Unit 10 Reflections on Life

Sample One

The Virtues of Being Young and Being Old

Being young is a wonderful thing. We are always trying to find ways to keep ourselves young for as long as possible. When we compliment someone on their young appearance, they will feel proud and happy. Why is youth so preferred or favored? It's because youth is the bright and colorful scenery of life. Young people have glorious ideas and are full of dreams. They have energy, time and optimism. Youth is a time for realizing dreams. Looking back on one's youth will bring the finest memories.

Being old is also wonderful. The aged are respected by society. They have experience so people turn to them when they are in trouble or when they need advice. Old people are a source of knowledge and experience for the young. Although they dream less than before, they're more confident about themselves thanks to their knowledge and experience. Those who worked hard when young will be able to appreciate their achievements and keep good memories of their past. Being young, we must take every opportunity to improve ourselves so that when we are old, we will have no regrets about our youth.

Sample Two

The Virtues of Being Young and Being Old

Life is strange and at different phases of your life you can do and enjoy different things. When you are young, you learn to understand the meaning of life. When you are old, you see life more clearly and enjoy what you have achieved before. There are many differences between young people and old people.

Young people are equipped with a good memory and strong muscles to gain knowledge and experience. They can learn lots of things whenever they desire. Youth is the most important part of a person's life. Young people are vigorous and energetic, though they tend to be impulsive. They face challenges with passion and are open to new things. They are unwilling to stay in the same place and always want to keep

moving. It won't take long for them to recover from disappointing failures, especially when they can get encouragement and advice from people around them. It seems natural for them to make great progress in their studies and work.

The advantage of being old is that your strength lies in your knowledge and experience. Old people can do things quickly without too much energy or vigor and it won't take them too long to come up with a reasonable decision. Their most important virtue is that they can teach the young how to do things well or how to be successful, and how to avoid unnecessary loss or failure. Those who are concerned with young people are always respected by others. Young people hope they'll be able to know the world as the old do sooner or later.

So if we are positive, we can always feel good about ourselves whether young or old.

Unit 9 Music

The Power of Music

Music is the universal language of mankind. Music is everywhere. We can hear it in restaurants, airports, railway stations, supermarkets,

department stores, banks, hospitals, and many other public places. Music of all kinds is now available, and tapes and CDs are not very expensive. Music plays an important role in our everyday lives. Music can express emotions that are beyond speech and give us a better feeling about ourselves and about everything around us. It can change our attitudes towards many things.

When we feel sad, music is moonlight in the gloomy night of life which can cheer us up; when we are tired and bored, music can make us relaxed, it has charms to soothe the savage breast, to soften rocks, or bend a knotted oak. When we are working or studying, music can provide us with a pleasant environment so that we can work or study more efficiently. Music can make people work faster and with more energy. The best, most beautiful, and most perfect way that we have of expressing a sweet concord of mind to each other is by music. Music can also lull the babies to sleep and can even make cows produce more milk. In a word, music is irresistible and life without music would be boring and monotonous.

Unit 8 Nature or Nurture

"Which Has Had More Influence on You, Heredity or Environment?"

Sample One

I both benefit and suffer much from heredity. A short stout figure, an introverted personality, and unimaginative but rational mind: all of these traits come from the genes passed on to me from my parents. But family, schools, and society work together to shape what I am today.

My parents are both sport lovers, which makes me fond of physical exercises and turns my frame into a strong body. My honest parents punish me severely whenever I lie or make empty promises, thus I've learned the importance of personal integrity. At school I've learned to help others, to care for others and also to improve my reasoning and understanding skills. Learning about various positive and negative examples of behavior from the media and other sources of information, I have set my own moral standards regarding what to do and what not to do, what to like and what to hate.

Environment can change a person completely no matter where he was born and what he

genetically inherited from his parents.

Sample Two

I always believe that a person can succeed in doing anything he feels interested in. Your environment provides all sorts of opportunities and the things necessary for your personal pursuit and achievement.

Which has had more influence on you, heredity or environment? This is a difficult question to answer.

First, let us examine the influence of heredity. All my classmates call me "Fat Yu" because I am fat. My father is also fat, so I can't help connecting my fatness with his! Although I can't be absolutely sure that it comes from my father, I do think that I probably have a gene which he passed on to me and which determines my body build or shape.

Aside from that gene, my father gave me many excellent qualities. For example, I think I am good at abstract thinking. My father is an engineer and he often tells me that he was very good at Math and Physics at middle school and college. So thanks to these genes of his I got into this university.

However, I have many other characteristics, which may come from the environment I grew up in. For example, my father and mother are conservative and traditional. They lack a spirit of adventure and they have a hard time understanding many of the new things in China today. I, on the contrary, have the desire to explore and I hope I can become a pioneer of reform. I often have many original thoughts and ideas. All changes taking

place around me whet my appetite for exploration.

In conclusion, I think both heredity and environment have influenced me greatly. Heredity created me, but environment has improved me.

Unit 7 The Joy of Travel

Traveling Is Wonderful

In school we always study hard and rarely have time for play and relaxation. During our vacation, we can do what we like. Some students go swimming, watch TV, go to the cinema, etc. But all I want to do is to travel.

Traveling is interesting. You can see a lot of fascinating things and you can learn about history. Three years ago, I went to Beijing. When I was in the Summer Palace, I walked through the famous Long Corridor, admiring the beautiful pictures drawn on it. In the Imperial Palace, I saw a lot of rare treasures I had never seen before. I went to the Great Wall as

well as the Ming Tombs. After visiting these famous places, I can’t help feeling proud of my great motherland.

I think it is important to travel to different countries, if possible, so that you can learn about different cultures and customs. It can widen your knowledge of the world. In addition to learning new things, you can also discover the beauty of nature by yourself. When you are on the top of a mountain, you can breathe fresh air, you can see green scenery below and you can hear the sounds of nature. It is a very wonderful feeling.

Now I’d like to invite you to go on a trip with me. Can you refuse?

I Enjoy Traveling

I enjoy traveling. I even consider it as a part of my life. When winter vacation approaches, the question for me to ask is not whether I should travel but where I should travel.

I find traveling can do me a lot of good when I look back on my trips. Traveling brings me knowledge and pleasure. It puts me in a good mood. When I go back to my studies, I work more happily.

As for knowledge, traveling helps me learn a lot about local customs and it broadens my views. Three years ago, I went to the “European City” in Wuxi, where there are many models of European architecture. During that trip I learned something about Europe. Sometimes, traveling can bring me unexpected pleasure, too. Last year, two friends and I went to a small town near the Tai Mountain. The fact that the town had

beautiful scenery and low expenses made us overjoyed.

Traveling is uplifting because it is relaxing and we can get rid of our anxiety and stress during the trip. If we travel together with our friends, we can improve our friendship through the shared experience. We can also meet new people and make new friends.

In the future, I plan to do more traveling.

Unit 6 Animals

Animals Should Be Trained

There are a wide variety of animals in the world. And many of them are highly intelligent. So if we train some animals to work for human beings, we can save a lot of money and manpower. First, some kinds of animals can be trained based on their capacity to do certain types of jobs better than humans. For example, since dogs have a superior ability to track down odors, we can train them to find illegal drugs, earthquake victims, or even ancient tombs.

Second, some animals can even lend us their hands. The monkey is a good example. Monkeys can be trained to learn to open doors, fetch tools, bring books, etc. So they can help those who cannot move about freely because of some physical problems. Monkeys make the lives of these people happier and more comfortable.

Finally, in some cases, using animals not only saves money but also trouble. Using dolphins as underwater guards can be better and cheaper than any man-made tracking devices. In a word, animals should be trained to help humans. If we train animals in the proper way, both humans and animals can get along very well.

Give Animals Their Freedom

Humans and animals are both creatures of nature, so we are equal. We have no right to take advantage of them. However, many animals are now being trained to work for us. Monkeys are trained as servants, dogs as hunters and sniffers, and dolphins as soldiers.

Beasts should be allowed to run freely over great distances and birds, fly freely in the blue sky. When they are in nature, they are active and able to live a normal life. But when they are kept in captivity, they are bored and frustrated.

If we have the right to choose our fate, so do animals. So when we force them to serve us, they have no freedom and are like slaves. What’s more, a lot of animals lose their lives when they help humans. But most humans don't care about their lives at all. As we know, life belongs to us only once and therefore is priceless, and it is also true with animals. But we show no mercy to animals when they have done so much for us. We are cold-blooded creatures and we should criticize ourselves.

In brief, we should treat animals in the same way we treat other people. Give animals their freedom.

Unit 5 Language

Should Learners Aim to Speak English with a Native-Speaker Pronunciation? Sample One

In my opinion, there is no point in aiming to speak English with a native-speaker pronunciation. For most people, it is a waste of time.

First, language is a tool for communication among human beings. If people we meet understand what we are saying, that is all that is necessary. We do not need to imitate native speaker's pronunciation. In any case, there are many types of accents, so which one should we choose to imitate?

Second, the most important thing is how well we organize what we want to express. Our ideas should be clear and easy to understand. To do so, we should be able to use right words and correct grammar.

Third, given the fact that we live in China, it seems a little bit pointless for us to try desperately hard to get rid of our national accent in order to speak BBC English.

Finally, each of us has our own style when we speak. If we can give free rein to personal style, the English-speaking world will become more colorful and more interesting.

In a word, I prefer to speak with my characteristic and recognizable pronunciation, so long as listeners can understand me.

Sample Two

Yes, I think it is important to aim for native-speaker pronunciation. First of all, I think perfection is always a good goal in any aspect of language-learning. We aim for perfect grammar, so why not perfect

pronunciation?

Second, the purpose of learning a language is to communicate with native-speakers or people from other parts of the world. The better my pronunciation is, the more easily they will be able to understand me. And I want people to understand me without any difficulty.

Third, English is now an international language and I would like to be part of that community. If my pronunciation is like a native-speaker's, I will blend into the community more naturally. I'll feel pleased if I am taken for a native-speaker. Even if I can't speak so well, I don't like to spoil the language by terrible pronunciation.

So learners should aim to speak English with a native-speaker pronunciation.

Unit 4 Career Planning

Application Letter

Sample One

May 5, _____

Apartment 2E

3465 Boulevard East

Dallas, TX 75221

Fidelity National Bank

P.O. Box 42B

Dallas, TX 75221

Dear Sir or Madam:

I would like to be considered as an applicant for the teller trainee position listed in today's Dallas Tribune.

I am 18 years old. I will graduate from North High School in June. Since my sophomore year, I have been taking business courses. I have taken Accounting 1 and 2, Business Law, Economics, and Word Processing.

During my junior year, I participated in the Co-op Program in which I attended school one week and worked the alternate week. My work placement was at the Western Insurance Company, where I learned basic accounting procedures. I am currently

employed part-time as a cashier at a Pathway Supermarket. These positions helped me to develop skills and confidence for handling large sums of money.

I would be glad to come for an interview at your convenience. My telephone number is 775-2684. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Thomas Gupton

Sample Two

Dec. 28, ______

Mailbox 352,

________ University,

__________ Road,

Dear Sir/Madam:

I would like to be considered as a private tutor listed in today’s _______ Evening Paper.

I am 19 years old and right now I am studying at ________ University, majoring in Energy. I am now a freshman and my high school years are still fresh in my mind. I passed the National Entrance Examination with flying colors*. So I believe that I have plenty of knowledge and rich experience in study and examinations.

I am good at Chemistry and Physics in which your daughter needs help. I won the second prize in a national Chemistry contest and the third prize in a national Physics contest. And I can also help your child with her English and Math. If I become your child's tutor, I will do all I can to teach her and you will be satisfied with her progress.

I am eager to get this job because I want to enrich my teaching experience and learn how to get along well with others. Money is my secondary consideration.

I would be glad to come for an interview at your convenience. My phone number is ________. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely Yours,

XXX

Unit One Personality

Directions: Write an article entitled “My Advice to Pessimists”. Your writing must cover the following two points:

1） disadvantages of pessimism

2） way(s) of overcoming pessimism

Sample One

It is believed that pessimism often leads to hopelessness, sickness and failure, while optimism usually brings happiness, good health and success. Pessimists also make those around them very miserable. Therefore, pessimists should change their way of thinking and overcome the negative aspects of their personalities. Here are a few tips for them:

1. Try to smile more often. A smile has great power. It can chase sadness away. It will make you and other people feel happy. And it may even make things easier and better. Smiling in the morning makes a good beginning for the day. A smile is the most important sign of optimism.

2. Build up your self-confidence. Try to discover as many of your personal strengths as you can. Then write them all down. Read them several times when you are getting ready to do something or when you are facing difficulties. Your list will help you see your abilities.

3. Change your way of thinking. Don't always think that things will go wrong or that if they do there will be terrible results. Instead, convince yourself that things will improve and that you can work hard to help improve them. If you fail, think about what you have learned from the failure. If you succeed, praise yourself. Don't be too modest! There is nothing more encouraging than self-praise.

Try your best to become an optimist.

Sample Two

Are you an optimist or a pessimist? If you're a pessimist, here is

some advice for you.

As everyone knows, pessimism is harmful to people. It makes you unhappy and unhealthy, and even brings depression, loneliness and failure. Pessimists tend to suffer more failures and setbacks because they don't believe they can succeed and thus don't struggle for it. Optimism, by contrast, can make you happy, healthy and successful. So it is good for you to change yourself from a pessimist to an optimist.

Here are some suggestions for you to become an optimist:

1. Remember that everyone experiences failures and disappointments. So when you fail, don't blame yourself too much. It may not be your fault.

2. When you fail in something, profit from the failure as a learning experience instead of getting depressed. And next time, you can make your plans to be more successful.

3. When you fail, don't be discouraged. Try again. Don't let negative thoughts hold you back. Just give yourself another chance. So never give up just because you failed.

Pessimism is harmful, but it can be changed. Trust yourself and try to adopt an optimistic attitude, and then you will be a winner in life more often.