13535 Neighbors
TOEFL Writing Task 2 Topic:
Neighbors: Past and Present
China 2013-07-14 TOEFL
China 2012-06-16 IELTS
Example Essay by Jeenn Lee Hsieh
谢振礼 ielts360toefl@hotmail.com
Similar TOEFL Essay Question:
>Today, with the rapid economic development and urbanization, people are leading more independent lives in their communities. As a result, they are not as dependent on their neighbors as they were in the past. What do you think are the causes and effects of this situation? Can you suggest some solutions to problems such as crime? Use specific reasons and details (from your knowledge or experience) to support your opinion.
Outline--Nowadays people are less dependent on their neighbors than they were in the past.
Introduction: Rising crime rates in the neighborhood: 1. neighbors do not want to know each other, 2. lack of face-to-face contact.
Body A: 1. neighbors do not want to know each other. (cause-effect-solution)
Body B: 2. lack of face-to-face contact. (cause-effect-solution)
Conclusion: 1. + 2. =rising crime rates in the neighborhood
Reference Essay: 2012年6月16日雅思真题：认识邻居(谢振礼Jeenn Lee Hsieh)
An increasing number of people do not know their neighbors, and there is no longer a sense of community. What do you think are the causes of this negative tendency? Can you suggest some solutions? Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your knowledge or experience.
实验范文：谢振礼老师原创(June 2012)
Nowadays, there is a growing perception that a neighbor is more like a stranger next door, and this is obviously true of a newly-established urban community where crime rates are on the rise. Apparently, that kind of friendliness which existed in grandparents' neighborhood is replaced by that of ignorance, or even indifference. What might have contributed to this negative tendency could be that today`s young neighbors prefer not to get acquainted with each other, and that modern housing designs also prevent such communication from happening.
On the one hand, an increasing number of people, particularly the young adults who have jobs, do not sense the need to know their neighbors. To begin with, most young people tend to be self-centered and do not trust people living near them. It is also possible that working people could not afford to spend time on gossiping about weather, dogs and new babies, in a similar way that traditional neighbors used to do. This absence of communication might turn out to be a dangerous thing, considering that having a friendly neighbor is important to report suspicious activities to the police who handle the crooks. One good solution for this problem is to encourage neighbors to participate in a Citizens Neighborhood Watch Program meant to make it more difficult for bandits to perpetuate a crime nearby. By so doing, people in the same community can know each other and keep intruders away.
On the other hand, interactive face-to-face contact among neighbors has become rare because of modern housing plans. In big cities, for instance, it seems that families are either "caged" like animals in department units of tall buildings, or are separated by walls usually two meters high. In both cases, neighbors appear to be at once so near, and yet so far away. As a result, the level of personal communication among neighbors is declining. This situation may also have something to do with the current crime wave reportedly up and rising. To cope with this situation, the least neighbors need to do is to know people next door and watch each other's back.
It would not be necessary for people to move away from where they live so as to avoid crimes from happening in the neighborhood. However, it is imperative that they should have a sense of community by caring for their neighbors. Now that geography makes people neighbors for a reason, people should love their neighbors, but the question remains: do they know their neighbors next door? (Essay created by Jeenn Lee Hsieh 谢振礼 ielts360toefl@hotmail.com 批改邮箱)
