A卷

　　小作文

　　小作文為柱形圖，給出男女同學在課外參加體育運動的時常比例。

　　Word count: 181

　　The bar chart presents the information about the difference in the percentage of sports in outdoor school hours according to different genders.

　　The most obvious gap is observed in netball, where girls account for 18 percent of the outside school hours, in sharp contrast to the figure for boys, only around 2 percent. In terms of swimming, girls also show more preference than boys, with the percentage 16 of the former and 13 of the latter.

　　Football is the sport that attracts more attention from boys than girls. There are 20 percent of outdoor sports hours of boys in this category, while girls spent much less time on football, the number of which is almost 5 times less than that of boys.

　　In the category of basketball and no sports, the outdoor sports time for girls and boys is evenly matched. They spent comparatively more time on basketball, whereas the figure for no sports represent 4 percent and 5 percent respectively.

　　In conclusion, girls and boys have different preferences on different sports and swimming, football and netball are most welcomed.

　　大作文

　　Difference between countries are becoming less evident recently. People can see the same films, brands, fashion, advertisements and TV channels. To what extent do disadvantage outweigh advantages?

　　參考范文：

　　As a result of the accelerating process of globalization in various aspects, young people in different countries are more likely to enjoy the same music, films, or television programs, which invariably result in some similarities.

　　Some people may claim that it is more a curse than a blessing for the world. One argument commonly raised that this process will be damaging to the globe diversity. When locals are bombarded with foreign products or culture, they may gradually abandon their traditional values or ways of life, so this would have a negative impact on their national or cultural identities in the long run. They even quote numerous examples such as the Eskimo in Iceland and Mosuo ethnic group in Southwest China to illustrate their point of view.

　　While this is particularly true of some minority cultures, I want to point out that they are still special cases instead of the general rule.

　　Generally speaking, sharing something across the globe can contribute to a deeper mutual understanding between different nations. For example, a piece of country music by John Denver may well shed light on the peaceful daily life of Americans while a pop song by Cui Jian may introduce to Westerners a much more familiar China. What is more, an experience of some alien cultures may encourage more appreciation of the local ones, rather than assimilation or malfunction.

　　There is overwhelming evidence on this when we consider japan, or China, or even the US, which tend to incorporate the international elements into the local.

　　To conclude, I am quite optimistic about the prospect of an increasingly similar world. Of course, some minority groups may be put at a disadvantage for they cannot receive equal attention as the superpowers. So I also advocate that governments or other bodies should make efforts to bring these minorities into the international horizon.

　　B卷

　　小作文

　　表格， 講述八個國家1990年和2000年千人擁有摩托車的數量。

　　大作文

　　Some people think government should invest more money in teaching science than other subjects in order for a country to develop and progress. To what extent do you agree or disagree??

　　參考范文：

　　Knowledge is power, Francis bacon wrote long ago. Education has a key to play in one’s growth and a nation’s development.

　　Education is the driving force of productivity. Keeping this in mind, numerous countries and governments are paying closer attention to the cultivation of talents. People differ greatly in their views as to how to wisely allocate educational budget, some people assert that instead of supporting other subjects, national investment in science is desirable. As I see it, government should place equal stress on both science and arts.

　　Granted, plenty of evidence and arguments could be easily found to prove that it is advisable for a nation to subsidize science. For a start, the competition among different countries, to some extent, amounts to the competition of gifted people. Science and technology is the stimulating factor of the development of productivity. Large amounts of talents could inject new life into a nation’s prosperity. Besides, in comparison with art students, those who are better equipped with science knowledge such as computer, business and accounting could create more commercial value.

　　Nevertheless, it is rather superficial to simply say that national budget should be only restricted to science investment. The mightiness of a nation involves many aspects and the cultivation of good citizens or talents is to realize one’s comprehensive development. The construction of a country needs enterprisers, mathematicians and scientist, yet, on no account can we ignore the immense value of artists, writers, musicians. In addition to science subjects, literature, history, philosophy, music, art and PE should also become the aim of education. Literature strengthens one’s cultural deposit, history deepens one’s insight into life, philosophy fosters one’s analytical thinking, music moulds one’s temperament, art cultivates one’s artistic eye and PE enhances one’s health index. In these senses, art still deserves enough attachment and support. Art talents are indispensable to the betterment of a country.

　　Overall, I re-affirm my conviction that education should not have too much utilitarian, conversely, it needs to render more concerns over one’s spiritual growth and character-training. Ideal educational policy should place equal significance on science investment and other subjects.