Writing based on Reading and Listening
　　Directions
　　For this task， you will first have five minutes to read a passage about an academic topic. You may take notes on the passage if you wish. The passage will then be removed and you will listen to a lecture about the same topic. While you listen， you may also take notes.
　　Then you will have 20 minutes to write a response to a question that asks you about the relationship between the lecture you heard and the reading passage. Try to answer the question as completely as possible using information from the reading passage and the lecture. The question does not ask you to express your personal opinion. You will be able to see the reading passage again when it is time for you to write. You may use your notes to help you answer the question.
　　Typically， an effective response will be 150 to 225 words long. Your response will be judged on the quality of your writing and on the completeness and accuracy of the content. If you finish your response before time is up， you may click on Next to go on to the second writing task.
　　Now you will see the reading passage for five minutes. Remember it will be available to you again when you write immediately after the reading time ends. The lecture will begin， so keep your headset on until the lecture is over.
　　Directions：
　　You have 20 minutes to plan and write your response. Your response will be judged on the basis of the quality of your writing and on how well your response presents the points in the lecture and their relationship to the reading passage. Typically， an effective response will be 150 to 225 words.
　　Altruism¹ is a type of behavior in which an animal sacrifices its own interest for that of another animal or group of animals. Altruism is the opposite of selfishness； individuals performing altruistic² acts gain nothing for themselves.
　　Examples of altruism abound³， both among humans and among other mammals. Unselfish acts among humans range from the sharing of food with strangers to the donation of body organs to family members， and even to strangers. Such acts are altruistic in that they benefit another， yet provide little reward to the one performing the act.
　　In fact， many species of animals appear willing to sacrifice food， or even their life， to assist other members of their group. The meerkat， which is a mammal that dwells in burrows⁵ in grassland⁶ areas of Africa， is often cited as an example. In groups of meerkats， an individual acts as a sentinel， standing⁷ guard and looking out for predators⁹ while the others hunt for food or eat food they have obtained. If the sentinel meerkat sees a predator⁸ such as a hawk¹⁰ approaching the group， it gives an alarm cry alerting the other meerkats to run and seek shelter. By standing guard， the sentinel meerkat gains nothing—it goes without food while the others eat， and it places itself in grave danger. After it issues an alarm it has to flee alone， which might make it more at risk to a predator， since animals in groups are often able to work together to fend¹¹ off a predator. So the altruistic sentinel behavior helps ensure the survival of other members of the meerkat‘s group.
　　Narrator
　　Now listen to part of a lecture on the topic you just read about.
　　Professor
　　You know， often in science， new findings force us to re-examine earlier beliefs and assumptions. And a recent study of meerkats is having exactly this effect. The study examined the meerkat‘s behavior quite closely， much more closely than had ever been done before. And some interesting things were found……like about eating habits……it showed that typically meerkats eat before they stand guard —— so the ones standing guard had a full stomach！ And the study also found that since the sentinel is the first to see a predator coming， it’s the most likely to escape……because it often stands guard near a burrow⁴， so it can run immediately into the burrow after giving the alarm. The other meerkats， the ones scattered¹² about looking for food， are actually in greater danger.
　　And in fact， other studies have suggested that when an animal creates an alarm， the alarm call might cause the other group members either to gather together or else to move about very quickly， behaviors that might actually draw the predator‘s attention away from the caller， increasing that animal’s own chances of survival.
　　And what about people——what about some human acts that might be considered altruistic？ Let‘s take an extreme case， uh， suppose a person donates a kidney to a relative， or even to a complete stranger. A selfless act， right？ But ……doesn’t the donor¹³ receive appreciation¹⁴ and approval from the stranger and from society？ Doesn‘t the donor gain an increased sense of self worth？ Couldn’t such non-material rewards be considered very valuable to some people？
　　Altruism is a type of behavior in which an animal sacrifices its own interest for that of another animal or group of animals. Altruism is the opposite of selfishness； individuals performing altruistic acts gain nothing for themselves.
　　Examples of altruism abound， both among humans and among other mammals. Unselfish acts among humans range from the sharing of food with strangers to the donation of body organs to family members， and even to strangers. Such acts are altruistic in that they benefit another， yet provide little reward to the one performing the act.
　　In fact， many species of animals appear willing to sacrifice food， or even their life， to assist other members of their group. The meerkat， which is a mammal that dwells in burrows in grassland areas of Africa， is often cited as an example. In groups of meerkats， an individual acts as a sentinel， standing guard and looking out for predators while the others hunt for food or eat food they have obtained. If the sentinel meerkat sees a predator such as a hawk approaching the group， it gives an alarm cry alerting the other meerkats to run and seek shelter. By standing guard， the sentinel meerkat gains nothing—it goes without food while the others eat， and it places itself in grave danger. After it issues an alarm it has to flee alone， which might make it more at risk to a predator， since animals in groups are often able to work together to fend off a predator. So the altruistic sentinel behavior helps ensure the survival of other members of the meerkat‘s group.
　　Question：
　　Summarize the points made in the lecture you just heard， explaining how they cast doubt on points made in the reading.
　　Narrator
　　Summarize the points made in the lecture you just heard， explaining how they cast doubt on points made in the reading.
　　[解析]
　　这是与读、听结合的写作任务。这一题型是关于学术方面的，阅读文章讲述的是一个学术问题，听力部分是课堂授课的节选，内容与阅读文章有关，但是从不同的角度讨论同一个问题。听力中的内容有可能是支持阅读文章的观点，也有可能是反对阅读文章中的内容。考生永远需要总结听力中的观点，但同时需要阐述听力中的观点与阅读文章中观点的关系。
　　阅读文章是关于动物的一种“舍己为人”的行为，基本观点有：人类的“舍己为人”的行为有比如：与人分享食品、捐献器官。然后以meerkat这种动物为例，说明动物也有“舍己为人”的行为。Meerkat的几种行为说明他们是“舍己为人”的：担任警卫工作的meerkat在同类狩猎或是吃饭的时候，负责观察是否有敌人靠近，一旦有敌人靠近就发出警报以通知同类逃离，做出的牺牲就是没有吃东西就站岗；发出警报后只能独自逃离，增加了被捕食的危险。听力部分从相反的角度反对这一观点，提出的观点有：meerkat的进食习惯，新的发现是站岗的meerkat实际上是第一个吃东西的，而不是饿着肚子站岗；站岗的meerkat站在洞口附近，一旦发现危险，可以立即跑进洞中，成为最有可能逃离危险的一个，那些东出去找食物的同类反倒更危险。关于人类捐献器官，教授认为其实捐献者得到了社会的赞扬，自身价值的提高等非物质的报偿。
　　考生需要从三个方面进行对比讨论：
　　阅读文章中的观点                听力中的观点
　　人类的器官捐献是无私的行为      人类的器官捐献得到来自社会的承认和赞誉。
　　meerkat卫兵不吃东西就去站岗    Meerkat为兵早于其同类吃饭才去站岗
　　Meerkat卫兵被捕食的危险最大    meerkat实际上是最容易逃离危险的
　　同样的，好的回答一定是让没有听过对话的人也能明白你在讲些什么地回答

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