TOEFL 学习笔记（writing 8）

Dangerous sports: why do you think somepeople are attracted to do dangerous sports or other dangerous activities? Usespecific reason and examples to support your answer.

Many people are attracted to dangeroussports or similar activities. The reason for this may be that these people finda certain thrill or excitement in doing such activities. They can experience asense of achievement in doing things most ordinary people dear not do.

Daredevils who constantly seek greatexcitement basically want to stand apart from the rest. They are ready to dodangerous things, consciously or unconsciously, trying to prove theirdifferent, boldness and individuality. People involved in dangerous sports likewrestling, bungee jumping and other life-threatening activities would go to anylength to prove their might and demonstrate their difference.

Performing risky stunts gives the participantsa sense of achievement that helps them overcome their most terrible fear. It ishuman nature to feel extremely confident after overcoming the greatest fears inlife, after coming so close to death, yet escaping it. Many have triedunimaginably dangerous stunts just to gain fame for setting new world recordsor to be seen in shows or just to win prizes.

Some people are simply motivated by thesense of fun and excitement will color their dull and boring lives. Sports likediving and bungee jumping have become popular among those who go through dailyroutines of monotonous office work. Dangerous as they are, these sports takethose people away from their unbearable boredom for a while and surely as funand enthusiasm to their life.

All in all, dangerous sports and activitiesbasically attract those thrill-loving people who want to stand a class apart byproving their individuality to the world around them, or those who enjoy thesense of achievement drawn from surmounting fear in face of danger, or thosedepressed by repetitive lifestyles.

 

Advertising tell a country: do you agree ordisagree? Advertising can tell you a lot about a country.

In order to determine whether advertisingcan provide a lot of information about a country, it is necessary to putadvertising into two separate categories: public-interest advertisements andcommercial ones. Careful inspection of both types, I believe, will reveal apanoramic view of a country. The public-interest advertisements usually revealthe inner part of a nation, while the commercial advertisements provide lessprofound but still impartment knowledge.

It is well knowledge that government usesall kinds of strategies, like laws, regulations and educational mediacampaigns, to control and guide a country. Thus, public-interest advertisementsthat are sponsored by the government undoubtedly reflect a nation’s thoughts. Forexample, in 2003, when SARS appeared in China, SARS-preventionadvertisements were produced and broadcast all over the country via television,radio and even the Internet. By watching them, you can see the nation’s strongwill and determination to win the battle against this disease. In 2008, also inChina,the themes of most public-interest advertisements have shifted to the Olympic.By watching them, you can realize the nation’s priorities this year without anydifficulty.

Secondly, the larger portion ofadvertisement, commercial ones, should be taken into consideration. Comparedwith public-interest ones, commercial advertisements provide the audience amore vivid and exact picture of what’s happening in the country. On one hand,it can inform you of the current new products. Once they released the fastestand the most effective way to make them known and accepted by the public is toadvertise them. For instance, you can find things from updated Sony laptops toPorsche’s newest sports-car, from Chanel perfumes to information on whatcelebrities are popular today, for the simple reason that companies tend toinvite popular celebrities to do their promotions. Therefore, just by glancingat some advertisements, you can easily figure out who is enjoying the adorationof and even serving as a role-model for a society. In Chinacelebrities such as Chinese movie star Jacky Chen, American basketball playerMichael Jordan and Japanese singer Hikaru Utada grace commercialadvertisements.

In summary, both public-interestadvertising and commercial advertising contain abundant information about acountry. While you may need to read between the lines to appreciate the wealthof knowledge, there is definitely information there to glean.

 

Some people prefer to eat at food stands orrestaurants. Other people prefer to prepare and eat food at home. Which do youprefer? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

After a hard day of work or study, manypeople feel like cooking for themselves is too much trouble. They prefer tograb a quick bite to eat at a restaurant and go home for rest as quickly aspossible. But for me cooking at home is worth the time and trouble because itis cheaper, healthier and more enjoyable.

Buying my own groceries and cooking formyself is much less expensive than eating in a restaurant. I find that a mealthat I cook myself on average costs half to two-thirds less than a comparablemeal in restaurant. Restaurants have to rent space, hire chefs, waiters andmanagers, as well as buy food and make a profit. When I cook I have nooverhead. The only extra expense I have to pay is the time it takes for me tocook the food.

In addition to being less expensive, when Ibuy my own groceries I can be sure that I am buying the freshest and cleanestmeats and vegetables available. Restaurants might think it’s more important tobuy the cheapest food possible in large quantities to make a higher profit. Ialso try and buy the healthiest food possible. For instance, when I buy meat, Itry and buy the meat with the least fat on it. In a restaurant they add morefat and oil to dishes to make them taste better, but for me, health is moreimportant.

Finally, cooking food with my friends andfamily brings me a special kind of joy. In a world that has increasinglyfocused on turning everyone into consumers, I enjoy being creative andproducing something good. I enjoy learning and inventing new recipes andsharing them with friends. Even though it takes more time to shop, cook andclean up when I cook for myself, at the end I have a sense that I did not wastethe time so much as I truly enjoyed life for an hour at the end of the day.

In summary, I prefer to prepare and eatfood at home. There are three primary reasons. Firstly, it is much lessexpensive. Secondly, I can be sure I am buying the freshest and cleanest meatsand vegetables. Thirdly, cooking food with my friends and family is reallyenjoyable.

 

Famous athletes and entertainers earn agreat deal of money and I think they deserve it. They rise to fame withdiligence and perseverance. They enrich our daily lives with excellentperformances and in return they are deprived of their right to privacy.

As the saying goes, “there is no free lunch”.Few people achieve fame without the fortitude and endurance to follow theirdreams. Michael Jordan spent years playing basketball, all through high schooland college he practiced often and had to take care of his body. It paid offand he is now world famous. He is not alone either. Most famous people havespent a lot of time and energy working hard and encountering many failures. Thus,they deserve those impressive returns.

Secondly, athletes and entertainers enrichour daily lives with their excellent performances. In our life, apart fromeating and working, we need time to relax. Their performances not onlyfacilitate the development of our interests but also provide us with a uniqueway to relax as well. After several days’ work, we can go to a concert wheremusic will reduce our stress and encourage us to learn to play a musicalinstrument. In this sense, our life becomes colorful and for this they deserveto be paid.

Finally, famous people are also sometimesdeprived of their right to privacy. We seem to like knowing other people’saffairs, especially when those people are celebrities. Sometimes they have to disguisethemselves with hats and sunglasses if they want to go out with their friendsin public, because they are often followed and photographed. Their privatephotos are often uploaded to the Internet and though our curiosity gets satisfied,those famous people sometimes have to suffer very serious mental trauma. Millionsof dollars is a good way to compensate people for their loss of privacy.

Famous people work diligently andpersistently to achieve fame and enrich our lives, and then they suffer theloss of their privacy as a result. Without them, our lives would be much moredull and uninspired. Therefore, I believe that they deserve high salaries.