【奇特der異種寫作烤鯷】太空探索
太空探索一直是一個特別的題目，特別之處在於許多的雅思猜題（不管是大陸的還是國外的），都會在猜題清單上面加註這題。但是一年過去了雅思還是沒有在正式考試中──至少是台灣的考試──放入這題。
不過這個情形在幾天前 (2015.10.11) 逆轉了！竟然在托福（TOEFL iBT）的考題中出現了它的存在。題目如下：
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2015.10.11 TOEFL iBT Writing
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement:
It is a waste of money for governments to fund space travel or space exploration.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
由於托福的寫作題型相較雅思稍微固定，也就是題目多半為Do you agree or disagree類的，因此這個題目放到雅思來烤，其實可以有許多的變種！
比方說
◆ Manned space missions deserve more government funding. To what extent do you agree or disagree? (載人的太空任務應該獲得更多政府資金。請問你多大程度同意這個意見？)
◆ Some people feel that space exploration justifies a lot of government and private investment. Others, however, think that this field is of increasingly low relevance, and should not be a priority. Discuss both views and give your own opinion. (有些人覺得太空探索值得政府與私人機構大量資金補助，但也有些人覺得太空探索與現實關聯性低，因此不該被視為優先任務。請討論雙方意見並提供個人觀點。)
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Alex在課堂上拿這題給許多學生做腦力激盪的時候，都會遇到大家直接呈現當機狀態，直嚷題目太抽象、太罕見、太難、沒有想法。
所以我們今天一起來想點，贊成跟反對各有什麼可能的理由呢？
✔✔✔ Helps technological progress (幫助科技進步)
✔✔✔ Helps solve pressing issues related to biology, chemistry or genetics (幫助發展生物或化學、遺傳等領域的研究)
✔✔✔ Helps relieve pressure on overpopulated lands (幫助舒緩人口過於擁擠的土地)
✘✘✘ High cost (代價太高)
✘✘✘ Only academic pursuit, lacking practical relevance (只是紙上談兵，實用價值不高)
✘✘✘ Potential cause for concern of an alien attack (可能引起外星人進攻地球XD)
大家還有什麼其他的看法嗎？
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【Exam Topics That Are One of a Kind】
Space exploration has always been a topic that merits special attention. It is unique because this topic is almost always added as an addendum on many exam predictions websites (whether they be some famous ones by Chinese cram school instructors or those found on some foreign websites). Yet there is still scant evidence that this particular topic has ever been included in the real IELTS exam over the last year or so, at least not in Taiwan.
However, this has changed, as of 11 October, when this topic found its way into the TOEFL iBT test. The reported exam question is as follows:
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
2015.10.11
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement:
It is a waste of money for governments to fund space travel or space exploration.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Well, given that the iBT test is fairly limited in terms of essay types, the questions are usually phrased in the form of “Do you agree or disagree?” However, there can be a wider variety if the question is found in IELTS.
For example:
◆ Manned space missions deserve more government funding. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
◆ Some people feel that space exploration justifies a lot of government and private investment. Others, however, think that this field is of increasingly low relevance, and should not be a priority. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.
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Whenever I ask students in class to come up with ideas for this topic, everyone just sat there, looking completely spaced out, exclaiming that the topic is way too abstract and unusual. Some even say that the question is so challenging that they fail to come up with any ideas.
So let’s think about some useful reasons why we should support or oppose space exploration.
✔✔✔ Helps technological progress
✔✔✔ Helps solve pressing issues related to biology, chemistry or genetics
✔✔✔ Helps relieve pressure on overpopulated lands
✘✘✘ High cost
✘✘✘ Only academic pursuit, lacking practical relevance
✘✘✘ Potential cause for concern of an alien attack XDD
That’s about it. Do you have some other useful ideas?
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