混合类大作文，社会类话题
Today food travels thousands of miles from the farm to consumers. Why is this? Is it a positive or negative trend？
题目来源：2021年7月31日大陆雅思大作文（重复11年12月3日大陆考题）
题目大意：
今天食品要经过长途运输从产地到消费者手中。原因是什么？这种现象是好是坏？
思路解析：
这是一道混合类题目，讨论的是食物经过长距离运输到消费者手中的原因和利弊分析。同学们在写作时候要注意关键词：food 和 travels thousands of miles, 我们在分析原因和反驳时要注意结合关键词进行。文章结构上，2个主体段分别对2个问题进行回应，主体段-1分析原因；主体段-2 分析其后果是积极还是消极的。
下面就带大家一起来仔细看下具体的原因和利弊分析。
先来看原因，主要有三个。
一是全球化的影响，使得各国之间贸易变得更加频繁，自然也带动了食品的进出口贸易。
二是消费者所在的地区由于土地贫瘠或者城市化侵占耕地等原因，导致当地粮食的产量不足以满足需求，必须要从其它地区进口粮食。
三是运输技术的发展使得远距离运输成为了可能，飞机、铁路和海运构建的完善交通网使得食物能在全球各地间运输，而冷链等技术的出现使得食物在长时间运输途中依然能够保鲜和可食用。
再来看利弊。
好处有两方面，一是丰富了消费者的食物选择，可以品尝到各地的特色美食，提高生活品质。二是促进经济贸易的发展，对于产粮高的地区可以通过外贸来创造收入或是换取别的所需品，而低产量地区也能通过粮食进口来满足居民的需求。
坏处也有两方面，一是交通工具在长途运输不可能避免的会产生废气和高能耗，会造成环境污染。二是其它地区食物的引进会对本地的生产者造成冲击，当地的食物在面对大规模的同类进口食物时，可能因为缺乏价格竞争力等因素导致滞销，使得农民等产业工作者面临失业，还有可能进一步威胁到当地的粮食安全。
范文示例：
Today there is an impending trend that it takes longer for food to be transported from farms to customers. From my perspective, such a tendency can be attributed to both globalization and shrinking farmland, and I am not too optimistic to its ramifications.
Firstly, I will see the long transportation of food as a symptom of problems to which the booming globalization as an answer. In the modern world featuring international trade and speedy transport systems, it becomes increasingly commonplace for food grown anywhere could be delivered to other parts of the world, whether it be fruits imported from tropical countries or seafood from costal areas, both can show up in the grocery stores in a foreign country. Also, even those sold in domestic shops may have also travelled thousands of miles: given the relentless urbanization that encroaches on farming land, governments have to transport food from afar to meet growing demand.
As for the implications of long transportation of food, it is difficult for me to see it as anything other than a curse on the environment and food quality. Some may venerate the trend as a manifestation of boost of international trade and solution to local food shortage; nevertheless, the same cause which is sufficient for blessings could lead to potential pitfalls from a long-term perspective. The first thing to realize is the repercussions for the environment – the long-distance transport is a key culprit leading to environmental disruption, be it greenhouse gas emissions or energy exhaustion. Not to be left behind is the threat to food quality – the longer transportation entails the use of preservation technology (e.g. freezing, preservatives, etc.), which undermines the nutritional value of food.
From what has been discussed above, it is my conclusion therefore, food being transported longer distances is the result of both globalization and shrinking farm land, and the repercussions on the environment and food quality concern me more.
相关词汇和语法结构：
Relentless 无节制的
Urbanization 城市化
Encroach 侵占
Manifestation 代表
Preservatives 防腐剂
