4.Directions:

    A. Write an essay of about 200 words.

    B. Your essay should be based on the outline below:

　　1. 主题句：人们对大学合并持有不同的态度;

　　2. 发展句： a. 一些人认为大学合并是建设世界一流大学的重要举措。 b. 另一些人认为大学合并有一些潜在的问题，如管理问题。

　　3. 结论句：大学合并利大于弊，但应考虑到带来的问题。

　　例文：

　　University Merger

　　University merger, a hot topic both on and off campus, has received much public attention. People's attitudes towards it vary greatly.

　　Some people favor it as an important step that universities take towards the goal of first-rate world universities. They argue that, only through mergers can universities give full play to their own advantages and make up for their disadvantages. Take the merger between Tsinghua University and the Institute of Applied Arts as an example. The former's strengths in the field of high technology complement the latter's reputation for art. They also point out that university mergers will increase the competitive power of Chinese universities in the world. In spite of these arguments, there are those who see it as a hasty decision which has some potential problems. They claim, for instance, located far away from each other, the universities involved in a merger are usually faced with the tough problem of management.

　　In my opinion, university merger has more advantages than disadvantages, but universities should take into account the potential dangers resulting from mergers.