2017“外研社杯”全国英语写作大赛初赛
Task 1 Argumentative Writing
Write an essay in response to the passage below. You should state clearly whether you agree or disagree with the passage and explain your reasons for the position you take. In developing and supporting your position, you should consider ways in which the author’s opinion might or might not hold true and explain how these considerations shape your position. You should write about 500 words.
If you still think of the Internet as a means of opening up a vast world of information to people, you may be completely wrong. Playing a positive role in its early days, the Internet is now enclosing people in a walled room.
Have you noticed that when different people google the same thing, for example, “Chinese culture” or “America”, they get different search results? Websites selectively guess which information is appropriate to a user based on his/her location, past-click behavior and search history, and tailor information and recommendations accordingly. The more one uses the Internet, the more likely one is kept away from different opinions, and trapped in one’s own cultural ideological bubble. The situation worsens when Internet-boosted social networks creep into every corner of our lives. Although there seems to be a large amount of information updated almost every second, the information is only available from people’s friend-circles or the subscriptions (公众号) they choose. Beyond these circles and choices, people do not really have access to the unknown. They become imprisoned in a confined world.
Task 2 Expository Writing
The following graphs show the development of the mobile Internet and its use for reading in China. Write an essay based on the graphs. In your essay, you should summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons where relevant. You should write at least 300 words but no more than 500 words.
Graph 1: Number of mobile Internet users and annual growth rates (2011-2017)
Graph 2: Market size for mobile Internet reading products and annual growth rates (2011-2017)
古希腊哲学大师亚里士多德说：人有两种，一种即“吃饭是为了活着”,一种是“活着是为了吃饭”.一个人之所以伟大，首先是因为他有超于常人的心。
“志当存高远”,“风物长宜放眼量”,这些古语皆鼓舞人们要树立雄无数个自己，万千种模样，万千愫情怀。
有的和你心手相牵，有的和你对抗，有的给你雪中送炭，有的给你烦忧……
与其说人的一生是同命运抗争，与性格妥协，不如说是与自己抗争，与自己妥协。
人最终要寻找的，就是最爱的那个自己。
只是这个自己，有人终其一生也未找到；有人只揭开了冰山的一角，有人有幸会晤一次，却已用尽一生。
人生最难抵达的其实就是自己。
我不敢恭维我所有的自己都是美好的，因为总有个对抗的声音：“你还没有这样的底气。
”
很惭愧，坦白说，自己就是这个样子：卑微过，像一棵草，像一只蚁，甚至像一粒土块，但拒绝猥琐！懦弱过，像掉落下来的果实，被人掸掉的灰尘，但拒绝屈膝，宁可以卵击石，以渺小决战强大。
自私过，比如遇到喜欢的人或物，也想不择手段，据为己有。
贪婪过，比如面对名利、金钱、豪宅名车，风花雪月，也会心旌摇摇，浮想联翩。
倔强过，比如面对误解、轻蔑，有泪也待到无人处再流，有委屈也不诉说，不申辩，直到做好，给自己证明，给自己看！
温柔过，当爱如春风袭来，当情如花朵芳醇，黄昏月下，你侬我侬。
强大过，内刚外柔，和风雨搏击，和坎坷宣战，不失初心，不忘梦想，虽败犹荣。
这样的自己一个个站到镜中来，千面万孔。
有的隐着，有的浮着，有的张扬，有的压抑，有的狂狷，有的沉寂，有的暴躁，有的温良……
庸俗的自己，逐流的自己，又兼点若仙的自己，美的自己，丑的自己，千篇一律的自己，独一无二的自己。
我们总想寻一座庙宇，来安放尘世的疲惫，寻一种宗教，来稀释灵魂里的荒凉。
到头来，却发现，苦苦向往的湖光山色，原来一直在自己的心里，我就是自己的庙宇，我就是自己的信仰。
渺小如己，伟大如己！
王是自己，囚是自己。
庙堂是自己，陋室是自己。
上帝是自己，庶民是自己。
别人身上或多或少都投射着一个自己，易被影响又不为所动的自己。
万物的折痕里都会逢到一个缩小版的自己，恍如隔世相逢，因此，会痴爱某一物，也会痛恨某一物的自己。
万事的细节里都会找到自己的影子，或喜或忧的自己。
自己，无处不在。
它和大海一样广阔，和天空一样无垠。
有时似尘埃泛滥拥挤，有时又似山谷空洞留白。
但它却从不曾逃出拳拳之心，忠诚于心的自己。