For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay based on the picture below. You
should start your essay with a brief account of An American girl in traditional Chinese
costume and then explain the importance of cultural exchanges. You should write at least 120
words but no more than 180 words.
The picture vividly depicts a lovely American girl in traditional Chinese costume with a sweet
smile on her face. She wears ribbons, necklaces and other accessories that are characteristic of
the clothes of a certain Chinese minority group.
The fact that people from different countries are attracted to mysterious Chinese culture indicates
that to some extent a culture can be accepted, respected, appreciated and shared internationally.
In other words, a nation's unique/distinctive culture can become international through worldwide
economicand cultural exchanges. Since the trend of globalization becomes irresistible,
the increasing cultural exchanges can effectively improve mutual understanding and friendship.
It is my view that national culture as priceless spiritual treasure should
be preserved and cherished.
Meanwhile, there are good reasons to advocate international culture for those ideas from the other
cultures, controversial or even absurd at first sight, can provide a different perspective for
us to observe the world in the long run. Nevertheless, when we are confronted with a different
culture, we should be sensible enough to absorb its essence and to resist its dark side.
My View on Fake Commodities
Nowadays fake commodities have flooded almost every inch of the market. Wherever you are, whatever
you do, it seems that you can hardly have fallen prey to them. In other words, it is highly
probable that you have bought some of those fake goods or products of inferior quality.
Needless to say, fake commodities have already done great harm to our society. On the one
hand, they will ruin the good reputation of genuine products and disturb the balance of the market.
On the other hand, the prevalence of such products has hindered interpersonal relationship and
resulted in the decline of public morality. As a consequence, they have wasted exhaustible
resources, endangered people’s precious life and health, and in the long run eroded public trust.
Then, what should be done to do away with fake commodities? To start with, the government needs to
tighten its inspection program and strengthen its enforcement policies. Secondly,
honest businessmen should modify some long-accepted practices at the protection of their
intellectual property right. Most important of all, we consumers will have to do a better job
of learning how to distinguish between the genuine and the phoney and definitely say no to the fake
ones. In one word, the coordinated effort
of the whole society will put an end to fake commodities.
“What perfumes are you wearing?” “Aren’t your shoes Nike’s latest release?”
“I like the Mickey bag you
bought yesterday.” “I hear the Jack & Jones store is on sale this week.
Do you wanna come along?” Don’t
feel surprised if you hear them coming out of the mouth of college students.
It’s quite common to hear
and see college students swapping information about the brands they like
and the products they use. In
fact, discussions about brand names have become one of the college students’ favourite
pastimes. They
learn about the latest fashion from each other, exchange tips about when and where to get the item,
and buy it at their earliest convenience. “Keeping up with the Joneses”
is their conviction —“If the
Joneses have it, how could I have not?” About this current mindset of the college students,
many people
may hasten to show their disapproval. They’ll probably take it to be a reflection of the students’
vanity and superficiality. And they may lecture them on the virtue of being thrifty.
However, I beg to differ. For one thing, name-brand products are usually quality products. They are
something beautiful, endurable, and reliable.
“The love of beauty is common to all,” goes the proverb;
therefore, there’s nothing to blame about the pursuit of
famous brands. For the other, college students
are old enough to make their own decisions. Likewise,
they must abide by the consequences if they make
an ill-advised one. If they let their pursuit of brands
eat into their budget for other more important
issues, they should be able to correct their mistakes
and keep everything in moderation. So this becomes
no other than a good chance to learn management, isn’t it?
It is generally believed that a high diploma guarantees
a promising future. Some people identify high
diplomas with profound knowledge and exceptional
competence. Companies also tend to emphasize the academic
achievement of a job candidate. Like it or not, there
does exist a social reality – the higher diplomas
one gets, the more popular he becomes.
On the contrary, other people claim that a high
diploma doesn’t automatically translate into knowledge.
A diploma, in their eyes, is only the acknowledgment
of one’s educational experience rather than a guarantee
of one’s ability. Therefore, we can never measure the
depth of one’s knowledge by the grade of one’s diploma.
Besides, many knowledgeable people don’t have a high
diploma. Take Bill Gates for example. His dropping out
of college cannot deny the fact that he is one of the world’s most learned men.
So I must say no one should ever equate a diploma with
knowledge, because a diploma is nothing but a proof of
a short-term study while genuine knowledge needs one’s lifelong devotion.