DISCUSSION TEXT

Find the meaning of the underlined words.

Text 1 Pros and Cons on Video Games

Issue Nowadays, the video game industries are developing rapidly. They have become multi-billion
dollar industries. Video games have become an important part not only of children’s lives but
also of adults. Nevertheless, there are some arguments whether video games have a good or
a bad influence on children.

Argument People who believe in the good influence of video games say that video games kill children’s
‘for/pro’ boredom and refresh their minds after a tiring school day. These games encourage children to
Elaboration be more creative because the games challenge children to win. The games sharpen their
brains.

Argument On the other hand, video games discourage children from studying. They find it hard to
‘against/con’ concentrate on their studies because the games they play are on their minds, during school.
Elaboration Some children even skip their extracurricular activities to play games.

In addition, video games too often expose children to violence. Two years ago, a student in
the U.S.A. shot his teacher and some of his friends. Newspapers said that the boy was deeply
influenced by violence in video games he used to play.

Suggestion It is obvious that video games have many more disadvantages than advantages. So, parents
should be careful in selecting appropriate games for their children.

Text 2 The Internet on education: Pros and Cons

Issue You know, we can’t deny the role of the internet in education. But actually there are several
positive and negative impacts of the internet in education.

Argument One of the positive impacts of the internet in education is when you are curious about
‘for/pro’ something. You can find out any information to feed your ‘learning hunger’ immediately from
Elaboration the internet. So, if you are curious about the ants in your backyard, or if you want to know
more about dinosaurs or any other prehistoric animals, there is abundant information at your
fingertips and you can improve your knowledge.

Argument Well, on the other hand, some would argue that the internet would argue that the internet
‘against/con’ degrades the quality of research, throwing people into areas where the answers they find are
Elaboration low quality guesses, at best. Since the internet allows anyone to publish, finding high quality
information is sometimes difficult. The internet can also be a huge distraction, like many other
things that distract us from serious inquiry.

Conclusion So far, the role of the internet in education has become a dilemma for many people in
the world. On the one hand, it can feed our ‘learning hunger’, on the other hand it degrades
the quality of research.

Answer these questions to make conclusion about discussion text.

1. What is discussion text?

2. What is the communicative purpose of discussion text?

3. What is the generic structure of discussion text?

4. What is the difference between discussion text and exposition text?