8. Doyou agree or disagree with the following statement? Television has destroyedcommunication among friends and family. Use specific reasons and examples tosupport your opinion. aa%&&
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While televisionhas been somewhat harmful in its effects, it has hardly "destroyed"communication among friends and family, although for some people, the assertionthat television has destroyed communication among friends and family seems true. "mK i$FV
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Television,invented in last century, with its wide availability, increasingly prosperousprograms, becomes one of the most powerful means of communication in thehistory, and is more and more difficult to ignore. Television is as much a partof our lives as are our meals, work, or school; studies consistently show thatthe average American child spends almost as much time watching television asdoes she in school. We all have only 24 hours a day and it is clear that themore time one spends on watching television, the less time one does with his orher family and friends. Hence we see the passage in the newspaper or magazinetitled "Television took my husbandaway from me." S Ljf<.S
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Tempting as suchclaim might be, it is hardly true. It is not television took her husband awayfrom her, but the increasing pressures of modern life did it. We have nodefinite evidence to say people nowadays endure more pressures than did theircounterparts in the past, but it is absolutely true that people nowadaysundergo great pressures that come from various directions, including work, school,economy, and so forth. Investigations show that people who earn more than 50,000 yuan annually spend at least 60 hours on work per week, much more thanthose who earn 20,000 yuan annually. Today a bachelor degree may no longerguarantee a well paid job, more and more companies post their want ads claimingthat applicants must have at least master degrees, which take two or threeyears longer. "~2#!b K7
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In a word, peoplenowadays have very little time for anything; television is merely among manyother factors that affect communication, and is definitely not the main causeof degradation. It seems that the more one is educated, the more one is awareof the deleterious effects that excessive television causes, and eitherdeliberately avoid it or actually do not enjoy it. On the other hand, therereally are many people addictive to television. But the fact is, weretelevision not existent, surely these people would have found other escapes, suchas alcohol or gambling, for example. In other words, people always find a wayto do what they want to do. Therefore, I do not agree that television hasdestroyed communication among friends and family. l(w vQO
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9. Some people prefer to live in a small town. Othersprefer to live in a big city. Which place would you prefer to live in? Usespecific reasons and details to support your answer. ,i bPSN5Ca
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People seldomagree with each other even in such trivial issues as preference between a bigcity and a small town. It’s a little bit haste to say that it is better to livein a big city than to live in a small town, or vice versus. 3JZWhxkf[$
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Living in a bigcity has several benefits. First, there’re more job opportunities readilyavailable in big cities than in a small town. Furthermore, not merely there aremore job positions in big cities, the qualities of the position are much higheras well. In addition, the pay is more decent. Second, children are supposed tobe able to receive an education with a higher quality compared with theircounterparts who live in a small town. For families, children’s education isalways put in the first place. Finally, living in a big city has a superioroverall living standard to that in a small town. There are more commodities andservices in city markets; there are more public utilities available in bigcities; there are even much more television channels in big cities. W
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However, living ina small town also has some advantages. People who live in a small town oftenhave a much comfortable life style. Most of them are immune from suffering ofhigh working stress. Although the average pay is much less than that of bigcities, the price of daily necessities, such as vegetables or meat, is usuallymore inexpensive. Instead of suffering loneliness which is prevalent in bigcities, children might grow up more healthily because of harmoniousrelationship among residents in small town. People in a small town do not have to get up so early in the morningbecause there has been no traffic jam, and no body drive so fast in a smalltown as to cause accidents. They might have fewer channels in television, butthey have more friends readily available to chat or entertain with. hKZ`D
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According to mycurrent situation, although I am longing for the cozy atmosphere and relationshipamong neighbors and friends which almost only exist in big cities, I havechosen to live in one of the biggest cities in my country --- Beijing, since I have found a pretty good jobhere, and a decent pay. I think I would prefer living a small town when I getretired one day. %
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17. Some people think that they can learn better bythemselves than with a teacher. Others think that it is always better to have ateacher. Which do you prefer? Use specific reasons to develop your essay. *fH_lG%
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Whether we need a teacher or not depends on circumstances. Therelationship between a teacher and a new subject is somewhat similar to thatbetween a tour guide and an unknown city. I' ! r
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When we come to an unknown city for the first time, we definitely need atour guide. We might have a detailed map, but it is unlikely functional – itisn't surprised that we can hardly interpret those mysterious symbols.Likewise, when we are beginners, it is wise to learn with teachers. They cantell us where to begin with, what we should do, and which reference we shouldchoose. When we confront difficulties, we can ask them for help, and theiradvices will always be tremendously helpful. With teachers' assistance, wemight learn easier, faster, and more interestingly. EwD3d0udL
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After a period of time, we have learned a lot. We now know the citypretty well, even though there still are many places we haven't been. Itdoesn't matter. Now that we are able to recognize those mysterious symbols onthe map, what we need perhaps is not a tour guide but a more detailed map.Similarly, we need richer references for learning. Yes, there are still manyfields unexplored; they are, nevertheless, no longer puzzling. The task issimple: we will explore them one by one, little by little. If we are working ona certain skill, practice more; if we are preparing a test, practice more;whatever we are learning, just remember, like people always say, practice makesperfect. 8L -4}!~C
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After another period of time, we might have become others' tour guide,but we still want to know more. We want to know which restaurant is the mostdecent, which bookstore is the most professional, which coffee shop is the mostclassical. Even the most comprehensive map doesn't have adequate information.We again need experts. In learning, it's much the same. We need experts toconsult for specific problems. Furthermore, the most beneficial merit ofconsulting experts is that we can not merely refer to them but even discusswith them in depth. As is often the case, a solution for a complex matter isnot waiting for us right there and then, sometimes it comes out of inspirationsof discussion. H\| ]!8w5Z
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In short, having a good teacher is always better than having none, butthe importance of a teacher varies from period to period, from stage to stage. 1 O7]3&L@
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