127 Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Reading fiction (such as novels and short stories) is more enjoyable than watching movies. Use specific reasons and examples to explain your position.

（一）
Reading fiction, such as novels and short stories, is more enjoyable than watching a movie. Of course, the images in a movie are much more vivid, because you're seeing them on a large screen in a dark room. The images you "see" in a novel are only as strong as your own imagination. But the more you read, the stronger your imagination becomes. Reading exercises your imaginative powers. Watching a movie dulls them. Imagination, like a muscle, needs to be used. Otherwise it can disappear.

When you read, you're an active participant in your own enjoyment. That's one reason reading develops the imagination. You're reading the words on the page and translating them into images in your mind. When you're watching a movie, you're a passive viewer. The movie is giving you everything. Nothing comes from you except your reaction to what you're seeing, and even that can be given you by the movie. Some movie plots are so simple, you can predict what's going to happen before it does.

Reading fiction also develops your storytelling skills. The more reading you do, the better you become at creating plots and characters. The plots and characters in movies are often very simple, because the emphasis is on action rather than on language or character development. Still, going to the movies is a great community experience. Sitting in a large theater with a lot of other people is fun. You experience the same reactions to what you're seeing together. Reading is a one-person experience. It's a chance to go into an imaginary world by yourself. Both experiences can be fun and rewarding, but I think reading fiction is more enjoyable.

（二）
When asked which is better: Reading fiction or watching movies? Different people would have different answers. Those who prefer reading fiction say that reading can improve your written ability. Those who advocate watching movies, however, argue that we can enjoy ourselves from the large screen. From my opinion of view, I will agree that the latter one is more reasonable. My arguments are listed as fellows.

Don’t you think that watching movies is more exciting and stimulating than reading fiction? If you read fiction, you could only imagine the scenes what the fiction described. But if you watched movies, it was different. You can see the scenes on the large screen which give you the impulsion not only on vision but also on hearing. Did you see the Oscar film “The lord of the rings”? I saw it, the only word I can review to this film is “wonderful”. The film brings you grand scenery of New Zealand as well as splendid special effects. Everything in this film is beyond my imagination and I confirm that I can’t get these from reading fiction. Do you have the same feeling with me? 

Another reason of my propensity for watching movies is that it is a great community activity. Compared with watching movies, reading fiction is an individual activity, you always read books by yourself except telling stories to your children. But what would people do if they planned to watch movies? There are seldom people who go to the cinema alone. Generally, people watch movies with their friends or their family. After seeing it, people always discuss the contents of the film, everyone has his or her own opinion to the film. The topic of the film occupies a part of our leisure time which can also enhance the friendship and relationship to everyone.

Last but not the least reason is that reading fiction is boring and wasting time to me. A novel, like “Gone with the wind”, is too long for me to finish reading it, although it is a famous and good fiction. Nowadays, competition for jobs is very fierce because of the high ratio of unemployment and business depression. I must put more time on my work than entertainment, nevertheless, watching movies can save much more time than reading fiction.

To sum up, given the reasons discussed above, we can safely reach the conclusion that watching movies has more advantages than reading fiction. I prefer watching movies to enjoy myself, why don’t you select the same choice like me?