综合写作：
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.
Question: Summarize the points made in the lecture, being sure to explain how they cast doubt on the specific points made in the reading passage.
In the last several years, wildfires (forest fires)have become more common in some countries around the world. While everyone agrees that these natural disasters can be dangerous, there is disagreement about whether to use firefighters and government resources to stop them. There are benefits to letting wildfires burn and go out by themselves, without human involvement, rather than trying to stop them immediately.
First, letting wildfires burn rather than stopping them can be environmentally beneficial. Wildfires burn away the thick undergrowth covering the floors of forests, which eventually allows more sunlight to reach the ground. Certain forest plants thrive only when fires have cleared the land of dense growth. Also, ash(the fine, powdery substance left after something is burned)mixes into the earth and provides much-needed nutrients for these plants. Additionally, burned-out trees provide good habitats for several types of mammals and birds.
Second, letting wildfires burn can keep firefighters from harm. In very remote areas-in places where there are large stretches of wilderness and no humans-firefighters are often tasked with stopping fires immediately after they start. In doing this, they risk serious injury and may even lose their lives. There is no good reason why firefighters should risk themselves to protect vast stretches of land where no other people are in danger.
Third, allowing wildfires to end naturally rather than fighting them will save large amounts of money. Recently, the United States spent nearly 2 billion dollars fighting fires. This money was used to pay firefighters and to pay for firefighting equipment, including aircraft and fire-extinguishing chemicals. If some wildfires were allowed to burn, the money the aovernment would save could be nut toward other
学术写作：
Your professor is teaching a class on Sociology. Write a post responding to the professor’s question.
In your response, you should do the following:
- Express and support your opinion.
- Make a contribution to the discussion in your own words.
An effective response will contain at least 100 words.
Dr. Achebe
More and more, online shopping is becoming the primary way that many people obtain everyday goods. But what are the ramifications for the society in which we live? On the one hand, online shopping has advantages – for example, I can make a purchase without ever leaving my home. However, with fewer people shopping at local shops, in some places, these establishments are having a hard time competing. Do you think that online shopping is, on the whole, affecting society?
Andrew
I think that online shopping has had negative impacts on society. In my city, many local stores have shelves filled with various products that you can find in online stores. This has forced some of them to closedown, which not only affects the amount of tax revenue generated in our local community but also impacts the number of job opportunities available to the community members.
Kelly
It’s unfortunate that some local stores are forced to close down, but that’s the nature of competition. As consumers, we benefit greatly from online shopping due to lower prices. Even if I find a physical store that can compete with online sellers in terms of pricing, I still likely make the purchase online because it means I don’t have to spend money on transportation to the store.
