Hi Kitos,
I really appreciate your help!
Pls rate… thanx.
(Short, I know)
Q:Should a city try to preserve its old, historic buildings or destroy them and
replace them with modern buildings? Use specific reasons and examples to
support your opinion.
A city should do whatever it can to preserve its old, historical buildings. Those buildings constitute an integral part of the city’s identity. Its inhabitants often extend their pride in their heritage from those buildings. Destroying them would be like erasing the city’s and its people’s history.
Moreover, those buildings are a national treasure. Destroying them would be a manifestation of ultimate ignorance. Nothing can compensate for their value. Also, the buildings serve as a tourist attraction and therefore will bring tourist money to the city. For example, I have traveled to some countries where they had very few ancient stones, and structure that are almost entirely ruined. In my opinion, there was nothing impressive about those ancient rocks, but still so many tourists flock to such places to see these structures and to learn about the story behind them.
I can think of no reason that would warrant destroying a city’s ancient buildings, and I don’t think any city has ever done that before. I only heard once about a religiously fanatic group destroying ancient ruins because they contained images of pagan gods and where used for pagan worship. In my opinion, only a deluded person would want to destroy his national treasure.
Finally, I do not think that anyone has the right to decide whether those buildings should be destroyed or not. Unless the city’s inhabitants voted unanimously for the destruction of the buildings, a highly unlikely outcome, no one has the legitimacy to carry out with such an act.
TOEFL listening discussions: A conversation between a university student and an employee in the university registrar’s office