【正文】 virtually nobody will be able to escape. Already, it can be seen how western movies are exercising influence on our youth generation: they grow longhair regardless of their sex, monly part of which are dyed in gold。 they wear jeans in each and every season, usually knees of which are deliberately tattered。 boys are fond of earrings or other odd pendants。 and girls are keen on Marlboros and weird coarse languages. The major means that mass media influence the public is by creating topics of discussion in the society. Mass media offers people (the consumers) issues to talk and think about. Titanic had brought a worldwide uproar by its extolling and of fascinating immortal love。 Prime Color and Wag the dog met the national debate on right and duty of the president of the United States. Antiwar movies such as Tears of the Sun and All Quiet On The Western Front among numerous others have been raising the question that is any war really to uphold justice or is it really worthy that an individual makes sacrifices to his country and at the same time ignores his own family or his personal values? Mass media also shapes our understanding of what is important and what is not important (to know). The important issues are to be found on the first pages of the newspaper (in the beginning of a television program). The not important stories are the ones that are not being told at all. The not very important stories are probably very short and hidden in the last pages. In fact censorships present all mass media including its distributing means such as the Inter. By prearranging public issue, the mass media makes decisions for us. Even though there are critical thinking individuals in any society, they are definite minority。 the public in whole in deed lack skills of critical thinking, and therefore they are often led by the media. In brief, mass media, by offering topics and affecting the ways in which we discuss the important issues”, has a strong influence on our perception of the truth, of the world or of the structure of our society, we have to admit that it has a role in our lives as a source of information, experiences, entertainment, amusement and relaxation. [431 Words] 8. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Television has destroyed munication among friends and family. Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. While television has been somewhat harmful in its effects, it has hardly destroyed munication among friends and family, although for some people, the assertion that television has destroyed munication among friends and family seems true. Television, invented in last century, with its wide availability, increasingly prosperous programs, bees one of the most powerful means of munication in the history, and is more and more difficult to ignore. Television is as much a part of our lives as are our meals, work, or school。 studies consistently show that the average American child spends almost as much time watching television as does she in school. We all have only 24 hours a day and it is clear that the more time one spends on watching television, the less time one does with his or her family and friends. Hence we see the passage in the newspaper or magazine titled Television took my husband away from me. Tempting as such claim might be, it is hardly true. It is not television took her husband away from her, but the increasing pressures of modern life did it. We have no definite evidence to say people nowadays endure more pressures than did their counterparts in the past, but it is absolutely true that people nowadays undergo great pressures that e from various directions, including work, school, economy, and so forth. Investigations show that people who earn more than 50, 000 yuan annually spend at least 60 hours on work per week, much more than those who earn 20,000 yuan annually. Today a bachelor degree may no longer guarantee a well paid job, more and more panies post their want ads claiming that applicants must have at least master degrees, which take two or three years longer. In a word, people nowadays have very little time for anything。 television is merely among many other factors that affect munication, and is definitely not the main cause of degradation. It seems that the more one is educated, the more one is aware of the deleterious effects that excessive television causes, and either deliberately avoid it or actually do not enjoy it. On the other hand, there really are many people addictive to television. But the fact is, were television not existent, surely these people would have found other escapes, such as alcohol or gambling, for example. In other words, people always find a way to do what they want to do. Therefore, I do not agree that television has destroyed munication among friends and family. [419 words] 9. Some people prefer to live in a small town. Others prefer to live in a big city. Which place would you prefer to live in? Use specific reasons and details to support your answer. People seldom agree with each other even in such trivial issues as preference between a big city and a small town. It’s a little bit haste to say that it is better to live in a big city than to live in a small town, or vice versus. Living in a big city has several benefits. First, there’re more job opportunities readily available in big cities than in a small town. Furthermore, not merely there are more job positions in big cities, the qualities of the position are much higher as well. In addition, the pay is more decent. Second, children are supposed to be able to receive an education with a higher quality pared with their counterparts who live in a small town. For families, children39。s education is always put in the first place. Finally, living