这套Part3的个例题跟剑14-Test4-Part3的题目也是一模一样， Part3的部分Shopping online and

The culture of consumerism 和Part2 — A website you have bought something from的话题是紧密相关的。Shopping online讨论的观点是围绕网上购物的类型，越来越受欢迎的原因以及网上购物的缺点。

保护消费者利益主义是之前没有出现过的， the culture of something是在描述某一种长期存在的现象，并且大部分是种controversial的现象，话题特点抽象，语言能力有限且观点表述不清晰的情况下，这样的话题是很难得分的。首先需要理解consumer society的定义和consumerism的定义，在生活中观察符合这两个定义的现象，再带到话题中去陈述，把观点具化。

答案概要：

What kinds of things do people in your country often buy from online shops?

cheap things: clothes, shoes, tissues, daily necessities; they don’t want to spend much money online, just in case they are counterfeits; big discount, more chances to get cheap things;

find more brands that may not be displayed in reality stores, less known brands -- something special, more suited to the people who have got strong desire on perfection (brand, best value, diverse styles)

Why do you think online shopping has become so popular nowadays?

getting lazier: why not to go to a shopping center → you can have the products delivered to your home; if you get the wrong-sized clothes, the shop will exchange the product and send you the right one → just click the mouse → everything could be done;

What are some possible disadvantages of buying things from online shops?

Disadvantages:

1. counterfeits, unreliable, claim refund / ask for replacement

2. deal with customers online, send the parcel back to the given address → customer services are more difficult to be sorted out online, more complains, unsatisfactory purchasing experience

Why do many people today keep buying things which they do not need?

Reason 1: everything was on sale，those discounts online were up to 50% (tempting), lots of bargains;

Reason 2: delivery – no need to go to the reality stores; the feeling of spending money could be weakened by online transaction;

Reason 3: a good sense of satisfaction – receiving the products at home, opening the parcel box -- fantastic

Do you believe the benefits of a consumer society outweigh the disadvantages?

No. The modern consumer is not an isolated individual making purchases in a vacuum. consumerist attitudes -- consume more -- create mass markets, industrialization, and cultural attitudes

2 institutions have been created to support consumer society: advertising and consumer credit

Talk about the bad influences of advertising and consumer credit:

1. Slogan: out of context, exaggerated content, make customers keep buying products that they do not really need;

2. Interest fee: overdraft on bankcard, exceed the budget, overspending

How possible is it to avoid the culture of consumerism?

It’s quite difficult to do in the modern time.

Reason:

1. Consumerism shapes us in such a way that we want to acquire material goods not because they are useful, but because of what they say about us;

2. Experience an “ever-increasing volume and intensity of desire”; people want the newest and the best to fit in with or outshine others

This phenomenon should be well-controlled – by individual awareness:

consumerism cultivates fear—fear of not fitting in, of not possessing the proper things, of not signifying the right persona or social status