■ Direction Read the question below. You have 30 minutes to plan, write, and revise your essay. Typically, an effective response will contain a minimum of 300 words. ■ Question Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Use specific reason and examples to support your answer | |
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Topic : Some people trust their first impressions about a person's character because they believe these judgements are generally correct. Other people do not judge a person's character quickly because they believe first impressions are often wrong. Compare these two attitudes. Which attitude do you agree with? Support your choice with specific examples. | |
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Sometimes purposefully and sometimes subliminally, we judge people, based on their first impressions. There are times when first impressions are reliable enough to reveal a new acquaintance’s personality. However, I think we should never wholly depend on first impressions because there is still possibility that they can be utterly wrong. In addition, such misconceptions can limit people’s chances of starting new friendships and other relationships, which indeed is a great loss.
Many people try to understand a lot from first impressions. Maybe they try to infer too much from them. For example, judging a person should not end simply by examining what s/he is wearing. Today impressions can control people’s lives more than we think. Job interviews are strongly influenced by first impressions. A candidate who is dressed neatly might perhaps gain the upper hand in contrast to another candidate who is more scruffily dressed. If the interviewer relied on first impressions, he would give more credit to the first candidate and would make a serious mistake: not seeing the potential the latter candidate possesses. Who would have known that the untidy looking person was actually a creative wiz who is more appropriate for the job?
Similarly, first impressions can be misleading. When I was younger, I trusted first impressions. To put it more simply, a scary looking person would instantly elicit dislike inside me. Fortunately, I learnt that this was a very unwise habit. My best friend Alison’s first impression was not ‘the best’ when we first met in 10th grade. She seemed overly self-conscious and pompous. Against my instincts (and I am grateful for it now), I began to “hang out” with her-at first, just because one of my friends liked her. Then I discovered what a good personality Alison had. Not only was she cheerful but she was always optimistic, which helped me abandon my pessimism. Had I immediately trusted Alison’s first impressions, I would have lost my best friend.
Moreoever, first impressions are like bias. We should avoid being disillusioned by them, because impressions can create prejudices. A person who looks dull or gloomy tells us very little. Maybe he is just having a very stressful day. After all, impressions are conjured up by what we see or feel about the outside of an individual, not the content of that person. Of course everyone would prefer to make a good impression of him or herself. Nonetheless, when it comes to judging others, first impressions are like wrappings of a present. You need to unwrap it before you find out what is really inside.
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물론 첫인상이 맞을수도 있죠. 예를 들면 뭐 옆집 할아버지가 정말 인자해보이시던데 진짜 얘기해보니까 너무 좋은 분이시라던지...
그런데 첫인상 때문에 손해봤다는 사람들도 많아서 (첫인상이랑 본판이 딴판이었다는;;) 이렇게 글 올립니다. 댓글 많이 달아주세요.