【专八】优秀范文1

Optional Courses at University

大学选修课

Directions: Most university students take a combination of mandatory and optional courses during their undergraduate studies. How important a role do you think optional courses should play in students’ education? Provide reasons to support your opinion.

The Role of Optional Courses

University students are at the age when they are aware of their academic interests and able to make many decisions on their own. In light of this fact, it is reasonable that they should be given the freedom to take optional courses both within and outside their major area of study. Nevertheless, the central importance of core or requisite courses cannotbe understated, and students should be careful not to spread themselves too thin.

By the time students have finished high school, they have often narrowed their academic interests. Upon entering university, for example, a student might decide to major in English, psychology or economics. However, students are likely to have other interests outside the scope of their field of major. Allowing them to take non-major courses will offer two important benefits. First, it will engender a more meaningful academic experience. Second, it will cultivate students whoare well-rounded and bring a variety of skills into the workplace upon graduation. For these reasons, university students should be given the opportunity, and even encouraged, to take courses outside their major.

In addition to taking noncompulsory courses outside of their major, university students are also generally allowed to take elective courses within, or relevant to, their academic major. An undergraduate student majoring in economics, for instance,would typically be required to take core courses such as microeconomics,macroeconomics and econometrics, among others. Courses such as industrial economics, environmental economics and labor economics, however, may be offered on an optional basis. This allows students to develop an area of specialization within their major that can better prepare them for employment or graduate studies.

From the foregoing discussion, it is evident that optional courses offer students a variety of benefits. However, it would be a disservice to students if universities allowed them to take too many optional courses, especially ones outside of their academic major. If an engineering major graduated having completed a variety of coursework in sociology and anthropology but only two or three engineering courses, it is unlikely that he would have attained enough expertise in his field to be well-trained professionally or to qualify for postgraduate work. It is critical that students avoid becoming a “jack of all trades and a masterof none”.

In my opinion, students should be encouraged to pursue their unique and potentially diverse academic interests. To this end, optional courses are an essential partof higher education. However, too many optional courses would thwart students’ ability to develop a single main area of expertise, with detrimental consequences to their future careers.

高分表达

1.be aware of 了解。可以替换know/learn这些常见表达。

2.acdemic interests 专业兴趣。

3. In light ofthis fact 鉴于这个事实，因此。

4. it is reasonable that …是合理的。

5. requisite courses 必要的课程，必修课。

6. spread yourself too ˈthin 样样都抓哪样都抓不好（totry to do so many different things at the same time that you do not do any ofthem well）。

7. outside thescope of their field of major 在专业范围之外。

8. engender 产生，引起（某种感觉或情况）。

9. well-rounded 全面发展的。

10. a variety of skills 各种技能。

11. be offered on an optional basis 作为选修课提供。

12. better prepare them for 使他们为…做好准备。

13. From the foregoing discussion 从上述的讨论中。

14. it is evident that 可以很明显地看出。

15. a variety of benefits 许多好处。

16. disservice 伤害。

17. it is unlikely that 不太可能。

18. It is critical that …是很重要的。

19. jack of all trades and a master of none 万事通，样样松。

20. To this end 为了这个目的，为此。

21. thwart 阻止；阻挠；对…构成阻力。

22. detrimental consequences 不利的后果/影响。

参考译文 

      大学生已经能够了解自己的专业兴趣，并且能够自己做决定。因此，他们有在自己专业内外选择选修课的自由。但是基础课和必修课的重要性绝不可忽视，而且学生们也要注意不能参与太多活动。

      学生到高中毕业的时候，专业兴趣已经变得比较狭窄。一进入大学，学生们可能就选了英语、计算机或者经济专业，但是学生可能在本专业外还有其它的兴趣。让这些学生上非专业的课程会有两个重要的好处：一是会增加一种更有意义的学术体验；二是能培养学生全面发展，在毕业后能将各种技能运用到工作中去，所以应该给学生们提供机会、鼓励学生选修本专业以外的课程。

      除了选上本专业以外的非必修课程，也可以让学生选修本专业领域内的或者和自己专业相关的课程，比如，一名经济学专业的本科生一般都要求学微观经济学、宏观经济学、经济计量学等课程，但是像产业经济学、环境经济学、劳动经济学这样的课程也要作为选修课提供给学生们。这能使学生们在本专业内发展自己的专长，能为他们的就业或者研究生的学习做好充分的准备。

      从上述的讨论中可以很明显地看出选修课能够给学生带来许多的好处。但是如果高校让学生选过多的选修课，尤其是过多地选修本专业以外的课程，也会对学生产生不利的影响。比如一个工程学专业的学生完成了很多社会学和人类学的课程，而本专业的课程只选了二三门，这就很可能造成他的专业技能不精，也无法胜任研究生课程的学习。学生要避免成为涉猎众多却没专长的毕业生这也是至关重要的。

      在我看来，应该鼓励学生培养独特的、潜在的、多种多样的专业兴趣。为了实现这一目标，选修课应成为高等教育不可缺少的一部分。但是过多的选修课会限制学生在某一领域中形成自己的专长，对学生长远的职业发展会产生不利的影响。