1、【题目】In the past, people used to travel abroad to look many differences. Nowadays, places all over the world are more and more similar. What are the causes of the similarity? Do you think the advantages of this problem outweigh the disadvantages?

答案：

Every city has its architectural character, but the similarities between cities are more obvious these days than in the past. In my opinion, one reason for this is the high price of land.

In most large cities, land is scarce and consequently it is very valuable. This has led to the construction of tall buildings which occupy only a small area of land while providing lots of floor space where people can live or work. Buildings of this type are made of concrete and steel and can be built comparatively quickly using prefabricated materials. They do not use local materials, such as stone, timber or brick. In consequence, many cities now look very much the same and you might not know whether you were inBrisbane,BangkokorBerlinwhen you are on the street.

While I realize that we cannot stand in the way of progress, I believe that cities should try to keep some individuality. For example, inParisit is prohibited to build very tall buildings in the center of the city, as this would spoil the overall appearance of the skyline.

Other cities have chosen to design unique buildings to ensure they look different. The twin towers inKuala Lumpuror the Opera House inSydneyare examples of this approach, and I agree with this kind of initiative.

All in all, although it is regrettable that modern cities look similar, I tend to feel that this is unavoidable. However, it can be argued that, even if the buildings are similar, cities will maintain their own character as a result of cultural diversity, the terrain and the climate, which ultimately determine how people live.

解析：

暂无解析

1、【题目】Many people believe that scientific research should be carried out and controlled by the government rather than private companies. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

答案：

As can be argued, government rules can easily become obstacles to scientific achievements. Usually, most of the world's headline-making scientific discoveries do not come through governmental establishments, admitting that fiscal funding is often essential to helping such success to happen in the private sector. It is false to suggest that the government should carry out and control scientific research because the issue is not only about money but also brains.

Just because public funds matter, it does not follow that the government should restrict that kind of freedom of thinking which is vital to imaginative minds. Apart from that, nothing is more naive than for the government to play the role of police and rule research activities. Yes, freedom--that is how scientific breakthroughs are born. It goes without saying that probably billions of government's money may be needed to carry out research projects in various scientific fields, but it must be considered that great scientists tend to ignore, or even go against the rules. Indeed, it is hard to imagine how many scientific discoveries could have been missed as a result of unnecessary regulations. To put it strongly, control is the death of scientific research.

Scientific research should not be forced in any event. It is because a research problem is less likely to be solved by any apparatus which money can buy than to be solved by the brains of a free head that money cannot always buy. Thus, it does not seem proper for official amateurs to "know" what on earth scientists are doing. Otherwise, it would not be called "research" in the real sense of the word. Trying to heavily monitor scientific brains is perhaps a dangerous attitude since the consequence is always too much foliage and too little fruit. That can explain in part why the government ought to shift most of the pledged fiscal spending from the public to the private sector.

All aspects taken into account, scientific research is two things: billions and brains. With little doubt, the success in a country's scientific discoveries relies on both sufficient funding from the government and on creative minds from private companies in which pure research is worth every penny it costs. All the government has to do is grant money and expect that somewhere, something incredible is going to be known. (Created by Jeenn Lee Hsieh)

解析：

暂无解析

1、【题目】The place of Science and Technology in Modern Life.

答案：

Human life can not continue without science and technology. For many years, human society has developed with the advance of science and technology while the development of science and technology has in turn brought the process to mankind. So the life we are living now is more civilized than that of our fore fathers. The development of science and technology have brought about many changes in people's life. For example, the invention of television and space rocket have opened a new era for mankind. Through the use of TV people can hear the sound and learn the events happening thousands of miles away. Owing to the invention of spaceship and rocket, the dream of man's landing on the moon has now come true. Science and technology also play an important role in our socialist construction. We may say, our socialist construction is just like a skyscraper, while science and technology are its base. Without the base, the skyscraper can't be built. Therefore, we should try our best to contribute to the development of science and technology so as to provide a more solid base to build our country.

解析：

暂无解析

1、【题目】Inthepast,peopleusedtotravelabroadtolookmanydifferences.Nowadays,placesallovertheworldaremoreandmoresimilar.Whatarethecausesofthesimilarity?Doyouthinktheadvantagesofthisproblemoutweighthedisadvantages?

答案：

Every city has its architectural character, but the similarities between cities are more obvious these days than in the past. In my opinion, one reason for this is the high price of land.

In most large cities, land is scarce and consequently it is very valuable. This has led to the construction of tall buildings which occupy only a small area of land while providing lots of floor space where people can live or work. Buildings of this type are made of concrete and steel and can be built comparatively quickly using prefabricated materials. They do not use local materials, such as stone, timber or brick. In consequence, many cities now look very much the same and you might not know whether you were inBrisbane,BangkokorBerlinwhen you are on the street.

While I realize that we cannot stand in the way of progress, I believe that cities should try to keep some individuality. For example, inParisit is prohibited to build very tall buildings in the center of the city, as this would spoil the overall appearance of the skyline.

Other cities have chosen to design unique buildings to ensure they look different. The twin towers inKuala Lumpuror the Opera House inSydneyare examples of this approach, and I agree with this kind of initiative.

All in all, although it is regrettable that modern cities look similar, I tend to feel that this is unavoidable. However, it can be argued that, even if the buildings are similar, cities will maintain their own character as a result of cultural diversity, the terrain and the climate, which ultimately determine how people live.

解析：

暂无解析

1、【题目】Mobile phones and the internet play an important part in the way which people relate to one another socially. Do you think the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?

答案：

Since the invention of the internet and mobile phones, face-to-face communication no longer holds the dominant role in human interaction it once had. Undoubtedly these technical advances have facilitated more convenient and greater amount of communication between people. Unfortunately this has not come without cost.

Obviously the unprecedentedly increased communication connects people more easily. No one can easily manage our various relationships unless we register the Facebook or any other social networking site. Thanks to cell phones, people can contact one another in real time and this significantly boosts working efficiency. Telecommunication also empowers modern people with more independence. For example, children equipped with a mobile phone can be allowed to go further because the parents would feel safe to be able to get in touch with their children at any time. Some school children are even sent abroad for travel or education, and the family tie is partly maintained by such video chatting tools as MSN or Skype.

While we enjoy an instant connection with one another, our relationships are actually getting fragile. Messaging or talking on phone eliminates all non-verbal expressions. However, researchers suggest that body and facial expressions are crucial to relationship as they carry the most significant part of conversation. Therefore, over-relying on the internet and cell phone to interact with others can easily cause misunderstanding, thereby undermining trustworthy relation. Another negative aspect of telecommunication is that people’s personal relationship is interfered in real life. It is typical that people are ready to receive any call any time even when they are at a family get-together dinner table.

To sum up, a new invention does not necessarily mean a good thing or bad. It is neutral in nature. The important thing is that how we utilize it. The Internet and cell phones can definitely be put into good use as long as we do not take for granted that it can totally substitute for traditional way of relating to others.

解析：

暂无解析

1、【题目】News media are important in modern society.Why are they so important? Are their influences generally positive or negative?

答案：

I think the news media mainly plays two important roles in modern society – providing information and influencing public opinion – and I think its influence is generally positive.

Obviously, the news media provides people with vast amounts of information in various forms. We can access it by listening to the radio, reading newspapers and magazines, watching television and by surfing the Internet. The ability to access news media is important for individuals and organizations because we make many decisions based on the news provided to us. Some of these decisions are mundane. We check the weather forecast to see whether we should take an umbrella to work. Other news, such as that about the business world, could influence whether we invest our savings in certain companies listed on the stock exchange.

The news is often presented to us in certain ways, using specific words to try to control our feelings and thoughts. This can be the main negative influence of the news media. Very often, the news media portrays people in simplistic ways, giving us some facts, but not the whole story. In the USA, some news media tends to support the Republicans whilst others tend towards the Democrats and the portrayal of individuals can reflect this. This is somewhat inevitable, because the editors, journalists and owners of the news media have opinions and biases. So, I think that it would be better if people checked news stories from different sources instead of only using one source.

Despite the fact that the news media can report events incorrectly or with bias, I think that the general influence on society is good. More factual information gives us the chance to make better decisions, both in our personal lives and in our working lives.

解析：

暂无解析

1、【题目】Insomeculturesoldpeoplearemorevalued,whileinotherculturestheyouthismorevalued.Discussboththeseviewsandgiveyourownopinion.

答案：

In this essay, I shall explain why I think we that should value old age and youth, without suggesting that one is better than the other.

I feel that we should celebrate the fact that so many people make it to old age. In the past, thanks to war, disease and the dangers of childbirth, most people were not so fortunate. Particularly in Western societies, a large (and growing) proportion of the population is past the age of retirement and most of those people are enjoying life. Many have saved enough money to live well and travel around the world or to play golf or to do whatever it is that they enjoy. They value the time they have and want to make the most of it. Simultaneously, societies around the world value the elderly for the experience and knowledge that they have gained over the years.

At the same time, cultures and individuals around the world value youth. Some people value it so much that they are prepared to spend plenty of money on maintaining a youthful look, through the use of make-up and plastic surgery. Youth is often seen as a time to be dynamic and fun, developing new ideas and trying things differently. This can be very useful to an economy. Would China have been able to develop so quickly in recent decades without a large supply of young people ready to take their chances in Shenzhen or Shanghai?

These are the main reasons why I think that it is a mistake to value either old age or youth and not the other. Of course, most people will value one more than the other, possibly depending on their age. However, as a culture - as a society - we should value both.

解析：

暂无解析

1、【题目】Advertising discourages people from being different individuals by making us all want to do the same and look the same. Do you agree or disagree?

答案：

Today, many commercial advertisements can be seen everywhere, selling different kinds of products such as cosmetics, toys and clothes. Some people concern that the widespread of advertisements may result in the loss of individuality among people, as they tend to wear the same clothes and use the same makeup. From my perspective, I completely disagree with this viewpoint.

Admittedly, people from different walks of life have various consumption views. However, most people would budget their disposable income wisely instead of wasting all in a set of clothes without serious consideration. Therefore, despite the proliferation of the commercial advertisements for the same luxury product, people would still make decisions of buying or not according to their limited income.

Also, people are capable of distinguishing whether the clothes in the advertisement suit themselves or not. Being exposed in a sea of advertisements for long, people's immune systems towards advertisements have strengthened. Consequently, fewer people would be swayed by the gorgeous clothes in the advisements as they realize that most clothes on advertisements only suit for models but not for the average.

Furthermore, so many different advertisements are provided for people's option that it is fairly difficult to be the same with others. Take clothes for example. There are various styles, ranging from classical to modern, childish to mature, conservative to sexy. Therefore, people still could choose their favorite style to meet their demand.

To conclude, due to the multi-choice of advertisement and people's wise budget, people would not lost their individualities under the strong promotion of the same product in the advertisement.

解析：

暂无解析

1、【题目】An increasing number of museums tend to charge admission fees from tourists rather than providing service free of charge. Do you think the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?

答案：

In many countries, museums used to be free for visitors to enter. But recently, admission fee is introduced due to a cut in funding from the government.

There are reasons for such proposal. Firstly, charging admission keeps a museum run healthily because it provides museums some funding for maintenance and expansion. As we generally know, building a museum with special characters and functions costs substantially more money than an ordinary residential building. Operation spending including security, staff salary and enriching the collections also need constant financial support. If all this cost has to come from taxation, that would be unfair to some taxpayers who do not visit museums at all. Also charging admission can compensate publicly funded museums for cuts in subsidy granted by the government and do not drop their service quality and security. Meanwhile this would not threaten other independent competitors which rely on their income from entry fees.

However, some people disagree with charging entry because they are convinced of some adverse impacts on the society. It is true that a museum is a venue about learning and enjoying as well. It is the access to vivid presentation of knowledge and local culture and history, and charging admission would decrease the number of visits, hence undermining the inspiration for knowledge and cultural heritage preservation and transmission. Another concern about charging admission of a museum is that a museum, as an important educational resource, may lose its educational function because some students in a disadvantaged position would be deprived of a museum tour.

In conclusion, although free access to a museum can promote culture and education, it leads to financial pressure on a museum. Accordingly students should be given a preference treatment and this can be effective with the government’s constant funding for student museum visit. Adults should be charged of admission to a museum. A virtual museum can be another promising option for those less well-off because it is much cheaper to build and run, and therefore can be provided free.

解析：

暂无解析

1、【题目】Peoplethrowthingsawayandbuynewonesinsteadofrepairingthemandusingagain.Whatdoyouthinkmaybethereasonsforthis?Whatproblemsmightthiscauseinsociety?

答案：

Ours is a throw-away society strongly influenced by consumerism as we value convenience over environmental protection. Even though we are environmentally conscious to some extent, we do not appear to be serious enough in taking measures to reduce consumption, let alone repairing and re-using old things instead of buying new ones. Much is known about what is happening whereas little is being done to effectively prevent the serious situation from becoming worse.

The causes of the development of the "throw-away society" are clear, so are its effects on the environment. We throw away out of convenience because societal conventions have us constantly move on to the next new fad or technology. For example, we are dumping large quantities of thrash, such as plastic bags and diapers that can pollute the environment. Likewise, we are discarding televisions, cell phones, computers and other plastics in exchange of new ones that unsurprisingly will become our future garbage. It is as if a product were designed or intended on purpose to fail or become less desirable over time, only to be thrown away after a certain amount of use. So much so, we are filling the environment with more rubbish than we can possibly dispose of, and as a result pollution is the price we are paying for the popular culture of consumerism in the age of mass production.

Nevertheless, there are no ready solutions to consumerism-related problems due mainly to the fact that the "throw-away" habits die hard, especially when often it could be more costly to repair old products than to buy new ones. Consequently, although many people have a critical view of over-consumption and excessive production of short-lived items, few people are actually able to resist the systematic attempts of business to make us wasteful as well as debt-ridden and permanently discontented individuals. To relieve the environmental impacts, we pretend to believe that one ideal solution should rest on educating consumers to voluntarily do "positive" buying--recycled and re-used. Without a doubt, this might be nothing but wishful thinking since such a measure is easier said than done in a well-to-do society, imagining that only extreme poverty could perhaps stop the "throw-away" trend. Fortunately, the good news is that there exist some kinds of technological know-how that may kindle the hope of finding a "green" solution, commonly called Waste-To-Energy (WTE) plants. Of course, it remains to be seen how efficiently those WTE plants can reduce waste volume and also contribute to resource recovery, thereby protecting the environment.

What with education and what with technology, it is expected that more could be done to combat the key problems in the "throw-away society". To be sure, environmental awareness alone is not enough to spare our planet from being further damaged if we do not change that consumer lifestyle which is not doing any favor to the environment. In a society gradually being used to obsessive consumerism, the cruel reality is that too many people now prefer convenience to environmental protection, while too few measures are likely to become effective anytime soon.

解析：

暂无解析

1、【题目】More and more companies are allowing employees to work at home. Do you think this is a positive or negative development?

答案：

The rapid advancement of computerized technologies and the deepened division of labor have made it possible for increasing number of individuals to accomplish their daily routine at home. Yet whether this development could be a blessing for not only employees but also for employers and the whole society has evolved into a case that bothers businesses and governments worldwide. From my own perspective, I agree that telecommuting would collectively bring more benefits than harm to the general public.

To start with, citizens’ time, particularly of those who live in a distant location from downtown area, can be saved and the depressing traffic congestion will be eased to a large extent, provided that most workers could perform their regular work at home (mostly online). Moreover, employees would feel more relaxed and clear-minded in a familiar surrounding, which might improve the quality and efficiency all together. By contrast, workers who are reluctant to stay in the office merely try all sorts of maneuvers to kill time until 5pm. On top of that, for certain companies like Google and Microsoft, granting employees the priority to work at home is a highly advisable approach to decline the expenditure on rent and furniture, which could eventually constitute a large proportion of their overall budget.

Admittedly, a series of resulting drawbacks would also be brought with the widespread of telecommuters. The primary one, undoubtedly, should be the absence of teamwork, which is the key to success of majority of projects. In current society, not only businesses but also individual workers have been increasingly integrated with one another, and therefore separated employees can hardly communicate and coordinate with their colleagues in person. Aside from that, supervision would be confronted with various obstacles, and it is both immoral and illegal to install a surveillance camera up the roof of employees’ home.

In a nutshell, even though permitting staff to work at home will inevitably face the challenges from supervision and teamwork, I am still convinced that teleworking, from an enlightened standpoint, should be encouraged publicly.

解析：

暂无解析

1、【题目】Many people think that arts (painting and music) do not directly improve people's life, so the government should spend money on other important areas. Do you agree or disagree?

答案：

While the economy is booming in many countries, the funding for arts has been decreasing. The main reason is that some people overly emphasize social services such as medical care and education, but underestimate the intangible role of the arts as they find it difficult to quantify their benefits.

If we were to judge something by its material value, social service surely plays a more direct role in benefiting people’s life than the arts. For example, education empowers people with knowledge and skills that make capable workers. Improving healthcare system leads to better public health and better quality of life. Tackling environmental issues can make the earth a better place for us to live. If the taxpayers’ money is put into the development of infrastructure, living standard would be increased.

However, these do not necessarily increase the happiness of people as they are by nature emotionally connected to the world around them. That is to say the quality of life does not solely depend on materialism.

Humans are emotional beings and need not only bread to eat but also roses to enjoy. It is the arts that deal with the non-material aspects of life such as passions, values and relationships which significantly influence people’s feelings and judgments. The arts in many various forms have to do with human’s inner feelings and value system which are ultimately central to people’s behaviors. Another important benefit is that the arts inspire people to see their world from a personal point of view which is usually very unique and creative. And creativity and innovation is a crucial quality for an individual to excel in society and make the best of their life. Other values of the arts include relaxation and entertainment, safe way of channeling energy and passion, enhancing understanding between cultures and races.

To conclude, the arts are as important as basic social services for humans, although they benefit us in different ways. To maintain a healthy and robust society, governments should offer financial support in all areas of society including the arts.

解析：

暂无解析