Writing - 1
Reading Passage:
A recent study reveals that people, especially young people, are reading far
less literature—novels, plays, and poems—than they used to. This is troubling
because the trend has unfortunate effects for the reading public, for culture In
general, and for the future of literature itself.
While there has been a decline in book reading generally, the decline has
been especially sharp for literature. This is unfortunate because nothing else provides the intellectual stimulation that literature does. Literature encourages us to
exercise our imaginations, empathize with others, and expand our understanding
of language. So by reading less literature, the reading public is missing out on
Important benefits.
Unfortunately, missing out on the benefits of literature is not the only problem.
What are people reading Instead? Consider the prevalence of self-help books on
lists of best sellers. These are usually superficial, poorly written, and intellectually
undemanding. Additionally, instead of sitting down with a challenging novel, many
persons are now more likely to turn on the television, watch a music video, or read
a Web page. Clearly, diverting time previously spent In reading literature to trivial
forms of entertainment has lowered the level of culture in general.
The trend of reading less literature is all the more regrettable because it is taking place during a period when good literature is being written. There are many
talented writers today, but they lack an audience. This fact is bound to lead publishers to invest less In literature and so support fewer serious writers. Thus, the
writing as well as the reading of literature is likely to decline because of the poor
standards of today's readers.
Listening Transcript:
Narrator:
Now listen to part of a lecture on the topic you just read about.
Professor:
It is often said that people are reading less literature today than they used to. What should we make of this?
Well, first, a book doesn't have to be literature to be intellectually stimulating. Science writing, history, political analysis, and so forth aren't literature, perhaps, but they're often of high quality. And these kinds of books can be just as creative and well-written as a novel or a play. They can stimulate the imagination. So don't assume that someone who isn't reading literature isn't reading a good book.
But let's say that people aren't just spending less time with literature, they're also spending less time with books in general. Does that mean that the culture is in decline? No. There's plenty of culturally valuable material that isn't written: music and movies, for example. Are people wasting their time when they listen to a brilliant song or watch a good movie? Do these non-literary activities lower cultural standards? Of course not. Culture has changed. In today's culture, there are many forms of expression available other than novels and poems, and some of these creative forms speak more directly to contemporary concerns than literature does.
Finally, it's probably true that there's less support for literature today than in earlier generations. But don't be too quick to blame the readers. Sometimes it's the author's fault. Let's be honest: a lot of modern literature is intended to be difficult to understand. There's not much reason to suppose that earlier generations of readers would have read a lot of today's literature either.
The Question:
Summarize the points made in the lecture, being sure to explain how they cast
doubt on speclflc points made in the reading passage.
My Answer:
Both reading passage and the professor discuss about the facts that young people readl less literature than they used to. While the reading passage has negative point of views regarding this issue, but the professor has different perspective.
At the first, the professor seems agree with the reading passage, that mentionreading literatur such as history and science would simulate our imagination in a good way. But in case of read less literature would lowering our culture, the professor has disagree argument. He argues that it would not lowering our culture, however the culture it self was change, today's people more engage into musics and movies instead of literature. Since our culture today more apreciate direct communication style, so musics and movies that doing so obviously more relevant and apreciated by people than literature.
Furthermore, the professor disagree with the statement from the reading passage that said book publishers have less intention to invest to today's writer. He belive, that was not the reason why reading literature interest was decline. According to him, today's writers are writes literature that so difficult to understand by earlier generation. In other words, the literature today's are not fit to the reader of earlier generation.
ChatGPT Assessment, based on TOEFL iBT rubrics in scale out of 10 for each rubric (Delivery, Language Use, Topic Development), then give me better modified version of my answer (max 400 words):
Based on TOEFL iBT rubrics, I would score your answer as follows:
Delivery: 8 - You speak clearly and don't have any significant pauses or hesitations that affect comprehension. However, there are a few minor errors in word choice and grammar.
Language Use: 7 - You display an adequate range of vocabulary and grammatical structures. There are a few minor errors, but they don't significantly affect comprehension. More variety in sentence structure would improve your score.
Topic Development: 8 - You provide an adequate summary of the main points of the lecture and explain how these contradict the reading passage. There is room for more detailed explanation of the lecturer's counterpoints.
Here's a revised version of your response:
The reading passage and the lecture both address the issue of declining literature readership among young people. The reading passage views this trend negatively, while the professor offers a more nuanced perspective.
The professor concurs with the reading passage that literature, as well as non-fiction like history and science, can stimulate the imagination. However, he challenges the assertion that a decrease in literature consumption leads to cultural decline. Instead, he argues that cultural forms are evolving. Modern audiences often engage more with music and movies, which provide direct and impactful expressions relevant to contemporary concerns, and these mediums shouldn't be seen as inferior or devaluing culture.
Moreover, the professor disagrees with the reading passage's argument that publishers are disinclined to invest in contemporary literature due to dwindling audiences. Instead, he points out that modern literature is often intentionally complex and may not appeal to a broad audience, including previous generations. The decline in literature readership, according to him, may be due to a disconnect between contemporary literary styles and reader preferences.
In conclusion, while both the passage and the professor discuss the decline in literature readership, they have fundamentally different interpretations of this trend's cultural implications and underlying causes.
Writing - 2
The question:
Some people say that the Internet provides people with a lot of valuable
information. Others think access to so much information creates problems. Which
view do you agree with?
My answer:
Personally, I couldn't see that too much information would create problems, thus I agree with the statement that Internet provides us with a lot of valuable information. To support my stance, here are my reasons on the following paragraphs.
Compare to 30 years ago when Internet only affordable for certain people, there were no vast development of information. But today, when everyone has access to internet, people produce and consume information in simultant ways, it leads to very huge information available on the Internet's ecosystem. There were many inventors whose done very good things regarding this kind of huge information, they do cataloging and indexing the information for us trough something that we call search engine, Google and Bing for example. Since the information already filtered, indexed, and catalogued by the search engine, poeple can find valuable information for them. I do remember when my brother worked on his thesis defence, perhaps about 15 years ago. He read so many books, and went to many library back and forth. I saw him very exhausted because it cost him so many hours, compare to me that I finished my thesis only in front of my computer that connected to the internet.
Secondly, in terms of communication there are two kinds of information, one-way and two-ways. One-way information means that the transmitter (media or the ones who serve the information) could not get any feedback from the reader, the example of this are magazines, blogs, newspapers, TV news, etc. On the other hand, the two-ways information is like what people commonly do, chat for example. Because of the internet, two-way communication like this become much more easier than ever. We can commuincate to each other, to friends or families all over the world despite time and location. This kind of information, absolutely really valuable for us. Today, I able to communicate with my uncle who live in Malaysia, while I am in Indonesia. We have done several chat trough internet, about what he has done over there and what I have done over here, this kind information really valuable for us.
To conclude, Internet has give us much more easier access to valuable information, hence make our life much more easier. I could not imagine how our human being going to be if there were no Internet.
ChatGPT Assessment, based on TOEFL iBT rubrics in scale out of 10 for each rubric (Delivery, Language Use, Topic Development), then give me better modified version of my answer (max 400 words):
Delivery: 7.5/10 - Your points are clearly articulated, but some sentences are overly long and complex, which disrupts the flow of your argument.
Language Use: 8/10 - You demonstrate good vocabulary, but there are several grammatical mistakes that detract from the clarity and fluency of your writing.
Topic Development: 8.5/10 - You provide compelling arguments in support of your view and illustrate them with examples. However, you could have made a more direct comparison between the two viewpoints in the question.
Modified version:
I am in agreement with the perspective that the Internet provides a wealth of valuable information. The key reasons that fortify my stance include the immense development of information access and the ease of two-way communication, which I will elaborate upon in the following paragraphs.
Compared to three decades ago, when the Internet was a luxury, the accessibility and volume of information were significantly limited. Now, thanks to global internet penetration, we live in an era where information is produced and consumed simultaneously at an unparalleled scale. The vastness of this information ecosystem is expertly managed by search engines like Google and Bing, which catalogue and index information, allowing individuals to locate valuable and relevant data with ease. To illustrate, while working on my thesis, I was able to access resources conveniently from the comfort of my home, in stark contrast to my brother who had to tirelessly traverse libraries 15 years ago.
Further, the Internet has revolutionized two-way communication. Unlike traditional media outlets, which largely offer one-way information, the Internet facilitates reciprocal communication. This has made it possible to connect with friends and family across the globe in real time, regardless of geographical boundaries. For instance, I can effortlessly stay updated about my uncle's life in Malaysia while living in Indonesia.
In conclusion, the Internet has significantly simplified our access to valuable information and made communication seamless, thereby enhancing our lives. In light of these benefits, I find it hard to view the abundance of online information as problematic. Without the Internet, our world would undoubtedly be a less connected, less informed place.
0 Response to "TOEFL IBT Writing practice #29"
Posting Komentar