GRE写作素材Section+one.docx

GRE写作素材Section+one.docx

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GRE写作素材Section+one

GRE写作素材Sectionone:

Education

下面的材料旨在丰富学生在是非问题写作方面的思想和语言，考生在复习时可以先分类阅读这些篇章，然后尝试写相关方面的作文题。

对于素材中用黑体字的部分，特别建议你熟读，背诵，因为它们在语言和观点上都值得吸收。

学习语言的人应该明白，表达能力和思想深度都靠日积月累，潜移默化。

从某种意义上说，提高英语写作能力无捷径可走，你必须大段背诵英语文章才能逐渐形成语感和用英语进行表达的能力。

这一关，没有任何人能代替你过。

因此，建议你下点苦功夫，把背单词的精神拿出来背诵文章。

何况，并不是要求你背了之后永远牢记在心：

你可以这个星期背，下个星期忘。

这没有关系，相信你的大脑具有神奇的能力。

背了工具箱里的文章后，你会惊讶的发现：

IcanthinkinEnglishnow！

1.Proverbs

1.Agraduationceremonyisaneventwherethecommencementspeakertellsthousandsofstudentsdressedinidenticalcapsandgownsthatindividualityisthekeytosuccess.

2.Theprimarypurposeofaliberaleducationistomakeone’smindapleasantplaceinwhichtospendone’stime.

3.Nextinimportancetofreedomandjusticeispopulareducation,withoutwhichneitherfreedomnorjusticecanbepermanentlymaintained.

4.Theclassroom--notthetrench--isthefrontieroffreedomnowandforevermore.

5.Education’spurposeistoreplaceanemptymindwithanopenone.

6.Itisthepurposeofeducationtohelpusbecomeautonomous,creative,inquiringpeoplewhohavethewillandintelligencetocreateourowndestiny.

7.Yousee,realongoing,lifelongeducationdoesn’tanswerquestions;itprovokesthem.

8.Peoplewillpaymoretobeentertainedthaneducated.

9.themostimportantfunctionofeducationatanylevelistodevelopthepersonalityoftheindividualandthesignificanceofhislifetohimselfandtoothers.Thisisthebasicarchitectureofalife;therestisornamentationanddecorationofthestructure.

10.Theessenceofoureffortstoseethateverychildhasachancemustbetoassureeachasequalopportunity,nottobecomeequal,buttobecomedifferent-torealizewhateveruniquepotentialofbody,mind,andspiritheorshepossesses.

11.Agreatteacherneverstrivestoexplainhisvision-hesimplyinvitesyoutostandbesidehimandseeforyourself.

12.Ifyoucanreadanddon’,youareanilliteratebychoice.

2.DamagingResearch

AstudybyNationalParent-TeacherOrganizationrevealedthatintheaverageAmericanschool,eighteennegativesareidentifiedforeverypositivethatispointedout.TheWisconsinstudyrevealedthatwhenchildrenenterthefirstgrade,80percentofthemfeelprettygoodthemselves,butbythetimetheygettothesixthgrade,only10percentofthemhavegoodself-images.

3.EducationandCitizenship

AnimportantaspectofeducationintheUnitedStatesistherelationshipbetweeneducationandcitizenship.Throughoutitshistorythisnationhasemphasizedpubliceducationasameansoftransmittingdemocraticvalues,creatingequalityofopportunity,andpreparingnewgenerationsofcitizenstofunctioninsociety.Inaddition,theschoolshavebeenexpectedtohelpshapesocietyitself.Duringthe1950s,forexample,effortstocombatracialsegregationfocusedontheschools.Later,whentheSovietUnionlaunchedthefirstorbitingsatellite,AmericanschoolsandcollegescameunderintensepressureandwereofferedmanyincentivestoimprovetheirscienceandmathematicsprogramssothatthenationswouldnotfallbehindtheSovietUnioninscientificandtechnologicalcapabilities.

Educationisoftenviewedasatoolforsolvingsocialproblems,especiallysocialinequality.Theschools,tisthought,cantransformyoungpeoplefromvastlydifferentbackgroundsintocompetent,upwardlymobileadults.Yetthesegoalsseemalmostimpossibletoattain.Inrecentyears,infact,publiceducationhasbeenatthecenterofnumerouscontroversiesarisingfromthegapbetweentheidealandthereality.Partoftheproblemisthatdifferentgroupsinsocietyhavedifferenthavedifferentexpectations.Somefeelthatchildrenshouldbetaughtbasicjob-relatedskills;stillothersbelieveeducationshouldnotonlypreparechildrentocompeteinsocietybutalsohelpthemmaintaintheirculturalidentity（and,inthecaseofHispanicchildren,theirlanguage）.Ontheotherhand,policymakersconcernedwitheducationemphasizetheneedtoincreasethelevelofstudentachievementandtoimproveparentsintheirchildren’seducation.

Somereformersandcriticshavecalledattentiontotheneedtolinkformalschoolingwithprogramsdesignedtoaddresssocialproblems.SociologistCharlesMoscos,forexample,isaleaderinthemovementtoexpandprogramslikethePeaceCorps,Vista,andOutwardBoundintoasystemofvoluntarynationalservice.Nationalservice,asMoscosdefinesit,wouldentail“thefull-timeundertakingofpublicdutiesbyyoungpeoplewhetherascitizensoldiersorcivilianservers-whoarepaidsubsistencewages”andserveforatleastoneyear.Inreturnforthisperiodofservice,thevolunteerswouldreceiveassistanceinpayingforcollegeorothereducationalexpenses.

Advocatesofnationalserviceandschool-to-workprogramsbelievethateducationdoesnothavetobeconfinedtoformalschooling.Indevisingstrategiestoprovideopportunitiesforyoungpeopletoservetheirsociety,theyemphasizetheeducationalvalueofcitizenshipexperiencesgainedoutsidetheclassroom.AtthiswritingthereislittleindicationthatnationalservicewillbecomeaneweducationalinstitutionintheUnitedStates,althoughtheconceptissteadilygainingsupportamongeducatorsandsocialcritics.

4.TheTeacher’sRole

Giventheundeniableimportanceofclassroomexperience,sociologistshavedoneaconsiderableamountofresearchonwhatgoesonintheclassroom.Oftentheystartfromthepremisethat,alongwiththeinfluenceofpeers,students’experiencesintheclassroomareofcentralimportancetotheirlaterdevelopment.Onestudyexaminedtheimpactofasinglefirst-gradeteacheronherstudents’subsequentadultstatus.Thesurprisingresultsofthisstudyhaveimportantimplications.Itisevidentthatgoodteacherscanmakeabigdifferenceinchildren’slives,afactthatgivesincreasedurgencytotheneedtoimprovethequalityofprimary-schoolteaching.ThereformscarriedoutbyeducationalleaderslikeJamesComersuggestthatwhengoodteachingiscombinedwithhighlevelsofparentalinvolvementtheresultscanbeevenmoredramatic.

Becausetheroleoftheteacheristochangethelearnerinsomeway,theteacher-studentrelationshipisanimportantpartofeducation.Sociologistshavepointedoutthatthisrelationshipisasymmetricalorunbalanced,withtheteacherbeinginapositionofauthorityandthestudenthavinglittlechoicebuttopassivelyabsorbtheinformationprovidedbytheteacher.Inotherwords,inconventionalclassroomsthereislittleopportunityforthestudentstobecomeactivelyinvolvedinthelearningprocess.Ontheotherhand,studentsoftendevelopstrategiesforundercuttingtheteacher’sauthority:

mentallywithdrawing,interrupting,andthelike.Hence,muchcurrentresearchassumesthatstudentsandteachersinfluenceeachotherinsteadofassumingthattheinfluenceisalwaysinasingledirection.

5.EducationPhilosophy

ForthepastfiftyyearsourschoolshaveoperatedonthetheoriesofJohnDewey（1859-1953）,anAmericaneducatorandwriter.Deweybelievedhattheschool’sjobwastoenhancethenaturaldevelopmentofthegrowingchild,ratherthantopourinformation,forwhichthechildhadnocontext,intohimorher.IntheDeweysystem,thechildbecomestheactiveagentinhisowneducation,ratherthanapassivereceptacleforfacts.

Consequently,Americanschoolsareveryenthusiasticaboutteaching“lifeskills”–logicalthinking,analysis,creativeproblem--solving.Theactualcontentofthelessonsissecondarytotheprocess,whichissupposedtotrainthechildtobeabletohandlewhateverlifemaypresent,includingalltheunknownsofthefuture.Studentsandteachersbothregardpurememorizationasanuncreativeandsomewhatvulgar.

Inadditionto“lifeskills”,schoolsareassignedtosolvetheevergrowingstokeofsocialproblems.Racism,teenagepregnancy,alcoholism,druguse,recklessdriving,andsuicidearejustafewofthemodernproblemsthathaveappearedontheschoolcurriculum.

ThisallcontributestoahighdegreeofsocialawarenessinAmericanyoungsters.

6.StudentLife

Tothestudents,themostnotabledifferencebetweenelementaryschoolandthehigherlevelsisthatinjuniorhightheystart“changingclasses”.Thismeansthatratherthanspendingthedayinoneclassroom,theyswitchclassroomstomeettheirdifferentteachers.Thisgivesthemthreeorfourminutesbetweenclassesinthehallways,whereagreatdealoftheimportantsocialactionofhighschooltraditionallytakesplace.Studentshavelockersinthesehallways,aroundwhichthycongregate.

Societyingeneraldoesnottakethebusinessofstudyingveryseriously.Schoolchildrenhaveagreatdealoffreetime,whichtheyareencouragedtofillwithextracurricularactivities—sports,clubs,cheerleading,scouts—supposedtoinculcatesuchqualitiesasleadership,sportsmanship,abilitytoorganize,etc.thosewhodon’tbecomeengagedinsuchactivitiesorhaveafter\schooljobshaveplentyofopportunityto“hangout”,listentoteenagermusic,andwatchtelevision.

Comparedtoothernations,Americanstudentsdonothavemuchhomework.StudiesalsoshowthatAmericanparentshavelowerexpectationsfortheirchildren’ssuccessinschoolthanothernationalitiesdo.（Historically,therehasnotbeenmuchcorrelationbetweenAmericanschoolsuccessandsuccessinlaterlife.）“He’sjustnotascholar”,theAmericanparentsmightsay,contentthattheirsonisontheswimteamanddoesn’ttakedrugs.（Someoftheyoungdochoosetostudyhard,forreasonoftheirown,suchasdeterminingthattheroadtorichesliesthroughHarvardBusinessSchool.）

WhatAmericanschoolsdoeffectivelyteachisthecompetitivemethod.Ininnumerablewayschildrenarepitt