70　Do you agree or disagree with the followingstatement? Teachers should be paid according to howmuch their students learn. Give specific reasons andexamples to support your opinion.

Some communities have decided to base evaluations ofteachers on students’ test scores. It’s these evaluations thatdetermine how much teachers will be paid. I don’t think this is avery good idea for several reasons.

First of all, if teachers’ salaries are going to be based on how much students learn, then someteachers will start to teach their students only what they need to get high test scores. This meansthat students will miss out on a lot of education that can’t be measured on a test.

For instance, one of the best methods to help students understand a subject is encouraging themto discuss it. A common practice is to divide the class into groups, have each group discuss thesubject, and then have them report back to the whole class. This kind of shared learning can leadto a fuller understanding. It also teaches students how to discuss and debate ideas. However, itdoesn’t supply facts to show off on a test.

Another problem with basing teachers’ salaries on how much their students learn is that teachersmay ignore students who have learning difficulties. Some students learn more slowly than othersand need more personal attention. If a teacher is worried about tests, he may feel he has to pushthe majority of the students to cram facts. That effort will take all his time. He won’t be able to helpthe less able students.

It’s true there are teachers who “burn out” after many years teaching and just don’t care howmuch their students learn. Basing their salaries on their students’ test scores may improve theirefforts. However, it’s not fair for the majority of teachers. They deserve and need to be judged byother criteria.

71　If you were asked to send one thing representing your country to an internationalexhibition, what would you choose? Why? Use specific reasons and details to explainyour choice.

If I were asked to send one thing representing my country to an international exhibition. I’d sendsomething unexpected: one week’s worth of television programming. These programs would bestrepresent my county. They show how the citizens of my country live and what they think andfeel.

The dramas on television are very realistic. They show how people in different parts of the countrygo about their daily lives. They show how they earn their livings, how they deal with crime, andhow they interact with each other. The dramas also show how people in various economic groupsdress, what kinds of houses they live in, and what kinds of education their children receive.

The comedies indicate what people in my country think is funny. Even though the situations areexaggerated, they reflect how my culture deals with very basic human situations. Peopleeverywhere understand falling in love, raising a family, and earning a living.

The documentaries show what issues we’re concerned about and how we want to resolve them. Some documentaries tell stories from our history. Others look into the future. They speculate onhow we’ll function as a country in the new millennium. Still others examine our political system, itsfailures and its successes.

The sports programs show what we think about winning and losing. They demonstrate how wefeel about fairness. Some of the wealthiest people in our country are the athletes we watch playingprofessional sports. This, also, is a reflection of our values.

Television is a common cultural experience in my country. It reflects my country’s uniquepersonality. I think it would be the perfect way to show what my county is like.