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　　For a clearer picture of what the student knows, most teachers use another kind of examination in addition to objective tests．They use “essay” tests, which require students to write long answers to broad, general questions such as the following：“Mention several ways in which Benjamin Franklin has influenced thinking of people in his own country and in other parts of the world．”

　　One advantage of the essay test is that it reduces the element of luck．The student cannot get a high score just by making a lucky guess．Another advantage is that it shows the examiner more cares about the student’s ability to put facts together into a meaningful whole．It should show how deeply he has thought about the subject．Sometimes, though, essay tests have disadvantages, too．Some students are able to write rather good answers without really knowing much about the subject, while other students who actually know the material have trouble expressing their ideas in the essay form．

　　Besides, in an essay test the student’s score may depend upon the examiner’s feelings at the time of reading the answer．If he is feeling tired or bored, the student may receive a lower score than he should．Another examiner reading the same answer might give it a much higher mark．Because of this, the objective test gives each student a fairer chance, and of course it is easier and quicker to score．

　　Whether an objective test or an essay test is used, problems arise．When some objective questions are used along with some essay questions, however, a fairly clear picture of the student’s knowledge can usually be gotten．

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　　BEIJING－The handsome face and muscular figure of Lin Dan make him an ideal candidate for the big screen．

　　However, the Chinese badminton superstar says any speculation about a career in the entertainment industry will have to wait until his on-court career ends．

　　“Right now, I'm just focused on the 2012 Olympic Games．I will not think about the possibility of acting as long as I'm still able to play the sport,” said 27-year-old Lin during a press conference on Sunday organized by razor(剃刀)brand Gillette．

　　The reigning(占优势)Olympic and world champion is determined to hold on until the 2012 London Olympics, even though he achieved a grand slam(大满贯)by winning the Asian Games in Guangzhou．

　　“I will try my best and hold on to play the 2012 Olympic Games,” said Lin, who won the MVP Award at the Asian Games thanks to his men's single title and his overwhelming popularity with fans and the media．

　　“I know it will be a tough two years．I know rising stars and old foes will come up and pose bigger threats during my preparation．But I'm ready to accept the challenge,” ‘Super Dan’ said．

　　The Asiad title was the only major crown missing from Lin's glittering resume, which includes one Olympic title and three consecutive world crowns．

　　He said the pressure going into the Asiad was even greater than that at the 2008 Beijing Games．

　　“I know lots of people expected me to pick up the title．There was big pressure on me,” said Lin, who was upset by Indonesia's Hidayat Taufik in the Doha final four years ago．“So when I did it, I felt more excited than when I won the Olympic title．”

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　　If you don’t want people to know too much about you, then you had better keep your fridge contents secret according to a British market research document released last week．

　　Researchers peered(凝视)into the fridges of 400 people in Britain and compared the contents with the owners’ lifestyles．They claim to be able to classify the nation’s people by fridge contents．

　　They say those people can be separated into five categories; nutrition nerds, food faddies(whatever’s in style), martyr mums, fast food fanatics and restaurant regulars．

　　Nutrition nerds care much about what they put into their bodies．Their fridges are stocked with fruit, vegetables and healthy meat．

　　People in this category tend to be highly organized and usually work in law or accountancy．The vast majority is single, but if they have a partner, that person will be similar．

　　A fridge full of vitamins－enriched juices implies its owner works in media or fashion．They tend not to eat the foods they buy．Known as the food faddies, they just want to be seen as purchasing the latest important things．

　　A fridge filled with everything from steak to frozen fish suggests the martyr mum．Her fridge tends to be stocked with every kind of product, except what she herself would want．

　　This fridge hints at difficulty balancing family and work life．Fast food fanatics always buy mineral water for soda pop; the nearest they will get to fresh fruit is tomato sauce．Their fridges hint at someone who works hard and plays hard．Also, someone who woks hard and plays hard．Also, someone who is not into long term planning．

　　Finally, a fridge filled with nothing more than a bottle of white wine and some sparkling mineral water implies an owner who is single, lives in a big city and enjoys the finer things in life．The fridge is empty because this person regularly eats in restaurant．

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　　Celia was shocked．She had always been in good shape during high school, but now, in her first year of college, she was suddenly ten pounds heavier．“My friends and I often had pizza or ice cream when we studied late at night,” she said, “and I was always drinking Coke to stay awake．”

　　Celia’s experience is common．Many students enter college and find it so different that they cannot deal with changes properly．They’re away from their parents and in a new stressful environment．Pressures together with freedom to sleep and eat whatever they please cause many students to experience the “Freshman 15”：gaining weight suddenly in their freshman year of college．

　　Most students do not realize that the “Freshman 15” can cause some serious health problems．Of course, college-age adults are still developing bone mass, so gaining some weight is normal．Sudden weight gain, however, puts too much strain(负担)on the heart and lungs, resulting in little energy and some difficulty thinking and remembering．In later life, it can lead to heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and possible cancer．

　　The solution to the “Freshman 15” is simple－pay attention to developing good habits! In general：

　　●Eat normal-sized meals at regular times．Eat slowly and enjoy it, so you don’t need to go back for more．

　　●Keep only healthy snacks in your room－and don’t snack too often!

　　●Control drinking and smoking．Alcohol has a lot of calories, and smoking too much makes exercise difficult．

　　●Exercise regularly! Even just 30 minutes a day－such as walking quickly to class from your dorm－will make a big difference!

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Dear Editor,

　　Brockingham is run by people who are more interested in tourists than its residents．The problem is that the people running the government refuse to accept new ideas．By banning all fast-food restaurants and discount stores, they take away all the places kids can afford to shop．

　　These people forget that when they were young, they could go to the South Street Soda Fountain and get an ice-cream soda for 25 cents．Today you can’t find an ice-cream soda anywhere in Brockingham for less than ＄2! Where can kids go for a snack?

　　There is not a single restaurant in Brockingham where a family of four can eat dinner for less than ＄100．Add a 15％ tip and sales tax and you have spent nearly ＄125 to eat a meal you could prepare at home for about ＄12．Have you noticed that Brockingham families never dine in Brockingham?

　　Fast-food restaurants are also a good place for school kids to get an after-school job．Fast-food restaurants are busiest during the early supper hours when students are able to work, whereas the fancy food restaurants cater to late-night diners．Working in one of these establishments requires working shifts that are too late for most students．

　　The City Council claims that local merchants, rather than national chains, should benefit from the tourist business．I agree that it is important to support local businesses, but I think the fast-food restaurants would encourage more people to shop in Brockingham．

　　Another thing that disturbs me is that we must travel 25 miles to the nearest discount store．If I need a tire for my bike, I have a choice of buying one at Surf and Peddle Sport Shop for ＄15 or driving to Parkersburg Discount Center where I can buy the some kind of tire for ＄9．Again, I think the ban on all food chains and discount houses is counterproductive for our city．

　　Wes Woodrow 9th-Grade Student at Brockingham High School

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　　At Institute for the Future, game designer Jane McGonigal creates massive(大规模的)multi-player free online role-playing games(MMORPGs), which focus on social changes and environmental problems．She hopes that players will use their new skills to make the real world better．

　　According to Jane, our addiction to gaming is actually a great thing, so long as we use it properly．Speaking at the TED(Technology/Entertainment/Design)2010 Conference, Jane says that people should devote more time to games to build the skills necessary to make the world better．People who take part in MMORPGs develop specialized skills in problem-solving as a team．So, if gamers are willing to take part in role-playing games based on real-world problems，they will be able to work together to find ways that can be used in the real world．

　　Jane focuses on creating the kinds of video games that enable players to make a difference in their own lives and the lives of those around them．In 2007, she helped create a video game called A World Without Oil, in which 1, 800 players tried to find new ways to transport themselves in a world without oil．Even after completing the game, the players focused on the problem and its possible solutions．Her next game, Evoke, takes an even more practical way．Game players are mainly young people in Africa．They will learn to create a business that will help stop problems such as poverty and AIDS on a local level．By the end of the game, players will be guided by experts on how to start their own businesses．

　　“We can make any future we imagine and we can play any games we want,” she said at the TED Conference．“So let the world-changing games begin．”

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　　Should parents ever hit their children?

　　Research suggests many of us are likely to respond “no”, and public support for spanking(打屁股)has been falling over the years．But surveys also show that 75 percent to nearly 90 percent of parents admit to spanking their child at least once．

　　I was raised in a zero-tolerance home for disrespect, and my parents often turned to physical punishment．And, no, I don’t feel I was damaged by it．

　　Nothing is more annoying than watching ill-mannered behavior from children．

　　But there is data to suggest that a return to old-school spanking isn't the answer．

　　Two years ago, Newsweek reported that it had found data suggesting that teens whose parents used physical punishment were more likely to become aggressive．

　　Murray Straus, professor at the University of New Hampshire in America, has studied the topic of children and spanking for decades．He said that children who were physically punished have lower IQs than their peers．It may be that children with lower IQs were more likely to get spanked, but the punishment may have been counterproductive(反作用的)to their mental development, as well．

　　Some researchers make the argument that occasional open-handed smacks(用巴掌打)on the bottom are not only harmless but can have some benefit．

　　Last year, Marjorie Gunnoe, a psychologist at Calvin College, studied teens who have never been spanked．There are a greater number of children growing up without ever having been physically punished．Gunnoe’s research suggests they don’t turn out any better than those who were sometimes spanked．

　　There are some parents who simply cannot control their tempers(脾气)．But I still believe that the best parents are the ones who are able to offer fair and firm discipline without ever turning to physical punishment．

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Dear Sir,

　　In reply to your advertisement in today’s China Daily regarding a vacancy in your office, I wish to apply for the position of senior clerk, which you have specified．

　　I feel sure that I can meet your special requirements that the candidate must have a high command of English, for I graduated from the English Language Department of Wuhan University three years ago．

　　In addition to my study of English in the university, I have worked for three years as a secretary in the firm of ABC Trading Co．Ltd．

　　The main reason for changing my employment is to gain more experience with a superior trading company like yours．I believe that my education and experience will prove useful for work in your office．

　　I am enclosing my resume, certificate of graduation and a letter of recommendation from the president of the university．I shall be obliged if you will give me a personal interview at your convenience．

Very truly yours,

Li Mei

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　　You may know Joe Cheng, who plays the most popular boy in high school in the popular Taiwanese drama “It Started with a Kiss．”

　　Although thousands of girls have fallen in love with him for his cute smile and strong body, Cheng, 27, doesn’t want to rest on his good looks．He made the move from modeling to acting six years ago, and now he is trying another career－this time, to be a singer．Cheng worked on his first album, “Joe Cheng’s Day”, for a year．It came out on September 7．

　　Apart from recording his CD, Cheng has been practicing dance moves for his music video．Given his height, 188cm, this was not an easy job．“I had bad dreams about dancing,” he said．

　　Cheng’s life has had many ups and downs．His parents divorced when he was in primary school and he has lived with his father ever since．After dropping out of high school, he took on all kinds of jobs before being spotted by a scout(星探)for a modeling agency．Cheng said his key to life is “keeping a positive outlook and making the most out of life．”

　　Cheng admitted that he got bad grades when he was in high school．But he was still very popular at school．“Being very active in the students union, I was elected president．I liked to organize parties and field trips, so many teachers and students knew me,” he said．

　　Cheng once dreamed of becoming a cartoonist, and he regrets that he never did it．Now he hopes his teenage fans can learn from his life．“When you are in school, just focus on studies,” Cheng said．“Every young heart is eager to explore the world outside．But take your time．Finish your studies first．”

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　　What do people do with their old, out-of-date but still useful computers? Most people don’t know what to do with them．Many old computers are put away in homes．Many more are simply thrown out with the rubbish．

　　Finally, some companies are thinking of ways to bring down the number of old computers．Sony has agreed to help recycle old Sony products(产品), Dell, Hewlett-Packard and other companies now also take back some old computers．

　　In some countries, laws are being passed, too．Computer companies will have to pay for collecting and recycling their used products．And 70％ of computer waste must be recycled．The idea behind the laws is that computer companies themselves should pay the cost．That will encourage them to make computers that are easier and cheaper to repair and upgrade(升级)．

　　Yet while many people are throwing away good computers, others cannot afford them at all．Hundreds of organizations(组织)are working to solve this problem．They collect and repair old computers．Some also teach others how to repair computers．

　　The computers then go to schools, charities(慈善团体)and people who need them．Giving a used computer to one of these organizations can turn one person’s rubbish into someone else’s useful things－and cut down on waste, too．