1．频繁争执不利于婚姻幸福。（Constant arguing doesn’t make for a happy marriage.）
2．文化交流有助于相互了解。（Cultural exchanges make for//are beneficial to//are conducive to mutual understanding.）
3．我认为我们可以和他们做生意，但在做出任何举动之前我们需要派个人去进一步摸摸情况。（I think we can do business with them, but we need to send someone to spy out the land before any further step is taken.）
4．银行结算单使你清楚你的钱是怎么花的。（Bank statements help you keep track of where your money is going.）
5．我可以听到他们在压低了声音说话，但听不清他们在说些什么。（I could hear them talking in very low voice, but I can’t make out what they are talking.）
6．他颇带讽刺地冲我笑了一下，这使我真的很不舒服。（He cast me a sarcastic smile which made me really uncomfortable.）
7．‘你认为我们的电脑在夜里这么晚了还喜欢工作吗？就我所知，它想睡觉了。’我讽刺地对还在打电脑游戏的儿子说道。（‘Do you think our computer enjoys working at such a late hour of the night? I think, to the best of my knowledge, it wants to go to bed’ I said sarcastically to my son who was still playing computer games.）
8．从那时起，这座伟大的纪念碑对通过纽约港来到美国安家落户的千百万人来说就成了一个自由的象征。（Ever since then, the great monument has been a symbol of liberty for the millions of people who have passed through New York Harbor to make their homes in America.）
9．他跟别人说话总喜欢带一种教训人的语气。（He likes to speak to others in an instructive tone.）
10．全世界都屏息而待，看哪个城市会赢得2010年世博会的承办权。（All the world held its breath to see which city would win the right to host the 2010 World Exposition.）
11．赛跑运动员们脚尖抵着起跑线准备起跑。（The runners toed the line, ready to start.）
12．建议漂亮女性与自己的男性上司保持一定距离。（It is suggested that beautiful females should keep their male bosses at arm’s length.）
13．我想提醒我们中那些说的多做的少的人，你们的职位不可能永远为你们保留着。（I want to remind those among us who say a lot but do very little that your positions cannot be kept for you forever.）
14．映入眼帘的景象使我不禁倒吸一口凉气。（I gasped with shock at the scene coming into my eyes.）
15．哨声响起时我们的足球队正在做最后的挣扎//拼搏。（Our football team are at their last gasp when the whistle went.）
16．她听到那消息后大惊失色。（She paled with shock at the news.）
17．那个问题比较起我们正在讨论的这一个来就显得无足轻重了。（That issue pales into insignificance beside the one we are discussing now.）
18．我现在心绪烦乱如麻。（I’m in a confused state of mind.）
19．多好的机会呀，可让我给搞砸了。（It was such a good opportunity, but I messed it up!）
20．一丝淡淡的笑容从她脸上掠过。（A faint smile drifted across her face.）
Nowadays, we can learn from computers and we can also learn from Human teachers. What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of these two kinds of “teachers”?
Computers PK Human teachers
（一位高中学生的初稿）
With the development of computer science, we make use of computers almost in every aspect of life, especially in education. We download materials, listen to lectures and even take exams on the computer. Some people predict that one day computers will take the place of human teachers. Is that true? It is true that computers bring us a lot of conveniences. For example, we can listen to a lecture without leaving home and can stop at any time we want. We can also take free courses on the Internet. But we have to admit that if we have some questions while we are listening to the on-line lecture, no one can help us clear up our doubts right away. Perhaps we can only send an e-mail and then wait for the reply for days or even for weeks. However, we don’t have to face such problems if we learn from human teachers in that they can answer our questions at once. They can adjust their teaching process according to how well we can follow them, that is, they can adapt their teaching methods to suit their students’ levels. However, to learn from human teachers, we will have to go to school everyday, and in doing so, we will have to spend a lot of time traveling to and fro schools, thus suffering from traffic jams and all the other kinds of inconveniences.
As a whole, both computer teachers and human teachers have their advantages and disadvantages in their own special and unique way. Therefore, I’m sure they will exist side by side in the future.
任务：请评判该习作的总体情况：段落结构、语言水准、最终得分
修改稿
People’s views on the advantages and disadvantages of learning from computers and from human teachers vary from person to person. While some people believe that learning from computers is more convenient and more economical than learning from human teachers, there are others who hold that learning with the help of human teachers can ensure better learning effect. On a personal note, I argue that these two approaches both have positive and negative aspects and thereby a combination of these two approaches of learning is the best policy.
First, nowadays with the development of computer science, we use computers almost in every aspect of our life, especially in education. Some people predict that one day computers will take the place of human teachers. Is that true? It is true that it is both convenient and economical to learn this way. For example, we can listen to online lectures without leaving our homes and can stop at any time we want. We can also take free courses on the Internet. But we also have to admit that if we have doubts and problems while we are listening to the on-line lecture, which is sure to happen from time to time, no one can help us out right away. To solve this problem, what we need to do is perhaps to send e-mails and then wait for the reply for days or even for weeks. However, we don’t have to face such problems if we learn from human teachers as they can help us out all at once. Also, they can adjust their teaching process according to how well we can follow them, that is, they can adapt their teaching methods to suit our actual levels.
While learning from human teachers does possess many an advantage, it is also a fact we will have to go to school everyday, and in doing so, we will have to spend a lot of time traveling to and from schools, thus suffering from traffic jams and all the other kinds of inconveniences.
As a whole, both computer teachers and human teachers have their advantages and disadvantages in their own special and unique way. Therefore, I’m sure they will exist side by side in the future. This means that it is most advisable for us to combine these two ways of learning.
Some people think that they can learn better by themselves than with a teacher. Others think that it is always better to have a teacher. Which do you prefer? Use specific reasons to develop your essay.

我认为跟着老师学习会更好，因为有了老师的帮助，我们可以学得更快、更有趣。

I would argue in this essay that learning from teachers is more advisable in that with the help of our teachers, we can learn faster and learn in a more enjoyable manner.

首先，跟着老师学会比自己学更快捷。我们都知道，老师是受过专业训练的，在某一门特定的科目上肯定比我们了解得多得多，而且，老师有丰富的教学经验可以保证我们不走弯路，让我们很快弄明白我们应该明白的一切，这一点是我们自学所做不到的，毕竟我们的知识有限，解决问题的能力有限，否则，我们就根本不需要老师了。

First of all, leaning from teachers can make sure that we learn more quickly. As we all know, teachers have received professional trainings which means that they are supposed to know much more than we do on a certain subject. Besides, they have rich experience which can help ensure that we learn more effectively and that we can quickly understand what we should understand. This will be hard to achieve if we learn by ourselves, for, after all, both our knowledge and ability to solve problems are limited; otherwise, we would not need teachers at all.

其次，跟着老师学会更有趣。学习是一个漫长的过程，没有耐心和毅力是难以坚持到底的。这就对我们提出了挑战：如何才能够坚持到底呢？要培养兴趣。俗话说：兴趣是最好的老师。有了兴趣，我们就会感到原本枯燥乏味的学习突然间变得有趣了，我们愿意去学习了。而做到这一点绝非易事，因为学习的全过程可能充满了艰辛和苦恼。但是，老师有办法使自己的课堂生动有趣，这就在很大程度上激发了我们的学习热情，从而使我们能够从学习中发现乐趣，坚持到底。

Second, it is more fun to learn from teachers. As we know, learning is a long process which requires a lot of patience and endurance to be carried on. This naturally poses a great challenge to us all: how can we make it? The answer is simple: to develop interest. As the saying goes, “Interest is the best teacher.” With interest, we would feel that learning, which used to be so boring, suddenly becomes so much fun and thus we are happy and self-motivated to learn. To do this is nothing easy because the entire process of learning is full of hardships and despairs. However, our teachers are capable of making their classroom teaching lively and interesting which in turn, can greatly arouse our passion and enthusiasm for learning and finally enable us to find fun in it, thus carrying it on and on.

当然，我们不能否认，自学也是必要的。如果期望一切都靠老师来教授，那是不现实的。再想想：老师跟我们在一起的时间毕竟是有限的，很多时候也就仅仅限于在课堂上的那些时间，课后老师无论如何也没有随时随地跟我们在一起了，这就需要我们具备自主学习的能力和习惯。

Of course, we can not deny the fact that self-learning is also indispensable. It is simply unrealistic to totally rely on our teachers for leaning everything. Just think: how much time can our teachers spend with us every day? Very limited, right? In most cases, they can only be together with us as long as their lectures last and have no way to be with us any longer. So, what are we supposed to do with this reality? To develop the ability and habit for self-study, namely, study by ourselves.

综上所述，在老师的指导下学习可以使学习本身成为一件轻松快乐的事情，但是我们也不能完全依赖老师，我们还需要投入很多时间和精力进行自学，只有这样的结合，才能保证我们能够学到知识、掌握知识。

Based on the above discussion, we see that leaning under the guidance of teachers can make the learning process itself easier and more enjoyable. However, we should never depend entirely on our teachers. We also need to invest a lot of time and effort into self-study and only by doing so can we be sure to really learn and gain knowledge.

Passage 1:
After the violent earthquake that shook Los Angeles in 1994, earthquake scientists had good news to report: the damage and death toll could have been much worse.
 More than 60 people died in this earthquake. By comparison, an earthquake of similar intensity that shook America in 1988 claimed 25,000 victims.
Injuries and deaths were relatively less in Los Angeles because the quake occurred at 4:31 a.m. on a holiday, when traffic was light on the city’s highways. In addition, changes made to the construction codes in Los Angeles during the last 20 years have strengthened the city’s buildings and highways, making them more resistant to quakes.
 Despite the good news, civil engineers aren’t resting on their successes. Pinned to their drawing boards are blueprints for improved quake-resistant buildings. The new designs should offer even greater security to cities where earthquakes often take place.
 In the past, making structures quake-resistant mean firm yet flexible materials, such as steel and wood, that bend without breaking. Later, people tried to lift a building off its foundation, and insert rubber and steel between the building and its foundation to reduce the impact of ground vibrations. The most recent designs give buildings brains as well as concrete and steel supports.  Called smart buildings, the structures respond like living organisms to an earthquake’s vibrations. When the ground shakes and the building tips forward, the computer would force the building to shift in the opposite direction.
The new smart structures could be very expensive to build. However, they would save many lives and would be less likely to be damaged during earthquakes.

Passage 2:
Believe it or not, optical illusion can cut highway crashes.
 Japan is a case in point. It has reduced automobile crashes on some roads by nearly 75% using a simple optical illusion. Bent stripes, called chevrons, painted on the roads, make drivers think that they are driving faster than they really are and thus drivers slow down.
 Now the American Automobile Association Foundation for Traffic Safety in Washington D.C. is planning to repeat Japan’s success. Starting next year, the foundation will paint chevrons and other patterns of stripes on selected roads around the country to test how well the patterns reduce highway crashes.
 Excessive speed plays a major role in as much as one fifth of all traffic accidents, according to the foundation. To help reduce those accidents, the foundation will conduct its tests in areas where speed-related hazards are the greatest—curves, exit slopes, traffic circles, and bridges.
 Some studies suggest that straight, horizontal bars painted across roads can initially cut the average speed of drivers in half. However, traffic often returns to full speed within months as drivers become used to seeing the painted bars.
Chevrons, scientists say, not only give drivers the impression that they are driving faster than they really are but also make a lane appear to be narrower. The result is a longer lasting reduction in highway speed and the number of traffic accidents.