This graph shows the changes in ways of communication between 1989 and 1999 and the ways of communication under discussion are letter.telephone and email.

In 1989,the prevailing [prevailing[priveilin]adj.占优势的, 主要的, 流行的] means of communication was letter,with the number amounting to 85,000.In contrast,telephone was not widely used,with the number reaching 25,000.Great changes had taken place in the following decade.In 1999,telepnone already replaced letter as the dominant means of communication.In addition,email was widely used.

The changes are significant『[signifikEnt]adj.有意义的, 重大的, 重要的』in that they reflect  the changes occurring in China.First,they bear witness to the increase in the living standard of Chinese people over ten years' time.In 1989 telephone was still regarded as a luxury,so writing letters was the only choice.In 1999 telephone was  already an indispensable piece of equipment in every household and people preferred making phone call to writing letters.Second,they point to a current（现时的，当前的） trend that people value『v 尊重 重视』 efficiency.Both telephone and e-mail are superior to letter because they are efficient.Last but not least,the popularity of e-mail also indicates the far-reaching influence of computers.As computers are becoming more and more popular,email will be more widely used.

1    under discussion         在讨论中

2    amount to                共计，合计

                              意味着

                              等于

3    in contrast with /to     与～～形成对照

4    bear witness  to         证实，证明

5    be superior to           优越

6    prevail               v  流行 盛行 获胜 占优势

     prevailing            a  占优势的 主要的 流行的

7    means                 n  方式 方法 

     by means of              用，依靠

     by all means             当然

     by no means              一点也不

8    amount  to               ＝add up to

9    dominant     [dCminEnt]adj.有统治权的, 占优势的, 支配的

                            adj.[生物] 显性的

10   be superior to         优越 反义  be inferior to  比～～～的差

     注意：superior  inferior  senior（资格老 地位高 年长的） junior 四词可用比较，但后面

     跟的词是TO，不是THAN，

11   last but not least 最后但并不是最不重要的一点

12   far－reaching           a 深远的 广泛的