春季口譯二階段口試備考口語話題
2011春季口譯二階段口試在即，開考前的口語考察部分要求考生就給定話題做3-5分鐘的口頭演講，這裏有四篇模擬口語話題，大家在考前應該自己練習一兩篇，找準開口的感覺。
Directions: Talk on the following topic for at least 5 minutes. Be sure to make your point clear and supporting details adequate. You should also be ready to answer any questions raised by the examiners during your talk. You need to have your name and registration number recorded. Start your talk with “My name is ...” “My registration number is ...”
Topic: How to lead a low-carbon life?
Questions for Reference:
1. What is the definition of low-carbon life?
2. What is the correlation between low-carbon lifestyle. and climate change?
3. What can individuals do to lead a low-carbon life? Cite examples to illustrate your point.
Answer for Reference
Low-carbon life encourages people to minimize energy use and greenhouse gas emission, especially the emission of carbon dioxide which scientists say is a major cause of global warming. In other words, we are encouraged to leave less carbon footprint in our daily life. When you drive a car, the engine burns fuel which creates a certain amount of carbon dioxide. Even if you heat your house with electricity, the generation of the electrical power may also have emitted a certain amount of carbon dioxide. All those activities can put strains on the environment and lead to a worsening climate change. That’s why low-carbon lifestyle. is advocated. Everybody has to share the responsibility to tackle climate change. Some changes in your life can make a big difference to the environment. Firstly, choose public transport instead of private cars. If you have to drive a car, car-pooling is recommended. Secondly, switch your computers, air conditioners, and other electronic appliances to energy-saving mode; choose energy-efficient bulbs; turn them off when they’re not in use. Thirdly, use reusable carrier bags, cups, chopsticks as more environmentally-friendly alternatives to disposable commodities.
Directions: Read the following passage and then talk on the following topic for at least 5 minutes. Be sure to make your point clear and supporting details adequate. You should also be ready to answer any questions raised by the examiners during your talk. You need to have your name and registration number recorded. Start your talk with “My name is ...” “My registration number is ...”
March 23, 2010 marks Google’s withdrawal from mainland China. From that day, users visiting are being redirected to . Earlier this year, Google’s spokesman announced, “We have decided we are no longer willing to continue censoring our results on . ... We recognize that this may well mean having to shut down , and potentially our offices in China.”
Topic: Censorship on the Internet
Questions for Reference:
1. What do you think of Google’s retreat? Is it simply a business scheme?
2. Is censorship necessary on the Internet?
3. What are the advantages and disadvantages of censorship?
Answer for Reference
Google’s withdrawal from China is not a simple business scheme as far as I am concerned. To some extend, it might be politically motivated. Some politicians in the United States may take the advantage of Google and make it a tool to export American values and seek hegemony. We cannot deny that the Internet has been playing an important role in our life, largely by changing the way we communicate with each other. However the same Internet can be a hotbed of such vulgar information as pornography and terrorism. Thus, censorship on the Internet is sensible and necessary. It is for sure that excessive censorship is a violation of privacy. A free flow of information should be maintained as one of the features of the Internet. And it is the government’s responsibility to secure the free flow of information. On the other hand, appropriate censorship is also needed to filter harmful information to reduce its negative effect on the society. As far as I know, Google practices censorship even in the United States. So it’s unfair to accuse China of censorship on the Internet. In summary, proper censorship is needed on the Internet to secure a healthy source of information.
Directions: Talk on the following topic for at least 5 minutes. Be sure to make your point clear and supporting details adequate. You should also be ready to answer any questions raised by the examiners during your talk. You need to have your name and registration number recorded. Start your talk with “My name is ...” “My registration number is ...”
Read the following passages:
The banquet for Chinese billionaires held by two of the richest Americans, Bill Gates and Warren Buffett is dubbed by local media as the Hongmen Banquet, a historical anecdote indicating a feast or meeting set up as a trap for the invited.
Amid concerns that the hosts would pressure wealthy Chinese to donate to the Giving Pledge project they initiated in June to persuade US billionaires to leave most of their wealth to charity, only a small number of Chinese businessmen had accepted their invitations to the dinner as of last week, which created a stir over the willingness of China's rich to give their money away for a good cause. A fierce debate has been ignited on the merits and difficulty of philanthropy and charity for the country's newly wealthy.
Answer the following questions in your own words:
Why is the banquet considered as the Hongmen Banquet? What are the merits and difficulties of philanthropy and charity? People's view towards donation varies widely in western countries and in China. What might be the reasons?
Answer for your reference
The reason why the banquet is considered as the Hongmen Banquet is that all attendees are supposed to donate a large sum of their wealth to charity as the hosts of the banquet are Bill Gates and Warren Buffett who are the top philanthropists in the world. Both of the hosts have promised to give away their entire fortune after death, which is unthinkable in China, even for the country’s top billionaires.
As for philanthropy and charity, Chinese people think differently compared to people from western countries. In most cases, Chinese people pass on all the money and property which they have strived for in their entire life to their descendents. And their descendents will accept them as if it is meant to be. While in western countries, donating to charity is not uncommon from average families to rich people, and many of them donate out of religious reasons. In Bible, there’s a story about a rich man who wants to go to heaven after death. The God says it might be possible if a camel can pass through the eye of a needle. Death with huge fortune leaving behind is humiliating in the view of many westerners. That’s why they’re generous in donating.
Philanthropy and charity in China have seen fast development in recent years. They have helped an untold number of people by providing food, safe drinking water, and daily necessities to them. At the same time the mentality of benevolence has been extensively spread in our society. Despite the traditional way of passing down the fortune to one’s descendents, an increasing number of people are willing to help others by donating part of their wealth. The younger generations are doing better, and philanthropy and charity in China are bound to thrive in the future.
Directions: Talk on the following topic for at least 5 minutes. Be sure to make your point clear and supporting details adequate. You should also be ready to answer any questions raised by the examiners during your talk. You need to have your name and registration number recorded. Start your talk with “My name is ...” “My registration number is ...”
Read the following passages:
A new method of consumption—group purchasing—is increasingly catching people’s attention. Reportedly, the sales volume for the whole year of 2010 was around 2 billion yuan, after unveiled the country’s first group-buying website in March that year. According to a recent industry report, China’s online group purchase market is expected to reach 16.5 billion yuan in 2011, accounting for about one percent of all online retail sales.
Questions for reference:
1. Have you tried group purchasing?
2. Do you like this new method of consumption? You may illustrate your opinion with examples.
3. What’re the pros and cons of online group purchasing? Can you predict the prospects of this emerging business model?
Answer for Reference:
For many Chinese people, especially experienced young online buyers, group purchasing makes it easy to find bargains. There has been an ever-growing popularity in group-buying websites. There are many reasons which can account for this phenomenon. Firstly, group-buying websites usually offer incredibly low prices and appealing discounts on a daily basis. Confronted with the nation’s rising prices, they seem to meet the satisfaction of young buyers without much money. Secondly, online group-buying means convenience and efficiency for time-starved consumers. Thirdly, retailers treasure such a business model of meeting a large number of potential buyers every day without huge advertising cost.
As a matter of fact, I’ve never tried group purchasing myself. However, seeing many of my friends happy with the products and services they group-purchased, I’ve made up my mind to give it a shot.
Pros of online group purchasing are obvious, while there’re some cons which cannot be avoided. We’ve all heard of complaints about poor quality of products, disparity between the services received and advertised. It’s still a new business model to most people in China. With regulations to be enacted and supervision to be strengthened, I’m convinced that it will thrive in the days to come.
