Writing Feedback / [toefl task] Is the purpose of television to educate, not to entertain? [5]

Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? The purpose of television is to educate, not to entertain.

With rapid technological advancement, there were many devices that became almost a part of our lives. Among them, television takes a very prominent position. Accordingly, there is a heated discussion on the purpose of television. While some people believe that the purpose of TV is to educate, other people do not share the same opinion. As far as I am concerned, this device aims at entertainment.

Initially, TV is one of the most significant means for amusement. After 8-hour working or study, people are so exhausted that they may be reluctant to spend time on education and they only want to relax and release their emotions. As a result, generally audience rating on entertainment programs is second to none. An authentic report appearing on the Journal of TV would add great weight to this reason. It shows that during 6p.m. to 10p.m. people prefer entertainment programs such as talk shows or talent shows to education ones like discoveries or BBC History. What's more, the data is from all over the world, so people's regarding television as the means of amusement is a common and prevalent phenomenon.

Furthermore, mindful of a wide range of audiences with assorted interest and different literate levels, it appears far from feasible that TV programs meet all demands on education from large audiences. For instance, as a university student majoring in electrical engineering, I have never seen any program that conveys knowledge about this field. Almost all education programs are teaching children aged roughly 5 to 10 what the probable social manners are. Therefore, education programs fail to satisfy demands on particular knowledge and people should not consider TV as an educational way.

Admittedly TV indeed provides certain educational courses somewhat like online courses, but education is merely the additional function to TV and is far from its intention. As everyone knows, coke adding lemon can prevent from cold to some extents but none would regard it as a drug instead of a drink.

After all, the function of TV is various. We can not only relax but also get education via TV. Nevertheless, function is not equal to purpose. Therefore, I assert that the purpose of television is still to entertain.

Writing Feedback / 'depends on the age'; should teachers assign homework for students every day? [6]

Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Teachers should assign homework for students every day.

With the increasingly intense competition, people have to absorb more knowledge or novel concepts to avoid being eliminated. Such demand also applies to students and teachers assign daily homework for their students accordingly. However, is daily homework necessary for students? While some people believe that there is no completely sound reason to assign homework for students every day, other people do not share the same perspective. As far as I am concerned, whether daily homework is essential depends on the age of students.

Initially, there is no need to assign homework every day for primary students. As we all known, play is one of instincts of kids. During this period of time, children should not be subject to suppression to nature and stress from study. What's more, playing with friends fosters the cultivation of children's social manners. For example, this year Shanghai Education Department has decided to establish a rule that do not assign homework for primary students. The department leader says that the knowledge that primary students need to absorb is so easy that they can obtain it without repeated practice; meanwhile it is high time to cultivate the interest of study for students and too much assignment might cause negative impacts to students.

Furthermore, teachers ought to assign daily homework for junior school and senior high school students. During such spell, students should form good study habits such as reviewing after class and preparing before class. Besides, since new concepts in this time is difficult to acquire, students are necessary to repetitive train to effectively and efficiently obtain knowledge. An authentic report appearing in the journal of education shows that senior students in Shanghai are second to none not only in reading but also in math. Behind this phenomenon, Shanghai students have to stay up to do homework every day, so they have the advantage over students in other areas. Apparently, daily homework dramatically contributes to learning for them.

Last but not least, it seems kind of ridiculous that teachers assign homework for university students. Given that university students have the capability of independent study, even though the professors never assign homework, they would do some practice to understand brand new concepts. As an engineering student, for instance, my professors almost never give assignment. It is because we would read materials involved on our own. And given that my major is focusing on practice, it is hard to do experiments in my home.

After all, the condition of students in each period is so complex that the question whether teachers should assign homework every day cannot be simply answered. For students roughly 10 to 18, daily homework is in need; conversely teachers have no vital reason to give assignment for other students.

Writing Feedback / [toefl task] TELEPHONE or TELEVISION? Which one is more effective in people's life? [8]

Do you agree that telephones are playing a more effective role than television in people's life?

With rapid technological advancement, there were many devices that became almost a part of our lives. Among them a telephone and a television take very prominent positions. While some people believe that telephones play a more effective role in our lives than television, others do not agree with this view. However, I deem that telephones more considerably contribute to leading our lives comfortably.

To begin with, a telephone has changed the way that people contact each other. Devoid of telephones, people keep in touch via letters which are apparently inefficient compared with telephones. In this way, contacting another people in a different area needs at least one week. Whereas owning to telephones, the human's dream, effective, efficient and synchronal communication, has come true. Currently, we can communicate with friends, family members and colleagues each day as long as we want to. Before the arrival of a telephone at my home, for instance, I kept in touch with my grandma who living in a city 100 miles away. Every month, at most two letters would be delivered to me. Notably, such way is so inefficient that we usually had to note what to tell. Worse yet, even so many things had still been missed. Ironically, after telephone's advent, we never have to note the things because we contact each other almost every day. Therefore, it is a telephone that renders my life effective and efficient.

Furthermore, telephones make the distance between people to people closer. In ancient time, every country seems detached as an island. Accordingly, it is far from imaginable that people in different countries or remote areas might know each other. However, nowadays we can talk to a distant stranger merely through a telephone. My friend Jane is furthering her education in Germany, while I am in China. At the beginning of her German experience, she felt depress for a brand new surroundings. She called on me roughly three times each week to release her emotion. It is a telephone that makes us nearby.

There are two sides to every coin. Televisions have made certain contributions as well. Thanks to televisions, word spreads what is happening in the world by televisions. However with the rapid development of internet technology, a computer can be regarded as a substitute of a television. So now the merits of televisions have been undermined to a large extent.

To sum up, the role which telephones play on people's lives cannot be exaggerated more, while televisions' have been slight gradually. Thus, I incubate an idea that telephones are playing a more effective role than televisions on people's lives

Writing Feedback / 'telephones rank first and television second' - what have a bigger impact in people's life? [9]

Do you agree that telephones are playing a more effective role than television in people's life?

During the twentieth century, there are great deals of invents, such as telephone and television, making profound impacts throughout our lives. Recently, there is certain magazine which has conducted a survey to elect which invent plays a most effective role in people's lives. As a result, telephones rank first, which televisions are second to. As far as I'm concerned, whereas, they play equally effective roles in our lives.

To begin with, thanks to the arrival of telephone, contacting people throughout the world has become feasible and convenient. Furthermore according to an authoritative report, mostly people would get attack by anxiety devoid of telephones. So the influence brought by telephones is notable and cannot be exaggerated more. In Qing dynasty, for instance, if the king wanted to tell a minister in a remote province about certain significant word, he had to send a person with a letter from Beijing to a place several thousand kilometers from the Forbidden City, which would require several months plus was nice and arduous. Besides, the letter might be lost to a large extent. Currently, however, we can inform people of word just via making a telephone call. Therefore, the influence of telephone has not been minimal.

As there is no coin just one side, television owns its merits, such as countless information's spreading. As a result, we are capable to obtain what is happening over the world with vivid screen and are undergoing the era of information explosion, which is the advantage belonging to television only. During the period of the 2012 London Olympic Game, for example, I along with my grandma watched the opening ceremony through television. My grandma told me when she was a little girl, watching such ceremony was far from imaginable. Nowadays owning to the great creation, television, the unimaginable has been turned to the imaginable. Thus, On this level, I assert that television has had a much greater impact on people's lives.

To sum up, it is inadequate to simply say that the telephone has had a greater influence on people's lives than the television because both have some outstanding functions that cannot be overtaken by the other. Consequently, I subscribe to the opinion that the two objects have both had a significant bearing on people's lives.