第5题：
问答题
Minimum wage is the lowest amount that employers can legally pay their workers per hour of labor. The first minimum wage law was passed in New Zealand in 1894. Since then, many other nations have adopted similar policies. In China, different provinces or cities have different minimum wages for their working citizens. These rates are not established randomly. In fact, they are the result of much research in economics, standard of living and inflation. Labor supply and the effects of unemployment are also considered when establishing a minimum wage. Some people support the policy of minimum wage, while others are against it. The following are opinions from both sides on this issue. Read the excerpts carefully and write your response in about 300 words, in which you should: 1. summarize briefly the opinions from both sides, and then 2. give your comment. Marks will be awarded for content relevance, content sufficiency, organization and language quality. Failure to follow the above instructions may result in a loss of marks. Many supporters of minimum wage say that it increases the standard of living and keeps people out of poverty. Those who are opposed to it tend to believe that it increases unemployment and harms less skilled workers. Minimum wage laws are established and upheld with certain goals. Those who support the laws believe that these goals are being adequately achieved and that this alone is enough justification to keep the laws in place. Minimum wage was initially established to reduce poverty. Establishing a minimum wage in China insures that people are paid properly for their work. Minimum wage also protects younger workers and minorities from being paid less than others to some extent. Supporters also believe that minimum wage stimulates consumption and thus puts more money into the economy by allowing low paid workers to spend more. They also believe that it may increase the work ethic of those who are paid little and thus benefit employers. It also encourages people to join the work force, rather than seek illegal means of earning money. People who are opposed to the idea of minimum wage believe that it is not accomplishing the goals designed to meet. In several instances, employment has decreased more than the increase in wages and thereby overall earnings are still reduced. Businesses are sometimes forced to hire fewer employees because they have to pay minimum wages. Thus, fewer people have jobs. Studies also show that very few low-wage workers actually come from families in poverty. Thus, minimum wage is more often imposed on the newly employed with the first job than on people who would otherwise be unemployed. Other opponents believe that it can cause inflation as businesses have to raise prices to accommodate the higher wages. They also believe it discourages further education of the poor.
正确答案：
【参考范文】
My View on Minimum Wage A minimum wage is the lowest remuneration that employers may legally pay to workers. Equivalently, it is the price floor below which workers may not sell their labor. Although minimum wage laws are in effect in many regions, different opinions exist about the benefits and drawbacks of a minimum wage. Supporters of the minimum wage say it increases the standard of living, reduces poverty, protects younger workers and minorities, stimulates consumption, increases the work ethic of those who are paid little and thus benefit employers, and encourages people to join the workforce rather than pursuing money through illegal means. In contrast, opponents of the minimum wage say it increases poverty, increases unemployment, harms less-skilled workers, causes price inflation and discourages further education of the poor.
As far as I am concerned, minimum wage brings more harm than good. First, it harms some businesses where the labor cost affects the profit a lot. For some businesses which lay on cheap labor, like cleaning services, security companies and retail trade, the minimum wage obviously pushes up their costs. Thus the businesses will probably raise the prices of goods and services. When consumers don’t accept the higher prices, the businesses will run into trouble. If the businesses absorb the cost themselves, they would suffer a reduction of profits, which may lead to bankrupt. Second, minimum wage increases the unemployment rate. In the short term, the salary of the low-skilled workers may be raised, but in the long run, it may lead to an increase in unemployment rate as employers may axe some jobs to minimize cost. They may even reduce their investments in the territory, which will lead to a reduction of job opportunities.
In conclusion, minimum wage is a critical issue that requires careful consideration. The government should balance the pros and cons to help families suffered from the economic crisis to regain their strength.
解析：
【审题构思】
本篇的写作主题是对设定最低工资的看法，文章可以支持该做法也可以反对该做法，只要言之有理即可。以反对设定最低工资为例，论证时可分别陈述此做法的弊端，如会危及某些企业、提高失业率等。作文要求考生先总结材料中的观点，然后针对该话题发表自己的看法，最后进行总结。
