独立写作：

　　Do you agree or disagree with the following statement: The most important problems affecting our society today can be solved within our lifetime.

　　The problems that face our society today are so numerous that the thought of being able to solve them in my lifetime seems daunting. Long standing societal problems continue to exist. New problems, brought on by modern development, continue to grow as the world develops more and more. I do not believe these problems can be solved in my lifetime, but I believe we should do as much as possible so that they can be solved during our children’s lifetime.

　　Certain societal problems have existed since the beginning of civilization. Poverty and hunger have affected society ever since it developed. In ancient scripts, such as the Bible or the Torah, feeding the needy and poor was common practice. Today, there are still many programs dealing with helping impoverished people. I walk down the streets of the city and know that this is still a serious problem our society faces today. Poverty and hunger can be caused by many things out of our control like natural disasters or wars. I do not think these kinds of problems will ever be solved, let alone solved in my lifetime.

　　Another serious problem facing our society today is global warming. With the rapid development of countries, such as China, and the longstanding industrial economies of countries, such as the U.S., the release of greenhouse gases has reached toxic levels. In the past hundred years, humans have done more damage to the environment than they have in the thousands of years preceding it. Something needs to be done to stop global warming, but people cannot agree on the best solution. I believe we should stop using oil, but not everybody agrees. I think that only when the world’s oil sources run out will people agree on a possible solution. However, I don’t think that will be in my lifetime.

　　Even though many problems that affect our society will not be solved in my lifetime, I still believe that we should try. If not to make society in our lifetime a little better, at least to help make society in our children’s lifetime better. Poverty will always be around, but that does not mean we cannot do anything to make it so that there are less poor people than before. While I know our generation will not solve the problem of global warming, saving the earth starts with small acts, like not using plastic bags or not wasting water.

Today, there are many societal problems. Some problems might have solutions, but I do not think that we will find the solution to the most serious problems in society in our lifetime. (435 words)

　　更多托福资讯请访问》》》新东方网TOEFL频道

(责任编辑：单月)

　　 我要报班》》新东方TOEFL课程