Writing:
Some people claim that, in the age of television, reading books is not as important as it once was and that people can learn as much by watching television as they can by reading books. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Write an essay of about 400 words.
In the first part of your essay you should state clearly your main argument, and in the second part you should support your argument with appropriate details. In the last part you should bring what you have written to a natural conclusion or make a summary.
You should supply an appropriate title for your essay.
Marks will be awarded for content, organization, grammar and appropriateness. Failure to follow the above instructions may result in a loss of marks.
Sample
Books Speak as Loud as TV
This is an era filled with various scientific achievements, and television is one of the most flamboyant among them, influencing several generations' behavior by molding them into the same mindset regardless of their race, gender, and background. Intoxicated by the superficial success of TV culture, some throw the irresponsible statement that reading is not as important as it once was, for people can learn as much by watching television as they can by reading books. This is far from the truth. Though television has become an integral part of our daily lives, the role that books play is still irreplaceable and merits further advocating.
Admittedly, television gives us an option to traditional education through reading and classroom teaching. Indeed the vivid images it produces succeed in the education of children, who are much more inclined to accept visual information than abstract letters or characters. Television also raises our consciousness by providing the latest news and discoveries, extending our horizon by such documentary programs as "National Geographic" and "Discovery", whose contents might otherwise be unapproachable in an entire lifetime.
Despite all these advantages, the shortcomings of televisions are equally, if not more, apparent. Television stations operate as profit enterprises. Consequently, television programs are profit-based, and their commercial orientation drives them to be entertaining more so than educational, for the latter are typically less profitable.
Furthermore, watching television can neither provoke abstract thinking, which is most crucial in advanced scientific research, nor can it teach effective management and adequate control of written language. Written language carries the utmost importance in inheritance and dissemination of knowledge. Books contain the collective human experience, knowledge and wisdom. Human talents of abstract thought, logical dialogue, philosophy and writing style can be acquired only through the reading, digesting, and rumination of novels, texts, essays and speeches. Shallow, short-sighted, entertainment programs offer no such enrichment.
In addition, watching television tends to overemphasize machinery, ignoring humanity. Open an ancient book and read the comments by those living centuries ago, thousands of miles away. The book itself connects readers and writers across time and space, giving one the sense of belonging to one large human family. Lying on sofa watching television with popcorn in hand can only cause isolation, alienation and depression.
Borrowing the saying John Keats inscribed on his tombstone, we can describe television programs as "written on water". They are ephemeral. Whereas for books, as William Shakespeare wrote, "nothing of them doth fade/but doth suffer a seachange/ into something rich and strange".
暫無(wú)解析
Youmustpayimport____oncertaingoodsbroughtintothiscountry.
Idon’tknow______ashow.Canyoutellme?
WeexpectMr.Whitewill____ClassOnewhenMissJaneretires.
漢譯英：生活就像一杯紅酒，熱愛(ài)生活的人會(huì)從其中品出無(wú)窮無(wú)盡的美妙。將它握在手中仔細(xì)觀察，它的暗紅色中有血的感覺(jué)，那正是生命的痕跡。抿一口留在口中回味，它的甘甜中有一絲苦澀，如人生一般復(fù)雜迷離。喝一口下肚，余香沁人心脾，讓人終身受益。紅酒越陳越美味，生活越豐富越美好。當(dāng)人生走向晚年，就如一瓶待開(kāi)封的好酒，其色彩是沉靜的，味道中充滿慷慨與智慧。
漢譯英：手機(jī)改變了人與人之間的關(guān)系。通常有注意到會(huì)議室的門(mén)上的告示，寫(xiě)著―關(guān)閉手機(jī)。‖然而，會(huì)議室仍然充滿著鈴聲。我們都是普通人，沒(méi)有很多重要的事情。但是，我們也不愿輕易關(guān)閉手機(jī)。打開(kāi)手機(jī)象征著我們與世界的聯(lián)系。手機(jī)反映出我們的社交饑渴。我們經(jīng)常看到，一個(gè)人走著走著，就突然停下來(lái)了，眼睛盯著他的手機(jī)，不管他在那里，無(wú)論是在道路中心或旁邊有廁所。
