2013“外研社杯”全国英语写作大赛已进入复赛阶段。为了给热爱英语学习、踊跃报名参赛的同学们一显身手、体验参赛的机会，也为了给各位参与复赛、角逐决赛的选手提供实战演习的平台，大赛组委会特别开展“外研社杯”全国英语写作大赛“模拟赛场”活动第二期。

“模拟赛场”采用大赛样题，模拟真实赛题难度。参加活动者可以在线投稿写作，体验真实的大赛难度，把握出题角度，考查写作水平。

活动结束后，参加活动者可登陆大赛官网查询模拟赛成绩和排名。大赛组委会将评选出“写作大赛模拟赛场活动之星”，对其优秀作品予以展示与嘉奖。

“模拟赛场”第二期活动细则如下：

活动时间（第二期）：10月12日至11月20日

活动方式：参与者根据“模拟赛场”写作题目及要求在线投稿。

赛题说明：本期模拟比赛包含两项写作任务，

议论文写作：分值为10分，要求长度800词左右。

说明文写作：分值为10分，要求长度600词左右。

活动评分：本活动所有投稿作品将由大赛官方指定作文机评系统­——“冰果英语”智能作文评阅系统进行评阅。

活动奖励：每期“模拟赛场”活动结束，将评选“写作大赛模拟赛场活动之星”，获得神秘礼品并在大赛官网展示其优秀作品。

“外研社杯”全国英语写作大赛“模拟赛场”

第二期竞赛题目

写作题一：议论文写作（Argumentative Writing）（10分）

　　Write a passage in response to the report below. You should discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the report and explain your reasons for the position you take. In developing and supporting your position, you should consider ways in which the report’s opinion might or might not hold true and explain how these considerations shape your position. You should write about 800 words.

Newsweek, the venerable weekly publication that will be remembered for its decades-long efforts for a spot on consumers’ coffee tables, has shut down its print edition at the end of 2012, but it lives on in a new digital tablet edition known as Newsweek Global. As Tina Brown, the Newsweek editor, said, this tablet edition will target a “new highly mobile, opinion-leading audience who want to learn about world events in a sophisticated context.”

The move should not shock. The publication has faced major financial problems in recent years. The numbers tell the tale: Newsweek’s circulation has fallen in the number of subscribers from 3 million to 1.5 million in the last decade; annual losses were thought to be $40 million. More broadly, the company faces a more existential problem in that a “weekly news” magazine has become an anachronism in the digital world. 

Newsweek is not the only one that has to tackle the challenge in the digital time; other outlets will continue to change their business models for a digital future. With the “imminent death” of print, digital formats come out as an inevitable development that could turn the industry’s fortune around.

写作题二：说明文写作（Expository Writing）（10分）

Write a passage based on the chart below, which shows the influences of various factors on work performance in two age groups. You should summarize the features of the two groups and make comparisons. You should write about 600 words.

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