What are you going to do with your old computer after you buy a new one? You have paid high prices for the old computer, but how much do you think it is worth now? Few people want to buy an old computer. Unfortunately, the only thing you can do is to throw it away.
What do many people do when they try to sell their old computers? Foolishly, they think about its original cost and then reduce the price according to the age of computer---- rather like a second hand car. They are wrong. They forget that new computers are becoming cheaper every day, making old computers almost worthless. In 1985, for example, a good computer cost over US $4,000. Ten years later its owner would be lucky to get $400.
You must be careful about buying a second hand computer. The microchips in a computer may last a long time, but the hard disk will not. It will probably cost more to replace the hard disk with a new one than the computer itself is worth. So saving or repairing an old computer is like building a car from spare parts. It is far cheaper to buy a new car.
One magazine recently listed some suggestions. One suggestion was to give it to charity. The final one was to store it somewhere and hope that it would become a collector’s item in fifteen or twenty years. But in fifteen or twenty years there may be so many old computers that they will all be worthless.
Whatever you decide to do with an old computer will not change the fact that it will be useless soon. The world of computers is quickly changing and eventually all computers will not only be integrated with video telephones and run DVD ROM disks, but also be able to perform many tasks which as yet we cannot even imagine. All these uses will require much more advanced computers today to the garbage can of the next century.
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Bullying has been an exceeding issue over the years. Bullying is a major problem that we haven’t been able to stop. Every year more and more people become bullied at school and online.What is worrying us most is that the numbers of kids who are starting to become victims are increasing. Bullying doesn’t just affect the victims of bullying but harms everyone around it, including the bullies themselves.
Bullying has gone viral in the new communication era. People have been bullying over the internet on social media sites such as Facebook, twitter as well as social networking sites. People have also used our new technology of texting to harass people. Cyber bullying is what it's called when you bully someone over the internet. It is really not rare to see people bullied through the internet. People who are bullied feel great pressure and many of them committed suicide. Just in 2020, as many as 1,200 teens were reported to have acted suicide because of cyber bully.
Bullying in school is still in play as well. It may be the “old fashioned” and it is still just as effective! School teachers should be aware that it IS HAPPENING!!! Parents think that bullying in schools is just “a part of school” , which is complete utter nonsense! When students get bullied they feel unsafe, scared and sad. Statistics show that on a daily average 160, 000 children miss school because they fear they will he bullied again.
Nobody likes a bully and being one may be a nightmare of the kids. It is high time that we attached great importance to it. Bystanders could really help stop bullying if they stood up right when it is happening! Stop bullying on the spot therefore it cant go anywhere or develop anymore, If a teacher or anyone sees the bullying, don’t be afraid! When adults respond quickly and consistently, they sent the message that it is not acceptable. When stopping bullying on spot you should intervene immediately, separate the kids involved and make sure everyone is safe. If we all take a stand against bullying and not ignore it or even encourage it, I believe that we can put an end to it!
Most teens need about 8 to more than 9-hours of sleep each night. The right amount of sleep is essential for anyone who wants to do well in tests or sports. And lack of sleep affects everything from a person's ability to pay attention in class to his or her mood. It also damages teens' ability to do their best in athletics. Unfortunately research shows that many teens don't get enough sleep, and more than 20% of high school students fall asleep in class.
Until recently, teens were often blamed for staying up late, oversleeping for school, and falling asleep in class. But recent studies show that adolescent sleep patterns actually differ from those of adults or kids. These studies show that during the teen years, the body's biological clock is temporarily reset, telling a person to fall asleep later and wake up later. This change might arise from the fact that the brain hormone melatonin（褪黑素）is produced later at night for teens than it is for kids and adults This can make it harder for teens to fall asleep early.
These changes in the body's biological clock are in line with a time when they're busier than ever. For most teens, the pressure to do well in school is more intense than when they were kids, and it's harder to get by without studying hard. And teens also have other time demands---everything from sports and other extracurricular activities to fitting in a part-time job to save money for college.
Early start time in some schools may also play role in this sleep deficit（不足额）. Teens who fall asleep after midnight may still have to get up early for school, meaning that they may only squeeze in 6 or 7 hours of sleep a night. A couple hours of missed sleep a night may not seem like a big deal, but can create a noticeable sleep deficit over time.
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注意：
1. 词数80左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Parents always want the best for their children and giving them; the best education is always on top of the list. But if you think education is all they need, maybe you should think twice. Sure, you learn a lot of things in school, but there are important lessons and skills you will need in life that one can only learn at home. Therefore, teaching the children to do household chores is very helpful in their growth. Most families nowadays hire housemaids to do the chores, so children don’t get to experience doing it anymore. But studies argue that it’s still necessary to let children do them.
Helping at home can be a training place for your children to whatever responsibilities they may have in the future. By doing so, they can learn what might be of their advantage when they grow up. “Performing chores offers kids a feeling of self-sufficiency, helps them develop a work ethic, is tied to academic success in school, makes them feel useful and teaches them the importance of helping others and contributing to the greater good.”
Although, most parents can also argue that it is not easy to force their children to do chores. It is a nature for the children to refuse to do chores when they are told to. But there are ways that can turn household chores into a more likely activity for the children. First, start them young. This doesn’t mean that you let your children do huge tasks at an early age. You can gradually increase the level of tasks as they grow old but never ever push them too hard. Second, appreciate every little achievement. Praise them or give them something. Children love rewards and it drives them to do better.
Most importantly, let them know that asking them to help-out is not a punishment. Chores should never be used as a punishment. They might get done in the short term, but the effects won’t last. This approach does not give the child the feeling of doing something because it is the right thing to do. It only makes them hate chores and hoping out even more. Chores should be used as a sense of purpose. Explain to them that it is for their benefit and everything they learn from it is for their advantage.
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Almost all Americans are involved with sports in some way. They may play baseball or volleyball or go swimming or skiing. They may watch football or basketball on the high school, college, or professional level. In reality, sports have reached a point where they play too large a role in daily life.
The overemphasis (过度强调) on sports can be seen most obviously in the vast media coverage of athlete events. It seems as if every race, meet, or match is shown on one television channel or another. In addition, sports news make up about 30 percent of local news. Radio offers a complete list of games and a wide variety of sports shows. Furthermore, many daily papers such as USA Today are devoting more and more space to sports coverage, often in an attempt to attract more readers. The paper with the biggest sports section is the one people will buy.
The way we raise and educate our children also illustrates our sports craziness. As early as six or seven, kids are placed in little leagues, often to play under screaming coaches and pressuring parents. Later, in high school, students who are selected by the school and the community are not those who are the best academically but those who are the best athletically. And college sometimes seems to be more about sports than about learning. The United States may be the only country in the world where people often think of their colleges as teams first and schools second. The names Penn State, Notre Dame and Southern Cal mean “sports” to the public.
Our sports craziness is especially evident in the prestige (声望) given to athletes in the United States. For one thing, we reward them with enormous salaries. In 1990, for example, baseball players averaged 350,000 a year; the average annual salary in the United States is 18,000. Besides their huge salaries, athletes receive the admiration, and sometimes the votes of the public.
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Online schools are becoming very popular today. Whether it is working professionals who cannot afford the time to go to a full-time college because of their huge workload or stay-at-home mums who have many duties and cannot join in a college, online schools are much enjoyed at all. And now, even regular students, who have the time to go to college, are going in for online education, as it leaves them with enough time to pursue other things, such as a part-time job or a hobby, along with studying. However, as with everything, there are both advantages and disadvantages of online schooling.
Let’s start with the positives. These schools cost much less. You don’t have to spend money on buying books or bus fees. Another advantage is the flexibility it provides. You can study at any time during the day. You can study wherever you want---in your house, at a cafe or even in a park.
Move on to the disadvantages of online schooling. Those students who always need a push from their teachers to do well, are very likely not to do well in online schools. And the greatest disadvantage going to school online is that there are many employers who prefer students with a traditional degree to those who have an online degree. The employers feel that students who go to full-time colleges are more knowledgeable compared to those who have online degrees. Since the very purpose of education is to land a person a good job, online degrees, many a time, do not serve this purpose.
No doubt that online schools offer the freedom which no regular college can provide. However how much the employers will value the degrees and whether a student can actually make his own study schedule and most importantly, stick to it, depend upon individuals( AA). So in the end, it can be rightly said, online schools are good for some, while others should give them a skip.
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As global fast-food chains and coffee shops begin phasing out(逐步淘汰) single-use plastic straws, McDonald’s China introduced a “strawless” lid(盖子) for cold beverages at 10 Beijing restaurants on Nov.1,2018.
Like many consumers, Wu Yanmei, a bank clerk in Beijing, had never thought about the impact a simple straw could have on the environment. “Actually, I don’t like using straws, but the cups at fast-food restaurants are all designed for use with a straw,” she said. “I don’t think straws are necessary, so the moves are a good way to raise people’s awareness of not using single-use plastic products.”
However, Jiang Jianguo, a professor of environmental studies at Tsinghua University, said he doubts such activities alone can have a major effect on the global pollution problem.“I don’t think the move by McDonald’s will be a success because previously there were lots of hotels calling for a ban on single-use plastics, but it ended in nothing because businesses compete by trying to make things convenient for consumers, ” he said.
写作内容：
1.用约30个单词概括上述材料的主要内容；
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Throughout history, music spread among people of different cultures. In today's technologic advanced society, however, people spread music online, sometimes without an artist's permission. This can lead to many problems, and music companies are now dealing with this practice. Sharing music online without permission is theft (盗窃).
Sharing music online prevents recording companies from making money from their efforts. They say that sharing music online has led to a huge drop in profits and sales over the past 10 years. People who find music for free online are not paying for CDs or every MP3 downloaded. To truly understand the influence of music piracy (盗版) on creators, we must understand how many people are involved in the recording process. For the sale of each album, profits must be shared between musicians, sound engineers, music producers, managers, advertisers, and the company selling the product. Many people believe sharing music only affects the recording artist, but the reality is that sharing hurts business for all companies involved.
There are many people who don't see the harm in sharing music online and even think they have the right to do it. One online blogger states that he originally paid for an entire CD and that he should be able to do with the material whatever he wants. While he may have legally paid for the music, he does not have the right to provide permission, which means people like the blogger are thieves.
Although we don't spread today's music the same way we did before, there's no doubt that people around the word love to share music. However, Internet piracy would prevent musicians from continuing producing albums for fear of theft. Therefore, if people want to continue listening to their favorite artists, they need to buy their music so that artists will make enough profits to continue their music careers.
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A recent UN report shows that many of us are working longer and harder than ever. In the past, employees worked eight or nine hours a day. Today, however, many companies expect their employees to work longer. In addition, the boundary between work and personal life has become less clear. If we are not working in the office, we might be working at home. We are required to be on call whenever our company needs us. In short, we are all working and having less time with family and friends.
This over-emphasis (过分强调) on work can lead to serious problems in our personal lives. The more time we spend at work, the less time there is available for maintaining relationships with our friends and family. Many of us spend so much time on the job that we hardly ever get to see our partners or children. When we do get home, we are often tired and lack the energy to spend time doing what we really enjoy.
There are, however, a number of ways in which we can regain control of our lives and correct the work-life balance. First of all, workers, especially those employed in offices, have to realize that work is rarely finished. In other words, taking work home does not usually decrease the amount of work. As one task finishes, another one appears. This means that, unless there is a strict deadline, work should stay at work.
Another way to regain a work-life balance is to plan your free time. Most of us spend a lot of time planning our working week. Few of us put the same effort into organizing our leisure time. However, if we don’t have a plan, there is a danger that we will miss out on the things that we really enjoy doing. So, if you like going to the cinema, make sure that you go regularly. Write it in your diary. If you enjoy having friends visit, plan a time and write that in your diary too. It’s all too easy to let your precious time slip away.
