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

Topic 43: The advance of science and technology has a significant impact on people, but 
the role of artists is also important, such as musicians, painters and writers. What can 
the arts tell us about life that science cannot?
 
(one's perspective, individuality and context), (come up with novel approaches to problems), 
( conform to existing rules);
(take different forms and varies greatly in different societies), ( produce cultural diversity); (stress the 
sameness of different objects), (follow the principles on which the world operates);
(no longer satisfied with material comforts), (spiritual needs), (change attitudes toward life),
(provide positive outlets), ( achieve a balance between work and pleasure); (over commitment might 
cause anxiety and depression)
 
Unarguably, the improvement in people's living standard owes much to technical 
advances, which are driven by science. So important is science that the functions of art are 
contested by many people. I believe that the arts can convey some messages that science can 
never be able to convey.
The arts represent human thoughts, whereas science represents natural order. In other 
words, the arts lead people to perceive the world while science is aimed at discovering the 
nature of things. What has been found true in science would hardly alter, unless sufficient 
evidence can be cited to challenge or overrule the established theories and principles. By 
comparison, what has been conveyed by a work of art is neither right nor wrong, and can be 
given different meanings by different people. Science sometimes treats a new theory as an 
erratic and stresses conforming to existing rules and pursuing accuracy. Science is about 
exploring the undiscovered but existing, in contrast to the arts, which are interested in 
exploring both the undiscovered and the nonexistent. In simple terms, the arts encourage 
individuality and creativity, whereas science respects conformance.
Another major distinction is that the arts draw attention to issues that are unique in a 
particular society, while science attaches importance to the issues that are of interest to 
mankind as a whole. Contrary to popular belief, artwork does not necessarily aesthetically 
appeal to a majority of viewers. An artist's primary motive is not only to pursue the aesthetic 
in the popular mind but also to remind people something that they cannot afford to ignore, 
such as environment, religion, politics, morality, and so forth. A scientific breakthrough, by 
comparison, brings benefits that can be shared by the whole human society, but not unique in 
any specific community.
The arts also give people a sense of cultural background and identity, as a key component 
of any culture in the world. By contrast, technology and science are uniform to people, 
regardless of nationality, race and ethnicity, Art has long been a way of passing ideas, 
concepts, beliefs, values and ways of seeing things to later generations. Because of art, people 
can be classified into different social and cultural groups.
In conclusion, the arts differ from science in many aspects and because of it, people know 
more about the world in which they live and get an insight into the society, culture and 
themselves. While science is objective and based on predetermined guides, art is inherent in 
the human mind and subjective.
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1. Perceive =see = recognize =consider
2. Overrule= reject = cancel = annul
3. Erratic = irregular = unusual
4. Conform to=adhere to=obey=cling to=stick to
5. Undiscovered=unnoticed=overlooked=ignored
6. Nonexistent=missing=fictional=imaginary=conceived
7. Ethnicity=the ethnic group one belongs to
8. Predetermined=preset=fixed=determined

 
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