Part Ⅰ Writing(30 minutes)
Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay entitled The Popularity of Western Holidays. You should write at least 150 words following the outline given below:
1. 一些“洋”节日在中国越来越流行
2. 一些中国传统节日反倒无人问津
3. 你如何看待这种现象

范文:The Popularity of Western Holidays

It seems that some western holidays are getting more and more popular in China. For example, weeks before Christmas, countless shops, restaurants and hotels have got ready with Christmas decorations. However, certain traditional Chinese festivals are being neglected.

In fact, the western festivals are celebrated in China quite differently from in the West. For example, Christmas in the western world is mainly a spiritual festival. Then why have the western holidays taken root in China? The chief reason is that businessmen know that they can make money by producing holiday goods or encouraging extra dining and celebrating.

I think the popularity of western holidays does indicate the success of the economic reform. Certainly economic development has brought extra money to many, people in China have obviously more money than they used to. But we shouldn’t waste our money on useless things.So, we should not be led by those profit happy businessmen, rather, we should take the opportunity to relax and enjoy ourselves. Remember that holiday means happiness, not spending.