GRE北美范文：影音材料和文字材料哪个重要

　　For the purpose of documenting temporal, spatial events and experiences, I agree that a video record is usually more accurate and more convincing than a written record. It is impossible for anyone, no matter how keen an observer and skilled a journalist, to recount ha complete and objective detail such events as the winning touchdown at the Super Bowl, a Ballanchine ballet, the Tournament of Roses Parade, or the scene at the intersection⁴ of Florence and Normandy streets during the 1992 Los Angeles riots. Yet these are important events in contemporary life the sort of events we might put ha a time capsule for the purpose of capturing our life and times at the turn of this millennium⁵.

　　The growing documentary role of video is not limited to seminal⁶ events like those described above. Video surveillance cameras are objective witnesses with perfect memories. Thus they can play a vital evidentiary role in legal proceedings--such as those involving robbery, drug trafficking, police misconduct, motor vehicle violations⁷, and even malpractice in a hospital operating room. Indeed, whenever moving images are central to an event the video camera is superior to the written word. A written description of a hurricane, tornado⁸, or volcanic⁹ eruption¹⁰ cannot convey its immediate¹¹ power and awesome¹² nature like a video record. A diary entry cannot "replay" that wedding reception, dance recital¹³, or surprise birthday party as accurately¹⁴ or objectively as a video record. And a real estate brochure cannot inform about the lighting¹⁵, spaciousness¹⁶, or general ambiance of a featured property nearly as effectively as a video.

　　Nonetheless, for certain other purposes written records are advantageous¹⁷ to and more appropriate than video records. For example, certain legal matters are best left to writtendocumentation: video is of no practical use ha documenting the terms of a complex contractual agreement, an incorporation¹⁸, or the establishment of a trust. And video is of little use when it comes to documenting a person's subjective¹⁹ state of mind, impressions, or reflections of an event or experience. Indeed, to the extent that personal interpretation²⁰ adds dimension and richness to the record, written documentation is actually more important than video.

　　Finally, a video record is of no use in documenting statistical²¹ or other quantitative²² information. Returning to the riot example mentioned earlier, imagine relying on a video to document the financial loss to store owners, the number of police and firefighters involved, and so forth²³. Complete and accurate video documentation of such information would require video cameras at every street corner and in every aisle²⁴ of every store.

　　In sum, the speaker's claim overstates the importance of video recordas, at least to some extent. When it comes to capturing, storing, and recalling temporal, spatial events, video records are inherently more objective, accurate, and complete. However, what we view through a camera lens provides only one dimension of our life and times; written documentation will always be needed to quantify, demystify, and provide meaning to the world around us.

 

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