The Decline in writing Skill Teachers have always complained that students cannot write well and there can be no denying that in the past twenty five years writing kills have hit an all-time low. Students as well as mny people on the job have difficulty expressing themselves in written English. The decline is due in part to student attiude lowards writing in the past two decades and modern devices such as the television and the telephone. The student protests over 20 years ago were a major factor for the decline in writing skills. At many schools, the faculty gave in and greatly reduced or eliminated freshman composition courses. At on college, where all undergraduates had been required to take two years of English, students were given the potion of taking credits in fine arts, humanities, or English. Most preferred fine arts since it required little effort on their part-and absolutely no writing. With so little demand, the English faculty dropped form seventy-one to thirty within one year. Compounding the problem was the fact that some faculty members felt that making students write correctly was stifling their creativity. They told students not to worry about sentence structure, grammar, or spelling but just to get their feelings on paper. Those who wrote papers with sloppy sentences and numerous grammar errors could pass and even score high if their ideas were on the right track. The results were horrendous and saddening because many students' writing ability greatly declined. They simply could not write properly.
The television and the telephone must also be held responsible for the rapid decline in writing skills. Television viewing increasingly takes up more and more of a person's leisure time, time that should be spent writing and reading. No longer will youngsters write in their diaries or try to express their feelings and thoughts in poetry. Instead they would much rather space out in front of the TV, remote in hand, and switch channels. Laughter and screaming are constantly heard. Nor will they read extensively and be exposed to the workings of the language and absorb the nuances of effective communication. The telephone is even a greater culprit. Why should one bother to write letters when one can punch in a number and speak to the other party? There is no need to write down one's thoughts and then wait for a response; gratification is immediate. Modern technology has even eliminated the need to jot notes to other members of the family: the memo unit on the answering machine takes care of that.
It is no wonder that writing skills have steadily declined over the past twenty-five years. Today's youths, for the most part, see little need for writing. The telephone is their direct line of communication, and the television supplies them with immediate entertainment. The student activism of the 1970s has had its own perverse effect: It turned out a whole generation that was taught that correct writing is succumbing to the dictates of society. And the horror of horrors is that many of these students are now teachers.
【正确答案】：
1. INTRODUCTION: WRITING SKILLS HAVE DECLINED
   A. MANY PEOPLE HAVE DIFFICULTY EXPRESSING THEMSELVES IN ENGLISH.
   B. THESIS: STUDENTS' ATTITUDE AND MODERN TECHNOLOGY CONTRIBUTE TO THE DECLINE.
2. THE STUDENT PROTESTS OVER 20 YEARS AGO WERE A MAJOR FACTOR.
   A. THEY RESULTED IN THE REDUCTION OF FRESHMAN COMPOSITION COURSES.
   B. STUDENTS COULD TAKE OTHER COURSES FOR CREDITS INSTEAD.
   C. TEACHERS PAID LITTLE ATTENTION TO THE BASIC REQUIREMENTS OF WRITING.
3. THE TV AND THE TELEPHONE ARE ALSO RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DECLINE.
   A. TV WATCHING TAKES UP ONE'S TIME FOR READING AND WRITING.
   B. PEOPLE PREFER CALLING EACH OTHER TO LETTER-WRITING.
4. THE CONSEQUENCES ARE HORRIBLE.
   A. TODAY'S YOUTHS DON'T SEE THE NEED FOR WRITING.
   B. MANY OF THE STUDENTS OF TWENTY YEARS AGO ARE NOW TEACHERS NOW. 
【题目解析】：题目要求为本文列出句子提纲。本文为一篇议论文，主要讨论了人们写作技能降低的原因。第一段最后一句话为本文的主旨句：学生的态度和现代技术的发展导致了这种下降。1. Introduction: Writing skills have declined A. Many people have difficulty expressing themselves in English. B. Thesis: Students' attitude and modern technology contribute to the decline.第二段介绍了写作技能下降的主要原因——20年前学生们的抗议，并进一步介绍了这次抗议带来的三种后果。2. The student protests over 20 years ago were a major factor. A. They resulted in the reduction of freshman composition courses. B. Students could take other courses for credits instead. C. Teachers paid little attention to the basic requirements of writing.第三段介绍了电视和电话对于写作技能的下降的消极影响。3. The TV and the telephone are also responsible for the decline. A. TV watching takes up one's time for reading and writing. B. People prefer calling each other to letter-writing.最后一段为总结段，介绍了这种技能下降带来的消极后果和影响。4. The consequences are horrible. A. Today's youths don't see the need for writing. B. Many of the students of twenty years ago are now teachers now.