1. (20180909) Students should be encouraged to study fields like science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) rather than what they have interest in.

头脑风暴

这道题问的是学生们应该选择学习科学技术类的学科，还是选择自己更感兴趣的领域。在头脑风暴时可以分别思考这两方面的优缺点，选择你认为理由比较充分的观点来写。

如果选择学习科学技术类的学科，可以写这一类学科的实用性可能会更强，对未来的职业发展有所帮助，工作带来的收入也很丰厚，但是这类学科难度可能会比较大，就业时竞争激烈。

如果选择自己喜欢的学科，可以写这一类学科更能激发自己的学习兴趣，使自己在擅长的领域有更好的发展，但是可能未来职业选择有限。

范文思路

论点：应当选择自己更感兴趣的领域学习。

理由一：选择自己更感兴趣的领域能够激励学生追求更高的目标，在学习中有更好的表现。

理由二：选择自己更感兴趣的领域可以使学生在专业领域更擅长，从而使他们在求职时有更大的优势。

理由三：虽然STEM类学科实用性强，但是它们不一定能成为学生学习的动力。

范文文本

Education is one of the keywords of this age since it has an overall impact on people's quality of life, both intellectually and financially. However, people's views differ greatly as to which should be the priority of academic pursuit, to study the STEM subjects or to focus on subjects that interest them. As I see it, choosing to specialize in one's favorite courses is more commendable.

To begin with, opting for the courses that greatly interest the students will drive them to achieve higher goals. When students' motivation is stimulated by the subject exerting a special fascination on them, they are likely to spend more time on it and accomplish better academic performance. According to a recent study conducted by the Society of Developmental Psychology, primary-school students would spend approximately three more hours each week on subjects they are interested in than on other subjects, and score about 10% higher correspondingly. This trend is also valid when it comes to high-school students. As revealed by a research of Rice University, over 95% of the students who had won an award in the state math competition have demonstrated their interest in math at an early age. Therefore, students who are interested in the classes they are taking are more likely to have better academic performance.

Besides, learning subjects that students are interested in can do a better job in helping them secure a decent job. Under such a society full of fierce competition, it is the professional skills people own that make them stand out. And only when people select the field they are passionate about can they establish a solid foundation of specific knowledge and skills in this field. My cousin Anthony's experience can well illustrate this point. Fascinated by medicine, he started reading a mass of articles and books about the discipline since an early age. After entering the Ph.D. program of Medicine at Yale, he constantly stood out among his peers in his knowledge about medicine. Because of his preeminence, he was immediately employed by one of the best medical companies after graduation. Till now, he is the leading researcher in the company and earns a high payment.Hence, learning courses catering to students' interest can better improve their competence, thus increasing their likelihood of securing a decent job.

Granted, courses like science, technology, engineering and math are technical, most of which can be applied in solving real-world issues. However, technically oriented classes do not serve as an impetus for learning, a stimulus for growth, or a trigger for action. Instead, fields that interest students encourage them to learn more and perform better, thus guaranteeing students a competitive edge to ensure future jobs opportunities.

To sum up, given the discussion above, we can firmly draw the conclusion that it is better to study subjects that interest the students, in terms of making them have a better grasp of their knowledge and find a suitable job.

语料积累

Education is one of the keywords of this age since it has an overall impact on people's quality of life, both intellectually and financially. （可作为教育类话题背景句使用）

differ greatly as to… 在……议题上有不同意见

specialize in 专长/专注于

opt for=choose 选择

exerting a fascination on… 引起……的兴趣

establish a solid foundation of… 为……打下坚实的基础

secure a decent job 有助于找体面的工作

cater to students' interest 迎合学生的兴趣

improve their competence 增加他们的竞争力

an impetus for learning, a stimulus for growth, a trigger for action 激发学习兴趣，促进成长，引发行动（托福很喜欢的排比句式）

guarantee students a competitive edge 保证学生突出的竞争力