[外语类试卷]托福（作文）模拟试卷17及答案与解析.doc

1、托福（作文）模拟试卷 17及答案与解析 Writing Based on Knowledge and Experience 1 Should a city try to preserve its old, historic buildings or destroy them and replace them with modem buildings? Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. 2 Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Classma

2、tes are a more important influence than parents on a childs success in school. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer. 3 If you were an employer, which kind of worker would you prefer to hire: an inexperienced worker at a lower salary or an experienced worker at a higher salary? Us

3、e specific reasons and details to support your answer. 4 Many teachers assign homework to students every day. Do you think that daily homework is necessary for students? Use specific reasons and details to support your answer. 托福（作文）模拟试卷 17答案与解析 Writing Based on Knowledge and Experience 1 【正确答案】 Sho

4、uld historic buildings be preserved or be replaced with modern buildings? Tall glass towers, whose shiny facades are as cool as their air-conditioned insides, are becoming part of cityscapes from South America to Northeast Asia. In the process, old buildings are making room for the seemingly unstopp

5、able advancement of modernity. Thus the face of the global city is changing, and city planners are facing the difficult choice of either preserving historic buildings or replacing them with modern ones. As there are strong arguments for either opinion, the final decision will depend on a thorough an

6、alysis of the specific situation at hand. It is important to preserve historic buildings and parts of cities because they are part of the cultural heritage that gives identity to a community. Old homes and living quarters are a part of history, and, once destroyed, leveled, and buried under thousand

7、s of tons of concrete and steel, they will be lost forever. The constructions erected in their place in too many cases lack any sort of connection to the place. These buildings are anonymous and cultureless edifices that could stand tall in any other part of the world. They lack the charm and charac

8、ter of their historic predecessors. Yet the construction of new buildings is a sign of modernization. Not only will many people find work in the process of building these structures, but their existence will attract future investments and thus greatly benefit the economy of an area or country. In ad

9、dition, these new buildings often have lower maintenance costs in comparison to the aged constructions. More importantly, newly development homes and office spaces include the comforts of modern life, e.g. air-conditioning and modern kitchens, are thus comfortable to live in. Sweeping generalization

10、s are impossible here. A city government should try its best to preserve the old, historic charm of a city and its people. Yet at the same time, they have to look forward and modernize old, rundown buildings in an effort to make their city a more comfortable place to live in and a more successful pl

11、ace to do business. Therefore, a city should think about its general interests and goals and then try to make specific decisions in individual situations. 【知识模块】 作文 2 【正确答案】 Are classmates a more important influence than parents on a childs success in school? It is extremely difficult, maybe even im

12、possible, to generalize the relationship between parents and children. After all, personalities, temperaments, and values differ from person to person as does the ability to raise children. Furthermore, the relationship between parents and children changes over time, and the same is true for relatio

13、nships between classmates. As a result, the question of who is a more important influence is difficult to answer, but what is undeniable is that parents should and classmates can have a significant impact on a childs success in school. Parents are responsible for raising a child, and they should ins

14、till the value of education on him/ her. After all, a child who enjoys education and learning is more likely to do well in school. This success will open up all kinds of opportunities in his/her future, from studying at a reputable university to finding a good job. Therefore, parents should take an

15、active interest in their childs education and help him/her through difficult times by encouraging and motivating him/her. Nevertheless, parents must be careful not to force their child to success, particularly in early adolescence. Many teenagers become temporarily alienated from their parents durin

16、g this period of their life, and a parents insistence on academic excellence against the childs will could further erode their relationship and also have a negative effect on the childs schooling. Relationships with classmates have a significant effect on a childs academic performance, because it is

17、 in their company that most of a students learning takes place. Since it is important for children of all ages to be accepted by their peers, much of a students life is spent trying to fit in. Ideally, students will motivate and learn from each other, but often the opposite is the case. A student wh

18、o shines in the classroom can become a social outcast, because his/her classmates are jealous of his/her performance. This can then cause him/her to become less inclined to study and work hard, because acceptance by the classmates is more important to him/her than high marks. 【知识模块】 作文 3 【正确答案】 Hire

19、 an inexperienced worker with a low salary or an experienced one with a high salary? A companys human capital might very well be its greatest asset. As a result, a lot of thinking has to go into hiring a new employee. Naturally, in order to maximize profits, a company will want to employ a well-qual

20、ified candidate who is willing to work for very little money. Depending on the position that is to be filled, experience is an important qualification for which a company will have to pay a high salary, but often other intangibles like aptitude, initiative, and creativity are just as important, and

21、they might be compromised by prior experience. There are positions for which extensive experience is absolutely necessary or at least extremely helpful. For example, an airline will not hire inexperienced pilots to fly their biggest passenger planes for good reason, and an investment firm will not a

22、llow a recent college graduate to manage the portfolios of their most important clients. In these areas specialized knowledge gained from experience is mandatory. Similarly, when it comes to managing or supervising other workers, knowledge of the subject matter is important but even more important i

23、s the ability to communicate effectively. This skill can only be developed through experience. Therefore, a company that wants to be successful immediately will have to pay for this kind of experience. Sometimes a company will be better off hiring a candidate with less experience. Not only will this

24、 prospective employee command a lower salary, but his/her lack of prior experience will allow him/her to learn new procedures more quickly, as he/she will not have to unlearn old ones. Similarly, employers often complain that seasoned workers have become rusty in their established routines. They lac

25、k the initiative and drive of their youthful counterparts. Finally, creative positions are often filled with people who have little experience because these individuals are still open to new trends and movements, as opposed to being committed to old fads. Therefore, if I were an employer, I would tr

26、y to make a decision based on the requirements of the position I have to fill and the qualities of the candidates applying for the job. 【知识模块】 作文 4 【正确答案】 Is daily homework necessary for students? For students the only good homework is no homework. This has been a truism as long as schools have exis

27、ted. However, the practice of newly acquired knowledge and the preparation for new lessons are essential parts of the learning process. Teachers understand this and give assignments accordingly. Nevertheless, there is such a thing as too much homework. Whether daily homework is useful or not depends

28、 on the age of students and the subjects in which the work is assigned, and teachers also have to take into account the possible negative effects of overwork. The age of a student or, better yet, the stage of the personal development of a student has to be considered when deciding on the amount of h

29、omework assigned. Elementary school students respond differently to daily homework than high school students. They are more limited in their ability to concentrate on a subject and take in knowledge. These are skills that are developed over time. In addition, they will need to learn other important

30、lessons, for example, how to interact socially and behave in a group of their peers. Thus, instead of daily homework, these students need time to play with their friends. The need for daily homework also differs from subject to subject. For example, in the areas of mathematics and languages continuo

31、us engagement with the subject matter is necessary, because it allows a student to internalize important concepts and mechanisms. In the field of history, on the other hand, it is more important that students grasp greater concepts. Memorizing dates and places is important, surely, but, if forgotten

32、, these can always be looked up in the textbook. In these subjects daily homework is not only unnecessary but it might discourage students from taking an interest in the topic. After all, learning is largely a voluntary activity, and teachers have to consider the possibility that too much homework will frustrate students. As a result, students might become less interested in the subject or less willing to learn. Consequently, the good intentions of their teachers could very well have the opposite effect: students will learn less. 【知识模块】 作文