BEC段落写作训练（四）

　　12） MY VIEW ON TELEVISION

　　The advent of Television has exerted a strong influence on our lives. But in my view， Television watching should be minimized if we want to live a more meaningful and healthy life. The reasons are as follows：

　　First of all， people spend too much time watching Television to carry out other activities which are better. Many people schedule what they do around planned periods of viewing. It is estimated that the average child today spend more time watching TV than in any other activities save for sleep. If people would turn off TV and enjoy a quiet hour， they might be able to rediscover reading in which they would probably find more entertainment. Or they might take a walk with their family and discuss some problems that have been bothering them.

　　Secondly， a growing number of movies and shows display violence and sex for a sensational effect. But viewers， especially teenagers may take this as granted indiscriminately and this may pose a serious threat to our society.

　　Thirdly， scientists have found out that prolonged exposure to artificial light may alter human cells， thus poses a danger to human health. Therefore， life-long TV exposure might well be a physical risk to human beings.

　　In short， it is high time that we turned off TV and have some fun in other activities. By using the quiet hours to do something more useful， we may get to like our new life better.

　　13） EXAMINATIONS HAVE A BAD INFLUENCE ON CHILDREN

　　We might marvel at the progress made in every field of study， but the method of testing a person‘s knowledge and ability remains as primitive as ever it was. For most people， a test means that the candidates or examiners are sitting in a room with a pen in their hands and are supposed to finish the questions on the test paper within a limited time.

　　Examinations are used for various purposes. A teacher may use it to measure how much progress his/her students have achieved after a period of instruction and， in turn， the results or data or examinations reveal what knowledge and ability the students are lacking. In addition， we have entrance examinations， placement tests， proficiency tests and so on.

　　Outside school， examinations are used for the purpose of selection and promotion. Therefore， examinations are of great importance in modern society.

　　However， people have noted tat examinations have a negative effect on education. On one hand， the tests themselves are questionable； the results of tests lack validity and reliability. On the other hand， both teachers and students are working for high marks instead of learning. As a result， we have high marks but incompetent students. Examples have shown that some Asian students with very high TOEFL marks turn out to be poor in their communication skills in the United States.

　　With the development of science， examinations which can objectively and comprehensively measure a person‘s knowledge and ability will be constructed. They will contribute more to education if they are rightly understood and appropriately used.

　　14） ON MAKING FRIENDS

　　As a human being， one can hardly do without friend. It is because one is not only an individual， but also a social being as well. There are times when one needs to turn to someone for help or comfort. It is because life is full of disappointment， sorrow， loneliness and sorrows. In today‘s competitive society， no one can cope everything by himself.

　　There are many kinds of friends. Some are just our playmates， some for show-off， but true friends are those you can count on when faced with difficulties. There is a well-known saying “Friend in need is friend indeed”。 If your friends turn a cold shoulder to you or even turn against you when you are having troubles， he/she is not your genuine friend.

　　Therefore， I prefer staying with those friends who are helpful， trusting， encouraging and loyal. Being selective and knowing that they can stay by my side when I need them is the most important principle in friend-choosing.