Just like other nations in the world, China has been entering an ageing era demographically. How serious is this problem and what can we do to tackle it? Read the excerpts carefully and write your response in about 300 words, in which you should:
1.summarize briefly the author's opinions about this issue;
2.give your comment.
Marks will be awarded for content relevance, content sufficiency, organization and language quality. Failure to follow the above instructions may result in a loss of marks.
Ageing
Liu Caiping is a former teacher, now 71, who has lived alone in Xi'an since her husband died last year. The radio is her steadfast companion. Her eyesight is failing and she rarely goes out. Like many city residents, her former neighbours have scattered, and her two daughters live far away. When she can no longer cope on her own she will go to a nursing home, she says. That option remains extremely rare for old Chinese. And that highlights the problem: China is struggling to cope with a rapidly ageing society and a rising number of elderly people living by themselves.
For most of the past two millennia the family has been central to how Chinese have seen themselves—and the state has been seen as a family writ large. Filial piety was somewhere near the heart of a Confucian order regulating society, and the family was an extended, stable unit of several generations under one roof. A very common saying encapsulated it all: yang er fang lao—"raise children for your old age".
Today multi-generation families are still the norm. Almost three-fifths of people over 65 live with their children, a higher proportion than in most rich countries. Yet things are changing fast. Increasingly, parents are living apart from their children—and when one spouse dies, as with Ms. Liu, the other often lives alone. A fifth of all single-person households in China are made up of over-65-year-olds. In contrast to younger Chinese living alone, few elderly do so by choice. Many are poorly educated. Women predominate, because they tend to outlive their husbands.
China is unprepared for the consequences of solo dwelling among the elderly. Government policy enshrines the idea that families should live together and provide for the old and others unable to look after themselves. Despite efforts to extend pensions and other social protection, provisions fall far short because the state assumes offspring will help the old and sick. The welfare system is ill-equipped to help the elderly living alone.
State financial support has improved in the past decade, but many millions of elderly Chinese still have no pension or retirement income. Health insurance is increasingly widespread, but usually covers only the basics. Rural areas lag far behind cities in the provision of pensions and health care for the old.
By 2025 nearly one in four Chinese will be over 60. China's one-child policy has made a mockery of yang er fang lao—fewer among the younger generation are around for the old to move in with, a trend reinforced by starting families later. By 2050 there are likely to be just 2.5 working-age adults for every person over 65, down from eight today. Chinese born in the boondocks who migrate to far-off cities in search of work cannot easily take older family members with them even if they want to.
Despite the challenges, many in China still regard responsibility towards their family as a defining feature of their culture. Not much difference with other countries there. But the expectation of filial piety means that those who are not recipients of it often feel ashamed or isolated. Many are reluctant to seek the help of neighbours when they need it, for instance.
The government acknowledges the problem. When it relaxed the one-child policy, one reason it cited was a growing number of elderly singletons. Some enterprising local governments have introduced schemes aimed at the lonely old. But with a weak social-safety net, little support is in place when families fail to help those living alone.

It is commonly believed that one needs higher education in order to succeed, but is college education really necessary? Is a university degree a prerequisite to success? Read the excerpts carefully and write your response in about 300 words, in which you should:
1.summarize briefly the different opinions;
2.give your comment.
Marks will be awarded for content relevance, content sufficiency, organization and language quality. Failure to follow the above instructions may result in a loss of marks.
Linda (China)
I am in college but find the knowledge I am being taught pretty much useless in the real world. Attending college is necessary to get a job in today's world but attending classes is a waste of time, and it is getting tough to land a good job even with a bachelor's degree.
Kaplooie (Canada)
Does a college degree guarantee a better future? Absolutely not. But put yourself in the place of a hiring manager. Assuming that you have to choose one from the two interviewees, are you going to hire the one with the college degree or the one without? If you can afford it, get the college degree. Even if you never use it, it will forever prevent someone from questioning your educational background.
Vivienne (France)
I think college education is essential in life but it is not a must. Four years' study in college is a precious experience since we spend our best and most productive years in college. I have noticed that a college degree may offer many opportunities. However, wages you will get in the future depend on many other factors such as your personality, competence and in some cases, good luck.
Kerrie (US)
Attending college is a worthwhile endeavor. In the modern American job market, it has become nearly impossible to pursue a lifelong career that pays well and offers stability and the possibility of promotion without a college degree. This means even those who struggle with student loan debts, but completed degrees, are still better off in the long run than their peers who did not attend colleges.
Anderson (Germany)
I think college education is valuable. At university, people should be taught how to think, how to analyze, how to solve problems, increase interaction between lecturers and students, other than listening. Students should be educated to follow their dreams by investing time, effort and money on their goals.
Msacks (US)
College is for some people; it's not for all. We've been brainwashed that the only way to be successful is to go to college, and that degrees translate into success. If you want to be a doctor, lawyer, or get into other fields that require degrees, go for it. My first 2.5 years of work experience helped me 1,000 times more than my 5 years of college getting the bachelor's and master's degree. But if you really are a self-motivated and self-directed worker, college can be a hindrance rather than a help.
Weld (UK)
There are many paths. We should not push every kid into college. Some should go to college, others to high-tech vocational training, others, maybe straight into business.