Topic 1: Does increasing travels between countries enable people to learn different cultures or to

Topic 38: Fashion is difficult to follow, and some people argue that we should not follow 
it. They think that we should dress what we like and feel comfortable. Do you agree or 
disagree?
 
(following fashion )
 (a means of self-expression)(reflect one's personality or likes), (allow people to try on many roles in 
life) , (diversity and variety of the world in which we live);
(fashion in the new era) (root in daily life), (ret1ect that life) (consider consumer demand), (not as 
superficial as some people think)
(follow fashion blindly ), ( dwell too much on what others think) 
(associate clothing with status, social class and wealth).
Fashion refers to a style of clothing worn by most people of a country. The growing concern 
about fashion in recent years comes as no surprise, considering the fact that fashion is very often 
at odds with the traditional function of clothing, protecting wearers from the extremes of weather. 
In my opinion, it is always interesting to find that individuals take different views toward the 
nature of happiness and the access to it. As far as I know, the perception of happiness differs 
considerably from one individual to another as a result of the mixed effect of individual 
characteristics and environmental factors. These elements determine the approaches taken by 
different people to attain happiness. 
People have different objectives to attain and different interests to pursue in a lifetime, and 
meanwhile, their objectives and interests vary in different life stages. One has the passion for toys 
as a child, fashionable clothing as a youth, an admirable occupation as an adult and possibly 
company of family members as an elder. With age one's attitudes, capabilities and concerns are 
subject to change. Following the latest fads, for example, appeals to young people, despite the 
expenditure of time and money. By comparison, senior people are hardly interested in keeping 
their clothes in fashion, buying trendy consumer products or changing a hair style, and moreover, 
tend to regard them as a wasteful use of money.
In addition to those factors that are visible, some factors are less obvious and tend to be 
subjective in influencing one's perception of happiness. These intrinsic factors include one's 
temperament, characters, pursuits and philosophies. Taking monetary wealth as an example, 
people perceive the value of money differently. Some people sacrifice everything in their pursuit 
of wealth, whereas some people take money lightly. Instead, they treasure family, friends, hobbies 
and philanthropy. It is also one of the reasons why people see favorable events differently (such as 
a marriage, a family reunion, lottery winnings, a promotion, and so forth) and react dissimilarly to 
troubles or bad luck, for example, accidents, conflicts, divorce, and so forth.
Considering the fact that people are all motivated to attain objectives for their happiness, they 
should first evaluate whether the objectives are attainable or not. High expectations for the future 
might bring nothing but high levels of stress and a sense of disappointment. Setting attainable 
objectives is a recommended alternative. Another step to be taken is giving different weight to 
different subjects, such as money, health, growth, fame, power and relationships. Few people can 
attain several objectives at a time. The key is to identify the top priority. 
1. Subject to=influenced by=exposed to 
2. Fad=fashion=trend=cult=craze
3. Subjective=personal
4. Sacrifice=give up=forgo
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