作文题目

Food can be produced more cheaply today by using improved fertilizers and better machinery. However, some people think that the methods used to increase production may be dangerous for human health and have negative effects on local communities.
What is your opinion?Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your knowledge or experience.

题目翻译

由于产能的扩大、化肥与改良机械的使用，食物已经变得更加便宜了。然而，一些人认为这对于人类的健康以及当地都会造成伤害。你在多大程度上同意或者不同意?

题目讲解

【关键词分析】
food
农业包括种植业、畜牧业和渔业，生产出来的都叫food，不要局限在种植业上。
the health of humans and local community as a whole
人类的健康与当地，文章一定要紧扣这两点影响。community不单单指的是人类社会，而是泛指人居住的整个生态环境，这个词请考生留意。 (community: a particular group of animals or plants that all live or grow together.—柯林斯COBUILD英汉双解词典)
【话题分类与题型】
本题是老题，与2005年5月25日的考题完全相同，与《十大话题万能分类题库》中该话题的母题也基本相同。本题属于生态环境与动物保护类话题，属于“同意与否”题型。食品类话题在亚太考区已有半年时间未曾出现，上一次出现是在2011年12月3日。
【话题评价】
食品类的话题是一个交叉话题，不仅与生态与动物保护有关，而且也与健康类话题、经济全球化类话题有着千丝万缕的联系。食品类话题大体上有两个分支:一个是今天的考题，现代农业科技造成的影响，第二个分支就是2011年12月3日的考题，长距离运输食品的好坏。这两个分支有很多联系之处。食品安全话题是我国民众一直关注的焦点，但是该问题在世界各地普遍存在。现代农业科技给人类带来高产量和多品种的同时，也给人类健康和生态环境造成了隐患。
【类似话题】
1. It is known to all that the technological and scientific advances have made greater changes to the range and quality of our food. Some people regard it as an improvement while others believe that the change is harmful. Discuss both views and give your own opinion. (070811)
2. Some people support the developments in agriculture such as factory farming and creations of new types of fruits and vegetables, while others oppose this view. Discuss both views and give your opinion. (080712)
【结构与思路】
文章题型是To what extent do you agree or disagree，因此既可以成单边支持，即完全同意农业科技对人体健康和生态环境有影响，也可以写成反对，即认为没有影响，也可以写成折中，即有负面影响，但也给人类带来了好处。考生可以根据自己对该话题的理解来选择文章的结构。
下面的示范将采取单边讨论结构，即完全认同题目中的观点，文章中只写同意的理由。
I. Introduction
II. Body 1:现代化农业对人体造成的危害
1. 现代化的种植业大量依赖杀虫剂pesticide和化肥chemical fertilizer，这些物质会在食物中有残留。
2. 现代化的大型农场所采取的集中式养殖battery farming使得饲养的动物生存环境恶劣，容易生病，因而农民在饲料中添加抗生素antibiotics，而抗生素会通过食物链传到人体，最终使人对抗生素产生抗药性build up a resistance to the antibiotics.
3. 现代化农业产能的提高在很大程度上依赖转基因技术genetic engineering，而转基因食品对人体健康有潜在的威胁。pose a potential threat to people’s health.
4. 现代化农业降低了肉产品的价格drive down the price of meat，从而使人们形成了以肉食为主的不良饮食习惯，会引发一系列的流行病epidemics，例如肥胖症obesity，糖尿病diabetes，高血压hypertension，心血管疾病cardiovascular diseases.
III. Body 2:对当地生态环境与社会造成的危害
1. 杀虫剂和化肥的大量使用会严重破坏生态平衡upset the ecological balance，使得很多物种灭绝go extinct。由于生物富集效应bioaccumulation，这些有毒有害物质poisonous substances将由食物链food chain进入大型哺乳动物large mammals体内，最终进入人体。
2. 转基因作物会增加除草剂herbicide的使用，造成严重污染，杀死了其它植物，并可能会产生超级杂草super weed的出现。(即使用任何除草剂都无济于事的杂草)
3. 转基因作物会对临近的非转基因作物造成基因污染genetic contamination，使得其它的作物基因产生变异mutation.
4. 机械化的农业减少了农民的就业机会reduce job opportunities，迫使很多农民涌入城市寻找工作。
V. Conclusion
综上所述，现代化的农业给人类带来丰富的食物来源的同时，也使得人类的健康、当地的生态环境和社会稳定造成了一定的影响。人类一定要反思这一过程，让科技造福与民而不是毁灭世界。In conclusion, modern agricultural practices have brought rich sources of food, but it put human health, local ecology and environment, as well as social stability, at risk. Human beings should rethink the process of agricultural mechanisation and ensure that modern science and technology bring benefits to society, rather than destroy the world.
【其它作文题目】
A类Task 1 Pie chart(静态)
The pie charts compare the difference between undergraduates and postgraduates about the university library.
有四张图，本科生和研究生对于图书馆藏书种类、非纸质材料的满意度。前两张关于range of book，后两张关于non-print material。三种评价，很好、满意、不好。

范文

Although the advantages of applying machinery and fertilizers to agriculture are too obvious to be denied , there are after-effects that are certainly not in favor of natural environment and human health. It is probable that, without a continuous string of inventions related to agro-machines and agro-chemical know-how, the current world population could not be sufficiently sustained. Nowadays, it is increasingly known that such farming methods nevertheless contribute to undesirable pollutions and fatal diseases.
At a glance, economic benefits abound. To illustrate, better mechanized agriculture allows more land to be farmed by fewer people. Farm work therefore becomes more efficient and less time-consuming. Added to that, the use of new fertilizers creates higher yields because much of available land is made more fertile. As a combined result, food is cheaper, which of course benefits consumers in general. It is easy to see that, thanks to mechanical and chemical technologies, a series of positive changes have been made, ranging from preparing the soil to planting seeds to gathering the harvest to processing the crop.
Looking from a different angle, there are hidden drawbacks to such changes, affecting people''s health and the quality of air and water in the community. For one thing, agricultural equipment requires diesel fuel to operate, which causes air pollution. Thus, the more machines are being used, the more air pollution there is in the countryside. As if it were not bad enough, human health is endangered by the abuse of chemical compounds, eventually leading to water pollution under soil. Worst of all, reportedly some health problems are associated with farm products. Researchers have also sent shocking warnings against the possibility of links between polluted foods and various diseases, including intoxication and cancer.
In sum, it is clear that modernization in agriculture is not always good, inevitably giving rise to a mixed feeling of blessings and curses. The truth is that it is next to impossible now to do without machines and fertilizers on farms, especially when the global population is growing rapidly. If nothing else, at this point the world is nervously expecting the coming of environment-friendly machinery and risk-free fertilizers.