1. Many people are too scared to leave their home because of a fear of crime. Some people think nothing can be done to prevent crime, while others feel more should be done to slove this problem. Discuss both views and give your opinion.
Although some think that there is little that can be done to reduce the levels of crime, I believe there are measures that can be implemented.
There are two major reasons why some people lose confidence in tackling crime problems.
- The mass media focus on violent and sensational crimes, this lead to the belief that whatever we do to reduce levels of crime, people will still be scared.
- crime is caused by wider structural issues in society that are too difficult to tackle, such as the growing income gap between the rich and the poor.
-However, whether nothing can be done to solve crime problems is debatable.
Increasing the number of police and adopting strategies to reduce the level of wealth inequality could be effective.
- The presence of police plays a strong role in deterrence. Governments can increase the numbers of police in local communities and more ‘neighborhood watch’ schemes should be encouraged.
- In terms of the structural issues, governments should attempt to tackle issues of poverty through better income distribution.
To conclude, I do not agree that nothing can be done to prevent crime. In contrast to this opinion, I would argue that there are options available that would help prevent crime and therefore reduce the fear of crime.
2. More and more young people hold important positions in the government. Some people think it is not suitable but others think otherwise. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.
There are differing views about whether it is appropriate to allow important positions in governments to be taken by young people. As far as I am concerned, there are both pros and cons to this phenomenon.
Those who think this trend as a negative development may argue that the lack of years, or even decades, of experiences is dangerous. Being in the important positions means they need to make critical decisions. Without training from the bottom and making mistakes as they come along, these young fellows are more likely to misjudge. However, this does not automatically mean young people could not be competent to their work. In fact, more strategies could be adopted to prevent young people from making mistakes; for example, they can be put under the supervision of those experienced and older colleagues.
On the other hand, there are people who greatly appreciate their innovative minds and bold spirits. Working in teams, having people from different backgrounds is essential because they represent our society more closely. These young people know exactly what other people similar to them need the most, like an education better tailored for the real world. Furthermore, after serving many years for the government, it is not uncommon to see many older officials fall into the mainstreams in order to secure their positions. Hence hope is placed on these young minds to take bold actions and make changes.
In conclusion, I personally think important government positions should be open to young people, and the government should make full use of their creativity and enthusiasm. （Band 8.0）
