21. (20171105) University students are often encouraged to study fields in which significant job growth (a large increase in job opportunities) is expected; these fields currently include science, technology, engineering, and math. Do you believe students should consider studying fields related to these subjects even if they are more interested in other subjects? Why or why not?

头脑风暴

很多大学生会被鼓励去学习一些工作机会增长很快的专业，比如STEM（理工科），你认为如果有的学生对其他学科更感兴趣，他们是否仍应该学习这些学科？

应该：跟上时代的脚步，工作机会多说明有这方面的需求，我们应该满足时代的需求；要是不掌握这方面的知识的话，很难找到工作，无法保证生计。

不应该：大学应该是追求自己梦想的时候，不应该去迎合世俗；如果不感兴趣，强行去学，很大可能也学不好。

范文思路

论点：应该学习STEM学科。

理由一：应该顺应时代发展的趋势，否则很难找到工作。

理由二：即使不从事相关职业，对于理解世界和培养学习能力也很有帮助。

理由三：可以双修（double）一个自己非常感兴趣的文史专业。

范文文本

As we enter a new era in which the ever-accelerating advancement of science and technology is the main driving force propelling the development of our society, it is not unreasonable that there should be a boom of job opportunities for students with STEM majors. It is because of this phenomenon that a controversy as to whether students interested in other fields should also study STEM majors has arisen. Personally, I tend to support the idea that all students should at least study STEM in their undergraduate years.

First of all, a dramatic increase in employment for STEM majors indicates a dire need of such employees. In other words, our society has progressed from requiring a large amount of workers in factories to having a shortage of employees majoring in science related fields. This is what is generally referred to as the trend of our time. Throughout history, all successful individuals have achieved great success because they devoted themselves into what their time needed most. When Watt improved the steam engine and boosted its efficiency, many businessmen like Henry Ford stepped into the manufacture industry and became models of future practitioners. In addition, without knowledge in science and technology, it is very unlikely that someone can even find a position, let alone pursue their passion. It has been reported that a prison in the United States has founded a program to teach its inmates how to be a programmer because they believed that such a skill will help them find an employment when they are released from prison. As a result, I believe that in order to meet the requirement of our time, we should study STEM majors in college.

Second of all, even if they did not pursue a profession in STEM related fields, it would still be a great addition to their personal development. Right now, we are living in a society dominated by pervasive technology such as smart phones and automated machinery, and it would certainly help us lead a better life if we possess the knowledge about the principles of these technologies. For example, by understanding electromagnetics, we can avoid falling prey to the common rumors such as microwaves can leak out and do harm to human bodies. From another aspect, by studying STEM majors in college, we obtain the ability to study efficiently and to understand a certain subject in a profound manner. Zhen-Ning Yang, a Nobel prize winning physicist once said that a student majoring physics never changes his profession because he is trained to do everything. Undoubtedly, this is a bit of exaggeration, but it carries a certain truth that by receiving a professional education in STEM majors, one can easily apply the skills he has learnt to study in another field and become a professional.

Admittedly, college is a place to pursue one's dreams and it would be cruel to ask them to abandon their dreams and study STEM. However, there is a simple solution to that: they can double major in their desired field to satisfy their interest and another STEM major to find a job when they graduate. In fact, I believe that this is the optimal solution for students passionate about fields other than STEM.

In a nutshell, I believe that all students should study STEM majors as undergraduates and if they want, they can also double major in order to continue pursuing their passion.

语料积累

driving force 驱动力

a controversy arises 起一个争端

practitioner 从业者

dominate 主导

pervasive 普遍的

automated machinery 自动化器械

electromagnetics 电磁学

fall prey to 被困，遭到迫害