Yao Ming is just one signal of our shared love of basketball.

我们都知道环境问题是雅思议论文中一个比较热门的考题，我们曾经遇到过：

The environmental problems are becoming worse. What can we do to help to make it better?/ Some people say that solving environmental problems should only be the government concern, companies and individuals can hardly make any effort. What is your opinion?

总统讲话中关于环境的内容还是比较多的，总统认为中国和美国作为两个世界大国，应该在环境问题的解决上起到领导和主导作用。政府应当首当其冲的站在一个积极保护环境的立场。

In the United States, I think we are learning how to develop buildings that use much less energy, that are much more energy-efficient. And I know that with Shanghai, as I traveled and I saw all the cranes and all the new buildings that are going up, it's very important for us to start incorporating these new technologies so that each building is energy-efficient when it comes to lighting, when it comes to heating. And so it's a terrific opportunity I think for us to learn from each other.

So let me give you a specific example, and that is the issue we were just discussing of climate change. The United States and China are the world's two largest emitters of greenhouse gases, of carbon that is causing the planet to warm. Now, the United States, as a highly developed country, as I said before, per capita, consumes much more energy and emits much more greenhouse gases for each individual than does China. On the other hand, China is growing at a much faster pace and it has a much larger population. So unless both of our countries are willing to take critical steps in dealing with this issue, we will not be able to resolve it.

讲话中总统还运用了美国本土的俚语：I don't know if there's a similar saying in China -- we have a saying: "You made your bed, now you have to sleep in it." 而这句话用在雅思犯罪类的作文里是再贴切不过的了，类似于中文的“咎由自取”。

在总统讲话中，还有多处提到了教育问题，文化融合问题，科技进步问题，这些问题都和雅思议论文密切相关，不失为一篇好的学习写作的背景文章。