2020-2021学年度第1期总第800期
Liberal arts’ hidden value (P4-5)
江苏省南菁高级中学   陈婧

Warm-up
What kinds of subjects do you prefer: science subjects like physics, math and chemistry, or liberal arts subjects like English, history and art? Why?

I prefer science subjects because biology teaches us how living things work, physics enlightens us with the working of the universe, and chemistry helps us with the knowledge of various chemical processes and how they can be applied.

Or:

I prefer liberal arts subjects because history strengthens my understanding of cultures. I can also learn how to appreciate paintings and get to know about their stories from art class.
Reading

Post-reading
Q1. Why are people attaching more importance to science subjects than liberal arts subjects nowadays?

Q2. In your opinion, what are the benefits of studying liberal arts and science?

Q3. Recently, China reformed the national college entrance examination. Many provinces plan to get rid of the science-humanities division (文理分科). Do you agree with this move?

Q1.

Firstly, the current job market is hard on students majoring in liberal arts subjects. Graduates with a background in science and technology are provided with a wider range of jobs than those studying liberal arts subjects. And science-related jobs and professions usually pay more than arts-related jobs. What’s more, it’s believed that without science there would be no progress. Therefore, science subjects are usually regarded as “practical” subjects and are seen as more important.

Q2.

For liberal arts:

1. Liberal arts courses help people develop creativity and imagination. For example, arts students might look at a golden leaf and be inspired to paint a picture of an aging man.
2. Liberal arts courses allow us to develop communication skills. In today’s world, having the ability to communicate effectively can benefit us in almost any field.
3. Liberal arts courses encourage us to think about a wide variety of topics and improve our critical thinking skills.

For science:

1. Studying science helps us to be more thoughtful and logical. For example, science students may see a golden leaf and carry out an experiment to see what makes it turn that color.
2. There’s the excitement and fun that comes from discovering new things.
3. Science broadens our understanding of the world around us, equipping us with problem-solving abilities.

Q3.

Yes, I agree. Division of science and humanities limits students’ thoughts since science students may ignore the importance of humanities, and some liberal arts students may assume that learning about science is pointless. The most important thing for us is to broaden our horizon, so both science and humanities are important for us to be a well-rounded student.

No, I don’t agree with this idea. Nowadays, studying different kinds of subjects has already become a burden for most students. Meanwhile, it is not the number of subjects we learn but the quality of what we learn that matters. We should become more focused on what we love and avoid just learning a little bit about everything.

Writing
  Based on what you have learned from the article, write a composition about the following content:

【写作内容】
1. 分析出现“重理轻文”现象的原因；
2. 阐明学习文科和理科的好处；
3. 表明你对高考改革取消文理分科的看法。

参考词汇：
改革 reform; 文理分科 the division between liberal arts and science subjects

注意：
1. 作文词数 150 左右；
2. 作文中不得提及有关考生个人身份的任何信息，如校名、人名等。

Sample:

When it comes to picking a major at college, it’s easy to see that science majors are becoming more popular than liberal arts majors. What are the reasons behind this? First, many employers prefer graduates with a background in science and technology instead of those who majored in liberal arts such as literature and philosophy. Second, to meet the social demand, some schools offer more science majors than arts majors.

From my point of view, arts and science are both important but in different ways. Studying arts develops one’s creativity and imagination, while science helps us to be more thoughtful and logical. For example, liberal arts students may relate a golden leaf to the journey of life, while science students may think about why a golden leaf turns that color.

Fortunately, many provinces in China have gotten rid of the division between liberal arts and science subjects, and I am completely in favor of this move. In my opinion, a good liberal arts student who isn’t good at science may not have the ability to survive in the real world. And a good student of science doing badly in liberal arts is like a working machine without emotions. Students should have good all-round abilities.