1.(20180909) Students should be encouraged to study fields like science, technology, engineering, math (STEM) rather than what they have interest in.

头脑风暴

这道题问的是学生们应该选择学习科学技术类的学科，还是选择自己更感兴趣的领域。在头脑风暴时可以分别思考这两方面的优缺点，选择你认为理由比较充分的观点来写。

如果选择学习科学技术类的学科，这一类的学科实用性可能会更强，相关工作报酬丰 厚，对未来的职业发展有所帮助；但是这类学科可能会难度比较大，在就业时竞争激烈。

如果选择自己喜欢的学科，则更能激发自己的学习兴趣，使自己在擅长的领域有更好的发展。但是未来职业选择可能有限。

范文思路

论点： 应当选择自己更喜欢的领域学习。

理由一： 选择自己更感兴趣的领域能够激励学生追求更高的目标，在学习中有更好的表现。

理由二： 选择自己感兴趣的领域可以使学生在专业领域上更擅长，从而使他们在求职时有更大的优势。

理由三： 虽然STEM类学科实用性强，但是它们不一定能成为学生学习的动力。

范文文本

Education is one of the keywords of this age since it has an overall impact on people’s quality of life, both intellectually and financially.However, people’s views differ greatly as to which should be the priority of academic pursuit, to study the STEM subjects or to focus on subjects that interest them.As I see it, choosing to specialize in one’s favorite courses is more commendable.

论据

使用有关心理学研究的例子，通过数据证实前面的论证。

论据

通过莱斯大学的研究结果，证明在高中生中，兴趣是最好的老师这一观点依旧适用。

To begin with, opting for the courses that greatly interest the students will drive them to achieve higher goals.When students’motivation is stimulated by the subject exerting a special fascination on them, they are likely to spend more time on it and accomplish better academic performance.According to a recent study conducted by the Society of Developmental Psychology, primary-school students would spend approximately three more hours each week on subjects they are interested in than on other subjects, and score about 10% higher correspondingly.This trend is also valid when it comes to highschool students.As revealed by a research of Rice University, over 95% of the students who had won an award in the state math competition have demonstrated their interest in math at an early age.Therefore, students who are interested in the classes they are taking are more likely to have better academic performance.

Besides, learning subjects that students are interested in can facilitate them to secure a good job.Under such a society full of fierce competition, it is the professional skills people own that make them stand out.And only when people select the field they are passionate about can they establish a solid foundation of specific knowledge and skills in this field.My cousin Anthony’s experience can well illustrate this point.Fascinated by medicine, he started reading a mass of articles and books about the discipline since an early age.After entering the Ph.D.program of Medicine at Yale, he constantly stood out among his peers in his knowledge about medicine.Because of his preeminence, he was immediately employed by one of the best medical companies after graduation.Till now, he is the leading researcher in the company and earns a high payment.Hence, learning courses catering to students’ interest can better improve their competence, thus increasing their likelihood of securing a decent job.

观点

“……能够帮助学生找到一份好的工作”这一观点在其他许多教育类话题中也可以使用，是一个比较万金油的观点。

Granted, courses like science, technology, engineering, and math are technical, most of which can be applied in solving real-world issues.However, technically oriented classes do not serve as an impetus for learning, a stimulus for growth, or a trigger for action.Instead, fields that interest students encourage them to learn more and perform better, thus guaranteeing students a competitive edge to ensure future jobs opportunities.

段落分析

本段是一个让步段，先使用granted引出让步的内容，承认学习STEM学科的确有优势。在however后，又指出只学习STEM学科的不足之处，呼应文章的中心论点，紧扣题目。

To sum up, given the discussion above, we can firmly draw the conclusion that it is better to study subjects that interest the students, in terms of making them have a better grasp of their knowledge and find a suitable job.

语料积累

本篇文章的语料适用于涉及兴趣、选择类的话题。

词组

differ greatly as to...在……议题上有不同意见

as to 关于

specialize in 专长／专注于

opt for=choose 选择

drive them to achieve higher goals 促使他们达到更高的目标（drive一词在语境中有“促 使，引导”的意思）

exert a fascination on...引起……的兴趣

establish a foundation of...为……打下基础

secure a good job 找到一份好工作

under such a society full of fierce competition 在这样一个充满激烈竞争的社会里

cater to students’ interest 迎合学生的兴趣

improve their competence 增加他们的竞争力

guarantee students a competitive edge 保证学生们的竞争优势

句型

Education is one of the keywords of this age since it has an overall impact on people’s quality of life, both intellectually and financially.教育是这个年代的关键词之一，因为它对人们的生活质量，包括智力和经济方面，都起到总体的影响。 （可作为教育类话题背景句使用）

it is the professional skills people own that make them stand out 使人们与众不同的是他们所拥有的专业技能（这是一个强调句用法，it is...that...强调的重点在于it is后的内容）

an impetus for learning, a stimulus for growth, a trigger for action 激发学习兴趣、促进成长、引发行动（是托福很喜欢的排比句式）

从这篇文章中，大家不难看出作者在例子积累方面的功底之深。在第一个主论点中，作者提出了心理学中的研究数据，在第二个主论点中，作者使用了自己身边人的事例。在读范文时，同学们也可以学习不同作者使用例子去展开段落、支持自己论点的方法，同时从中积累自己的例子库。 /uG+vK4zVaMufaTaDuY2e8kdNE8Qc4tz8mEC0XRqHDI3WxpNlNhsZQOXKYuoKo3s