托福写作考试时题目就像开盲盒，有时开到经典款：遇到备考时练过的题目或者是相对比较简单的题目，思路和逻辑都很流畅——下笔行文一气呵成；有时开到新品：往往之前没有做过，这时候题目对我们的友好程度决定了考场的发挥，如果是难题——打字很可能出现间断和反复修改；
参加过2月份考试的同学可能会是后者，当月出现了新的难题；考场上遇到很有可能超过我们之前的储备，思路比较零散；
今天我们一起来看下这道题可行的思路和通过外刊文章梳理词汇和表达；
首先是题目：
Doctor Diaz：
Today, we're discussing whether there should be a specific age to mark adulthood. Traditionally, 18 years old is considered the transition to adulthood in many cultures, but some argue that 18-year-olds are not mature enough to take on adult responsibilities and duties.
Others suggest that 21 might be a more appropriate age, while some believe adulthood should not be defined by age at all. Should there be a specific age for adulthood, or should it be based on individual maturity and circumstances?
题目当中询问我们是否能够以年龄界定成熟（maturity)，那么我们可以先来了解下成熟的含义：
字典对于这个单词的解释是：
the time or state when someone or something is fully grown or developed；
如果以年龄为标志，往往和每个人的权利和义务相关，有人说18岁就像游戏里的一个关卡，一到这个年纪，就自动获得“成年礼包”：可以考驾照、投票、签合同。
For legal purposes, people are not considered psychologically mature enough to perform certain tasks (such as driving, signing a binding contract（有约束力的合同） or making medical decisions) until they have reached a certain age.
The definition and determination of maturity has been applied to the issue of criminal responsibility（刑事责任） of juvenile offenders（青少年罪犯） and to a number of legal ages（达到完全成年的法定年龄）. The age of majority（成年年龄（法律上）, the most broadly applied legal threshold（法律界限，法律标准） of adulthood, is typically characterized by recognition of control over oneself and one's actions and decisions.
那么以年龄为标志又有哪些好处呢？我们可以分为几个层面：未成年人的保护和执法难度；
1）如果从未成年人的保护来看，设定法定成人年龄能够保护青少年，因为青少年群体往往(the minority)身心发育不成熟，就算犯了错，也应当拥有改过自新的机会；
It’s unfair to process juveniles in the adult system（成人司法系统） because their brains are not fully mature. They lack the emotional bandwidth（情绪调节能力） to make good decisions.
The juvenile justice system(青少年司法系统) is designed to handle legal matters involving minors who have been accused of committing a crime. This system operates separately from the adult criminal justice system, focusing on rehabilitation(注重改造) rather than punishment. It aims to address the underlying issues（潜在问题） that contribute to delinquent behavior（违法行为）, such as family problems, substance abuse（滥用物品）, or educational challenges.
2）以年龄为标准界定法律，那么法律标准会相对更统一且清晰，对于未成年人和成年人的权力义务，以及犯罪的处罚程序也会更简洁；相反，如果综合考量各种因素，比如利用量表和专家分析个体的家庭背景/身心发展程度，则很难清晰呈现出一个人是否完全成熟；
For instance, the Singapore Law Review highlights that while age thresholds provide a clear framework, they may not account for individual maturity levels, potentially leading to inconsistencies in legal treatment.
当然，仅仅凭借年龄来决定一个人是否成熟并不客观，应当综合考虑其他因素——那我们选择不同意把年龄为当作成熟的标志，后文的内容可以列出反例或者具体的其他因素；
例如，一些十几岁的青少年在情感和认知上已经非常成熟，能够自主决定兴趣爱好、承担家庭责任，甚至参与家庭决策。
我们也可以参考维基百科，从心理层面来看成熟的标志：
The status of maturity is distinguished by the shift away from reliance on guardianship （不再依赖监护人）and the oversight of an adult（成年人的视角） in decision-making acts.
除了年龄，环境、政治、文化和法律共同塑造了个人的成长，而从身份证的年龄上则不太能完整体现；
The relationship between psychological maturity and age is a difficult one, and there has been much debate over methods of determining maturity,considering its subjective nature（主观性）, relativity to the current environment and/or other factors, and especially regarding social issues such as religion, politics, culture, laws, etc.
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