Ⅰ．Supply the missing paragraph (20 points)
The following passage is incomplete with the ending paragraph missing. Study the
passage carefully and write the missing paragraph in about 100 words. Make sure
that your tone and diction are in unity with the passage provided.
Too Many Moves
My first semester of college was the worst I’ve been through. Everything started
out smoothly enough. I had made plans during the summer to share an apartment
with two of my close friends from high school. We had found a nice enough
apartment about two miles from campus, but before we even moved in, problems
started developing that kept me on the move the entire semester.
One of the two girls I was to share an apartment with was going to work instead
of going to college. However, a week before we were to move in , she found out
that she didn’t get the job she had been counting on. She was forced to live at
home and look for work, and two of us were stuck with higher monthly rent
payments. We lasted for a month and then agreed that we couldn’t make it by
ourselves. Joan moved away and I started looking around.
I found another apartment and the rent wasn’t bad. The room was small with one
tiny bathroom for four people. The place was noisy, but it was the best I could
afford for the time. However, one day when I returned from school, I saw smoke
coming from the back of the house. The cottage had caught fire, and the fire
department was putting out the last flames. My room was a charred mess; there
was no way that anyone could live there for a long time. I was once more out of
a place to stay, and there was still over a month of school left.
After looking around all weekend for lodging, I finally gave up and moved home.
I had to drive forty miles to school every day, so I almost spent as much on gas
as I would have on lodging . I’d drive to school, go to classes, and come home
and sit in an empty house for a few hours. I was very bored; I’d also lost the
will to study. It had been such a bad semester moving all over the place that my
heart wasn’t in school anymore. So the semester just played itself out.
Ⅱ．Write an outline (20 points)
Read the following passage carefully and compose a “sentence outline” for it.
Color Me Pink
We are all sensitive to color. There are some colors we like a lot and some we
don’t like at all. Some colors soothe or excite us and some make us happy or
sad. People are affected because color is tied to all aspects of our lives.
Experts in colorgenics believe that the colors we wear say a lot about us, and
that we subconsciously choose to wear certain colors in order to communicate our
desires, emotions and needs.
Colorgenics experts claim that our clothes send messages to others about our
mood, personality and desires. For them, pink expresses peace and contentment of
the wearer. People who often wear pink are supposed to be warm and
understanding. The message is that you would like to share your peace and
happiness with others. Red garments indicate a high level of physical energy.
People who wear red like to take life at a fast pace. Brown is the color of
wealth and shows a need for independence and material security. Wearers of green
have love of nature and enjoy peaceful moments.
Color is used symbolically in all cultures and it plays an important role in
ceremonies and festivities. Yellow is a symbol of luck in Peru and it can be
seen just about everywhere. Yellow is also an important color to the Vietnamese
who use it at weddings and on their flag, where it represents courage, victory
and sacrifice. In many cultures, white symbolizes purity, and black, on the
other hand, symbolizes death.
Some experts believe that colors have a strong effect on us and that colors can
be used to heal. They say that by concentrating our thoughts on certain colors,
we can cause energy to go to the parts of the body that need treatment. White
light is said to be cleansing, and it can balance the body’s entire system.
Yellow stimulates the mind and creates a positive attitude, so it can help
against depression. Green, which has a calming and restful effect, is supposed
to be good for heart conditions.
Some psychologists also use color to treat patients with emotional and
psychological problems. By giving them what is called the Luscher color test, in
which people select the colors they like and dislike, doctors can learn many
things about a patient’s personality.
In conclusion, the study of color can help us understand ourselves and improve
our lives. It offers an alternative way to heal the body and spirit, and it can
help us understand what others are trying to communicate. We can then respond to
their needs and achieve a new level of understanding.
Ⅲ．Compose an essay (60 points)
The command of one or more foreign languages is now a valuable asset for young
people. While some find it easy to learn a foreign language, others feel that it
really gives them headaches. Write a 300-word expository essay illustrating
different kinds of language learners.
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