You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Write about the following topic:

Modern communications mean that it’s no longer necessary to write letters. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

现代通讯意味着不再需要写信。您在多大程度上同意或不同意此声明？

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience. Write at least 250 words.

In years gone by, before the age of the telegraph or telephone, letter writing was the main means of communication for most people. Since then we have developed faster and more direct ways of contacting people, and personal mail has become relatively rare.

It is true that in many cases where our parents would have written a letter, we prefer to pick up the phone, to email or even to text instead. These are perfectly suitable ways of inviting friends to call round or exchanging news with a family member, for example, and they have the advantage that the communication is immediate and we can receive a reply very quickly. In business, too, fax and email are extremely useful.

However, in my opinion, there are times when there is no alternative to a letter. Letters are generally more formal and carefully composed than emails. This makes them more suitable for occasions when they are likely to be kept and re-read, perhaps several times, by the recipient, as with formal letters of thanks or sympathy. In addition, letters provide a written record, unlike telephone calls, so they are also a better way of setting out an important or complex argument, as in official complaints or legal matters.

In conclusion, I would definitely agree that there are fewer times when we need to write letters than in the past. On the other hand, I feel there are still some important occasions when a letter is the most appropriate form of communication.

在过去的几年中，在电报或电话时代之前，写信是大多数人的主要交流手段。从那时起，我们开发了更快，更直接的联系人的方式，个人邮件也变得相对罕见。

的确，在很多情况下，我们的父母会写一封信，我们宁愿拿起电话，发电子邮件甚至发短信。例如，这些都是邀请朋友与家人聊天或交换新闻的完全合适的方式，它们的优点是可以立即进行交流，我们可以很快收到答复。在商业上，传真和电子邮件也非常有用。

但是，我认为，有时候没有别的选择。信件通常比电子邮件更正式，更仔细地撰写。这使得它们更适合接收者可能会保留并重新阅读（也许是几次）的场合，例如正式的感谢或同情信。此外，与电话不同，信件提供了书面记录，因此它们也是提出重要或复杂论点的更好方式，例如在官方投诉或法律事务中。

总之，我绝对同意，我们需要写信的时间比过去更少。另一方面，我觉得在某些重要场合，信件是最适当的沟通方式。