最好的雅思写作素材.docx
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最好的雅思写作素材
WorldHeritage
IfyouthinkaboutSites,youprobablythinkofplacesassociatedwithancientartandculture,historicalbuildingsandmonuments.Andofcourse,manyoftheseareontheWorldHeritageList.Remainsofancientcultures,likeCuzcoinPeru,AngkorinCambodia,orthefamousrockcityofPetrainJordan.Oroldcitycentres,suchasRomeinItaly,orSana'ainYemen.Orplacesofartisticorculturalsignificance,liketheStonehengestonecircleinEngland,ortheTsodilorockpaintingsintheKalahariDesertinBotswana.ButTheWorldHeritageListcontainsalotofsitesthatarenotsoobvious.Someofthemarewellknown.Forexample,theGalápagosIslands,whichinspiredDarwin'stheoriesofevolution,ortheVictoriaFallswaterfallsinAfrica,andtheGrandCanyonintheUnitedStates.CitadelofHaitiThesemonumentswerebuiltattheendofthenineteenthcenturywhenHaitibecameindependentandthemanythousandsofblackslavesinHaitiwerefreeforthefirsttime.Theseex-slavesbuiltthemonuments,whichTheWorldHeritageList(WHL)describesas'auniversalsymbolofliberty'.RobbenIslandinSouthAfricaThisislandwasusedthroughthecenturiesasaprison,ahospitalandamilitarybase.Butit'sprobablymostfamousasamaximum-securityprisonforpoliticalprisonersinthetwentiethcentury.NelsonMandelawasoneofitsmostfamousresidents.TheWHLsaysitrepresents'thetriumphofdemocracyandfreedomoveroppressionandracism'.BordersofFranceandSpainThisisanareaofgreatnaturalbeautyandthemountainshavemanyinterestinggeologicalformations.Butitisalsoanareaofsmallfarms.PeopletherestilluseatypeofagriculturethatusedtobecommoninmountainousareasofEuropebuthasalmostcompletelydisappearedinmoderntimes.TheWHLhaslistedthesitebecauseitshowsusabout'pastEuropeansocietythroughitslandscapeofvillages,farms,fields,uplandpasturesandmountainroads.'AltoDouro,PortugalThisisanareaintheNorthofPortugalwherewinehasbeenproducedforthousandsofyears.Nowadaysitisworldfamousforthe'portwine'thatisproducedthere.TheWHLsaysthatthislongtraditionofwinemaking'hasproducedaculturallandscapeofoutstandingbeautythatreflectsitstechnological,socialandeconomicevolution.'So,theWorldHeritageListisn'tonlyaboutancientmonumentsandbuildings.It'salsoconcernedwithtechnology,naturalbeauty,wildlifeandtraditionalwaysoflife.
发展中国家的定义和概况
The"ThirdWorld"isanexpressionthatisnowconsiderednottobepoliticallycorrect,asithasconnotationsof"thirdclass",i.e.ofbeingsomehowinferiortothe"FirstWorld"or"SecondWorld".Nowadays,weprefertospeakabout"developed"and"developing"nations.
ThirdWorld,thetechnologicallylessadvanced,ordeveloping,nationsofAsia,Africa,andLatinAmerica,generallycharacterizedaspoor,havingeconomiesdistortedbytheirdependenceontheexportofprimaryproductstothedevelopedcountriesinreturnforfinishedproducts.Thesenationsalsotendtohavehighratesofilliteracy,disease,andpopulationgrowthandunstablegovernments.ThetermThirdWorldwasoriginallyintendedtodistinguishthenonalignednationsthatgainedindependencefromcolonialrulebeginningafterWorldWarIIfromtheWesternnationsandfromthosethatformedtheformerEasternbloc,andsometimesmorespecificallyfromtheUnitedStatesandfromtheformerSovietUnion(thefirstandsecondworlds,respectively).ForthemostpartthetermhasnotincludedChina.Politically,theThirdWorldemergedattheBandungConference(1955),whichresultedintheestablishmentoftheNonalignedMovement.Numerically,theThirdWorlddominatestheUnitedNations,butthegroupisdiverseculturallyandincreasinglyeconomically,anditsunityisonlyhypothetical.Theoil-richnations,suchasSaudiArabia,Kuwait,andLibya,andthenewlyemergedindustrialstates,suchasTaiwan,SouthKorea,andSingapore,havelittleincommonwithdesperatelypoornations,suchasHaiti,Chad,andAfghanistan."
StatisticsonPovertyandInequality
ByJeffGatesMay1999
"Thispagelooksatincreasingworldwideinequality.Whileboomingstockmarkets,giantmergersandfranticfinancialspeculationprovidehugerewardstoatinyminority,themajorityoftheworld'speoplearenotenjoyingmuchbenefitfromtheneoliberalsystemofgrowthanddevelopment.Formany,infact,livingstandardshavestagnatedordeclined,whiletheburdenofworkandinsecurityhavegrown.Thesematerialsconsidertheconsequencesofincomeinequalityaswellastheincreasingconcentrationofwealthbothwithinandbetweennations."
TheUnitedNationsDevelopmentProgram(UNDP)reportedin1998thattheworld's225richestpeoplenowhaveacombinedwealthof$1trillion.That'sequaltothecombinedannualincomeoftheworld's2.5billionpoorestspeople.WhileglobalGNPgrew40percentbetween1970and1985(suggestingwideningprosperity),thenumberofpoorgrewby17percent.Although200millionpeoplesawtheirincomesfallbetween1965and1980,morethan1billionpeopleexperiencedadropfrom1980to1993.Threedecadesago,thepeopleinwell-to-docountrieswere30timesbetteroffthanthoseincountrieswherethepoorest20percentoftheworld'speoplelive.By1998,thisgaphadwidenedto82times(upfrom61timessince1996).In1998,that20percentoftheworld'speoplelivinginthehighest-incomecountriesaccountedfor86percentoftotalprivateconsumptionexpenditureswhilethepoorest20percentaccountedforonly1.3percent.That'sdownfrom2.3percentthreedecadesago.Atpresent,3billionpeopleliveonlessthan$2perdaywhile1.3billiongetbyonlessthan$1perday.Seventypercentofthoselivingonlessthan$1perdayarewomen.Withglobalpopulationexpanding80millionperyear,WorldBankPresidentJamesD.Wolfensohncautionsthat,unlessweaddress"thechallengeofinclusion,"30yearshencewewillhave5billionpeoplelivingonlessthan$2perday.
援助的作用:
UNDPcalculatesthatanannual4percentlevyontheworld's225mostwell-to-dopeople(average1998wealth:
$4.5billion)wouldsufficetoprovidethefollowingessentialsforallthoseindevelopingcountries:
adequatefood,safewaterandsanitation,basiceducation,basichealthcareandreproductivehealthcare.Atpresent,160ofthoseindividualsliveinOECDcountries;60resideintheUnitedStates.
In1982,inclusionontheForbes400listofrichestAmericansrequiredpersonalwealthof$91million.Thelistthenincluded13billionaires.By1998,$500millionwasrequiredandthelistincluded189billionaires.Note,however,thatForbes1998figureswerebasedonaSeptember1,1998Dow-JonesIndustrialAverageof7827.TheDowtopped10,000inearly1999.Spendingonluxurygoodsgrewby21percentfrom1995to1996whileoverallmerchandisesalesgrewonly5percent.
自由贸易、援助发展中国家
ThecollapseoftradenegotiationsinCancinmid-Septembertriggeredmuchanguishedcommentary.Intherun-uptothiscrucialWorldTradeOrganizationmeeting,expectationshadrisensharply.ManyexpectedadealtoreduceWesternagriculturesubsidiesandtolowerbarrierstogreaterfoodtrade.Freetraders,WorldBankofficials,andevenNGOsseemedalltoagreethatthiscombinationofmeasureswouldhelpcombattheruralpovertyplaguingmuchofthedevelopingworld.CuttingsubsidieswouldhelpleveltheplayingfieldforfarmersfromtheglobalSouth.Greateragriculturalexportswouldthenboostfarmers?
incomes.
Isliberalizedtradeatonicthateliminatestheneedformoreforeignaid?
Nodoubt,somehopethatitis.Foreignaidhasdeclinedinthe1990s,fromabout$73billionin1992to$57billionin2002.Thisisfarfromthelofty1970sgoalofprovidingtheequivalentof0.7percentofGDPinaidmoney.Mostoftherichnationsneverevencameclosetothattarget.Today,onlyabout0.2percentofGNPismadeavailable;theUnitedStatesfindsitselfatthebottomoftheleaguewithamere0.1percent.
Thedeclineactuallycameontheheelsoffreshpromisesmadeatthe1992RioEarthsummit.DonorgovernmentsmadenewcommitmentstoincreasingtheirofficialdevelopmentassistanceattheInternationalConferenceonFinancingforDevelopmentinMonterrey,Mexico,inMarch2002.Butevenifthesepromisesarefulfilled梐bigif梩heywouldstillleaveaidflowsbelowthe1992levelof0.33percent.
Freetradeandloweredsubsidiestotherescue?
Thelobbyforunencumberedtradehastraditionallyprovenfarstrongerthantheforcesinfavorofslashingsubsidies.Inthepost-WorldWarIIera,successiveroundsoftradetalksloweredtariffsandtoredownmoreandmoreimpedimentstotrade.TheestablishmentoftheWorldTradeOrganizationin1995signaledthattradepromotiontookprecedenceoverotherglobalconcernssuchaslaborrightsandenvironmentalstability.
Whatisthelikelyconsequenceofliberalizedtradeundersuchconditions?
Agribusinessisabletodumpproductsatpricesfarbelowthecostofproduction,asisevidentfromtheconsequencesoftheNAFTAagreement.MexicofacesafloodofartificiallycheapU.S.corn,whichmaybegoodnewsforurbanconsumers,buthasdevastatingeffectsinruralareas.
Ahandfulofbigfarmersindevelopingnationsmaywellmanagetocompeteontheworldmarket.Butmillionsofsmallfarmerswillbedisplaced.Ruralupheavalwilltriggergreatermigrationtocities(andmoreillegalmigrantstotheUnitedStatesandotherindustrialcountries).Butmanycitiesarealreadyunabletoprovideadequatesocialservicestotheirburgeoningpopulations.Thelackofjobs,inparticular,maywellcontributetogrowinginstabilityandmaynourishviolentconflict.
Butan