托福写作课堂—现在的年轻人需要遵守的规矩过于严格吗？

“Do you agree or disagree with the following statement:the rules that the whole societies today expect young people to follow and obey are too strict.”

这是一道令很多同学头痛的托福题，因为比较抽象，很难有落脚点去发挥。

>>>>开头段：

自由对人类来说也许是最普遍的追求。我们对规矩有着近乎天生的厌恶。很多人声称现在年轻人需要遵守的社会规则过于严格。然而，尽管我自己也很年轻和叛逆，我想法不一样，认为现在的年轻人实际上过着比较自由的生活。

Freedom is perhaps the most universal pursuit for human. We have this hatred of any form of rules that seems almost innate. Some claim that the rules that young people are supposed to observe toady are too strict. However, young and rebellious as I am, I disagree with this, believing that young people now are leading a more liberal life than past generations.

推荐表达：

universalpursuit 普遍追求／普遍诉求
hatred 厌恶
innate 天生的
observe 遵守
rebellious 叛逆的
liberal 自由的

>>>>中心句：

首先，现在的社会大体来说对年轻人是宽容的。

>>>>论述：

这个宽容会显得格外的明显假如我们回忆一下过去的年轻人的境遇。在过去，年轻人受到的束缚几乎是难以忍受的。这个束缚可能来自于习俗，家庭，政府和宗教。

>>>>例子：

比如，在古代中国，年轻人被社会要求孝顺，听话。具体来说，社会的规矩规定儿子／女儿必须接受父母的包办婚姻。再比如，社会的规矩是女孩不能接受教育，不能随意和男性交往。然而，现在的年轻人幸运得多。他们可以自由的选择职业。女生可以成为警察，作家, 飞行员甚至宇航员。他们可以自由的选择和谁交往，和谁结婚。甚至，在某些国家，同性婚姻都是受到法律保护的。在这样一个男人和男人，或者女人和女人都可以结婚的世界里，你说这个世界对年轻人的规矩太严格？

In the first place,generally speaking, the society is largely tolerant towards the youth. This tolerance is extra evident when we recollect the predicament that young people were trapped in in the past. Historically speaking, the restrictions imposed on young people were almost unbearable, which came from convention, family,religion or government. In ancient China, young people were required to be filial and obedient. To put it more precisely, social rules dictated that sons and daughters had to accept prearranged marriage. Another instance is that girls were denied the right to education or freedom to have relationship. In stark contrast, nowadays, young people are far more fortunate. They can choose their career freely. Girls can be policewomen, writers, pilots and evenastronauts. They can freely choose whom to have a relationship with. In somenations or regions, gay marriage is protected by law. In a world where a man can legally marry another man, and a woman another woman, you claim the world is too burdened with rules?

推荐表达：

largely很大程度上
tolerant 容忍的
tolerance 容忍
evident 明显的
recollect 回忆
predicament 困境
historically speaking 从历史上来看
restriction 限制
impose … on …施加
unbearable 难以忍受的
filial 孝顺的
obedient 听话的
to put it more precisely 更准确的说
pre-arranged marriage 包办婚姻
instance 例子
be denied the right to sth. 没有..的权利
in stark contrast 形成鲜明对比的是
be burdened with 受困于；受苦于

而且很多规矩是必须的。我能够理解那些抱怨规矩过于严重的年轻人。看起来，好像他们的生活里面到处都有规矩。但是尽管这些规矩看起来过于严格，它们还是合理的，因此不能被视为过于严格。年轻人被强制接受教育，这是因为教育是对个人成功至关重要，而年轻人往往不能意识到读书的重要性。他们被禁止喝酒是因为他们正在长身体，而且他们通常缺乏自控力，喝酒后会闹事。他们被进入网吧是因为网吧是一个没有成年人监督的地方，网络存在着大量的不合适的内容，比如暴力和色情，这会导致年轻人形成很严重的心理和行为上的问题。

Furthermore, many rules are necessary. I do sympathize with those young people who complain that the rules are overly strict. Seemingly, wherever they go, they stumble upon rules.However, harsh though these rules may appear, they are reasonable and thus cannot be regarded as unduly harsh. Young people are forced to receive education. This is because education is exceedingly critical for one’s survival and success and at the same time, young people may fail to recognize the importance of it. They are forbidden from drinking alcohol. The reason for this is that alcohol takes a heavy toll on their body which is yet not fully developed, and that they tend to lack self-discipline and cause severe trouble after drinking wine or beer. In China, they are not allowed to enter the Cyber Café. This law is based on the consideration that cyber café is a place where adult supervision is absent and that the Internet is inundated with improper contents such as violence and pornography, which may give rise to severe psychological and behavioral problems.

推荐表达：

sympathizewith 与 …感同身受
overly 过度地
seemingly 从表面上来看
stumble upon 遇见；碰上
be regarded as 被看作是
unduly 过度地
harsh 苛刻的
exceedingly 极端地
fail to do 未能做到
be forbidden from doing 被禁止做
take a heavy toll on 对…有害
lack self-discipline 缺乏自制力
be based on 基于
supervision 监督
absent 缺席的；缺少的
be inundated with 充斥着
give rise to psychological and behavioral problem 导致精神和行为的问题

>>>>总结：

尽管在很多地区年轻人仍然受到不公正和过于严苛的规矩，从总体上来讲，我们的世界还是一个宽容的和自由的世界。因此，去说现在社会要求年轻人的规矩过于严格是没有理由的。

Tosum up, though in some parts of the world young people suffer from harsh rules,in general, our world is a tolerant and liberal. Therefore, to claim that therules that the society requires the young people to obey are too strict is ungrounded.