2023年自考類英語自考英語寫作歷年高頻考題帶答案難題附詳解（圖片大小可自由調整）第1卷一.歷年考點試題黑鉆版(共50題)1.Readthefollowingpassagecarefullyandcomposea"topicoutline"forit.

HowtoLoseGracefully

Losingisanecessarypartoflife.Nobodylikestolose,yetineveryevenremotelycompetitivesituation,someonewill.Perhapsit'sthenextpromotionatwork,ortheselectionofastudentunionleader.Evensmallthings,likeplayingacardgame,haveanairofwinningandlosingtothem.However,it'swhatyoudowiththatfailurethatmakesallthedifference.Assumingoneisthe"loser",allofthesesituationspresentachoice.Onecaneitherbeasoreloseroragracefulloser.

Losinggracefullyisthefirststeptomoveforwardandovercometheloss.Infact,gracefullosersarehardlyimpactedbythelossatall,becausetheyknowanotheropportunitya-waitsthem.Theycongratulatetheiropponent,embracetheirfailureandtrytofigureoutwheretheywentwrong.Gracefullosersdonottakefailurepersonally,buttheydoacceptresponsibility.Theylearnfromtheloss,andthenapplywhatthey'velearnedsothatnexttimetheymaywin.

Sorelosersarequitetheopposite.Perhapsthebiggestriskofbeingasoreloseristhislossofhopeforthefuture.Sorelosersarestuckontheloss,andinsobeing,theymaymissoutonanewopportunitybecauseoftheirpoorattitude.Sorelosersgetangry.Theyblametheirlossontheopponent,nottakingresponsibilityfortheirownactions.Sorelosersholdontoresentment,andmayinternalizetheirfailure,leadingtolowself-esteemorevendepression.

Ofcourse,makinglemonadeoutoflife'slemonsisnotalwayseasy.Infact,itcanbedownrighthard.Butitisaprincipleworthlivingby.Howcanyoulosegracefully,evenwhenyoureally,reallywantedtowin?Essentially,youneedtorealizethatyouneverreallylose.

Infact,onceyoulearnhowtoreleasethefeelingsaboutlosing—theanger,theembarrassment,andtheresentment—youwillalwaysfeelsuccessful.Andthenanamazingthingwillhappen.WhenyouFEELsuccessful,youwillACTsuccessful,andthen,sureenough,youwillBEsuccessful.Asyouletgoofthefeelingsthatcausethesensationofloss,youdis-coverthatyouneverreallyloseanything.

Theobjectsinyourlifearealwayschanging,butwhatyouareatyourcoreischange-less.Themoreyoureleaseonthefearsandnegativityaboutwinningandlosing,theeasieritwillbetoacceptthingsthatdohappen.Whenyouloseorwin,you'llthenbeabletodosogracefully.

Byreleasingyournegativefeelings,youallowthecomingsandgoingsofyourlifetosimplyhappenastheydo.Thisgivesgreatreliefandalsoallowsyoutobepresentwithandforthenewopportunitiesthatarehereeverymoment.

Everyonehasfailedatsomepointinhisorherlife.Thisisnothingexceptional.Eveninadversesituations,oneshouldkeepinmindtheprincipleoflosinggracefully.Agracefulloserwillturnintoapotentialwinnerwhileasoreloserabiggerfailure.2.Thefollowingpassageisincompletewithonebodyparagraphmissing.Studythepassagecarefullyandwritethemissingparagraphinabout100words.Makesurethatyourtoneanddictionareinunitywiththepassageprovided.

Increasingly,overthepasttenyears,people—especiallyyoungpeople—havebecomeawareoftheneedtochangetheireatinghabit,becausemuchofthefoodtheyeat,particularlyprocessedfood,isnotgoodforthehealth.Consequently,therehasbeenagrowinginterestinnaturalfoods:foodswhichdonotcontainchemicaladditivesandwhichhavenotbeenaffectedbychemicalfertilizers,widelyusedinfarmingtoday.

Naturalfood,forexample,arevegetable,fruitandgrainwhichhavebeengrowninsoilthatisrichinorganicmatter.Insimpleterms,thismeansthatthesoilhasbeennourishedbyunusedvegetablematter,whichprovidesitwithessentialvitaminsandminerals.Thisinitselfisanaturalprocesscomparedwiththeuseofchemicalsandfertilizers,themainpurposeofwhichistoincreasetheamount—butnotthequality—offoodsgrownincommercialfarmingareas.Naturalfoodsalsoincludeanimalswhichhavebeenallowedtofeedandmovefreelyinhealthypastures.Comparethiswithwhathappensinthemassproductionofpoultry,therearebatteryfarms,forexamplewherethousandsofchickenslivecrowdedtogetherinonebuildingandarefedonfoodwhichislittlebetterthanrubbish.Chickenskeptinthiswayarenotonlytastelessasfood,theyalsoproduceeggswhichlackimportantvitamins.

Itissignificantthatnowadaysfibreisconsideredtobeanimportantpartofahealthydiet.Inwhitebread,forexample,thefibrehasbeenremoved.Butitispresentinunrefinedflourandofcourseinvegetables.Itisinterestingtonotethatincountrieswherethenationaldietcontainslargequantitiesofunrefinedflourandvegetables,certaindiseasesarecomparativelyrare.Hence,theemphasisisplacedontheeatingofwholemealbreadandmorevegetablesbymodernexpertson"healthyeating".3.Writeadescriptionofyourdormitory.4.Somepeopleoftensay,"Opportunityplaysavitalroleinsuccess".Doyougoalongwiththeidea.Writeanessay(about300words)expressingyourviewonit.5.Writeadescriptionofsceneincity.6.Readthefollowingpassagecarefullyandcomposea"sentenceoutline"or"topicoutline"forit.

MohandasGandhiandMartinLutherKing

Twotwentieth-centuryleaderswhohavecontinuedtoinfluencenon-violentsocialpro-testsmovementsinternationallyareMohandasGandhiandMartinLutherKing,Jr.Ofdifferentracesandcultures,bornonoppositesidesoftheworldinnationsvastlydifferentinwealthandtechnology,thesetwoaggressivemenintheirlateryearssharedthephilosophyofnon-violent,butdirect,actionandexpendedtheirlivesinpursuitofpeacefulsolutionstosocialinequities.Anexaminationoftheirlives,consequently,revealsbothsimilaritiesanddifferencesintheirfamilybackgrounds,ideology,andplansforsocialaction.

Gandhi'sandKing'sfamilybackgroundsshowsimilaritiesanddifferences.GandhiwasaHindioftheBaniyu(Trading)Caste;Hisfather,nevertheless,waschiefministerofthesmallstateofKathiawad.GandhibrokewiththetraditionofhisfamilyandwenttoEnglandtostudylawattheageof19,wherehehadhisfirstcontactwithWesternculture.WhilehereadandstudiedtheBiblewithinterest,hebecamemoredeeplyconvincedofthelogicalityandprofundityoftheHindireligion.King,ablackAmerican,wasbornintoafamilyofChristianministers.Hisfatherwasthepastorofachurchwhichhisfather-in-lawhadfoundedmanyyearsbefore.UnlikeGandhi,Kingdecidedtofollowthefootstepsofhisfatherandgrandfatherandstudyfortheministry.ItwasonlyafterstudyingthephilosophicworksofPlato,Aristotle,Hobbes,Marx,Neitzche,andfinallyGandhithathebegantoformulatehisownphilosophy,whichwassimilarinmanyrespectstoGandhi's.Theearlyenvironment,familytradition,anded

ucationofbothGandhiandKing,atsomepointssimilarbutatmostpointsdifferent,shapedtheircharactersandformedtheirexpectationsfortheirsocietiesandtheirpeople.

BothGandhiandKingbelievedthattheiraimscouldbeachievedthroughnon-violentmeans.Theyheldacommonideologyofnon-violence.Thiscommonideologyofnon-violencewasnottobeunderstoodasafailuretoact.Itshouldbeunderstoodasdirectresistancewhichisgroundedinloveforceoragraha.Gandhisaidmenmustresisttheevilthatmendobyrefusingtoobeyaman-madelawwhichcontradictedahighermorallaw.HeoftenremindedtheIndianpeoplethatbloodwouldhavetoflowbeforetheyattainedtheirends,buthesaidthebloodmustbetheirblood,nottheoppressor's.Kingcriedout,"Ihopenoonehastodieasaresultofourstruggle...butifanyonehastodie,letitbeme."KingremindedblackAmericansthattheymustlovetheirenemiesevenifitmeanssufferinganddeath.SimilaritiesintheideologiesofthetwomenaremostapparentsinceGandhiwasoneofthemajorinfluencesinthedevelopmentofKing'sphilosophy.

AninvestigationoftheplansforsocialactionofGandhiandKingyieldsseveralpointsofagreementaswellasnumerousdivergences.Gandhi'smainconcernwastoestablishIndiaasanindependencenation.HewantedtofreethepeopletobuildandgovernIndiaforIndiansandnotfortheuseanddevelopmentofanexternalpower.Ontheotherhand,King'sconflictwasinternal.HesoughttoachievejusticeandequalityforblacksinaccordancewiththeidealsofAmericandemocracy.Bothmensawthenecessityforsomekindofeconomicprogramwhichwouldmakethemassesofthepoorself-supporting.GandhitriedtoencouragethepoorvillagersinIndiatolearntohand-spinclothasonemeansofachievingeconomicindependenceandculturalsolidarity.Inalikemanner,Kingurgedblackstoestablishtransportationandfoodserviceswhichwouldbesupportedbytheblackcommunity.Theeconomicandsocialprograms,alongwiththesupportivemarchesanddemonstrations,wereimportantsocial-actiontechniquese

mployedbybothGandhiandKingastheystruggletoimprovethequalityoflifefortheiroppressedpeoples.

BothGandhiandKingwerehighlyrespectedleaders,whosephilosophieswerearticulatedsoclearlythattheycontinuetoinfluencecontemporarythoughtandsocialmovements.Theirfamilybackgrounds,theirbeliefinthedignityandworthoftheindividual,andtheirsupportofthepoormassesledthemtolivesofnon-violentresistanceandfinalmartyrdom.Butevenasuperficialexaminationoftheirlivesrevealsdifferencesaswellassimilaritiesintheirbackgroundsandinthedevelopmentoftheirinfluentialideologies.7.HowtoLoseGracefully

Losingisanecessarypartoflife.Nobodylikestolose,yetineveryevenremotelycompetitivesituation,someonewill.Perhapsit'sthenextpromotionatwork,ortheselectionofastudentunionleader.Evensmallthings,likeplayingacardgame,haveanairofwinningandlosingtothem.However,it'swhatyoudowiththatfailurethatmakesallthedifference.Assumingoneisthe"loser,"allofthesesituationspresentachoice.Onecaneitherbeasoreloseroragracefulloser.

Losinggracefullyisthefirststeptomoveforwardandovercometheloss.Infact,gracefullosersarehardlyimpactedbythelossatall,becausetheyknowanotheropportunityawaitsthem.Theycongratulatetheiropponent,embracetheirfailureandtrytofigureoutwheretheywentwrong.Gracefullosersdonottakefailurepersonally,buttheydoacceptresponsibility.Theylearnfromtheloss,andthenapplywhatthey'velearnedsothatnexttimetheymaywin.

Sorelosersarequitetheopposite.Perhapsthebiggestriskofbeingasoreloseristhislossofhopeforthefuture.Sorelosersarestuckontheloss,andinsobeing,theymaymissoutonanewopportunitybecauseoftheirpoorattitude.Sorelosersgetangry.Theyblametheirlossontheopponent,nottakingresponsibilityfortheirownactions.Sorelosersholdontoresentment,andmayinternalizetheirfailure,leadingtolowself-esteemorevendepression.

Ofcourse,makinglemonadeoutoflife'slemonsisnotalwayseasy.Infact,itcanbedownrighthard.Butitisaprincipleworthlivingby.Howcanyoulosegracefully,evenwhenyoureally,reallywantedtowin?Essentially,youneedtorealizethatyouneverreallylose.

Infact,onceyoulearnhowtoreleasethefeelingsaboutlosing—theanger,theembarrassment,andtheresentment—youwillalwaysfeelsuccessful.Andthenanamazingthingwillhappen.WhenyouFEELsuccessful,youwillACTsuccessful,andthen,sureenough,youwillBEsuccessful.Asyouletgoofthefeelingsthatcausethesensationofloss,youdiscoverthatyouneverreallyloseanything.

Theobjectsinyourlifearealwayschanging,butwhatyouareatyourcoreischangeless.Themoreyoureleaseonthefearsandnegativityaboutwinningandlosing,theeasieritwillbetoacceptthingsthatdohappen.Whenyouloseorwin,you'llthenbeabletodosogracefully.

Byreleasingyournegativefeelings,youallowthecomingsandgoingsofyourlifetosimplyhappenastheydo.Thisgivesgreatreliefandalsoallowsyoutobepresentwithandforthenewopportunitiesthatarehereeverymoment.

Everyonehasfailedatsomepointinhisorherlife.Thisisnothingexceptional.Eveninadversesituations,oneshouldkeepinmindtheprincipleoflosinggracefully.Agracefulloserwillturnintoapotentialwinnerwhileasoreloserabiggerfailure.8.Readthefollowingpassagecarefullyandcomposea"sentenceoutline"forit.

WhatTechnologyHasDonetoUs

Iamnotapatientperson.AsIwaswaitingfortheelevatortheotherday,Imusthavelookedatmywatch25timesinoneminute.Livinginaworldoffast-movingtechnology,Iamusedtoinstantreactions.Ipushabutton,theelevatorshouldopen,right?Ah,thisiswhattechnologyhasdonetome.

So,whydoweusetechnologicaldevicessomuch?Itsavestimeandisconvenient.WiththeInternet,wecanreceiveandsendinformation,communicatewithfriendsandbuyvariousitemsallinstantlybytheclickofamouse.Infact,ourpatiencelevelhaschangeddrasticallyallbecauseoffasterconnections.

Whilethistechnologydoesmakeitmoreconvenienttoreceiveinformation,sometimesIwonderifallthisistooconvenient.WetakeadvantageofthespeedsomuchthatiftheInternetisnotworkingorthefaxmachineisnotsendingproperly,ourworldseemstoshutdowntemporarily.Wesimplyfinditdifficulttofunctionwithoutaccesstooure-mailorupdatednews.Infact,technologycanoftenmakeuslazy.Icannotpossiblyspendthetimetomailaletterintheacclaimedsnailmail."Faxit.E-mailit,"theworldcries.Societyseemstorevolvearoundtimeasitneverdidbefore.

Thisspeedofcommunicationhascausedustobesoimpatientthatwehavegrownapartfromeachother.Oursocietycanpracticallythrivewithoutphysicalcontact.Manypeoplehavealltherequireddevicesalreadyintheirhomes:acomputer,Internetaccess,aphoneandafaxmachine.Doesanyoneelsethinkitisscarythatapersondoesnotneedtoevenleavehisorherbedroomtohavefullcontactwithanyoneintheworld?Ithinkitdecreasesourvalueofface-to-facehumancontactasawhole.Whyvisitsomeonewholives40minutesawaywhenyoucane-mailthemorchatonline?Itsavestime,yetnothingcanreplacehavingface-to-faceconversationwithsomeone.

WhataboutthosewhohavelimitedaccesstotheInternetorothertechnology?Theyseemtogetlost.Sometimes,whenIamtoobusytocheckmye-mailorhavenoaccess,Imissoutonimportantinformationandeventsthathavealreadytakenplacewithoutmyknowledge.Thecommonthoughtseemstobethatifyouhaveane-mailaddress,youmustcheckiteveryhour,right?Sadly,thisideaisbecomingtruth.

Whiletechnologyisanessentialpartofourthrivingsociety,itshouldbelessemphasizedastheonlywaytocommunicateefficiently.Instead,accuracyshouldbethepriority.WhiletheInternetandfaxmachinesarefaster,efficiencycanhaveitsdrawbacks.Theydonotalwayspromiseaccurateinformationinsending.Forexample,thesedevicesmightnotbethebestwaytosubmitimportantdocuments,suchascollegeapplications.Also,withtheInternet,valuableinformation,suchascreditcardinformation,canfallintothewronghandswithoutbeingdetected.

Whilecompletelyabandoningthesecommunicationdevicesisnotfeasible,societyneedstobemorepatientwiththeinefficienciesofhuman-madeinventionsandofcoursewithhumanconnections.

SentenceOutline9.Examinations

Inoursystemofeducationtoday,examinationsareacommonfeature.Ourpresenteducationsystemhasoftenbeencriticizedastooexamination-oriented.However,onemustrememberthatinofficesandotherareasofwork,examinationsstillfeatureclearly.Thereisnodoubtthatthefearandinfluenceofexaminationcausemuchpreparationwork.Soitthereforeappearsthatexaminationswhetherconsideredgoodorbadwouldstayforawhileasatestofhumanknowledge.

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Inofficeswhethergovernmentorprivateones,examinationresultsshowclearlywhetherapersonisfitforpromotion.Theresultsindicatehowmuchheknowsaboutthework.

Inourschools,examinationsplayseveralroles.Yearlyschoolexaminationshelptogradestudentsintodifferentclasses.Governmentexaminationhelptostreamstudentsintodifferentclassessothattheycanpursueaspecificlineofstudy.

Inallthesecases,examinationsinculcateaspiritofhardworkandcompetition.Studentsorofficeworkerscanrefreshtheirmindagainandagainonwhattheyhavelearnt.Thismaintainsacertainindividualandoverallstandardofknowledge.10.Readthefollowingpassagecarefullyandcomposea"sentenceoutline"forit.

TheDeclineinWritingSkills

Teachershavealwayscomplainedthatstudentscannotwritewellandtherecanbenodenyingthatinthepasttwenty-fiveyearswritingskillshavehitanall-timelow.Students,aswellasmanypeopleonthejobhavedifficultyexpressingthemselvesinwrittenEnglish.Thedeclineisdueinparttostudents,attitudetowardswritinginthepasttwodecadesandmoderndevicessuchasthetelevisionandthetelephone.

Thestudentprotestsover20yearsagowereamajorfactorforthedeclineinwritingskills.Atmanyschools,thefacultygaveinandgreatlyreducedoreliminatedfreshmancompositioncourses.Atonecollege,whereallundergraduateshadbeenrequiredtotaketwoyearsofEnglish,studentsweregiventheoptionoftakingcreditsinfinearts,humanities,orEnglish.Mostpreferredfineartssinceitrequiredlittleeffortontheirpart—andabsolutelynowriting.Withsolittledemand,theEnglishfacultydroppedfromseventy-onetothirtywithinoneyear.Compoundingtheproblemwasthefactthatsomefacultymembersfeltthatmakingstudentswritecorrectlywasstiflingtheircreativity.Theytoldstudentsnottoworryaboutsentencestructure,grammar,orspellingbutjusttogettheirfeelingsonpaper.Thosewhowrotepaperswithsloppysentencesandnumerousgrammarerrorscouldpassandevenscorehighiftheirideaswereontherighttrack.Theresultswerehorrendousandsaddeningbecausemanystudents'writingabilitygreatlydeclined.Theysimplycouldnotwriteproperly.

Thetelevisionandthetelephonemustalsobeheldresponsiblefortherapiddeclineinwritingskills.Televisionviewingincreasinglytakesupmoreandmoreofaperson'sleisuretime,timethatshouldbespentwritingandreading.Nolongerwillyoungsterswriteintheirdiariesortrytoexpresstheirfeelingsandthoughtsinpoetry.InsteadtheywouldmuchratherspaceoutinfrontoftheTV,remoteinhand,andswitchchannels.Laughterandscreamingareconstantlyheard.Norwilltheyreadextensivelyandbeexposedtotheworkingsofthelanguageandabsorbthenuancesofeffectivecommunication.Thetelephoneisevenagreaterculprit.Whyshouldonebothertowriteletterswhenonecanpunchinanumberandspeaktotheotherparty?Thereisnoneedtowritedownone'sthoughtsandthenwaitforaresponse;gratificationisimmediate.Moderntechnologyhaseveneliminatedtheneedtojotnotestoothermembersofthefamily:thememounitontheansweringmachinetakescareofthat.

Itisnowonderthatwritingskillshavesteadilydeclinedoverthepasttwenty—fiveyears.Today'syouths,forthemostpart,seelittleneedforwriting.Thetelephoneistheirdirectlineofcommunication,andthetelevisionsuppliesthemwithimmediateentertainment.Thestudentactivismofthe1970shashaditsownperverseeffect:itturnedoutawholegenerationthatwastaughtthatcorrectwritingissuccumbingtothedictatesofsociety.Andthehorrorofhorrorsisthatmanyofthesestudentsarenowteachers.11.Readthefollowingpassagecarefullyandcomposea"topicoutline"forit.

Oceanographyhasbeendefinedas"Theapplicationofallsciencestothestudyofthesea".

Beforethenineteenthcentury,scientistswithaninterestintheseawerefewandfarbetween.CertainlyNewtonconsideredsometheoreticalaspectsofitinhiswritings,buthewasreluctanttogotoseatofurtherhiswork.

Formostpeopletheseawasremote,andwiththeexceptionofearlyintercontinentaltravelersorotherswhoearnedalivingfromthesea,therewaslittlereasontoaskmanyquestionsaboutit,letalonetoaskwhatlaybeneaththesurface.Thefirsttimethatthequestion"Whatisatthebottomoftheoceans?"hadtobeansweredwithanycommercialconsequencewaswhenthelayingofatelegraphcablefromEuropetoAmericawasproposed.Theengineershadtoknowthedepthprofileoftheroutetoestimatethelengthofcablethathadtobemanufactured.

ItwastoMauryoftheUSNavythattheAtlnticTelegraphCompanyturned,in1853,forinformationonthismatter.Inthe1840s,MauryhadbeenresponsibleforencouragingvoyagesduringwhichsoundingsweretakentoinvestigatethedepthsoftheNorthAtlanticandPacificOceans.Later,someofhisfindingsarousedmuchpopularinterestinhisbookThePhysicalGeographyoftheSea.

Thecablewaslaid,butnotuntil1866wastheconnectionmadepermanentandreliable.Attheearlyattempts,thecablefailedandwhenitwastakenoutforrepairsitwasfoundtobecoveredinlivinggrowths,afactwhichdefiedcontemporaryscientificopinionthattherewasnolifeinthedeeperpartsofthesea.

Withinafewyearsoceanographywasunderway.In1872Thomsonledascientificexpedition,whichlastedforfouryearsandbroughthomethousandsofsamplesfromthesea.Theirclassificationandanalysisoccupiedscientistsforyearsandledtoafive-volumereport,thelastvolumebeingpublishedin1895.12.TooManyMoves

MyfirstsemesterofcollegewastheworstI'vebeenthrough.Everythingstartedoutsmoothlyenough.Ihadmadeplansduringthesummertoshareanapartmentwithtwoofmyclosefriendsfromhighschool.Wehadfoundaniceenoughapartmentabouttwomilesfromcampus,butbeforeweevenmovedin,problemsstarteddevelopingthatkeptmeonthemovetheentiresemester.

OneofthetwogirlsIwastoshareanapartmentwithwasgoingtoworkinsteadofgoingtocollege.However,aweekbeforeweweretomovein,shefoundoutthatshedidn'tgetthejobshehadbeencountingon.Shewasforcedtoliveathomeandlookforwork,andtwoofuswerestuckwithhighermonthlyrentpayments.Welastedforamonthandthenagreedthatwecouldn'tmakeitbyourselves.JoanmovedawayandIstartedlookingaround.

Ifoundanotherapartmentandtherentwasn'tbad.Theroomwassmallwithonetinybathroomforfourpeople.Theplacewasnoisy,butitwasthebestIcouldaffordforthetime.However,onedaywhenIreturnedfromschool,Isawsmokecomingfromthebackofthehouse.Thecottagehadcaughtfire,andthefiredepartmentwasputtingoutthelastflames.Myroomwasacharredmess;therewasnowaythatanyonecouldlivethereforalongtime.Iwasoncemoreoutofaplacetostay,andtherewasstilloveramonthofschoolleft.

Afterlookingaroundallweekendforlodging,Ifinallygaveupandmovedhome.Ihadtodrivefortymilestoschooleveryday,soIalmostspentasmuchongasasIwouldhaveonlodging.Ihadtodrivetoschool,gotoclasses,andcomehomeandsitinanemptyhouseforafewhours.Iwasverybored;I'dalsolostthewilltostudy.Ithadbeensuchabadsemestermovingallovertheplacethatmyheartwasn'tinschoolanymore.Sothesemesterjustplayeditselfout.13.Readthefollowingpassagecarefullyandcomposea"topicoutline"forit.

Computersmayonedayturnnightintoday—withgoodold,naturalsunlight.

Colossalcomputer-controlledmirrors,thousandsoffeetacross,mayonedayorbittheearth,reflectingsunlightontoadarkenedUnitedStates.

Somescientistssaythat16ofthesemirrors,eachaboutahalfmileacrosscouldaimtheirreflectedlightatoneareaontheearththatwasabout200milesby300miles.Thatmuchlightwouldequalabout56moons.

Themirrorswouldbesohighthattheycouldcatchthesun'slightasitwasshiningontheothersideoftheearth.Themirrorscouldorbit—thousandsofmileshigh—atthesamespeedastheearthturnsonitsaxis.Thatway,themirrorswouldalwaysbeoverthesamespot.

Thealuminum-coated,plasticmirrorscouldbefoldedupandpackedintoaspaceship,accordingtothescientist.Oncereleasedafewhundredmilesinspace,themirrors,poweredbyasolarpoweredengine,couldmaketherestoftripintospaceontheirown.

Thescientistssaythatthecomputer-controlledmirrorscouldalsobemadetotiltslowly,sothereflectedsunlightwouldsweepslowlyalongthesurfaceoftheearth.Forexample,asnightfell,themirrorscouldbetiltedtolightupBoston.Lateron,asdarknessspreadslowlywestward,Chicago,forexample,thenSanFranciscocouldbelitup.Thereflectedsunlightwouldallowthesecitiestosaveupelectricity.Andinemergencies,suchaspower-failures,themirrorscouldlightuptheaffectedarea.

Whatnooneknowsyetiswhateffectthisartificialdaytimewouldhaveonplants,animals,andhumans.Woulditconfusesomeanimalsandharmplantsthatareusedtoregularday-nightcycles?Thescientistsrecommendthatstudiesbedonetofindoutwhatbadeffectstheremightbe.14.BenefitsofFace-to-FaceCommunication

Face-to-facecommunicationisthefirstbasiccommunicationmethod.Intheeraofinformationtechnology,peoplearenowfacedwithamyriadofcommunicationoptions.Beitletters,emails,ortelephoneconversations,noneismoreeffectivethanface-to-faceinteraction,becauseithelpsthespeakertoconveyacompletemessage,obtainimmediatefeedback,andbuildtrustingrelationship.

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Inaddition,face-to-facecommunicationprovidesimmediatefeedback.Ifthemessageisambiguous,thespeakercanclarifyitrightaway.Thelistenercanraisequestionsifhefeelsconfused.Hence,thespeakercandetect