【2015年1月雅思写作“预测答案手册”–首次对外发布】

【2015年1月雅思写作“预测答案手册”–首次对外发布】 1.Some people suggest that a country should try to produce all the food for its population and import as little food as possible. To what extent do you agree or disagree? Due to its unique climatic and soil condition, every country has its own specialised and seasonal agricultural products. Without food import, in addition to locally produced foods, consumers would have no access to a variety of meat, produce and packaged goods from around the world. Also the country is susceptible to food shortage caused by poor harvest. They miss out on the choice benefits brought by a global food market, also the country may suffer from seasonal shortages, Shipping food over great distances uses a tremendous amount of fuel (cars, boats, trucks) By only eating locally produced food, carbon food print is reduced. It is sustainable and more eco-friendly. Also to keep food fresh during the transport, they are often picked before being ripe enough and chemicals are used to slow down the rotting process. Eating local produce helps to reduce health risks. Also, consumers are clear of where the food comes from, how it is grown and under what standards they are tested and processed. More guaranteed in terms of food safety. Although imported goods are subject to the same health and safety requirements as domestically produced foods, government does not have the same ability to inspect factories, farms and processing plants, as it would with domestically produced foods. Consumers have little clue of how the food is produced (e.g. how much pesticides were used and whether it is GM) 2.Most children want to watch the same TV programs and play the same computer games like their friends do. Shall parents allow them to do this? Children, especially as they grow up, tend to form groups and socialise with those sharing the same interests Watch the same…gives them common topics to share with their peers, related to each other, connect with others easily Feel included, form strong friendship, no sense of isolation Some TV programs or games can be educational, with complex ideas and challenging tasks Watch or play the same games, they can draw on each other’s understanding and experience, learn from, collaborate or even challenge each other More motivated, eager to delve into the tasks, better learning outcome Some children may do so simply to fit in Children miss the opportunity to cultivate own interest and explore their full potential (science vs soap opera) Ignore individuality, give too much importance to collective action, and lose a sense of own identity. Children lack the ability to differentiate the appropriateness of TV content They blindly follow what their peer watch, some of which can have violent content or instill incorrect moral values Have negative effects on their social and emotional development. 3.Individual greed and selfishness has been the basis of the modern society. Some people think that we must return to the older and more traditional values of respect for the family and the local community in order to create a better world to live in. To what extent do you agree or disagree? For In many countries, the birth rate is seriously declining, so families are smaller with fewer children. (社会现象A） These children are often found to be self-centred and have less respect for parents or relatives. （A社会现象的拓展–B） If the traditional values of respect and politeness are resumed,then it is possible to claim that a person will be encouraged to love and care their family as deliberately as people did in the past. (好结果充当观点–point C） In recent days, the majority of local communities are not as close or ready to help as they were previously.(社会现象A） And 第二观点无需B的衔接 Awareness to be helpful and considerate of others will be raised within a community if older values are introduced.（C观点结论point) Against: To create a better world, more than moral values need to be established.; residents also crave for sufficient food and housing supply. (better world的定义–A） These common needs mostly require governments to develop faster economically simply to have the residents better provided for. 在A定义之后的拓展 Therefore, a simple introduction of old moral values is far from being enough in creating a better place to live in. 不好或者坏的结论point-C 4.In many countries, the proportion of older people is steadily increasing. Does this trend have more positive or negative effects on the society? Old people tend to suffer from chronic health conditions, require long term and extensive care If a society has a high proportion of old people, the demand for medical resources would increase (such as doctors, nurses, medication, nursing homes) Governments have to increase spending on medicare, increase budget pressure After working for decades, old people choose to retire An increasing amount of senior citizens means the positions they left vacant may not be filled up by the young immediately Cause labor shortage, negatively affect productivity and economy Old people have rich life experiences which young people can draw on They can offer the young generation valuable and constructive advices about life decisions Help them avoid making the same mistakes and make more sensible decisions 5.In many countries there is a lot of rubbish (garbage) because more and more people buy things. What are the causes? In your country, does it have the same problem? The capitalism system is based on creating artificial consumer demands, and one way is to use advertisements that the modern life is inundated with. Buying into those ads, often times people purchase products or services for wants rather than needs and end up buying more than it is necessary (e.g.) Many of these products are abandoned or thrown away after being used few times, increase the amount of waste In order to stand out in the market, products are being excessively packaged to attract customer attention Consumers purchase those products, some of which the package itself is heavier than the content (e.g. mooncake) This creates a large amount of waste, which is negative to the environment 6.Some people think that teachers should be responsible for teaching students to judge what is right and wrong so that they can behave well. Others say that teachers should only teach students academic subjects. Discuss both views and give your opinion. Education should be holistic, whether at home or at school, and academic performance, moral values and appropriate behavior are equally important for students to become contributing members of the society in the future. Besides, teachers are professionally trained with skills and knowledge compared to parents. If teachers play a major role in teaching students those skills, they can choose the most suitable materials (e.g. videos, picture books) and teaching strategies (e.g. use social stories, role play, music, group games) Students feel more motivated to learn and can understand better To learn appropriate behaviors and a sense of right and wrong, it is important to have the opportunities to practice what one has learned. Unlike home environment where students interact mainly with parents, at school, students get to socialize with peers from various backgrounds and age groups. By giving teachers the responsibility, they can spot and utilize the social scenarios happening in schools, such as conflicts, item sharing and group activities, to which students can apply their skills and knowledge right away Students can deepen their understanding and the learning is likely to be more effective Teachers face tremendous pressure, time-wise and energy-wise to implement curriculum, assess students and meet academic standard If adding moral education into the currently fully packed curriculum, teachers will have more workload, having to spend more time planning and teaching Time spent on other academic subjects will be sacrificed and teachers will face more stress Moral values can be subjective, being influenced by one’s upbringing, education and religious as well as cultural background. Sometimes parents and teachers may disagree on what the correct moral values are and how to teach them When conflicts of opinions happen, it is more suitable if parents teach those values consistent with the family tradition as parents are the legal carers of their children and have the right to decide educational options for them Besides, the low teacher-student ratio at schools may mean that students do not get sufficient attention from teachers as they get at home from parents. 7.Some people think foreign visitors should be charged more than local people when they visit the cultural and historical attractions in a country. To what extent do you agree or disagree? Cultural or historical attractions often depend on state subsidies to keep them going, which means that the resident population already pays money to these sites through the tax system. Charge foreign visitors more can be considered as tourists paying the fair share to have equal access to the sites It is fair for the locals Foreign tourists contribute to the economy of the host country with the money they spend on a wide range of goods and services, including food, souvenirs, accommodation and travel. If being charged a different price, they are less willing to visit the country for holiday Few tourism related jobs, lose financial income for locals and negative on the local economy Many of the places, mostly historical buildings with cultural heritage, require international tourism to generate funding for maintenance. A different price makes tourists feel a sense of unjustness, few would go There would be a risk of insufficient funding for the maintenance of these important buildings. Also the country fails to promote the nation’s cultural heritage. 8.Traditional food is being replaced by international fast foods. This has negative effects on family and society. To what extent do you agree or disagree? Unlike a proper meal, fast foods are prepared and served quickly (within minutes) and can be eaten at anytime and location It is time saving and suits better to the fast-paced modern lifestyle Where time is measured by money and people have irregular working hours, juggling between work and life with little time for a sit down meal. Gradually forming throughout the history, the cuisine from an area can be viewed as a local signature, reflecting the uniqueness of the area such as its soil and climate condition, people’s lifestyle and cultural traditions. If traditional foods are replaced by single styled international fast food chains, all these diversities will be lost This is damaging to the preservation of local’s cultural heritage and a sense of belonging Cooking and having traditional homemade meals also provides opportunities for family members to gather together, exchange opinions, resolve conflicts and bond at the table If families ignore this important occasion and consume mostly fast foods instead, not only does eating become a chore, the family miss out precious bonding moments, which would have negative impacts on the family relationships Mostly being deep fried and heavily processed, fast foods tend to lack nutritional value and are high in fat, sugar and preservatives Massive consumption of such foods instead of locally grown traditional ones would lead to health problems such as obesity and cardiovascular diseases This is damaging to the public’s health especially to young children who cannot make sensible dietary decisions on their own. 9.Some think that children should start school as early as possible, while others believe that they should start school at the age of seven. Discuss both views and give your own opinion. Schools have teaching facilities, resources (books, games) and professionally trained teachers Attending school early, have early access to these resources, start learning symmetrically from an early age Acquire more knowledge and develop better skills, earn a competitive edge among peers Schools provide an environment where students are closely monitored. They have the op to interact with others from different age groups and backgrounds Those who go to school early can learn how to share, negotiate, collaborate with others in school activities Develop their social skills, communication skills, get along well with others later The time children, especially young ones, spend with parents in their early developmental stages is crucial to how secure and confident they feel in later years. Attending schools at 7 ensures that children get to spend sufficient amount of quality time with parents who can provide them with emotional support and guidance Strengthen family bond and beneficial to their emotional development Children at 7 tend to be more emotionally, intellectually and socially mature Those who attend school at 7 have the self-discipline and management skills to adapt to schools’ face-paced routine and structured learning. Able to grasp complex concepts better. More motivated to learn, learning becomes more effective. 10.Some people think the qualities a person needs to become successful in today’s world cannot be learned at a university or similar academic institution. To what extent do you agree or disagree? Universities are institutions where students have access to the latest research results, fully equipped labs, structured learning supported by experts in the field They are able to acquire professional knowledge and skills that can not be learned elsewhere (esp. high-entering fields such as engineering, medicine and law which require many years of systematic learning) Lay a solid foundation for their future career and is the cornerstone of their success. One has to have the emotional capacity and self-discipline to adapt to the academically demanding and physically draining tight schedule. Besides, universities provide extra curricular activities (student clubs), involve group work, challenging projects, in class debate. Students can cultivate their self-confidence, resilience, and organizational skills. They can also develop social and communication skills with a network of people who share similar passion and interests. These qualities are the defining factors to a person’s success in the future. Knowledge in uni is often theory based, sometimes disconnected from the industries People who learn from trial and error working in real business, gain the practical skills to analyze and respond quickly to each unique situation, make accurate judgments and come out with the most effective plans These abilities form the base of their success more than what they learn from universities 11.In schools and universities, girls tend to choose arts subjects, while boys choose science subjects. What is the reason? Should the trend be changed? Societies have gender roles that assign certain strengths and weaknesses to each gender, e.g. women are sensitive, nurturing, lack rational thinking and domestic while men are tough, logical thinkers and are the breadwinner of the family. These expectations are deeply rooted in the society’s culture and children learn them from a very early age from parents or from pop culture (e.g. scientists in pop culture are mostly men) Such expectation is likely to affect how they behave and decide their major. For one, it causes less controversy, for another, it creates less obstacles (e.g. female scientists are likely to face more challenges in a male-dominated field) Choosing the major that each gender normally would choose Students follow gender expectation, not realizing their capacities, or they are forced to give up what they are good at or interested in just to match the stereotypes. It puts a limit on people’s potential and creates gender-based discrimination It creates one gender’s dominance in certain jobs, eliminating diversity in ideas and skills It restricts the development of certain industry 12.We are surrounded by all kinds of advertising, which is having an increasing influence on our lives. Do the positive effects of advertising outweigh its negative effects? Inform customers about the newest products, the functions and the price range Consumers can obtain useful information and make informed decision based on own needs Find solutions to problems. Also boost economy as it increases sales. Advertisement often use surprising or humorous plot to glorify the use and the ownership of certain products. It creates an artificial demand and a false sense of entitlement, e.g. those who own the product are the privileged Consumers are likely to purchase more than what they need, also it encourages a wasteful and materialistic lifestyle Some products may not be beneficial to people (e.g. fast food, alcohol) Seeing those ads and consuming them has negative effects on consumers’ health. 13.Some people think newspaper is the most effective way to get the latest information because it has more influence than other forms of media. Do you agree or disagree？ Newspaper has been one of the oldest and widely circulated forms of media. There are many reputable news agencies with dedicated journalists, such as BBC and CNN, producing quality news with reliable and accountable information compared to other media forms Effective way to get the latest information (especially feature stories that require long term investigations) Newspaper is also cheap to produce, portable and does not require specific devices to access Making it the most affordable and easily accessible media, suitable in disadvantaged areas and countries Also it help readers be updated about the news in places where the Internet and radio signals are not available (However, the status of newspaper is dropping and it is giving way to new media forms such as the Internet) The information online covers a wide range of topics and are constantly updated Also with the wide use of smart phones and social media, audience can get the newest information from people near the incident location within seconds, much sooner before the journalists are able to get there. It is becoming a popular way for people to get news (however, it can be confusing to differentiate news with opinions in an online world) 14.The best way for a country to prepare for the future is to invest more resources in its young people. How true do you think of it? What is the best way to invest resources? Many countries are having the largest generation aged 15-24, with high fertility rates, the trend is likely to continue. Some are experiencing a ‘youth bulge,’ which can often lead to increased levels of unemployment, teen pregnancy and homelessness At the same time, a country’s economy is highly dependent on its productivity, which young people play a major role contributing to with their talents and ability to innovate. Engaging with young people and investing more resources in them can benefit society as a whole. In order to prepare for the future better, the first step, I think, is through improving the choice of education throughout the country. As a person’s education normally involves various stages , then education authorities have the reason to get resources and public money used to improve all these stages of education, such as early childhood education. Therefore, it can be argued that investing in young adults alone is far from being a good policy in future preparation if other groups, such as children cannot get benefit. 15.Today, food travels thousands of miles from farms to consumers. Why is this? Is it a positive or negative trend? Market globalization, many countries trade products with each other to meet the demand in domestic market. At the same time, technology advancement, esp transport tools makes it easy to import and export food Explains why it is common to see foreign produces in markets nowadays Due to its unique climatic and soil condition, every country has its own specialised and seasonal agricultural products. Also, as economy develops, consumers have more disposable income, starting to demand international goods that cannot be produced locally The domestic demand drives the supply, making foods travel long distance to consumers Same as topic 1 (negatives outweigh positives) 16.All over the world, people watch foreign film much more than locally produced films. Why? Should the government provide financial support to local film industries? Globalization, cultural intermingling increases and every nation tries to know more about the other nations cultural preferences. Curiosity towards other cultures grows (bk, movies are snapshots of other cultures, effective source to get a better understanding of others) Overseas films are the preferred choices The development of web and electronic technologies (the Internet, computers, smart phones, tablets) Easy accessible, widely available, inundated (e.g. blockbusters, impact of Hollywood) Explains the popularity of overseas movies Western film industry is more mature with longer history (Hollywood and Bollywood), have capital and technological advantage Have the capacities to produce high quality movies, (screen play, talented actor/actress, special effects), producing more enjoyable viewing experience Overseas movies are more attractive Government financing local movies industry (e.g. bite of China) Record and promote cultural heritage, especially to the younger generation Preserve cultural identity, prevent loss of cultural diversity and create a sense of belonging