Topic 81 Has technology made the world a better place to live? Since the end of the last century, when technology started to make a full impact, debates have sprung up among people worldwide as to whether this technology

Since the end of the last century, when technology started to make a full impact, debates have sprung up among people worldwide as to whether this technology has made the world a better place to live or not. In my perspective, the new developments have indeed improved our lives.

One striking example (Одним из ярких примеров) of how Man's new inventions have helped us to lead a better life is the whole set of time-saving electrical appliances and tools, ranging from washing machines to microwave ovens. No longer do we need to go down to the river to wash our clothes on rocks or to heat our food with wood and charcoal for never-ending hours. Nowadays, our daily chores are merely simple tasks, needing only very little efforts on our part. It is the machines that do all the boring and tiring work.

Consequently (следовательно, поэтому), we are left with much more leisure time to spend at our free will. Technology has exerted a great influence on the ways people relax themselves today. It has transformed our previously boring leisure time into long hours of excitement, enjoyment and fun. For instance (например), nobody can deny (отрицать) that video, computer and PlayStation games have added spice (остроту, изюминку) to our lives, especially those of children. The home cinema, recently available on the market, has made many happy families around the world.

Technology has not done good deeds only in those areas. It has gone even further by improving considerably communication among countries. Owing to new technology such as the Internet, fax and mobile phones, barriers among nations have started to disappearing, thus turning the world into a 'global village'. In our modern era, it is even possible to be living in a poor country while studying with the top professors in England via the Web by enrolling in an online degree.

We have therefore seen how technology has made the world a better place to live in some ways. However, just as the English proverb goes, "Every coin has two sides", technology has also had a few negative effects on our society. Thus, the same timesaving devices that save us so much trouble have quickened so much the pace of life. Nowadays everyone is stressed and is always preoccupied. Moreover, overexposure to video games and the television has been proved to be harmful to people's health, creating eye and back problems. In addition, new technology like the Internet has allowed the brewing of new types of crime and criminals such as hackers and viruses.

In today's world, technology is having a deep influence on the way people do things. But the issue of whether this technology has made the world a better place to live in will continue to be a controversial topic.