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1. Some people think that children should begin their formal education at a very early age and should spend most of their time on school studies. Others believe that young children should spend most of their time playing. Compare these two views. Which view do you agree with? Why?(小孩应该在很小的时候接受正规教育并花费大量时间在学校学习上，还是应该玩耍?)
2. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Children should be required to help with household tasks as soon as they are able to do so. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.(孩子应该在可能的时候帮助做家务。同意与否?)
3. A gift (such as a camera, a soccer ball, or an animal) can contribute to a child’s development. What gift would you give to help a child develop? Why? Use reasons and specific examples to support your choice.(一个礼品比如照相机，足球，或动物可以对小孩的成长有帮助，你愿意给小孩什么礼物帮助他成长?)
4. Some young children spend a great amount of their time practicing sports. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of this. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.(很小的小孩花费太多时间从事体育的好处和坏处?)
5. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Games are as important for adults as they are for children. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.(游戏对成年人和小孩子同样重要，同意与否?)
6. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Younger school children aged 5 to 10 should be required to study art and music in addition to math, language, science and history.(5-10岁的孩子应该被要求学习除了数学，语言，科学以及历史以外的绘画和音乐。)
以上这些题目都是最近一些关于孩子的真题，不难发现，现在对孩子的话题比较多并且比较泛，牵扯到很多，如孩子的学习与玩耍，孩子要不要做家务，礼物对孩子的影响，孩子与运动，孩子与游戏，孩子与艺术音乐等的关系。其实在讨论这些话题之前，学生们是否对孩子这个特殊的群体有了解呢?还是仅仅泛泛而谈把年轻人或普遍大众的特征强加到孩子身上去呢?下面我们来了解并解答这些题目我们需要什么样的关于孩子的背景知识。今天首先通过一个教育家Jean Piaget谈及孩子的教育给大家一些观点和语言上的启发：
Infant education is the education of children before they would normally enter school.(定义)The term "Infant" is typically applied to children between the ages of 1 month and 12 months.(时间)
Early childhood education focuses on children's learning through play, based on the research and philosophy of Jean Piaget.(理论)This belief is centered on the "power of play". It has been thought that children learn more efficiently and gain more knowledge through play-based activities such as dramatic play, art, and social games. This theory plays stems children's natural curiosity and tendencies to "make believe", mixing in educational lessons.(这句话非常适合用于托福写作中，说明孩子为什么需要玩耍。)
According to Piaget’s theory, when young children encounter information that conflicts with their previously learned expectations, or schemes, they attempt to both accommodate and assimilate the new information. Through accommodation, a child attempts to adapt his / her mental schemes and representations in order to make them consistent with reality. Through assimilation, a child attempts to fit new information into their pre-existing schemes about reality. Through these two processes, young children learn by equilibrating their mental representations of reality with the reality they encounter.(这段非常有逻辑的论证了孩子是如何在经验中和实践中不断学习和成长的。)
By applying Piaget’s theories to school programs, children’s experiences become more hands-on and concrete as they explore the nature of things through trial and error.(很适用于我们托福写作中孩子犯错的情况)He believes that early childhood education includes encouraging exploration, manipulating objects and learning about the world through field trips. (很好用的平行结构加论据)Piaget found that children who were allowed to make mistakes often learned from them and discovered new solutions.(适用于创新)This theory posits that children build their own way of learning - paving the way for early childhood education.
Piaget’s theory have been significant in influencing early childhood education practices – how educators should teach, how they can affect children’s learning, and how they contribute to the cognitive development of the child.(一个非常漂亮的平行结构。)
这篇文章在很好的程度上解释了：
1. 孩子为什么要玩耍，如为了迎合好奇心，渐渐形成自己的意识，成长以及经验的不断更正的需要。
2. 怎么玩耍，如可以排演戏剧，体育锻炼，参加短途旅游，学习艺术。
3. 玩耍过程中可能犯一些错误都是为了认识世界做准备的，都给予了非常好的解释，这些对孩子的早期教育有着深远的影响。
4. 在词句上大量用了平行结构和学术词汇，虽然不是非常难，但是非常地道，考生们可以学习这样的词句来写托福写作独立作文，一定是非常有效果的。
这篇文章完全可以作为背景知识，看看外国学术专家们是如何看待一些