2014-04-10
【Aiden in English】
PSSA Writing is a 5th grade specialty. Not a pleasant specialty, but too bad, either. We 5th graders get to write a two-page essay in an hour. Not only do we get sore hands, but also tired brains. Nevertheless, we try our best and aim to be Number 1.
What a surprise! This year PSSA Writing would only have 2 prompts and 12 multiple-choice questions in 3 days, where as last year, there were three prompts and 30 multiple-choice questions in four days. Even though everyone is yelling yeah and woo, I'm sitting there going on No! If there are fewer questions, then each question will be worth more. If I messed up on one, my score just would drop from Advanced to Proficient. Not only that, the prompt they took away was the Narrative that was my favorite.
The first prompt I got was more or less a bummer. It asked me to write about how animals helped people. I barely wrote one and an half pages before I was forced to end the informative essay. The next was a lot more fruitful. I filled both pages and even included a 6th paragraph to write a persuasive essay to the Stamp Committee in order to make a new stamp about anything. I rarely had space for the Independence Hall that I chose to talk about. The second was a stroll in the park. But even though it was no sweat, I took it seriously, just like you should take the PSSA seriously too.
【红霞译文】
宾州写作统考堪称五年级全体学生的特权，尽管大家并非心甘情愿享受这种特权，但你根本无法拒绝。身为五年级学生，我们要利用一个钟头的时间写出篇幅长达两页纸的作文，手腕酸得要命，脑袋累得猴死。尽管如此，我们必须使出浑身解数，尽展十八班武艺，奋力争先。
太出人意料了﹗今年宾州写作统考要求我们在三天时间里写出两篇命题作文和解答十二道选择题﹔相比之下，去年的考生得接连四天完成三篇命题作文和卅道选择题。鉴于此状，同学们乐得好像捡了便宜，而我却不以为然。考题数量减少，实际上等于变相增加了每道题的份量，如果做错一题，其成绩就有从优秀降到良好的可能。除此之外，这回被删除的部分竟是我最喜欢的项目——记叙文。
第一篇写实作文多多少少有点太落俗套，要求举例表明动物如何帮助我们。我感觉时间不够用，到点的时候，自己差不多仅写出一页半。第二天的写作倒是卓有成效，我密密麻麻码满了包括六个段落两大页纸张，试图说服邮票委员会设计发行“独立纪念馆”新邮票。第二篇论述文正对我胃口，不过，即使驾轻就熟，也不能掉以轻心，正像认真对待其它宾州统考项目一样。
