Make sure your headset is on. This section measures your ability to use writing to communicate in an academic environment. There will be two writing tasks. For the first writing task, you will read a passage and listen to a lecture and then answer a question based on what you have read and heard. For the second writing task, you will answer a question based on your own knowledge and experience. Now listen to the directions for the first writing task.
1. When companies have goods and services to sell, they often use advertising to let customers know about them. The basic principle behind advertising is to get a message to as many people as possible for the lowest price. Traditionally, companies used printed ads in newspapers and magazines. In recent years though, online advertising has emerged as a better way to inform customers about products. One advantage of online ads is that they can reach far more people than printed ads. After all, newspapers and magazines have limited print runs—often in the hundreds or thousands—but literally anyone around the world with an Internet connection can see an online advertisement by clicking on a certain website. Since far more people can view online ads, companies are increasingly budgeting more money for them rather than for printed ones. In addition, online ads tend to be cheaper than printed ads. The prices of most online ads are determined by the number of people clicking on them. Since businesses can limit the number of clicks per month, they can guarantee the sizes of their ad budgets. On the other hand, businesses pay flat fees, which can be extremely expensive, for printed ads. A full-page color advertisement in USA Today, an American newspaper, costs more than $200,000. Ads in other exclusive newspapers or magazines can cost tens of thousands of dollars as well. A third benefit is that online ads are better suited than printed ads for specialized markets. For instance, a company selling sporting equipment would be much better off advertising on websites that provide sports news than it would in a local newspaper. After all, the readers of sports news are more likely to purchase sporting equipment than random readers of a local newspaper, who probably have other interests.
Directions You have 20 minutes to plan and write your response. Your response will be judged on the basis of the quality of your writing and on how well your response presents the points in the lecture and their relationship to the passage. Typically, an effective response will be 150-225 words. Question Summarize the points made in the lecture, being sure to explain how they challenge specific arguments made in the reading passage.
Sample Note-READING online advertising>print advertising 1 reach more people than printed ads -printed ads have limited print runs -people around world can see online ads 2 online ads are cheaper -prices determined by number of clicks→can limit clicks to set budget -pay set prices for printed ads→can be tens of thousands of dollars or more 3 better for specialized markets -company selling sporting equipment→buys ads on sports news websites -readers more likely to purchase than regular newspaper readers Sample Note-LISTENING printed ads have many advantages 1 few people click on online ads -use ad-blocking software -elderly and others don't use computers→have lots of $ 2 online ads aren't more effective than printed ads -limit number of clicks=limit number of people seeing ads -no limit to number of people who read newspapers or magazines 3 printed ads ideal for specialized markets -local bakery→advertises in local paper -doesn't need online ads because doesn't deliver to other countries Sample Essay In her lecture, the professor discusses the benefits printed ads have over online ads. By doing so, she challenges the arguments made in the reading passage, which promotes online ads. The professor is skeptical of the claim in the reading passage that more people see online advertisements than printed ones. She points out that many people never click on online ads, and she adds that many individuals, including herself, use ad-blocking software, so she believes it is not necessarily true that online ads are viewed more. The next point she considers is the prices of the ads. While the professor acknowledges that printed ads are more expensive than online ones, she states that some companies lower costs by reducing the number of customers that can click on their ads, thereby reducing their effectiveness. She then states that the prices of printed ads do not rise if more people see them. Finally, the professor remarks that many companies have no need to advertise online. She uses an example of a local bakery by stating that it does not deliver to distant places, so having online ads is pointless for it. Instead, it purchases local advertising. By bringing up that example, she opposes the statement in the reading passage that many companies are better off advertising online than in printed media for specialized markets.
[听力原文] Now listen to part of a lecture on the topic you just read about. W Professor: These days, many companies prefer advertising online instead of in newspapers and magazines. But I think that's a big mistake because there are still a number of advantages to printed advertisements. Supporters of online ads assert that the advertisements reach many more people than printed advertisements, but I'm not so sure that's true. For one thing, how many of you ever click on online ads...? Yeah, not too many. I never do. In fact, like many people, I use ad-blocking software on my computer to avoid seeing any ads. As for printed ads, let's remember that many people, such as the elderly, don't use computers. And they often have lots of money, so they have a great deal of purchasing power. Now, uh, it's true that online ads are cheaper than printed ads, but that doesn't make them more effective. Consider that many firms limit the number of people who can view their online ads on a monthly basis. Sure, that saves money, but it decreases how many people can look at their ads. With a printed ad, a company pays a flat fee, and there's no limit to the number of eyeballs that can view it. And consider that a newspaper or magazine may be read by multiple people, especially in households, so companies are getting access to more people without having to pay more money. Finally, printed ads are actually ideal for specialized markets, especially local ones. Do you know that bakery right off campus? It constantly advertises in the local paper. It doesn't need to advertise online. What's the point of putting ads online for people in other countries to read when it doesn't deliver to them? Instead, it advertises only to local customers, so it effectively utilizes its advertising budget.
2. Completing the Essay Complete the following sample essay. Use the phrases to help you write your essay. Sports It is unfortunate that the university is suffering from a lack of funds and can only support one activity since each of them is worthy. But because a choice must be made, ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The first reason is that ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Universities are not only places where students go to improve their minds, but they are also places where they can improve their bodies. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ I wish the school could provide funding for all three activities, but since it cannot, the choice is clear: ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Art The university has a tough choice to make. It must choose between supporting sports, art, and volunteering. I like all three options, but I believe ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ One reason is that ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Another factor to consider is that ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ In my opinion, ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Sample Essay-Sports It is unfortunate that the university is suffering from a lack of funds and can only support one activity since each of them is worthy. But because a choice must be made, I vote to Support sports over arts and volunteering. There are two main reasons why I think it is crucial to support sports. The first reason is that sports are among the most popular extracurricular activities at most universities. Not only do many universities have sports teams with student-athletes playing on them, but at many schools, more than fifty percent of the student body participates in intramural sports. My brother and sister are currently university students, and they play sports at their schools. My brother plays intramural basketball while my sister participates in intramural soccer and softball. Both of them tell me how much fun they have playing those sports, and they have also mentioned that their schools have other intramural leagues which numerous other students participate in. Because so many students play sports, the university has an obligation to support this popular activity. Universities are not only places where students go to improve their minds, but they are also places where they can improve their bodies. Playing sports can get people into good shape and make them healthier. My brother and sister gained several kilograms during their freshman years. They lived fairly unhealthy lifestyles and were overweight until they started playing sports. After that, they lost weight and became more interested in being healthy, too. In addition to participating in intramural sports, they jog and visit their schools' weight rooms, which helps them stay in shape. Since students spend the majority of their time on campus, the university ought to support sports and enable them to get into good shape. I wish the school could provide funding for all three activities, but since it cannot, the choice is clear: Sports need to be funded at the school due to the effect they can have on so many students. Sports can enable students to participate in intramural sports and to have fun, and they can also allow students to improve their health. Sample Essay-Art The university has a tough choice to make. It must choose between supporting sports, art, and volunteering. I like all three options, but I believe the school ought to fund art if it can only afford to pay for one of them. Let me explain why I feel that way. One reason is that supporting art will let students create works of art that can then be displayed on campus. School can be stressful for students, but viewing art that is being exhibited can help them relieve their stress. I recently visited a university campus to see my cousin at her school. She took me on a tour and showed me some art that had been made by the students there. I was impressed by the quality of the art, and I also noticed that there were a large number of students at the exhibition who were admiring the art. These students did not look as stressed out as the students whom I saw walking around campus with backpacks full of books. Another factor to consider is that private art lessons are expensive. But if the university provides funding for art, talented students can take lessons either for free or at discounted prices. Perhaps a poor, yet talented, student could benefit from the university spending money on art, and that student might later become a great artist such as Michelangelo or Raphael. Even if the student does not become an artist as talented as those Renaissance masters, it is possible that the student could have his or her raw talent transformed into something more focused, which would enable him or her to create outstanding works of art. In my opinion, the university simply must support art over the other two choices. Doing so will enable students at the school both to create works that they can display for the benefit of the other students on campus and also to get to take art lessons. Those two reasons can benefit a large percentage of the student body, so that is why the university should opt to fund art.