对比型作文范文

Directions：For this part, you are allowed 40 minutes to write a composition for no less than 250 words after you have read the following requirement.

国内家长往往问孩子：“作业做完了吗？”而美国家长很可能问孩子：“你今天课堂上问了几个有意义的问题？”请就这两个问题发表你的见解。

A sample

Every day when parents get back home from work, they would ask their children questions about their day at school. Typically, a Chinese parent’s question is always “Have you already finished all your homework?” while an average American father or mother might be “How many meaningful questions have you asked in class?”

At first sight, there is nothing special about the two simple questions; however, they point to the significant differences in teaching approaches as well as parents’ attitudes toward education between China and the United States. In China, students, whether at elementary schools or high schools, are expected to listen to the teacher attentively, take as many notes as possible, take the teachers’instruction for granted and finish the home assignment punctually. They are not encouraged to ask questions or challenge the teacher. They have to learn many answers by heart before a test. Their score will suffer if they provide an answer that is different from or contrary to the key given by the teachers. To make sure the children have completed the homework on time, sometimes, teachers even send short message to the parents telling them what is assigned so that parents can check to see whether their children have finished the homework or not.

On the contrary, American teachers motivate students to think for themselves, ask questions and seek their own answers. In this way students can become more inquisitive and creative. More importantly, students would be more interested in what they are learning, rather than urged or forced to learn. After school, kids usually do not have to do as much homework as their Chinese counterparts need to. So they have more spare time doing what a child is happy to do.

Fortunately, schools in China are shifting from test-oriented to quality oriented. Education administrations at various levels have come to be aware of the problems and disadvantages with passive learning. There have been more test-papers that ask open questions. This change will have great impact on teaching approaches in China. (336 words)