8. travelling

　　it is exciting to visit different places. as you travel, you will see beautiful sceneries typical of the region. besides, you can meet and make friends with people of different colors and races. finally, you can get to know the customs and living habits of the local people. today people are so fond of travelling that tourism has become one of the faster growing industries in most countries.

　　the main reason why people travel is, perhaps, for pleasure. for example, having worked hard throughout the weekdays, people will find a widened trip to the nearby mountains or beaches a real relaxation. for another example, spending an annual holiday travelling abroad is an especially satisfying experience for those who do not have much of an opportunity to be away from their homelands. when people return from their travel, they will generally feel fresh and energetic, ready to work harder.

　　travelling is also one of the best means for learning. you may have read or heard about something but you can never get an accurate picture of it until you see it for yourself. seeing is believing. furthermore, if you area careful observer, you can learn much during your travel about the geography, biology, and history of the places you visit. no matter how well educated you are, there is always a lot for you to learn through travelling. the knowledge acquired from travel, as you will have found in your life, is no less valuable than that from any influential reference book.

　　9. the world population explosion

　　the human race has experienced a consistent increase in population since the beginning of its history. famine and disease have done little to offset(抵消)this steady increase. too many people are added annually to the population of the world. so both the causes of population increase and the results of having more people are worth careful study.

　　culture evolution is the major factor responsible for population increase. early in human development, people invented tools to hunt animals. later they built shelters to protect themselves. step by step, they made life easier. as a result, fewer died from natural forces, such as harsh climate and disease.

　　in the past, when population grew, there was unexplored territory to inhabit. but now, almost all the habitable land has been explored.

　　the world’s population may reach 8.7 billion in 2033. it is clear that world population is a serious issue that needs careful attention. human beings are unique to solve problems through cultural evolution.(發展) facing the world population explosion in the near future. we must carry out the birth control program in order to save the mankind and save the world.

　　10. opening-door

　　policy is the only way to make china strongmodern chinese history leads us to the conclusion that socialism, not capitalism is best for china. but how a socialist china should look at capitalism and more importantly, make use of the better side of capitalism for its own advantage is of vital(至關) importance to the country.

　　as far as our country’s economic construction is concerned, taking advantage of the part of capitalism that is useful to us means we need to develop foreign trade, introduce advanced technology and better management, and make use of foreign funds. it also means we can absorb some of the economic theories, and make use of those economic policies, methods and measures that comply with(遵循) the law of mass production and a commodity economy.

　　by opening our windows wider to the outside world, people can learn more about other peoples and learn to make sensible judgments. absorbing the better part of the cultures of other people to enrich ourselves is the best way to safeguard our socialist culture. so taking advantage of capitalism and stepping up economic reforms is the only way to make china strong. closing the county to international exchanges will only keep it weak.

　　11. choosing an occupation

　　every one faces the problem of choosing an occupation after graduation from college or university, which plays a vital role in his life. an appropriate occupation makes a man work with zest(熱情) and vigor, as well as contribute to his country.

　　to make a wise choice, two important things should be taken into consideration. one is the interest, the other, the demands of people and society. only if the two aspects are connected, can a man show his talent and ability to the best advantage. if the two conflict, the former should be under the latter, for the people’s interests are more important than the individual’s.

　　in regard to my choice in the future, i am fond of learning foreign languages; what is more, with the implementation of the open-door policy, exchange between home and abroad in economy and culture has been growing significantly, thus i’m determined to be a qualified interpreter.

　　12. the brain and the computer

　　some recent developments in the computer industry make scientists predict that the gap between human beings and machines will be closed about the year 20000.

　　to understand the significance of this prediction let us compare the human brain with existing computers. the brain consumes electrical energy at the rate of 25 watts and occupies a volume of one tenth of a cubic foot. the brain houses between 10 billion and 100 billion items of information. every brain cell is directly connected to many other cells. as a result, the cells in which information is stored can communicate with thousands of other cells.

　　however, the computer consumes 1000,000 watts of electrical power and occupies hundreds of cubic feet of space. its million items of immediately accessible information. in contrast, the computer memory is like a cell of pigeonholes, with no thinking capacity and no connections elsewhere.

　　in a word, the electronic brains are hopelessly inadequate in comparison with the human brains.