【托福写作机经】2025年7月6日托福考试回忆

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　主题：小学音乐教育是否值得

One criticism is that time spent in music class is time not spent on other subjects. Each hour spent in music class is one hour less spent on subjects such as math and reading, which many people feel are more important. People who raise this criticism feel that lessons in playing an instrument are a waste of time because they leave students less time to practice reading and math.

Well, to begin with, one study found that students with music training had a better understanding of proportional math like fractions, ratios and percentages. If you think about it, this outcome isn't surprising even a simple understanding of how long to hold different musical notes. You know. A half note, A quarter note and eight note is similar to learning about fractions. Other studies have shown that playing an instrument improves certain language abilities. Ability to detect small sound differences that can change meaning. That's important when one studies foreign languages, for example. So music education can actually improve math and language skills.

A second criticism is that instrument instruction is expensive. In a time when schools do not always have enough money for even basic supplies such as enough books, the costs associated with instrument instruction are just not practical. Schools not only have to pay the salary of a music teacher; they also have to purchase and maintain the instruments that the students use. All of these things add significantly to the overall cost of education.

　Second, schools have found several creative ways of covering the costs of music program. Volunteers from the community. Especially people who have retired from their full-time jobs to teach the lessons at no cost to the. And while schools often purchase the instruments, they can rent them out to children for a small. One instrument can serve several generations of children. The children and their parents don't have to bear the cost of buying an instrument outright, and the school gets back the money it.

　Third, there does not appear to be any real practical or future-looking purpose in providing instrument instruction to students. Most students are not going to grow up to be professional musicians. And for the very few students who have the talent to later become professionals, these instrument lessons in school are not enough; these especially talented students will still need to take private music lessons to develop their skills. So basic classes in instrument playing fulfill no real purpose in the training of potential musicians.

　　Third. Is it really true that music education doesn't have a future looking purpose? Well, there's evidence that without some form of music education, people may not fully develop their sense of music appreciation. That's because their brains may not fully develop the ability to follow basic elements of music like musical pitch or rhythm, so the music education classes clearly have a future looking purpose. It likely won't prepare kids for a job, but that's not the only thing schools are for. Schools prepare people for a full and rich life.

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　　 主题：herbicide是不是常青树死亡的原因

Environmentally Safe Design
First, the new herbicide was specifically designed to be environmentally safe. Before the herbicide could be sold in the United States, it was tested by a government agency. This testing took years, and all the results showed that the herbicide did not have adverse environmental effects.

　 1.这个test只测试了herbicide对于animals（dogs/cats）的影响，没有测试关于evergreen trees

Uneven Pattern of Damage
Second, the damage to evergreen trees that has been observed is very uneven. In the parks where the herbicide is applied to control weeds, only some evergreen trees have experienced problems, while other trees have remained healthy. if the new herbicide really were responsible for damaging evergreen trees, we would expect to see much more consistent damage to trees in the areas where it has been used.

这个uneven environmental pattern是符合herbicide的运作规律的（herbicide dissolve in water-flow downstream-collect in lower areas）所以会影响到下游的evergreen trees，但是elevated areas的trees remain healthy

　A More Likely Cause
Third, there is a much more likely cause for the damage to affected evergreen trees than the new herbicide. The problems all have occurred in a part of the United States that has experienced higher-than-average temperatures and prolonged droughts. The common and unavoidable environmental factors of heat and a lack of water are probably responsible for the evergreen trees' problems, not the new herbicide.

heat会导致old trees 变brown，但是这儿是new trees 变brown，所以并不是other causes导致

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　　 主题：半身像是不是凯撒大帝

　　Style of sculpture

　　First, the bust was made using the realist sculpture style that was introduced to Rome during Caesar's time. Older Roman sculpture styles often depicted people in an ideal way, ignoring any flaws in their appearance and making them look younger. In contrast, the principle of realism prevalent in Caesars' time was to represent people's' physical features faithfully, even if they were not attractive. The Rhône River bust is a completely realistic portrayal of a man in his fifties.

　　First, it's true, the style of realism discussed in the reading was particularly popular during Caesar’s lifetime. However, the realist tradition in roman art continued after Caesar died. Home was popular for a number of centuries after his death. So the bus very well could have been made during a much later period than the first century BC.

　　Resemblance to other portraits of Julius Caesar

　　Second, the bust shares some intriguing details with other portraits of Caesar that are known to have been made during Caesar's lifetime. For example, Caesar was depicted on money(silver coins) used during his rule. The coins show Caesar's hair to be much the same as it is represented in the Rhône River bust.　

　　Second, the resemblance of the boss to depictions of Caesar on silver coins. While some masters of the bust, especially in the hairstyle, do match what we see on the coins. Other features do not. The coins show Caesar is having a very slim nose and the law. But the robust depicts Caesar’s nose and neck differently. If the bus really represented Caesar, we would expect all the features visible in the bust to be consistent with the other depictions that Caesar made during his lifetime.

　　Location of bust

　　Third, the fact that the bust was found in the Rhône River sediment supports the claim that it depicts Julius Caesar. Caesar was violently overthrown in 44 B.C.E. and replaced by another leader. In this circumstance, it could be politically dangerous for Roman citizens to keep a bust of Caesar. It might be interpreted as a lack of respect for the new leader. So it is likely that the bust of Caesar would have been disposed of very soon after 44 B.C.E. Throwing a marble bust into the deep Rhône River would have been a good way to get rid of it fast.

　　Third, the location of the bust in the Rhone river doesn't tell us much either. See, other statues were also found in the river. For example. A statue of Neptune, the roman god of the ocean. Was found in the river, right next to the past. There was no leaf. Anyone to get rid of the statue of Neptune, for political reasons? The statue of Neptune had simply been thrown away. So it's likely the boss was simply thrown away as well. Rivers were actually typical places for romans to dispose of their trash.