专八作文：需不需要军训？

军训，可以说是每名大学新生初入大学的必修课，也是一种青春的回忆。然而，一些人却提出质疑，认为学生并不需要参加军训。那么，对此，你持何种意见呢？

作文题目：

Some people believe it is good for students to attend military training, while others are opposed to it. What’s your opinion? Write an essay of about 400 words.

In the first part of your essay you should state clearly your main argument, and in the second part you should support your argument with appropriate details. In the last part you should bring what you have written to a natural conclusion or make a summary.

You should supply an appropriate title for your essay.

Marks will be awarded for content, organization, grammar and appropriateness. Failure to follow the above instructions may result in a loss of marks.

作文范文：

Military Training

There is no denying the fact that it has been a hotly debated topic whether students should attend military training in China in the past years. Opinions on this issue differ sharply. Some hold the positive view while others are strongly against it. Personally, I believe it is essential for students to attend military training.

First, to attend military training is a response to the call for a stronger national defense. Though we are in a relatively peaceful age, the danger of wars never really fades. Some Western powers have never given up their attempt to overturn Chinese government and subject China to their manipulation. Therefore, every Chinese should bear in mind his or her duty to guard the nation against invaders. Military training among students is the most direct means to instill such awareness and familiarize young people with life in the troop.

Secondly, military training serves as an effective way to temper young people’s willpower, develop their team-spirit and cultivate their sense of discipline. As a generation brought up in a peaceful and relatively well-off environment, youngsters today suffer a grave lack of willpower. Compared with previous generations, they are more prone to saying die in the face of difficulties or setbacks. Therefore, they can gain much through the trying drills of military training. Besides, the honor of a military group depends on the effort of each member, which calls for supreme team-spirit, which is another quality that many current young people lack as they are self-centered. Plus, perhaps there can be no other settings like the barrack that demands so much sense of discipline. In these senses, military training provides a perfect chance for those high-fed, coddled and even spoiled youngsters to learn life lessons.

Last but not least, military training supplies a chance to build up students’ bodies. Although most youngsters are enjoying a higher standard of living nowadays than their previous generations, their physical conditions are far from desirable.

Those against military training may be worried by the assumption that a sudden increase of intense physical exercise, especially during summer, may do harm to students’ health and they may cite as evidence the deaths of some students during military training in the past years. But I should point out that those deaths are absolutely exceptional cases and are perfect evidence that students need more such training.

To sum up, military training is not only a means to strengthen student’s physique and willpower, but also an effective way to enhance their sense of national defense and foster their patriotism. Though it proves too much for a few students, we should not give up eating for fear of choking. The only thing we need to do is to take measures to ensure that the least harm is done to the trainees.