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  3. A residential community in a small city in China has been christened Venice. Another is named Manhattan after the famous New Yor

A residential community in a small city in China has been christened Venice. Another is named Manhattan after the famous New Yor

admin2021-05-24  11
问题         A residential community in a small city in China has been christened Venice. Another is named Manhattan after the famous New York borough. These are just a couple of examples of the current phenomenon sweeping construction sites across China: naming them after Western landmarks. Some worry that the trend is eroding local and traditional culture as well as confusing residents. The Chinese government recently decided to standardize the naming of streets, residential communities and parks. From the following excerpts, you can find different opinions toward this decision.
        Write an article of NO LESS THAN 300 words, in which you should:
        1. summarize briefly the arguments on both sides;
        2. express your own opinion, especially on whether foreign style names should be banned.
Excerpt 1
        Guo Xilin from News.cjn.cn
        Today, foreign names can be seen everywhere, particularly on commercial buildings, and real estate developers are increasingly naming residential communities in an international style. Superficially, these are just names. But if you look deeper, you will see that this penetration of foreign names will have a negative impact on traditional Chinese culture.
        We offer our full support for the government’s correction of the foreign names scattered across the country. It’s also important to hold accountable those responsible for arbitrarily selecting new names. To a large extent, the influx in foreign naming is a result of loose local government supervision.
        We need to learn from the rest of the world, but not in terms of names. Take big Chinese cities for example. The cities need to be run at an international level, but they shouldn’t copy foreign names. A location must have unique local characteristics if it is to be well remembered around the world. If we use Western names to label our streets, residential communities and so on, it’s actually a blow to Chinese culture. It is of vital importance that we stop destroying old constructions and replacing ancient names and local features with Western names, however fashionable they may sound.
Excerpt 2
        Tuo Xingang from Changsha Evening News
        The authorities’ decision to deal with weird names will easily win support, as these names obviously create problems. But how do you define "weird" names? There are no clear standards, and when there is an absence of standards, questions will arise. Sometimes, a weird name might have a unique historical background.
        The judgment of whether a name is weird should be based on careful analyses, not just the characters included in the name. A place given a foreign name could have stories, legends or a historical background associated with the name. These place names should also be protected. For example, Shanghai has a number of Western-style buildings that have witnessed the development of the city for almost a century. The public long ago accepted the foreign names of these buildings.
        Thus, in this round of name rectification, it’s important to take a prudent attitude and treat the so-called "weird" names in different ways. The government needs to give an ear to local people when cleaning up names across the country.
        There should also be a list for places with names of special cultural and historical significance. These names should be put on the protection list We have already lost too much cultural heritage and no more should be lost in the process of correcting place names.
        Standard names are easier to remember and more convenient to use, and thus tend to be better protected, while place names that are of great historical and cultural significance but not so convenient to use or may even seem "weird" should receive more attention. The preservation of the latter is of great importance culturally.
选项
答案 Should Foreign Style Names Be Banned? The name of a place or a building usually carries cultural, social or historical significance. However, many residential communities in China are christened Venice or Manhattan by real estate developers obviously in order to attract buyers. Such arbitrary naming after Western landmarks or cities reflects absence of loose government supervision and will erode traditional Chinese culture if it is not standardized. To rectify Western-style names, the most important thing is to work out applicable standards. Taking a prudent attitude is also significant since some so-called "weird" names are in fact historically and culturally important I hold that regulating naming of buildings is necessary, but names with historic, cultural connotation should be retained. Exotic names cause much inconvenience to people not only because they are relatively difficult to remember but also because they are in most cases used for the promotion purpose only. To be exact, besides a Western name, many residential communities in China have a standard name and it is this "duality" that causes confusion and inconvenience. From the cultural perspective, the mushrooming of Western-style naming to some extent means cultural invasion, or loss of cultural identify. Just as young Chinese get accustomed to prevailing Western foods such as Subway and McDonald’s, they are more likely to prefer Western names if such names become prevalent and consider Chinese names outmoded. If the weeping trend of deliberate naming was not reversed in time, the consequence would be more serious than expected. Therefore, it is essential to have clear standards in place to rectify arbitrary names. To summarize, the act of deliberately naming residential areas should be banned. However, with that being said, I do not mean that all buildings with exotic names should be rectified. In fact, the names of those buildings which bear the memory of a historic period or some important figures should be retained.
解析         材料围绕“中国建筑的西式命名”进行讨论，给出了来自长江网和《长沙晚报》两名读者的看法。
        前者认为西式的地名将对中国传统文化产生负面影响（have a negative impact on traditional Chinese culture）。外国地名的涌入是当地政府监管不力的后果（loose local government supervision）。一个地区必须保有当地的特色（unique local characteristics），使用西式地名实际上是对中国文化的冲击（a blow to Chinese culture）。
        后者则认为对待建筑物的西式命名不能一刀切，而关键就是要确立明确的标准（clear standards）。那些具有历史意义（historical background）的地名应予以保留。而且，政府在清理地名时，采取谨慎态度（take a prudent attitude）也很重要，应听取当地民众的意见（give an ear to local people）。
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