雅思写作真题+9分范文：学习外语是必要的还是浪费时间？ Is learning a foreign language essential or a waste of time

这次给大家的是一篇雅思写作真题：学习外语是必要的还是浪费时间？

 Is learning a foreign language essential or a waste of time

原题：

Some people feel that learning a foreign language is an essential component of a child's education. Others feel that learning a foreign language is often a waste of time that can be better spent on learning about technology and other more vocational subjects.

Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your knowledge or experience.

You should write at least 250 words.

范文：

Throughout the history of education, learning a foreignlanguage or languages has been a constant component. Of course, many people feel that this is really an unnecessary part of education for everyone, but this is not a point of view that I share.

在整个教育史上，学习一门或多门外语一直是一个不变的组成部分。当然，许多人认为这对每个人来说都是教育中不必要的部分，但我不同意这种观点。

The opponents to learning a foreign language might argue that most people do not travel that often outside their owncountry. In addition to this, out of all the countries of the world, comparatively not many share the same language. Therefore, learning a foreign language will only be useful for the very limited time that one spends in a country where this language is used. For some people, the language might never be used in their entire lives. When one thinks about how much time and money are spent training language teachers, buying resources, going on trips and delivering lessons for such a negligible benefit, this would seem to be a very inefficient allocation of resources.

反对学习外语的人可能会说，大多数人并不经常到本国以外的地方旅行。此外，在世界所有国家中，使用相同语言的国家相对较少。因此，学习一门外语只能在一个使用这种语言的国家停留的非常有限的时间内发挥作用。对有些人来说，这门语言可能一辈子都不会被使用。当人们想到有多少时间和金钱花在培训语言教师、购买资源、旅行和授课上，而收益却微乎其微，这似乎是一种非常低效的资源分配。

However, the benefits of learning a foreign language go further than just the ability to use it from time to time on a holiday or business trip. Firstly, through learning onelanguage, one gains an understanding to some extent of how all languages work. Thus, no matter where people might end up around the world, the knowledge of language can be of use. Secondly, with the study of a foreign language, one also opens oneself up to other cultures. This allows in turn an appreciation for different points of view and belief systems. With an ever-shrinking world due to globalisation, the ability to empathise and understand the people from other countries is vital to reducing conflict and creating a more tolerant society. Finally, quite simply learning languages is excellent for the improvement of general cognitive skills.

然而，学习一门外语的好处不仅仅是在度假或商务旅行中不时地使用它的能力。首先，通过学习一门语言，人们在一定程度上了解了所有语言的运作方式。因此，无论人们最终在世界的哪个角落，语言知识都是有用的。其次，通过学习一门外语，人们也会向其他文化开放。这反过来又让人欣赏到不同的观点和信仰体系。随着全球化带来的不断缩小的世界，同情和理解其他国家人民的能力对于减少冲突和创造一个更宽容的社会至关重要。最后，很简单，学习语言对于提高一般的认知能力是非常好的。

It seems to me that learning a foreign language, therefore, is more than just gaining the ability to speak a few words of a foreign tongue. It is part of intellectual and social development and needs to be continued for everyone in today's schools.

因此，在我看来，学习一门外语不仅仅是获得说几句外语的能力。它是智力和社会发展的一部分，需要在今天的学校里继续为每个人服务。