2019年10月12日科技类(观点型)

　　More and more people today are using computers and electronic devices to gain information. Therefore, there is no need to print books, magazines or newspapers.To what extent do you agree or disagree?

　　Modern IT has changed the way people get their information. Before the technological revolution, one had to go to a library, buy a book or read newspapers to inform themselves. Consequently, we might argue that print media is now outmoded and should be discontinued. However, I disagree with this idea.

　　On the one hand, it is true that the vast majority of people in the world now has access to or owns a smartphone or a computer. The amount of knowledge available via the Internet is unfathomable. For example, in a matter of seconds, we can access electronic databases, websites and encyclopaedias at the click of a button. Consequently, some pundits argue that books, newspapers and magazines are old hat and we should not waste paper printing them. Everything is available online, they tell us, and perhaps it is.

　　However, what, in my opinion, they fail to understand is the visceral pleasure in reading a book or flicking through a magazine while enjoying a coffee. For instance, buying a book in a book shop is a joy just in itself. Browsing the racks for your favourite author or finding a new title based on the suggestion by the assistant is pleasing. Clearly, this is not an experience you can enjoy clicking on a title in your Kindle. Simply relaxing on a Sunday morning reading the newspaper is another instance of how different the print media experience is. Perhaps this is why my grandpa reads a newspaper everyday.