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Question

2023年8月15日托福学术讨论真题

题目

Your professor is teaching a class on sociology. Write a post responding to the professor’s question.

In your response, you should do the following.

• Express and support your opinion.

• Make a contribution to the discussion in your own words.

An effective response will contain at least 100 words.

Doctor Diaz

Many countries are facing budget constraints due to slowed economic growth and increased spending on social services. With limited resources, governments must prioritize how to allocate funding across sectors like education, healthcare, defense, infrastructure, and more. Keeping budget constraints in mind, what areas of spending do you think your government should reduce first in order to balance the budget? Please explain your rationale.

Andrew

I think one way our city could save money without hurting important stuff like schools and roads is to cut down on extra workers at city hall. With money being tight, it seems like we have some people in city jobs that aren’t really needed. If they cut back on some of those extra administrative people through retirement or layoffs, it could really help the budget without taking away anything important. I’m sure there’s at least some fat they could trim at city hall without hurting the regular services people need.

Claire

I think one way our city could save some money on park costs is by changing the plants in the grass to types that don’t need a lot of care and water. If they use plants that don’t need to be maintained as much instead of fancy flowers and stuff, they wouldn’t have to pay to water and trim them as often. That could add up to decent savings since keeping parks looking nice can take a lot of work. Switching to tougher, lower-maintenance plants seems like an easy way to cut back on how much the city spends to take care of the grass and plants.

范文正文

From my perspective, governments should scale back investment in new infrastructure projects during economic recessions. One major reason is that large-scale infrastructure development typically requires enormous public spending, and cutting such expenditures can help alleviate fiscal pressure.【表语从句+动名词作主语】For instance, in times of economic downturn, governments already struggle with limited budgets and must carefully prioritize their spending. Instead of pouring billions of dollars into building new subway lines, a municipal government facing financial strain should redirect those funds to more pressing public needs. This may involve suspending the purchase of construction materials or postponing labor payments related to the project. The money saved from halting or delaying such construction can then be channeled into programs that directly stimulate consumption, such as subsidies, tax relief, or social welfare benefits. By doing so, the government can not only reduce unnecessary financial burdens but also encourage economic activity more effectively.【not only...but also...并列结构】In conclusion, cutting back on infrastructure investment during recessions is a sensible strategy, as it allows governments to allocate resources where they are most needed and provides stronger support for economic recovery.【动名词作主语+原因状语从句+定语从句】

写作思路和特色

这道题是2023年8月15日托福学术讨论写作真题。在这一道难度颇高的开放式题目中，教授询问：考虑到预算限制，你认为政府应该首先削减哪些领域的支出以实现预算平衡？Andrew认为可以通过减少市政府的冗余人员来节省开支，这样就能够在不削减居民所需的重要服务的前提下，帮助缓解预算压力；Claire则认为可以通过把公园草坪里的植物换成那些不需要太多养护和水分的品种，从而减少城市在草坪和植物养护方面的花费。

这篇文章采用了“个人观点+因果论证+举例论证+总结”的写作结构，论述了在经济衰退时期，政府应当缩减对新基础设施项目的投资的核心观点。文章首先提出理由，即大型基建往往需要巨额的公共开支，减少这类支出能够缓解财政压力。接着，文章进一步解释了这一论点，指出在经济低迷时，政府预算本就紧张，必须谨慎分配资金，因此相比投入数十亿美元修建新的地铁线路，更紧迫的公共需求才更值得优先考虑。为了说明具体做法，文章举例指出，地方政府可以暂停购买建筑材料，推迟相关劳务支付，从而节省下资金。随后，这些节省下来的资金可以转而投入更直接刺激消费的项目，例如补贴、减税或社会福利，从而不仅减少财政负担，还能更有效地推动经济活动。最后，文章在结论中再次强调，经济衰退期间削减基建投资是一种明智策略，因为这样能把资源投向最需要的领域，同时为经济复苏提供更有力的支持。

文章思路清晰，论证层层递进：先提出宏观理由，再辅以具体实例，最后上升到政策效果。语言上句式多样，逻辑衔接自然，用词简明而有力；论证上则能够兼顾财政压力与经济刺激的双重考量，既有说理也有例证，体现了较强的逻辑性和说服力。

用词用语整理

【表语从句+动名词作主语】

“One major reason is that large-scale infrastructure development typically requires enormous public spending, and cutting such expenditures can help alleviate fiscal pressure.” 这句话在文章中起到提出核心论据的作用，明确指出基建投资需要巨额公共开支，并强调削减这类支出能缓解财政压力，从而为后续论证提供逻辑起点和基础支撑。其中，表语从句让论证的理由表达得更具体清晰，动名词作主语则使推论更简洁凝练，两者结合提升了句子的逻辑性与表达效果。

【not only...but also...并列结构】

“By doing so, the government can not only reduce unnecessary financial burdens but also encourage economic activity more effectively.” 这句话在文章中起到承上启下和总结作用，把前面“削减基建支出、转投消费刺激项目”的具体措施上升为整体效果，既强调减轻财政负担，又突出了促进经济活力，从而为最后的结论做好铺垫。其中，not only...but also...并列结构强化了论证的力度，让读者更清楚地看到政策带来的多重益处，从而增强了整体论点的说服力。

【动名词作主语+原因状语从句+定语从句】

“In conclusion, cutting back on infrastructure investment during recessions is a sensible strategy, as it allows governments to allocate resources where they are most needed and provides stronger support for economic recovery.” 这句话在文章中起到总结收束的作用，重申“削减基建投资”的核心观点，并通过强调资源合理配置与经济复苏双重效益，强化了全文论证的逻辑闭合与说服力。其中，动名词短语作主语，用来直接引出全文的核心观点，突出主题；原因状语从句说明为什么削减基建投资是合理的策略，从逻辑上支撑前半句的判断；定语从句则修饰 “resources”并具体化资源投放的方向，增加表达的性。

scale back（缩减，削减）：动词短语，通常指减少计划、预算、项目、工作量等。它的语气偏中性，比cut更正式，也更强调按比例减少或调整到可控范围。在文章中强调政府应缩减基建投资的规模，从而突出节省财政开支和调整资源分配的核心论点。

例句：

The company scaled back production after the sales dropped.

销售下降后，公司减少了生产量。

recessions（经济衰退）：经济学常用词汇，通常指一国的经济在一段时间内持续下降，表现为 GDP（国内生产总值）减少、失业率上升、消费和投资下降等。

例句：

During recessions, many companies lay off workers to reduce costs.

在经济衰退期间，很多公司会裁员以降低成本。

typically（通常，一般来说）：副词，表示某事在大多数情况下是常见或正常的。在文章中起到限定和强调的作用，用来说明大型基建通常需要巨额支出，从而为后续提出削减投资的合理性提供普遍性依据。

例句：

Birds typically migrate south for the winter.

鸟通常会在冬天向南迁徙。

expenditures（花费，开销）：指支出、花费、开销，强调花出去的钱，可以用于个人、家庭、公司或政府等各种财务场景。expenditure比expense更正式，常出现在统计、预算或官方文件里。在文章中用正式、学术化的表达强调政府在基建上的巨额开销，从而为削减投资的必要性提供有力论据。

例句：

Families often track their monthly expenditures to avoid overspending.

家庭通常会记录每月的开支，以免花得太多。

alleviate（减轻，缓解）：动词，通常用来描述让不舒服、困难或负面情况变得轻一些，但不一定完全解决问题。在文章中强调政策的积极效果，即削减基建支出能够缓解财政压力。

例句：

The new medicine can help alleviate the symptoms of the disease.

这种新药可以帮助缓解疾病的症状。

fiscal（财政的，财务的）：形容词，与钱、财务管理或政府预算相关，常用来描述政府或企业的收支、预算、年度财务状况等。在文章中用来明确压力所指的是财政层面的负担，从而使论证更具专业度和严谨性。

例句：

The government announced new fiscal measures to reduce the budget deficit.

政府宣布了新的财政措施，以减少预算赤字。

downturn（下降，衰退）：名词，表示经济、商业、市场等的持续衰退、渐入低迷。它侧重于趋势性的下降，不是偶尔的一天两天的问题，常用于经济、销售、生产等领域。

例句：

There has been a downturn in the local restaurant business since last year.

自去年以来，当地餐饮业的生意一直在下滑。

strain（压力，负担）：在经济语境中，strain指经济压力、财政紧张或资源紧张。在文章中用来形象表达政府在经济低迷时期面临的财政紧张，从而为削减基建投资提供情境支撑。

例句：

The pandemic has put a huge strain on the national economy.

疫情给国家经济带来了巨大的压力。

pressing（紧迫的，迫切的）：形容词，常用来描述问题、需要、情况等迫切需要解决或关注。在文章中用来强调相比新基建，更加急需优先满足的公共需求，从而强化资源重新分配的合理性。

例句：

The government must address the pressing issue of climate change.

政府必须解决迫在眉睫的气候变化问题。

suspending（暂停，中止）：表示暂时停止某个活动、计划或过程，暗示将来可能会继续。在文章中用来说明政府可以通过暂缓购买建材等措施节省开支，从而为削减基建投资提供可行的实施细节。

例句：

Suspending classes during extreme weather is a safety measure.

暴雨期间暂停上课是一种安全措施。

postponing（推迟，延期）：表示把原本计划好的事情推迟到以后再做，通常在后面跟名词或动名词（-ing形式）来表示被推迟的事情。在文章中用来说明政府可以推迟支付劳务费用，并与暂缓购买建材一起，作为削减基建支出的实际操作方式，从而增强论证的可行性。

例句：

The company is postponing the product launch due to supply chain issues.

由于供应链问题，公司正在推迟产品发布。

halting（停止，中止）：表示某件事被迫中断，多用于官方、军事、交通或机械场景。halt比stop更正式，既可以指人或物停下，也可以指计划、进程被迫中止。在文章中表明政府可以通过完全暂停某些建设活动来节省资金，从而强化削减基建投资的执行力度和实际效果。

例句：

After the protest grew larger, the police considered halting the event.

在抗议活动规模扩大后，警方考虑中止该活动。

be channeled into（被投入、被用来做某事）：字面意思是像水流一样被引导进入某个通道，引申为某种资源（如金钱、精力、注意力、努力等）被导向或投入到某个用途或方向。在文章中说明资金流向，具体表达节省下来的资金如何被重新用于刺激消费项目。

例句：

Her energy was channeled into writing her first novel.

她把精力投入到写部小说上。

subsidies（津贴，补贴）：指政府或机构为支持某种行业、产品或群体而提供的补贴、津贴、补助金。简单来说，subsidies就是政府出钱来帮忙，让某些产品或服务的价格更低，或者让相关行业能继续运作。在文章中作为具体例子，说明节省下来的资金如何用于直接刺激消费，从而使政策建议更加具体和可操作。

例句：

The government provides subsidies to farmers to keep food prices stable.

政府向农民提供补贴，以保持食品价格稳定。

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