TOEFL iBT Academic Discussion and Writing Will papaer books be obsolete?

Lesson 18  Question

Will the prevalence of traditional paper books diminish as we progress through the forthcoming decades?

 

 

☆Let’s think

・When you buy a new book, do you buy a paper copy or digitized one like Kindle books? Why?

・Has the number of bookshops in your town diminished over the past 10 years?

・Why do some people like paper books？

 

 

☆Hints for points

Agree

・Computers make information search more efficient.

・Thousands of books are stored in an electronic reader.

・Many functions allow quicker and better learning.

 

Disagree

・Traditional paper books provide more reliable information.

・They help deeper understanding on a specific subject.

・They are handier than electronic books as they need neither a special device nor electricity.

・They are easier on the eyes than LED screens.

 

 

☆Sample Responses

A        I think the number of paper books will diminish as we already see it happening. People don’t buy paper books anymore for several reasons. First, digitized books are usually cheaper than paper books. Second, their availability is much better than paper books for a physical reason. They are often available before the paper versions, and even when both are available, it takes technically no time to download a copy while it takes days and weeks to have a paper copy sent by mail. Third, people have stopped reading books. They seek source of information online like Google search, social media, or YouTube, where comments of the people who read are available. Of course, this is a challenge to the intelligence level of all humanities and it is a problem to solve, but it is just the fact. The essence of books is information, and rapidly advancing information technology makes paper books obsolete as a medium for the mass. Even though book-reading must be encouraged, the medium to choose may not be the matter of guidance, and traditional paper books will not be chosen any more. (186 words)

 

B        It may be counterintuitive, but information technology cannot digitize all the functions of paper books. When digital books became available, I thought I would read all books, including books for studies, online and buy only my favorite novels as a token of my love for the author. However, the reality was to the contrary. The reason is the difference of usability between these two forms of books. It is rather difficult to hop around from page to page according to my thought on an electronic device while a paper copy allows me to find any page in less than a second just by flipping through the pages. As a result, I need to buy paper versions of books for studies for complicated reading activities like rereading and bookmarking and this is my experience as an ordinary reader. Professional readers like researchers and writers may need paper copies for underlining, writing in, cutting up, and filing. Digitized books may have the same kind of functions, but they are not really the same as those of paper books. True reading necessitates a substantial existence, a real book, to get the job done. Therefore, the need for paper books will not diminish.

 (200 words)

 

 

Your Sample Response

 

Introduction (Outline)

 

Supporting Details

 

 

Conclusion (Wrap-up)

 

 

Write your response in 10 minutes. Show each other your responses. Write down questions or suggestions to each other’s response.

 

                                               DRAFT