答案详解

Part One

自我介绍

高分表达

Candidate A

Good morning, dear examiner. I’m Zhao Ling from Peking University. I’m a sophomore of the law school, and I’m very excited about this spoken English test. I’ve been learning English for a very long time, but I’m not so sure about my speaking. Today I hope I could do my best and perform well.

Candidate B

Nice to meet you. My name is Li Tang. I’m studying Mechanics at Tsinghua University now. When for the first time I found English really intriguing I was in the eighth grade because then I made my first pen pal from another country. I’m very grateful that English opens a window for me.

亮点表达

sophomore 大学二年级

intriguing 有趣的，迷人的

do one’s best 尽力

pen pal 笔友

问答

Q: Do you mind letting me know what kind of books you like to read? And how many books can you finish each year?

高分表达

Candidate A

Well, I do take a delight in reading historical anecdotes. I could be quite thrilled if I find something new about a famous historical figure or event from the materials. It makes me know more about the great names of history, especially the human side of them. But I have to admit I could barely finish one paper book a year. I almost read everything with my phone.

Candidate B

I would be very glad. Actually it is a precious chance for me to share my reading experience, for most people I meet are not so keen on this topic. I have a passion for science fiction novels—we call it “Scifi” in our circle. You can be fascinated by the unparalleled imagination of these Scifi novels. I just finished a set of novels “Three Body” last week. I may finish reading 20 books a year.

亮点表达

take a delight in 喜欢

unparalleled 无与伦比的

anecdote 趣闻，轶事

Part Two

个人陈述

话题分析

两个话题围绕阅读方式展开，考生A要谈论电子阅读的优势，考生B要谈论传统阅读，即读纸质书的优势。对于这两个话题，我们都可以采用介绍现象的方式展开，即首先描述目前的整体阅读趋势，再具体谈论其原因。原因可从阅读工具的更新、生活方式的转变、图书价格等方面分析。

高分表达

Candidate A

Every year around the day of 23th, April—the World Book Day—people would talk about how few books we read every year. In fact the statistics are not so accurate because they failed to count in the e-reading time and amount which is the mainstream Chinese reading style now.

The material basis of this reading style lies in the electronic devices, which are increasingly economical, portable, and versatile. If we could carry a palm-size device with us, we can read anywhere anytime. I find this extremely convenient because I could make an effective use of time to read e-books in my smart phone when waiting in line. What’s more, e-reading actually costs less than paper books. If you’ve got a phone or a tablet, you could download free e-books. Even if some are charged, they are of much lower prices, which is really student-friendly for we seldom have any income right now.

Of course, at present there are still a vast number of people reading paper books. But with all the merits, the e-reading will rule the future.

Candidate B

Remarks that traditional paper books will be completely replaced by e-books are quite eye-catching recently. But the real fact is that sales of paper books increased these years.

We keep the old way of reading because what the paper books bring us is irreplaceable. The paper books can be preserved for a very long time, which makes them the best material carrier for our cultural heritage. And this cultural inheritance could run in family. When I was reading an old book “Tang Dynasty Poems” from my father’s bookshelf I found some notes with signs of age. And my father told me that’s from my grandma who admired Chinese poetry a lot. Then I felt a special connection between me and my grandma by her notes on the poems. I hope my books would also strike a chord with my kids and grandkids in the future.

Right now we live in a machine’s world. The cold shiny delicate devices may distract us from the real purpose of reading, so if you want to experience the charm of reading, get a real book.

亮点表达

count in... 将……计算在内

irreplaceable 不可替代的

electronic device 电子设备

carrier 载体

economical 经济的；节省的

cultural heritage 文化遗产

portable 便携式的；轻便的

admire 喜爱；欣赏

versatile 通用的，万能的

strike a chord 引起共鸣

rule the future 主宰未来

delicate 精巧的；精美的

eye-catching 吸引眼球的

distract...from... 使……从……分心

双人互动

话题分析

讨论的话题为“如何促进全民阅读”。可以从我们的日常生活开始，引入阅读的话题。对于如何促进全民阅读，可以按执行者分为几个层次，如政府该如何做，学校、家庭该如何做，个人又该如何做。

高分表达

Candidate A: I find some comments online that Chinese people sorta stop reading books, which really get to me since I seldom buy books, let alone read them. May I ask your opinion about it?

Candidate B: Well, that’s not the exact case. But I know why some people hold that opinion. The statistics say that we Chinese only read less than 8 books on average during the last year.

Candidate A: Hmm, that’s quite serious. Reading plays an essential role in inspiring our mental development and training our minds. If we read less and less, I can’t imagine what we could achieve in the future.

Candidate B: I’m in full agreement. Without reading, the spirit civilization will be a castle in the air. The good news is that our government is aware of it and in an effort to advocate and educate citizens to read more.

Candidate A: If the government aims to reach as large an audience as possible, they should put more cultural programs on TV to arouse people’s interest in reading.

Candidate B: I do know such a TV program, called “Eight Minutes with a Book”. I strongly recommend it. The host will give a detailed rundown of one book every day.

Candidate A: Thank you so much. The authority should take the lead and set an example, but I doubt it alone will settle the problem. Have you got any concrete measures?

Candidate B: Well, from my personal experience, more libraries should be established. At present if you are off campus, you have to go through hardships to borrow a book.

Candidate A: I can identify with that. I like reading paper books, but some new books just cost too much, and even if I can afford them, there is not much space in my apartment for all the books I’d like to read.

Candidate B: So I recommend the local government set more community libraries where people around could borrow books.

Candidate A: That’s brilliant. And it reminds me of the subway library in Beijing where you can get a book from the entrance and return it when you check out.

Candidate B: Borges once said, “I have always imagined that paradise will be a kind of library.” If this ideal could be achieved, every community, every subway train will be our paradise.

Candidate A: And every family too. Some education experts suggest we should also set a “Family Reading Hour”—an exclusive hour of reading for parents and kids each day.

Candidate B: You do picture me a dreamland. My sweetest memory is that my parents read me stories and I bugged them with endless “whys”.

亮点表达

let alone 更不用说

concrete measure 具体措施

in full agreement 完全同意

community library 社区图书馆

a castle in the air 空中楼阁

exclusive 特有的

advocate and educate 宣传教育

bug 烦扰

rundown 纲要

Part Three

问答

Q: How often do you read a newspaper?

高分表达

Candidate A

I’m afraid I have to say “seldom”. I simply couldn’t recall the last time I bought a copy of newspaper. But I keep myself informed of what’s going on all the time not by reading a newspaper. I will tune in the news channel on radio every morning when I work out outdoors. And my smart phone receives all kinds of news—home and abroad in both Chinese and English around the clock. And sometimes the news flash spreads faster online than the TV. So I feel like it’s not necessary to read a newspaper.

Candidate B

I read newspaper once a week in the school library. That’s my way of concerning myself with the world. I’ve got a tight schedule of my study and part-time jobs, so I could barely keep track of the news daily and I only do it weekly. The traditional newspaper bears obvious distinctions from the news online. Reports and columns on newspapers tend to be more reliable and more solid. And the in-depth coverage on newspapers seems rather thought-provoking to me.

亮点表达

recall 回想起

column 专栏

tune 调整（频道或频率）

coverage 报道

news flash 新闻快讯

thought-provoking 发人深思的

tight schedule 紧凑的日程