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Some people think studying from the past offers no benefits to today’s life, while others believe that history is a valuable source of information for us. Discuss both views and give your opinion.

A – learning from history C – benefit today’s life
观点对立 – 只能同意一个

Whether history should be valued or not has become a heated debate as some hold the opinion that it may not be beneficial for urban society. In contrast, others, including myself, disagree.

Some believe that as the context has changed, learning from the past seems not necessary. History was indeed made in a certain contextual background at a specific time, which might not have much meaning without its particular context. Additionally, society is now changing and developing continuously in every aspect, ranging from politics, economics to culture. Therefore, due to these differences, learning history might not be that meaningful as the lessons from the past might not be applicable in modern society.

However, on the other hand, it cannot be deniable that studying previous mistakes can help avoid making the same mistake and maximize the usage of social resources for further development. Although the contextual settings are different from the past, the roots of these failures still have value for future decision-making. Analysing the reasons behind poor decisions and building on known knowledge can contribute to more informed decisions with reference to current situations in society. If the value of studying from the past cannot be seen, decision-makers would have to start from the stretch and might make less informed decisions, which might lead to the waste of social resources, including time, money and human resources.

Therefore, based on the discussion above, I do think that it is significant for us to recognize the valuable lessons from history and critically learn from them, referring to the needs of society to maximize social resources and benefit the whole community.

Task 1
The pie charts illustrate units of electricity produced by five different sources including coal, oil, natural gas, hydropower and nuclear power in Australia and France in 1980 and 2000.

The total production of electricity increased in both countries during these two decades. In Australia, coal was the main fuel source, while nuclear power overtook coal and natural gas in 2000, becoming the dominant contributor for electricity generation.

In 1980, the total production of electricity in Australia was 100 units, amongst 50 units was generated by coal. Hydropower and natural gas contributed 20 units respectively, while nuclear power was not in use. In comparison, 90 units of electricity were produced, coal and natural gas generated the same amount, 25 units. The third widely used fuel was oil, contributing 20 units, and nuclear power delivered 15 units in the same year.

The amount of electricity produced in 2000 in both countries rose, with 70 units more in Australia, and the figure of France doubled. Coal still dominated the electricity production in Australia, contributing 130 units, while that of France remained unchanged. In contrast, nuclear power, the most widely used fuel in France, had 126 units of electricity production, was not in use in Australia.