Test 1Grades and AbilitySome people consider that grades can reflect students’ability in their academic pursuit. In their eyes, the higher the grades, the smarter the students must be. In the competition for top position in a class or school, it is hard to be a winner but easy to be a loser. Therefore students with high grades are admired and respected. Others think that high grades don’t necessary mean superior ability. The so called top students sometimes are very slow in solving practical problems such as fixing a bicycle or install an appliance. So they are often called bookworms.In my opinion, grades are really important for us students, because admission to good colleges and universities for further study and successful application for nice jobs depend on good grades. The school admission officers and potential employers use grades to assess students’abilities. But grades are not the sole criterion for stunts’ abilities. Academic advancement should be combined with excellent manifestation in practicality. In short, both the mind and the hands should be developed at the same time, so that we not only know how to do the job, but also can do it with our own hands.Test 2How to Keep Psychologically HealthyOne in four people will experience some kind of mental health problem in the course of a year. When you fail to manage to solve or control these problems, they are likely to cause various mental illnesses and, as a result of physiological imbalance, physical illnesses will be induced. Therefore, you may not be able to live a normal life, let alone a fulfilling one.The causes of mental health problems often vary a lot from one case to another. In today’s society, a large number of people are suffering from heavy pressure. Others are lacking in communication skills and feel as if they were living in an isolated world. In addition, a lot of people are ignorant of psychological knowledge about how to keep mentally fit.There are many ways to solve mental health problems and keep psychologically healthy. Firstly, find the real cause of your mental health problem and see whether you can do something to make a change. Secondly, learn to relax yourself and take exercise to release the pressure. After all, your health is what counts most. Lastly, you may find it helpful to talk to your partner, a relative or a friend about your problems, or seek support and advice from a psychological consultant.Test 3Living a Low-Carbon LifeSince the Copenhagen Climate Conference, living a low-carbon life has been a hot topic.Living a low-carbon life is virtually of great significance to the protection of our environment because it can help reduce our environment pollution and slow down global warming.Living a low-carbon life means energy saving and pollutants reduction (mainly carbon dioxide). It is the responsibility of both the government and the public. Of course, the government should carry out a low-carbon economy (policy) by promoting the use of clean energy and renewable energy, such as solar energy, wind energy, water energy, encouraging the planting of more tress because trees can take in CO2 and the recycling and reusing waste to lighten the burden of eco-system. For the general public, living a low-carbon life means energy saving: water saving, gas saving and “green” travel and so on.Every small deed counts in our efforts to protect our earth. As college students, we should spare no effort to enhance the consciousness of the public to live a low-carbon life. Besides, we can and should do many other things. For example, we can send e-greeting cards instead of traditional paper cards; we should save electricity as well as water by using energy-saving lamps, turning out the lights the moment we leave, and turning off the tap in time; we can make good use of every piece of paper and use more second-hand textbooks; we should use environmentally friendly bags instead of plastic ones while shopping; we should less often use air-conditioners both at home and in college; we should advocate more car-free days among car owners.Test 4My View on Training Courses for ChildrenIn present China, especially in cities, most of the younger parents would like to send their children to various kinds of training courses to learn painting, dancing, piano playing, calligraphy, etc. These parents hold the view that they are cultivating their children in a well rounded way. They believe that the future society is bound to be more competitive, and only those gifted in many ways can fit into it.Some other parents, however, do not think so. They are against their children taking part in such courses. They think childhood is a period of freedom from any care. The various training courses are nothing but a burden for children. Adults shouldn’t place additional burden on them; otherwise, their physical and mental development will be hindered.I am inclined to the former view because I know that young couples in China today each have only one child. They can afford the time and money to train their child in various aspects, and most of them want their child to be a talented person able to establish himself in his future career. But I think those young parents should remember two points: don’t force their child to do what he or she has no interest in; and don’t let their child “eat” too much that he or she is not able to digest.Test 5Censorship, Is It Necessary or Not?Nowadays, people can get access to almost any information from various sources including TV, films, books or the Internet, but some harmful information threatens the next generation’sdevelopment and even social security. Hence a question arises whether there should be censorship of information in society or not.In my opinion, information censorship is necessary but it should be carried out to the right limit or degree since it has both advantages and disadvantages. To begin with, information censorship helps protect children from excessive violence and obscene materials. Children cannot tell what is right or wrong and what is real or unreal. They are easily influenced by misinformation and unhealthy information. Therefore, we should keep inappropriate materials out of their reach by means of censorship. At the same time, such some information or materials as those demonstrate and encourage racism, violence or terrorism are extremely harmful to society and they should be banned from the public ear and eye. Otherwise serious social problems will be caused and social security might be threatened. So many people call for governmental regulation of monitoring the materials.However, people do have the right of free speech and free press. Many of them believe that it is not fair to limit the public right of getting informed and to damage the atmosphere of free expression of ideas just for children’s sake. In their mind, parental guidance is a better measure than censorship to monitor what children see or read. Furthermore, most adults use information for communication and exchange instead of evil purposes like sexual gratification. They should have the freedom to access different information sources and decide what to accept and what to reject.In conclusion, parents should strictly control what their children watch or read, and the government should censor children’s books, films and websites to screen harmful information. On the other hand, since it is people’s right to choose what they want to know, the government should not cut off benign information through censorship.Test 6Craze for Dual DegreesRecently, there has been a craze for studying for dual degrees among undergraduates. For example, English majors may also major in economics, and some students can work for majors in both politics and law. In this way, they can be awarded double bachelor’s degrees when they graduate from the university several years later.Why has studying for dual degrees gained popularity with college students? Three factors may weigh heavily for it. The phenomenon first should be attributed to improved teaching facilities and methods in universities. Nowadays, more and more universities boast of their rich teaching resources, which make it possible for them to offer dual-degree programs. Secondly, studying for another different but perhaps relevant major can make their study in university more colorful, enrich students’knowledge, and hence a better knowledge structure. The last and also most important contributing factor is fierce competition in the workforce market. With the job market being increasingly competitive, people of multiple skills are given preference to, and so those who have two majors are at an advantage over others when they graduate.However, one point should be born in mind that not all universities and students are suitable for dual-degree programs. If the universities lack the necessary facilities and cannot guarantee the teaching quality and if the students have difficulty even in their first major, it is not advisable to carry out the dual-degree program.Test 7Living in or out of Campus?Nowadays college students are allowed to live alone off campus. Some people still take it for granted that college students should live on campus where they can learn from each other. They often neglect the fact that living in such small, noisy, crowded, inconvenient and simply furnished dormitories restricts the students’freedom, hinders their individual character development, and cuts off the students from the latest happenings of the world. Therefore, my attitude for living off campus is positive. The reasons are just as follows.First, it benefits my study. I can stay up as late as I want. I can read aloud, listening to the tapes to practice my listening skills, and even learn things through Internet surfing. What’s more, it broadens my social life. I can meet my parents, relatives, and friends freely, and invite them to my place. I can even practice my cooking skills. And at least, living alone off campus provides necessary privacy for me. I can enjoy a comfortable, convenient and independent life. I don’t need to worry about bringing inconvenience to others and vice versa.In conclusion, it’s really nice living alone off campus because there are so many advantages. If you have enough financial support, you can try this appealing way of college life.Test 8Say No to Drunk DrivingAs is known to all, drunk driving is very dangerous. It puts to risks no only the driver’s life but also those of other innocent people.Dangerous as drunk driving is, there have been more and more people who drive after drinking in recent years. One reason for this is that people have been getting wealthier these years. More and more people own cars and they like to drive to get-togethers on various occasions where they might drink alcohol. Another reason is that many people are overconfident with their driving skills. They believe that they can avoid accidents even if they are drunken. As a result, thousands of people fall victim to drunk driving each year.In my opinion, we should say no to drunk driving firmly and immediately. There have already been too many traffic accidents that are related to drunk driving. Therefore, in order to create a safer road condition for all citizens, strict laws and regulations are called for to ban drunk driving.Test 9Self-service TourCompared with the package tour, self-service tour is especially welcomed by the young people nowadays.Why is self-service tour so popular? Firstly, the travelers on a self-service tour have more freedom. They have the freedom to decide on which route to take, which scenic spots to see andhow long to stay. Secondly, self-service tour can be a good chance to understand and improve yourself. While traveling alone, you may have more time to listen to yourself and think about the meaning of life. Of course, the self-service tour requires the travelers to be fully prepared about it: they must be proactive and learn a lot from guide books before or during a trip; they must be cautious about the route and they should have certain surviving ability if they want to explore the wild alone.All in all, I think it is conducive for young people to try a self-service tour, for while we enjoy the tour we also learn and grow from this valuable experience.2009年12月大学英语四级考试真题Creating a Green CampusRecently, with the idea of making and maintaining “a green earth” being the focus of the society, “green campus” has become a more and more popular concept in universities or colleges, which, undoubtedly, will bring us an ever-lasting benefit to both our campus and our society.The concept of “green campus” does not only mean a green environment but a lso refers to an environmental sense in people’s mind. Campus plays a crucial role in educating the young generation and the consciousness of “green campus” will definitely produce a profound effect on students’ various environmental protection activities after their graduation. What’s more, the young generation is under the burden of severe environmental pollution and there are many problems waiting for them to solve.To make “green campus” come true, firstly, it is necessary to work out effective principles for the development of sustainable and recyclable campus. Secondly, it calls for people’s awareness of the serious pollution around us and actual action to reduce the waste. Last but not least, it is necessary to strengthen the ties between campus and society, so as to ensure that “green campus” can work smoothly with the co-effort of the whole society.。