Topic：
Which do you think is the most important factor for a student to succeed at college or university?
（你認為學生在大學成功最關鍵的因素是什麼？）
1. Tutors in university. （大學的導師）
2. The encouragement from family. （來自家庭的鼓勵）
3. High-quality education from high school. （高中時期接受的優質教育）
Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
（理由具體的原因和例子來支撐你的答案）
題目解析：
三選一的託福獨立寫作題目讓考生困惑，也許因為不理解題目到底問什麼。
這種情況對於老師來說也是差不多。沒有藉口，不管如何，一定要回答。
答錯或答對都不是寫作評分標準。高分作文的表現是全面答題，邏輯連貫，辭彙資源，文法精確。
本文作者選擇第二個因素：家庭的經濟鼓勵是學生在大學期間能夠成功獲得文憑的主要關鍵。
既然選了第二，那麼第一和第三怎麼處理呢？一般不完全置之不理，而是併入到第二的討論中 。
你的選擇是哪一道？答得來或答不出來，一樣都得回答，自圓其說即可，不必考慮是否符合主流標準。
以下範文是作者心血來潮的結果，別具一格，歡迎讀者回饋。
重點詞彙和短語，在文末均有備註。
In today’s society of the growing opportunity gap, a tremendous amount of a student’s success at college or university is determined by the encouragement from that student’s family. Precisely, college success and graduation are more likely for students who have parents financially involved. Believe it or not, the wealth of the family is the most important factor for a student to get a degree.
當今社會，機會不均等的情況日益擴大。無數大學生的學業成功都取決於家庭的鼓勵。確切來說，得到家長經濟支持的學生，更有可能獲得學業成功，順利畢業。信不信由你，學生能否取得學位證，最關鍵的因素，還是家庭的財富值。
Believe it, for a student to get a college degree, parental contributions in terms of money should not be overlooked due to some hard realities. While a post-secondly credential has never been more demanding than ever before, college has never been more expensive. It is true that college remains the best investment a student can make in the future, but the problem now is money, or the lack of it. For this reason, many students are forced to drop out from colleges and fail to complete degrees. Unfortunately but truly, hard work and academic talent often matter less than the ability to pay the cost of a higher education. If a degree is a marker of a student’s success in college, a student would find it difficult or even impossible to make it without the financial encouragement from the more privileged family backgrounds.
相信我，大學生想要拿到學位，永遠不要忽略了父母的經濟支持，實事就是如此殘酷。隨著大學文憑條件越來越苛刻，學費也變得更貴了。對於學生來說，最佳的投資依然是讀大學，但是，問題在於有沒有錢去讀。因為缺錢的緣故，很多學生被迫輟學，無法完成學業。不幸但真實的是，努力學習和聰明才智往往不如有能力去交學費。如果學位是衡量大學生成功的標誌，那麼，學生會發現，沒有來自優越家境的經濟支持，你將很難，甚至根本無法成功。
Believe it again! The most important factor for a student to succeed in college is more directly related to sufficient money provided by the family, than to professional advice from tutors in university, or to high-quality education from high school. The basic argument is that some people happen to be born to families that are better off, better educated, and better situated, and that matters a lot and that puts them at a natural advantage. Accordingly in real life, rich dull students are more likely to get a college degree than smart poor students. Considering all that, it is as if to say that much of a student’s success in college depends on what is called the “birth lottery,” and people have no say in the card they draw. It has become evident that, without the financial substance from the family, neither academic performance from a student since high school, nor tutoring from university can be a decisive factor leading to a degree.
再一次相信我，對於大學生的成功來說，最重要的因素是家庭能夠提供足夠的經濟支持，而不是來自大學導師的專業意見，或者高中時期接受到的良好教育。最基本的一條就是，有些人恰巧出生在富裕、書香之家，這給了他們一個天然的優勢。同樣，在現實生活中，富家子弟比窮人家的孩子更加容易拿到學位。綜上所述，就在說學生的成功絕大部分取決於他們的“出生彩票”，而人們無法決定自己會抽到什麼樣的彩票。很明顯，如果沒有家庭的經濟支持，無論是高中的學業成績，還是大學導師都不是學生拿到學位的決定性因素。
Whether people believe it or not, the most important factor contributing to a student’s success in college must be directly related to the family richness. Strictly speaking, parents’ financial involvement can make or break it. Those who think otherwise, think again!
信或不信，大學生在校取得成功最主要的因素，一定是家庭的富裕程度。嚴格地說，家長的資金支持起到決定性作用。如果你不同意的話，可以再思考思考。
--the growing opportunity gap 機會不均等的情況日益擴大
--a tremendous amount of 大量的
--precisely 精確地說
--believe it or not 信不信由你
--in terms of 就...來說
--overlook 忽視
--a post-secondly credential 大學文憑
--demanding 苛刻
--to drop out 中途退學
--unfortunately but truly 不幸，但是又千真萬確
--matter less than 沒...重要
--the more privileged family background 更優越的家庭背景
--sufficient 足夠的
--the basic argument is that 最基本的一條論點就是
--better off 比較富裕
--put sb at an advantage 讓某人處於有利地位
-- it is as if to say that 這就好比在說
--depends on 依靠
--“birth lottery” “出生彩票“，抽到大戶人家或貧困家庭
--have no say in... 對...沒有發言權
--It has become evident that 很明顯
--academic performance 學業成績
--strictly speaking 嚴格地說
--to make or break it 決定成敗
注意：該篇文章是託福作文的示範文章，不要用現代的價值觀去看待此文，畢竟託福的評分標準，不是你的價值觀是否正確，而是你的文筆夠不夠出色，邏輯夠不夠嚴謹。如果你能成功地指鹿為馬，同樣也會得高分。
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