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B区-科技\现代化类
B.科技、现代化类:38、114、147、150、151、196、197
38. "In the age of television, reading books is not as important as it once was. People can learn as much by watching television as they can by reading books."
1.Thailand 5.5
From the time humans first used written communication in the form cave paintings, writing has been a primary medium for preserving and disseminating human thought. Whith invention of the Guttenburg's press in the 15th century, books, written once, copied many times, became the single most important carrier of human intelect.
This was to be the case for many centuries, until, first the radio, and then the television came into existence. For the first time, people had a choice of mediums to learn from. Yet, is it true to say that the box is superior to the books in terms education value ? My firm belief is that this is not the case. It is my opinion that despite all the advances in technology, the medium of television has a long way to go to catch up with books.
The proponents of television argue, that while books are mostly text with a few pictures thrown in, the television, being and audio visual media, is able to engage two of our key senses. Furthermore, the information in a book is static, yet the television is a dynamic array of visual imagery and sounds. The television is capable of showing us events "live", as they are unfolding on a far flung corner of earth. These supporters of the television also point at that when we read books, we are seeing the world through the eyes of the author. This second hand view is often distorted by the biases and the prejudices of the author. Thus, they claim, that the television we can learn more from television than we can from reading books.
This, I agree, is the case if we were to define learning as the absorption of information. In my opinion, human learning is not just garnering information. That is something that machines do. For us, learning is much more. It is a process of imagination, a process of acquiring others' experiences, a process of understanding and thereby gaining wisdom.
Television leaves very little to our imagination. Even if it did, our senses are bombarded to such an extent by a never ending salvo of sights and sounds that we hardly have time to digest them. The human mind has to expend a tremendous amount of effort to make sense of those 24 frames that the eye sees every second. This does not give it time to form and understanding about the subject matter.
In contrast, when reading books, the mind is actively engaged in mentally visualizing the concepts presented as text. One can read books at one's own leisure. The reader decides the rate at which he or she reads the book. This enables us to alter the pace of information processing in our minds, thus enabling us to forge rapidly through concepts that are not too deep, and mull over concepts that are profound.
If the information were food, we gobble it down without having time to savour its taste when we watch television. When we read books, we get to relish it.
When we watch television, we can only share the experiences of a mechanical device, the camera. When we read a book, we can see how the author sees the world. We can see the world through anothers eyes. We can share the experiences of the author. The author is a human being. We can feel a sense of affinity towards him or her. Can we feel the same affinity towards a cathode ray tube ?
In sum, while there is no doubt that the television can be a great aid in learning, it is not yet ready to usurp the book as our primary source of intellectual nourishment.
2.usa
In contemporary society, information gained from every source possible is worth perceiving and insightful. Whether importance given to the television should be weighed more or should it be given to the books depends on the usage for receiving the information. Each has its own place and importance in the contemporary life. Lets look into the issue, which states that television and reading books are mutually exclusive.
Books and television have both carved their importance in the society over a period of time. Books are helpful in many different ways. To support my view, lets consider libraries. Libraries are not only used to store archives of books, but also wide ranges of categories of books are available. Starting from baroque to contemporary information could be retrieved from library. People get very much benefited with libraries, as they get to learn and gain lot of knowledge. On the other hand, people looking for specific information, may not find television helpful. They would choose books it would give more specific details than television can.
Another example that can be considered to support my view is, when it comes to kids, people tend to choose books over television. Books help the kids to think positively and develop a positive personality. For example, moral stories teach kids how to be benevolent. Mythological stories teach how to be courageous and fight with evildoers. Some might argue that children programs on the televisions are doing a wonderful job in teaching kids. Disadvantages with the television could be that kids might tired by watching television for hours. They may not even like thinking or remember anything from the program, which may hinder their learning process.
However, television has its own place in the society. It has become a basic need for contemporary life. For instance, it is helpful to watch daily weather in severe and harsh winters. Moreover, it gives variety of information on daily news, home and gardening, and home d閏or.
These days, television is also connected with Internet, which basically provides a box, which serves 慳ll-in-one?purpose. Even though, daily news and weather can be found in everyday newspapers, people may choose television over newspapers, as it is easily accessible in the busy mornings. Therefore, it not only serves as a need but also, as an entertainer. After work, people tend to switch on television than sticking to the books, as it gives the daily information that was missed during work. Moreover, it works as a relaxation to relieve people out of stress.
On the whole, I concur to the point that, importance should be given to television or reading books depends on the information needed and usage of that information. Both are equally weighed in this contemporary society as they have their own advantages and disadvantages.
114."Humanity has made little real progress over the past century or so. Technological innovations have taken place, but the overall condition of humanity is no better. War, violence, and poverty are still with us. Technology cannot change the condition of humanity."
From samples
Have technological innovations of the last century failed to bring about true progress for humanity, as the statement contends? Although I agree that technology cannot ultimately prevent us from harming one another, the statement fails to account for the significant positive impact that the modem-industrial and computer revolutions have had on the quality of life at least in the developed world. I agree with the statement insofar as there is no technological solution to the enduring problems of war, poverty, and violence, for the reason that they stem from certain aspects of human nature--such as aggression and greed. Although future advances in biochemistry might enable us to "engineer away" those undesirable aspects, in the meantime it is up to our economists, diplomats, social reformers, and jurists--not our scientists and engineers—to mitigate these problems.
Admittedly, many technological developments during the last century have helped reduce human suffering. Consider, for instance, technology that enables computers to map Earth's geographical features from outer space. This technology allows us to locate lands that can be cultivated for feeding malnourished people in third-world countries. And, few would disagree that humanity is the beneficiary of the myriad of 20th-Century innovations in medicine and medical technology--from prostheses and organ transplants to vaccines and lasers.
Yet, for every technological innovation helping to reduce human suffering is another that has served primarily to add to it. For example, while some might argue that nuclear weapons serve as invaluable "peace-keepers," this argument flies in the face of the hundreds of thousands of innocent people murdered and maimed by atomic blasts. More recently, the increasing use of chemical weapons for human slaughter points out that socalled "advances" in biochemistry can amount to net losses for humanity. Notwithstanding technology's limitations in preventing war, poverty, and violence, 20th-Century technological innovation has enhanced the overall standard of living and comfort level of developed nations. The advent of steel production and assembly-line manufacturing created countless jobs, stimulated economic growth, and supplied a plethora of innovative conveniences. More recently, computers have helped free up our time by performing repetitive tasks; have aided in the design of safer and more attractive bridges, buildings, and vehicles; and have made possible universal access to information.
Of course, such progress has not come without costs. One harmful byproduct of industrial progress is environmental pollution, and its threat to public health. Another is the alienation of assembly-line workers from their work. And, the Internet breeds information overload and steals our time and attention away from family, community, and coworkers. Nevertheless, on balance both the modern-industrial and computer revolutions have improved our standard of living and comfort level; and both constitute progress by any measure.
In sum, enduring problems such as war, poverty, and violence ultimately spring from human nature, which no technological innovation short of genetic engineering can alter. Thus the statement is correct in this respect. However, ifwe define "progress" more narrowly--in erms of economic standard of living and comfort level--recent technological innovations have indeed brought about clear progress for humanity.
147. "A crucial test of character is whether one is able to adapt to changing social conventions without sacrificing one's principles."
1.India
The issue at hand that "A crucial test of character is whether one is able to adapt to changing social conventions without sacrificing one's principles" is a contentious one. On the one side of the coin, it is the principles of a person that defines his/her character and brings an image in general. Therefore a person should always have certain principles guiding him/her and should abide by those principles, however hard it is to manage them. On the flip side, certain principles that a person sets to help him travel smoothly on the path of life, might cause some inconvenience to others and it is advisable to change those principles. Principles are a good-to-have characteristics, as long as they dont cause any trouble to others. Hence, it is equally important to have certain principles guiding our conduct and certain principles open for emendations as and when necessary.
Consuming alcoholic drinks during a formal party or an informal get-together is a common practice among many people these days. If a person has a principle of teetotalism, he/she might find it difficult to have a drink during these parties. The crucial part is being able to say NO and stick to a soft drink or a beverage of some other kind. Most of the times people find it hard to say NO to their closest friends if its an informal party and to their superiors if its a company gathering. A person who sticks to his principle of NOT-CONSUMING-ALCOHOLIC-DRINKS, come what may, is a real winner. He is the one who could adapt to the changing social conventions without sacrificing his/her principles. Same is the case with most college students. According to a survey conducted among college going youngsters and teenagers, fifty percent of them started drinking alocohol, or doing drugs and smoking pot just because they couldn't say NO to their friends. Hence it is the duty of the parents to teach their kids how to say NO when they are offered something like that. This would not only help them develop a good character, but also would help them to keep away from hazardous materials.
Another best example would be that of the usage of four lettered words or vulgar language. Say for example a person A doesnot want to use any such derogatory language. But, unfortunately his friends all use such kind of language during a colloquy. His ability to abide by his little principle of not using any such language but still being able to take part in the conversation defines his character. Sometimes, people might even be teased if they try to stick to their principles, but that person who can withstand all the comments and still stick to his/her principle is the winner.
Now looking on the flip side wherein people should be flexible enough to change their principles, I would like to mention about a general problems that a few foreign students generally face after they move to the US. In the southern parts of India, it is customary to eat by hand and not with a spoon. But once students from these parts of the India move to the US to pursue their higher education, they would find that it is a general practice to eat using a fork and spoon here in the US. So most of them learn to use these cutlery after they come here. If someone wants to stick to their principle of eating with hand, it would only cause inconvenience to other diners at the restaurants. Hence, as a courtesy to other people, an individual should be open to change his principles about eating and try to follow the social convention of a place that he/she is residing in. Changing such principles will only enhance one's character than diminishing it.
Hence, in some cases, people should stick to their principles and still find a way to adapt to the chaging social conventions, whereas in other cases they should be open for a total make-over. In summation, I would like to say that a combination of both adhering to one's principles and changing as situation demands, will define an individual's character in a better way.
2.BY HEHUI
147. Tradition and modernization are incompatible. One must choose between them. (490, 50’’)
简要提纲:
1. 引言(小故事)+转折后提出主题:传统与现代相互影响\相互依赖,共同为人类服务
2. 现代化由不断累积传统知识而来(现代化依赖传统):例子-天文学
3. 现代化帮助保护传统文化遗产(现代手段作用于传统):例子-中国的云冈石窟与网上博物馆
4. 传统与现代因素共同作用为人类服务:小排比
5. 简单总结
There is an interesting Chinese popular story of "coffee or tea": a grandpa and his grandson both like to drink something in the morning to keep them alert. The grandpa favor Chinese traditional tea while the grandson prefers western style coffee. Neither of them is willing to try the other's choice. At the first glance, the little story demonstrate us a picture of the incompatibility of the grandfather who represents the tradition and the grandson standing for the modern world. However, the true relationship between tradition and modernization is, on the contrary, interactive and interdependent, and most importantly, they both serve the same master, that is mankind.
On the one hand, modernization is not a concept which abruptly comes into this world from nil; it is actually originated or transformed from the relative tradition. The great amount of accumulative knowledge is strong support to the point. How we now know so deeply about the celestial world, the stars, galaxies, space and universe. We know them through traditional documents handed down for generations. Admittedly, today we have extremely advanced tools and methods to discover the outer space, and most of the traditional ways are no longer come into use. But without those old records, even the most sophisticated telescope and the most accurate computer can tell us nothing but ungrounded postulations. In brief, we cannot acquire today's modernization without the achievements of formal people, in another word, modernization, in some sense, depends on tradition.
On the other hand, modern technology helps to protect and elongate the traditional heritages. One of the world heritages in China, the Yungan Grottoes, has been endangered by the damage from the increasing number of tourists these years. Now, scientists and computer experts provide a new way to appreciate the spectacular work without going to it, the computer-based Grottoes Museum. You can inspect every detail of each grotto, from each angle, as if you are walking in it by yourself. All you need to do are only simple clicks and drags of your mouse. Thus by encouraging tourists to visit the on-line museum, the great heritage may be well preserved for the following generations.
One thing I want to emphasize is that we do not have to choose between tradition and modernization because they are here both to serve us. On the aesthetic phase, whether a traditional style or a modern one is not the real concern, what is important is that we gain entertainment through them. On a more practical phase, say in scientific areas, a traditional way of observation and a modern one can be combined to pursue the same goal. It is not tradition or modernization that distinguishes itself from the other, it is our attitudes towards them which do it.
In sum, tradition and modernization are not only compatible, but also interactive and interdependent; they work together to serve us human beings.
150. Because of television and worldwide computer connections, people can now become familiar with a great many places that they have never visited. As a result, tourism will soon become obsolete.
简要提纲:
1.科技大大方便了我们的生活,足不出户就可以了解世界的信息.但人们对旅游有着本能的渴望
2.we go out for a complete relaxation both of our bodies and our hearts.
3.more importantly, we are driven by our curiosity and enthusiasm to go out.
4.what's the role of the modern media such as television and computer connection, unlike what the title statement indicate, they bring more positive effects to tourism than causing the it to an end.
5.admittedly, sometimes those advanced methods do reduce the number of tourists to certain sights. for example computer-based museum encourage people to make online visits instead of going to it personally. However the intent of it is to protect the natural and cultural heritages in order to make more people accessible to them.
正文:
The modern communication media such as television and World Wide Web has brought great changes to our daily life, making us available to all sorts of worldwide information without stepping out of our living rooms. But does that mean that because we can learn some knowledge about the places we want to visit, we will never go out ourselves? As long as we question ourselves why we travel, we may see our inner craving for travel. And as a result, tourism will never become obsolete.
We go out for a complete relaxation both of our bodies and of our hearts. We want to return to nature to get ourselves refreshed; we want to experience all the enjoyment on our trips. But all these cannot be achieved by television and Internet. Even the most advanced television set or computer, with the highest definition and the most vivid sound, are fundamentally nothing but flat screens. They may display to us the most beautiful natural scenery, but they cannot bring the fresh air in the morning mountains, they may show us the finest beach in the world, but they are impossible to bring us the healthy brown skin basked in the Hawaii sun; they may tell us what things like, but they cannot let us know what things really are. One cannot enjoy the fantastic Roast Duck (one of Beijing, China's famous local foods) or smell the aroma of French patisserie by watching a cuisine program or browsing a web page. Neither can we learn the true attraction of skiing without going to ski resorts in body. We need relaxation, not only by entertaining our eyes or ears but also the whole bodies and hearts. How can televisions and computers do that?
Moreover, travel functions beyond an entertainment; it is also an important way for us to communicate with other people and to express our deep love to our friends and families, whereas televisions and computers may offer little help. Many people enjoy going to hiking or a picnic with their family members and friends. Sometimes they even do not care whether their destination is attractive or not, the point is that they get a time to share with each other, a chance to further understand each other and to make each other happy. In turn, traveling can make us new friends too. During visiting a new place, we meet new people. Unlike watching the images of a western cowboy in jeans wear or a weird-dressed Mongolian nomad on television, we meet them face to face, we may talk to them, and may even change ideas with them. All these are magical experiences which we can never gain via even the most reportorial television program.
Another point that should not be missed is that we go traveling, driven by our eternal human natures of curiosity and enthusiasm of life. We can never resist the temptation to explore the outside world, especially those faraway and strange places. We can consider those adventurous travelers, or to say explorers, as the exemplifications to this point. In their views, appreciating or gaining the related knowledge of the new places are far from enough, and travel to them is challenge, both their challenge to the world and the challenge that the world put forward them. They are always eager to go anywhere they know by far. Therefore in this case, televisions and worldwide computer connections indeed assist them to go out, providing them plenty of information about new places, rather than impede them from traveling.
To summarize, however advanced the technology of television and computer goes, they will never substitute for our personal visit, because our yearning for travel is ingrained in our nature and hearts.
From manfen.net
150"Because of television and worldwide computer connections, people can now become familiar with a great many places that they have never visited. As a result, tourism will soon become obsolete."
由scortio发表:
TOP
Position:
Although I agree that these technologies might eventually serve to reduce travel for certain purposes other than tourism. However, I strongly disagree that tourism will become obsolete, or that it will even decline, as a result.
A. As for the claim that television will render tourism obsolete, we already have sufficient empirical evidence that this will simply not happen.
B. On the contrary television may have actually served to spark people's interest in visiting other places.
C. The speaker unfairly assumes that the purpose of tourism is simply to obtain information about other people or places and the scenes on the internet can replace travelling to the real places.
D. Moreover, in my view tourism will continue to thrive for the same reason that people still go out for dinner or to the movies: we all need to get away from our routines and surroundings from time to time. Computer cannot alter this basic human needs.
E. Admittedly, travel for purposes other than tourism might eventually decline, as the business world becomes increasingly dependent on the Internet.
由冰溟发表:
TOP
There is an element of truth in the above statement that people can become familiar with a great many places equipped with the knowledge aquired from television and worldwide computer connections,but it is unlikely to be true that tourism will therefore become obsolete .
a.Television and internet provide numourous information for every aspect of our lives ,of course,including tourism.When you want to know about an arresting place ,the only thing you need to do is to move you mouse and then prepare to appreciate it.
b. It is entirely possible that people who is familiar with a place through advanced media will have stronger willing to visit it.After all,it has enormous difference between the practical visition and the only appreciation of its pictures.
由macaw发表:
TOP
150"Because of television and worldwide computer connections, people can now become familiar with a great many places that they have never visited. As a result, tourism will soon become obsolete."
absolutely disagree
1 by our experience, at least present, television and www net only serve as a tool of introducing places to people, because it is nearly impossible that present the whole perspectives of some good places.
2 people engaging in tourism is not only for the senery of that place but for a need of an alternative outlook, a change of atmosphere ,a diversion of effort, all of these can not be substituted by watching TV and surfing on the net.
3. Furthermore, as more and more works require all day's sedentary working, the need for outgoing is more crucial for people.
由pkid发表:
TOP
because of the use of tv and computers,people can know more places they never hear about,and thus can to some extent promote the tourism business.
由epic发表:
TOP
disagree, information or knowledge absorbed from television or computer cannot replace the exciting experience from tourism.
1. although the highly developed devices will help us broaden our ken or horizon, yet only via thyself experiences can we better communicate with the nature.
2. moreover, the devices may ignite our interests for viewing the famous places through tourism.
3. combine the knowledge from devices and that from our own experiences can help us realize the nature and human society better.
151. High-speed electronic communications media, such as electronic mail and television, tend to prevent meaningful and thoughtful communication.
India
Do high-speed means of communication, particularly television and computers, tend to prevent meaningful and thoughtful communication, as the speaker suggests? Although ample empirical evidence suggests so with respect to television, the answer is far less dear when it comes to communication via computers. Few would argue that since its inception broadcast television has greatly enhanced communication to the masses. The circulation of even the most widely read newspapers pales compared to the number of viewers of popular television news programs. Yet traditional television is a one-way communications medium, affording viewers no opportunity to engage those so-called "talking heads" in dialogue or respond.
Of course, there is nothing inherent about television that prevents us from meaningful and thoughtful communication with each other. In fact, in television's early days it was a fairly common occurrence for a family to gather around the television together for their favorite show, then afterwards discuss among themselves what they had seen and heard. Yet over time television has proven itself to serve primarily as a baby-sitter for busy parents, and as an means of escape for those who wish to avoid communicating with the people around them. Moreover, in the pursuit of profit, network executives have determined over time that the most effective uses of the medium are for fast-paced entertainment and advertising--whose messages are neither thoughtful nor meaningful.
Do computers offer greater promise for thoughtful and reflective communication than television? Emphatically, yes. After all, media such as email and the Web are interactive by design. And the opportunity for two-way communication enhances the chances of meaningful and thoughtful communication. Yet their potential begs the question: Do these media in fact serve those ends? It is tempting to hasten that the answer is "yes" with respect to email; after are, we've all heard stories about how email has facilitated reunions of families and old friends, and new long-distance friendships and romances. Moreover, it would seem that two-way written communication requires far more thought and reflection than verbal conversation.
Nevertheless, email is often used to avoid face-to-face encounters, and in practice is used as a means of distributing quick memos. Thus on balance it appears that email serves as an impediment, not an aide, to thoughtful and reflective communication. With respect to Web-based communication, the myriad of educational sites, interactive and otherwise, is strong evidence that the Web tends to enhance, rather than prevent, meaningful communication. Distance learning courses made possible by the Web lend further credence to this assertion. Nonetheless, by all accounts it appears that the Web will ultimately devolve into a mass medium for entertainment and for e-commerce, just like traditional television. Meaningful personal interactivity is already yielding to advertising, requests for product information, buy-seU orders, and titillating adult-oriented content.
Thus, on balance these high-speed electronic media do indeed tend to prevent rather than facilitate meaningful and thoughtful communication. In the final analysis, any mass medium carries the potential for uplifting us, enlightening us, and helping us to communicate with and understand one another. However, by all accounts, television has not fulfilled that potential;and whether the Web will serve us any better is ultimately up to us as a society.
196. Technology creates more problems than it solves, and may threaten or damage the quality of life.
1. singapore
The advent of technological era has brought many changes which have made a considerable impact on human life. On one hand technology has remarkably improved our standard of living and solved many of our problems but on the other hand it has also exposed us to new problems some of which are irremediable.
There is no doubt that technological advances have made our lives easier. Thanks to them the world has become a global city. Now we can traverse several continents in a single day. We can gather loads of information with a single click of the mouse. We can talk to our friends when ever we want to. We enjoy the cool air of airconditioners during hot scorching summers and warmth of heaters in freezing winters. A lot of our manual tasks are taken up by machines, which manufacture, assemble and pack the products for them. People are leading longer and healthier lives due to development of vaccines and availability of state of art surgical equipment.They can travel to the moon and are exploring the space. All of this has been made possible only because of technological innovations.
However, every thing comes at a cost and hence we are paying a hefty price for relentless use of technological tools. The water we drink is no longer safe. The air we breathe is laden with the pollutants. The ozone layer that provided a natural protection again fiendish ultraviolet rays is depleting. Deforestation and strip mining is making vast areas of land barren.The balance of our ecosystem is greatly disturbed. A large number of organisms have become extinct and several more are on the verge of extinction and if proper measures are not adopted human beings might be one of them.
The baneful effects of technology have harmed our personal lives as well. Human beings have become slaves to their own machines. The pride of accomplishing a task all by ourselves is gone.The strong family ties have become tenuous and computers and televisions have become our family and friends. The confidential information is no longer safe from the hackers. The frustrations endured due to malfunctioning machines are making us amnesic. The development of vaccines has given rise to more virulent form of organisms some of which are incurable. We continuously feel threatened by chemical and biological weapons. A single atom bomb can erase millions of us with in seconds.Our peace of mind is lost.
In conclusion, though technology has improved our standard of living it has harmed our environment and detoriated the quality of life to a far greater extent.
2.from samples
Whether technology enhances or diminishes our overall quality of life depends largely on the type of technology one is considering. While mechanical automation may have diminished our quality of life on balance, digital automation is doing more to improve life than to undermine its quality.
First consider mechanical automation, particularly assembly-line manufacturing. With automation came a loss of pride in and alienation from one's work. In this sense, automation both diminished our quality of life and rendered us slaves to machines in our inability to reverse "progress." Admittedly, mechanical automation spawned entire industries, creating jobs, stimulating economic growth, and supplying a plethora of innovative conveniences. Nevertheless, the sociological and environmental price of progress may have outweighed its benefits.
Next consider digital technology. Admittedly, this newer form of technology has brought its own brand of alienation, and has adversely affected our quality of life in other ways as well. For example, computer automation, and especially the Internet, breeds information overload and steals our time and attention away from family, community, and coworkers. In these respects, digital technology tends to diminish our quality of life and create its own legion of human slaves. On the other hand, by relegating repetitive tasks to computers, digital technology has spawned great advances in medicine and physics, helping us to better understand the world, to enhance our health, and to prolong our lives. Digital automation has also emancipated architects, artists, designers, and musicians, by expanding creative possibilities and by saving time. Perhaps most important, however, information technology makes possible universal access to information, thereby providing a democratizing influence on our cultul:e.
In sum, while mechanical automation may have created a society of slaves to modern conveniences and unfulfRling work, digital automation holds more promise for improving our lives without enslaving us to the technology. |
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