TASK 2 (AGREE OR DISAGREE): RICHER DOESN’T MEAN HAPPIER
Some experts believe that when a country is already rich, any additional increase in economic wealth does not make its citizens any more satisfied. Agree or disagree?
Sample Answer
It is widely argued that when a country has already achieved an admirable level of economic affluence, any additional increments in material wealth may lead to diminishing returns, resulting in a plateau in the happiness levels of its constituents. I agree with this statement despite legitimate defences supporting the mindset that favours perpetual wealth accumulation.
Advocates of continuous material accumulation rightly argue that economic prosperity is an abstract and volatile concept that varies drastically from person to person. On a national level, a country may perform well economically, as evidenced by elevated indicators such as high income per capita, reasonably controlled inflation, and low interest rates. However, these statistics may overlook individual circumstances, as seen in the high rates of unemployment, escalating poverty, and social unrest during the reign of Margaret Thatcher, or “Thatcherism,” in the United Kingdom. In such cases, incremental rises in national wealth can indeed enhance the average person’s economic status and quality of life, thereby reinforcing social stability and harmony.
Detractors of this sentiment, myself included, would argue in favour of diminishing returns, maintaining that beyond a certain threshold, any infinitesimal rise in wealth indicators does not correspond to greater personal fulfilment. A prime example would be members of Gen Z in developed nations such as the USA and numerous European countries, whose earnings far surpass those of their counterparts in developing nations. Despite such material abundance, a typical young person in these countries is inclined to leave home, at least temporarily, to embark on trips to Southeast Asia to experience unfamiliar cultures, sample novel cuisines, and build connections with the locals rather than choosing to work overtime to earn higher incomes or secure better benefit packages. This example illustrates that personal fulfilment is not confined to material rewards, and any additional income may contribute little compared to meaningful life experiences and a sense of autonomy. Another salient example emerged during the Covid-19 pandemic, when the vast majority of affluent and successful people had to struggle merely to survive. Regardless of how many material possessions they owned or how much money they could earn, personal well-being, safety, and the simple wish to live another day prevailed.
In conclusion, while incremental rises in wealth accumulation can be meaningful in limited cases, as the definition of “rich” remains an abstract concept, I believe that life experiences, personal freedom, and individual health are more strongly correlated with life satisfaction, as wealth inevitably faces diminishing returns beyond certain thresholds. Ideally, individuals should strive to strike a balance among all facets of life and seek a combination that best suits their personality and circumstances.
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TỪ VỰNG HAY
Some experts believe that when a country is already rich, any additional increase in economic wealth does not make its citizens any more satisfied. Agree or disagree?
It is widely argued that when a country has already achieved an admirable level of economic affluence, any additional increments in material wealth may lead to diminishing returns, resulting in a plateau in the happiness levels of its constituents. I agree with this statement despite legitimate defences supporting the mindset that favours perpetual wealth accumulation.
Advocates of continuous material accumulation rightly argue that economic prosperity is an abstract and volatile concept that varies drastically from person to person. On a national level, a country may perform well economically, as evidenced by elevated indicators such as high income per capita, reasonably controlled inflation, and low interest rates. However, these statistics may overlook individual circumstances, as seen in the high rates of unemployment, escalating poverty, and social unrest during the reign of Margaret Thatcher, or “Thatcherism,” in the United Kingdom. In such cases, incremental rises in national wealth can indeed enhance the average person’s economic status and quality of life, thereby reinforcing social stability and harmony.
Detractors of this sentiment, myself included, would argue in favour of diminishing returns, maintaining that beyond a certain threshold, any infinitesimal rise in wealth indicators does not correspond to greater personal fulfilment. A prime example would be members of Gen Z in developed nations such as the USA and numerous European countries, whose earnings far surpass those of their counterparts in developing nations. Despite such material abundance, a typical young person in these countries is inclined to leave home, at least temporarily, to embark on trips to Southeast Asia to experience unfamiliar cultures, sample novel cuisines, and build connections with the locals rather than choosing to work overtime to earn higher incomes or secure better benefit packages. This example illustrates that personal fulfilment is not confined to material rewards, and any additional income may contribute little compared to meaningful life experiences and a sense of autonomy. Another salient example emerged during the Covid-19 pandemic, when the vast majority of affluent and successful people had to struggle merely to survive. Regardless of how many material possessions they owned or how much money they could earn, personal well-being, safety, and the simple wish to live another day prevailed.
In conclusion, while incremental rises in wealth accumulation can be meaningful in limited cases, as the definition of “rich” remains an abstract concept, I believe that life experiences, personal freedom, and individual health are more strongly correlated with life satisfaction, as wealth inevitably faces diminishing returns beyond certain thresholds. Ideally, individuals should strive to strike a balance among all facets of life and seek a combination that best suits their personality and circumstances.
Vocabulary
- economic affluence – sự giàu có về kinh tế
- diminishing returns – hiệu quả giảm dần
- plateau in the happiness levels – mức độ hạnh phúc đạt ngưỡng
- legitimate defences – lập luận hợp lý, chính đáng
- perpetual wealth accumulation – tích lũy của cải liên tục
- advocates of continuous material accumulation – người ủng hộ việc tích lũy vật chất không ngừng
- economic prosperity – sự thịnh vượng kinh tế
- elevated indicators – chỉ số tăng cao
- high income per capita – thu nhập bình quân đầu người cao
- social unrest – bất ổn xã hội
- reinforcing social stability and harmony – củng cố sự ổn định và hài hòa xã hội
- detractors of this sentiment – người phản đối quan điểm này
- threshold – ngưỡng giới hạn
- personal fulfilment – sự thỏa mãn cá nhân
- meaningful life experiences – trải nghiệm sống có ý nghĩa
- sense of autonomy – cảm giác tự chủ
- salient example – ví dụ nổi bật
- life satisfaction – sự hài lòng với cuộc sống
- strike a balance among all facets of life – cân bằng giữa mọi khía cạnh của cuộc sống
- life experiences, personal freedom, and individual health – trải nghiệm, tự do cá nhân và sức khỏe cá nhân
✔ DÀN Ý
Mở bài (Introduction)
- Khi một quốc gia đã đạt mức độ giàu có đáng ngưỡng mộ, → của cải tăng thêm chỉ đem lại hiệu quả giảm dần (diminishing returns) về hạnh phúc.
- Tác giả đồng ý với quan điểm này → dù vẫn thừa nhận lập luận hợp lý của những người ủng hộ tích lũy của cải không ngừng.
Thân bài 1 (Body 1 – Quan điểm ủng hộ tích lũy của cải)
- Lập luận chính: Giàu có là khái niệm trừu tượng, khác nhau với từng người.
- Ở tầm quốc gia → nền kinh tế mạnh (thu nhập cao, lạm phát ổn định, lãi suất thấp) thể hiện sự thịnh vượng kinh tế (economic prosperity).
- Tuy nhiên → các chỉ số này có thể che giấu bất công xã hội (thất nghiệp, nghèo đói, bất ổn xã hội).
- Ví dụ: Thời Thatcherism ở Anh → giàu nhưng người dân bất mãn.
- Do đó, trong trường hợp này, tăng trưởng kinh tế vẫn giúp nâng cao đời sống và củng cố ổn định xã hội.
Thân bài 2 (Body 2 – Quan điểm ủng hộ “hiệu quả giảm dần”)
- Lập luận chính: Khi đã đạt ngưỡng nhất định (threshold) → tăng thêm tiền không làm con người hạnh phúc hơn.
- Ví dụ 1: Thế hệ Gen Z ở các nước phát triển → thu nhập cao nhưng vẫn tìm kiếm trải nghiệm, du lịch, tự do thay vì làm thêm để kiếm nhiều tiền.
→ Hạnh phúc đến từ trải nghiệm sống ý nghĩa và cảm giác tự chủ, không chỉ vật chất. - Ví dụ 2: Đại dịch Covid-19 → người giàu cũng phải vật lộn để sống sót, chứng minh rằng an toàn, sức khỏe và sự tồn tại quan trọng hơn tài sản.
Kết bài (Conclusion)
- Thừa nhận: Của cải tăng thêm có ý nghĩa trong một số trường hợp, vì “giàu” là khái niệm tương đối.
- Khẳng định: Trải nghiệm sống, tự do cá nhân, sức khỏe → liên quan mật thiết hơn đến hạnh phúc.
- Kết luận triết lý: Con người nên cân bằng giữa các khía cạnh cuộc sống → tìm sự kết hợp phù hợp nhất với tính cách và hoàn cảnh của mình.
