2018.03.24 Academic Task 2 Sample Essay

Some people think that museums and art galleries should concentrate on the history and art of their own country rather than the works of art of other parts of the world. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?

Museums and art galleries play an important role in offering multifaceted knowledge to the public. Some individuals opine that these institutions should focus primarily on their local history and art instead of global works of art. I, however, largely disagree with this viewpoint as international works provide various benefits to the public.

Museums and art galleries offer a medium to① understanding culture and heritage. By focussing on local history and art only, such institutions limit the knowledge of the public to the domestic borders. Conversely, if art and history from other parts of the world are displayed, museums and art galleries exhibit multiculturalism, allowing people to understand distinct histories and cultures, and thus, enhancing globalisation. For example, the Vatican museum exhibits works from several European countries, allowing the smallest country in the world to be a bridge to① explaining cultural values of distinct nations under one roof.

解析：

两个①处红色标注出来的to都是介词，而不是不定式的标志 (infinitive marker).

比如Education is the key to bridging the wealth gap.

另一个栗子：The key to passing IELTS is an excellent teacher.

此外，大家要注意下面两个句子的区别：

• I cannot agree to delete this paragraph.

• I cannot agree to deleting this paragraph.

大家可以试着翻译一下这两句句子，看看区别在哪？

答案如下：

第一句意思是我不同意/也不会自己去删掉这一段。

第二句意思是我不同意/也不希望（任何人）删掉这一段。

如果无法理解第二句，可以换一个表达：I cannot agree to the deletion of this paragraph. [I don’t want this paragraph to be deleted (by anyone)]

Moreover, international historical and cultural works would allow individuals to gain information on critical international issues that many countries face together. Many museums choose to have educational international exhibitions of important political and social issues, which may be more informative than media. For instance, the Melbourne Art Gallery has changing collections from across the globe in order to depict thoughts on poverty, war and trade, and in a survey, 88% visitors declared that they felt more informed about such issues from the museum than from the news.

In conclusion, I disagree to a large extent with the belief that museums and art galleries should focus on the history and art of their own country rather then international works, as with the latter, these museums and galleries build a platform for globalisation and multinational knowledge.

• multifaceted

adj. 多层面的

e.g.: But like many such fundamental debates, it is a multifaceted issue with plenty of room for different viewpoints.

• primarily

adv. 首先，主要地

e.g.: The advertisement is aimed primarily at children.

• multiculturalism

n. 多元文化论

e.g.: Multiculturalism, understood as the multiplication of experienced difference, is today at the forefront of social transformation.

• distinct:

adj. 明显的，独特的，清晰的

e.g.: The learning needs of the two groups are quite distinct from each other.

• under one roof

同一屋檐下

e.g.: The site offers music that appeals to rock, jazz and classical lovers – all under one roof.

• depict

Vt. 描述，描画

e.g.: The story depicts the hero as a cynical opportunist.