Directions: English has long been the “passport” to success at various levels of examinations, such as college and post-graduate entrance examinations. The Beijing municipal commission of education plans to reduce the English section of the college admissions test from 150 points to 100 points and boost the value of the Chinese section from 150 to 180 points. Is it time for us to pay more attention to our own language and culture and downplay English in examinations? Write an essay of about 400 words to state your view.
In the first part of your essay you should state clearly your main argument, and in the second part you should support your argument with appropriate details. In the last part you should bring what you have written to a natural conclusion or make a summary.
You should supply an appropriate title for your essay.
English Should Not Be Downplayed in Examinations
It is said that the Beijing municipal commission of education plans to reduce the English section of the college entrance examination from 150 points to 100 points while increase the Chinese section from 150 to 180 points. Some say that this plan aims to emphasize Chinese which is our native language and pay less attention to English. From my point of view, however, we, Chinese of this generation, shall attach more rather than less importance to English learning.
English is more and more frequently used in communication. Due to the trend of globalization, exchanges between countries are quite often. Many foreigners come to China for short visits or long-term residence. Among them, most speak English. In the meantime, a large number of Chinese go to Britain, the United States, Canada or other English-speaking countries for further study or business. How can we communicate with those people if we do not know their language? And how can it be possible to do business with them if we can’t communicate with them?
We need to refer to English material in professional study. We can’t deny that we are less advanced in some fields that those English-speaking countries. But we have the right and resolution to learn from them. With excellent grasp of English, we can have a better understanding of those works and research reports of specific subjects such as science, physics, math, chemistry, etc. Besides, we can learn different history and different customs and different culture of those English countries. Every culture has its own glory. We can never learn true English literature if we have poor English because we will not understand Charles Dickens if we know few words in his books.
As a result, English should not be downplayed in examinations such as college and post-graduate entrance examinations. Playing more and more important role in today’s global affairs, English not only enhances international communication but also helps a lot in professional study of Chinese scholars. Under such circumstances, Chinese students should work harder in English study so that they can keep in line with the future trend.
文章要求围绕关于教育部高考改革中英语总分由150分降为100分，语文总分由150分增加到180分这一 计划展开讨论：我们是否应该更多地重视我们自己的语言，而减少英语在考试中的份量？本文以“English Should Not Be Downplayed in Examinations”为题，明确点出自己的观点，并在文章第一段明确自己的观点。 文章第二、三段分别从两方面来论述英语在当今世界的重要性：一方面，英语是世界通用的语言，离开英 语，我们无法与外国，尤其是与英语国家沟通；另一方面，阅读外国文献常常需要我们有很好的英语水 平，这对专业人士在某一学科上进行深入研究至关重要。最后一段总结全文，再次点明观点，强调英语学 习的重要性。