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Advantages and disadvantages of charging museum admission fees
Question
Many museums change admission, while others allow for free admission. Do you think the advantages of charging admission fees are more than disadvantages?
Essay
It is true that admission fees are a vital source of income for many museums. Although there are some positives of paid museum visit, I would argue that there are more drawbacks.
The main benefit of charging admission fees is that constant and sufficient income obtained in this way can guarantee museums’ daily operation. Like other organisations, such as university, gallery, public transport system, museums need income to cover daily expenses, from protecting precious exhibits to installing modern facilities, from organising art displays to recruiting security guards, curators and specialists who regularly restore and maintain fragile artefacts. Furthermore, with admission fees paid, museums will not be restricted by budget, and are able to hold more campaigns to attract more visitors.
Despite the advantages mentioned above, I believe that charging those who visit museums is a negative act for various reasons. Firstly, it will block some from entering museums, especially the poor, meaning that those who are still trying to make ends meet will never consider visiting museums as necessary and attractive as purchasing food, clothes and homeware. Therefore, with little access to the essence of a country’s or a city’s customs, cultures, values and arts, children from those impoverished families would find themselves deprived of the rights to enlarge their outlook and eventually lag behind their peers. Secondly, the tourism industry will be affected to some extent, as some tourists would probably choose other travel destinations to where free museums are available. The incomes of local restaurants, hotels, shopping malls are, therefore, affected greatly and job opportunities are decreased accordingly. Finally, with fewer visitors to the museums, the proliferation of a place’s culture will also be hindered..
In conclusion, while I recognise the possible merits of charging admission fees for museums, I consider it to be detrimental act overall.
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Should the government support agriculture?
Agriculture is closely related to personal life as well as national safety and stability. I completely agree that governments should attach great significance to agricultural development.
Governments should make food security as one of top priorities to guarantee people are well fed. Although there are many areas that governments should allocate budgets and resources, such as education, health care, science and technology, agriculture is prerequisite to development of any other areas. In recent years, rising temperature, drought and flood, and deteriorating pests and diseases all have been threatening food production, which is more serous considering the increasing number of world population. Without sufficient food, all the efforts in modernization and industrialization are in vain. In such case, the government which totally relies on import of grain, vegetables and fruits tend to in peril when food supply and transportation cannot be maintained in warfare or famine.
The major reason that it is the government’s responsibility to support agriculture rather than private corporations is that the required budget is particularly large and the investment is non-profitable. For example, to cultivate a new type of cereal resistant to pests, scientists have to spend several years conducting researches and tests. Such scientific researches need continued investment and professionals’ years of efforts. If profit-orientated enterprises were the major player in agriculture, they would raise food price to guarantee their returns on investment. The poor, therefore, find it more difficult to make their ends meet, and feel desperate and hopeless, which may increase crime rates and lead to a potential threat to social security.
In conclusion, it is the government’s responsibility to support scientific research on agriculture for the sake of personal well-fare and national security.
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