U.S. states according to several agreements, which has caused the heaviest hit on the eco-balance of the river as no region would lose advantages compared with neighbors in the use of the river, thus inappropriate use was well expected.
The Colorado once supported a vast delta（三角洲）where it met the Gulf of California. Today the lush plantations are just memories, displaced by invasive species capable of surviving in soils poisoned by salt. The drying of the delta has huge effect on the local people. As many as 5,000 people were living in the delta 400 years ago. Today, about 300 remain. There is a delta culture at risk of extinction, partly owing to outside job opportunities and marital mobility. However, the worsening living environment caused partly by horrible grab of the waters of the Colorado River has beaten all the other reasons.
It’s easy to blame farmers along the Colorado for drawing waters from its channel to water their crops or quench the thirst of their cows. They are immediate consumers of water from the Colorado, but the truth is that we, ordinary American consumers, are all at least partially responsible. Many of us have bought products that come from the region, whether in the form of paper, hamburgers, or electronics. In the U.S., we use twice as much water per person as the global average.
Though it may seem to work in the short term, we can barely fix the Colorado by piping water from another place. But change is urgent. Use a water calculator to see how much water you use every day. Pay special attention to saving every drop of water hidden in your diet and wardrobe. And keep away from life styles that might waste water. In all, try to form a water-efficient habit.
Besides, technology improvement will also be explored to make change happen in the rescue efforts. These technologies include methods to increase farming efficiency, and ways to replace invasive, water-sucking plants with native species.

One possible version
Colorado River’s water being divided by seven states has caused severe damage to its eco-balance, leading to the worsening living environment in some regions. Both farmers and ordinary consumers should take the blame for this. Therefore, changes are needed to turn the current situation around, such as developing a water-efficient habit and promote technological advancement.

(B)

A. The purpose of a test is to show what you have learned.
B. Don't forget to set aside enough time for entertainment.
C. Take advantage of class time to listen to everything the teacher says.
D. No one can become a top student unless he or she works hard.
E. Anyone can become a better student if he or she wants to.
F. Remember to take notes of what the teacher says in class.

Maybe you are an average student. You probably think you will never be a top student. This is not necessarily so，however. __1__ Here's how：
Plan your time carefully. When planning your work, you should make a list of things that you have to do. After making this list, you should make a schedule of your time. First arrange your time for eating，sleeping, dressing, etc. Then decide a good, regular time for studying. __2__ A weekly schedule may not solve all your problems，but it will force you to realize what is happening to your time.
Find a good place to study. Look around the house for a good study area. Keep this space，which may be a desk or simply a corner of your room, free of everything but study materials. No games, radios, or televisions. When you sit down to study, concentrate on the subject.
Make good use of your time in class. __3__ Listening carefully in class means less work later. Taking notes will help you remember what the teacher says.
Study regularly. When you get home from school, go over your notes, review the important points that your teacher is going to discuss the next day, read that material. This will help you understand the next class. If you do these things regularly, the material will become more meaningful, and you'll remember it longer.
Develop a good attitude towards tests. __4__ They help you remember your new knowledge. The world won't end if you don't pass a test, so don't be overly worried.
There are other methods that might help you with your studying. You will probably discover many others after you have tried these.

Key:　EBCA

Ex. 2
(Ａ)

MCDONALD’S restaurants stand among American capitalism’s greatest success stories. Starting out with just one burger stall in 1948, the fast-food chain’s emphasis on quick service and a standardized menu has helped it to grow to more than 35,000 outlets across the world. It has been profitable: after a unstable period in the early 2000s, the firm’s share price went from $12 in 2003 to more than $100 at the end of 2011. But now McDonald’s has lost its advantage. Global sales have been declining since at least last July. When the company announces its annual results on January 23rd, analysts think it will reveal its first full-year fall in profit since 2002. What’s gone wrong?
Some of McDonald’s problems some from operational mistakes across the world. Particularly, its business in Asia—where it makes nearly a quarter of its global profits—has been hit by several health scares. Sales in China fell sharply after one of its suppliers was discovered last July to be using expired and contaminated chicken and beef. More recently, several Japanese customers have reported finding bits of plastic and even a tooth in their food. Geopolitics has not helped. Last year some Russian outlets were temporarily closed by food inspectors, seemingly in retaliation(报复) for American and European sanctions(制裁) against Russia over its military intervention in Ukraine. Some politicians in Russia have even called for the chain to be thrown out the country completely.
But McDonald’s also has problems at home. It faces competition from other fast-food chains such as Burger King, which has been gaining market share with a simpler and cheaper version of the McDonald’s menu. And it is being squeezed by more upmarket “fast-casual” restaurants such as Shake Shack and Chipotle Mexican Grill, which are rapidly growing. They have been attracting customers—particularly younger ones—away from McDonald’s chicken nuggets and chips by offering slightly better quality food, a high level of customization (such as the option to choose the ingredients in a burger) and some table service.
McDonald’s seems to have two options: to imitate the likes of Burger King and go back to basics, or to reform to compete with the likes of Shake Shack. The chain seems to be trying to do both. It now has two new formats, one offering a simpler menu, and another called “Create your taste”, letting customers customize their burgers. Similarly, it has opened “McCafés” in several countries. In France, one of the few parts of the world where McDonald’s sales are still rising, these offer macaroons, tea and coffee in china cups and saucers, as well as some limited waitress service. It hasn't always gone smoothly: some of the restaurants in Paris were forced to put signs on the bins saying “please do not throw away the crockery”. As McDonald’s tries to reinvent itself, it may find that disposing of its traditional image will prove much harder.

One possible version
The article explores why McDonald’s sales are falling, which is the combined consequence of operational disasters from both its home and international shops. Two possible solutions are offered: to imitate businesses like Burger King and to reconstruct itself to rival stores like Shake Shack.

(B)
A. It is very hard to break a code without the code book.
B. In any language, some letters are used more than others.
C. Only people who know the keyword can read the message.
D. As long as there have been codes, people have tried to break them.
E. You can hide a message by having the first letters of each word spell it out.
F. Another way to hide a message is to use symbols to stand for specific letters of the alphabet.

Secret codes keep messages private. Banks, companies, and government agencies use secret codes in doing business, especially when information is sent by computer. People have used secret codes for thousands of years. __1__ Code breaking never lags (落后) far behind code making. The science of creating and reading coded messages is called cryptography. There are three main types of cryptography. __2__ For example, the first letters of “My elephant eats too many eels”. Spell out the hidden message “Meet me.”__3__ You might represent each letter with a number. For example, let’s number the letters of the alphabet, in order, from 1 to 26. If we substitute a number for each letter, the message “Meet me” would read “13, 5, 20, 13, 5.” A code uses symbols to replace words, phrases, or sentences. To read the message of a real code, you must have a code book. With a code book, you might write down words that would stand for other words. For example, “bridge” might stand for “meet” and “out” might stand for “me.” The message “bridge out” would actually mean “Meet me.” __4__ However, it is also hard to keep a code book secret for long. So codes must be changed frequently.

Key: DEFA