IELTS Speaking Part 2

A Time When You Used a Phone to Do Something Important

最近一次出现于 2026年5–8月

题卡

Describe a time when you used a phone to do something important

You should say:

  • when and where you used the phone
  • what you used the phone for
  • why it was important to do this
  • and explain what happened as a result of using the phone

范文：6.5、7.0、7.5 三档

同一题目的三个版本，分别写到对应分数的真实水平——对比着看，能清楚看到分数之间到底差在哪里。

6.5 分

Plain, direct phrasing such as 'so I knew I needed to act fast' and a single because-clause to explain the reasoning keep the account clear but linguistically simple, consistent with Band 6.5.'so I knew I needed to act fast'(所以我知道自己必须马上行动)这样朴素直接的表达,再加上一个用来解释原因的because从句,让整段叙述清晰但语言层面比较简单,符合6.5分的水平。

The time I used my phone for something important was one afternoon at work, about two months ago, in our office near the river.

My colleague Vy was opening a box with a small knife when it slipped and cut her hand quite deeply. There was a lot of blood, and she looked very pale and shocked, so I knew I needed to act fast.

What I used my phone for was to call a taxi immediately through an app, because it was faster than waiting for one on the street. While we waited, I also searched quickly for the nearest hospital, so the driver would know exactly where to go, and I called my manager to tell her what had happened. It was important because Vy needed real medical help fast, not just a plaster, and every minute mattered, especially with Da Nang traffic sometimes being slow.

As a result, we got her to the hospital within fifteen minutes, and the doctors said we did the right thing by not waiting. She needed a few stitches but recovered completely within two weeks. Since then, our office keeps a proper first aid box, and I still think about how useful my phone was that day.

查看中文翻译

我用手机做重要事情的那次，是大概两个月前的一个下午，在我们靠近江边的办公室里。

我的同事阿薇用小刀开一个箱子的时候，刀滑了一下，把手划得很深。伤口流了很多血，她的脸色也很苍白，看起来很吓人，我知道必须马上行动。

我用手机做的第一件事，是马上通过App叫了一辆出租车，因为这比在路边等车快多了。等车的时候，我又快速查了一下最近的医院在哪，好让司机清楚知道要去哪里，还打电话告诉经理发生了什么事。这件事很重要，因为阿薇真的需要及时的医疗处理，不是贴个创可贴就够了，每一分钟都很关键，更何况岘港的交通有时候很堵。

最后我们十五分钟内就把她送到了医院，医生说我们没有等待，做得很对。她缝了几针，两个星期后就完全恢复了。从那以后，我们办公室一直放着一个正规的急救箱，我到现在还会想起手机那天有多重要。

205 词 · 约 2 分钟

为什么是这个分数

  • LR“There was a lot of blood, and she looked very pale and shocked” — The description relies on everyday intensifiers ("a lot of," "very") attached to common adjectives ("pale," "shocked") rather than more vivid or clinical vocabulary (like "drenched" or "ashen") that a higher-band retelling of the same emergency might use. This keeps the account clear and easy to follow but linguistically unremarkable, fitting the Band 6.5 ceiling of "at most one slightly less-common word." The coordination with "and" simply lists two observations side by side rather than integrating them into a single more complex image.这段描述依靠日常的加强语气词("a lot of"、"very")搭配常见形容词("pale"、"shocked"),而不是像 "drenched" 或 "ashen" 这样更生动或更具临床色彩的词汇,后者可能出现在更高分数段对同一紧急情况的复述中。这使得叙述清晰、易于理解,但在语言上并不出彩,符合 Band 6.5 "最多一个稍不常见的词"这一上限。用 "and" 进行的并列只是把两个观察简单地罗列在一起,而没有把它们整合成一个更复杂的单一意象。
  • FC“so I knew I needed to act fast” — This clause functions as the coherence hinge between the description of the injury and the account of what the speaker actually did, using the simple connector "so" to signal cause and effect. It's functional and easy to follow, but it states the motivation as a flat fact rather than dramatising the moment (for instance, with a rhetorical question or a reflective aside), the kind of plain, direct move the Band 6.5 fluency descriptor describes as "one clear reason is enough." The phrase "act fast" itself is a common collocation rather than anything more distinctive.这个从句在描述伤情与讲述说话者实际做了什么之间起到了连贯性的枢纽作用,使用简单的连接词 "so" 来标示因果关系。它功能明确、易于理解,但只是把动机当作一个平淡的事实来陈述,而没有把这一刻戏剧化处理(比如用一个反问句或一句反思性的插入语),这正是 Band 6.5 流利度描述语所说的"一个清晰的理由就足够"的那种朴素、直接的做法。"act fast" 这个短语本身是一个常见搭配,并没有更特别之处。
  • GRA“What I used my phone for was to call a taxi immediately through an app, because it was faster than waiting for one on the street.” — The sentence opens with a cleft-like "what...was" structure and then adds a single "because" clause to justify the choice, giving it slightly more shape than a flat statement but still representing only one layer of subordination. A Band 7.0 answer might instead combine this with a second linked idea in the same sentence (a contrast or a further consequence) rather than stopping after the one justification. The comparative "faster than waiting for one on the street" is accurate and concrete, grounded in the specific detail of hailing a taxi via app, but doesn't extend into a more complex comparative or conditional structure.这句话以一个类似强调句的 "what...was" 结构开头,然后加上一个单一的 "because" 从句来说明这一选择的理由,使它比一句平淡陈述稍有层次,但仍然只代表一层从属结构。Band 7.0 的答案可能会在同一句话里再结合第二个相关联的想法(一个对比或进一步的结果),而不是只给出一个理由就打住。比较结构 "faster than waiting for one on the street" 准确而具体,立足于通过App叫车这一具体细节,但没有延伸成更复杂的比较结构或条件结构。
7.0 分

The participial clause 'following the operator's instructions about keeping her sitting upright and calm' adds grammatical variety to a mostly simple recount, and the reasoning in 'every minute really does matter' develops the point with natural spoken emphasis rather than just stating a fact.分词状语从句'following the operator's instructions about keeping her sitting upright and calm'(按照接线员的指示让她保持坐直、情绪平稳)为这段总体上比较简单的叙述增添了语法上的变化,而'every minute really does matter'(每一分钟真的都很关键)这句说理,用自然的口语化强调来展开论点,而不只是陈述一个事实。

The time I used my phone for something important was one evening about four months ago, just outside my building, when I was coming back from the gym.

I saw an elderly woman, who I recognised as my neighbour's grandmother, sitting on the stairs looking very pale and holding onto the railing tightly, clearly struggling to breathe properly. I didn't know exactly what was wrong with her, but it was obviously serious.

What I used my phone for was calling for an ambulance straight away, since I didn't want to waste time running upstairs to find her family first. While I waited on the line, I also messaged the building's group chat to ask if anyone knew her or could come down quickly, and luckily her granddaughter appeared within a minute. I stayed on the phone the whole time, following the operator's instructions about keeping her sitting upright and calm until help arrived.

It was important because, in situations like that, every minute really does matter, and I wasn't confident enough in my own knowledge of first aid to handle it alone. Having a phone meant I could get proper medical advice immediately instead of just guessing what to do.

As a result, the ambulance arrived within about ten minutes, and the paramedics said it looked like a mild heart problem that needed checking properly at the hospital. She ended up staying in overnight but was fine after that, and her family thanked me several times over the following weeks. It made me realise how useful it is to actually know the local emergency number by heart rather than assuming you'll always have time to search for it.

查看中文翻译

我用手机做过的一件重要的事,发生在大约四个月前的一个傍晚,就在我住的楼下,当时我健身回来。

我看到一位老太太,认出是邻居的奶奶,坐在楼梯上,脸色很苍白,双手紧紧抓着扶手,明显呼吸不顺畅。我不清楚她具体是什么问题,但一看就知道情况不轻。

我当时用手机做的第一件事就是立刻拨打急救电话,因为我不想浪费时间先跑上楼去找她的家人。在电话通话的同时,我还在楼里的群聊里发消息问有没有人认识她、能不能马上下来,幸运的是她的孙女不到一分钟就出现了。我一直没挂电话,按照接线员的指示让她保持坐直、情绪平稳,直到救援人员赶到。

这件事之所以重要,是因为在这种情况下,每一分钟真的都很关键,而我对自己的急救知识并没有足够的信心,不敢独自处理。有手机在手,就意味着我能立刻获得专业的医疗指导,而不是靠自己瞎猜该怎么做。

结果救护车大约十分钟就到了,急救人员说看起来是轻度的心脏问题,需要到医院做进一步检查。她在医院住了一晚观察,后来没事了,她的家人在接下来的几个星期里多次向我道谢。这件事让我意识到,把本地急救电话真正背下来是多么有用的一件事,而不是想当然地以为随时都有时间去查号码。

278 词 · 约 2 分钟

为什么是这个分数

  • LR“I wasn't confident enough in my own knowledge of first aid to handle it alone” — 'Confident enough in my own knowledge of' is a more precise way of admitting a specific limitation than a plainer 'I didn't know what to do', naming exactly what the gap was (first aid knowledge) rather than a vague general uncertainty. The construction uses 'confident enough... to handle it alone' as a natural collocation pattern, linking the admission directly to the decision to call for help rather than act independently. This flexible, topic-appropriate phrasing is calibrated to the 7.0 lexical target, and it's the actual justification for the whole anecdote's central action.'Confident enough in my own knowledge of'比直白的'I didn't know what to do'更精确地承认了一个具体的局限，准确点明了差距所在(急救知识)，而不是笼统模糊的不确定。这个结构用'confident enough... to handle it alone'作为自然的搭配模式，把这一承认直接与"求助而非独自行动"的决定联系起来。这种灵活、贴合话题的措辞正对应Band 7.0的词汇目标，也正是整个轶事核心行动的真正理由所在。
  • FC“It was important because, in situations like that, every minute really does matter” — The sentence moves from the specific incident to a generalised principle ('in situations like that, every minute really does matter'), using the emphatic auxiliary 'really does' for spoken stress rather than just stating 'time was important'. This generalising move — treating the anecdote as an instance of a broader rule rather than a one-off event — is a small but genuine step toward the kind of reasoned development Band 7.0 fluency rewards over the flatter, single-instance reasoning a 6.5 answer would give. It stops short of the more explicitly reflective payoff a 7.5 closer might add.这句话从具体事件上升到一个概括性原则('in situations like that, every minute really does matter')，用强调助动词'really does'制造口语重音，而不是只说'time was important'。这种概括化的手法——把这段轶事当作一条更广泛规律的实例，而不是一次孤立事件——是朝着Band 7.0流利度所奖励的那种有理有据的展开迈出的一小步，但确实是真实的一步，胜过Band 6.5答案那种更平淡的单一事例式说理。不过它还没有达到Band 7.5式收尾可能添加的那种更明确的反思性升华。
  • GRA“I stayed on the phone the whole time, following the operator's instructions about keeping her sitting upright and calm until help arrived.” — The participial phrase 'following the operator's instructions' attaches a second, simultaneous action to the main clause without needing a second full clause and conjunction, which is a more economical way of packing two actions into one sentence than a 6.5 answer's likely coordination. Inside that participial phrase sits a further gerund construction ('about keeping her sitting upright and calm'), so the sentence carries two layers of non-finite structure while staying accurate and easy to follow. This is comfortable, functional complexity rather than a showcase construction, matching the 7.0 descriptor.分词短语'following the operator's instructions'把第二个同时发生的动作挂接到主句上，不需要第二个完整分句加连词，这比Band 6.5答案很可能采用的并列结构更经济地把两个动作压缩进一句话里。而在这个分词短语内部又嵌了一个动名词结构('about keeping her sitting upright and calm')，使这句话带有两层非限定结构，同时依然准确、易于理解。这是一种从容、实用的复杂度，而非炫技式结构，正对应Band 7.0的描述语。
7.5 分

The embedded relative clause 'which in Vietnam is 114' and the compressed evaluative sentence 'What happened as a result was, thankfully, small' show the flexible, economical grammar and vocabulary typical of Band 7.5.嵌入式定语从句'which in Vietnam is 114'(在越南就是114这个号码)以及那句凝练的评价性句子'What happened as a result was, thankfully, small'(结果呢,谢天谢地,事情不算严重),都展现出7.5分典型的灵活、精炼的语法和词汇运用。

The time I'd describe was about one in the morning, a few months ago, in the building where I rent the top floor. I'd been working late and was getting a glass of water when I smelled smoke, and then saw it — a thin grey line coming under the door of the flat across the landing.

What I used the phone for was three things, in about two minutes. First, I knocked and shouted and got no answer, so I called the fire service, which in Vietnam is 114, and gave the address, the floor, and what I could see. Second, I opened the building's group chat and typed 'FIRE, third floor, get out now' in capitals, then called the landlady directly, because she's sixty and doesn't check messages at night. Third, I used the torch on the phone, because the landing light had gone out, to find the extinguisher and to bang on the doors of the other two flats on the floor.

Why it was important is obvious in one sense — smoke at one in the morning in a building of sleeping people — but there's a specific reason, too. The building is an old tube house with one staircase, and if the fire had reached the landing, the people above would have had no way down.

What happened as a result was, thankfully, small. The fire crew arrived in nine minutes and broke the door. The couple had gone to bed with a pan of oil still on a low flame, and were asleep in the back room with the door shut. The kitchen was black, the flat was smoky, nobody was hurt. Everyone was on the pavement by then, because the group chat had worked faster than I could knock. Since then the landlady has put a smoke alarm on every floor, and the chat has a pinned message with the number 114.

查看中文翻译

我要说的这件事发生在几个月前,大约凌晨一点,就在我租住顶楼的那栋楼里。当时我加班到很晚,正想去倒杯水,忽然闻到一股烟味,然后就看到了——一缕灰色的薄烟从楼梯平台对面那户人家的门缝底下钻出来。

在接下来大约两分钟里,我用手机做了三件事。第一,我敲门又大喊,但没人应答,于是我拨打了消防电话,在越南是114,报出了地址、楼层,以及我看到的情况。第二,我打开了楼里的群聊,用大写字母打出"着火了,三楼,马上出去",然后又直接打电话给房东太太,因为她六十岁了,晚上不看消息。第三,我打开手机手电筒——因为楼梯平台的灯坏了——用来找灭火器,并去敲另外两户人家的门。

这件事之所以重要,从某种意义上说是显而易见的——凌晨一点,整栋楼的人都在熟睡时冒出了烟——但其实还有一个更具体的原因。这栋楼是老式的管式住宅(tube house),只有一条楼梯,如果火势蔓延到楼梯平台,楼上的人就完全没有路可以下来了。

结果,谢天谢地,情况并不严重。消防队九分钟内赶到并破门而入。那对夫妻睡前忘了关火,炉子上还留着一锅用小火煨着的油,而他们当时正睡在关着门的里屋。厨房被熏得漆黑,整间公寓都是烟,但没有人受伤。到那时,所有人都已经站在人行道上了,因为群聊传播的速度比我挨家挨户敲门快得多。从那以后,房东太太在每一层楼都装了烟雾报警器,群聊里也置顶了一条写着114这个号码的消息。

319 词 · 约 2 分钟

为什么是这个分数

  • LR“a thin grey line coming under the door” — 'A thin grey line coming under the door' uses the present participle 'coming' to make the smoke feel like an ongoing, encroaching event rather than a static fact, and it's more visually specific than a plain phrase like 'smoke under the door' would be. This precision is the kind of 'precise or less-common' vocabulary the Band 7.5 lexical target asks for, and it earns its place by making the danger vivid at the exact moment the speaker notices it.'A thin grey line coming under the door'用现在分词'coming'让烟雾给人一种正在发生、不断逼近的感觉,而不是一个静止的事实,这比像'smoke under the door'这样平铺直叙的说法在视觉上更具体。这种精确性正是7.5分词汇目标所要求的那种「精确或不常见」的词汇,而它之所以值得被使用,是因为它在说话人察觉危险的那一刻让危险变得生动逼真。
  • FC“What happened as a result was, thankfully, small.” — The sentence inserts the adverb 'thankfully' as a parenthetical aside — 'was, thankfully, small' — delivering the outcome through understatement rather than spelling out relief directly. That kind of controlled, evaluative aside embedded mid-sentence is the reflective point the Band 7.5 fluency target calls for, and the restraint of it, rather than an exclamatory 'I was so relieved!', fits the calm, controlled tone of the whole recount.这句话把副词'thankfully'作为插入语嵌入句中——'was, thankfully, small'——用轻描淡写的方式传达结果,而不是直白地说出如释重负的感觉。这种嵌在句子中间、有节制、带评价性的插入语,正是7.5分流利度目标所要求的反思点,而这种克制——而非像'I was so relieved!'这样的感叹句——正契合整段回忆冷静、克制的语气。
  • GRA“First, I knocked and shouted and got no answer, so I called the fire service, which in Vietnam is 114, and gave the address, the floor, and what I could see.” — This one sentence combines two coordinated main-clause actions, an embedded relative clause explaining an acronym ('which in Vietnam is 114'), and a compact list of what was reported, the address, the floor, what I could see, all held together accurately. That density of combined structures within a single sentence is more ambitious than what would typically appear at Band 7.0, and it matches the Band 7.5 target of 'varied complex structures...mostly error-free' sustained over a longer stretch of speech.仅仅一句话就融合了多重结构:两个并列的主句动作、一个解释缩写词的嵌入式定语从句('which in Vietnam is 114'),以及一份简洁的清单——所报告的内容、地址、楼层、我所能看到的情况——所有这些都被准确地组合在一起。在一句话中如此密集地组合各种结构,比7.0分典型的表现更有野心,也正对应7.5分"持续在较长的话语段落中保持多样复杂结构……几乎没有错误"这一目标。

各考试时段出题记录

  • Describe a time when you used a phone to do something important2026年5–8月

Part 3 追问

这些是考官在该题卡之后提出的讨论题，已编写范文的题目附有参考答案。

  1. 1. Does the way phones are used today benefit people's social lives?

    2026年5–8月
    查看这道题的6.5 / 7.0 / 7.5三档对比
    6.5 分

    Closes with the plain marker: 'So phones are good for keeping social life going, but not so good at making it deeper.'以平实的标记句收尾：'So phones are good for keeping social life going, but not so good at making it deeper.'

    In some ways, yes. The group chat in my building turned a dozen strangers into neighbours, first through parcels and parking, and later through a real emergency, a fire. A decade ago, we would have just nodded on the stairs and known nothing about each other. Phones keep families in different cities in daily contact and make plans easy. But there's a cost too — the dinner where everyone looks at their phone instead of talking. So phones are good for keeping social life going, but not so good at making it deeper.

    查看中文翻译

    在某些方面，是这样的。我们楼里的群聊，把十几个陌生人变成了邻居，一开始是因为包裹和停车的事，后来又经历了一场真正的紧急情况——一场火灾。十年前，我们大概只会在楼梯上点点头，对彼此一无所知。手机让在不同城市的家人能够保持每天的联系，也让安排事情变得容易。但这也是有代价的——那种大家在饭桌上各自盯着手机、谁也不跟谁说话的场景。所以，手机对维持社交生活很有帮助，但对让社交关系变得更深厚，就没那么擅长了。

    为什么是这个分数

    • FC“So phones are good for keeping social life going, but not so good at making it deeper.” — Closes with plain 'So'. 7.0 replaces this with 'I'd say', a slightly more considered framing, and 7.5 drops any marker and states the closing contrast as two short parallel sentences.以平实的 'So' 收尾。7.0将其替换为 'I'd say'，是一种略微更经过考量的框架；7.5则去掉了任何标记词，把这个收尾的对比表述为两个并列的短句。
    • LR“the dinner where everyone looks at their phone instead of talking” — Plain, direct image. 7.0 shortens this to 'the dinner where everyone's looking down', and 7.5 develops the image further into 'the dinner where everyone's eyes drift downward'.平实、直接的意象。7.0将其缩短为 'the dinner where everyone's looking down'；7.5则把这个意象进一步发展为 'the dinner where everyone's eyes drift downward'。
    • GRA“A decade ago, we would have just nodded on the stairs and known nothing about each other.” — A simple sentence with two coordinated verbs. 7.0 folds this into the previous sentence with a dash, and 7.5 keeps the dash structure but adds 'real' and 'politely'.一个带有两个并列动词的简单句。7.0用破折号把它融入前一句；7.5保留了破折号结构，但加入了 'real' 和 'politely'。
    7.0 分

    Replaces the closing marker with a hedge: 'I'd say phones are good for maintaining social life and not so good at deepening it.'用一个缓和语取代了收尾的标记词：'I'd say phones are good for maintaining social life and not so good at deepening it.'

    Honestly, in some ways more than we usually admit. The group chat in my building turned a dozen strangers into neighbours, first through parcels and parking and then, one night, through an actual fire — a decade ago we'd probably have nodded on the stairs and known nothing about each other. Phones keep families across cities and countries in daily contact, make plans easy, and let shy people join conversations they'd never enter in a room. The cost is the other side, though: the dinner where everyone's looking down, and the constant comparison with everyone else's edited life online. I'd say phones are good for maintaining social life and not so good at deepening it.

    查看中文翻译

    说实话，在某些方面，比我们通常愿意承认的还要多。我们楼里的群聊，把十几个陌生人变成了邻居，一开始是因为包裹和停车的事，后来某天晚上，又经历了一场真正的火灾——十年前，我们大概只会在楼梯上点点头，对彼此一无所知。手机让分散在不同城市、不同国家的家人能够保持每天的联系，让安排事情变得容易，也让害羞的人能加入那些他们在现实房间里永远不敢开口的对话。不过，代价就是另一面：那种大家在饭桌上各自低头看手机的场景，还有不断地拿自己和别人网上那种经过精心编辑的生活作比较。我认为，手机对维持社交生活很有帮助，但对让它变得更深厚，就没那么擅长了。

    为什么是这个分数

    • FC“I'd say phones are good for maintaining social life and not so good at deepening it.” — Replaces 6.5's plain 'So' with the hedge 'I'd say', a more considered closing framing. 7.5 drops any marker entirely, stating the contrast as two short, punchy parallel sentences instead.用缓和语 'I'd say' 取代了6.5分中平实的 'So'，是一种更经过考量的收尾框架。7.5则完全去掉了任何标记词，转而把这个对比表述为两个简短、有力的并列句。
    • LR“the dinner where everyone's looking down” — More compact than 6.5's fuller phrase. 7.5 develops the same image further into 'the dinner where everyone's eyes drift downward'.比6.5分中更完整的短语更紧凑。7.5把同样的意象进一步发展为 'the dinner where everyone's eyes drift downward'。
    • GRA“a decade ago we'd probably have nodded on the stairs and known nothing about each other” — Folds the idea into the previous sentence via a dash rather than starting a new sentence as in 6.5, more integrated. 7.5 keeps the dash structure but adds 'politely' and 'real'.通过破折号把这个想法融入前一句，而不是像6.5分那样另起一句，更为整合。7.5保留了破折号结构，但加入了 'politely' 和 'real'。
    7.5 分

    Drops any marker and states the contrast as two short, punchy parallel clauses: 'Phones sustain a social life well; they rarely deepen one.'去掉了任何标记词，把这个对比表述为两个简短、有力的并列分句：'Phones sustain a social life well; they rarely deepen one.'

    I'd say in some ways more than we're usually willing to admit. The group chat in my building turned a dozen strangers into neighbours — first over parcels and parking disputes, then, one night, over an actual fire — when a decade ago we'd probably have nodded politely on the stairs and known nothing real about each other. Phones keep families scattered across cities and countries in daily contact, smooth over the logistics of making plans, and let shy people join conversations they'd never dare enter in a room. The flip side is real, though: the dinner where everyone's eyes drift downward, the friendship that thins into a stream of reactions rather than an actual meeting, and the quiet comparison against everyone else's carefully edited life. Phones sustain a social life well; they rarely deepen one. That's a genuine benefit sitting right beside a genuine limit.

    查看中文翻译

    我想说，在某些方面，确实比我们通常愿意承认的还要多。我们楼里的群聊，把十几个陌生人变成了邻居——一开始是因为包裹和停车纠纷的事，后来某天晚上，又经历了一场真正的火灾——而十年前，我们大概只会在楼梯上礼貌地点点头，对彼此一无所知，真正意义上的了解更是无从谈起。手机让分散在不同城市、不同国家的家人能够保持每天的联系，让安排事情的种种琐事变得顺畅，也让害羞的人能加入那些他们在现实房间里绝不敢开口的对话。但另一面同样真实：那种大家在饭桌上各自把视线飘向别处的场景，那种友情逐渐稀释成一连串表情回应、而不再是真正的相聚，还有那种默默拿自己去和别人精心编辑过的生活作比较的心态。手机能很好地维持社交生活；却很少能让它变得更深厚。这是一种真实的好处，紧挨着一种真实的局限。

    为什么是这个分数

    • FC“Phones sustain a social life well; they rarely deepen one.” — Drops any linking marker and states the final contrast as two short, punchy parallel clauses joined by a semicolon, a more confident, aphoristic close than 7.0's hedged 'I'd say'.去掉了任何连接性的标记词，把最终的对比表述为两个用分号连接的简短、有力的并列分句，比7.0分中带缓和语的 'I'd say' 更自信、更具格言式的收尾感。
    • LR“the dinner where everyone's eyes drift downward” — A more vivid, visual image than 7.0's flatter 'looking down', showing stronger descriptive control.比7.0分中更平淡的 'looking down' 更生动、更具画面感的意象，展现出更强的描写掌控力。
    • GRA“when a decade ago we'd probably have nodded politely on the stairs and known nothing real about each other” — Keeps 7.0's dash-led structure but adds the adverb 'politely' and the adjective 'real', layering in extra nuance within the same subordinate clause.保留了7.0分中由破折号引导的结构，但加入了副词 'politely' 和形容词 'real'，在同一个从句中叠加了额外的细腻层次。

  2. 2. Can phones affect people's ability to concentrate?

    2026年5–8月
    查看这道题的6.5 / 7.0 / 7.5三档对比
    6.5 分

    Closes with the plain hedge: 'I think the phone isn't the real problem — it's the expectation of being interrupted.'以平实的缓和语收尾：'I think the phone isn't the real problem — it's the expectation of being interrupted.'

    Yes, I tested this on myself. For one week, I left my phone in another room while I worked, and I did the best design work I'd done in a year. It wasn't because I checked it less, but because just knowing it was there kept part of my attention on standby. Every notification breaks a thought, and it takes minutes to rebuild it. I think the phone isn't the real problem — it's the expectation of being interrupted.

    查看中文翻译

    是的，我在自己身上试验过这件事。有一个星期，我工作的时候把手机放在另一个房间，结果做出了一年来最好的设计作品。这并不是因为我查看手机的次数变少了，而是因为仅仅知道手机在那里，就会让一部分注意力一直处于待命状态。每一次通知提醒都会打断思路，而要重新找回思路则需要几分钟的时间。我认为，手机本身并不是真正的问题——真正的问题是那种「随时可能被打断」的预期心理。

    为什么是这个分数

    • FC“I think the phone isn't the real problem — it's the expectation of being interrupted.” — Closes with the plain hedge 'I think'. 7.0 replaces this with 'I'd say', paired with a semicolon, and 7.5 keeps 'I'd say' but extends the sentence with a further clause.以平实的缓和语 'I think' 收尾。7.0将其替换为 'I'd say'，并搭配一个分号；7.5保留了 'I'd say'，但用另一个分句延伸了这个句子。
    • LR“kept part of my attention on standby” — A simple, functional image. 7.0 intensifies this to 'kept a small part of my attention permanently on standby', and 7.5 sharpens it further to 'kept a sliver of my attention permanently on standby'.一个简单、功能性的意象。7.0将其强化为 'kept a small part of my attention permanently on standby'；7.5则进一步将其打磨为 'kept a sliver of my attention permanently on standby'。
    • GRA“It wasn't because I checked it less, but because just knowing it was there kept part of my attention on standby.” — A 'not because...but because' structure in one sentence. 7.0 lengthens this with a dash before it and adds 'constantly' and 'permanently', and 7.5 keeps the same structure but adds 'beforehand' and swaps 'checking it constantly' for 'glued to it'.一个句子内的 'not because...but because' 结构。7.0在前面加了一个破折号使其更长，并加入了 'constantly' 和 'permanently'；7.5保留了同样的结构，但加入了 'beforehand'，并把 'checking it constantly' 换成了 'glued to it'。
    7.0 分

    Restructures the close with a semicolon and an added clause: 'the phone itself isn't the enemy of concentration; the expectation of interruption is, and it follows you everywhere.'用分号和一个附加的分句重新构建了收尾：'the phone itself isn't the enemy of concentration; the expectation of interruption is, and it follows you everywhere.'

    Honestly, yes, and I actually measured it on myself. For one week, I left my phone in a different room while I worked, and I did the deepest design work I'd done in a year — not because I'd been checking it constantly before, but because just knowing it was there kept a small part of my attention permanently on standby. Every notification breaks a thought, and it takes minutes to rebuild it. The habit of reaching for the phone during any pause means the mind never really learns to sit with a hard problem. I'd say the phone itself isn't the enemy of concentration; the expectation of interruption is, and it follows you everywhere.

    查看中文翻译

    说实话，是的，而且我确实在自己身上做了测量。有一个星期，我工作的时候把手机放在另一个房间，结果做出了一年来最深入的设计作品——这并不是因为我之前一直不停地查看手机，而是因为仅仅知道手机在那里，就会让一小部分注意力永远处于待命状态。每一次通知提醒都会打断思路，而要重新找回思路则需要几分钟的时间。每当出现一点空档就习惯性地去摸手机，这意味着大脑其实从未真正学会如何静下心来面对一个困难的问题。我认为，手机本身并不是专注力的敌人；真正的敌人是那种被打断的预期，而它会跟着你到任何地方。

    为什么是这个分数

    • FC“I'd say the phone itself isn't the enemy of concentration; the expectation of interruption is, and it follows you everywhere.” — Replaces 6.5's hedge 'I think' with 'I'd say' and restructures with a semicolon plus an added clause, a more developed closing statement than 6.5's simpler dash sentence. 7.5 keeps this semicolon structure but extends the final clause even further.用 'I'd say' 取代了6.5分中的缓和语 'I think'，并用分号加一个附加分句重新构建了句子，比6.5分中更简单的破折号句子更为成熟的收尾陈述。7.5保留了这个分号结构，但把最后的分句延伸得更远。
    • LR“kept a small part of my attention permanently on standby” — Adds 'small' and 'permanently' to 6.5's plainer phrase, more precise. 7.5 intensifies this again to 'kept a sliver of my attention permanently on standby'.在6.5分中更平淡的短语上加入了 'small' 和 'permanently'，更加精确。7.5再次将其强化为 'kept a sliver of my attention permanently on standby'。
    • GRA“not because I'd been checking it constantly before, but because just knowing it was there kept a small part of my attention permanently on standby” — Expands 6.5's 'not because...but because' structure with more elaborated clauses on both sides. 7.5 keeps this same expanded structure but swaps in slightly more vivid verbs.在6.5分的 'not because...but because' 结构基础上，把两边的分句都扩展得更为详尽。7.5保留了同样的扩展结构，但替换成了略微更生动的动词。
    7.5 分

    Extends the semicolon close with a fuller final image: 'the phone just happens to carry that expectation everywhere it goes.'用一个更完整的收尾意象延伸了分号收尾：'the phone just happens to carry that expectation everywhere it goes.'

    Honestly, yes — and I actually measured it on myself. For one week I left my phone in another room while I worked, and I turned out the deepest design work I'd done in a year, not because I'd been glued to it beforehand, but because simply knowing it was there kept a sliver of my attention permanently on standby. Every notification snaps a thought in half, and it takes real minutes to rebuild it. The habit of reaching for the phone in any spare second means the mind never gets the chance to build the muscle for sitting with a hard problem at all. I'd say the phone isn't really the enemy of concentration; the expectation of interruption is, and the phone just happens to carry that expectation everywhere it goes.

    查看中文翻译

    说实话，是的——而且我确实在自己身上做了测量。有一个星期，我工作的时候把手机放在另一个房间，结果做出了一年来最深入的设计作品，这并不是因为我之前一直死盯着手机，而是因为仅仅知道手机在那里，就会让一丝一缕的注意力永远处于待命状态。每一次通知提醒都会把思路生生截断，而要重新找回思路，则需要实实在在的几分钟。每当有一点空闲时间就习惯性地去摸手机，这意味着大脑根本没有机会锻炼出静下心来面对一个困难问题的「肌肉」。我认为，手机本身并不真的是专注力的敌人；真正的敌人是那种被打断的预期，而手机恰好就是把这种预期随身携带到任何地方的那个东西。

    为什么是这个分数

    • FC“I'd say the phone isn't really the enemy of concentration; the expectation of interruption is, and the phone just happens to carry that expectation everywhere it goes.” — Keeps 7.0's semicolon structure but extends the final clause into a fuller, more vivid image of the phone 'carrying' the expectation everywhere, a more developed close than 7.0's shorter 'it follows you everywhere'.保留了7.0分中的分号结构，但把最后的分句延伸成一个更完整、更生动的意象——手机「随身携带」这种预期到任何地方，比7.0分中更简短的 'it follows you everywhere' 更为成熟的收尾。
    • LR“kept a sliver of my attention permanently on standby” — Swaps 7.0's 'a small part' for the more vivid, precise noun 'a sliver', showing finer lexical choice for the same idea.用更生动、更精确的名词 'a sliver' 替换了7.0分中的 'a small part'，展现出针对同一个想法更精细的词汇选择。
    • GRA“Every notification snaps a thought in half, and it takes real minutes to rebuild it.” — Replaces the plainer verb 'breaks' with the more vivid, violent 'snaps...in half', and adds the intensifier 'real' before 'minutes', showing richer collocational control within a short sentence.用更生动、更具冲击力的 'snaps...in half' 取代了更平淡的动词 'breaks'，并在 'minutes' 前加入了强调语 'real'，在一个短句中展现出更丰富的搭配掌控力。

  3. 3. Is it all right to phone somebody late at night?

    2026年5–8月
    查看这道题的6.5 / 7.0 / 7.5三档对比
    6.5 分

    Closes with a plain 'but'-linked sentence: 'a message is better for anything that can wait until morning.'以一个用 'but' 连接的平实句子收尾：'a message is better for anything that can wait until morning.'

    I think it's only okay when the reason is serious enough to justify waking someone up. That night was the first time I was sure it was — I called my landlady at one in the morning because there was smoke on her third floor, and that call needed no apology. A call at that hour about something small is usually just an intrusion. Close friends and family might accept a late call if something is wrong, but a message is better for anything that can wait until morning.

    查看中文翻译

    我认为，只有当理由足够重大、值得把人叫醒的时候，才算可以接受。那天晚上是我第一次确信自己的理由足够重大——我凌晨一点打电话给房东太太，是因为她三楼有烟——那通电话完全不需要道歉。在那个时间点，为了一件小事打电话，通常就只是一种打扰。亲密的朋友和家人，如果出了什么事，或许还能接受深夜来电，但如果事情可以等到早上再说，发一条信息会更好。

    为什么是这个分数

    • FC“Close friends and family might accept a late call if something is wrong, but a message is better for anything that can wait until morning.” — Plain 'but'-linked sentence closing the answer. 7.0 replaces 'but' with a fuller structure introducing the hedge 'to be fair', and 7.5 removes any marker, letting the point flow directly after a dash-led example.用 'but' 连接的平实句子为答案收尾。7.0用一个更完整的结构取代了 'but'，引入了缓和语 'to be fair'；7.5则去掉了任何标记词，让这一点在一个破折号引出的例子之后直接流淌出来。
    • LR“that call needed no apology” — Plain phrasing. 7.0 intensifies with 'needed no apology at all', and 7.5 upgrades further to 'needed no apology whatsoever'.平实的表达。7.0用 'needed no apology at all' 加强了语气；7.5则进一步升级为 'needed no apology whatsoever'。
    • GRA“I called my landlady at one in the morning because there was smoke on her third floor, and that call needed no apology.” — One sentence joined by 'because' and 'and'. 7.0 restructures this with a semicolon before the following contrast clause, and 7.5 keeps the semicolon but replaces the plain image with a more vivid one.一个用 'because' 和 'and' 连接的句子。7.0在后面的对比分句之前用分号重组了这个句子；7.5保留了分号，但用一个更生动的意象取代了原本平实的意象。
    7.0 分

    Inserts the hedge mid-sentence: 'A message, to be fair, is the more polite option for anything that can wait until morning.'在句中插入了缓和语：'A message, to be fair, is the more polite option for anything that can wait until morning.'

    Honestly, I'd say it's only all right when the reason genuinely justifies waking someone up, and that night was the first time I'd ever been completely sure it did. Calling my landlady at one in the morning needed no apology at all, because there was smoke on her third floor; a call at that hour about anything less feels like a real intrusion. It really depends on the relationship — close friends and family tend to accept a late call when something's wrong, and some friendships even have their own unspoken agreements about acceptable hours. A message, to be fair, is the more polite option for anything that can wait until morning, since it doesn't force a ring.

    查看中文翻译

    说实话，我认为只有当理由确实能证明把人叫醒是合理的时候，才算可以接受，而那天晚上是我第一次完全确信自己的理由确实成立。凌晨一点打电话给房东太太完全不需要道歉，因为她三楼有烟；而在那个时间点，为了任何不那么重要的事情打电话，感觉就像是一种真正的打扰。这其实很大程度上取决于关系的亲疏——亲密的朋友和家人，如果出了什么事，往往还能接受深夜来电，有些朋友之间甚至有自己心照不宣的约定，规定哪些时间是可以接受的。平心而论，如果事情可以等到早上再说，发一条信息是更礼貌的选择，因为它不会强迫对方接听一通铃响。

    为什么是这个分数

    • FC“A message, to be fair, is the more polite option for anything that can wait until morning, since it doesn't force a ring.” — Inserts the hedge 'to be fair' mid-sentence rather than 6.5's plain 'but'-linked structure, a more natural spoken coherence device. 7.5 removes the hedge entirely and states the point directly after a dash-led anecdote.在句中插入了缓和语 'to be fair'，而不是像6.5分那样用平实的 'but' 连接结构，是一种更自然的口语化衔接手法。7.5则完全去掉了这个缓和语，在一个破折号引出的轶事之后直接陈述这一点。
    • LR“needed no apology at all” — Adds 'at all' to 6.5's plain phrase for emphasis. 7.5 intensifies further with 'needed no apology whatsoever'.在6.5分的平实短语上加入了 'at all' 以加强语气。7.5则进一步强化为 'needed no apology whatsoever'。
    • GRA“Calling my landlady at one in the morning needed no apology at all, because there was smoke on her third floor; a call at that hour about anything less feels like a real intrusion.” — Uses a semicolon to join the anecdote to its generalisation within one sentence, more complex than 6.5's separate sentences. 7.5 keeps this semicolon structure but replaces the plain image with a more vivid one.用分号在一个句子内把轶事和它引出的概括连接起来，比6.5分中分开的句子更复杂。7.5保留了这个分号结构，但用一个更生动的意象取代了原本平实的意象。
    7.5 分

    Ends on a cleft-style closing sentence: 'What people resent isn't really the hour so much as the judgement behind it.'以分裂句式的收尾句结束：'What people resent isn't really the hour so much as the judgement behind it.'

    I'd say it's only justified when the reason genuinely earns the right to wake someone, and that night was the first time I was completely certain it did. Calling my landlady at one in the morning needed no apology whatsoever, because there was smoke curling up her third floor; a call at that hour about anything less feels like a small violation. It comes down to the relationship — close friends and family will forgive a late call when something's genuinely wrong, and some friendships even carry their own unspoken rules about acceptable hours. A message is the polite fallback for anything that can wait until morning, since it doesn't force its way in the way a ringing phone does. What people resent isn't really the hour so much as the judgement behind it — a late call says 'this matters more than your sleep'.

    查看中文翻译

    我认为，只有当理由确实赢得了把人叫醒的资格时，才算合理，而那天晚上是我第一次完全确信自己的理由确实做到了这一点。凌晨一点打电话给房东太太完全不需要任何道歉，因为烟正从她三楼往上冒；而在那个时间点，为了任何不那么重要的事情打电话，感觉就像是一种小小的冒犯。这归根结底取决于关系的亲疏——亲密的朋友和家人，如果确实出了什么事，会原谅一通深夜来电，有些友情之间甚至还有自己心照不宣的规矩，规定哪些时间是可以接受的。如果事情可以等到早上再说，发一条信息是更礼貌的退而求其次的选择，因为它不会像一通响铃的电话那样强行闯入对方的生活。人们真正介意的，与其说是时间本身，不如说是电话背后所传递出的那种判断——一通深夜来电，仿佛在说「这件事比你的睡眠更重要」。

    为什么是这个分数

    • FC“What people resent isn't really the hour so much as the judgement behind it — a late call says 'this matters more than your sleep'.” — Replaces 7.0's separate hedged sentence about messages with a cleft-style closing sentence, a more confident, rhetorically pointed final structure than 7.0's plainer close.用一个分裂句式的收尾句取代了7.0分中关于短信的独立缓和句，比7.0分中更平淡的收尾拥有更自信、更具修辞锋芒的结尾结构。
    • LR“needed no apology whatsoever” — Intensifies 7.0's 'needed no apology at all' with the stronger, more emphatic 'whatsoever', showing finer control of degree adverbs.用更强烈、更强调的 'whatsoever' 强化了7.0分中的 'needed no apology at all'，展现出对程度副词更精细的掌控。
    • GRA“Calling my landlady at one in the morning needed no apology whatsoever, because there was smoke curling up her third floor; a call at that hour about anything less feels like a small violation.” — Keeps 7.0's semicolon structure but replaces 'smoke on her third floor' with the more vivid participial phrase 'smoke curling up her third floor', and swaps 'a real intrusion' for 'a small violation'.保留了7.0分中的分号结构，但用更生动的分词短语 'smoke curling up her third floor' 取代了 'smoke on her third floor'，并把 'a real intrusion' 换成了 'a small violation'。

  4. 4. Should making phone calls in public places be banned because it can disturb other people?

    2026年5–8月
    查看这道题的6.5 / 7.0 / 7.5三档对比
    6.5 分

    Closes with a short plain sentence: 'The real problem is volume and length, not the call itself.'以一个简短、平实的句子收尾：'The real problem is volume and length, not the call itself.'

    I think banning is too extreme, but it should be managed. On a train to Hanoi, I once sat near a man negotiating a contract loudly for two hours, and the answer to that isn't a national ban, but something like a quiet carriage, which some railways already have. Calls in public are part of normal life — people get news, arrange things for their children, or answer work calls while travelling. Stopping all of that just to prevent rudeness would punish everyone for the behaviour of a few. The real problem is volume and length, not the call itself.

    查看中文翻译

    我认为一刀切地禁止太极端了，但确实应该加以管理。有一次坐火车去河内，我旁边坐着一个人，大声谈了两个小时的合同，而对这种情况的解决办法，不该是全国性的禁令，而应该是像「安静车厢」这样的做法，有些铁路公司已经这样做了。在公共场合打电话是正常生活的一部分——人们要获取消息、安排孩子的事情，或者在旅途中接听工作电话。仅仅为了防止个别人失礼，就完全禁止这一切，那就等于是用少数人的行为来惩罚所有人。真正的问题是音量和时长，而不是打电话这件事本身。

    为什么是这个分数

    • FC“The real problem is volume and length, not the call itself.” — Closes with a plain final sentence. 7.0 extends this into a longer cleft sentence introduced with 'What's reasonable, I'd say, is...', and 7.5 keeps a similar cleft sentence but adds an extra final independent clause.以一个平实的收尾句结束。7.0把它延伸成一个更长的分裂句，用 'What's reasonable, I'd say, is...' 来引出；7.5保留了类似的分裂句，但又加了一个最后的独立分句。
    • LR“negotiating a contract loudly for two hours” — Plain description. 7.0 upgrades to 'negotiating a contract at full volume for two hours', and 7.5 sharpens further with 'at full volume for two solid hours'.平实的描述。7.0升级为 'negotiating a contract at full volume for two hours'；7.5则进一步打磨为 'at full volume for two solid hours'。
    • GRA“On a train to Hanoi, I once sat near a man negotiating a contract loudly for two hours, and the answer to that isn't a national ban, but something like a quiet carriage, which some railways already have.” — One long sentence joined by 'and' and 'but'. 7.0 adds a further relative clause, and 7.5 keeps this extended relative clause but swaps 'already have' for the more active 'already run'.一个用 'and' 和 'but' 连接的长句。7.0加入了另一个定语从句；7.5保留了这个延伸后的定语从句，但把 'already have' 换成了更主动的 'already run'。
    7.0 分

    Extends the closing sentence into a dash-led list: 'What's reasonable, I'd say, is specific rules in certain places — cinemas, libraries, hospitals — and ordinary social pressure everywhere else.'把收尾句延伸成一个由破折号引出的列举：'What's reasonable, I'd say, is specific rules in certain places — cinemas, libraries, hospitals — and ordinary social pressure everywhere else.'

    Honestly, I think a ban is too extreme, but the behaviour definitely needs managing somehow. On a train to Hanoi, I once sat through a man negotiating a contract at full volume for two hours, and the real solution to him isn't a national ban but something like a quiet carriage, which some railways already have and which actually works. Calls in public are simply part of modern life — people get news, coordinate their children, or take work calls while travelling, and stopping all of that just to prevent rudeness ends up punishing everyone for the behaviour of a few. What's reasonable, I'd say, is specific rules in certain places — cinemas, libraries, hospitals — and ordinary social pressure everywhere else.

    查看中文翻译

    说实话，我认为一刀切地禁止太极端了，但这种行为确实需要以某种方式加以管理。有一次坐火车去河内，我全程忍受着旁边一个人大声谈了两个小时的合同，而对付他的真正解决办法，不该是全国性的禁令，而是像「安静车厢」这样的做法，有些铁路公司已经有了，而且确实有效。在公共场合打电话，本来就是现代生活的一部分——人们要获取消息、协调孩子的事情，或者在旅途中接听工作电话，仅仅为了防止个别人失礼，就完全禁止这一切，那就等于是用少数人的行为来惩罚所有人。我认为，合理的做法是在特定场所——电影院、图书馆、医院——制定具体的规则，而在其他地方，则靠普通的社会压力来约束。

    为什么是这个分数

    • FC“What's reasonable, I'd say, is specific rules in certain places — cinemas, libraries, hospitals — and ordinary social pressure everywhere else.” — Replaces 6.5's short closing sentence with a longer cleft sentence built around a dash-led list, a more elaborate coherence structure. 7.5 keeps this cleft pattern but swaps 'I'd say' for 'I'd argue' and adds a further independent clause.用一个围绕破折号引出的列举而构建的更长的分裂句，取代了6.5分中简短的收尾句，是一种更为精致的衔接结构。7.5保留了这种分裂句的模式，但把 'I'd say' 换成了 'I'd argue'，并加了一个附加的独立分句。
    • LR“negotiating a contract at full volume for two hours” — Upgrades 6.5's plain 'loudly' to the more vivid 'at full volume'. 7.5 keeps 'at full volume' but adds 'solid' before 'hours' for extra emphasis.把6.5分中平实的 'loudly' 升级为更生动的 'at full volume'。7.5保留了 'at full volume'，但在 'hours' 前加了 'solid' 以加强语气。
    • GRA“which some railways already have and which actually works” — Adds a second relative clause coordinated with 'and', more elaborated than 6.5's single relative clause. 7.5 keeps a similar double relative clause but swaps 'have' for the more active verb 'run'.加入了一个用 'and' 并列的第二个定语从句，比6.5分中单一的定语从句更为详尽。7.5保留了类似的双重定语从句，但把 'have' 换成了更主动的动词 'run'。
    7.5 分

    Adds a second closing sentence after the cleft: 'The real culprit is volume and duration, not the act itself.'在分裂句之后又加了第二句收尾句：'The real culprit is volume and duration, not the act itself.'

    I'd say an outright ban is too heavy-handed, though the behaviour genuinely needs managing. On a train to Hanoi, I once sat through a man negotiating a contract at full volume for two solid hours, and the fix for him isn't a national ban but something as simple as a quiet carriage, which some railways already run and which genuinely works. Calls in public are simply part of modern life — people catch up on news, coordinate their children, or take a work call while travelling — and shutting all of that down just to prevent occasional rudeness would punish everyone for the sins of a few. What's reasonable, I'd argue, is targeted rules in specific places — cinemas, libraries, hospitals — backed by ordinary social pressure everywhere else. The real culprit is volume and duration, not the act itself.

    查看中文翻译

    我认为一刀切地禁止手段太过强硬，尽管这种行为确实需要加以管理。有一次坐火车去河内，我全程忍受着旁边一个人整整两个小时都在大声谈合同，而对付他的解决办法，不该是全国性的禁令，而是像「安静车厢」这样简单的做法，有些铁路公司已经在运行，而且确实有效。在公共场合打电话，本来就是现代生活的一部分——人们要跟上新闻动态、协调孩子的事情，或者在旅途中接听工作电话——仅仅为了防止偶尔的失礼，就把这一切完全禁止掉，那就等于是用少数人的过失来惩罚所有人。我认为，合理的做法是在特定场所——电影院、图书馆、医院——制定有针对性的规则，而在其他地方，则由普通的社会压力来支撑约束。真正的罪魁祸首是音量和时长，而不是打电话这个行为本身。

    为什么是这个分数

    • FC“What's reasonable, I'd argue, is targeted rules in specific places — cinemas, libraries, hospitals — backed by ordinary social pressure everywhere else. The real culprit is volume and duration, not the act itself.” — Keeps 7.0's cleft sentence structure but swaps 'I'd say' for the slightly more assertive 'I'd argue', and adds a further short independent sentence at the very end, a more rounded, two-part close than 7.0's single sentence.保留了7.0分中分裂句的结构，但把 'I'd say' 换成了语气略强的 'I'd argue'，并在最后又加了一句简短的独立句，比7.0分中单一的句子更圆满、更具两段式的收尾结构。
    • LR“at full volume for two solid hours” — Adds 'solid' to 7.0's 'at full volume for two hours', intensifying the sense of duration through a more idiomatic collocation.在7.0分的 'at full volume for two hours' 上加入了 'solid'，通过更地道的搭配来强化那种「持续时长」的感觉。
    • GRA“which some railways already run and which genuinely works” — Replaces 7.0's static verb 'have' with the more active 'run', showing finer verb choice within an otherwise identical double relative-clause structure.用更主动的 'run' 取代了7.0分中静态的动词 'have'，在其余部分相同的双重定语从句结构中，展现出更精细的动词选择。

  5. 5. Do people speak more honestly on the phone than face-to-face?

    2026年5–8月
    查看这道题的6.5 / 7.0 / 7.5三档对比
    6.5 分

    Introduces the concession with a plain 'But': 'But it works both ways — lies are easier too, since there's no face to give you away.'用平实的 'But' 引出这个让步：'But it works both ways — lies are easier too, since there's no face to give you away.'

    Sometimes, and often about the hard things. My father told me his eyesight was failing in a phone call, in a flat voice, months before he would have said it across a table, where he'd have had to watch my face receive it. The phone removes the other person's reaction, which makes hard truths easier to say. But it works both ways — lies are easier too, since there's no face to give you away. Face-to-face has a kind of honesty the phone lacks, because you can't hide a pause or a look.

    查看中文翻译

    有时候是这样的，而且往往是关于那些很难说出口的事情。我父亲曾在一通电话里，用平淡的语气告诉我他的视力正在衰退，比他本来会当面坐在桌边告诉我早了好几个月——因为当面说的话，他就得亲眼看着我的表情接受这个消息。电话去掉了对方的反应，这让那些难以启齿的真相更容易说出口。但这也是双向的——撒谎也变得更容易了，因为没有脸能出卖你。而面对面交流有一种电话所缺乏的诚实感，因为你没法掩饰一次停顿或一个眼神。

    为什么是这个分数

    • FC“But it works both ways — lies are easier too, since there's no face to give you away.” — Plain 'But' opens the concession as a new sentence. 7.0 replaces this with 'It cuts both ways, though:', a colon-led structure, and 7.5 keeps this colon structure but upgrades the verb 'are' to 'come'.平实的 'But' 另起一句来引出这个让步。7.0将其替换为 'It cuts both ways, though:'，这是一个由冒号引导的结构；7.5保留了这个冒号结构，但把动词 'are' 升级为 'come'。
    • LR“in a flat voice” — Simple, direct phrasing. 7.0 intensifies to 'in a completely flat voice', and 7.5 develops this further into 'in a voice gone completely flat'.简单、直接的表达。7.0强化为 'in a completely flat voice'；7.5则进一步发展为 'in a voice gone completely flat'。
    • GRA“The phone removes the other person's reaction, which makes hard truths easier to say.” — One sentence with a relative clause. 7.0 attaches this same idea to the previous sentence via a dash instead of starting new, and 7.5 keeps the dash but swaps 'removes' for 'strips away'.一个带有定语从句的句子。7.0用破折号把同样的想法接到前一句上，而不是另起一句；7.5保留了破折号，但把 'removes' 换成了 'strips away'。
    7.0 分

    Integrates the concession with a colon: 'It cuts both ways, though: lies are easier too, since there's no face to give you away.'用冒号把这个让步整合进句子：'It cuts both ways, though: lies are easier too, since there's no face to give you away.'

    Honestly, sometimes, and it's often the difficult things that come out more easily on the phone. My father told me his eyesight was failing in a phone call, in a completely flat voice, months before he would have said it across a table, where he'd have had to watch my face receive it — the phone removes the other person's reaction, and that makes hard truths easier to say. It cuts both ways, though: lies are easier too, since there's no face to give you away. People are often more honest about feelings on the phone and less honest about facts, while face-to-face has a kind of honesty the phone simply lacks.

    查看中文翻译

    说实话，有时候是这样的，而且往往是那些困难的事情，在电话里反而更容易说出口。我父亲曾在一通电话里，用完全平淡的语气告诉我他的视力正在衰退，比他本来会当面坐在桌边告诉我早了好几个月——因为当面说的话，他就得亲眼看着我的表情接受这个消息——电话去掉了对方的反应，而这让那些难以启齿的真相更容易说出口。不过，这也是双向的：撒谎也变得更容易了，因为没有脸能出卖你。人们在电话里往往对情感更诚实，但对事实反而没那么诚实，而面对面交流则有一种电话根本不具备的诚实感。

    为什么是这个分数

    • FC“It cuts both ways, though: lies are easier too, since there's no face to give you away.” — Replaces 6.5's sentence-initial 'But' with the more integrated 'It cuts both ways, though:', using a colon to introduce the concession, more fluent than 6.5's separate sentence. 7.5 keeps this colon structure nearly identical but swaps 'are' for the more active 'come'.用更为整合的 'It cuts both ways, though:' 取代了6.5分中句首的 'But'，用冒号引出这个让步，比6.5分中独立的句子更流畅。7.5保留了几乎相同的冒号结构，但把 'are' 换成了更主动的 'come'。
    • LR“in a completely flat voice” — Adds the intensifier 'completely' to 6.5's plain 'in a flat voice'. 7.5 develops this further into the participial phrase 'in a voice gone completely flat'.在6.5分中平实的 'in a flat voice' 上加入了强调语 'completely'。7.5则进一步发展成分词短语 'in a voice gone completely flat'。
    • GRA“the phone removes the other person's reaction, and that makes hard truths easier to say” — Attaches the idea to the previous sentence via a dash rather than starting a new sentence as in 6.5, a more integrated structure. 7.5 keeps this dash attachment but swaps 'removes' for 'strips away'.通过破折号把这个想法接到前一句上，而不是像6.5分那样另起一句，是一种更整合的结构。7.5保留了这个破折号连接，但把 'removes' 换成了 'strips away'。
    7.5 分

    Upgrades the verb in the colon-led concession: 'lies come easier too, since there's no face left to give you away.'在冒号引出的让步中升级了动词：'lies come easier too, since there's no face left to give you away.'

    I'd say sometimes, and it's usually the hardest things that slip out more easily down a phone line. My father told me his eyesight was failing in a phone call, in a voice gone completely flat, months before he'd have said it across a table, where he'd have had to watch my face receive it — the phone strips away the other person's reaction, and that absence makes hard truths easier to speak. It cuts both ways, though: lies come easier too, since there's no face left to give you away. People tend to be more honest about feelings on the phone and considerably less honest about facts, whereas face-to-face carries a kind of honesty the phone simply can't fake — you can't hide a pause or a look.

    查看中文翻译

    我想说，有时候是这样的，而且往往是最难以启齿的事情，反而更容易通过电话线悄悄溜出口。我父亲曾在一通电话里，用一种完全变得平淡的声音告诉我他的视力正在衰退，比他本来会当面坐在桌边告诉我早了好几个月——因为当面说的话，他就得亲眼看着我的表情接受这个消息——电话剥去了对方的反应，而这种缺失让那些难以启齿的真相更容易说出口。不过，这也是双向的：撒谎也变得更容易了，因为已经没有脸能出卖你了。人们在电话里往往对情感更诚实，但对事实的诚实程度却大打折扣，而面对面交流则带有一种电话根本无法伪装出来的诚实感——因为你没法掩饰一次停顿或一个眼神。

    为什么是这个分数

    • FC“It cuts both ways, though: lies come easier too, since there's no face left to give you away.” — Keeps 7.0's colon structure nearly identical but swaps the verb 'are' for the more active 'come' and adds 'left' for extra nuance, a subtle but real upgrade in naturalness over 7.0's version.保留了7.0分中几乎相同的冒号结构，但把动词 'are' 换成了更主动的 'come'，并加入了 'left' 来增添细微的层次，比7.0分的版本在自然度上有一个微妙却真实的提升。
    • LR“in a voice gone completely flat” — A more vivid, literary participial construction than 7.0's adjective phrase 'in a completely flat voice', showing stronger figurative control.比7.0分中形容词短语 'in a completely flat voice' 更生动、更具文学色彩的分词结构，展现出更强的修辞掌控力。
    • GRA“the phone strips away the other person's reaction, and that absence makes hard truths easier to speak” — Replaces 7.0's plain verb 'removes' with the more vivid phrasal verb 'strips away', and restructures 'that makes' into 'that absence makes', a subtly more sophisticated abstract subject for the same clause.用更生动的动词短语 'strips away' 取代了7.0分中平实的动词 'removes'，并把 'that makes' 重组为 'that absence makes'，为同一个分句提供了一个略微更精致的抽象主语。

  6. 6. Is the overall impact of the widespread use of phones positive or negative?

    2026年5–8月
    查看这道题的6.5 / 7.0 / 7.5三档对比
    6.5 分

    Closes with a plain 'So' sentence: 'So I'd keep phones, but change how we use them.'以一个平实的 'So' 句收尾：'So I'd keep phones, but change how we use them.'

    I think it's positive overall, though the balance is closer than it should be. The same phone that brought a fire crew in nine minutes has also created a building where people rarely look up on the stairs. On the positive side, phones give us information, safety, banking for people who never had a bank before, and contact across any distance. On the negative side, there's the cost to attention, sleep, and comparison. Most of the harm comes from the apps, not the phone itself, and that can be fixed. So I'd keep phones, but change how we use them.

    查看中文翻译

    我认为总体来说是积极的，尽管这个平衡比它本该有的样子要更接近临界点。同一部手机，既能在九分钟内叫来消防队，也造就了一栋楼里的人几乎都不再在楼梯上抬头看彼此。从积极的一面来看，手机给了我们信息、安全，也让那些以前从未拥有过银行账户的人能够办理银行业务，还能让我们和任何距离之外的人保持联系。从消极的一面来看，则是对注意力、睡眠和攀比心理的代价。大部分的伤害其实来自那些应用软件，而不是手机本身，而这是可以修复的。所以，我会继续用手机，但会改变我们使用手机的方式。

    为什么是这个分数

    • FC“So I'd keep phones, but change how we use them.” — Closes with a plain 'So' sentence. 7.0 replaces this with 'Given the choice, I'd keep them and change how we hold them', dropping the marker, and 7.5 extends this same structure with an added conditional phrase.以一个平实的 'So' 句收尾。7.0将其替换为 'Given the choice, I'd keep them and change how we hold them'，去掉了标记词；7.5则在同样的结构上加入了一个额外的条件短语。
    • LR“the cost to attention, sleep, and comparison” — A simple list. 7.0 restructures this into a colon-led list format, and 7.5 keeps the colon format but adds a fourth item.一个简单的列举。7.0将其重组为由冒号引导的列举格式；7.5保留了这个冒号格式，但加入了第四项。
    • GRA“The same phone that brought a fire crew in nine minutes has also created a building where people rarely look up on the stairs.” — One sentence with a relative clause and a second main clause. 7.0 adds a further evaluative clause after a dash, and 7.5 keeps this dash-led evaluative clause but adds 'quietly'.一个带有定语从句和第二个主句的句子。7.0在破折号之后加入了另一个评价性分句；7.5保留了这个破折号引出的评价性分句，但加入了 'quietly'。
    7.0 分

    Replaces the closing marker: 'Given the choice, I'd keep them and change how we hold them.'替换了收尾的标记词：'Given the choice, I'd keep them and change how we hold them.'

    Honestly, positive, I think, though the balance is closer than it probably should be. The same device that brought a fire crew in nine minutes has also produced a building where people rarely look up on the stairs anymore — the phone has made emergencies safer and ordinary days thinner. On the positive side: information, safety, banking for people who never had a bank, contact across any distance, and whole industries that lift people out of poverty. On the negative: attention, sleep, comparison, the shrinking of unplanned time. Most of the harm comes from the apps rather than the phone, and it's fixable in principle. Given the choice, I'd keep them and change how we hold them.

    查看中文翻译

    说实话，我认为是积极的，尽管这个平衡比它可能本该有的样子更接近临界点。同一个设备，既能在九分钟内叫来消防队，也造就了一栋楼里的人几乎不再在楼梯上抬头看彼此了——手机让紧急情况变得更安全，却也让平常的日子变得更单薄。从积极的一面来看：信息、安全，让那些以前从未拥有过银行账户的人能办理银行业务，还能不受任何距离限制地保持联系，以及那些能让人们摆脱贫困的整个产业。从消极的一面来看：注意力、睡眠、攀比心理，还有那种未经安排的自由时间的萎缩。大部分的伤害来自那些应用软件，而不是手机本身，而且原则上是可以修复的。如果可以选择，我会继续用手机，但会改变我们与它相处的方式。

    为什么是这个分数

    • FC“Given the choice, I'd keep them and change how we hold them.” — Replaces 6.5's plain 'So' marker with the more considered opening 'Given the choice', dropping any explicit linking word before the final claim. 7.5 extends this same phrase into a fuller, more deliberate framing.用更经过考量的开场 'Given the choice' 取代了6.5分中平实的标记词 'So'，在最后的论断之前去掉了任何明确的连接词。7.5把同样的短语延伸成一个更完整、更从容的框架。
    • LR“On the positive side: information, safety, banking for people who never had a bank, contact across any distance, and whole industries that lift people out of poverty.” — Restructures 6.5's plain sentence into a colon-led list, more economical and scannable. 7.5 keeps this colon-list format but adds a further item.把6.5分中平实的句子重组为由冒号引导的列举，更为经济、更易于快速浏览。7.5保留了这个冒号列举的格式，但又加了一项。
    • GRA“the phone has made emergencies safer and ordinary days thinner” — Adds this evaluative clause after a dash, extending the previous sentence rather than starting a new one as in 6.5, more integrated. 7.5 keeps this dash-led clause but adjusts agreement and adds 'quietly'.在破折号之后加入了这个评价性分句，延伸了前一句，而不是像6.5分那样另起一句，更为整合。7.5保留了这个破折号引出的分句，但调整了主谓一致，并加入了 'quietly'。
    7.5 分

    Extends the closing phrase into a fuller conditional: 'Given the choice of a world with or without them, I'd keep them — and work harder on how we hold them.'把收尾短语延伸成一个更完整的条件句：'Given the choice of a world with or without them, I'd keep them — and work harder on how we hold them.'

    Positive, on balance, though the margin is closer than it probably ought to be. The same device that brought a fire crew in nine minutes flat has also produced a building where people rarely look up on the stairs anymore — phones have made emergencies safer and ordinary days quietly thinner. On the plus side: information, safety, banking for people who never had a bank account, contact across any distance, and whole industries that have lifted people out of poverty. On the minus side: attention, sleep, comparison, the shrinking of unplanned time, and a childhood increasingly conducted through a screen. Most of the harm, tellingly, comes from the apps rather than the phone itself, which means it's fixable in principle rather than inevitable. Given the choice of a world with or without them, I'd keep them — and work harder on how we hold them.

    查看中文翻译

    总体而言是积极的，尽管这个平衡可能比它本该有的样子更接近临界点。同一个设备，既能在整整九分钟内叫来消防队，也造就了一栋楼里的人几乎不再在楼梯上抬头看彼此了——手机让紧急情况变得更安全，却也悄悄地让平常的日子变得更单薄。从积极的一面来看：信息、安全，让那些以前从未拥有过银行账户的人能办理银行业务，能不受任何距离限制地保持联系，以及那些帮助人们摆脱贫困的整个产业。从消极的一面来看：注意力、睡眠、攀比心理、未经安排的自由时间的萎缩，还有一种越来越多地透过屏幕度过的童年。颇能说明问题的是，大部分的伤害都来自那些应用软件，而不是手机本身，这意味着它在原则上是可以修复的，而不是不可避免的命运。如果可以选择一个有手机、或者没有手机的世界，我会选择保留它们——并且更努力地去改变我们与它们相处的方式。

    为什么是这个分数

    • FC“Given the choice of a world with or without them, I'd keep them — and work harder on how we hold them.” — Extends 7.0's 'Given the choice' into the fuller conditional 'Given the choice of a world with or without them', and replaces 'change' with the more effortful 'work harder on', a more deliberate final statement than 7.0's plainer version.把7.0分中的 'Given the choice' 延伸成更完整的条件句 'Given the choice of a world with or without them'，并用更费力的 'work harder on' 取代了 'change'，比7.0分中更平淡的版本拥有更从容的最终陈述。
    • LR“On the minus side: attention, sleep, comparison, the shrinking of unplanned time, and a childhood increasingly conducted through a screen.” — Keeps 7.0's colon-list format but adds a fourth item, 'a childhood increasingly conducted through a screen', a more vivid, specific addition to the list.保留了7.0分中冒号列举的格式，但加入了第四项 'a childhood increasingly conducted through a screen'，是对这个列举更生动、更具体的补充。
    • GRA“phones have made emergencies safer and ordinary days quietly thinner” — Corrects the subject-verb agreement from 7.0's 'the phone has made' to 'phones have made', and inserts the adverb 'quietly' before 'thinner', a small but real refinement of the same evaluative clause.把7.0分中的 'the phone has made' 修正为主谓一致的 'phones have made'，并在 'thinner' 之前插入了副词 'quietly'，是对同一个评价性分句的一个虽小却真实的打磨。

  7. 7. Is the most important use of a phone calling people?

    2026年5–8月
    查看这道题的6.5 / 7.0 / 7.5三档对比
    6.5 分

    Closes with a short, plain contrastive sentence: 'But importance and frequency are different things.'以一个简短、平实的对比句收尾：'But importance and frequency are different things.'

    In the moments that matter most, yes, I think it still is. That night, the message emptied the floor and the torch found the extinguisher, but it was the call to 114 that brought the fire crew, and nothing else on the phone could have done that. In everyday life, though, calling is now only a small part of what phones do — messaging, payments, and maps have mostly taken over. But importance and frequency are different things. The call is still the phone's most direct feature — a voice, immediately, from anywhere.

    查看中文翻译

    在最关键的时刻，是的，我认为依然如此。那天晚上，一条消息清空了整层楼，手电筒帮我们找到了灭火器，但真正叫来消防队的，是那通打给114的电话，而手机上其他任何功能都做不到这一点。不过，在日常生活中，打电话现在只是手机功能中很小的一部分——消息、支付和地图基本上已经取而代之了。但重要性和使用频率是两码事。电话仍然是手机最直接的功能——一个声音，立刻传达，来自任何地方。

    为什么是这个分数

    • FC“But importance and frequency are different things.” — Closes with a short, plain contrastive sentence. 7.0 adds 'I think' mid-sentence for a hedge, and 7.5 removes any hedge but expands the same idea into a fuller, more confident sentence.以一个简短、平实的对比句收尾。7.0在句中插入了 'I think' 作为缓和语；7.5则去掉了任何缓和语，但把同样的想法扩展成一个更完整、更自信的句子。
    • LR“nothing else on the phone could have done that” — Plain phrasing. 7.0 upgrades the verb to 'managed that', and 7.5 keeps 'managed that' but embeds it in a slightly more elaborated clause.平实的措辞。7.0把动词升级为 'managed that'；7.5保留了 'managed that'，但把它嵌入到一个略微更精致的分句中。
    • GRA“That night, the message emptied the floor and the torch found the extinguisher, but it was the call to 114 that brought the fire crew, and nothing else on the phone could have done that.” — One long sentence with several coordinated clauses joined by 'but' and 'and'. 7.0 restructures the opening with a more integrated framing device, and 7.5 keeps this framing but drops the colon for smoother continuation.一个用 'but' 和 'and' 连接了好几个并列分句的长句。7.0用一个更为整合的框架装置重组了开头；7.5保留了这个框架，但去掉了冒号，让语句衔接更为顺畅。
    7.0 分

    Inserts a hedge mid-sentence and adds a dash-led elaboration: 'importance and frequency, I think, are genuinely different things — the call remains the phone's oldest feature and still its most direct.'在句中插入了缓和语，并加入了一个由破折号引出的补充说明：'importance and frequency, I think, are genuinely different things — the call remains the phone's oldest feature and still its most direct.'

    Honestly, in the moments that matter most, I'd say it still is. That night's sequence suggests as much: the message emptied the floor, the torch found the extinguisher, but the call to 114 brought the actual fire crew, and nothing else on the phone could have managed that. In ordinary life, though, calling has become a fairly small fraction of what phones do — messaging, payments, maps, photos and reading have largely taken over, and plenty of young people avoid calls entirely. So the most common use isn't calling, and hasn't been for years. But importance and frequency, I think, are genuinely different things — the call remains the phone's oldest feature and still its most direct.

    查看中文翻译

    说实话，在最关键的时刻，我认为依然如此。那天晚上事情发生的顺序也印证了这一点：一条消息清空了整层楼，手电筒帮我们找到了灭火器，但真正叫来消防队的，是那通打给114的电话，而手机上其他任何功能都做不到这一点。不过，在日常生活中，打电话已经变成了手机功能中相当小的一部分——消息、支付、地图、照片和阅读，基本上已经占据了主导地位，很多年轻人甚至完全避免打电话。所以，打电话已经不再是最常用的功能，而且这种情况已经持续多年了。但我认为，重要性和使用频率，其实是两码事——电话仍然是手机最古老的功能，也依然是最直接的一种。

    为什么是这个分数

    • FC“But importance and frequency, I think, are genuinely different things — the call remains the phone's oldest feature and still its most direct.” — Inserts the hedge 'I think' mid-sentence and extends the sentence with a dash-led elaboration, more developed than 6.5's short, plain sentence. 7.5 removes the hedge and expands the same idea even further.在句中插入了缓和语 'I think'，并用一个破折号引出的补充说明延伸了这个句子，比6.5分中简短、平实的句子更为成熟。7.5去掉了这个缓和语，把同样的想法进一步扩展。
    • LR“nothing else on the phone could have managed that” — Upgrades 6.5's plain verb 'done' to the more precise 'managed', showing finer verb choice. 7.5 keeps 'managed that' nearly identical, showing this phrasing had already reached a strong form.把6.5分中平实的动词 'done' 升级为更精确的 'managed'，展现出更精细的动词选择。7.5几乎原封不动地保留了 'managed that'，说明这个措辞已经达到了一个很扎实的水平。
    • GRA“That night's sequence suggests as much: the message emptied the floor, the torch found the extinguisher, but the call to 114 brought the actual fire crew, and nothing else on the phone could have managed that.” — Replaces 6.5's plain opening with the more integrated framing clause 'That night's sequence suggests as much:', a more sophisticated way of introducing the same list of examples. 7.5 keeps a similar framing but removes the colon.用更为整合的框架分句 'That night's sequence suggests as much:' 取代了6.5分中平实的开头，是一种更为老练的方式来引出同样的例子列举。7.5保留了类似的框架，但去掉了冒号。
    7.5 分

    Builds one long, confident cumulative closing sentence ending in a colon-led list: 'a voice, immediately, from anywhere, and occasionally the difference between life and death.'构建出一个长长的、层层递进、自信的收尾句，最后以一个由冒号引出的列举结束：'a voice, immediately, from anywhere, and occasionally the difference between life and death.'

    That night's sequence suggests the call is still the most important use in the moments that actually matter: the message emptied the floor, the torch found the extinguisher, but it was the call to 114 that brought the fire crew, and nothing else on the phone could have managed that. In ordinary life, though, calling has shrunk to a fairly small fraction of what phones do — messaging, payments, maps, photos and reading have largely taken over, and plenty of younger people avoid calls almost entirely. So the most common use certainly isn't calling, and hasn't been for years. But importance and frequency are two entirely different measures — the call is the phone's oldest feature and still, when it counts, its most direct: a voice, immediately, from anywhere, and occasionally the difference between life and death.

    查看中文翻译

    那天晚上事情发生的顺序，说明了在真正重要的时刻，打电话依然是最重要的功能：一条消息清空了整层楼，手电筒帮我们找到了灭火器，但真正叫来消防队的，是那通打给114的电话，而手机上其他任何功能都做不到这一点。不过，在日常生活中，打电话已经萎缩成手机功能中相当小的一部分——消息、支付、地图、照片和阅读，基本上已经占据了主导地位，很多年轻人几乎完全避免打电话。所以，打电话肯定已经不是最常用的功能了，而且这种情况已经持续多年了。但重要性和使用频率是两种完全不同的衡量标准——电话仍然是手机最古老的功能，而且在真正关键的时候，依然是最直接的一种：一个声音，立刻传达，来自任何地方，有时候，甚至就是生与死之间的分界线。

    为什么是这个分数

    • FC“But importance and frequency are two entirely different measures — the call is the phone's oldest feature and still, when it counts, its most direct: a voice, immediately, from anywhere, and occasionally the difference between life and death.” — Removes 7.0's mid-sentence hedge 'I think' and instead builds one long, confident cumulative sentence ending in a colon-led list plus a final dramatic clause, a much more developed and rhetorically ambitious close than 7.0's shorter version.去掉了7.0分中句中的缓和语 'I think'，转而构建出一个长长的、自信的、层层递进的句子，最后以一个由冒号引出的列举加上一个富有戏剧性的收尾分句结束，比7.0分中更简短的版本拥有更成熟、更具修辞野心的收尾。
    • LR“nothing else on the phone could have managed that” — Kept identical to 7.0, showing the phrase had already reached a strong, stable form by that band; the real upgrade in 7.5 lies elsewhere, in the extended closing sentence.与7.0分保持完全一致，说明这个短语在那个分段就已经达到了一个扎实、稳定的形态；7.5真正的升级体现在别处，在那句延伸的收尾句中。
    • GRA“That night's sequence suggests the call is still the most important use in the moments that actually matter: the message emptied the floor, the torch found the extinguisher, but it was the call to 114 that brought the fire crew, and nothing else on the phone could have managed that.” — Fuses 7.0's separate framing clause and main claim into one sentence right from the start, stating the answer's thesis before the colon rather than after it, a more forward-loaded, confident structure.从一开始就把7.0分中独立的框架分句和主要论点融合成一个句子，在冒号之前而不是之后就陈述了答案的核心论点，是一种更前置、更自信的结构。

  8. 8. What are some common uses of phones in everyday life?

    2026年5–8月
    查看这道题的6.5 / 7.0 / 7.5三档对比
    6.5 分

    Closes with the plain marker: 'Basically, the phone has replaced the wallet, the camera, the map, and the newspaper.'以平实的标记句收尾：'Basically, the phone has replaced the wallet, the camera, the map, and the newspaper.'

    My own morning is a good example. Before nine, I had checked the rain radar, paid for coffee with a QR code, followed a map to a client's office, taken a photo of a whiteboard to keep notes, and made just one phone call. People also use phones for banking, buying tickets, ordering food, reading news, and listening to music. My parents mostly use theirs for messaging and video calls to see their grandchildren, while my niece mostly uses hers for games and homework. Basically, the phone has replaced the wallet, the camera, the map, and the newspaper.

    查看中文翻译

    我自己的一个早晨就是个很好的例子。九点之前，我已经查看了降雨雷达图、用二维码付了咖啡钱、跟着地图导航去了客户的办公室、拍了一张白板照片来保存笔记，而且只打了一通电话。人们也会用手机来办理银行业务、买票、订餐、看新闻和听音乐。我父母主要用手机来发消息、跟孙辈视频通话，而我侄女主要用手机来玩游戏和做作业。基本上，手机已经取代了钱包、相机、地图和报纸。

    为什么是这个分数

    • FC“Basically, the phone has replaced the wallet, the camera, the map, and the newspaper.” — Closes with the plain marker 'Basically'. 7.0 removes this marker and instead states the point directly, embedding the hedge mid-sentence, and 7.5 keeps this mid-sentence placement but changes 'basically' to 'quietly'.以平实的标记词 'Basically' 收尾。7.0去掉了这个标记词，转而直接陈述这一点，把缓和语嵌入句子中间；7.5保留了这种句中位置，但把 'basically' 改成了 'quietly'。
    • LR“made just one phone call” — Plain, direct phrasing. 7.0 upgrades to 'made exactly one phone call', and 7.5 keeps 'exactly one' but adds 'actual' for extra emphasis.平实、直接的表达。7.0升级为 'made exactly one phone call'；7.5保留了 'exactly one'，但加入了 'actual' 来增强语气。
    • GRA“Before nine, I had checked the rain radar, paid for coffee with a QR code, followed a map to a client's office, taken a photo of a whiteboard to keep notes, and made just one phone call.” — A long list of coordinated past-tense verbs. 7.0 shifts the tense to past perfect and adds an extra item, and 7.5 keeps the past perfect but adds vivid detail.一个由并列过去式动词构成的长列举。7.0把时态转为过去完成时，并加入了一项额外内容；7.5保留了过去完成时，但加入了生动的细节。
    7.0 分

    Embeds the hedge mid-sentence in the closing claim: 'The phone has basically absorbed the wallet, the camera, the map and the newspaper.'在收尾的论断中，把缓和语嵌入句子中间：'The phone has basically absorbed the wallet, the camera, the map and the newspaper.'

    Honestly, my own morning is a fairly fair example. Before nine, I'd already checked the rain radar, paid for coffee by QR code, followed a map to a client's office, photographed a whiteboard to keep the notes, replied to a stack of messages, and made exactly one phone call. Add in banking, buying tickets, ordering food, reading the news, listening to music, and the alarm that woke me up in the first place. For my parents, it's mostly messaging and video calls to see the grandchildren; for my niece, it's games and homework. The phone has basically absorbed the wallet, the camera, the map and the newspaper, and the call, which gave it its name, is now almost a minor feature.

    查看中文翻译

    说实话，我自己的一个早晨就是个相当有代表性的例子。九点之前，我已经查看了降雨雷达图、用二维码付了咖啡钱、跟着地图导航去了客户的办公室、拍照保存了白板上的笔记、回复了一大堆消息，而且只打了整整一通电话。再加上银行业务、买票、订餐、看新闻、听音乐，还有那个最开始把我叫醒的闹钟。对我父母来说，手机主要是用来发消息、跟孙辈视频通话；对我侄女来说，则是玩游戏和做作业。手机基本上已经吸收了钱包、相机、地图和报纸的功能，而「通话」这个当初赋予它名字的功能，现在几乎成了一个次要功能。

    为什么是这个分数

    • FC“The phone has basically absorbed the wallet, the camera, the map and the newspaper, and the call, which gave it its name, is now almost a minor feature.” — Embeds the hedge 'basically' mid-sentence rather than as a sentence-opener like 6.5, and adds a further clause about the call itself, a more integrated, elaborated close. 7.5 keeps this mid-sentence structure but swaps 'basically' for 'quietly'.把缓和语 'basically' 嵌入句子中间，而不是像6.5分那样用作句子的开头，并加入了另一个关于「通话」本身的分句，是一种更整合、更成熟的收尾。7.5保留了这种句中结构，但把 'basically' 换成了 'quietly'。
    • LR“made exactly one phone call” — Adds 'exactly' to 6.5's plain 'just one', a small precision upgrade. 7.5 keeps 'exactly one' but adds 'actual' for further emphasis.在6.5分中平实的 'just one' 上加入了 'exactly'，是一个小小的精确度升级。7.5保留了 'exactly one'，但加入了 'actual' 以进一步强调。
    • GRA“Before nine, I'd already checked the rain radar, paid for coffee by QR code, followed a map to a client's office, photographed a whiteboard to keep the notes, replied to a stack of messages, and made exactly one phone call.” — Shifts to the past perfect and adds an extra listed item, more elaborated than 6.5's simple past-tense list. 7.5 keeps the past perfect and a similar list but swaps 'a stack of' for 'a small mountain of'.转为过去完成时，并加入了一项额外的列举内容，比6.5分中简单的过去式列举更为详尽。7.5保留了过去完成时和类似的列举，但把 'a stack of' 换成了 'a small mountain of'。
    7.5 分

    Swaps 'basically' for the more understated 'quietly' and adds 'the clock' to the list of absorbed objects.把 'basically' 换成了更为含蓄的 'quietly'，并把「时钟」加入了被吸收的物品列举中。

    My own morning is a fair enough sample. Before nine, I'd already checked the rain radar, paid for coffee by QR code, followed a map to a client's office, photographed a whiteboard to keep the notes, replied to a small mountain of messages, and made exactly one actual phone call. Add banking, buying tickets, ordering food, reading the news, listening to music, the alarm that dragged me out of bed, and the torch and calculator I use more than I'd ever admit. For my parents, it's messaging, video calls to the grandchildren, and the lunar calendar; for my niece, it's games and homework. The phone has quietly absorbed the wallet, the camera, the map, the newspaper and the clock, and the call, which gave it its very name, is now little more than a minor feature.

    查看中文翻译

    我自己的一个早晨，就足以当作一个还算公道的样本。九点之前，我已经查看了降雨雷达图、用二维码付了咖啡钱、跟着地图导航去了客户的办公室、拍照保存了白板上的笔记、回复了一大堆堆积如山的消息，而且只打了整整一通真正意义上的电话。再加上银行业务、买票、订餐、看新闻、听音乐，那个把我硬生生从床上拽起来的闹钟，还有手电筒和计算器，这两个我用的次数，比我愿意承认的要多得多。对我父母来说，主要是发消息、跟孙辈视频通话，还有查看农历；对我侄女来说，则是玩游戏和做作业。手机已经悄悄吸收了钱包、相机、地图、报纸和时钟的功能，而「通话」这个当初赋予它名字的功能，现在几乎只剩下一个次要功能而已。

    为什么是这个分数

    • FC“The phone has quietly absorbed the wallet, the camera, the map, the newspaper and the clock, and the call, which gave it its very name, is now little more than a minor feature.” — Keeps 7.0's mid-sentence structure but swaps 'basically' for the more understated, ironic 'quietly', adds 'the clock' to the list, and strengthens the final phrase from 'almost a minor feature' to 'little more than a minor feature'.保留了7.0分中的句中结构，但把 'basically' 换成了更含蓄、更带反讽意味的 'quietly'，在列举中加入了「时钟」，并把最后的短语从 'almost a minor feature' 强化为 'little more than a minor feature'。
    • LR“made exactly one actual phone call” — Adds 'actual' to 7.0's 'exactly one phone call', reinforcing the irony that among all the phone's uses, only one was really a call in the traditional sense.在7.0分的 'exactly one phone call' 上加入了 'actual'，强化了这种反讽意味——在手机所有的用途中，只有一次是传统意义上真正的「通话」。
    • GRA“replied to a small mountain of messages, and made exactly one actual phone call” — Replaces 7.0's 'a stack of' with the more vivid, hyperbolic 'a small mountain of', showing stronger figurative control within the same listing structure.用更生动、更夸张的 'a small mountain of' 取代了7.0分中的 'a stack of'，在同样的列举结构中展现出更强的修辞掌控力。

  9. 9. How do younger and older people use phones differently?

    2026年5–8月
    查看这道题的6.5 / 7.0 / 7.5三档对比
    6.5 分

    Opens with a short, plain evaluative sentence: 'That night showed it well.'以一个简短、平实的评价性句子开篇：'That night showed it well.'

    That night showed it well. The young couple's neighbours saw the group message within seconds, but my sixty-year-old landlady missed it completely and instead answered a call on the first ring. Older people treat the phone as mainly a phone — they call, use a few apps deeply, and often don't trust anything involving money. Younger people message more than they speak, use many apps lightly, and reach for the phone in every quiet moment. Older users tend to be more careful, while younger ones are more skilled but more dependent.

    查看中文翻译

    那天晚上很好地展现了这一点。那对年轻夫妇的邻居们几秒钟之内就看到了群消息，但我那位六十岁的房东太太却完全没看到，反而在铃响第一声时就接了电话。老年人基本上把手机当成「电话」来用——他们会打电话，深度使用少数几个应用，而且往往不信任任何涉及资金的事情。年轻人发消息多过说话，会浅浅地使用很多个应用，只要一有空闲就会拿起手机。老年用户往往更谨慎，而年轻人则更熟练，但也更依赖手机。

    为什么是这个分数

    • FC“That night showed it well.” — Opens the answer with a short, plain evaluative sentence. 7.0 upgrades this to 'that night captured it perfectly', and 7.5 keeps 'captured it' but softens to 'almost perfectly' for a more considered tone.用一个简短、平实的评价性句子开篇。7.0将其升级为 'that night captured it perfectly'；7.5保留了 'captured it'，但软化为 'almost perfectly'，语气更为从容。
    • LR“treat the phone as mainly a phone” — Plain phrasing. 7.0 restructures the same idea into a fuller contrast, and 7.5 keeps this exact contrast structure nearly verbatim.平实的表达。7.0把同样的想法重组为一个更完整的对比；7.5几乎逐字保留了这个确切的对比结构。
    • GRA“Older people treat the phone as mainly a phone — they call, use a few apps deeply, and often don't trust anything involving money.” — A dash introduces a list of three coordinated clauses. 7.0 extends the list to four items and adds a further contrastive clause afterward, and 7.5 keeps a similar four-item list but replaces some verbs with more vivid alternatives.一个破折号引出了三个并列分句的列举。7.0把列举扩展为四项，并在后面又加入了一个对比分句；7.5保留了类似的四项列举，但把一些动词替换成了更生动的选择。
    7.0 分

    Upgrades the opening with a stronger verb: 'that night captured it perfectly.'用一个更有力的动词升级了开场：'that night captured it perfectly.'

    Honestly, that night captured it perfectly. The young couple's neighbours saw the group message within seconds, while my sixty-year-old landlady missed it entirely but answered a call on the very first ring — older people seem to treat the phone as a phone, and younger people treat it as everything except one. Older people tend to call, use a handful of apps deeply, keep the phone in a bag rather than a hand, and often distrust anything involving money. Younger people message rather than speak, live lightly in many apps, use the camera constantly, and reach for the phone in every idle second. Older users, I'd say, are more private and anxious about mistakes; younger ones are more skilled and more dependent.

    查看中文翻译

    说实话，那天晚上完美地展现了这一点。那对年轻夫妇的邻居们几秒钟之内就看到了群消息，而我那位六十岁的房东太太却完全没看到，反而在铃响第一声时就接了电话——老年人似乎把手机当成一部「电话」来用，而年轻人则把它当成除了电话以外的一切东西来用。老年人往往会打电话，深度使用少数几个应用，把手机放在包里而不是握在手上，而且常常不信任任何涉及资金的事情。年轻人发消息多过说话，浅浅地活在很多个应用里，不停地用相机，只要一有闲暇就会拿起手机。我认为，老年用户更注重隐私，也更担心犯错；年轻用户则更熟练，但也更依赖手机。

    为什么是这个分数

    • FC“Honestly, that night captured it perfectly.” — Upgrades 6.5's plain opening sentence with the hedge 'Honestly' and the stronger verb 'captured', a more vivid, considered opening than 6.5's flat 'showed it well'. 7.5 keeps 'captured it' but softens the adverb to 'almost perfectly'.用缓和语 'Honestly' 和更有力的动词 'captured' 升级了6.5分中平实的开场句，比6.5分中平淡的 'showed it well' 更生动、更从容的开场。7.5保留了 'captured it'，但把副词软化为 'almost perfectly'。
    • LR“older people seem to treat the phone as a phone, and younger people treat it as everything except one” — Restructures 6.5's simple phrase into a fuller parallel contrast, more precise and memorable. 7.5 keeps this exact contrast nearly verbatim, showing the phrasing had already reached a strong, stable form.把6.5分中简单的短语重组成一个更完整的并列对比，更精确、更令人难忘。7.5几乎逐字保留了这个确切的对比，说明这种措辞已经达到了一种扎实、稳定的形态。
    • GRA“Older people tend to call, use a handful of apps deeply, keep the phone in a bag rather than a hand, and often distrust anything involving money.” — Extends 6.5's three-item list to four items, including the added contrastive detail 'keep the phone in a bag rather than a hand', more elaborated. 7.5 keeps a similar four-item list but replaces this detail with a more vivid version.把6.5分中三项的列举扩展为四项，加入了对比性的细节 'keep the phone in a bag rather than a hand'，更为详尽。7.5保留了类似的四项列举，但用一个更生动的版本替换了这个细节。
    7.5 分

    Softens the opening claim: 'That night captured it almost perfectly.'软化了开场的论断：'That night captured it almost perfectly.'

    That night captured it almost perfectly. The young couple's neighbours saw the group message within seconds; my sixty-year-old landlady missed it entirely but answered a call on the very first ring — older people treat the phone as a phone, younger people treat it as everything except one. Older people tend to call, use a small handful of apps deeply, keep the phone tucked in a bag rather than glued to a hand, and often distrust anything involving money. Younger people message rather than speak, live lightly across dozens of apps, use the camera almost reflexively, and reach for the phone in every idle second going. Older users, I'd say, are more private and more anxious about getting it wrong; younger ones are more skilled and considerably more dependent. Each finds the other's habits faintly absurd, and each is, in their own way, partly right.

    查看中文翻译

    那天晚上几乎完美地展现了这一点。那对年轻夫妇的邻居们几秒钟之内就看到了群消息；我那位六十岁的房东太太却完全没看到，反而在铃响第一声时就接了电话——老年人把手机当成一部电话来用，年轻人则把它当成除了电话以外的一切东西来用。老年人往往会打电话，深度使用一小撮应用，把手机塞在包里，而不是像被粘在手上一样，而且常常不信任任何涉及资金的事情。年轻人发消息多过说话，浅浅地活跃在几十个应用里，几乎是本能反射般地使用相机，只要一有闲暇就会拿起手机。我认为，老年用户更注重隐私，也更担心出错；年轻用户则更熟练，但也明显更依赖手机。双方都觉得对方的习惯有些荒唐可笑，而其实两边都各有几分道理。

    为什么是这个分数

    • FC“That night captured it almost perfectly.” — Keeps 7.0's stronger verb 'captured' but softens 'perfectly' to 'almost perfectly', a more considered, less absolute claim that also sets up the answer's closing acknowledgement that 'each is...partly right'.保留了7.0分中更有力的动词 'captured'，但把 'perfectly' 软化为 'almost perfectly'，是一个更从容、不那么绝对的论断，也为答案结尾处「双方都各有几分道理」的承认埋下了伏笔。
    • LR“older people treat the phone as a phone, younger people treat it as everything except one” — Kept nearly identical to 7.0's version, confirming the phrase had already reached a strong, idiomatic form by that band; the real upgrades appear elsewhere in the more vivid listing verbs.与7.0分的版本几乎保持一致，证实了这个短语在那个分段就已经达到了一种扎实、地道的形态；真正的升级出现在别处，体现在更生动的列举动词上。
    • GRA“keep the phone tucked in a bag rather than glued to a hand” — Replaces 7.0's plainer 'in a bag rather than a hand' with the more vivid past participles 'tucked' and 'glued', showing richer, more physical descriptive grammar within the same contrastive structure.用更生动的过去分词 'tucked' 和 'glued' 取代了7.0分中更平淡的 'in a bag rather than a hand'，在同样的对比结构中展现出更丰富、更具身体感的描写性语法。

常见问题

这道 Part 2 题应该讲多长？
讲 1 到 2 分钟。考官会在 2 分钟时打断你，因此目标约 220-300 词，覆盖题卡上的每一点，并以你的感受收尾。
这张题卡之后会问哪些 Part 3 问题？
在"A Time When You Used a Phone to Do Something Important"之后，考官提出过 9 个讨论题，见上方列表。问题会从你的个人经历转向同一主题的普遍观点。
这张题卡还在使用吗？
考生最近一次报告它出现在 2026年5–8月。题卡每四个月轮换一次，许多话题会在之后的季度以略有不同的措辞回归。