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Read how Sofia writes a composition．

180words

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These four ads are for four children’s books．They talk about the writers, prices, sizes and so on of the books．

198 words

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　　People cannot reach an agreement on the use of science and technology．For example, will radiation from electronic equipment destroy the environment? Should medical scientists change gene structures to prevent genetic disease or to create “more perfect” human beings? While people are arguing about these and others, technology continues to influence our everyday lives－the home, health and education, entertainment and communication, and so on．

　　Some people carry on active social lives with computers－their own or the ones in public places like cafes, social centers, libraries, and so on．Communicating with others in chat rooms, computer users can get to know people they might never meet in traditional ways．With live online video connections, two people with cameras in their computers can see and talk to each other from separate places．

　　With modern telephone technology, most people stopped writing lettters－especially personal letters and notes．But now, writing to communicate has returned in electronic form, or e-mail, which is a way of sending messages from one computer to another．For some computer users, the wish to communicate intelligently or creatively with others makes them want to write better．

　　Computer technology has also made it possible to run a house electronically．From turning lights on and off to starting the coffee and cooking the hot meal, computers are taking care of people at home．Many modern machines have computer chips that allow their owners to program them．For instance, you can “instruct” a microwave oven how to cook a dish．Most entertainment equipment operates with computer technology too．Computers can even start cars automatically so that on cold winter mornings you can get into a warmed-up vehicle and drive off．

　　Although much of the technology in our everyday lives has good effects, there are some uses that raise questions．For example, are interactive media(i．e．, a combination of television, telephone, and computer)going to control minds, cause people to forget about family life and personal relationships?What effects will the genentic engineering of food have on people’s health?High-tech medical treatments can make a person live a much longer life, but can they improve the health and happiness of human beings? Only time will tell, but, in the meantime, science and technology will continue to move forward．

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　　All over the world, the global diet includes fast food－prepared items from inexpensive restaurants, snack bars, or food stands．Some examples of American fast food are hamburgers, hot dogs, sandwiches, fried chicken, and so on．Some types of international fast foods might be German sausage and Schnitzel, Italian pizza, Japanese sushi and tempura, Chinese eggrolls and noodles and the like．The variety of fast foods all over the world is growing．Even so, this kind of style is becoming worldwide．Fast-food places usually prepare and serve the items quickly．Many are part of fast-food chains(eating places with the same name and company owner)．For example, the biggest and most famous American fast-food chain serves hamburgers in nearly every part of the world．

　　For several reasons, many people choose fast food．First, it is quick and convenient．Second, it is cheaper than special home-cooked meals or formal restaurant dinners．And third, it is easy to find every eating place with the same company name．The atmosphere and style of most fast-food places is casual, comfortable, and familiar．

　　Why do other eaters stay away from this fast, easy kind of nourishment? The main reason is its low nutritional value．Fast food doesn’t have large amounts of fiber, vitamins, minerals, and the like-elements necessary for good nutrition and health．In contrast(相反), most types of fast food have a lot of fat, sugar, or salt in them．Possibly, these things can cause or increase health disorders, like heart disease, and some kinds of cancer．Recently, these quick and easy kinds of world wide nourishment are generally getting better and more healthful．For example, many fast-food restaurants now have put vegetable items on their menus．

　　Of course, human beings around the world don’t always eat in fast-food places．The variety of food choices is large now and is probably going to increase．The number of food preparation methods is growing too．Cooking customs, eating habits, and food preferences all over the world are becoming more healthful．In these and other ways, the global diet is changing．

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　　A strong earthquake has hit the town of Galta 200 kilometres north of Madras．The earthquake hit the town at 7∶15 yesterday evening．The earthquake measured(量出)7.2 on the Richter scale(里克特震级), the strongest for five years．

　　The earthquake happened as most people were having their evening meal at home．There were very few people outside in the streets．Buildings fell down and many fires started．The electricity and water were cut off．

　　As it was dark, the emergency services had a lot of problems．There was no electricity for lights, and there was no water to put out the fires．Early this morning, planes flew over the town to see the damage．

　　The emergency services are now trying to reach the town．The nearest airport is at Bandel, about 100 kilometers away．The railway station at Galta is closed, because four bridges fell down in the earth．The nearest train station is 32 kilometres away at Solan．We shall have more reports for you during the day．

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　　Farmer Ed Rawlings smiles as he looks at his orange trees．The young oranges are growing well in Florida’s weather．Warm sunshine and gentle rains, along with Ed Rawlings’ expert care, will produce a good crop(收成)of oranges this year．

　　However, Ed has to guard against Florida’s changeable winter weather．In January and February, temperatures can destroy Ed’s entire orange crop．Having farmed in Florida for the past 35 years, Ed is prepared for the frost(霜)．When temperatures drop below freezing, Ed tries to save his crop by watering his orange trees．The water freezes and forms a thin layer(层)of ice around the trees．Strange as it may sound, this thin layer of ice actually keeps the fruit warm．

　　What happens is simple．When the trees are watered, the water loses heat and becomes ice．The warmth of the heat it loses is taken in by the fruit and keeps its temperature at a safe level．Ed has effectively used this method to save many orange crops．

　　But Ed still faces difficulties．The trees must be watered at the exact moment the temperature drops to the freezing point．Also, just the right quantity(数量)of water must be used．Too much water can form a thicker layer of ice that will break the tree’s branches(树枝)．Another difficulty is that wind blows away the heat, so Ed has to worry about not only when but also how often his trees should be watered, and how much water should be used．

　　Computer technology may help Ed with some of these worries．With equipment(设备), air and soil temperatures and wind speed can be measured．The information is fed into a computer which can calculate(计算)when the temperature will drop below freezing．The computer can correctly decide the quantity of water to be used and how frequently()the trees should be watered．Ed finds looking after his orange trees a lot easier with the help of a computer, and, his customers will have the benefits(利益)of computer-age oranges．

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　　Years ago, I lived in a building in a large city．The building next door was only a few feet away from mine．There was a woman who lived there, whom I had never met, yet I could see her seated by her window each afternoon, sewing(缝纫)or reading．

　　After several months had gone by, I began to notice that her window was dirty．Everything was unclear through the dirty window．I would say to myself, “I wonder why that woman doesn’t wash her window．It really looks terrible．”

　　One bright morning I decided to clean my flat, including washing the window inside．Late in the afternoon when I finished the cleaning, I sat down by the window with a cup of coffee for a rest．What a surprise! Across the way, the woman sitting by her window was clearly visible(可见的)．Her window was clean!

　　Then it dawned on me．I had been criticizing(批评)her dirty window, but all the time I was watching hers through my own dirty window．

　　That was quite an important lesson for me．How often had I looked at and criticized others through the dirty window of my heart, through my own shortcomings(缺点)? Since then, whenever I wanted to judge(评判)someone, I asked myself first, “Am I looking at him through my own dirty window?” Then I try to clean the window of my own world so that I may see the world about me more clearly．

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　　Dear Victor,

　　I am a college student．Nowadays games on the net are very popular with college students．Some of my roommates are very interested in them．They not only play games in their free time, but also keep talking about them at night when lights are off, and they regard games as a part of their life．I’ve asked them to give it up, but they wouldn’t listen to me．It has become a rather big problem．Should I report it to our teachers or do something else?

　　Dear Ted,

　　Drop it．Your roommates, as grown-ups, can do whatever they want with their time so long as it doesn’t break school rules or violate(妨碍)other people’s interests．

　　Playing perhaps gives these students relaxation from hard study．If they play too often and have little time to study, they will reap what they have sown(自食其果), but you will not．Reporting to the teachers would only harm your good name in your dormitory(宿舍)．However, you have rights to ask your roommates to be quiet when you need sleep．If they aren’t angry with you, they will stop talking．But be polite and friendly．Perhaps, in return, join them in a game or two．

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　　Li Na is a 15-year-old schoolgirl．She wants a penfriend．The penfriend should be a girl around her age who is good at English and loves watching movies and cartoons．So she looks in “penfriends” magazine, and finds a lot of people in the magazine．