概要写作（二）
1、Summary Writing
Directions: Read the following passage. Summarize the main idea and the main point(s) of the passage in no more than 60 words. Use your own words as far as possible.
A Workaholic Economy
Although the output per hour of work has more than doubled since 1945, leisure seems reserved largely for the unemployed and underemployed. Those who work full-time spend as much time on the job as they did at the end of World War Ⅱ. In fact, working hours have increased noticeably since 1970. Bookstores now abound with manuals describing how to manage time and cope with stress.
There are mainly two reasons for lost leisure.
Since 1970, companies have responded to improvements in the business climate by having employees work overtime rather than by hiring extra personnel. Some firms are even downsizing as their profits climb. A host of factors pushes employers to hire fewer workers for more hours and, at the same time, compels workers to spend more time on the job. Most of those incentives(诱因) involve the structure of compensation(报酬). The way salaries and benefits are organized makes it more profitable to ask 40 employees to labor an extra hour each than to hire one more worker to do the same 40-hour job. Once people are on salary, their cost to a firm is the same whether they spend 35 hours a week in the office or 70. Therefore, it is more profitable for employers to work their existing employees harder.
For all that employees complain about long hours, they, too, have reasons not to trade money for leisure. “People who work reduced hours pay a huge penalty in career terms,” Bailyn of Massachusetts Institute of Technology maintains. “It’s taken as a negative signal about their commitment to the firm.” He adds that many corporate managers find it difficult to measure the contribution of their employees to a firm’s well-being, so they estimate staff productivity in terms of hours worked. Employees know this, and they adjust their behavior accordingly.
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答案： People actually work more hours than before despite the increased productivity. On one hand, it's because the payment distribution system makes it economical for companies to have employees work overtime than hiring more people. On the other hand,employees tend to work long hours because their working time is linked to their contribution to the firm.
2、Summary Writing
Quiet Virtue: The Conscientious
The everyday signs of conscientiousness(认真尽责)—being punctual, careful in doing work, self-disciplined, and scrupulous (一丝不苟的) in attending to responsibilities—are typical characteristics of the model organizational citizen, the people who keep things running as they should. They follow the rules, help out, and are concerned about the people they work with. It’s the conscientious worker who helps newcomers or updates people who return after an absence, who gets to work on time and never abuses sick leaves, who always gets things done on deadline.
Conscientiousness is a key to success in any field. In studies of job performance, outstanding effectiveness for almost all jobs, from semi-skilled labor to sales and management, depends on conscientiousness. Among sales representatives for a large American car manufacturer, those who were most conscientious had the largest volume of sales.
Conscientiousness also offers a buffer (缓冲) against the threat of job loss in today’s constantly changing market, because employees with this quality are among the most valued. For the sales representatives, their level of conscientiousness mattered almost as much as their sales in determining who stayed on.
But conscientiousness in the absence of social skills can lead to problems. Since conscientious people demand so much of themselves, they can hold other people to their own standards, and so be overly judgmental when others don’t show the same high levels of model behavior. Factory workers who were extremely conscientious, for example, tended to criticize co-workers even about failures that seemed unimportant to those they criticized, which damaged their relationships.
When conscientiousness takes the form of living up to expectations, it can discourage creativity. Success in creative professions like art or advertising calls for a balance between wild ideas and conscientiousness. Without enough conscientiousness to follow through, people become mere dreamers, with nothing to show for their imaginativeness.
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答案：
1. Conscientiousness is the feature of model organizational employees and keeps the company functioning successfully.
2. Conscientiousness has both advantages and disadvantages.
3. With conscientiousness, employees give outstanding performance, so they are less likely to be jobless.
4. Meanwhile, conscientious people without social skills tend to do have tense relationship with their fellow workers and conscientiousness can also damage creativity.
3、Summary Writing
Directions: Read the following passage. Summarize the main idea and the main point(s) of the passage in no more than 60 words. Use your own words as far as possible.
Do Smartphones Make Us Smarter?
Should teachers allow cellphones in a classroom? A recent study on the way smartphones disturb learning might help explain the issue. Researchers published findings showing how students were affected by their phones in the classroom. They explored the differences in student performance in four situations: open phone use allowed, phones allowed in the classroom but could not be used, no phones in the classroom and a no-instruction control group. After watching a 20-minute video, students took a short quiz. The result was that the students in a room without any cellphones performed significantly better on the test. Scientists believe the way we attach ourselves to our phones could be the problem.
Smartphones have become so strongly established in society that many people are lost without them. We are now in an age when many people can’t imagine life without a phone. There is even a name for the anxiety caused by not having one—nomophobia, which is the powerful feeling people get when they don’t have signal, their battery is about to die, or they are separated from their phones. Their fear of missing out on important information or connections can have a controlling effect on their lives and can divide their attention from other important things like learning.
So does information technology help or block the way we think? In the past, people relied heavily on specific knowledge and knew who in their circle of friends would be most likely to know things in different subjects. Now, our friend with all the information is the Internet. Indications are that people don’t remember information as well if they know they can use a computer or phone to recall it quickly. So it may be more difficult to move information from the Internet into our long-term memory.
But the impact of being exposed to so much information isn’t all bad. Reports show that frequent Internet use can strengthen fast-paced problem solving and can speed up the ability to spot patterns in a lot of data.
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答案：
Researchers recently found smartphones influenced learning. For one thing, smartphones have become an essential part of life, without which people feel at a loss, thus distracting their attention from learning. For another, people rely so heavily on smartphones that their long-term memory can be affected. However, having access to a large amount of information also benefits people in some aspects. (60 words)
4、Summary Writing 10%Directions: Read the following passage. Summarize the main idea and the main point(s) of the passage in no more than 60 words. Use your own words as far as possible.
Better Memory Causes Boredom
A new study shows that the better your short-term memory, the faster you feel fed up and decide you’ve had enough. The findings appear in the Journal of Consumer Research.
Noelle Nelson, assistant professor of marketing and consumer behavior at the University of Kansas School of Business. She and her colleague Joseph Redden at the University of Minnesota tried to think outside the lunch box. “Something that was interesting to me is that some people get tired of things at very different rates. When you think about pop songs on the radio, some people must still be enjoying them and requesting them even after hearing them a lot. But a lot of other people are really sick of those same songs.” The difference, the researchers supposed, might have to do with memories of past consumption.
The researchers tested the memory capacity of undergraduates. The students then viewed a repeating series of three classic paintings…like The Starry Night, American Gothic, and The Scream…or listened and re-listened to a series of three pop songs…or three pieces of classical music. Throughout the test, the participants were asked to rate their experience on a scale of zero to ten. And the better a participant scored in the memory test, the faster they got bored.
“We found that people with larger capacities remembered more about the music or art, which led to them getting tired of the music or art more quickly. So remembering more details actually made the participants feel like they’d experienced the music or art more often.” The findings suggest that marketers could cope with our desire for their products by figuring out ways to distract us and keep us from fully remembering our experiences. We could also trick ourselves into eating less junk food by recalling the experience of a previous snack. As for kids easily bored, just tell them to forget about it—it might help them have more fun.
答案：For Reference:A study shows if a person has a good short-term memory he is likely to feel bored quickly. Assuming memories of past experience may influence the different rates at which some people feel fed up, two researchers conducted a test, relating students’ memory capacity to their performance, and got the result. The findings may apply to marketing, self-controlling and educating.
5、Summary Writing
Directions:Read the following passage.Summarize the main idea and the main point(s) of the passage in no more than 60 words.Use your own words as far as possible.
Ban the Bag!
Standing in line at the grocery store last week, I watched the woman in front of me buy a tube of toothpaste. As the clerk placed her purchase in a plastic bag, I couldn’t help wondering how long it would take for that bag to end up in the trash. Then I noticed the big purse the woman was carrying and wondered why she had needed a plastic bag at all.
People have come to rely on plastic bags as everything from shopping bags for groceries to trash-can bags. Although plastic bags can be recycled, only about one percent of those used in the United States are. Instead, after helping people transport items from one place to another, most are thrown away. They end up in landfills, where it can take a plastic bag up to a thousand years to decay. Some bags end up elsewhere in the environment, sticking to trees and fences, blocking rivers and oceans, or floating along city sidewalks.
Plastic bags harm the environment in several ways. First, they break down into particles that pollute our soil and water. Because most plastic bags are made of polyethylene, a product derived from crude oil (原油) or natural gas, they waste nonrenewable resources. Plastic bags can also harm animals. Scientists estimate that more than one million sea animals, including whales, seabirds, and turtles, die each year from intaking or becoming stranded in plastic.
People all over the world are starting to recognize the problems associated with plastic bags. Countries such as China, South Africa, Switzerland, and Uganda are taking action and banning the bags. Other nations, including Italy and Ireland, have been trying to restrict the use of plastic bags by taxing them. In the United States more and more communities are ridding themselves of plastic bags. Now more and more people are also purchasing inexpensive, reusable bags and using them when they shop. If we all take this simple step, we can be a part of a “green” revolution.
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答案：
Plastic bags are widely applied in day-to-day deals, but very few of them are properly recycled, harming the environment greatly. They could pollute or waste resources and cause harm to animals. Thankfully, many countries have become aware of the seriousness, limiting or banning the use of them. More individuals are joining in the campaign for an environmentally-friendly society.
6、Summary Writing
Directions: Read the following passage. Summarize the main idea and the main point(s) of the passage in no more than 60 words. Use your own words as far as possible.
As technology grows, many university instructors are finding ways to guide online learning platforms into their classrooms. Programs such as Blackboard, WebCT and Moodle allow teachers to post reading assignments, PowerPoint presentations, lecture notes and quizzes for students to complete outside of class. While posting lessons online can be friendly to students' communication styles and easily accessible, they also cause disadvantages.
One disadvantage is that it may encourage students to depend on technology in the classroom. Instead of physical textbooks, many now bring cellphones to access materials during class discussions. While electronic devices can be valuable learning tools, they also can lead to distractions from learning, such as social networking and online games. It is extremely difficult for students being exposed to multiple electronic tasks to focus or remember key information.
A second disadvantage is that online lessons open up potential for cheating. Many instructors require students to complete quizzes, post within discussion groups or submit major assignments online. As a result, there are some students having someone else complete their assignments. A contributing factor is that online assignments are best suitable for those self-motivated, self-directed students. Students who struggle with organization and completing assignments may find it easy to cheat online.
In spite of these disadvantages, educators can take steps to make sure students use online lessons responsibly. If instructors are uncomfortable with electronic devices in the classroom, they can require students to print out assignments and readings to reference during sessions. To prevent cheating, teachers can use online assignments as a supplement to traditional in-class work, or create open-ended assignments rather than using assignments like multiple-choice quizzes that have only one right answer. Being familiar with what the platform looks like from a student perspective also can help instructors avoid potential pitfalls.
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答案：Introducing online learning platform to university classrooms has two disadvantages: students’ dependence on technology in the classroom and possibility for cheating. However, educators can find solutions to the problems. Furthermore, students can be asked to take paper files in class and be given supplementary online homework or open-ended assignment. Teachers’ familiarity with the platform is helpful.
7、Summary Writing
Directions: Read the following passage. Summarize the main idea and the main point(s) of the passage in no more than 60wonds. Use your own words as, far as possible.
Every time there is a mass shooting, the debate surrounding guns tends to flare up in America. The abuse of guns has been a serious problem in the US all along, but why doesn’t the US government just dismiss owning guns privately?
The right to own a gun and defend oneself is central to American society. As early as the1600s, when the first Europeans set foot on the continent of North America, they had to face a lot of dangers. They could only rely on themselves. Therefore, guns played a significant role in self-defense. Guns were also important in American’s Independent War and the Civil War.
Secondly, the American founding fathers believed that gun ownership was necessary for a truly free country. If the government distrusts the people and disarms them, then that government no longer represents the people. The Second Amendment to the US Constitution specifies that the American people cannot be deprived of the “right to keep and bear arms.” So the sale and purchase of firearms are legal in the United States according to law.
The importance of guns is also derived from the role of hunting in American culture. In the nation’s early years, hunting was essential for food and shelter. Today, guns are a vital part of hunting, which remains very popular as both a sport and a way of life in many parts of the country. People spend time with friends, sharing the pleasure that the sport brings.
For those reasons, when critics say guns mean violence, they miss a large part of the picture, and they misrepresent the complex nature of America’s diverse gun culture. Most people who own guns privately, are actually part of the gun culture. They have rational and thoughtful reasons to own and use guns.
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答案：The US government doesn’t ban guns for the following reasons. Firstly, guns serve as a means of self-defense. Besides, the possession of a gun is a symbol of freedom. Finally, guns are important because hunting is still popular in people’s life as a sport. Despite the disputes, Americans are entitled to the use of guns.
8、概要写作
阅读下面短文,根据其内容写一篇60词左右的内容概要。
If there was one thing you could make parents understand about kids,what would it be? That is one of the questions TFK and KidsHealth.org recently asked in an anonymous(匿名的) survey conducted online.More than 8,000 kids answered.“We just want to spend time with you,” said a 12-year-old.“At 13,you can't treat me like I'm 6,”another kid said. An 11-year-old wrote ,“Being a kid is a lot harder than it looks.” The kids who took our survey made it clear that they want to feel close to the important people in their life-their mom,dad and other caring adults.But their answers also show that it is not always easy to deal with these close relationships.
Many kids-two out of three-said they get along pretty well or very well with their parents.About four out of five kids told us that they have fun with their parents.But that doesn't mean they never disagree.In fact,most kids reported arguing with their parents,at least sometimes.“It's absolutely normal to disagree and argue,” says D'Arcy Lyness,a child psychologist.“But it's also important to learn how to do so respectfully.” About half of the kids said they are doing that.When they disagree with their parents,they say they discuss issues calmly.
But two out of five kids said arguments tend to involve yelling at each other.Lyness points out that shouting never helps.“Speak up,and let your parents know your ideas and your opinions,” she advises.“But be patient.Don't use a raised,angry voice.”
Kids made it clear that they would rather avoid conflict altogether.Not surprisingly,three out of four kids admitted lying at times.Many said they lie to avoid getting in trouble or disappointing their parents.According to Lyness,lying isn't just wrong.It can actually get negative results.Telling the truth builds trust.“When parents can trust you,they are more likely to give you more freedom and more privileges,” she says.
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答案：A recent survey shows that most kids want to feel close to the important people in their life.(要点1) However,it is not always easy to deal with these close relationships.(要点2) Many kids can get along well with parents,but sometimes they disagree,which is absolutely normal.(要点3) When facing conflict,speaking up can help,but being patient is very important.(要点4) However,kids would rather avoid conflict by telling lies.(要点5)
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