2016年11月5日托福机经之托福独立写作作文真题

 　　Do you agree or disagree with the following statement：students should be encouraged to take courses like science, technology, engineering and math that are likely to lead to job opportunities rather than subjects they might be interested in.

　　The question of "what is the most important subject or skill the schools should teach?" has never failed to attract attention from educators, school administrators¹ and even politicians especially when it comes to subjects like technology, engineering and math. Some argue that students should be encouraged to take such classes rather than the ones they are interested in since they give them a better shot to find jobs. However, personally, I am not in favor of this position based on the following reasons.

　　Admittedly, it is true that courses like technology, engineering and math are very

　　technical, most of which can be applied² in solving real world issues. However, the exposure that students have to apply these theories are very limited in class. Taking technical oriented classes will not give students a competitive edge to ensure future jobs opportunities, on the other hand, there are enormous benefits for students to take courses that they are interested in.

　　First off, taking courses that students are interested in can be a great motivation for them to achieve higher goals. Old saying "interest is the best teacher" remains³ relevant as it did a century ago. Interest serves as the internal motivation for students to explore in the area that they are interested, on the contrary, if they are forced to take courses for a utilitarian⁴ purpose, they might not keep their interest for a long time thus have a lower learning efficiency. Recent study conducted by the Society of Developmental Psychology⁵ shows that students will be more enthusiastic and passionate⁶ about learning when given the freedom to make their own choices to take classes. Also, giving students the opportunity to choose the classes they are interested in can help them to explore their real interest, thus their potential can be fully⁷ tapped before heading off for career options.

　　Additionally, taking courses students are interested in have enormous practical purposes and they can be a great source of leisure and relaxation⁸. For instance, lots of students like art and music but seldom do they have a chance to learn. Actually, taking art and music classes help to develop creativity and make the students more imaginative. Actually, lots of scientific research in the psychological field shows that early exposure to art and music not only boosts academic achievement but also promotes creativity, self-confidence and school pride. Students who spend more time in learning art and music end up having higher analytical⁹ thinking and reasoning skills than those who don't.

　　In conclusion, taking courses that students are interested in can be a great motivation for them to achieve higher goals and it can also be a great source of leisure and relaxation.

1 administrators   

n.管理者( administrator的名词复数 )；有管理（或行政）才能的人；（由遗嘱检验法庭指定的）遗产管理人；奉派暂管主教教区的牧师

参考例句：

• He had administrators under him but took the crucial decisions himself. 他手下有管理人员，但重要的决策仍由他自己来做。 来自辞典例句
• Administrators have their own methods of social intercourse. 办行政的人有他们的社交方式。 来自汉英文学 - 围城

2 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

3 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

4 utilitarian   

adj.实用的，功利的

参考例句：

• On the utilitarian side American education has outstridden the rest of the world.在实用方面美国教育已超越世界各国。
• A good cloth coat is more utilitarian than a fur one.一件优质的布外衣要比一件毛皮外衣更有用。

5 psychology   

n.心理，心理学，心理状态

参考例句：

• She has a background in child psychology.她受过儿童心理学的教育。
• He studied philosophy and psychology at Cambridge.他在剑桥大学学习哲学和心理学。

6 passionate   

adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的

参考例句：

• He is said to be the most passionate man.据说他是最有激情的人。
• He is very passionate about the project.他对那个项目非常热心。

7 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

8 relaxation   

n.松弛，放松；休息；消遣；娱乐

参考例句：

• The minister has consistently opposed any relaxation in the law.部长一向反对法律上的任何放宽。
• She listens to classical music for relaxation.她听古典音乐放松。

9 analytical   

adj.分析的；用分析法的

参考例句：

• I have an analytical approach to every survey.对每项调查我都采用分析方法。
• As a result,analytical data obtained by analysts were often in disagreement.结果各个分析家所得的分析数据常常不一致。