Essay by 謝振禮老師 Jeenn Lee Hsieh

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真題還原

Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? "The opinions of celebrities, such as entertainers and athletes, are more important to the younger people than they are to the older people." Use specific reasons and details to support your answer.

范文：

Opinions of young celebrities are more attentively heard, even believed, by the younger people than by the older people, who often have their own role models apart. On occasions, it is amusing for the general public to listen to what famous stars have to say, but what is said could sometimes turn out to be particularly not in favor of the more naive people. Too often, opinions from celebrities could be harmful to young people's mental and financial health, to say the least.

Unlike the older people, the younger people admire and want to imitate 'notorious' celebrities whose remarks, however out of the common, are readily taken for granted. This could affect them negatively due to their lack of mental maturity to follow bad rather than good examples. Apparently, it is not only the words but also the deeds of those 'role models' that are not doing any good for the mentality of the younger people. Today, television and the Internet have generated tremendous exposure for a number of elite stars who stand for partying, drug abuse, drunk driving, rapid marriage and rapid divorce, and on and on. Most teenagers and young adults, who tend to attach importance to celebrities' opinions, actually become other people since their thoughts are celebrities' thoughts spoken in the spotlight. Fortunately, it seems that the older people are easily getting tired of celebrity overload and do not pay so much attention to scandals.

Young celebrities' opinions could become a persuasion in advertising, thereby affecting young consumers' pockets. Very famous personalities in the fields of pop music, cinema and sports, are being hired to give positive comments about products and services that have little or nothing to do with their professions. Nowadays, companies all over the world are using celebrities to orally promote sales of anything from fast food to young fashion to fancy car. Under the influence of what is called 'celebrity testimonials', the younger population, rather than the older population, are encouraged to buy things they really do not need and spend money they actually do not have. That is, a celebrity works as a convincing sales-speaker through the image of strong role model among the younger generation. Usually, the older generation would not entirely trust products and services endorsed by celebrities.

To do justice to all shining stars in the galaxy of fame, probably they have the freedom to voice their opinions of whatever kind, so it is up to people both young and old to evaluate what is said and done. However, it is always advisable for the younger people not to follow celebrities' opinions blindly. It is one thing to hear celebrities breaking the mold; but it is quite another to know if they are degrading good social and family values.