Writing Topic
Consider the following statement. Computers can provide all the
information that once could be found only in books, and therefore, it will not
be long before electronic technology makes books unnecessary. Do you agree or
disagree with this idea? Support your response by including specific reasons
and examples.
☆Hints for Points
Agree: information search … more efficient / thousands of books in
an electronic reader / many functions that allow quicker and better learning
Disagree: no need for electricity / some information that cannot be
digitized (copy right, when the book itself provides information) / more
reliable information
☆Paragraph
Development
Paragraph development is a key to making your essay convincing. If a
paragraph has only one sentence or two, it lacks some essential sentences such
as supporting details (background information), or the main idea. A sample of a
paragraph development is as follows:
【Main Idea】 To represent the paragraph
briefly
【Explanation】 To show exactly what you
mean by the main idea
【Detail / Example】 To provide a specific
example
【Follow up】 To make up for some
information lacking in the example
【Conclusion】
To wrap up the paragraph
♦Sample
paragraph development:
【Main Idea】 E-books will make learning more efficient.
【Explanation】
Their functions will help faster and more active learning.
【Detail / Example】 For example, by pointing
a word you do not know, you can look into the dictionary installed in the
electronic reader for the word. You can also refer to the related information
of a particular person or event, often accompanied by sound, picture, and
video. With the help of these functions, you can learn more quickly, actively
and instinctively.
【Follow up】 It is true that to have a deeper understanding of a subject, you
might need to read some books, but digitized books help form a general idea of
a topic efficiently.
【Conclusion】
It will not be long before school provides students with
tablets instead of textbooks.
♦Your test
paragraph development:
【Main Idea】
【Explanation】
【Detail / Example】
【Follow up】
【Conclusion】
☆Essay for Ideas and Expressions
I
do not have the impression that books will soon become antiques that you seldom
see in your daily lives, at least in lives of people who read.
Technically,
computers and electronic readers can replace books in the near future. In terms
of information search, it is usually much more efficient to use computers than
it is to go to the library or subscribe to a paper newspaper or two; books that
purely provide information such as dictionaries and encyclopedias have almost
gone extinct. Tablets and electronic readers have displays pretty close to the
surface of book pages and allow flipping. It might not be long before functions
for flipping through, underlining, or writing in are added. Ultimately, the
difference will be literally either paper or electric. Here I think is the answer
to this question. Paper books will not become totally unnecessary because they
exist in the non-virtual world.
First,
libraries will keep paper books even though they have been digitizing as many
books as possible over decades. Paper and electric books complement each other
in their physical shortcomings. Unlike e-books, paper books are bulky and
vulnerable to nature such as fire and fungi, yet they are important resources
because of their feature as tangible objects. They are ready to be read any
time if you just pick them up and open them. Computers need electricity. For
fear of blackouts, cyber-terrorism, or accidents that will disable access to or
cause damage on digital archive, hard copies will always be kept in libraries
and archives. Paper books to human knowledge will be what bankbooks are to our
accounts. No one would say that bankbooks are unnecessary.
In
private libraries, books might gradually disappear but will never be “unnecessary.”
Digital books occupy no space and this is attractive for most of us, who do not
live in a mansion. Therefore, natural selection, in fact the owner’s selection,
of books in our bookshelves which is always at work will be accelerated as many
more cheaper digitalized versions will be available. But I think some books
will remain, those books to which you have some personal attachment. They are
in your shelf as proof of your life itself. It is hard to imagine readers
throwing away their favorite books and downloading e-books of the same titles.
I do not think they will no matter how small apartments they live in, and I think
some of their books will establish the same kind of relationship with the next
owners after their death, and this will be repeated until they are worn out and
naturally perish. It would take long for all paper books to disappear this way,
and they will just disappear, treasured by someone till the last moment.
Therefore, paper books will never become unnecessary.
The
substantial presence of books will be necessary in a digitized society. Paper
books will be preserved forever as the originals. Good books will always be
loved and needed by their owners until someday they are not available in print,
and probably some special books such as the Bible, the Koran, or Bruce
Springsteen’s biography, whose existence is indispensable for many people, will
always be in demand.
