85. Where would you recommend a foreign visitor to go in your country for one day? - TOEFL Writing Topics 085

TOEFL Writing Topic #085

85. Where would you recommend a foreign visitor to go in your country for one day?
85. Where would you recommend a foreign visitor to go in your country for one day? - TOEFL Writing Topics 085

A foreign visitor has only one day to spend in your country. Where should this visitor go on that day? Why? Use specific reasons and details to support your choice.

China is an enormous country with an intensely varied landscape. If a foreign visitor were coming for just one day

to see our country, it would be difficult to choose just one place to spend the day. However, I posit that the best place in China to visit would be Beijing. As the capital city, Beijing offers a diverse look at China. I would suggest that the main sites to see would be the Forbidden City, the Great Wall, and Tiananmen Square.

The Forbidden City offers the visitor a look at what it was like to live in historical China. The Forbidden City is located in the heart of Beijing, and is the biggest palace complex in the world. This particular site would be of interest to a tourist because it was once the home of many emperors. One can see the actual rooms from whence the ancient China was ruled by the emperors. When the visitor walks through the palace confines, he/she will see many examples of classic Chinese architecture. A walk through the gardens is particularly peaceful with jasmine trees abound.

The Great Wall is also a must-see in China. The people of China hold the Great Wall as having particular significance to their culture because of its long history. The wall, built of dirt, stone and brick, was used as a defense barrier against invading nomads and wandering tribes. This is the largest engineering and building project ever carried out by humans. Its historic and strategic importance is matched only by its architectural significance.

Finally, Tiananmen Square should be on the list of things to see while visiting Beijing. This square is one of the largest in China, and possibly in Asia. At this square, one can visit the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall, one of the greatest leaders ever in China. The Chinese Revolutionary Museum and the Chinese History Museum stand to the east of the square, the Great Hall of the People to the west and the magnificent Tiananmen Tower to the north. As the visitor will see, there are numerous interesting exhibits at Tiananmen Square that offer up a variety of Chinese heritage.

Of course, it is very difficult to name one city in China over all others as "the place" to visit. China is the host to such a wide variety of beautiful places, and a visitor really should spend much more time exploring them all. However, with only one day, I believe that Beijing is the best place to visit.

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84. Internet information: valuable or problematic? - TOEFL Writing Topics 084

TOEFL Writing Topic #084

84. Internet information: valuable or problematic?
84. Internet information: valuable or problematic? - TOEFL Writing Topics 084

Some people say that the Internet provides people with a lot of valuable information. Others think access to so much information creates problems. Which view do you agree with? Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.

The Internet is a great invention be cause it disseminates information freely. Freedom of information is in the

interest of a country and its citizens, but, in light of the information anarchy on the Internet, people need to learn and understand how to evaluate and use the information they find at their fingertips.

The Internet promotes freedom of information and freedom of speech, which are integral part of a successful modern democratic society. With innumerable news sources at their disposal citizens have the opportunity to educate themselves, and this knowledge will allow them to contribute to the progression of their society. Similarly, the ability to consult different viewpoints, especially those diverging from their own, will allow people engage in meaningful dialogue with other citizens. The result of this continued discourse will be a more open minded and also tolerant society. As a vehicle of communication the Internet will connect people of the same interests and the same concerns. Thus connected citizens will be encouraged to work together and they will become active participants of society rather than passive subjects.

Critics of the Internet's free flow of information are concerned that people will fall victim to bad or rather incorrect information and act on it. This concern is warranted in so far that the Internet is intrinsically anarchic, and anybody with a computer can create Website and post information thereon. As a result, it can be very difficult to determine what information is correct or reliable and which is not. However, difficult as it may seem, there are ways that one can navigate the information jungle of the Internet and arrive at conclusions. In order to do so one has to learn to valuate sources of information. For example, the Website of a research scientist at a major university or that of a well-known non-profit organization is a more reliable source of information than the personal Website of a senior school student.

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83. Is modern technology creating a single world culture? - TOEFL Writing Topics 083

TOEFL Writing Topic #083

83. Is modern technology creating a single world culture?
83. Is modern technology creating a single world culture? - TOEFL Writing Topics 083

Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Modern technology is creating a single world culture. Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.

Through modern technology such as TV, telephone, and the Internet, it has become easier for people from different

cultures to communicate. In a sense the world has become a smaller place. However, it is questionable if technology is creating a single world culture, because, even though a cultural exchange is taking place, accessibility of this technology is still very limited, and, more importantly, people have come to value the differences inherent in their cultures.

People around the world are taking advantage of the opportunities, presented by modern technology, to learn about other cultures. Not only foreign movies, music, and books communicate with the locals, but the different cultural values do, which are readily available on DVD, CD and via the Internet. Similarly, TV broadcasts fashions across the world and a new style of dress will likely catch on quickly in different parts of the globe. People adopt foreign things they like and make them their own. In this sense cultural assimilation is taking place.

However, while some societies and their cultures are technologically advanced and thus connected with other parts of the world, the majority of the world's population lives largely isolated. Such isolation is the result of limited technological resources, which in turn is, generally, related to poverty. For example, nearly the entire continent of Africa is impoverished. Its people have few means to learn about other cultures, and even if they did they would have little use for Western culture, which to a great extent is a consumer culture. They are also extremely limited in the ways they can educate people from other parts of the world about their cultures.

Finally, people who are learning about foreign cultures generally come to appreciate and accept the differences between other cultures and their own. They recognize the value of variety. The enjoyment they derive from experiencing foreign languages, dances, songs, visual and culinary arts, also allows them to see the value in their own cultures' achievements. Therefore, cultural exchange does not necessarily result in the melting of many cultures into one.

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iBT TOEFL Topic Vocabulary Breakthrough Unit 085

iBT TOEFL Topic Vocabulary Breakthrough Unit 085
Author: Li Xiaolai

85. The term fishery is also used to describe the species of fish being harvested (because most of them are edible), which include familiar finned fish species, like cod and flounder; mollusks, including oysters and squid; and crustaceans, such as shrimp and crabs. Lesser-known fisheries include echinoderms, like sea urchins; some amphibians, including frogs; and cnidarians, such as jellyfish. Even the harvest of whales is usually considered a fishery.

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82. Can advertising tell you a lot about a country? - TOEFL Writing Topics 082

TOEFL Writing Topic #082

82. Can advertising tell you a lot about a country?
82. Can advertising tell you a lot about a country? - TOEFL Writing Topics 082

Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Advertising can tell you a lot about a country. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

Advertising does not mean to educate or illustrate. Primarily it is a vehicle for business and it aims to sell

products. As a result, the information we can gather from looking at advertisings is quite limited. However, the cultural ideas used to sell commodities reveal a society's value system, and from the nature of the advertising and the product it aims to sell we can draw conclusions as to which social demography might be the most affluent.

In order to be most effective an advertising campaign will make use of the cultural values of a country. Obviously, companies will be able to sell more products if a great many people relate to the goods and the images used to sell them. For example, in a country like the United States where a great percentage of the population is

religious, advertisers use expressions such as heavenly, divine, or revelation, because these have connotations that prospective customers will likely identify with. Similarly, advertisers will try to employ fashion models who embody a culture's ideals of personal beauty, because attractive men and women will sell more products than unattractive ones.

Companies identify social demographics or parts of society that are most likely to buy their products and design their advertisings accordingly. For example, teenage girls are more likely to buy mobile phones than retired factory workers. Thus companies will make use of fashion trends in their ads and probably pay a famous pop singer a big chunk of money to endorse their product. If the majority of all advertisings in a country are geared towards a specific target market or audience, then this part of the population probably has the most financial resources at their disposal.

Although we can learn some things about a country by looking at its advertising we have to remember that this knowledge is limited. After all, advertising is only directed at people who have the means to buy consumer goods. Thus advertising does not tell us anything about the overall prosperity or likes and dislikes of a country. Also, advertising not only reflects but also tries to shape and change cultural values. Therefore, it does not accurately reflect the exact state of a country's culture.

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iBT TOEFL Topic Vocabulary Breakthrough Unit 084

iBT TOEFL Topic Vocabulary Breakthrough Unit 084
Author: Li Xiaolai

84. All fishes are vertebrates (animals with backbones) with gills for breathing, and most of them have fins for swimming, scales for protection, and a streamlined body generally with a pointed snout and posterior and a broad propulsive tail for moving easily through the water.

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iBT TOEFL Topic Vocabulary Breakthrough Unit 083

iBT TOEFL Topic Vocabulary Breakthrough Unit 083
Author: Li Xiaolai

83. Except in combinations such as waterfowl and wildfowl, in modern usage the word fowl usually is restricted to the common domestic fowl, or chicken. In poultry markets, fowl commonly means a full-grown female bird. Young birds of both sexes, such as broilers and fryers, are called chickens. On poultry farms, male chickens are called roosters or cocks; females, especially those more than a year old, are called hens; females less than a year old are called pullets; very young chickens of either sex are called chicks; and castrated males are called capons.

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