2017年雅思作文范文：21世纪的机遇与挑战

　　With our entrance to 21st century, there rises the controversy of whether our future would turn to the bright one. Many people claim that 21st century would be taken into a positive way through scientific and technological advance while a great number of pessimists argue that our future is threatened by lots of ongoing disasters. As for me, I prefer a balanced view that there will be crisis and opportunities.

　　On one hand, we have reasons to be optimistic. For one thing, the development of information technology will make it possible to for all the people in the world to communicate with each other easily. Take the internet as an example. A simple click on the mouse could lead you to every place and person all over the world. For another, as the medical treatment develops, it could be expected that there will be cure for such deadly diseases as cancer and AIDS and that human beings would be able to enjoy a long life expectancy. Moreover, with the ongoing mechanization, an increasing amount of dangerous and heavy-labor work would tend to be taken by the robot. In this case, man can work in more safe and comfortable conditions, as well as enjoy more leisure time.

　　On the other hand, it can be foreseen that there may be crises in the future. First, people will run high risk of psychological problems for dealing with computers in long-term is likely to cause the loneliness and infantile autism. Consequently the rate of suicide would experience a sharp rise. Besides, there is possibility that the robot would take over the earth, enslaving our mankind who is originally its creator. Furthermore, it is not impossible that a global nuclear war would break out. As a result, none of all creatures on the earth can escape this disaster so that from then on the civil history comes to an end.

　　From the discussion above, it can be concluded that we would confront both opportunities and crises. The advanced science and technology could obtain merit and drawback. So what I hope to see in the future is that we can enjoy healthier and longer life and that more and more science and technology will be employed in the peaceful way.

　　University students now focus on a special subject. Some people believe that universities should encourage their students to study a whole range of subjects. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

　　Nowadays, many students spend time concentrating on their majors while neglecting the study of other subjects. This phenomenon has attracted people's attention on whether or not the universities should encourage students to study all the subjects available for them. Some people claim that studying a whole range of subjects may divert students' attention on their majors, making the students good at nothing. Some people, on the other hand, contend that learning a variety of things is good for the students' development. Speaking for myself, I take sides on the latter.

　　First of all, learning various subjects can extend students' scope of knowledge. People might never realize how little they know about certain things until they read articles or books relevant and even worse when conversations start. Extensive reading of different subjects can help to release the inferior complex when such situation occurs. They may also be proud of themselves and become confident in study since they know a lot. In addition, some subjects can teach students how to balance work and life, comment current affairs and cultivate students' common sense of life as well. All these benefits can make students become knowledgeable.

　　Learning a range of subjects can also add spice to the students' studies. Students may be fed up with study when they concentrate on a special subject constantly to the exclusion of other subjects. Despite the fact that studying many subjects can occupy part of the time for students to study their majors, it can facilitate the students to enrich their campus life and maintain their interest in study.

　　Most important of all, studying more can cultivate students' logical thinking and make them become more creative and competent, which is of great significance to their further development. It is commonly believed that most of the subjects are linked to each other, to some extend. With a range of knowledge, students can find different solutions to approach the problems they encounter either at work or in life, which will definitely make the students more creative and innovative in the field they specialize in. Clearly, the students with all-around knowledge have an apparent advantage over those specializing in only one subject. Thus, students should make effort to acquire more knowledge in their study periods so that they will not be eliminated in the severe competition in the era of information explosion.

　　In a word, studying a variety of subjects is beneficial to the university students. In this case, not only can the students better themselves, but also become adaptable and flexible in the increasingly challenging and competitive world. It is advisable that students spend time learning more subjects instead of focusing on a specific subject, so that they can prepare themselves and cater for the even-accelerated society.

　　The issue that whether the government should spend billions of money in space research has become very hot. It has already turned to be the core topic in the fierce debate among people.

　　The proponents argued that the government ought to permit the huge amount of money in the budget spending in exploring the space. There are many reasons for this. The first but not least, the natural resources on the earth is decreasing, such as water, land, oil. These are all the essential material in human's life and the modern industry. But with the expansion of population and the pollution, these resources are becoming less and less. Space research has given human a chance to move to another planet, such as Mars. Secondly, it also helps the scientists to discover new kinds of rare metals. At last, humans are always hoping to find another forms of life in the universe. As a result, people need the research of space no matter how much it costs.

　　The opponents, however, hold the opposite opinions about the space researches. They list several reasons against the investment in exploring space. First of all, the government's budget is so tight that it causes a lot of shortage of money in many other fields besides space research, like education. And from their point of view, other sections like education have more contributions than exploiting space. Furthermore, space researches have lots of risks connecting to the cost of lives. The third reason against the spending on the space research is that in many cases, the researches have the results, which have nothing valuable. It is just a waste of money. And if the money was used in another way, it could have done a better improvement in people's life.

　　In my opinions, space research really has many advantages and can improve people's daily life. But I think it doesn't deserve so much money and sacrifices of other sections in the society. The government has the obligations to spend the money in the fields such as education, health care, social insurances that can offer more improvements to make our life better.