As part of education, students should spend a period of time studying and living in a different country to learn its language and culture. To what extent do you agree or disagree? Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
”解析&审题
本题是2013年11月21日的考题重现，属于教育-方式类话题。
虽然本题的话题大家都很熟悉，但这个题其实是有一个歧义(ambiguity)在里面的：我们到底应该把重点放在“在国外住一段时间学语言和文化对教育的重要性”还是放在“为了学语言和文化，我们到底该不该去国外住一段时间”?
如果是前者，我们讨论的重点应该是“去国外学语言和文化”对教育的重要性(比如获得双文化能力，开阔视野，理解他人等);如果是后者，我们讨论的重点就变成“去国外住一段时间”对学语言和文化的重要性(比如直接体验，更多机会练习，学习更自然的语言，体验更纯正的文化等)。
唐老师觉得，这两个理解都符合题意。本范文采用的是第二种理解，采用双边讨论的结构。
范文段首先提出问题：为了学习别国语言文化，是否应该去这个国家住一段时间?然后给出自己的观点：这个不一定。
第二段论述去别国住一段时间对学习语言和文化的好处。
第三段论述学习语言和文化最重要的是动力，在网络时代学习材料很多，不一定非要去国外。
第四段总结。
老师笔记
01
The idea that one should spend time studying and living in a foreign country in order to learn its language and culture could be both a truth and a myth.
一个人应该花时间在外国学习和生活以学习其语言和文化，这个想法可能既是一个真理，也是一个神话。
解析
(1) truth or myth: 真的或假的
(2) The idea that...是一个同位语从句。
02
Living in the foreign country, one has more opportunities to talk with native speakers so that their listening and speaking skills can be improved quickly. What a student learns from books often does not include some useful everyday words and unique lifestyle that could only be learned by personally interacting with local people. Furthermore, one is motivated, or even forced to learn what is necessary to survive—the ability to understand the language and culture of the foreign country. That is why a lot of students seem to think that studying and living in a different country means that they automatically learn the country’s language and culture.
生活在外国，人们有更多的机会与母语人士交谈，因此他们的听和说技能可以迅速提高。学生从书本上学到东西往往不包括一些有用的日常词汇和独特的生活方式，这些东西只有通过与当地人的亲身交流才能学到。此外，一个人被推动着甚至是被迫去学习生存所必要的东西，即理解外国语言和文化的能力。这就是为什么许多学生似乎认为，在不同的国家学习和生活就意味着他们可以自动学习到这个国家的语言和文化。
解析
(1) lifestyle 生活方式
(2) personally 亲身地
(3) interact with... 与......交往
(4) motivate 使......有动力
(5) survive 生存
(6) automatically 自动地
03
While going to another country may be a good strategy to master a foreign language (particularly regarding listening and speaking) and culture, it is not necessarily so. Without sufficient motivation, one may benefit little from his/her experience in a foreign country, a fact that has been proved by numerous failed overseas students. Contrarily, if one has the motivation, one might just as well learn a foreign language and culture in one’s own home country from TV, video, and the Internet. It is actually an option safer and cheaper.
虽然为了掌握一门外语(特别是在听和说)和文化，去另一个国家可能是一个很好的策略，但却不一定那么好。如果没有足够的动力，他(她)在外国的经历对他(她)的好处可能微乎其微，这一事实已被许多失败的海外学生所证明。相反地，如果一个人有动力，他完全可能也会通过电视、视频、互联网在自己的国家学得一门外语和文化。这实际上是一种更安全、更便宜的选择。
解析
(1) regarding 关于
(2) not necessarily so 不一定如此
(3) sufficient 足够的
(4) overseas students 海外学生
(5) might just as well do... 完全可以做.....
04
In conclusion, spending a period of time in a foreign country may help one learn its language and culture, but the key to foreign language success is one’s motivation, no matter one is in his/her own country or otherwise.
总之，在外国住一段时间可能有助于一个人学习其语言和文化，但外语成功的关键在于一个人的动机，不管他/她是在自己的国家还是其他地方。
解析
(1) The key to something is... 做......的关键是......
(2) Otherwise 否则;相反
向上滑动阅览
7分范文
The idea that one should spend time studying and living in a foreign country in order to learn its language and culture could be both a truth and a myth.
Living in the foreign country, one has more opportunities to talk with native speakers so that their listening and speaking skills can be improved quickly. What a student learns from books often does not include some useful everyday words and unique lifestyle that could only be learned by personally interacting with local people. Furthermore, one is motivated, or even forced to learn what is necessary to survive—the ability to understand the language and culture of the foreign country. That is why a lot of students seem to think that studying and living in a different country means that they automatically learn the country’s language and culture.
While going to another country may be a good strategy to master a foreign language (particularly regarding listening and speaking) and culture, it is not necessarily so. Without sufficient motivation, one may benefit little from his/her experience in a foreign country, a fact that has been proved by numerous failed overseas students. Contrarily, if one has the motivation, one might just as well learn a foreign language and culture in one’s own home country from TV, video and the Internet. It is actually an option safer and cheaper.
In conclusion, spending a period of time in a foreign country may help one learn its language and culture, but the key to foreign language success is one’s motivation, no matter one is in his/her own country or otherwise.
(271 words)
建议背诵的句子
1. The idea that one should spend time studying and living in a foreign country in order to learn its language and culture could be both a truth and a myth.
一个人应该花时间在外国学习和生活以学习其语言和文化，这个想法可能既是一个真理，也是一个神话。
2. What a student learns from books often does not include some useful everyday words and unique lifestyle that could only be learned by personally interacting with local people.
学生从书本上学到东西往往不包括一些有用的日常词汇和独特的生活方式，这些东西只有通过与当地人的亲身交流才能学到。
3. Without sufficient motivation, one may benefit little from his/her experience in a foreign country, a fact that has been proved by numerous failed overseas students.
如果没有足够的动力，他(她)在外国的经历对他(她)的好处可能微乎其微，这一事实已被许多失败的海外学生所证明。
4. If one has the motivation, one might just as well learn a foreign language and culture in one’s own home country from TV, video, and the Internet.
如果一个人有动力，他完全可能也会通过电视、视频、互联网在自己的国家学得一门外语和文化。
5. Spending a period of time in a foreign country may help one learn its language and culture, but the key to foreign language success is one’s motivation, no matter one is in his/her own country or otherwise.
在外国住一段时间可能有助于一个人学习其语言和文化，但外语成功的关键在于一个人的动机，不管他/她是在自己的国家还是其他地方。
