Writing
Paper: Part 1
Task
type: A Letter
Question
You
have read the letter below which was sent to a newspaper by a reader.
Other readers were invited to give their views in response. You decide
to write to the editor giving your opinion about the points made:
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I have just returned from a holiday to a destination that would once have been described as 'exotic'. Imagine my dismay at being confronted with the kinds of shopping centres and fast-food outlets that I can find on my own doorstep back home! Is it inevitable that different cultures merge into one or can we do more to ensure that local traditions are kept? |
Write your
letter for the newspaper editor, but do not use postal addresses.
(around 300 - 350 words)
|
Name: Banica Laura Stefania School: 'Gh. Munteanu Murgoci' National College-Braila, Romania Dear Sir/Madam, I have read the article{1} entitled 'Merging cultures-can it be stopped?', which appeared in Monday's edition of your newspaper and I was very pleased to see that other readers were invited to give their opinions on the subject.{***} Although I am an eighteen year-old student I have been all over Europe and have heard the opinion of many teenagers concerned with{2} this problem. It is obvious that American culture has gained popularity in the past fifty years due to so many fields of activity that are being dominated by Americans. Nevertheless, European kids in {3} my generation are turning their back on American culture and displaying a much greater enthusiasm for European culture than their elders. Home-grown youth culture is the unifying force of the new generation. They {4} watch US films, but do not consider the US or its culture the source of all inspiration. European kids listen to music, wear French and Italian jeans and also enjoy the particularities of European culture. When they do look beyond Europe it is to the East or the Orient. They seem to be extremely interested in the Oriental culture. In this case it seems clear to me that there is still hope for places with centuries-old cultural traditions. {5} On the other hand, there are already many spots - that were once considered 'exotic' - on the verge of becoming a cultural desert. On one of my journeys - to the Middle East - {6} I visited the city of Jeddah, a wonderful combination of old and new, {***} sense of history and rapid development. Surprisingly enough, people here didn't just thought {7} of the city's modernization, they were also concerned with the preservation of the old city. On one side there was the old town with its strange odors and sounds of the old shopping streets, and on the other there was this whole new occidental-like city with big shopping malls. It was just amazing to see it all in front of your eyes, like history speeded up on one side and yet at the same time, what stayed the same was what retained{8}. Surely there can be a wide range of cultural influence, but I cannot entirely agree that cultures are merging into one. There is still that feeling of culture shock when visiting a foreign country.{9} I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours faithfully, Laura Banica |