2018年普译奖英语写作大赛决赛优秀作品三

题目：The number of foreign study tours by Chinese students is expected to hit 1 million this year, involving 30 billion yuan in expenditure, according to China's biggest online travel agency .

Study travelers are also getting younger. The average age of travelers who took their first study tours overseas is 12.1 years old.Students of a younger age seem to be the upward trend.

Why more and more Chinese young students choose overseas study tours?Write an essay with YOUR OWN TITLE, clearly stating your opinion and supporting your ideas with reasons or examples. You should write 350-400 words.

厦门大学徐滢杰

Overseas Study Tour: A Web of Lies and Deceit

Overseas study tours are increasingly popular among Chinese students and parents, and the age of participants has the trend of becoming younger and younger. Recently, more and more Chinese pupils are putting overseas study tours on their agenda. However, is it really so simple to realize “teaching goes together with pleasure”?

Some people who strongly support the "overseas study tours" would list numerous advantages, including enhancing the self-care ability, improving the English level, contacting different cultures, obtaining more open and tolerant ideas, accepting active and positive educational ideas, and so on. There is no denying that these advantages of overseas study tour indeed exist, but the advantages' rate of returning and its disadvantages cannot be ignored.

Firstly, it is very difficult for a fast trip to fully realize the above advantages. Studying abroad, with a long time span and wider contact area, is a better replacement undoubtedly. Secondly, travel agencies have uneven level, some of them did not arrange sufficient study content, they just simply provide the tour. My little sister once participated in an overseas study tour of Canada, when she came back, she just said "there is no difference between this travel and other ones, just the sightseeing in some scenic spots" In a disappointed tone. In addition, not all the children with low age are suitable for overseas study tour. Some children who have low sense of security naturally probably yearn more for parents' accompany. When they are put in an unfamiliar environment suddenly, some psychological shadow would leave in their heart, which would not be beneficial to their growth. Lastly, disordered pricing of travel agencies cannot be ignored, too. Some unscrupulous businessman make use of parents' willingness that they would sacrifice everything for their children, deliberately raise the prices. As a result, the children have a low-quality travel with a high price. This is a kind of cheating and squeezing for the consumers, which cannot be forgiven.

In my eyes, the trend of overseas study tours reflects many Chinese parents' unreason and blind consumption. Overseas study tours’starting point is good, but the feasibility in reality is not strong. The over-package by travel agency could mislead the consumers. Owner of travel agency earn a lot of money and become the ultimate winner. Therefore, Chinese parents should think deeply and calmly what is the most suitable for their children before consuming, instead of