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PREFACE 前言

第一章 教育类话题

1.(20180909) Students should be encouraged to study fields like science, technology, engineering, math (STEM) rather than what they have interest in.

2.(20160319) Students in a university club want to help others, but they can only choose one project a year.Which one of the following is the best?

3.(20160311) Reading chosen by students themselves is as important as, or more important than, reading assigned by teachers.

4.(20160228) Nowadays, children rely too much on technology.

5.(20160925) Your university will spend money on dormitory to improve the life quality of students.Which of the following do you think is the best way?

6.(20170325) Which of the following factors do you believe is the most important in helping students succeed in their studies at the college or university? Why?

7.(20150712) These days, children spend more time on doing homework or participating in organized activities related to school or sports.However, they should be given more time to do whatever they want.

8.(20170520) At some universities, students take part in making decisions about the issues that affect the daily life of everybody on campus, such as how many hours the libraries should be open for each day or what kinds of food should be served in the cafeteria.But at some universities, experts are hired to make these decisions and students are almost never involved.Which approach do you prefer?

9.(20161119) Imagine that if a professor wants students to learn as much as possible about a project in a short period of time, is it better for students to work in a group or to study alone?

10.(20171104) Some high school teachers (teachers of students aged 14–18) spend most of the class time lecturing while the students listen and take notes.Other high school teachers spend most of the class time on discussion and projects that students are highly involved in and exchange their ideas.Which of these two approaches do you think is more effective for students’ learning and why?

11.(20151024) School should focus more on improving facilities (libraries, computers, or labs) for students than on hiring famous teachers.

12.(20160903) Colleges and universities must do a good job of preparing students for their future career.

13.(20130913) Many high school students are doing a lot of schoolwork.However, some people believe that students should help their parents with household chores, since it is the best way to give them a sense of responsibilities.

14.(20080330) Students can receive a more efficient education if they spend 11 months a year studying at school.

15.(20170715) Some people think having classes on the Internet is good while others think having classes with a teacher in the classroom is good.Which one do you prefer and why?

16.(20180127=20170325) Which one of the reasons is most important in helping students to study in colleges and universities?

17.(20180128) Which of the following options best improves young children’s education? Hiring more teachers; providing preschool education; letting teachers learn new teaching methods.

18.(20180303) If you are going to graduate from the university and have to choose the final course, which professor will you choose? The one you used to sign up for courses or the one you have never learned from before?

19.(20180415) Playing sports would teach people important lessons about life.

20.(20170114) Since university students have a long break between semesters, the university requires all students to do one of the following for a month during the break:

21.(20170909) Your friends have the opportunity to choose either one of two types of majors (fields of study).Which one of the following two majors do you think is a better choice, and why?

22.(20171105) University students are often encouraged to study fields in which significant job growth (a large increase in job opportunities) is expected; these fields currently include science, technology, engineering, and math.Do you believe students should consider studying fields related to these subjects even if they are more interested in other subjects? Why or why not?

23.(20170226) Rather than helping their children do schoolwork, parents should encourage their children to do schoolwork independently.

24.(20171015) Which of the following ways can help children behave better?

25.(20171112) Older teenagers (16–19) should be allowed to work at paid part-time job or not.

26.(20170513) Which value should be shared by children (5–10 years old) most and why?

27.(20170923) Your university offers two choices to freshmen to help them adapt to university life.Which do you prefer and why?

28.(20170924) High school graduates usually have two months’ break before they go to college or university.The high school now requires all the graduates to do one of the following to take full advantage of this break.

29.(20170917) Which way do you think is the most effective way for a school to reduce the phenomenon of cheating on exams?

30.(20151114) When parents cannot afford time to accompany with their children, they could choose to send their children to child-care center where many children are cared together, or they could send their children to an individual caregiver.Which one is better?

31.(20170423) Some young people are free in the evenings or have days off at school.Which way can bring them the most benefits?

32.(20161022) Some teenagers take part in various activities, such as music classes, sports lessons and so on, but others only focus on one activity which is important to them.

33.(20161119) Imagine that if a professor wants students to learn as much as possible about a project in a short period of time, is it better for students to work in a group or to study alone?

34.(20171029) A university is considering requiring students to take public speaking class, no matter what field they study.

35.(20160910) Primary schools should spend more time teaching young students (5–11 years old) technology (like computer) than teaching them music and art.

36.(20171209) Which ability do you think is the most important for high school teachers (whose students are aged from 15 to 18)?

37.(20180506=20160123) Some people think that some lessons for young children (age 4–8) which include video games can serve as effective and interesting ways of learning, while others think that these lessons are quite distracting and can be seen as a waste of time.What is your opinion and why?

38.(20171111) Parents give their children allowance money to buy whatever they want.Some people think this can cause bad habits and ideas about money in children while others hold the opposite opinion.Which opinion do you agree with?

39.(20130614) The most important goal of education is to teach people how to educate themselves.

40.(20180601) A school will award teachers according to their performance.Which way of evaluating teachers’ performance do you think is more useful, the evaluation by students or by other teachers?

41.(20190728) Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Teachers should give primary school students (aged 5–10) no more than 30 minutes’ homework because they’ve already got enough instructions from school in the day.

42.(20190526) Some students prefer to choose smaller classes with fewer students (professors can know each student’s name), while others prefer taking bigger classes with lots of students.Which do you prefer and why?

43.(20190330) Should parents limit the time their children use electronic devices?

44.(20190224) Currently, it is discovered that many university students do not have good learning habits.Some people think they should be required to take courses teaching learning skills, others think there is no need to set the classes as compulsory courses.

45.(20190223) Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? It is difficult for a teacher to be both popular (well-liked) and effective in helping students with learning.

第二章 工作类话题

1.(20161015) Young people should try different jobs before they decide which job or career they will do in the long term.

2.(20150830) Do you agree or disagree with this following statement? It is important to have rules about the types of clothing that people are allowed to wear at work and at school.

3.(20170930) Do you agree or disagree with this following statement? Companies should pay for their workers to get degrees in college.

4.(20170625) It is better to work for business owned by someone else than to work for the business of one’s own family.

5.(20180310) Which one is the most important factor to help you work productively?

6.(20180324) People should take time to relax with hobbies or physical activities that are very different from what they do at work.

7.(20160709) Which kind of job would you like to choose: a high-paying job with long hours or a job with an average pay yet with normal work hours?

8.(20170923) Working in a small company is better than working in a large company.

第三章 科技类话题

1.(20151011) It is a waste of money for governments to fund the space travel or space explorations.

2.(20170624) Some people believe that our ever-increasing use of technology significantly reduces our opportunities for human interaction; other people believe that technology provides us with new and better ways to communicate and connect with one another.Which opinion are you in favor of and why?

3.(20150125) It is better for colleagues and classmates to communicate through emails than in person.

4.(20140615=20180512) Some people prefer to buy technological devices as soon as they are available to the public, while other people prefer to wait until many people have used them.Which do you prefer?

第四章 社会类话题

1.(20150528) Movies are worth watching only when they teach something about real life.

2.(20160618) People should be open to new ideas and change his or her mind to be successful.

3.(20150912) To succeed, it is better to look like others instead of being different.

4.(20151129) Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? One quality that a successful leader must have is to make decisions quickly; when a leader takes too much time to make decisions, he/she will be seen as inefficient to the people he/she leads.

5.(20150131) The rules that societies expect young people to follow are too strict.

6.(20161029) It’s more important to use your own knowledge and experience than ask others for knowledge and experience to solve problems.

7.(20151115) The more money a person has, the more he should give to charities.

8.(20150711) Teachers should be paid at least as much as doctors, lawyers or business leaders.

9.(20180311) Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? People can solve important problems in daily life on their own or with help from families, so the help from government is not necessary.

10.(20130302) We should state our honest opinion even though others may disagree with us.

11.(20171014) Achieving success is not the most important thing in one’s life.Remaining happy and optimistic when you fail is more important.

12.(20150418) People should set ambitious goals or focus on realistic goals.

13.(20190309) Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? The most important problem affecting the society will be resolved during your lifetime.

14.(20190105) Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? The governments and corporations should share all their scientific discoveries with other countries in the world.

第五章 生活类话题

1.(20161211) Visiting museums is the best way to learn about a country.

2.(20160702) Competition between friends usually impacts friendships negatively.

3.(20160821) Some believe that being far away from those we care about is necessary for us to understand the importance of our relationship.Others believe that spending time with those we care about as much as possible can help develop our relationship.Which opinion do you agree with and why?

4.(20161210) Which option do you prefer? Traveling to foreign countries when you are young is better than when you are older.

5.(20170225) The way a person dresses is a good indication of his/her personality or character.

6.(20170107) You are helping to select a leader for a student organization or club.Do you agree or disagree that a person’s honesty is the most important thing to consider in deciding whom to vote for?

7.(20170506) Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? It is impossible to always be completely honest with your friends.

8.(20150913) Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? It is just as important for older people to study and learn new things as it is for younger people.

9.(20170415) Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? It’s better to have friends who are intelligent than to have friends who have a good sense of humor.

10.(20180331) What is the most useful way to help the environment?

11.(20171028) Many filmmakers make movies based on books.Some people prefer to read the book before they watch the movie, while other people prefer to watch the movie before they read the book.Which do you prefer?

12.(20160409) Getting advice from friends who are older than you is more valuable than getting advice from friends of your same age.

13.(20151213) Some people think that older children should take the responsibility to take care of their younger brothers and sisters, while others think that parents should do the whole work.Which do you prefer?

14.(20171217) If your friend want to reduce living expenses, what would you suggest?

15.(20170610) Some people like to buy and eat their meals at restaurants frequently, while others like to do this at home.Which do you prefer?

16.(20170401=20150530) You have long been friends with someone.If he or she does something that you don’t like, should you still be friends with him or her?

17.(20160703) People who have learned many different skills are more likely to succeed than those who focus on learning only one skill.

18.(20170311) It is better to relax by watching a movie or reading a book than by doing physical exercise.

19.(20171202=20151220) Which aspect would you like to change in order to improve your health?

20.(20180519) Physical exercise is more important to older people than younger people.

21.(20180526) When you do some tasks that need creativity, do you prefer to work with others or do them by yourself?

22.(20190616) Which of the following places will you visit if you want to know a city you visit for the first time and only have a short time to stay?

23.(20190601) Do you prefer visiting popular places with many tourists or places with less tourists?

24.(20190518) Which strengthens friendships, enjoying good time together or talking about problems and supporting each other?

25.(20190126) When you make a presentation, it is better to record the presentation or ask others to help you find weaknesses and improve skills?

第六章 政府类话题

1.(20160124) In times of economic crisis, in which field do you think the government can cut financial support?

2.(20160522) As the leader of a city, what would you do to ensure the prosperity and success of the city?

3.(20160625) What is the most important action for the government to take for the protection of environment?

4.(20160710) The government wants to improve the education of high schools, and there are two plans:

5.(20150905) In order to attract more tourists, the government could either improve safety by hiring more police or improve its appearance by repairing old buildings and streets.Which way do you think is more effective?

6.(20151212) Some companies provide important products or service, but also damage the environment.Some people believe that government should impose more penalty, higher tax and larger fine on these companies, while others believe there are better ways.Which do you prefer?

7.(20170826) Modern agriculture methods damage the environment, but providing food for the growing population around the world is more important than protecting the environment.

8.(20151205=20160910) Providing Internet access is as important as other services, like constructing roads, so the government should provide it at no cost.

9.(20151128) It is more important for the government to spend more money on art and music museums than on facilities (like playgrounds, public swimming pools).

10.(20170701) What is the most useful action for people to help protect the environment?

11.(20151107) Government should not give artists (musicians, filmmakers, writers etc.) any financial support.

第七章 今昔对比类话题

1.(20110108) The food we eat today are healthier than the food we ate in the past.

2.(20171021=20141213) Students nowadays are more interested in politics than in the past.

3.(20171210) Students do not respect teachers as much as they did in the past.

4.(20190803) Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? In modern days, parents can learn more from their children than children can learn from their parents.