Some people live to climb the highest mountains. Some people live only dreaming about it while others live to avoid ever climbing at all. But one thing is certain, all people encounter mountains in their life.

    When I was a little girl, my family moved to a tiny town at the bottom of a big mountain. One day after school, while exploring the green woods of this magnificent mountain, I almost fell on a set of stairs. What could these steps lead to? Curiosity got the best of me as I knew it would be starting to get dark soon. I started climbing up those strangely mysterious steps.

    I climbed and climbed. There was nothing but just green bushes and these steps. I had to reach the top! But it was now getting real dark. If I kept going I might not be able to see my way back. My mom would be worried sick if I didn't come home soon. So I ran back home almost in the dark while trying not to get too scared.

    Anxiously I went to bed dreaming about what I would find at the top of this magical mountain. Could there be a castle up there? Maybe I would find a monster(怪物). Maybe I was taking the risk of never coming back home. Or, maybe all I would find was absolutely nothing! But something inside me was going to climb that mountain at all cost. I could hardly wait to try this adventure again.

    Now we live in a world surrounded by the "can't do" attitudes. We all fall down. We all have doubts and regrets. Still we must climb and dream about what's at the top of our mountain. Monsters may appear or the night will fall. But never ever give up on your dream! Never let anyone tell you, "You can't." Dream big and climb high!

To Friend or Unfriend

    Social networking makes it very easy to have friends – lots and lots friends. Hundreds or millions of people have joined QQ, Wechat, and other sites so that they can communicate with friends online. However, the meaning of the word “friend” seems changed. In the past, a friend was someone you had a close personal relationship with. Now, anyone in the world can be your friend online! Some people have thousands of cyber friends, but what do you do if you don't want to have so many friends?

    Easy! You can dump an unwanted friend with just one click of your mouse. in recent years, it has become so common to get rid of friends in this way that there is a new word to describe it – to “unfriend”. The new Oxford American Dictionary named it word of the Year in 2009 and defined it like this: “to remove someone as a 'friend' from social networking site”. But why would you want to do such a thing as unfriending someone?

    The most common reason for unfriending someone is to eliminate annoying people from your social life. For example, some friends post messages much too frequently, especially those messages found to be extremely boring. They endlessly post status updates which say something like “I'm cooking dinner” or “I'm doing homework”. Another reason for unfriending someone is disagreement about world issues. A third reason is to get rid of people who write dirty things on social websites.

Although dumping friends is not just an Internet phenomenon, far more online friendships end suddenly than off-line ones. Even in this computer age, it remains true that many people prefer spending time together face-to face. After all, that's what friends are for!

    Water is the driving force of all nature, Leonardo da Vinci claimed. Unfortunately for our planet, water supplies are now running dry at an alarming rate. The world's population continues to increase but that rise in number has not been matched by adequate supplies of fresh water. Reports show that more than a billion individuals — one in seven people on the planet — now lack access to safe drinking water.

    In Sao Paulo, a Brazilian city, drought got so bad that residents began drilling through basement floors and car parks to try to reach groundwater. Officials in this city warned that rationing（配给制）of water supplies was likely soon. Citizens in Sao Paulo might have access to water for only two days a week. In California, US, officials have shown that the state has entered its fourth year of drought. At the same time, its per capita（人均）water use has continued to rise.

【写作内容】

1）用约30词概括上述信息的主要内容；

2）结合上述信息及日常生活，简要分析导致全球淡水资源短缺的主要原因（不少于两点）；

3）谈谈在日常生活中我们应如何保护淡水资源（不少于两点）。

【写作要求】

1）写作过程中不能直接引用原文语句；

2）作文中不能出现真实姓名和学校名称；

3）不必写标题。

【评分标准】

内容完整。语言规范，语篇连贯，词数适当。

    High school exit tests are tests that students must pass to graduate from high school. In the last few years. However, a number of states in America have dropped them. Although some states still use them for diplomas, the number is down from a high of 27 states during the testing craze promoted by No Child Left Behind (NCLB).

    The appearance of this phenomenon is small wonder. Researches clearly show that exit tests have little positive effects on students. A 2014 report found exit testing was associated with lower graduation rates, negatively affected labor market outcomes, and, most alarmingly, produced a 12.5 percent increase in incarceration (监禁) rates. Exit exams, the study concluded, had tended to add little value for most students.

    Exit testing relies on the following assumptions. One is that standardized testing can serve as a kind of "quality control" for high school graduates, guaranteeing that graduates are college ready. The other is that they have predicting value for future success in academic situations.

    But there is little evidence. The tests don't exactly measure what they pretend to measure. For example, qualities such as intelligence, academic ability, college readiness are not determined. Those that should be developed in all young people, like responsibility, critical thinking, and empathy (移植), are not measured, either. Even supporters of exit tests have acknowledged that they don't offer reliable data.

    Thus, more and more people are suggesting that exit test scores ought to be just one component of the high school diploma. Schools should consider many other records including credits earned, courses taken, activities, service, projects and other elements of academic accomplishment so that students can be evaluated flexibly. In other words, exit test scores should never be the only criterion for high school diplomas.

    Although being famous might sound like a dream come taste, today's stars, feeling like zoo animals, face pressures that few of us can imagine. They are at the center of much of the world's attention. Paparazzi(狗仔队)camp outside their homes, cameras ready. Tabloids(小报)publish thrilling stories about their personal lives. Just imagine not being able to do anything without being photographed or interrupted for a signature.

    According to the psychologists, celebrities(名人)worry constantly about their public appearance. Eventually, they start to lose track of who they really are, seeing themselves the way their fans imagine them, not as the people they were before everyone knew their names. Over little, they feel separated and alone.

    The phenomenon of tracking celebrities has been around for ages. In the 4th century B C., painters followed Alexander the Great into battle, hoping to picture his victories for his admirers. When Charles Dickens visited America in the 19th century, his sold-out readings attracted thousands of fans, leading him to complain about his lack of privacy. Tabloids of the 1920s and 1930s ran articles ghoul filth-slats in much the same way that modern tabloids and websites do.

    Being a public figure today, however, is a lot more difficult than it used to be. Superstars cannot move about without worrying about photographers with modem cameras. When they say something silly or do something ridiculous, there is always the Internet to spread the news in minutes and keep their "story" alive forever.

    If fame is so troublesome. Why aren't all celebrities running away from it'? The answer is there are still ways to deal with it. Some stars stay calm by surrounding themselves with trusted friends and family or by escaping to remote places away from big cities. They focus not on how famous they are but on what they love to do or whatever made theme famous in the first place. With these effective approaches, some celebrities relieve the stress and remain popular with fans. Consequently, though being famous is driving some stars crazy, some wise ones enjoy what reputation brings them.

    Tired of all the pushing in supermarkets? Fed up with waiting in endless lines to pay for what you have bought? Angry at wasting time in traffic jams only to find no parking spaces when you eventually arrive at the store? If this is you, then online shopping is the answer to your dreams of trouble-free shopping, or is it?

    Online shopping brings its own challenges. Here are a few things to bear in mind when browsing (浏览) various websites. The claim (声称) made by online sites is that shopping online is a safe and secure way to make purchases. The evidence challenges this. In any case, you only have to be the victim of fraud (欺骗) once to experience all the problems that come with this form of deceiving. Use only sites that have a trusted history and an excellent reputation.

    Another problem is that the appearance of items in reality is often quite different from what you see on your computer screen. This might not be a problem if you are buying washing powder but could be a major disappointment when that beautiful blue dress you ordered turns up in green. Also, product descriptions are sometimes simply untrue! Perhaps the wisest plan is to purchase items where design and colour are not essential to customer satisfaction.

    Some even argue that online shopping indirectly contributes to global warming. Yes, your car can stay parked but how are online goods delivered? Often by some large vans pouring out carbon monoxide(一氧化碳) and adding to our already desperate traffic problems. You are also by now becoming increasingly irritated(烦恼的) by the fact that the delivery is late and you have wasted the leave from work to receive it!