111. “Because of recent advancements¹ in business and technology, the overall quality of life in most societies has never been better than at the present time.”
Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated above. Support your views with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.
The stated opinion is that recent advancements in business and technology have made overall quality of life better than ever. I disagree somewhat with the speaker’s viewpoint. For although such advancements have improved our lives in many respects, they have also diminished our quality of life in other ways.
Clearly, progress in business and technology has produced many benefits. For example, we can research problems and their solutions in minutes on the Internet; productivity is at an all-time (adj. 空前的, 创记录的) high. And we can get more done in less time, leaving more time for hobbies, entertainment or other leisure activities. We can even mix a little work into our leisure time, by taking our laptops (便携式电脑) and cell phones on vacation (在度假中). This way, we can stay one step ahead on projects at work, anticipating deadlines and staying in touch with co-workers and important clients.
In addition, leisure time has itself been enhanced by business and technology. Never before have we had so many spectacular diversions available, or so many leisure- and entertainment-related businesses vying² for our attention. Moreover, we can obtain everything form airline tickets to a language course and holiday wardrobe (行头a collection of wearing apparel (as of one person or for one activity) *a summer wardrobe*) via the Internet, in the convenience of our own homes.
Nevertheless, advances in business and technology have compromised our quality of life as well. For all the wonders of computers, they have spawned³ their own special illnesses and ailments⁴, like severe eyestrain (眼睛疲劳), back and neck problems, and carpal tunnel syndrome⁵ (n. 腕管综合征: a condition caused by compression of a nerve where it passes through the wrist into the hand and characterized especially by weakness, pain, and disturbances⁶ of sensation in the hand). And though we now have a world of information available in a keystroke (按键，按一下键), some of this information—like pornography, hate group diatribes⁷ and bomb-building instructions—are harming our society, especially our children. Even apparently⁸ harmless material, like direct mail advertising⁹ and telephone soliciting¹⁰, is endlessly annoying. Finally, family life is sometimes a casualty (a person or thing injured, lost, or destroyed : VICTIM *the ex-senator was a casualty of the last election*) of all this progress, with parents and children spending more time transfixed (使呆住) before their computer monitors and less time together.
In conclusion, advances in business and technology are a mixed blessing¹¹. For while we enjoy many benefits of this so-called progress, in many ways it has changed our lives for the worse.

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