treating pollutants, they may dump noxious substances during the night. So it is necessary to set up a watchdog team to supervise the plant's sewerage treatment. If the plant fails to meet the ecological standards, we have no choice but to shut it down. After all, human life is more important than anything else. If the workers lose their jobs because of the close-down, the
government can give them subsidies and run training programs so that they can find new jobs in other sectors of the economy. If the local economy is badly hit by the close-down, the central government can consider subsidizing the local government for a certain period of time until the jobless workers are re-employed. 4.Which types of energy should we use: wood, coal, petroleum, water power, nuclear energy or solar energy? Give your reasons. In my opinion, we should try our best to avoid using wood and coal as fuel. The burning of wood creates air pollution. Moreover, trees cannot be reproduced easily. It takes dozens of years or even hundreds of years for a young tree to grow into a big tree. Similarly, coal burning pollutes the air. It would be even more difficult to reproduce coal. The formation of coal takes thousands of years. Nowadays, people use petroleum the most. Cars, ships, aircraft and many factories depend on it. It causes less pollution than coal and wood, but it is also non-renewable. To leave enough
resources for future generations, we need sustainable
development. We have to use those fossil fuels less and turn to other types of energy such as water power, nuclear energy and solar energy.
Unit 8：
1.Compare air and rail transport and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each.
It is obvious that air transport or air travel is fast. Within hours, a plane can carry passengers and cargo to a place, thousands of miles away. Business people can fly to a distant city, do business there, and fly back on the same day. A train, on the other hand, goes at a slower speed. It may take you more than a day to travel to a faraway place in the country. A problem with plane is that it is incapable of transporting large quantities of freight. In this respect the train is superior. The train can carry more goods than the plane and other modes of land transport.
2.Do you prefer to fly business class or economy class?
I prefer economy class. Thrift is considered a traditional virtue in Chinese society, and most people do not want to waste money on something that is not absolutely necessary. Some people want to
fly business class, for they feel more comfortable in a bigger seat with a better choice of foods and drinks. But I don't think the small benefits are worth the high costs. However, in some cases, for example, when traveling with an important business partner, I might want to buy business-class, or even first-class tickets to show my company's financial strength and give him/her confidence in doing business with us.
3.Do you wish to be a flight attendant? Why or why not? First, flight attendants often have ample opportunities to fly to different parts of the country or even of the world. Through their service, flight attendants interact with many passengers. As a result, they tend to develop good interpersonal skills, which will prove to be valuable in the future, even after they transfer to a different job. Last but not least, flight attendants are usually well paid. But there are some disadvantages as well. An obvious drawback is that, often, they cannot go back home everyday. This irregular pattern of life makes it difficult for them to stay with their families. What's more, some passengers can be rude and unpleasant. The most undesirable aspect of their job, however, is the danger of accidents. All the advantages of a flying career disappear in a crash.
4.Many airline companies are lowering fares and making smaller profits. Give some of the possible reasons.
Airfares used to be quite high, so the aviation (航空) industry was highly profitable. The economic benefits drew more companies into the market, which in turn led to more intense competition. To survive in it, airlines have had to cut prices, which means smaller profits. In recent years, fuel has become increasingly expensive, and this has cut further into airline companies' profits. With higher salaries for employees, airlines now have only small profit margins. Unit 9：
1.Name some Western and Chinese festivals, and special days that seem to be especially important, and explain why they are important.
There are a number of Western festivals, such as Christmas, Boxing Day, Thanksgiving Day, New Year's Day, New Year's Eve, Halloween, Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, and Father's Day. There are also a number of traditional festivals in China, such as the Spring Festival (or the Chinese New Year), the Lantern Festival, the Pure Brightness Festival (or Qingming Festival or the Tomb-Visiting Festival), the Dragon Boat Festival, the
Mid-Autumn Festival, the Double-Ninth Festival (or the Seniors'
Day), etc. Some Western holidays such as Mother's Day, Father's Day and Valentine's Day are also becoming popular in China. In the West, Christmas is obviously the most important festival since it involves a long holiday, and almost all the people celebrate it. In fact, it has become quite popular in many non-Western countries. In China the Spring Festival is clearly the most important traditional holiday, which lasts three days or more and most Chinese both at home and abroad celebrate it.
2.Do you think it is necessary for the Chinese to celebrate Christmas?
I think we Chinese should pay more attention to traditional Chinese festivals such as the Spring Festival, the Lantern Festival and the Mid-Autumn Festival. Observance of those traditional holidays increases cohesion of the entire nation. If those traditional holidays should disappear, it would be a loss to Chinese culture and to world civilization as well. On the other hand, Christmas is a season for people to be jolly. It is also an occasion for people to express love and other pleasant feelings. When family members get together for a huge dinner, they have a sense of warmth and closeness. When children receive gifts, they are excited, and their happiness is infectious. As the world has