电视：是好还是坏？

「内容提示」

　　当今世界，人人都离不开电视。电视能给人们提供各种各样的信息，给人们带来不少乐趣。但，它也给社会带来负面影响，暴力、谋杀使不少青少年误入歧途，某些虚假广告使小孩子们学会说谎话等。请你就电视的利弊写一篇短文，谈谈自己的看法。

　　「作文示范」

　　Is Television Good or Bad？

　　张强

　　Television first came into being in 1939， but it did not become common until the early 1950s. Since then， millions of children have grown up in front of the set. Many people now worry about the effect of TV on the young. They wonder if television should be allowed to go on. Many parents wish that there had never been such an invention. Why are they so afraid？ Is television really harmful？

　　Like almost anything else， television has its good as well as bad sides. It makes us informed of daily news. It tells us product information. It lets us know of the outside world. It provides lessons for learners. And it has brought joy and interest into the lives of the old， the sick， and the lonely. Without it， some of these people would have little pleasure in the world.

　　Unfortunately， some television programs have been extremely harmful to the young. Children do not have enough experience. They do not realize that TV programs often show an unreal world. Commercials tell lies in order to sell products that are sometimes bad or useless. Children believe them and want to imitate① what they see on TV. They believe that they will make more friends if they use a certain soap——or some other product. They believe that the murders on TV screens are normal and acceptable②。 By the time they are out of high school， most young people have watched about15，000 hours of television， and have seen about 18，000 Dviolent deaths. If they see violent deaths every day， how can they be shocked by murder in real life？

　　Television has certainly changed our lives and our society. Along with its good points， it has brought many problems. We must find a solution③ to these problems because——whether we like it or not——television is here to stay.

　　「词语解释」

　　①imitate['imiteit] v.模仿，仿效

　　② acceptable [+k'sept+bl] a.可接受的；合意的

　　③ solution[s+'lju：M+n] n.解决（办法）；解答

　　「写法指要」

　　本文是对同一种事物的两个方面的对比，即比较分析看电视的得失、利弊。作者首先用一分为二的辩证观点在第二段一开头给出了段落主题句，其实也是全文的篇题（thesis），“Television has its good as well as its bad sides.”。然后用综合分析模式（all of one/all of the other）对看电视的利和弊分别进行了阐述：第二段说的是有利的一面；第三段谈的是有害的一面。第二段用5个平行句式（parallelism）讲好处；第三段用3个同样的句式讲坏处，所以，从形式到内容均构成了鲜明的对比。结尾段既对利弊作了总结，又提出作者的建议。整篇文章完全是按照“启、承、转、合”的写作技巧构思的。