独立写作：
The best way to learn about a foreign country is to read the newspapersand magazines from that country.
Nowadays， along with the increasingly importantinteraction between nations， people are concerning more about not only theirown country， but also foreign countries. Some people assert that readingnewspapers and magazines is the best way to learn about a foreign country.However， I can hardly agree with the claim for the reasons as following.
There is no denying that newspaper and magazinecontribute a lot to describe different landscape as well as inform us the newsand the conditions about foreign countries. Newspapers and magazines can beeasily gotten at the newsstands or convenient shops， which offer the generalpublic opportunities to learn about the global world. Also， the information onthe newspapers and magazines is selected by editors， including all thesignificant events in the country. By reading such news， people can save muchtime and meanwhile keep knowledgeable.
Nevertheless， some other ways may be more idealthan reading newspaper and magazine， such as watching TV programs and surfingthe Internet. Newspapers and magazines are both traditional media which provideabundant information about foreign countries for many years， especially twentyyears ago， when other media were not improved to become so popular.Nonetheless， the development of information and telecommunication technologymakes people able to access information easily and conveniently from TV andInternet. Without thorough examination and strict preapproval， the informationon TV and Internet is more updated and extensive. People can get the latestupdates via TV in the next minute after an incident happens. People can alsohear various voices positive and negative， about a foreign country. Thesebenefits cannot be obtained by newspapers and magazines.
Furthermore， another ideal way to learn about aforeign country is bound to be travelling. Sometimes records and views frommedia cannot reflect the real conditions of foreign countries. Instead，travelling can bring us a vivid foreign country. Before living in a foreigncountry for a while and communicating with the local inhabitants， we can hardlyknow exactly the climate， economy and culture there. For instance， we cantravel to a country to try its special foods and snacks， which have a longhistory. Also， we can visit some famous and representative historical sites toexperience the history by ourselves. Only by this way can we learn the accurateand typical characteristics about the country. Besides， it is much moreinteresting than reading newspaper and magazine. There is no doubt that beingthere is an effective and fun way to learn about a foreign country.
From what has been discussed above， we may safelydraw the conclusion that although reading newspapers and magazines is a goodway to learn about a foreign country， there are many other effective ways toknow about a foreign country. Therefore， I cannot agree with the statement thatthe best way to learn about a foreign country is to read the newspapers andmagazines from that country. （481 words）
The passage mainly discusses the functions of thetoucan bird's bill. However， the lecturer casts doubts on the writer's view byusing several points.
First of all， it is said in the passage that thebill could serve as weapon to jam predators. However， the listening argues thatdespite the weapon-like appearance， the bill is too fragile to protect thebird. Moreover， the heavy weight of the bill makes the fly of the bird becomeawkward， which results in falling prey to the predators. This is where thespeaker disagrees with the writer.
Second， the writer points out that the color andshape of the bill can confuse the potential predators. However， the speakerstates that this kind of birds tends to warble all the time and it doesn't wantto confuse the potential predators at all. This directly contradicts what thepassage indicates.
Finally， the passage raises the issue that thebill is so huge that it can help dissipate the body heat. On the other hand，the feather could serve to keep the body temperature. The speaker says that forother species of birds without huge bills， they could control their bodytemperatures as well. Moreover， during the nighttime when the temperaturedrops， what toucan birds could do to keep warm? This is entirely opposed to thewriter's expectation. （221 words）
