雅思大作文:printed books are no longer needed in a digital era

　　雅思大作文题目：Some people think that printed books are no longer needed in a digital era because all writing can be stored electronically. Others think that printed books will still play an important role. Discuss both and give your own opinion.

　　Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

　　作文范文：

　　In the era of information technology, many traditional ways of life have turned into virtual ones, and the advent of electronic-books is a typical example. Young readers no longer restrict their reading to printed materials; instead it is common to see them reading over their mobiles or ipad screens on a bus or in the street. Consequently, some suggest that printed books have become out of date and can be substituted by their counterpart in the electronic version.

　　This sounds reasonable in this modern society. Despite the cut of cost on paper pulp, printing machines and transportation of products, electronic books are much economic. If we take the environmental impact into consideration, e-books would show another advantage over traditional ones which consume abundant plants. In addition, in the globalized world, easy and fast access to knowledge and information becomes increasingly significant, and this requirement can be best met by e-books which spread faster and more widely via the internet.

　　However, these advantages of electronic books do not necessarily mean that printed version will be completely replaced soon. Printing is a safe way of saving knowledge because it is not easy to modify the original words once they are printed on paper, which is where the authority of published paper books comes. As a traditional way of life, reading books plays an important part in the elderly population who are used to thumb a book from cover to cover. If printed books are not available any more, they would be the most frustrated group of people. There is the health issue to consider. Reading printed material is healthier than on shining screen for eyesight. Therefore, e-books are not suitable for children.

　　In conclusion, the fact that all writing can be stored electronically does not necessarily suggest the extinction of written books. The two forms of books can co-exist to cater for different groups of people.