作者：北美考试教学中心口语组 赵真真

2021年9月是开学季，上半个月有4场托福线下考试，其中9月11日上下午各一场，整体难度适中。前两场都与学生的教育问题相关，涉及到现代科技/电子产品，有一些共性，可以使用一些万 能理由，诸如“科技带来的便利”、“开阔眼界”等好处，或者“不利于身心健康”等坏处进行答题的。9月11日的话是生活细节题，问到庆祝生日的偏好，是2015年的旧题，近几年没有考过，可以发现ETS开始将很久之前的题目拿出来“回锅”了。这种切入点非常小的题目对于缺乏准备的同学而言是有难度的，但是如果能够灵活运用交友、社交等万 能理由，再加上一些细节描述，就能够快速组织比较完整的回答。

2021年09月04日

2018.03.31/2020.10.14旧题复用：

Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? It is important to allow children to use computers and other electronic devices as early as possible.

题目解析：

电子产品相关话题，如电脑、手机、电子书等，是独立口语中的高频话题，也是很容易进行构思的题目。如果同意这一说法，可以分析电子产品的优点，如“方便”、“高效”、“信息量大”、“有趣”、“社交”等要点，论述其对于学习和沟通的辅助作用。反之，则可以结合题干中“as early as possible”进行驳斥，孩子年纪太小，电子产品不利于身心健康。身体方面：损害视力、影响颈椎发育、久坐不动导致缺乏运动等。心理方面则可以说，孩子还没有健全的价值观，无法判断是非，会形成错误的三观；或者年纪太小，不会识别网络陷阱，容易上当受骗等。

范文A:

I believe young children should have access to electronic devices. First, in this information age, nearly everyone needs to obtain knowledge from the Internet, so electronic devices can be great learning tools for kids. For instance, there are a variety of interactive leaning apps on computers and cellphones where kids can immerse themselves in the interaction with teachers online. This form of learning could be novel to kids since it combines teaching and animation,making the class more vivid and engaging.

Besides, young people today tend to communicate with each other online. Using smart phones or iPad to make a video call with friends is as plain as any other daily routines.Therefore, I don’t think parents should be overly worried about the usage of electronic devices. As long as the time of usage can be controlled,its benefits will far outweigh its drawbacks.

范文B:

From my point of view, children should not be exposed to electronic devices too early. Since children are still in the crucial stage of physical development, allowing them to come in contact with electronic devices makes them vulnerable to a series of health issues, such as nearsightedness and cervical problems.

What’s worse, children’s premature use of electronic devices can lead to serious internet addictions. For example, when they are asked to take classes online, they may be lured by the game advertisement popping out on the screen and start playing video games. Since children are yet unable to restrain themselves, they may not be able to limit the time they spend on games. So I believe young children should not be allowed to have access to Internet full of temptations.

2021年09月05日

2017.12.16旧题新考：

Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? It is less important now for schools to teach young students to do math in mind because of the availability of new technology that can do it for them.

本题与2017.12.16的题目(学生能否在考试中使用计算器)非常类似，都是问到数学计算能否借助工具的问题。学习数学是个话题是托福口语独立题中的一个难点，很多同学认为重要但是不知道如何去描述它的重要性。其实我们在描述某一技能的重要性时，可以从“学习”、“工作”、“生活”这三个角度展开，比如某项技能促进学生的学习/提升学习能力，帮助学生找工作/更好地完成工作，或者在生活中衣食住行、交友等方面起到作用等。如果要说不重要，则可以探讨“易替代”、“没有实际用处”、“有更重要的需要学”等角度。这个题目需要避免一个误区，它并不是问学习数学是否重要，而是问心算能力是否重要，所以审题一定要准确，切忌看到math就直接套用“数学很重要”的答题思路。

范文A:

In my opinion, learning to do calculation in mind isn’t as important as in the past for young students.First off, using calculator is definitely more efficient and accurate. For example, when students are taking a physics exam, calculation isn’t the key ability.Using calculators can free them from tedious arithmetic, thus they will better focus on the use of physics knowledge. In contrast, when calculating in mind, they may make mistakes repeatedly, which is a waste of time in exams. 

Plus, doing addition and subtraction in mind is a tough job for a lot of young students, so it requires much repetitious practice. With less burden from maths class, students have more time to develop other crucial skills, such as dancing, painting, and sports.These are skills that could never be replaced by hi-tech devices.

范文B:

I disagree with this idea. Doing math in mind is actually a simple and basic skill that I learned in my primary school and I still consider it a useful skill now. For example, when you go to a small fruit and vegetable stall, you can hardly see any consumer using a calculator.With the ability of doing math in mind, you can easily tell whether the stall owner miscalculates and charges more.   

In addition, calculating in mind is a tough work for kids since it requires concentration and quick reaction. When students do this task in class, they have to be 100% focused, or they might lag behind others in calculation or make mistakes. And once they make a mistake, they should be patient enough to find out the step that goes wrong. Therefore, doing maths in mind can help develop some crucial skills that can benefit young students’ study in the long run.

2021年09月11日上午场

2015.5.12旧题复用：

Do you prefer to celebrate your birthday with a lot of friends or just stay with a few people and keep it simple? Use specific reasons and examples to support your choice.

本题询问的是庆祝生日的偏好，属于生活方式类话题，问题的切入点会非常细致。考的频率非常低，近5年都没有出现过，如果没有提前准备过类似主题，容易觉得无话可说。大部分同学容易想到交朋友这个万 能理由，需要注意与题干中的庆祝生日进行结合，具体讲到与很多人一起庆祝的时候有一些什么活动，从而扩展细节。如果选独自待着， 则可以讲自己不善于或者不喜欢社交，更愿意安静地度过这一天，也可以说与父母、亲近的朋友打电话分享自己的情绪等。如果想不到第二个要点，则采取对比论证，后半部分展开论述不选另外一个选项的原因。

范文A:

I prefer to have a big celebration on my birthday for the following reasons . Firstly , having a large party can be very exciting since I can invite a lot of friends who can witness this important day. I can share the birthday cake with friends and even watch a movie, or sing and dance together. It is always joyful to have many friends around. 

Moreover, having a big celebration can also be very memorable. As opposed to a simple birthday, a party can create a lot of memories that I can recall in the future. This way, my birthday will be different from any other day in a year. Therefore, I enjoy bigger celebrations for my birthday.

范文B:

Well, I just prefer to keep things simple on my birthday just because I am not a people person. Having a lot of people around and staying in the spotlight make me feel stressed and nervous.I have to take good care of every guest that I invited and make a detailed plan about the activities, settings and things that I need to say to all the friends. Just thinking of these trivial things makes me feel tired.

On the contrary, when I just stay alone, I feel at ease and there is no need to take those useless social into consideration. Instead, I may just call my parents to express my gratitude to them for giving me life and all the support I need, or chat with a few close friend on the Internet. I think that is enough for me as a simple celebration.

2021年09月11日下午场

2017.12.16旧题新考：

Some people prefer to get up early in the morning and start a day’s work.Others prefer to get up late and work until late at night. Which do you prefer?Use specific reasons and examples to support your choice.

这个题目比较简单，涉及工作时间段的选择，类似的题目有“你喜欢早起学习还是熬夜学习”。其实这类题目可以利用万 能理由，即工作效率，无论是早起还是工作，都可以说自己在这个时段更容易专注、头脑更清醒、或者更容易进入工作状态。如果讲早起工作就说自己习惯早起，一日之计在于晨。如果选后者，则可以说自己是夜猫子，早起会导致一整天状态都不好。如果考试中很难想到另外一个要点，则直接利用对比论证的方法讲第二个要点，降低准备的难度，同样可以充实细节，并使逻辑更加完整清晰。

范文A:

I prefer to work in the morning for the following reasons. Firstly, many researches have proved that we humans tend to work more efficiently in morning and be energetic. As the first part of the day, we will have enough energy to complete important tasks, which also means that we are likely to do more things in the morning. Moreover, I also prefer to work in mornings so that I can complete important tasks early, thus I can do other things like exercising or relaxing later in the day. This way, I can always finish my work before the deadline. Starting my work in the morning gives me enough time to plan the rest of my day based on my priorities. Thus, I like to work in mornings rather than in afternoons and evenings.

范文B:

I prefer to start my work later and work until late at night simply because I am not a morning person.Getting up early in the morning will ruin my day since I will feel sleepy and dizzy for most time of the day if I don’t get enough rest in the morning. Therefore, I tend to be less responsive and easily make mistakes. In contrast, I feel more energetic and sober with enough sleep, so my working efficiency will be higher. Besides, I personally enjoy the atmosphere of working at night when it is dark and quiet outside. I can turn on my reading lamp and immerse myself into the work. When I am completely focused, things will be finished more quickly.