People today can shop, work and communicate with others via the Internet. They don't need to do these face to face. Is it a positive or negative development?
解析&审题
本周雅思作文是一个常考的旧题，以前出现过多次（分别于2013年和2018年出现过）。
本次题目要求讨论的话题是“现在人们都用网络来购物、工作、沟通，不再需要面对面交流了”，因此我们需要围绕“网络与面对面交流”来进行讨论。那么，使用网络来取代面对面交流，这到底是好还是坏呢？
无疑，这不是一个非此即彼的问题，我们可以做双边讨论，即先讨论网络交流相对于面对面交流的好处（节约时间、节约成本、提高效率），然后讨论网络交流的坏处（误会增多、感情变淡），最后提出结论，在某些情况下网络交流能给我们带来好处，但在很多情况下，面对面交流是不可取代的。
高分范文
We live in an age of electronic communication, and the Internet does help us in a lot of ways. Yet the fact that we have computers and smartphones readily availabledoes not mean that we do not need face-to-facecommunication any more.
Electronic technology has dramatically changed the ways we shop, work and communicate and has brought about a myriad of benefits. From emails to instant messaging to Skype to social media, the Internethas made our communication faster and easier than ever before. Besides, the cost ofthe Internet communication is significantly lower than thetraditional means of communication like face-to-face meetings. The technology connects us to our online suppliers, colleagues in the workplace, families and friends from all over the globe for just a small fraction of the cost required of an offlinemeeting.
That being said, scientific evidence is mounting that the advent of digital technology is having a detrimental effect on interpersonal relationships. Everything from body language and facial expressions to attentiveness and engagement can indicate different thoughts and feelings—each of which can only be truly observed through face-to-face communication. So, despite the clear upsides of digital communication, there are circumstances under which there is no substitute for face-to-face communication. Meanwhile, the complete dependence on the Internet for communication may result in the sense of alienation and depression which will keep us apart from the rest of the real world.
In conclusion, it is necessary to balance those Internet interactions with face-to-face communication. It is hard to say how far the Internet would go, but face-to-face communication has not yet been and never will be replaced by technology.
(274 words)
参考译文
我们生活在电子通信时代，互联网的确在很多方面帮助我们。然而，我们可以随时使用电脑和智能手机这一事实并不意味着我们不再需要面对面交流。
电子技术极大地改变了我们购物、工作和交流的方式，并带来了无数的好处。从电子邮件到即时通信到Skype到社交媒体，网络让我们的交流比以往任何时候都快速和容易。此外，与传统的面对面交流方式相比，网络通信的成本要低得多。技术将我们与世界各地的在线供应商、工作同事、家人和朋友联系在一起，其费用只是线下见面所需费用的极少一部分。
尽管如此，越来越多的科学证据表明，数字技术的出现正在对人际关系产生有害影响。从肢体语言和面部表情到关注度和投入度可以表示不同的想法和感觉，而这些只有通过面对面的交流才能真正地被观察到。所以，尽管数字交流有明显的优势，但在某些情况下，面对面的交流是无法替代的。同时，完全依赖互联网来交流交流可能导致疏远和沮丧的感觉，这将使我们远离现实世界。
总之，必须平衡网络互动和面对面的交流。很难说互联网能走多远，但面对面的交流还没有、也永远不会被科技所取代。
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