Editor's note: China is the top country of origin for international students in the US, with more than 274,000 Chinese students reportedly accounting for 31 percent of all international students at US universities. Many Chinese parents save up a lot of money for their children to pursue an overseas education. Is it worth spending big to study abroad? You are welcome to leave your comments.

    Arsa (Russia): I went to study abroad when I was 17. First year was a total waste as I met plenty of Russian students in my college and we spent most of our time shopping and hanging out at cafes, it wasn't until two years later that I realized that my English hadn't improved. I changed my mindset entirely and started studying hard. I ended up staying in UK for 10 years, which opened a lot of doors and introduced me to great people, so I'm all for studying abroad.

    Truth (US): There is an assumption that American education is the best in the world, so Chinese parents are pushing their kids to American colleges. And some are even sending their children overseas at junior or high school level. I often feel this is a mistake as the education a Chinese child gets in a foreign country is very different from what they are used to and they often struggle. Some students have trouble understanding their lecturers and their assignments keep coming back with poor scores.

【写作内容】

1). 用约30个单词写出上文概要；

2). 用约120个单词发表你的观点，内容包括：

( 1 )支持或反对“国外留学”；

( 2 )用2至3个理由或论据支撑你的观点。

请根据以下提示，并结合事例，用英语写一篇短文。

We all know that "sticks and stones may break our bones", but we should also be aware that words can hurt people, too.

注意：①无须写标题，不得照抄英语提示语；

②除诗歌外，文体不限；

③文中不得透露个人姓名和学校名称；

④词数为120左右。

1）概述故事的含义；

2）谈谈个人感想。

注意：

1）可适当发挥，使文章内容充实，行文连贯；

2）文中不能出现考生的具体信息。

参考词汇:凿壁:make a hole in the wall

    High school exit tests are tests that students must pass to graduate from high school. In the last few years. However, a number of states in America have dropped them. Although some states still use them for diplomas, the number is down from a high of 27 states during the testing craze promoted by No Child Left Behind (NCLB).

    The appearance of this phenomenon is small wonder. Researches clearly show that exit tests have little positive effects on students. A 2014 report found exit testing was associated with lower graduation rates, negatively affected labor market outcomes, and, most alarmingly, produced a 12.5 percent increase in incarceration (监禁) rates. Exit exams, the study concluded, had tended to add little value for most students.

    Exit testing relies on the following assumptions. One is that standardized testing can serve as a kind of "quality control" for high school graduates, guaranteeing that graduates are college ready. The other is that they have predicting value for future success in academic situations.

    But there is little evidence. The tests don't exactly measure what they pretend to measure. For example, qualities such as intelligence, academic ability, college readiness are not determined. Those that should be developed in all young people, like responsibility, critical thinking, and empathy (移植), are not measured, either. Even supporters of exit tests have acknowledged that they don't offer reliable data.

    Thus, more and more people are suggesting that exit test scores ought to be just one component of the high school diploma. Schools should consider many other records including credits earned, courses taken, activities, service, projects and other elements of academic accomplishment so that students can be evaluated flexibly. In other words, exit test scores should never be the only criterion for high school diplomas.

    What is eco­fashion? Eco­fashion is about making clothes that considers the environment, the health of consumers and the working conditions of people in the fashion industry.

    A closer look at the fashion industry points out many problems that are common practices in the creation of our fashions from the field to the factory. Firstly, the production of textiles pollutes the environment heavily. Cotton­planting uses pesticides; sheep­farming and wool­cleaning bring about global warming. Secondly, every stage of clothing production consumes a great deal of energy and some also involve chemicals which obviously do harm to the surroundings. In addition, there is a lot of waste produced in the process, especially in the form of polluted water. Thirdly, growing purchasing power and our shopping habits further worsen the bad effects. We are now buying clothes in increasing quantities and we are also quick to throw away clothes that have been worn only a couple of times.

    Then, how to solve the problem? To a large degree, it is the fashion producers that really have the power and the responsibility to shape our future. There are a great many ways these producers can reduce their ecological footprint, from switching to green energy and reducing energy use, through selecting sustainable materials and choosing local suppliers, to recycling and minimizing waste. On the other hand, as consumers we can all play our part by selecting environmentally friendly clothing and reducing clothing buying.

    There is some concern that eco­friendly fashions are just a trend that we will eventually grow tired of but we can make sure that doesn't happen. Now many people are beginning to shop for organic food products because the benefits of eating food free of chemicals are immediate. They relate directly to our personal health. In fact, choosing eco­fashion can also do good to our personal health, though it is mostly done by way of keeping the health of the planet.

注意：词数不少于60；