Describe a website you often browse
You should say:
- What it is
- How long you have been using it
- What type of website it is
and explain why you often browse this website.
Follow-up Questions:
- How long have you been using the Internet?
- How the Internet has changed our lifestyle?
- What would be the possible uses of the Internet in the future?
Model Answer 1:
I have just a few minutes to tell you about a website I often browse. I will tell you what the website is, how long I’ve been using it, a bit about what is on it and why I visit it so often.
The website is the BBC news website. You can find it at www.bbc.co.uk/news but I just have it as a favourite on my toolbar. I am a complete BBC junkie! I visit the website several times a day if I can, and have been using it for as long as I can remember. Possibly for as long as the website has been in existence but definitely for the past ten years or more.
The BBC news website is massive. It contains rolling headlines of breaking news, and from the landing page, you can jump to sections on different types of news categories. For example, there are tabs for world news; health issues; environmental reports; education; sport; education and science as well as entertainment and arts stories. You can read text-based articles illustrated with a few pictures – which is my preferred way of accessing news and information – or you can opt to see news film or audio clips. I think the website is really comprehensive and easy to use too.
The BBC News website, for me, is a one-stop location for all current affairs and news items. I really like that I can see headlines of breaking news almost instantaneously, but it also includes more thoughtful reporting. Detailed online articles with considered analysis of global or local events. I can also find out what the weather forecast is – always handy in the UK where it can change so quickly, plus I like to be able to keep an eye on what is happening locally to me in Sheffield where I live. I also trust the BBC website to give balanced reporting, I think it has journalistic integrity, so I feel if I read it every day, I will have a good perspective on what is going on in the world, and enough information to come to my own conclusions on current affairs across the globe. The only downside of the website is that I find it can be a bit addictive! Because it is updated frequently it is tempting to keep going back and having another look if there is some running news item that I am following. It can lead me to procrastinate when I am supposed to be working, but I tell myself it is important to keep up to date with what is going on in the world, even though I know that really, it wouldn’t hurt to limit myself to news ‘fix’ just a couple of times a day!
I wonder if others use the website too and if they do, whether they might as avid followers as I am!
Part 3: Details Discussion:
Q: How long have you been using the Internet?
Answer: I have been using the Internet since I bought my first personal computer in 2007. At first, I didn’t know how to use it properly but as time went by I became aware of it. I use it constantly every day either for studies and work or for entertainment. I check my e-mails, read the news, watch movies and TV series, listen to music and so on. It’s instantly accessible and I can find a massive amount of information on various topics such as health issues, environmental, economy, sports, education et cetera. I have become really dependent on that and I consume almost all of my spare time surfing the internet.
Q: How the Internet has changed our lifestyle?
Answer: This is a really controversial issue. On the one hand, the Internet has made our lives better and simpler as everyone nowadays seems to be moving online. It provides reliable and accurate information on many topics. It is user-friendly because you can find anything you need by just sitting on a chair rather than going to a library and of course it has made communication much easier and faster as it connects people across the globe. Furthermore, it results in developing our cognitive skills because we can gain or even expand our existing knowledge and this knowledge can be shared instantly.
On the other hand, the Internet has led to a kind of addiction and it declines the ability to interact and socialise. This leads to isolation and feelings of loneliness because we deprive of social interaction. Last but not least, the Internet can be risky in some cases, especially for kids, and for online transactions. Hacking, identity theft, and online crimes are some common drawbacks of the Internet.
Tips:
Positive sides it fosters communication around the world, helps people make more friends, creates opportunities for business and e-commerce, offer online shopping at better prices, fosters tolerance and understanding, creates positive changes in attitudes, brings information at our finger tap, makes business transactions easier and helps in learning things in a better and efficient way.
Negative sides: Widespread use of the Internet leads to isolation. Moreover, identity theft, hacking, the spread of malware & virus are unwanted. Finally, the dependency on the Internet kills our social skill.
Q: What would be the possible uses of the Internet in the future?
Answer: My personal opinion is that driving is an activity that will be controlled entirely by the Internet in the future. Furthermore, it will be able to trace any kind of shortages of necessary goods in our houses, for example, if we run out of sugar, coffee, fruits and vegetables etc., the Internet will place online orders for those items automatically. It will have a predominant role in the field of medicine as well by making all kinds of surgeries and check-ups and doctors will only have to press a button. Another use that comes to my mind is in the universities. In the next twenty years or so, lectures will only be online and every student will have to attend university from their own personal computer. Moreover, people will primarily communicate using the Internet, landlines and cell phone networks would no longer be required. Finally, more interactive software and websites would be available that would connect the world data and would serve to the users.
Another Sample: Describe a website that you like and use a lot (T-E-D .com.)
