2004年专八英语作文真题:Should University Students Go in for Business

Whether college students should take part-time jobs has been an old topic of debate. Before the issue is settled,a more controversial problem has arisen. In a recent report,some students from a provincial college set up and ran some small shops in the name of helping themselves adapt well to society in the future. To this people's attitudes differ sharply. Some hold that it is helpful in preparing these students for the future,while others claim that going in for business risks affecting these students'academic study. Personally,I hold negative view on those students'deeds. Admittedly,going in for business for a while may be beneficial to college students. Through the process of buying and selling,they can associate their academic study with social life,thus adopting a more practical approach in taking school courses;through the contact with their suppliers and customers,they can improve their communicative skills,which is conducive to their future work;and,through the bitterness of failure and setbacks,they can appreciate the value of their current chance to study,and treasure it better. However,like anything else,students going in for business may prove harmful if it is carried to the extreme. Setting up and running shops are far beyond college students. First,most college majors are irrelevant to business. Therefore,setting up and running shops bear no relations with most students'study. Even for students of business majors,the school courses are much more complicated and professional than buying and selling. They would not gain much from running shops apart from some money and simple social contact,unless their ideal jobs are shopkeepers. Besides,the routine work in a shop is time-consuming. As a shop keeper,one has to concern himself or herself with stocking,selling,accounting,and even cleaning. He or she has to deal with tax collectors,the fire department workers and other government officials. In view of what has been listed above,going in too much for business would hamper most students'academic work and have negative effects on their future development. Actually,there are many other ways in which college students can gain insights into society and develop practical skills. For instance,they can take part in some extracurricular programs and social practices in vacations. They can work as part-time shop assistants,accountants or promoters. Or they can just try to set up a shop and run it for a short period of time,then leaving it to their parents or other relatives. Anyway,most of them are expected to be more promising than shop-keepers.