Question
People who read book for pleasure can be better developed in imagination and language skills than watching TV, to what extent you agree or disagree? Some people spend more time reading books, while others prefer to watch TV. The former group are more likely to develop creative imaginations and have a much better grasp of language skills. Do you agree or disagree?
Sample answer
Since the invention of TV sets, reading books has lost its popularity. Instead, increasing number of people including children are becoming couch potatoes. However, in terms of the development of imagination and language skills, I agree that such tradition as reading is more effective than watching TV.
Regardless of languages or races, reading books is widely employed to develop children’sintelligence and language skills. The most important reason can be that words enable readers to picture what they read and there is no restriction for such imaginative thinking. In addition, readers are allowed to pause, and reflect on the part that they like or they do not have a clear understanding of. Reading is also an effective way of improving written language skills. This isproven by the phenomenon that children who like reading at an early age tend to have a higher level of literacy and read faster than those who often watch TV.
Certainly watching TV has certain advantages for people to be more creative and expressive. TV programs are usually presented in verbal languages and therefore the watchers are encouraged to express themselves orally. They tend to speak faster and clearer and have a larger vocabulary in the context of popular culture. Of course, TV watchers can also speculate the plot of a TV drama, but the more pictures and sounds to offer, the more limits on imagination as they are presented in such a way that there is little need for the watchers to use their brain actively. Anotherirrefutable proof can be the great ancient philosophers, ideologists and litterateurs who livedprior to the creation of TV sets but by no means lacked brilliant abstract thinking and expressing skills.
My personal view is that people should be encouraged to read books rather than watch TV. The reasons include that books allow more freedom for readers to imagine and inspire deeper understanding of written material. Watch TV can also be utilized to cultivate these faculties to some extent but in a less effective way.
