托福作文范文：课外阅读

 　　Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? "Reading that a student does on his or her own is as important as, or even more important than, reading that a student does because it is assigned¹ by teachers." Use specific reasons, examples or details to support your opinion.

　　范文:

　　By doing it on their own and doing it according to instructions from teachers, students can develop their reading skills to feed the academic minds, while beating the influence of television. In the process of learning², self-motivated reading, like eating nutritious³ food, can be especially beneficial to those young "couch⁴ potatoes". In comparison⁵, reading as homework sounds like doing it for school exams, and reading independently sounds like doing it for personal pleasure.

　　To start with, it is important that teachers should give reading tasks in order that students, who prefer watching TV to reading at home, can at least learn to read to reach an expected level. In this case, the purpose is of course trying to make everyone a good reader, by obligation⁶ if needs be. It may be said that different books, like different kinds of food, appeal to different tastes. Sometimes, reading material as assigned by teachers may happen to be particularly boring to the point of torture⁷. So much so, obliging⁸ students to read is similar to forcing them to eat what they do not see fit to digest with pleasure. Nevertheless, such example does not indicate that reading as course-work is a bad practice, but that the mixed results are not exactly as good as hoped because of lack of interest on the part of certain students.

　　At the same time, no less important for students is reading to learn on their own, in a way as if they were choosing their favorite restaurants and later feel entertained and happy. This is why students should not only be allowed but also encouraged to do more reading more extensively⁹ for increased knowledge in a wide range of disciplines. When students are constructing the habits of reading out of their own wills, they are sure to gain more confidence and self-esteem, which is part of the fruits of education that can lead to an intelligent lifestyle. Besides, to enjoy reading is to reduce TV screen time. Believe it or not, it is possible that ideas contained in many books being well read in spare time are worth more than have been presented in the entire history of television.

　　After all, whether doing it for exams or for enjoyment¹⁰, reading makes fuller students in their pursuit¹¹ of academic success at various stages, from the primary school right to the university level. Just as food is good for the health of the body, so is reading good for the health of the mind. At this point, nothing can please teachers more than to realize that their students are doing more reading on their own than are assigned.

1 assigned   

adj.选定的；被布置的

参考例句：

• But read-only values are different,in that they are assigned at runtime.但是只读的值是不同的，因为它们是在运行时被赋值的。

2 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。

3 nutritious   

adj.有营养的，营养价值高的

参考例句：

• Fresh vegetables are very nutritious.新鲜蔬菜富于营养。
• Hummingbirds have discovered that nectar and pollen are very nutritious.蜂鸟发现花蜜和花粉是很有营养的。

4 couch   

n.睡椅，长沙发椅；vt.表达，隐含

参考例句：

• Lie down on the couch if you're feeling ill.如果你感觉不舒服就躺到沙发上去。
• The rabbIt'sprang from its grassy couch.兔子从草丛中跳出。

5 comparison   

n.比较，对照；比拟，比喻

参考例句：

• They make a comparison of New York to a beehive.他们把纽约比作一个蜂巢。
• This dress is really cheaper by comparison.比较起来，这件衣服确实便宜。

6 obligation   

n.（法律、道德上的）义务，责任

参考例句：

• Every player is under an obligation to keep the rules.每个选手都必须遵守这些规则。
• It is the obligation of citizens to perform military service.服兵役是每个公民的义务。

7 torture   

n.折磨；v.折磨，使痛苦；使苦恼，使为难

参考例句：

• No torture would make him speak.任何严刑拷打都不能使他开口。
• Through those long years of imprisonment and torture,he remained faithful and unyielding.在那些遭受囚禁和酷刑的漫长岁月里，他始终坚贞不屈。

8 obliging   

a.恳切的，热心助人的

参考例句：

• They were very obliging and offered to wait for us. 他们非常热情，主动提出等候我们。
• He is a diamond of the first water, always obliging. 他是第一流的好人，总是乐于帮助别人。

9 extensively   

ad.广泛地, 大量地

参考例句：

• Of all these verbs the verb is the most extensively used. 在这些动词中应用范围最广的是这个动词。
• Corn and cotton are extensively cultivated in this region. 这个地区普遍种植玉米和蔬菜。

10 enjoyment   

n.乐趣；享有；享用

参考例句：

• Your company adds to the enjoyment of our visit. 有您的陪同，我们这次访问更加愉快了。
• After each joke the old man cackled his enjoyment.每逢讲完一个笑话，这老人就呵呵笑着表示他的高兴。

11 pursuit   

n.追赶，追求，职业，工作

参考例句：

• They set off at once along the lane in pursuit.他们立即出发沿着小巷追赶。
• Life,liberty,and the pursuit of happiness have been called the inalienable rights of man.生命、自由和追求幸福被称为人类不可剥夺的权利。