Writing
Topic A
Generally
speaking, people are living longer now than they did in previous centuries.
What impact do you think this change will have on society?
☆Let’s Think
1.
Look
up the following words.
average life-span ………………………………. average
life-expectancy …………………………………..
longevity…………………………………………. child mortality rate ……………………………………….
shrinking population …………………………..
aging society ………………………………………………..
2. Research
the impact of longevity, and share your findings with others.
☆Hints for points
1.
There
is a much older but healthier and more experienced work force.
a.
People
will retire much later.
b.
Retirees
will volunteer in many areas (day-care centers, research facilities, etc.).
c.
Younger
generation stay in school longer and start work later.
2.
Older
consumers will increase.
a.
Less/more
consumption, depending on the condition of the pension system, economy, etc.
b.
New
products and services like nursing robots, counselors, mobile stores and
cleaners, etc.
c.
Different
city planning such as barrier-free designs, more accessible transportation,
etc.
3.
Social
services related to aging society will increase.
a.
Hospitals
and retirement homes will increase.
b.
There
will be more social workers, caregivers, medical personnel.
c.
Expenditure
on social security programs, including healthcare and pension system, will rise.
4.
If
wealth gap becomes wider, wealthy people will stay young till they get very old
and have many children, while poor people die young and have fewer children.
The social and health problems of the society will increase. Since rich people
tend not to care about pollution as they live in clean areas, the environmental
destruction may increase, and the earth may become uninhabitable.
☆Sample Essay Structure
【Introduction】Since people only in developed countries are living longer and
old age is an anathema in modern society, all kinds of changes related to
anti-aging will happen.
【Point 1】Anti-aging industry will thrive more.
【Point 2】The average life expectancy gap between the rich and the poor
will be wider.
【Counterargument-treatment】Traditional cultures value old age, but it
is quite possible that globalization can wipe the value out.
【Conclusion】Fear of aging and death in developed countries might change
industries and demography on the whole planet.
Your Sample Essay Structure
【Introduction】
【Point 1】
【Point 2】
【Point 3 / Counterargument-treatment】
【Conclusion】
Speech
Time: Make a one-minute speech on this
topic.
Writing
Topic B
The
21st century has begun. What changes do you think this new century will bring?
☆Let’s Think
Research
the changes expected in the near future concerning the following aspects.
1. Technology
e.g. renewable energy and machines to
clean up the environment
2. Economic
activities e.g. more connection with
neighboring countries
3. Politics e.g. efforts to avoid war
4. Society e.g. inequality and aging
5. Environment e.g. extinction and new distribution of
species due to global warming
☆Hints for points
1.
“Peace”
will be attained in the developed world.
Global warming and active plate
tectonics will unite humans and end wars and conflicts. Those in developing
countries will be protected by the developed countries because of the shortage
of basic resources such as food and water. Grassroots movements will vitalize
communities and change politics.
2.
Wild
animals and human children will be rare.
a.
Development,
pollution, and climate change will cause weathering of life force and many
animals including humans will have fewer offspring.
b.
Income
gap, bad welfare system, and discrimination will lead to lower birthrates.
3.
The
next one hundred years will be the century of cooperation or destruction.
a.
Globalization,
global warming, and the gap between the rich and the poor will develop.
-
Global
warming combined with population growth will cause food and water shortage.
-
Businesses
will keep outsourcing factories to countries with cheaper labor forces and
fewer regulations, and hollowing out will continue to occur.
-
Another
financial meltdown will occur as Wall Street corporations are buying
politicians, who will pass or repeal laws weakening financial restrictions
while no big companies are paying tax by means of using tax havens.
-
Anger
among the public will develop because of the insecurity of their lives.
-
Conflicts
between racial and ethnic groups will increase.
-
New
generations will build a society which is friendly to the weak and the
environment.
b.
We
might see disarmament or proliferation of nuclear weapons followed by
Armageddon in the worst case scenario.
-
The
military industrial complex will keep developing by through wars.
-
Countries
that are not allowed to have nuclear weapons will have them and use them as
deterrent.
-
Information
and materials (uranium and plutonium) to make nuclear arms will be available
through the net.
c.
Tensions
between religious groups, mainly between Christians and Muslims, will be
stronger.
-
US
diplomacy of waging wars against Muslim countries and helping Israel, which
keeps invading Pakistan, will keep causing disruption in the Middle East.
-
US
military will have more Evangelicals, fundamentalist sect of Christianity, and fear
against Islamic extremists will be promoted more around the world.
-
Young
people who cannot adapt to reality seek refuge in the bond with the members of
religious groups.
You’re
Sample Essay Structure
【Introduction】
【Point 1】
【Point 2】
【Point 3 / Counterargument-treatment】
【Conclusion】
☆Speech Time
Make a one-minute speech on this topic.
Extra
Writing Topic
There
were many changes in the twentieth century. What do you think is one change in
the twentieth century that is most important to remember? Include specific
reasons to justify your choice.
☆Let’s think
1.
Questions
of the same type as today’s topics
a.
What
invention in the last 100 years has been most beneficial for people in your
country?
b.
What
discovery in the last 100 years has been most beneficial for people in your
country? Use specific reasons and examples to support your choice.
2.
To
which question do you have more than one answer?
a. Name
the sweetest cake in the world.
b. Name a
sweetest cake.
Fill in the parentheses.
a. The lion is ( ) large mammal.
b. The elephant is ( ) largest mammal on land.
Note: The superlatives in the
writing topic, most important, does not have the article “the.” This means that
you do not have to decide the most important change in the 20th century.
There are some most important changes that happened in the last century, and
you are supposed to pick up one of them and explain why it has the highest
level of importance.
3.
Do
research on changes that took place in the last century and share your
findings.
Note:
It is rather
easy to think of the answer to this type of question. You can easily come up
with changes like the development of the information technology. Probably the
difficult part is to explain why, but the hint is in the question. In this
case, the hints are the words “change” and “most important.” They are related
to great moments in history: the story of before and after the change. What is
expected in your essay is probably the description of how great the impact of
the change was, in other words, in what way and how much it has changed society
and the environment.
☆Hints for points
1.
The
rapid development of technology.
Technological breakthroughs had
happened before, but it was in the 20th century that the rapid the development
of technology happened, and the lives of people changed dramatically. Nowadays,
thanks to convenient electronic appliances, people can have more extra time
than they did one hundred years ago and use it to do things other than daily
chores. The development of technology enabled people to enjoy creative
activities, which were possible only for the few privileged people before. The
changes were good for the most part, but since it happened in a short time,
people did not have enough time to adapt to it or consider the influence of it.
As a result, the change left some negative assets to coming generations, such
as pollution, global warming, threat of nuclear arms, and new types of crimes.
2.
Wars
and the invention of weapons of mass destruction (WMD)
In World War I and World War II,
hundreds of thousands of people were killed and died, and biological and
nuclear weapons were made. Biological weapons were used during WWI and they
were prohibited after the war. Atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and
Nagasaki at the end of WWII, each killing around 140,000 and 370,000 by the end
of the year. After World War II, America’s wars such as Vietnam War and Iraq-Afghanistan
War killed tens of thousands of people. Nuclear armament competition drove the
world to have approximately 13,000 nuclear warheads. In addition, nuclear
energy is applied to electricity generation, causing Chernobyl and Fukushima.
3.
The
influence of the airplane
The rapid development of
commercial airplanes in the 20th century might be compared to the domestication
of horses. It has made the world smaller and dramatically changed people’s
lives. It has enabled people to visit other countries for study, on business,
or on vacation quickly and easily.
4.
The
invention of television
The invention of television has
given people a new source of information and a new tool of entertainment.
Television has made it possible for people to learn with sound and moving
pictures what is happening in remote areas or in places they usually cannot go
in. People started watching news shows instead of reading newspapers or
listening to the radio. Television has also provided various kinds of shows
that people can enjoy with their family and friends. At the same time,
television made it easier for governments and corporations to control people’s
thoughts.
5.
Globalization
The development of
transportation and communication allowed corporations to do business worldwide.
They now have their branch offices and factories in other countries, import
cheap materials from other countries, and sell their products around the world.
As a result, people all over the world have the same kind of products, and some
cultures are shared around the world. At the same time, languages and cultures
of minorities are lost in this change.
☆Let’s make a point
Write
about the points you are going to make by answering the following two questions.
Question
1 What is different before and after the
change?
Sample
response: I think the advent of the Internet is most important to
remember in the last 100 years. In the old days, before the advent of the
Internet, the information was something that was provided in limited amounts
by authorities. However, lately, most information on this planet has
become available to anyone. Also, it has become possible for anyone to provide
information to the public easily.
Your
response:
I
think ………………………………………..……. is most important to remember in the last 100 years.
In
the old days, ……………………………………………………………………………………………..………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
However,
these days, ……………………………………………………………………………………………….
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Question
2 What makes the change more important
than other changes?
Sample
responses: The change brought by the Internet is most important to
remember in that it has become the infrastructure of the world. Its impact
on our society was so great that no one in our society now lives
completely independent of the Internet.
Your
short response:
The
change brought by …………………………………………….……….… is most important to remember
in
that ...………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…….
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Its
impact on our society was so great that ………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………..………………………………………….
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
