当代生活：教育、就业与消费
当代生活的关键词
Contemporary Life is the broadest domain and the one where current, fluent vocabulary pays off most. Organize it into clusters. 教育: 高考, 中考, 补习班, 家教, 作业, 减负, 双减政策, 留学, 名校, 压力. 工作: 就业, 加班, 996, 内卷, 躺平, 创业, 公务员, 工资, 跳槽. 城市与居住: 城市化, 房价, 租房, 地铁, 堵车, 户口, 外来人口. 消费与休闲: 网购, 外卖, 快递, 打折, 信用卡, 旅游, 健身, 追剧, 短视频, 奶茶. 饮食与健康: 外卖文化, 素食, 减肥, 熬夜.
Traps
First, do not present a social phenomenon as simply good or bad. 内卷 and 躺平 are contested terms: describe them as reactions to competition, not as laziness or virtue. Second, keep exam facts straight-高考 is the university entrance exam, 中考 the high-school one; 双减 refers to reducing homework and after-school tutoring. Third, resist stereotypes such as 中国人只关心学习 or 年轻人都想躺平; qualify with 很多, 一部分, 有人说. Fourth, watch collocations: 提高水平 but 改善生活; 减轻压力 but 降低价格. Fifth, in the four-picture story task, stay in one consistent tense and mark sequence with 先, 接着, 后来, 最后.
Rule of thumb
When asked to discuss a trend, use 现象 + 原因 + 影响 + 看法. Example: 现在很多年轻人点外卖，因为工作忙、做饭时间少。这让生活更方便，但也让人少运动。我觉得偶尔吃没关系，最好还是自己做饭。Four short sentences, four scoring elements, and no risk of running out of material mid-answer.