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. Located in Giza, Egypt, alongside the great pyramids, the Sphinx is a massive monolith depicting a mythical creature possessing the body of a lion and the head of a human. According to many experts, the Sphinx was built around 2550 B.C. during the reign of Pharaoh Khafre. However, this date is disputed by a large number of Egyptologists, many of whom believe it was built hundreds—or even thousands—of years prior to Khafre's rule. One reason experts believe the Sphinx is more than 4,500 years old concerns the weathering of the statue. It was long believed that windblown sand was the cause of the eroding of the Sphinx, yet a new theory maintains that the Sphinx's weathering pattern was caused by falling water instead. The Sphinx has vertical erosion patterns, which indicate rain, whereas horizontal erosion patterns, which are lacking, would be proof of erosion by wind and sand. Since Khafre's time, Egypt has not experienced enough rainfall to cause a significant amount of water erosion. However, it is known that centuries prior to Khafre's reign, Egypt got much greater amounts of rain. This was likely when the Sphinx became weathered. Another problem is that there are no inscriptions in hieroglyphics anywhere indicating Khafre built it. The Egyptians often left written records about who had commissioned certain buildings, and Khafre certainly would have taken credit for the Sphinx had he been responsible for making it. Thus the absence of written proof shows that the Sphinx likely existed long before Khafre lived. Finally, many Egyptologists don't believe that the original face of the Sphinx was that of Khafre. The Sphinx's head shows evidence of having been worked on numerous times. In all likelihood, the Sphinx existed when Khafre became the pharaoh, but he had its face redone to resemble his own.
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 claims made in the reading passage.
Sample Note-READING Sphinx was built before the time of Pharaoh Khafre 1 weathering of Sphinx -was not caused by wind and sand but by water -hasn't rained much since Khafre's time but rained a lot in Egypt prior to then 2 no inscriptions saying Khafre built it -Egyptians always left inscriptions about builders -if Khafre built it, he would have left written proof 3 Sphinx's original face wasn't Khafre's -head was worked on in past -existed before Khafre became pharaoh→changed face to resemble his own Sample Note-LISTENING Sphinx was made around 2550 B.C. 1 weathering patterns caused by limestone erosion -looks like rain caused it -but was caused by salt making cracks in limestone 2 are inscriptions about Khafre's Pyramid -Sphinx belongs to Khafre's Pyramid complex -inscriptions mention he built all the structures 3 Sphinx once looked like Khafre's face -had brained beard→eroded and fell off -resembled face of Khafre as seen on statue of him Sample Essay The professor and the author of the reading passage discuss the Sphinx's age. While the professor believes it was made around 2550 B.C., the author of the reading passage thinks the Sphinx was built earlier. The first point the professor brings up concerns erosion. Unlike the author of the reading passage, he does not believe the Sphinx endured water erosion. Instead, he claims that salt in the desert got into cracks in the limestone the Sphinx is made of and caused erosion that appears to be made by water but is not. Hence the professor doubts the claim in the reading passage that the Sphinx was built before Pharaoh Khafre's reign when it used to rain heavily in Egypt. The second point the professor makes concerns the lack of inscriptions regarding who made the Sphinx. The reading passage argues that the absence of inscriptions proves Khafre did not make the Sphinx. But the professor mentions that there were many inscriptions stating that Khafre had the structures in Khafre's Pyramid built, which proves he made the Sphinx. The third point is about the face of the Sphinx. Although the reading passage declares that the Sphinx's face was changed during the time of Khafre, the professor disagrees and declares that the Sphinx once had a beard like Khafre, but it eroded and fell off.
[听力原文] Now listen to part of a lecture on the topic you just read about. M Professor: One of the most controversial matters in Egyptology concerns the age of the Sphinx. Some academics believe it was made more than, uh, 5,000 years ago. However, traditionally, the Pharaoh Khafre is credited with having built it around 2550 B.C., and that's when I feel the Sphinx was made. Some Egyptologists think the weathering patterns on the Sphinx are indicative of rain rather than wind and sand. Since Egypt has been mostly arid desert since Khafre's time, obviously, they argue, the Sphinx was built before then and was later rained on. That's just not true though. Why not...? Well, the Sphinx is made of limestone, which is brittle. And the desert there has a high salt content. Even a tiny bit of moisture can draw salt into cracks in limestone. Then, the salt expands and causes some pieces of limestone to break off. This type of erosion looks like rain caused it, and that's precisely what happened to the Sphinx over time. Now, uh, some say there are no inscriptions around the Sphinx indicating Khafre built it. Sure, but let's keep in mind that it was just one of many structures built in connection with Khafre's Pyramid. Inscriptions mentioning Khafre as well as statues of the pharaoh have been found there, so it's verified that he built the pyramid and other structures. Plus, most of the limestone dug out around the Sphinx was used to build the other structures, which is another connection. Finally, uh, the assertion that the Sphinx's face isn't that of Khafre is wrong. The Sphinx once had a braided beard, just like Khafre has in a statue of him that has survived to this day, but the beard eroded and fell off. Let me assure you that the face of the Sphinx definitely used to resemble Khafre's.
2. Around the world, certain animals have seen their habitats reduced in size to the point that they have disappeared entirely from some lands. For instance, lions and elephants once roamed throughout North America, wolves and beavers used to thrive in Britain, and Siberian tigers lived all over Northeast Asia in the past. Today, some conservationists are attempting to reintroduce some species of animals to the lands they lived on before. There are many benefits to doing so, and these efforts should be encouraged. The primary reason species are reintroduced is to restore a region to its natural state of equilibrium. In many cases, the species which went extinct in an area had acted as a check on other animals. For instance, the wolf once controlled the deer population in the Yellowstone National Park region in the United States. However, when the wolf disappeared, the deer population exploded, causing great harm to the ecosystem due to all the foliage it consumed. Once the wolf was reintroduced to Yellowstone in the 1990s, the deer overpopulation problem was swiftly solved. Some animals are reintroduced to regions simply to atone for wrongs caused by human activities. In that way, nature is allowed to resume its course, which had gone astray because of humans. This is the reasoning for the plan to reintroduce the beaver to Britain. Hunting and human encroachment on its land caused it to disappear from the country. However, if all goes well, there will soon be beavers living in Britain again. Lastly, some people promote reintroducing animals to environments to prove the viability of breeding animals in captivity. First, individuals raise animals on farms or ranches and then release them into the wild. This method has allowed for the successful reintroduction of numerous species into their former habitats.
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 claims made in the reading passage.
Sample Note-READING are benefits to reintroducing animals into places where they once lived but are now extinct 1 restore equilibrium to region -wolf once controlled deer population in Yellowstone -wolf disappeared→deer population rose -wolf was reintroduced in 1990s→deer overpopulation problem solved 2 atone for wrongs done by humans -beavers in Britain→went extinct due to human encroachment -trying to reintroduce them now 3 prove viability of breeding animals in captivity -raise animals on farms or ranches→then release into wild -has allowed numerous species to be reintroduced to former habitats Sample Note-LISTENING are problems with reintroducing species to former habitats 1 animals don't stay in specific places -wolves in Yellowstone roam far from park→attack farmers' animals -farmers want to hunt wolves 2 efforts influenced by politics -people want to show commitment to environment→ignore reality -Britain has too many people→reintroduction of beavers will fail 3 animals raised in captivity can't cope in wild -study on 17 species→30% survived in long term -others killed by humans or starved since didn't know how to hunt Sample Essay The professor and the author of the reading passage both cover the issue of reintroducing species to lands where they once lived. The reading passage argues in favor of doing so, yet the professor points out several problems which can occur. The first point the professor lectures on is wolves in Yellowstone National Park. Both the professor and the reading passage agree that the wolves solved the deer overpopulation issue. However, the professor claims that the practice was not a success because the wolves are leaving the park area and killing livestock, resulting in farmers wanting to hunt them. The professor next argues against reintroducing animals to areas where they were wiped out due to human actions. He brings up the effort to reintroduce beavers to Britain. The reading passage claims that beavers can live there successfully, but the professor says that Britain has too many people, so the plan will fail. Last of all, the professor dislikes the practice of raising animals in captivity and then releasing them into the wild. While the reading passage states that lots of animals have been successfully reintroduced through this method, the professor points out that more of them die. Citing a study in Britain, he remarks that only thirty percent of the animals survive while the others are killed by humans or starve to death.
[听力原文] Now listen to part of a lecture on the topic you just read about. M Professor: Reintroducing locally extinct species is a noble idea, yet it's flawed in practice. For every success story, there are countless failures. In fact, it's estimated that nearly seventy percent of all reintroduced species die in the wild soon after being released. What are some problems...? Let me tell you... Some people believe the reintroduced animals will remain in specific places, but that never happens. Instead, the animals go wherever they please. In Yellowstone National Park, wolves were released to help control the deer population. Well, uh, they succeeded spectacularly at that objective, but there's a problem. The wolves, you see, have begun roaming far from Yellowstone. They've encroached on human settlements and attacked farmers' animals. Naturally, the farmers are upset and are requesting that wolf hunting be legalized. Another problem concerns those people trying to do good by reintroducing animals that humans caused to go extinct. In many instances, their efforts have become influenced by politics as those in power use the animals to show their commitment to environmental issues. Unfortunately, the reality of the situation is often, uh, ignored. The people trying to reintroduce beavers to Britain have overlooked the fact that there are few places in that country where beavers can actually live because Britain simply has too many people. As a result, their efforts are doomed to fail. Here's another problem...Some people raise animals in captivity and then release them into the wild...These animals simply can't cope in the wild. One British study tracked forty-five animals—all carnivorous mammals belonging to seventeen different species—that were released in this manner. Only thirty percent survived over the long term. The others were killed by hunters, run over by cars, or starved to death since they didn't know how to hunt for the food they needed.