[简答题]A magazine is publishing a series of articles on "Modern Life". Readers have been asked to contribute. You write an article about 400 words on clothes and fashions of young people today, and explain how their meanings are determined by social and cultural factors.

参考答案:

Fashion in clothes has allowed wearers to express emotion or solidarity with other people for millennia. Modem Westerners have a wide choice available in the selection of their clothes. What a person chooses to wear can reflect their personality or likes. When people who have cultural status start to wear new or different clothes a fashion trend may start; people who like or respect them may start to wear clothes of a similar style.
People have different attitudes to fashion. Some are indifferent to what they wear, such as men and old people. Women are very choosy and particular. They like to spend a lot of money on clothes, but some women sometimes buy clothes, which aren’t particularly expensive. Young people like to wear leisure clothes or they imitate their law)rite pop star. Some men are choosy too. They like to spend a lot of money on expensive clothes in elegant shops, but there are some women who buy clothes for their husbands. Some people want to be different from other people. They wear strange clothes. People wear clothes according to their taste, mood or their character.
Fashions may vary significantly within a society according to age, social class, generation, occupation and geography as well as over time. The styles of clothes are influenced by commercials or advertisements. Many women choose clothes in fashion show. Fashion concerns clothes, but also hair style, make-up and accessories, shoes, handbags, gloves or glasses.
Style, cuts, designs and the length of clothes are changing too. Miniskirts are favorite at one time. Soon they are replaced by loose dress or maxi-style. Fashion often reverts to older styles and traditional, natural materials such as cotton, wool, linen or silk. Favorite material is denim, the design of which can be plain or patterned.
In summer youngsters wear light summer dresses, loose blouses, skirts, shorts and T-shirts. On their feet they pull on sandals. In winter they need to wear something warm—jeans, cardigans, sweaters, anoraks and boots.
On special occasions young people like to be dressed properly too. When they go to a concert or to the theatre they are always dressed up. They wear an evening dress, such as shirt, trousers, tie and dress. For sports they put on sports wear, such as jeans, shorts, T-shirts. At home they like to feel comfortable, and so they prefer leisure clothes, such as trousers, T-shirts. To school they wear something practical, such as trousers, jeans, T-shirt, sweat-suit and trainers.
Special kinds of clothes are uniforms and costumes. Uniforms are worn particularly by professionals such as the police, the armed forces or health workers.
Some people do not choose their dress with regard to the latest fashion. The most important thing is to wear dresses that are neat and clean. Most youngsters like wearing leisure wear, such as jeans, trousers, maxi or mini skirts, T-shirt or shirt. They like wearing different clothes and they wear clothes according to moods so that they can feel comfortable.