12.03.08

People aim to achieve the balance between their work and lives. But few people achieve it. What are the causes of the problems? How to overcome it?

 

1.

Few people claim to be able to maintain the work-life harmony due to the competing pressures at work and demands at home. In this age of modern technology, one of the consequences of the imbalance is stress, a chronic problem common among working men and women alike. It is possible that the root of the problem is an undesirable and yet inevitable conflict between career ambition and personal as well as family life.

 

Some people have begun to think that working gets in the way of living, particularly when they are struggling for professional achievements. A reduction of official working hours does little to relieve the stress that affects one's life because of one's ambition for financial gains and social recognition. To illustrate, typical workaholics continue working at home, or telecommuting, in front of a computer screen. Since one hopes to stand out of the crowd, there is little time left for leisure, pleasure and spiritual development. This being the case, home is no longer a heavenly place for rest as it used to be. Accordingly, one may feel out of the work-life equilibrium in the presence of increasingly keen competition, as if from all directions.

（Avril总结整理，转载敬请注明http://blog.sina.com.cn/avrildaisy）  

More often than not, there is no clear line between work and family life, home becoming almost an extension of the workplace. Thus, the greater is the stress of trying to become successful, the less likely is the work-life balance, considering there is a price to be paid for taking pride in working, usually at the cost of a variety of family responsibilities and personal enjoyment. Of course, one can manage the work-life harmony skillfully to some extent, but not for long. In fact, this situation is so much like a teeter-totter, one end being work and the other being life. The metaphor refers to a rarely steady state, now moving from balance and now moving back towards it. That is why many people find it difficult to perform a balancing act between work and life.

 

The conflict of work and life may be the cause of the problem, but the solution must depend on one's attitude about money and time. Tackling the problem of the imbalance is nothing easy because the stress of work is invading home. To be realistic, it makes sense that people work because they need money to make ends meet at home, and that time for personal life must sometimes be limited only to uneasy sleep after a hard day.

 

2.

Nowadays many adults have full-time jobs and the proportion of their lives spent on work is very high. Some of them are under high stress and ignore the other parts of life. I think that modern lifestyles are probably responsible for this.

 

In many cities, the cost of living is very high, bringing about a heavy burden on city residents. To survive and lead a better life, people have to work hard and earn enough income to cover the daily expenditure. As the urban population keeps rising, competition is getting increasingly fierce in the job market and in workplaces. Those who are not conpetent for their jobs may be laid off. Under so much pressure, many people focus on their work and have little time for leisure and exercise. As a result, their life becomes monotonous and their health declines.

 

There is no doubt that these lifestyles have caused negative impact on people's physical and psychological health and this situation needs to be changed. To begin with, people should be more aware of the consequence of failing to strike a balance between work and life. They hould learn to allocate a certain proportion of time to stay with their family members, or for exercise. For instance, when they go back from work every day, they can choose to turn off their mobile phones, play with their kids or take the dog for a walk.

（Avril总结整理，转载敬请注明http://blog.sina.com.cn/avrildaisy）  

Perhaps the government needs to construct more facilities to provide various choices for people to spend their spare time. Enterprises should also support employees in terms of dealing with stress at work, because this is no longer a problem for emplyees, but for the long-term prosperity of enterprises.

 

12.03.10

It is expected that there will be a higher proportion of older people than young people in many countries in the future. Do you think it is a positive or negative development?

 

题目翻译：据预测，将来很多国家的老龄化人口的比重将会超过年轻人。你认为这是一种积极还是消极的变化？　　

关键词分析：older people“老年人”有很多说法，这个词在文章中肯定会多次出现，因此一定要做好同义替换准备。elderly people, the elderly, pensioners, senior citizens都可以，但要少用old people. ageing society （Br.E.） / aging society （Am.E.）老龄化社会，这个词是必备的社会学术语。这个词虽然没有在题目中出现，但是考生一定会在正文中用到这个词。关于ageing society的相关知识，请阅读维基百科。

 

话题分类与题型：本题是老题，个别词句略有改动。与2006年2月11日、2011年10月8日的话题基本一致。短期内出现如此接近的题目，在雅思考试中并不多见。属于社会类话题的“人口结构与老龄化”分支。上一次出现社会类话题是在2011年12月17日。题型为议论文中的“利弊分析”，这种题型是所有议论文题型中最简单的，在2011年仅出现4次，这是2012年首次出现该题型。

 

话题评价：社会类话题共有两大分支：男女平等，人口结构与老龄化。本题在“十大话题万能分类题库”中属于母题，因此只要做好充足的复习准备，难度不大。　　

 

相关考题：

1. Surveys show that in many countries, people are living longer but increased life expectancy has many implications for the aging individuals and for society as a whole. What are the possible effects of longer living for individuals and society? （100306）　　

2. Some people believe that in order to give opportunities to the new generation, companies should encourage high level employees who are older than 55 to retire. Do you agree or disagree? （030712, 030809）　　

3. Some countries have an ever-increasing proportion of population who are aged 15 and younger. What is your opinion of the current and future effects it may have in those countries? （080419）

4. In many countries, the proportion of older people is steadily increasing. Does this have more positive or negative effects on the society? (111008)

 

题型解析与结构思路：“利弊分析”题型有几种出题方式：1. What are the advantages and disadvantages? 2. Do you think the advantages outweigh its disadvantages? 3. Do you think it is a positive or negative development? 其中，第一、二中好处和坏处都必须在文章中提及，文章必须写成双边讨论，结论既可以是好处坏处都有（完全中立），也可以是好处大于或小于坏处（带偏向）。而第三种题型除了以上写法之外，也可以写成单边讨论。“单边讨论”题型必须用五段式写，正文三段分别阐述三个好处，或者三个坏处。本题建议写成双边讨论带偏向的写法，正文第一段承认老龄化带来的好处（如老龄产业会带动相关产业发展），而重点在正文第二段（或五段式的正文二、三段），强调人口老龄化对社会产生的危害（给社会、子女造成负担）。结论段简单地介绍一下解决方法即可（如政府建立完善的社会保障体系，确保老年人的基本生活）。　　

1.

Due to the improved living standard and decreased birth rate in many countries, the proportion of elderly people keeps rising. This trend is not restricted to developed countries which boast well-established supporting systems for elderly people, but is also evident among some developing countries whose infrastructure falls behind the growth of aged population.

 

Longevity of citizens is seen as a symbol of social progress and it reflects the advance of medical science and the improvement of people's welfare. Most people now enjoy several decades of comfort and happiness after retirement as a reward for their hard work. In modern cities where life pace is fast, retired people largely take the responsibilities of looking after their grandchildren. Elderly people uphold traditional values and possess rich experience, which is extraodinarily valuable in the education of next generations.

（Avril总结整理，转载敬请注明http://blog.sina.com.cn/avrildaisy）  

However, the upsurge of aged population can pose a series of problems to the society as a whole. The first issue is the strain on the pension system, which is the major source of most old people's income. As they do not work, the shrink of work force may affect the productivity and slow down the economy in the long term. In addition, given the fact that aged people are prone to disease, the government is required to raise the investment on the medical and healthcare system for them, such as the construction and furnishing of more hospitals. All these would impose a heavy burden on the government and taxpayers.

 

The increasing percentage of aged population has become a widespread concern in much of the world. To tackle this problem takes the efforts of the whole socity. Apart from building basic facilities and improving social safety net, we also need to create more opportunities for elderly citizens so that they can become productive members of the society.

 

2. 

Population ageing has emerged as a global phenomenon in the wake of the now virtually universal decline in fertility and increases in life expectancy. Many countries are confronted with new demographic realities that spread from the cities to the villages. In my opinion, more problems than benefits will surface with this trend. 　　

 

Admittedly, older people often have time to offer for the benefit of family and the community. Nowadays, the young tend to rely on the older generation for household chores. It is also reported that time devoted to voluntary work and care is at its height within the age groups over 55. Such devotion adds greatly to the community well-being, if not to the GDP. 　　

 

Population ageing, however, brings about serious economic and social problems. When the number of workers decreases, the national income goes down. At the same time, as a person's use of health services increases significantly in the later years of their life, an ageing population causes a relative rise in the public resources required for pensions, health and residential care outlays. Moreover, with an ageing population, the problems associated with the “sandwich generation”， people who have both children and parents to look after, have gained increasing prominence. Members of this “in-between” generation are often torn between the needs of raising children, caring for ageing parents and job responsibilities. 　　

（Avril总结整理，转载敬请注明http://blog.sina.com.cn/avrildaisy）  

To sum up, population ageing is an inevitable prospect, the negative effects of which outweigh the positive. As ageing is a normal part of lifecycle for human beings, we must recognize its challenges to our life and society, and work on effective strategies to minimize its adverse influences. 

 

12.03.17

News media are important in modern society. Why are they so important? Are their influences generally positive or negative?

 

题目翻译：新闻媒体在当代社会中很重要。它们为什么这么重要?它们的影响通常是积极的还是负面的?

 

关键词分析：media: media来源于拉丁语，是medium的复数形式。因此这个词在英语中大多是用作复数形式，是各种媒体的总称。具体包括：print media(平面媒体)，如newspaper, magazine;broadcast media(电波媒体)，如radio, television, 以及new media(新媒体)，主要指the Internet. 以上这些媒体又可以称之为mass media(大众媒体)。news media: 本文应当围绕新闻媒体来展开，不要提到媒体的娱乐功能。

 

话题分类与题型：本题是老题新出，与2005年6月25日、2009年3月5日、2009年8月22日的话题基本一致。属于“媒体与广告”类话题的“新闻与媒体”分支。媒体类话题在2011年共出现6次，这次是2012年首次出现，上一次出现是在2011年11月17日。

                该题属于混搭类题型(原因+利弊分析)，兼备说明文和议论文的写法(与09年3月5日的题型一致)。混搭题型是近期说明文考察的重点，2011年共出现7次，而标准的说明文(问题+原因+影响+解决方法)仅出现4次，因此在写作的时候应当特别留意混搭题型。

 

话题评价：媒体与广告类话题共有“新闻与媒体”、“媒体审查制度”以及“广告”三大主题。本题在“十大话题万能分类题库”中属于母题，因此只要做好充足的复习准备，难度不大。

 

相关考题：

1. Some people think that the news media nowadays have influenced people’s lives in negative ways. To what extent do you agree or disagree? (050625)

2. Newspapers have an enormous influence on people's ideas and opinions. Why is this the case? Do you think it is positive or negative? (090305)

3. News media is more influential nowadays. Some people think it is a negative development. To what extent do you agree or disagree? (090822)

 

题型解析：混搭题型主要有常见的几种出题方式：原因+利弊分析、原因+同意与否(针对题目中所给出的解决方法)、同意与否+解决方法。回答时一定要紧扣问题。

　　       此题属于“原因+利弊分析”题型，也是混搭类出现最多的类型。这种题目在解答时要注意，第二问建议大家写成双边支持，即好处和坏处都有，这样一来观点容易构思，字数容易达到，二来考官觉得考生思维比较全面。

　　       大家可以思考一下下面这道相同题型的题目：

　　Some employers think that formal academic qualifications are more important than life experiences and personal qualities when they look for an employee. Why is it the case? Is it a positive or negative development? (071013)

 

解题思路：本文建议采用五段式。正文分三段，分别交代原因、好处、坏处。

　　      原因：信息化时代information era的到来和全球一体化globalisation的发展使得现代人越来越依赖于媒体传递的信息。

　　      好处：新闻给人们提供了大量的信息。关于国家的政治动向、政策变化的报道可以指导个人和公司的发展计划、投资理财;天气预报、路况信息等为个人的出行提供了指导;一些针对社会弱势群体的社会新闻也唤起公众的同情心，使有困难的人得到社会的帮助。

　　      坏处：有些新闻来源不靠谱，特别是网络媒体。由于人人都可以通过twitter之类的社交网站social networking site来传播信息，因此给谣言rumour的传播提供了可能。有些媒体受政党控制，因此传递的是一些带偏见biased的消息，公众无法客观地从媒体中获取真相。甚至有些无良记者unscrupulous journalists为了引起轰动sensation，通过捏造一些假新闻chequebook journalism来吸引读者眼球。

　　      结论：国家可以出台相关的法律法规related laws and regulations should be constituted，媒体应该进行自我审查impose auto-censorship，来规范媒体和记者的行为。而公众应当有独立思考能力和批判性思维能力independent thinking and critical thinking ability，来辨别新闻的真假。

 

全篇段落提纲：

　　开头段: (铺垫背景, 引出话题)

　　在当代社会(In present-day society), 人们获取知识和接收信息的方式更依赖于新闻媒体。电视, 报纸, 网络之类的媒介每天都在向世界各个角落(every single corner of the world)传递信息, 使人们和外界保持同步(enable people to keep pace with the outside world)。可以说, 新闻媒体已经成为现代社会一个不可或缺的部分 (an indispensable part in modern society)

　　主体第一段: (指明两个新闻媒体为什么重要的最根本原因)

　　信息时代(information age)的到来和全球化(globalization)的发展是现代人越来越依赖于媒体的最根本原因(root cause)。在现代社会, 各国间以及社会各领域之间(如: 贸易, 科技, 文化, 教育等)的交流和互动 (communication and interaction), 变得日益频繁。人们日常工作的节奏加快, 衣食住行的需求也更多样和宽泛。这些都需要能够及时传递信息和便于交流的新闻媒介。

　　主体第二段: (阐述新闻媒体的利和弊)

　　好处: 新闻媒体以各种形式提供现代社会所需的有用信息 (vast amounts of useful information in various forms)。通过广播, 电视, 报纸和基于网络的媒体(Through broadcast, TV, newspapers, and internet-based media), 人们随时随地可以和各种信息保持亲密接触(stay in close contact with various information)。比如说, 公司和企业可以通过新闻媒体及时得知国家的政策法规, 以便调整其运营模式(operation mode)和投资策略(investment strategy)

　　坏处: 新闻媒体的信息可能会误导公众(mislead the public)。以网络为例, 由于人人都可以通过各种网站发布信息, 因此给谣言(rumors)和虚假广告(deceptive advertizing)的传播提供了可能。此外, 为了创造高收视率(in order to achieve high audience ratings), 一些媒体夸大甚至歪曲事实(exaggerate or distort an established fact), 使公众形成错误的观点(make people form prejudiced opinions)

　　结尾段: (结论加合理的建议)

　　结论：从好的方面来看(on the positive side), 新闻媒体在传递知识和信息方面的作用总体是积极有益的(beneficial)。但另一方面(on the other hand), 新闻机构的确也会对普通大众和社会有不良影响。国家可以出台相关的法律法规来有效监管新闻媒体(related regulations should be constituted to strengthen news media), 使他们的信息更加客观真实。而公众也应该提高辨别能力(critical thinking ability), 不要盲目跟从新闻媒体(follow news media blindly)

1.

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.

（Avril总结整理，转载敬请注明http://blog.sina.com.cn/avrildaisy）  

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 organisations 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. 

 

2.

In today's world, we are surrounded by various kinds of news reports, which have become an esential part of our daily lives. The boom of news media industry, particularly the widespread of internet contributes to this trend.

 

Besides the traditional news media, such as newspaper, TV and radio, the popularization of internet makes it easier for people to access the latest news reports. In the past, people had to tune in to TV or radio programss at fixed time. But now, with internet, they can read the up-to-date news without time limit. Internet also allows people to make comment on the news reports and thus enhance the participation of the public.

 

Thanks to journalists' work, people are more involved than ever before in social affairs. For example, when natural disasters happen, news media can convey the firsthand message to the public, who can reach their hands and donate aid for victims immediately. Public's constant attention would also push forward the rescue and relief efforts and supervise the distribution of resources.

 

Despite the positive influence, news media may cause detrimental effect to the society. Some journalists tend to involve their personal feeling or distort the truth of the envents in the reports. In some cases, ecternal pressure from the government or news agency may lead to biased news reports. Moreover, if people are bombarded by excessive news reports, there is a risk that they may lose their independent thinking.

（Avril总结整理，转载敬请注明http://blog.sina.com.cn/avrildaisy）  

To sume up, as a dominant source of information in modern society, news media bring us trmendous benefits. Meanwhile, we need to use our own judgment to analyze the information we receive from the media.

 

12.03.31

In some cultures the old age is highly valued, while in some cultures youth is highly valued. Discuss and give your opinion.

 

考题和关键词解析:本考题属于典型的社会类。以前类似考题曾考过“老年人与年轻人之间的不同”和“Every generation of people is different in important ways”.而本考题在考查范围上有所定位, 用了“valued”这个词。此题属于“Discuss类”, 有两个方面, 在论证时需要运用对称式写法。

全篇段落提纲:

　　开头段: (铺垫背景, 引出话题)

　　在不同的社会和文化背景下（under diverse social and cultural circumstances）, 公众对老年人和年轻人的重视度有所不同（people from dissimilar backgrounds may have divergent attitudes towards the same issue with respect to the value of the old and youth respectively.）必须承认，双方都各有价值和优点。（Admittedly,there are merits concerning both sides.）

　　主体第一段: (a. 指明老年人的价值和优势＆b.重视老年人的原因或目的)

　　a.

　　饱经风霜（Having experienced and endured all the hardships of life）；

　　富有经验，知识广博（sufficiently experienced and well knowledged）

　　怀旧,懂得珍惜,容易满足,更能吃苦耐劳,更加理智（reminiscent-inclined, more sensible to cherish, easily contented, bear hard work, more reasonable）

　　有丰富的人生观和价值观（abundant philosophy , social values and outlook on life）; 社会责任感强（strong sense of social responsibility）

　　b.

　　充分开发老年资源（Well explore the resources of the old），提高老年人生命和生活质量，构建和谐社会，促进人口老龄化与经济、社会协调发展，实现社会可持续发展。实行积极的老龄化对策：健康、参与和保障。(enhance the life expectancy and standard to construct a harmonious society which promotes the coordinate growth of economy and sustainable development as well,with the implement of positive countermeasure involving health, participation and ensurance.)

　　主体第二段: (a. 指明年轻人的价值和优势＆ b. 重视年轻人的原因或目的)

　　a.

　　有活力的, 精力充沛,可塑性强（dynamic，energetic，moldable）

　　富于创新、勇于挑战（innovative，challengeable）

　　善于学习和接受新事物、新想法（be adept in learning and adopting up-to-date objects and notions.）

　　独立性强，有幽默感和灵活性，有上进心，(independent, with sense of humor,flexible,striving)

　　接受了更好的教育，有竞争意识和合作意识，( better cultivated, with competitive and cooperative spirit)

　　熟知科技知识，善于沟通交流（well-informed of advanced technology, skillful in communication）

　　b.

　　给社会发展注入新的动力和提供更广阔的空间（novel motive power for social advancement with a wider range）

　　创造出更多的挑战和机遇（create more challenges and opportunities）

　　鼓励年轻人致力于奉献社会，实现人生目标和社会价值（encourage youth to devote themselves to society for the sake of achieving life goal and social value）

　　结尾段：折中的写法（重申老年人和年轻人各有不同价值，都应受同等的重视）

　　各自有不能比拟的优点和不可取代的价值，不应偏颇对待

　　On account of the incomparable advantages and irreplaceable value possessed by the old and youth respectively, special importance deserves to be attached to both accordingly to an identical extent rather than prejudiced.

 

In some countries people have a high opinion about senior citizens and create good conditions for them to lead a happy life. In some other countries the government focuses on the development of young people, who are considered to be more valuable than any other age groups.

（Avril总结整理，转载敬请注明http://blog.sina.com.cn/avrildaisy） 

In some countries, elderly citizens enjoy well-established social welfare system. They can receive high pension after retirement, as the government allocates a high proportion of budget to support old people. When they get sick, they do not have to worry about the medical cost, as the medical service is free of charge. There are a variety of choices for them to spend their late years. They can choose to live in old folks homes if their adult children are too busy to take care of them. Some of them play an active role in participating in voluntary activities in communities.

 

On the other hand, in some cultures, the whole society gives priority to the education and development of young people and their old aged conterparts may be neglected to some extent. Young people are bound to become the main force in the political, economic and culture areas in the future. It is believed that money spent on young people will be more rewarding than that on old people. In some countries, the tuition is covered by the government, whild the facilities supporting old population are quite limited.

 

In my opinion, there is no denying that young people deserve the attention of the whole society, as their development determines the long-term prosperity of a country. However, we should also give special care and support to old people, whose well-being also represents the civilization of the country.

（Avril总结整理，转载敬请注明http://blog.sina.com.cn/avrildaisy）