[YB-2] 7月8日作业 by 忘了密码的E

忘了密码的EUID: 2354139

I5、"A nation should require all its students to study the same national curriculum until they enter college rather than allow schools in different parts of the nation to determine which academic courses to offer."

The discussion about whether a national curriculum is necessary and beneficial has been on for at least two decades now. I agree with this whole idea of national curriculum and believe that having a national curriculum helps students in various perspectives.

First of all, not having a national wide curriculum creates adjustment problems for students who move across the state lines and one of the purposes of national curriculum is to promote continuity and coherence. In countries like the United States and Australia, where states have sovereignty over and funding responsibility for schools, there has been a long embraced hands-off attitude when it comes to the federal role in education. Residents in different states do not get access to the same resources, high-quality programs, etc. A principal feature is development of a national curriculum will standardize what is taught in all schools. Currently, with each state crafting its own education policies, curriculum, assessments and graduation standards, it is very likely that students may suffer the traveling student syndrome when they, during the twelve or even more years of education before college, do not go to schools in the state.

Secondly, in this globalised world, youngsters will need to be competitive not only with their counterparts in the same country, but also with students around the globe. People are paying less attention to national comparisons than the international comparisons. The national curriculum is a framework used by all maintained schools to ensure that teaching and learning is balanced and consistent. It sets out the subjects taught, the knowledge, skills and understanding required in each subject and standards or attainment target in each subject. It should be noted that a national curriculum is not only a set of subjects and standards, but also includes preparing teachers. With these, the students will be more prepared when they graduate from high schools because the whole nation and the other countries all recognize their ability and diploma. They will have an easier time getting admitted by universities or being offered employment. Moreover, the universities will also be more prepared for what their students have already known in the primary and secondary schools, thus the courses they offer can be more efficient with the students more prepared of what they will get in universities.

In addition, the educators, teachers, and parents should understand that a national curriculum does not lack of flexibility and will not create cookie-cutter education. Local communities and individual teachers would shape instructional delivery. Unique programs would embrace diverse community needs. Although national curriculum requires students to take certain subjects, obtain certain knowledge and pass the same standards, it does not include regulations on how a teacher teaches the subject. They are still free in designing the courses as long as the courses can achieve the same standards. Students, on the other hand, still have elective courses to choose from and it gives them opportunities to explore their interests. And the fact is, with standards being set by the curriculum, the elective courses might have a higher quality than before and thus the students who are interested in these benefit from the curriculum.

To sum up, in order to prevent traveling student syndrome and to get the students more prepared for the global competition, it is important for countries, especially geographically large ones to have a national curriculum. A standardized curriculum in pre-university education also helps both the universities and the students more aware of what to expect from the other party. Last but not least, although the national curriculum sets out courses and what should be learned, it does not eliminate electives and thus will not create students who are exactly the same with each other.



A7.
The author of the letter claims that in order to solve the environmental problems, residents of Clearview should vote for Ann Green, rather than for Frank Braun. The reasons that he or she provided seemed to be logical, but closer examination shows that they are actually not strong enough to support his conclusion.

To begin with, it is not certain if Ann Green will do a better job than Frank Braun in solving the environmental problems. Braun was only a member of the town council, and he probably did not have too much power over the entire town. It is possible that he has some really good thoughts but just did not have the chance to realize them. On the other hand, although Green is a member of the Good Earth Coalition, this membership does not guarantee that she has sound plans to solve the existing problems.

Secondly, even if Ann Green has more environmental concerns and better plans for what Clearview should do to fight against the problems, the degree to which an environmental friendly mayor can help with decreasing the pollution levels is still in doubt.  As a mayor, Green has to consider much more than when she was only a member in the Coalition. The author pointed out that the number of factories has doubled during the past year. This scenario on its own shows an economics prosperous and developing scene in Clearview. Under this circumstance, the newly elected mayor will have to balance the development of local economy and the implement of environmental policies, and sometimes has to sacrifice the environment.

In addition, there is no casual relationship between the increase in the number of factories, the increase in air pollution and that local hospital has treated 25 percent more patients with respiratory illnesses. Even though they both happened during the past year, it means nothing more than a simple concurrence before any in-depth researches are done. Lots of other reasons like abnormal weather and unknown virus can also cause an increase in the number of respiratory illnesses patients.

In conclusion, the residents of Clearview should think twice before they vote. Will Ann Green’s policies be more helpful in dealing with the environmental problems? Will her potential environmental policies be changed if they are in conflict with her other policies? Moreover, how should they receive the 25 percent increase in patients with respiratory illnesses is also important in making this decision.

lossingzoneUID: 2519545

[YB-2] 7月8日作业 by 忘了密码的E

I5、"A nation should require all its students to study the same national curriculum until they enter college rather than allow schools in different parts of the nation to determine which academic courses to offer."

The discussion about whether a national curriculum is necessary and beneficial has been on for at least two decades now. I agree with this whole idea of national curriculum and believe that having a national curriculum helps students in various perspectives.

First of all, not having a national wide curriculum creates adjustment problems for students who move across the state lines and one of the purposes of national curriculum is to promote continuity and coherence. In countries like the United States and Australia, where states have sovereignty over and funding responsibility for schools, there has been a long embraced hands-off attitude when it comes to the federal role in education. Residents in different states do not get access to the same resources, high-quality programs, etc. A principal feature is development of a national curriculum will standardize what is taught in all schools. Currently, with each state crafting its own education policies, curriculum, assessments and graduation standards, it is very likely that students may suffer the traveling student syndrome when they, during the twelve or even more years of education before college, do not go to schools in the state.

Secondly, in this globalised world, youngsters will need to be competitive not only with their counterparts in the same country, but also with students around the globe. People are paying less attention to national comparisons than the international comparisons. The national curriculum is a framework used by all maintained schools to ensure that teaching and learning is balanced and consistent. It sets out the subjects taught, the knowledge, skills and understanding required in each subject and standards or attainment target in each subject. It should be noted that a national curriculum is not only a set of subjects and standards, but also includes preparing teachers. With these, the students will be more prepared when they graduate from high schools because the whole nation and the other countries all recognize their ability and diploma. They will have an easier time getting admitted by universities or being offered employment. Moreover, the universities will also be more prepared for what their students have already known in the primary and secondary schools, thus the courses they offer can be more efficient with the students more prepared of what they will get in universities.

In addition, the educators, teachers, and parents should understand that a national curriculum does not lack of flexibility and will not create cookie-cutter education. Local communities and individual teachers would shape instructional delivery. Unique programs would embrace diverse community needs. Although national curriculum requires students to take certain subjects, obtain certain knowledge and pass the same standards, it does not include regulations on how a teacher teaches the subject. They are still free in designing the courses as long as the courses can achieve the same standards. Students, on the other hand, still have elective courses to choose from and it gives them opportunities to explore their interests. And the fact is, with standards being set by the curriculum, the elective courses might have a higher quality than before and thus the students who are interested in these benefit from the curriculum.

To sum up, in order to prevent traveling student syndrome and to get the students more prepared for the global competition, it is important for countries, especially geographically large ones to have a national curriculum. A standardized curriculum in pre-university education also helps both the universities and the students more aware of what to expect from the other party. Last but not least, although the national curriculum sets out courses and what should be learned, it does not eliminate electives and thus will not create students who are exactly the same with each other.
个人觉得写得不错，无论是表达还是结构还是说服力。我想反驳下倒找不出什么好反驳的，想好好修改也无从下手，唯有保持原状啦。

A7.
The author of the letter claims that in order to solve the environmental problems, residents of Clearview should vote for Ann Green, rather than for Frank Braun. The reasons that he or she provided seemed to be logical, but closer examination shows that they are actually not strong enough to support his conclusion.

To begin with, it is not certain if Ann Green will do a better job than Frank Braun in solving the environmental problems. Braun was only a member of the town council, and he probably did not have too much power over the entire town. It is possible that he has some really good thoughts but just did not have the chance to realize them（个人觉得这更多的是体现责任，而非能力）. On the other hand, although Green is a member of the Good Earth Coalition, this membership does not guarantee that she has sound plans to solve the existing problems.
这两段都是在讲Ann是否有能力解决环境问题的。在我看来，这稍微有点重复的嫌疑。能将当地污染水平降低到何种程度，这本身是Ann能够does a good job的一种体现。还不如将第一和第二点合在一起写，而再找另外一个驳斥点。例如，当地环境是否真的恶化，Frank Braun是否真的不保护环境而对环境恶化负责？
Secondly, even if Ann Green has more environmental concerns and better plans for what Clearview should do to fight against the problems, the degree to which an environmental friendly mayor can help with decreasing the pollution levels is still in doubt.  As a mayor, Green has to consider much more than when she was only a member in the Coalition. The author pointed out that the number of factories has doubled during the past year. This scenario on its own shows an economics prosperous and developing scene in Clearview. Under this circumstance, the newly elected mayor will have to balance the development of local economy and the implement of environmental policies, and sometimes has to sacrifice the environment.

In addition, there is no casual relationship between the increase in the number of factories, the increase in air pollution and that local hospital has treated 25 percent more patients with respiratory illnesses. Even though they both happened during the past year, it means nothing more than a simple concurrence before any in-depth researches are done. Lots of other reasons like abnormal weather and unknown virus can also cause an increase in the number of respiratory illnesses patients.

In conclusion, the residents of Clearview should think twice before they vote. Will Ann Green’s policies be more helpful in dealing with the environmental problems? Will her potential environmental policies be changed if they are in conflict with her other policies? Moreover, how should they receive the 25 percent increase in patients with respiratory illnesses is also important in making this decision.