问答题
5. The following two excerpts are about school uniform, a uniform that is worn by students primarily for a school or otherwise educational institution. From the excerpts, you can find that school uniforms have both supporters and opponents. Write an article of NO LESS THAN 300 words, in which you should: 1. summarize the opinions from both sides briefly, and then
2. express your opinion towards school uniforms, especially whether schools should require their students to wear school uniforms.
Marks will be awarded for content relevance, content sufficiency, organization and language quality. Failure to follow the above instructions may result in a loss of marks. Write your article on ANSWER SHEET FOUR. Excerpt 1 It is difficult to trace the origins of uniforms as there is no comprehensive written history but rather a variety of known influences. Although uniforms can often be considered conservative and old-fashioned, uniforms in recent years have changed as societal dress codes have changed. Little is known prior to the nineteenth century about uniforms, but there certainly are influences dating back to the 13th century. In 1222, the Archbishop of Canterbury ordered monks to wear a specific monastic form of dress. Despite this example, the roots of the modern day uniform come mostly from the collegiate uniforms in England. Universities, primary schools and secondary schools used uniforms as a marker of class and status, which in turn served as a boundary. As early as the sixteenth century, uniforms were utilised and became more specific as various fashion trends became undesirable to the university.
Traditionally favored by private institutions, school uniforms are being adopted by US public schools in increasing numbers. Almost one in five US public schools required students to wear uniforms during the 2011-2012 school year, up from one in eight in 2003-2004. Mandatory uniform policies in public schools are found more commonly in high-poverty areas.
Proponents say that school uniforms make schools safer for students, create a "level playing field" that reduces socioeconomic disparities, and encourage children to focus on their studies rather than their clothes.
Excerpt 2 The opposing side of uniforms have claimed their ineffectiveness using a variety of justifications, a variety of Which have research supporting them. Some of the cons to school uniforms include the following concerns: The primary concern with school uniforms or strict dress codes is that it limits the ability of the student to express themselves. Clothing is viewed as a mean of expression. Making all students wear the same clothes or limiting them to what they can wear can disrupt their sense of identity.
Another negative aspect of school uniforms is that it may have a detrimental effect on students' self-image. When students have to wear the same outfits, rather than being allowed to select clothes that suit their body types, they can suffer embarrassment at school. Child and teen development specialist Robyn Silverman said that students, especially girls, tend to compare how each other looks in their uniforms: "As a body image expert, I hear from students all the time that they feel it allows for a lot of comparison... So if you have a body that's a plus-size body, a very tall body, a very short body, those girls often feel that they don't look their best."
【正确答案】[范文] Say Yes to School Uniforms
Love it or loathe it, school uniforms are a part of growing up for countless children around the world. And as for supporters of school uniforms, they spot many positive implications, namely making schools safer for students, creating a "level playing field" that reduces socioeconomic disparities, etc. Naturally there also exit opponents who have claimed ineffectiveness of school uniforms using a variety of justifications. In my opinion, the advantages of school uniforms outweigh its disadvantages. Therefore, schools, especially elementary and middle schools, should require their students to wear uniforms.
Firstly, it is admitted that a safe and disciplined learning environment is the first requirement of a good school. School uniforms are one positive and creative way to achieve this kind of environment. School uniforms help students be aware of their identity of being a student, and thus help to create a strong sense of school ethos and a sense of belonging to a particular community. As such they help to cultivate conformity in student attitudes and drive up academic standards.
Secondly, uniforms act as a kind of social leveler, under which all students are equal in the eyes of the school and of each other. In institutions without uniforms students are often competitive and worry endlessly about their appearance and the clothes they should wear. Pupils without expensive clothes may be singled out as social outcasts, or laughed at as being from poor backgrounds. For these reasons many parents prefer uniforms as they save them money on buying clothes for school wear.
Thirdly, uniforms make it easy to check that every student maintains a smart appearance and is dressed appropriately. In schools where students are allowed to dress as they like, a constant battle has to be fought by staff to ensure that what the students choose to wear is not inappropriate, not too revealing, and not with offensive slogans, etc.
In short, school uniforms provide quite a few advantages to schools as well as to students themselves. It is essential for schools to require their students to wear uniforms.
【答案解析】 题目给出两个选段,主要论述对校服的支持及反对观点。根据题目要求,首先总结正反双方的观点,然后表明自己的观点。作文结构可安排如下:
第一段:简要概括所给材料中正反双方的观点,然后表明自己的观点——学校应要求学生穿校服;
第二段:分析穿校服的第一个好处——可有助于增强学生的使命感,从而营造良好的校风校纪;
第三段:分析穿校服的第二个好处——可避免学生产生阶级对比;
第四段:分析穿校服的第三个好处——可避免一些校内不适当的着装;
第五段:总结全文,重申学校要求学生穿校服对学校本身和学生都有好处。
[参考译文]
支持穿校服
无论喜欢还是讨厌,校服是世界上无数学生成长过程的一部分。校服支持者发现校服隐含多种积极意义,包括营造更为安全的校园环境、创造“公平局面”消除社会经济差异等。自然地,校服有其反对者。这些反对者通过一系列理由宣称校服无用。在我看来,穿校服的好处多于其坏处。因此,学校,尤其是小学和中学,应该要求学生穿校服。
首先,人们认为安全有序的学习环境是好学校的第一要求。校服是实现这种环境的一种积极和富有创造性的方式。校服帮助学生认识到自己学生的身份,因此有助于创造有力的校风和对于学校这一特定社区的归属感。校服也因此帮助培养学生一致的态度并提升学术标准。
其次,校服可以作为一种社会调节器,身穿校服的学生在学校和学生彼此眼中都是平等的。而在没有校服的学校,学生通常会相互攀比,一直担心自己的外表和身穿的衣服。没有昂贵衣服的小学生可能会受到排挤,或者会因为来自贫穷家庭而被人嘲笑。因此,许多家长都倾向于学生穿校服,因为校服可以节省购买学生装的费用。
再次,校服使得检查学生是否穿着干净合适变得容易。在那些任由学生穿戴的学校,学校职工一直在进行持久的战争,以确保学生选择的衣服没有不得体,没有太裸露,以及没有攻击性的标语等。
简言之,校服不仅为学校提供了好处,也为学生自己提供了好处。学校有必要要求学生穿校服。