来自嘉文博译的issue范文（整理版）浏览+下载

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全部文章来源于 http://www.proftrans.com/grewriting/

BTW，issue161的题目被拆成了前后两部分，然后写了两篇出来，比较强。

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已由imong完成编辑增补。原始下载计数1151。
19/6 2004 updated.

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Issue161
"The reputation of anyone who is subjected to media scrutiny will eventually be diminished."

Sample Essay

The intensity of today's media coverage has been greatly magnified by the sheer number and types of media outlets that are available today. Intense competition for the most revealing photographs and the latest information on a subject has turned even minor media events into so-called "media frenzies". Reporters are forced by the nature of the competition to pry ever deeper for an angle on a story that no one else has been able to uncover. With this type of media coverage, it does become more and more likely that anyone who is subjected to it will have his or her reputation tarnished, as no individual is perfect. Everyone makes mistakes. The advances in technology have made much information easily and instantaneously available. Technology has also made it easier to dig further than ever before into a person's past, increasing the possibility that the subject's reputation may be harmed.

The above statement is much too broad, however. "Anyone" covers all people all over the world. There are people whose reputations have only been enhanced by media scrutiny. There are also people whose reputations were already so poor that media scrutiny could not possibly diminish it any further. There may very well be people that have done nothing wrong in the past, at least that can be discovered by the media, whose reputations could not be diminished by media scrutiny. To broadly state that "anyone" subjected to media coverage will have his or her status sullied implies that everyone's reputation worldwide is susceptible to damage under any type of media scrutiny. What about children, particularly newborn children? What about those people whose past is entirely unknown?

Another problem with such a broad statement is that it does not define the particular level of media scrutiny. Certainly there are different levels of media coverage. Does merely the mention of one's name in a newspaper constitute media scrutiny? What about the coverage of a single event in someone's life, for example a wedding or the birth of a baby? Is the media coverage of the heroic death of a firefighter or police officer in the line of duty ever going to diminish that person's reputation? It seems highly unlikely that in these examples, although these people may have been subjected to media scrutiny, these individual's reputations are undamaged and potentially enhanced by such exposure.

Without a doubt, there are many examples of individual's whose reputations have been diminished by media scrutiny. The media's uncovering of former U.S. President Bill Clinton's affair with Monica Lewinsky will most likely overshadow the entire eight years of his administration. Basketball superstar Michael Jordan's sterling reputation has been tarnished more than once by the media; first by media coverage of his gambling habits, then most recently (and in a much more harmful manner) by news reports of his marital infidelities and the divorce from his wife of thirteen years. Fame and fortune can turn an ordinary individual into a media target where reporters will stop at almost nothing to "dig up dirt" that will sell more newspapers or entice more viewers to watch a television program. It could even be argued that media scrutiny killed Princess Diana as her car sped away from the privacy-invading cameras of reporters in Paris. There is no doubt that there are a large number of people who have been hurt in one way or another by particularly intense media scrutiny.

In summary, it seems impossible that for every person that is subjected to media scrutiny, his or her reputation will eventually be diminished. Millions of people are mentioned in the media every day yet still manage to go about their lives unhurt by the media. Normal individuals that are subjected to media scrutiny can have their reputation either enhanced or damaged depending on the circumstances surrounding the media coverage. The likelihood of a diminished reputation from the media rises proportionally with the level of notoriety that an individual possesses and the outrageousness of that person's behavior. The length of time in the spotlight can also be a determining factor, as the longer the person is examined in the media, the greater the possibility that damaging information will be discovered or that the individual will do something to disparage his or her reputation. But to broadly state that media scrutiny will diminish anyone's reputation is to overstate the distinct possibility that, given a long enough time and a certain level of intensity of coverage, the media may damage a person's reputation.
(766words)

观点陈述型作文/[题目]

"被置于媒体审视下的任何人，其名誉终将受毁损。"

[范文正文]

当今媒体报道的力度，由于当今时代所能获得的媒体渠道那前所未有的数量和种类，从而被极大地增强。围绕着对最具暴露性的图片及对某一题材最新信息所展开的竞争，使哪怕是次要的媒体事件也转变为所谓的"媒体疯狂"。由于竞争的本质，记者们被迫就某一项报道作深度采访，以其窥探到一个任何其他人都无法揭示的视角。随着这类媒体报道的出现，任何被置于媒体报道之下的人，其名誉越来越有可能被玷污，因为"金无赤金，人无完人"。每个人都有可能犯错误。技术进步使大量的信息在第一瞬间便被轻易获取。技术也使媒体得以比以往任何时候更深入地去挖掘一个人的过去，从而更增加了当事人名誉受损的可能性。

然则，上述陈述涵盖面过于宽泛。"任何人"涵盖了世界上所有的人。有些人的名誉反而会因为媒体的聚焦而陡然显赫起来。也有些人，其名声早就如此之糟糕，以致于媒体的聚焦再也无法让它受到更坏的毁损。笼统地陈述受媒体报道的"任何人"均会使其地位被玷污，这暗示着全球每个人的名声在任何种类的媒体聚焦下均易于遭诟病。那么，对于天真无辜的孩子们，尤其新生婴儿，情况会如何？对于那些其过去根本无人知晓的人来说，情况又会是什么样呢？

对于这样一项笼统的陈述而言，它的另一个问题是没能明晰界定媒体聚焦的具体程度。媒体的报道毫无疑问存在程度上的差别。只在报纸上提及一个人的名字，是否算作媒体聚焦？对某人一生中单独一次事件（如婚礼或孩子出生）的报道这也算媒介聚焦吗？媒体对消防队员或警官因公而死的英雄壮举进行报道，难道也会毁损该人的名声吗？在这些实例中，其名声受损的事情极不可能发生。虽然这些人可能被置于媒体审视之下，但其名声却会完好无损，且潜在地可因这些披露而得以提高。 毫无疑问，也有许多例子能证明一个人的名声会被媒体审视所毁损。媒体对美国前总统Bill Clinton与Monica Lewinsky的风流韵事的揭露极有可能会将其八年的执政生涯置于阴影之中。超级篮球明星Michael Jordan一世英名也被媒体不止一次地玷污，首先是被有关其赌习的媒体报道，其次是最近--且以一种更具致命性伤害的方式--被有关他婚姻不忠以及与其结婚13年的妻子分道扬镳的报道。当媒体记者不择手段去挖掘某些可促使其报纸销量大增的"猛料"时，或去诱惑更多的观众观看某一电视节目时，名和利就会将一个普通人转变为媒体追踪的目标。我们甚至可以提出这样一种论点，即正是媒体的审视将Diana王妃置于死地，随着她的汽车去竭力逃脱巴黎街头的记者们那侵犯隐私的相机镜头。毫无疑问，肯定有许多人被极其强烈的媒体聚焦以一种方式或另一种方式所伤害。

归纳而言，对于每个被置于媒体审视的人来说，其名声将最终受到毁损似乎并不可能。每天，有数百万人被媒体提到，但他们仍设法我行我素，不为媒体所伤害。被置于媒体审视之下的普通人，其名声或可得到提高，或可蒙受毁损，取决于围绕着媒体报道的具体情况。一个人的名声受媒体毁损的可能性，与所其拥有的臭名昭著的程度，及其行为的令人厌恶程度成正比。受媒体关注的时间长短同样也是一个决定性因素，因为一个人被媒体审视的时间越长，于他名声不利的信息越有可能被抖落出来，或者该人越有可能去做出某些于其名声不利的事情。但只是笼统地陈述媒体的审视终将毁掉一个人的名声，即是过分夸大这样一种显著的可能性，即在足够长的时间和一度程度的报道力度这两个条件下，媒体是有可能毁掉一个人的名声的。

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Issue95
"People work more productively in teams than individually. Teamwork requires cooperation, which motivates people much more than individual competition does."

Sample Essay

Teamwork as a whole can naturally produce an overall greater productivity through the concept of "synergy", where the total of the whole is greater than the sum of its individual parts. But the idea that people work more productively in teams rather than as individuals is going to vary greatly between the types of teams that are organized, the end reward or motivation for both the team and the individuals, as well as the individuals themselves.

Regarding individuals, some people are born with the desire to succeed, no matter what the situation or task that they are facing. These people may evolve into the classic "Type A" personalities that work ferociously because they are driven by an internal fire that says they must always be doing something, whether individually or as part of a team. Other people may desire to be less socially involved or are very highly competitive with other people. For these people, their work is most productive as individuals, because the very idea of cooperating with other people limits their effectiveness and efficiency because they simply do not want to be a part of the team. Whether this mindset is innate or developed over time does not matter, it is merely the state of their being and neither motivation nor rewards can generate inside them the desire to work collectively as a team.

Some people are highly motivated by social interaction and the desire to work with others towards a collective effort. Obviously these individuals are at their most productive when working as part of a team. Organizational behavioral studies have shown that Asian cultures are much more likely to develop this type of collective behavior as opposed to the more individualistic behavior associated with Western cultures. It could naturally be assumed then that there may be cultural values that can determine whether people are at their most productive individually or as part of a team.

Another variable is the end reward that is involved with the task at hand. Will the rewards be greater if the team works together towards a common goal, or are the rewards more geared toward individual performance? To the extent that the individual is motivated by the end reward, obviously his or her performance inside of a team may be more or less productive with respect to the entire team, depending on how the performance is rewarded. Individual goals may interfere with the group performance. Synergies may not be achieved because the individuals are not working towards a whole "sum" but rather towards an individual reward. Productivity thus will vary for each person as a team member or as an individual depending on the degree to which that person is motivated by an individual or overall team reward.

Finally, the degree of productivity of a person will depend upon the type of team that is organized. Is the group composed of equally contributing individuals? Does the group have an outstanding leader that can motivate both the individuals and the team as a whole? From a pure productivity standpoint, the presence or absence of a charismatic and exceptional leader can make all the difference whether a person would be more productive as a part of a team or as an individual. Personality types that work well together can prove to be much more productive as part of a team than as individuals, and vice versa.

Fundamentally, measures of productivity depend greatly on the individuals themselves. The dilemma facing leaders in all areas of life is how to best assess these individuals to determine how to best harness their capabilities to reach their ultimate productive capabilities. Whether a person is more productive alone or while working in concert with others is one of the great challenges that leaders and managers must face to accomplish tasks effectively and efficiently.


观点陈述型作文/[题目]

"当人们以团队的形式工作时，要比以孤军奋战的形式来得更加富有成效。团队的协同工作需要相互合作，它比个人竞争更能激励人们。"

[范文正文]
总体而言，团队的协同工作自然能通过"增效作用"（Synergy）这一理念而带来更高程度的整体生产效率，因为在这里，整体大于个体相加之总和。然则，"当人们以团队的形式工作时，要比以孤军奋战的形式来得更加富有成效"这一观念注定会产生巨大差异，取决于所组织起来的团队的类别，团队与个人所能获得的终极回报或激励，以及个人本身。

关于个人，有些人天生就具有获取成功的欲望，无论他们所面临的情形或任务是什么。这些人会演变为工作狂这一经典的"A类"人格，因为受到一股内心的热火所驱使，这股热火时刻告诉他们必须不停地"有所事事"，无论是作为个人抑或是作为团队的一分子。另一些人则可能希望不必那么多地介入社会，或者他们倾向于与其他人激烈竞争。对这些人而言，作为个人，他们工作起来会最富有成效，因为由于他们根本就不想成为任何团队的一部分，与他人合作便会限制他们的效率。这一思想倾向是否与生俱有，还是随着时间的推移而形成，这都无关紧要。这仅仅只是他们的一种生存状态，无论是动机还是回报，都无法在其内心深处激发起作为一个团队集体工作的欲望。

有些人，由于社会互动以及与他人协作去实现某种集体努力的欲望，而具有极强的动机。显然，这些个人在作为团队的一部分进行工作时，他们便会处在其最富有成效的状态。组织行为学研究表明，亚洲文化更有可能形成此类集体性行为，与那种常和西方文化联系在一起的较为个人主义的行为构成对比。这样，人们自然会认为，某些文化价值观可以决定人们是否作为个人还是作为团队的一部分工作起来最富有成效。

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Issue103
"The study of history has value only to the extent that it is relevant to our daily lives."

Sample Essay

To state that the study of history is only valuable if it is relevant to our daily lives is to ignore the value that history has beyond the day-to-day activities of human beings. It would seem to be a rather shallow statement that implies that humans only live just to survive rather than planning for the futures of their children and the environment.

First of all, to study history is to look at a road map of human behavior that has led us to where we are today in the world. For example, the lessons learned during all of the past wars can make for more effective wartime leadership by avoiding mistakes made by past commanders. From the ancient Chinese author Sun Tzu's book "The Art of War", today's military commanders and even business leaders gather valuable information that allows them to operate more efficiently and effectively. The study of this type of history has a value beyond the daily lives of people. It can lead to a military victory or the success of a business that directly affects what happens in the future, including the futures of those that are possibly not even born yet.

Another example is that by studying history, parents can help to improve the lives of their children in the future. Lessons learned by generations of their ancestors before them could help show them the way to properly raise a child. What worked for others can give guidance to the parents of today and tomorrow to make sure that children are prepared for their own futures beyond their daily lives.

Additionally, the study of medical advances made throughout history can be the foundation to build upon to make the medical advances of today and tomorrow to make people live longer and healthier lives. A researcher's daily life may not be enhanced by the study of the history of the AIDS pathogen, but it could certainly bring about a profound effect on the lives of others in the future if ways to control and cure the disease are found. The study of previous research over history has led to many amazing medical discoveries. To study history only to enrich one's daily life would here again seem to be incongruous with the truth.

A further example of the value of the study of history beyond its effect on daily life is the treatment of the environment and the earth as a whole. Looking back to the past to see the various effects of various human behaviors on the environment can show valuable lessons on what can happen if proper precautions are not taken. The nuclear accidents at Three Mile Island and Chernobyl have been studied to ensure that they do not happen again. Certainly the study of the effects of nuclear materials on humans and the environment provides value beyond that of the day-to-day life of people. The study of oil spills and their effects on the environment gives similar guidance on how to avoid or at least minimize the damage of an oil spill on the environment. The study of the disintegration of the ozone layer over the poles of the earth has given birth to new laws and regulations on certain chemicals that help to preserve this valuable part of our atmosphere. All of these examples of studying history provide value far beyond its impact on the daily lives of people.

To be certain, there are people out there that believe that only what affects them right here and right now is important. For them, the study of history might seem to be a waste of time if it does not affect their day-to-day lives. But for countless other individuals and groups, the study of history leads to improvements in activities that have an effect reaching far into the future, beyond their daily lives. The futures of mankind and the environment depend on these types of people who have enough foresight to study history to make for a better future for everyone.
(690 words)

观点陈述型作文/[题目]

"对历史的研究只有与我们日常生活相关才有其价值"。

[范文正文]
"史学研究只有与我们日常生活相关才有价值"这一陈述忽略了历史在人类日常活动之外的价值。这似乎是一种甚为浅薄的论点，其言下之意是，人类生活在这个世界上只是为了得以生存下去，而不是为着其孩子和环境的未来作规划。

首先，研究历史即是去审视一帧人类行为的"指路图"，让我们明白我们何以会处于目前的状态。例如，从过去战争中所吸取的全部教训能够通过帮助人们避免昔日指挥官们所犯的错误而促进更为有效的战时领导艺术。从中国古代的《孙子兵法》一书中，今天的军事指挥官们甚至是商界领袖们得以获取极有价值的信息，使他们能更有效地进行战争或商业操控。这种历史研究所具备的价值已超越了人们日常生活这一范畴。它所能导致的军事胜利或商业成功可直接影响到未来所要发生的一切，包括尚未出生的人的未来。

另一个例子是通过研究历史，父母们可以改善他们孩子在未来的生活。父辈之前的数代祖先们所学到的教训可以向父辈们表明什么才是抚养孩子的恰当方法。于他人有效的东西可以为当今和未来的父母们提供有益的指导，以确保孩子们可为其未来作好准备。
此外，研究历史上所取得的医学进步可以奠定一个基础，为当今和未来取得医学进步创造条件，使人们得以过上寿命更长且更为健康的生活。研究爱滋病病源体的历史，或许并不能改善研究人员的日常生活，但它却肯定能对其他人在未来的生活产生深远的影响，如果控制和治疗这一疾病的方法能被找到。对历史上昔日的研究进行分析，已导致了许多令人惊喜的医学发现。只为了丰富一个人日常生活而去研究历史，在这里将再一次与事实真相不符。

历史研究的价值能超越其对日常生活的直接影响，这方面的另一个案例是人类是如何对环境及整个地球的。回顾历史，看清各种人类行为对环境所造成的各种影响，这样做可以向人们昭示，如果不采取恰当的防范措施，则后患无穷。发生在三英里岛和切尔诺贝的核事故被研究，以便确保此类事故不再发生。就核物质对人类及环境的影响展开研究，这无疑会提供超越人们日常生活的价值。对原油泄漏及对环境影响进行研究，可以提供类似的指导，让人们懂得如何去避免或至少是减轻原油泄漏对环境产生的后果。对地球南北两极臭氧层遭破坏进行研究，促使人类就某些化学品制定出新的法规，从而有助于保护我们大气层中的有价值的这一部分。所有这些研究历史的实例所提供的价值无疑已超越了对人们日常生活所产生的影响。

当然了，社会上有些人相信，只有那些此时此地影响着他们的事情才是重要的。对他们而言，对历史的研究如果不能够影响到他们日常生活的话，就纯粹是在浪费时间。但对于无数其他个人和群体来说，研究历史可导致其所从事的活动的改善，这些活动所产生的影响会深入到未来，远远超越其日常生活。人类和环境的未来就有赖于这样一些类型的人，他们高瞻远瞩，从历史中获取有益的教训，以谋求为所有的人创造一个更为美好的未来。

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Issue108
"In many countries it is now possible to turn on the television and view government at work. Watching these proceedings can help people understand the issues that affect their lives. The more kinds of government proceedings - trials, debates, meetings, etc. - that are televised, the more society will benefit."

Sample Essay

Anything that makes a country's government more transparent is certainly a good thing, at least in democratic countries. These societies have a great deal to gain by being able to watch their elected government officials in action. But to broadly state that the more government proceedings that are televised, the more society will benefit is to ignore the fact that sometimes, less is more. Some types of proceedings can even be adversely affected if televised, making society worse off rather than giving it a benefit. Some types of governmental proceedings should receive more televised coverage, but there are some that should probably receive less to ensure that they are properly conducted.

One example of the possible negative effects of televising all governmental proceedings was the trial in the United States of accused murderer and former National Football League superstar O.J. Simpson. The trial was televised and became a huge media spectacle, captivating the nation's attention during the entire trial. Attorneys were well aware that the proceedings were being televised and almost behaved as if they were acting in a movie. The spotlight was so unrelenting that the circus atmosphere affected even the judge. The presence of television cameras and the effect of the intense media coverage led to a trial like no other, and adversely affected the natural progression of the trial. The participants played to the cameras rather than focusing on the task at hand. Largely because of television, many people would argue that justice was not served during this particular trial.

On the other hand, television of the day-to-day workings of government in action provides direct insight into how a government actually works. Because the television cameras are there everyday, the governmental officials become accustomed to them and are no longer greatly affected by their presence. In this way, society benefits because they are able to see what is happening as it happens. The government in action is no longer hidden behind such a veil of secrecy so that no one knows the mysterious ways of their elected officials.

One of the problems with stating that the more governmental proceedings that are televised, the better of a society is, is that people might come to believe that they are seeing everything when in fact, a television camera can only see part of what is happening no matter how many cameras there are. Much of what happens in government takes place "behind the scenes", not necessarily in full view of the cameras in the meeting place. While to an extent "seeing is believing", quite often it is what you don't see that makes the difference. Merely televising governmental proceedings certainly enhances understanding, but to fully understand the process a person would actually have to actively participate in that process.

Another problem with the statement that the more televised governmental proceedings, the better, is that it assumes that people actually watch the proceedings when they are broadcast. There is a television channel in the United States that broadcasts Congressional proceedings every day, but few people watch it. Only when some big issue comes up for a debate or for a vote does a significant number of people tune in. To merely televise governmental proceedings will not affect society unless society watches these events.

Society can certainly benefit from the television coverage of certain governmental proceedings. To actually see the elected officials in action can bring an extra element of understanding into the inner workings of a government. Politicians can be held accountable for their actions while they are being "watched" by the television cameras. No longer can they hide in anonymity while they are conducting the business of the people. But not all governmental proceedings should be televised. There are times when secrecy is an absolute requirement for making sure that the correct decisions are made.
( 694 words)

观点陈述型作文/[题目]
"在许多国家，人们现在可以打开电视，便可以看到政府是如何运作的。观看到这样一些程序能够帮助人们理解那些影响到其生活的问题。电视转播政府程序----审判，辩论，会议等不一而足----的种类越多，则社会将会获益更多。"

[范文正文]
任何能使一个国家的政府更透明的事情无疑总是一件好事情，至少在民主国家中是如此。这些社会通过得以看到他们所选举的政府官员在做些什么而获益匪浅。但是，如果只是笼统地说政府程序转播得越多，社会就会获益更多，那么，这便忽视了这样一个事实，即有些时候，转播得越少越好。有些类型的程序如果进行转播，则甚至会受到负面影响，使社会处于更糟糕的境地，而不是带来任何裨益。有些类型的政府程序应获得更多的电视报道，但有些应该减少报道，以确保这些程序能恰当地进行。

转播所有政府程序会引发负面作用，这方面的例子是美国对所指控的谋杀者和前美式足球全国联赛超级明星O.J.辛普逊的审判。审判全程转播，成为媒体一大焦点，在整个审判进程中吸引了全国的注意力。律师们清楚地知道，整个审判程序被转播，他们的所作所为几乎像电影演戏那样。媒体的焦光灯如此穷追不舍，以致于那种马戏团般的氛围甚至波及到主审法官。电视镜头的存在以及密集的媒体报道效果致使这场审判史无前例，严重影响到这次审判的正常进程。参与者在镜头面前装腔作势，根本不专注于手头应做的工作。许多人会认为，很大程度上由于电视的缘故，在这场特定的审判中，正义并未得到申张。

另一方面，有关政府日常实际工作的电视转播能让人们直接地深入了解政府实际上是怎样运转的。由于电视镜头每天都在那里，政府官员们便变得习以为常，不再会因为它们的存在而受太大的影响。这样，社会就能获益，因为民众能够亲眼目睹实际所在发生的事情。工作中的政府不再像以前那样藏匿在一层秘密的面纱背后，从而使人无从知晓所被选举的官员的神秘行为。
被电视转播的政府程序越多，一个社会就会变得更好，此番陈述的问题之一是，人们可能会以为他们能目睹一切，但在实际上，电视镜头所捕捉到的可能只是所有发生的事情的一部分，无论有多少电视镜头。政府内发生的相当一部分事情是在"幕后"完成的，并不必定是在开会场所众目睽睽之下进行的。尽管在某种程度上"眼见为实"，但在相当多的时候，不为你所见的事情才起着决定性的作用。纯粹去电视转播政府的各项程序，当然能增进理解，但要充分理解某一过程，则人们须实际上积极地参与到这一过程中来。

政府程序电视转播越多越好，这一陈述的另一个问题是，这一陈述认为当政府程序被转播时，人们实际上正观看着这些程序。美国有一个电视频道，每天播放国会程序，但看这一频道的人寥寥无几。只有当某些重大问题需要进行辨论或进行投票时，才会有大量的人观看这一频道。纯粹电视播放政府程序并不会影响到社会，除非社会观看这些事件。

社会无疑能得益于电视对某些政府程序的报道。亲眼目睹民选官员处理政府事务，能带来一个额外的理解因素，来弄清政府的内在运转机制。当政治家们被置于电视镜头的"注视"时，可以使其对其行为负责。他们在处理公众事务时再也无法隐名埋姓。但政府程序并非应该全部进行电视转播。有些时候，为了确保能作出正确的决策，隐秘应成为一种绝对的要求。

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Issue110
"When we concern ourselves with the study of history, we become storytellers. Because we can never know the past directly but must construct it by interpreting evidence, exploring history is more of a creative enterprise than it is an objective pursuit. All historians are storytellers."

Sample Essay

There would seem to be two different perspectives presented in the above statement. The first two sentences are concerned with exploring history and would seem to discuss looking at history that has already been written. People who concern themselves with the study of history are not storytellers, but rather story interpreters. The last sentence refers to the people that write about history, the historians themselves. Certainly, to a certain extent, historians must be storytellers because they have a story to tell. But the term "storyteller" seems to imply a greater amount of creativity than what is involved in actually explaining what has happened in history. For the purposes of this essay, I will focus on the perspective of the historian, as it would appear to be the underlying core idea.

From the perspective of the historian, most historians do not have the benefit of having lived through the period of history that they are writing about. By researching through thousands of old letters, legal documents, family heirlooms and the like, historians must look at fragments of history and somehow put these pieces together to reconstruct what actually happened. In this sense, they must be storytellers because inevitably, their personal insights become part of what others will see when they read the historian's writings. As an example, there are many differing opinions as to whether Thomas Jefferson actually fathered children with one of his slaves. Some historians have written that it is a virtual certainty, while others argue that it was his brother, rather than Thomas himself, that fathered the children. They both cannot be right. Although they are all historians, they are also storytellers giving their opinion on what version of events actually transpired.

Historians that are documenting events as they happen today have much less of an opportunity to fall into the "storyteller" category as they are present as witnesses to these events as they are happening. Television, newspaper and other media coverage is widespread and almost unrelenting. Television captures visuals and audios that are spread rapidly around the world and theoretically can last forever. There is much less room for putting one's own "spin" on an event, especially regarding the exact details of what happened. But even with today's events, there is room for opinion on the part of the historian. For example, historians are already arguing what evidence the United States government had regarding potential terrorism prior to the incredible tragedy of September 11, 2001. Looking back now, it seems obvious that the government should have known that something on a large scale was going to happen. With the benefit of hindsight, there were several failures in the government's counter-terrorism efforts.
Historians will now argue over the exact version of what happened, as they become storytellers to try to explain 9/11 to future generations.

Another example showcasing the idea that all historians are storytellers is that of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Variations on who was responsible and what actually happened have been the focus of hundreds, if not thousands, of books and historical accounts. Many historians argue vehemently that his or her account of history is the "true" version. Given the same evidence, historians decide which evidence is credible and which is not to arrive at their own conclusions. Clearly storytelling is a big part of how history is written.

Particularly when it concerns ancient history, all historians must be storytellers to a certain degree. "Connecting the dots" of surviving evidence from the time period or event being examined requires a certain amount of personal intuition and supposition. Historians that write about events from the more recent periods will probably be less inclined to be "storytellers" as the sheer mass of evidence that is presented will likely lead to better documentation of historic events as they happen.
(684 words)

观点陈述型作文/[题目]
"当我们关注历史研究时，我们便成为故事讲述者。由于我们永远也不可能直接知道过去。而只能通过对证据的解释来构建历史，因此，探究历史更多地成为一项创造性的事业，而不是一种客观的求索。所有历史学家都是故事讲述者。"

[范文正文]
上述陈述中似乎存在两个不同的视角。开头两个句子所涉及到的是探究历史，所探讨的似乎是审视业已被著述的那种历史。专注于历史研究的人不是故事讲述者，而是故事解释者。毫无疑问，在某种程度上，史学家必须是故事讲述者，因为他们有故事要讲。但"故事讲述者"这一术语似乎暗示着一种更大程度上的创造性，要超过实际解释历史上所发生过的一切这一过程中所涉及的程度。为了本文的目的，我将集中在史学家这一视角，因为这似乎是论题中所包含的核心主题。

从史学家这一视角看，大多数史学家均无幸亲身经历他们所著述的那段历史。通过研究数以千计的古老书信，法律文件，家族的传世之宝等物件，史学家必须分析一个个残缺不全的历史片断，以某种方式将这些碎片拼凑起来，重新构建实际所发生的一切。从这层意义上讲，他们不得不成为故事讲述者，因为他们的个人见解不可避免地成为其他人研读史学家著作时所见到的一部分。例如，围绕着托马斯·杰佛逊实际上是否与他的一个女奴生有几个孩子、这一问题，史学们众说纷纭。有些史学家著述道，这几乎是一个铁定的事实。但其他一些史学家则反驳说，是他的兄弟，而不是杰佛逊本人，才是这些孩子的父亲。双方不可能都对。他们都是史学家，他们也是一些故事讲述者，给出他们自己的观点，以期说明究竟哪个版本才是实际发生的事件。

记载当今正在发生的事件的史学家们，不太可能被归入"故事讲述者"这一范畴，因为他们作为历史见证者亲身经历了各种事件的发生。电视、报纸和其他媒体的报道铺天盖地，几乎从不间断。电视所捕捉到的视频和音频信息会被迅速地传遍全球，并在理论上可永久地存在。对某一事件作出个人"诠释"的余地越来越小，尤其是有关所发生事件的确切细节。但即使是对于当今发生的事件，史学家仍有表达个人观点的空间。例如，史学家早就在争论美国政府在无法令人置信的2001年9月11日悲剧发生之前关于潜在的恐怖主义活动已拥有了哪些证据。现在回顾起来，情况似乎十分明朗，即政府早就知道某种大规模事件将要发生。得益于后见之明，我们现在可以看清楚，政府的反恐努力中存在着诸多漏洞。史学家从现在起将会针对事件发生的确切版本争论不休，因为他们在试图向后代解释"9.11事件"时都将成为"故事讲述者"。

例证"所有史学家都是故事讲述者"这一观点的另一个实例是约翰·弗·肯尼迪的谋杀事件。谁对这起事件负责？实际上发生了什么？有关这类问题的各种说法构成了成千上万部史学著作的焦点。许多史学家都言之凿凿地宣称，他（她）对那段历史的叙述才是"确凿无疑"的版本。即使在被给予相同证据的情况下，史学家也会去判断哪些证据是可信的，哪些不足为信，并最终得出自己的结论。显而易见，讲述故事在历史著述中占有相当大的一部分。

尤其是在涉及到古代历史时，所有史学家在一定程度上都是故事讲述者。从被审视的历史时期或事件残存的证据中将"蛛丝马迹"串连起来，这需要一定程度上的个人直觉和假设。对较为近期的历史事件进行著述的史学家可能不太愿意成为"故事讲述者"，因为所能获得的大量证据可能导致对所发生的事件的过程更为详尽的记载。

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Issue112
"Some educational systems emphasize the development of student's capacity for reasoning and logical thinking, but students would benefit more from an education that also taught them to explore their own emotions."

Sample Essay

The ability of a student to think clearly using reasoning and logical thinking is of paramount importance in order to ensure his or her success as an individual after graduation from a university. To be able to look at a situation and use logic and reason to analyze the facts and develop an opinion or solution is to have a solid foundation for success in all aspects of life. Exploring one's emotions is important, but it is outside of the realm of what can be learned in a university classroom. Emotional self-exploration is best done outside of a classroom situation, although there may be some opportunity for students in the classroom to learn a methodology for doing so.

The ability to survive and thrive in a society is based on the assumption that human beings act according to reason and logic. From a very early age, most people are taught that certain actions will bring about certain reactions, and that by using logic you can figure out what the response will be in most situations. Reasoning is also developed early on, although sometimes it is difficult to explain reasoning to a two-year old. Humans are probably born with a desire for reason and logic, as demonstrated by almost any child's incessant asking of the question "Why?". To understand the underlying reasons why something happens is a fundamental part of human nature, proven by the exploits of explorers, scientists and mathematicians over the course of human history.

As a result, the basic framework of most forms of human society requires that a person must act according to the demands of reason and logic. Rules of law are based on the concept that individuals respond to rules based on reasoning and logic. The ability to think according to logic and reason is so imperative that it is essential that it be taught to university students at even the highest levels. What if law schools and medical schools decided that it was more important to allow students to explore their own emotions at the expense of learning the latest laws or medical techniques? Perhaps one course could be taught to help students to deal with the emotional demands of being a lawyer or a doctor, but to train students to explore their own emotions at the expense of learning about logical and reasonable thinking would be to invite catastrophe in society.

One of the main problems with emphasizing to students the importance of exploring one's own emotions is that it creates a "me first" attitude towards their studies. Certainly a degree of self-introspection is necessary to deal with society, but to put emphasis on this above all else is to inculcate in the student the idea that he or she is more important than others, and that what he or she thinks matters a great deal more than it probably does in reality. Too much emotional self-exploration could create individuals who see their emotions as more important than what they contribute to society, which would damage that society as a whole.

A certain amount of self-introspection into one's emotions is probably helpful to the development of a student as an overall person. Usually this kind of activity is explored fully in basic psychology classes that most students are required to take at university. Basic courses in sociology and psychology as well as other humanities courses give students plenty of opportunity to explore their own emotions. Rather than teaching students how to explore their own emotions, it would seem to be a better idea to teach students how to deal with these emotions. Only by instructing students in reasoning and logic can they learn how to apply whatever inner emotions they may have to becoming a successful member of a society.
(627 words)
观点陈述型作文/[题目]

"有些教育强调发展学生的逻辑和思维能力，但一种也能教学生去探索其自我情感的教育，可使学生们获益更多。"
[范文正文]
一个学生运用逻辑推理和思维进行清晰的思索，这一能力对于这位学生大学以后的个人成功具有至高无上的重要性。能够审视某一特定情形，应用逻辑和理性，对事实展开分析，并形成观点或解决方法，这对于在生活中的任何方面获得成功，都能奠定一个坚实的基础。探索个人的情感无疑是重要的，但它外在于大学课堂的教学范围。个人情感探索最好是在课堂情景之外的地方来完成，虽然学生在课堂内可能有机会学到这样做的某种方法。

在社会中得以生存和飞黄腾达，这一能力基于这样一个前提，即人类须按照理性和逻辑来行动。从孩提时代起，大多数人就被告知，自己的某些行为会造成他人的某些反应，通过应用逻辑分析，你就能推断在大多数情形中他人的反应会是什么样的。推理的能力在小时候也得以培养起来，尽管有时候向一个2岁的小孩解释推理甚为困难。人类对于理性和逻辑的欲望可能生而有之，举例来说，几乎任何一个孩子都会"为什么……？"地问个没完。要弄懂事情发生的基本原因是人性的一个基本部分，这一点可从人类历史进程中探险家、科学家和数学家们的功绩中得以证明。

由此看来，大多数形式的人类社会的基本架构要求人们按照理性和逻辑的要求行事。法律的规则基于这样一个概念，即个人须遵循基于逻辑和理性思维的规则。必须按逻辑和理性来思索，这一能力是如此至关重要，以至于即使处在最高层次上的大学生，也必须被授以这一能力。试想一下，如果法学院或医学院认为，让学生去探索其情感，而放弃学习最新的法律和医疗技术，其结果将会怎样？或许，可以开设一门课来帮助学生处理当律师或大夫的情感要求。但是，以学习逻辑和推理思维为代价，训练学生去探索其情感，这意味着在社会中招致灾难。
向学生强调探索其情感重要性，这一做法的诸多主要问题之一是，它会造成学生对其学习产生一种"唯　我独尊"的心态。当然，一定程度上的自我反省对于和社会打交道是必要的，但将它凌驾于其他一切之上将会在学生的内心灌输这样一种理念，即他（她）要比他人更为重要，他（她）的想法极为重要，而实际上或许并非如此。过多的自我情感探索所造就的将是这样一些个人，他们会将其情感视为比他们对社会的贡献更为重要，而这于整个社会都是有害的。

一定程度上的对个人情感的自我反省或许有助于学生整体人格的发展。一般而言，这种活动大多数学生在大学期间必须选择的心理学基础课程中可得到充分探索。社会学和心理学的基础，以及其他人文学科的课程，赋予学生大量的机会去探索其个人情感。相对于去教授学生如何去探索其个人情感，教授学生如何去处理这些情感或许更为有益。只有通过教育学生提高其逻辑推理和分析能力，才能使学生学会去应用他们所拥有的任何内心情感，去成为社会的成功一员。

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Issue113
"It is primarily through identification through social groups that we define ourselves."

Sample Essay

As primarily social animals, human beings naturally seek out different groups to which they feel they have a certain sense of belonging. But there are two different aspects of this issue involved: identifying oneself with a social group for its social implications and identifying oneself with a social group for internal needs. A person can have two different identities, one that involves an individual's self-perception and the way that others see that particular individual. There is a natural dichotomy between the two sides of one's personality that is usually displayed between the different types of social groups with which an individual may identify oneself.

Self-definition can either be honest or dishonest. A person may join a social group because he or she thinks that the people that belong to this type of group are the same as he or she, whether it is true or not. The important detail to the individual is that he or she would like to be the same as the people that belong to this particular social group. As one example, consider a person who grew up poor and poorly educated, but became wealthy through the luck of the lottery or an inheritance from an unknown but wealthy relative. This individual then joins a wine-tasting club and buys season tickets to the local Philharmonic Orchestra and opera house. Although this individual knows nothing about wine, orchestras or opera, he or she is seeking to identify him or herself as a culturally literate person simply because the person is now wealthy. Through joining these social groups, the individual is seeking to define him or herself as socially elite, although the only difference now is that the person has great wealth and in reality probably does not fit in with the other members of the groups. In this case, one's self-definition by identifying with social groups does not match up with how society still identifies the individual.

On the other hand, there are individuals that very clearly demonstrate who they are by their identification with certain social groups. At a very basic level, younger people may join gangs based on a sense of identification with certain gang members or gang ideas. By displaying different identifying tattoos or certain colors, these people clearly identify who they are and what they stand for by the particular to which they belong. Certain religious groups also give a clear identity to their members. Joining an Islamic fundamentalist group such as the Taliban or an Orthodox Jewish organization indicates a certain identity that is common to all of its members. Political organizations such as Greenpeace and the National Organization for Women also make a certain statement about the identity of an individual member. In all of these cases, an individual's self-perception and how others view that individual are probably very similar. These types of organizations speak to a person's very fundamental values and joining one is probably that person's way of saying to the world "this is who I am".

Joining other types of groups may or may not indicate a person's self-identification. Being a Republican or a Democrat, for example, may just be a matter of whichever party your parents belong to. Spending time with a particular group of friends may only mean that you like only one of the people in the group or you have nothing better to do, it may have nothing to do with your self-identification. People that belong to these groups do not necessarily belong to any one social group for identification purposes; it may be only a matter of convenience.

It depends on the individual and the particular social group under discussion as to whether we primarily identify ourselves through association with social groups. Once the individual or the social group has been identified, a determination must still be made as to whether the individual has joined for self-identification purposes or to impress upon others a certain image of that individual.
(656 words)

[题目]
"我们主要通过与社会群体的认同而来界定我们自身。"
[范文正文]
作为具有显著社会性的动物，人类自然会去寻觅某些他们觉得与其存在某种归属感的不同群体。但这个问题涉及两个方面：基于某一社会群体的社会含义而认同该群体，以及出于某些内在需要而认同某一社会群体。一个人可以拥有两个不同的身份，一种身份涉及到个人的自我感受，另一个所涉及的是他人对这个特定个人的看法。在一个人性格的这两方面之间，存在着一种自然的两分法。个人的性格一般就体现在这一个人所可能认同的不同社会群体之间。

自我界定可以是诚实的，亦可以是不诚实的。一个人之所以加入某一社会群体，可能是因为他（她）认为属于这一群体的那些人与他（她）相同，无论这是真还是假。对于这个个人具有重要性的一个细节是，他（她）希望与属于这一特定社会群体的人们相同。例如，我们不妨考虑一下这样一个人，他出身贫穷，没能受过良好的教育，但通过彩票的运气或由于继承了一位无名但却有钱的亲戚的遗产而一夜暴富。此人然后加入一个品酒俱乐部，并购买当地爱乐乐团和歌剧院的季票。虽然此君对酒、乐队或歌剧一窍不通，但他（她）却竭力将自己表现为有文化修养的人，仅仅因为他（她）现在很有钱。通过介入这些社会群体，此人力图将自己界定为社会精英，虽然现在唯一的区分是，这人极其有钱，而实际上他（她）与这些群体内的其他成员格格不入。在此情形中，通过认同某些社会群体而来进行自我界定，这与社会如何看待这个人仍然相去甚远。

另一方面，有些人则通过他们与某些社会群体的认同而明白无误地来表明他们是何种人。在某个甚为基本的层面上，青少年会基于他们与某些帮派成员或帮派理念的认同感而参加某些帮派。通过展示与众不同的认别性纹身图案或某些颜色，这些人明确表明他们是谁，以及他们代表着什么。某些宗教团体也会赋予其成员以某个明白无误的身份。加入诸如塔利班一类的伊斯兰原教旨主义团体或者正统派犹太教组织标志着其成员普遍共有的某种身份。像"绿色和平"以及"全国妇女组织"等政治团体也在就某个个体成员的身份作出某种陈述。在所有这些情形中，个体的自我感受，以及他人对其所形成的看法，二者可能甚为近似。这些类型的组织诉诸于一个人极为基本的价值观，而加入这样的一种组织可能就成为这个人向世界表明"我就是这样一个人"的一种方式。

加入其他类别的组织可能表明，但也不一定表明一个人的自我认同。例如，成为共和党还是民主党成员，这可能只与你父母属于哪个政党有关。与特定一群朋友在一起，这可能只意味着你只喜欢该群体中的一个人，或者因为你除此之外无所事事。这与你的自我认同毫无关系。属于这些群体的人并非必定出于认同的目的而属于任一社会群体。这可能只是一种权宜之计而已。
至于我们是否主要通过与社会群体的联系而来表明我们的身份，这取决于个人以及所涉及的特定社会群体。即使个人或社会群体得以被判明，我们还有待于去确定，一个人加入某一社会群体，究竟是出于自我认同的内在目的呢，还是为了将其个人形象烙在他人心头。

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Issue114
"Humanity has made little real progress over the past century or so. Technological innovations have taken place, but the overall condition of humanity is no better. War, violence and poverty are still with us. Technology cannot change the condition of humanity."

Sample Essay

The discussion of this statement turns on what is meant by "little real progress" from the first sentence, "the overall condition of humanity" in the second sentence, and "the condition of humanity" from the third sentence. To be sure, war, violence and poverty are still with us and we as mankind are probably more aware of these problems worldwide than ever before thanks to advances in technology and communication. But depending upon the definition of progress and the condition of humanity, this would appear to be an incorrect statement.

First of all, the phrase "little real progress" from the first sentence must be defined. If the author defines progress as elimination of death, war, violence and poverty, then perhaps it could be stated that humankind has not made much improvement over the past one hundred years. People are still dying, wars are still being fought, violence is present almost everywhere and there are most likely people in every country in the world living in poverty. However, if the term "progress" is defined not as elimination of these problems but rather a reduction in them, then great progress has been made over the past century. Life expectancies are up in nearly every country of the world due to improvements in medicine and the scientific study of the human body. War and violence, although still present, has been reduced and to a large part confined to certain areas of the world rather than the global wars of the past such was World Wars I and II. Poverty has also been reduced as international trade has lead to economic improvements in many formerly impoverished nations. Very real progress has been made in these areas over the past one hundred years.

Secondly, the phrases "the overall condition of humanity" and "the condition of humanity" must be defined. If the terms mean that we are all still born into pain, suffer many tragedies during our lives, and still die in the end, then of course the overall condition of humanity is no better than it was one hundred or even one hundred thousand years ago. Life is still life, and no matter what technological innovations come along, it is unlikely that the basic facts of living as a member of the human race will ever change. However, if the term means how we are able to live our lives during the time that we are given, then again tremendous progress has been made during the past century. Cures have been found for many diseases, some of which have officially been completely eliminated. Medical treatments for other diseases have made them less deadly or less debilitating. For example, many cancer victims that would have died in the past can now go on living comfortably and cancer-free after treatment. Diabetics who would have died in the past can now live nearly normal lives. Even poor eyesight can be effectively eliminated through laser surgery. It would seem to be beyond argument that overall, the condition of humanity is much better now than it was one century ago.

If one takes a very narrow definition of "progress" and "the condition of humanity", it could be fairly stated that mankind has made little in the way of advancement over the past century. Millions of people worldwide still live in poverty. Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is killing millions of people with no cure in sight. War and violence continues in the Middle East, Africa and Afghanistan. But to take this narrow point of view would be to ignore the obvious tremendous advances that have been made over the past one hundred years by the human race. As mankind continues on into the twenty-first century, it would be preferable to consider all that has been accomplished over the past one hundred years and to look ahead to future advances over the next century instead of ignoring mankind's obviously improved circumstances today.
(696 words)

观点陈述型作文/[题目]
"在过去约一个世纪的时间中，人类几乎没有实现真正的进步。技术创新确实发生了，但人类的总体状况毫无改观。战争、暴力，以及贫穷仍然伴随着我们。技术无法改善人类的生存状况。"

[范文正文]

上述陈述中的探讨所围绕的是这样三个概念的含义，即第一句中的"little real progress"，第二句中的"the overall condition of humanity"，以及第三句中的"the condition of humanity"。毫无疑问，战争、暴力以及贫穷仍然伴随着我们，并且，作为人类，由于技术与通信的进步，我们可能比以往任何时候都更深切地意识到了这些问题。但除非将"progress"和"the condition of humanity"这样的概念进行清晰界定，否则，上述陈述将是相当谬误的。

首先，第一句中的"little real progress"必须予以界定。如果作者将"progress"定义为祓除死亡、战争、暴力以及贫穷，那么或许可以这样说，人类在过去的100多年中并未取得太大的进展。人们仍在不断死亡，战争仍在进行，暴力几乎到处存在，世界每个国家都有人生活于贫困之中。但是，如果"progress"这一术语并非被定义为对上述问题的消除，而是对这些问题的削减，那么，过去一个世纪中人类确实取得了重大进步。由于医学和对人体科学研究水平的提高，全世界几乎每个国家中人类寿命都呈上升趋势。战争与暴力，虽然仍然存在，却已被减少，且在很大程度上都被限制在世界的某些地区，而再也不是像第一、第二次世界大战那样波及全球。随着国际贸易在许多以前的贫穷国家导致了经济改善，贫困也得以减轻。在过去的100年中，这些领域中已取得了极为真实的进步。其次，"the overall condition of humanity"以及"the condition of humanity"必须予以界定。如果这些术语指的是我们所有人仍然降生于痛苦之中，一生中蒙受着许多悲剧，并最终仍然死去，那么，毫无疑问，人类的总体状况丝毫不比100年或甚至10万年之前来得更好。生活依然是生活，无论产生怎样的技术创新，作为人类的一员，生活的某些基本事实依旧不变。如果该术语指的是我们是如何在被赋予的生存时间中得以生活的，那么我们可以再一次说，人类在过去的世纪中取得了巨大的进步。对许多疾病，人类已找到了治愈方法，某些疾病已正式被彻底消除。对某些疾病的医治已使这些病症变得不再那么致命，不再那么毁灭性。例如，在过去有可能死去的许多癌症患者，现在经治疗之后可继续舒服地生活下去，摆脱癌症的折磨。在过去可能会死去的糖尿病患者，现在也能过上几乎正常的生活。即使视力障碍也能通过激光手术被有效去除。总体而言，人类状况现在远好于一个多世纪之前，这似乎应是不争的事实。 如果从狭义上去理解"progress"和"the condition of humanity"，则人们可以甚为合理地说，人类在过去的一个多世纪中几乎没有取得任何进步。全球数以百万计的人仍生活在贫困之中，爱滋病正在夺走无数人的生命，而治愈方法遥遥无期。战争与暴力在中东,非洲以及阿富汗持续不断。然则，持此狭隘的观点则有可能使人无视人类在过去一百年中业已取得的昭然若揭的巨大进步。随着人类继续迈进21世纪，较为可取的做法应该是，我们应充分意识到在过去100年中人类业已取得的全部成就，并展望人类在下一个世纪中所可能取得的未来进步，而不是对人类今日显著改善的生存状况视而不见，置若罔闻。

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Issue116
"With the growth of global networks in such areas as economics and communication, there is no doubt that every aspect of society - including education, politics, the arts and the sciences - will benefit greatly from international influences."

Sample Essay

The increasing globalization of telecommunications and the rising interdependency of the economies of the various countries of the world cannot be denied. News and other information can be transmitted around the world in a matter of seconds. Banks in hundreds of different countries can almost instantaneously transfer money to almost any other bank in the world. As these global networks become even further developed, the world will become even "smaller" than it is today. While there is no doubt that most aspects of society can and probably will benefit from these interconnections, there is doubt as to whether all aspects of society will benefit greatly from international influences.

Education probably has the greatest opportunity to benefit from these global networks. Students' access to the Internet and the World Wide Web brings an endless supply of information from all over the world. In-depth research on any subject can be done now while simply sitting at a computer rather than by tedious searches through stacks of books or rolls of microfilm in a library. Real-time international exchanges of ideas and information can and do occur by linking schools across the globe through teleconferencing via live video satellite transmissions. It is possible that a student in the United States can "sit in" on a class at a university in China. The possible benefits for education are endless and constantly expanding as global communications continue to improve and become less expensive.

The sciences also stand to gain tremendous benefits from global networks. Research and development departments of a company in one country can instantaneously transmit information to all other R&D departments in the company worldwide. Medical research and information can be shared worldwide, reducing the amount of time it takes to make rapid advances in medicine as efforts no longer have to be duplicated by each individual researcher. All kinds of scientific knowledge and information can be quickly shared, tested and refined through joint efforts by scientists linked by global networks. Again, as with education, the potential benefits of a global scientific network are constantly growing and unlimited in scale.

With the field of politics, it becomes a little less certain on the subject of potential benefits. On the one hand, the people of most countries now have direct access to the people of other countries via email, instant messenger services and chatrooms and thus can find out about the political environments and conditions of almost every other country in the world. This could potentially lead to great advances in democracy as more people demand to have a voice in their governmental representation. On the other hand, governments may see this as a threat to their power and strive to eliminate access to these types of communications, which would clearly not be a benefit to the population as a whole.

As for the arts and culture in general, global networks may actually be more of a threat than a benefit. Although fans of the arts now have greater access to the arts and cultures of other countries than ever before, this could lead to a type of "globalization" or homogenization of the arts by creating an international standard that could potentially eliminate cultural artistic differences in the future. As one example, the French government mandated that only a limited amount of information could be broadcast in English in an effort to preserve French culture and language. It would seem to be a natural progression for the arts and culture to actually lose national identity as global networks become more widespread.

Almost all aspects of society probably stand to benefit from the rapid growth of global networks. In general, the more that people are connected to each other, the greater the chances are that they will learn to understand each other. But in the rush to understand and communicate with each other, it is important that individuals do not lose those unique cultural characteristics that make them different than everyone else.
(697 words)

观点陈述型作文/[题目]
"随着经济和通讯这些领域中全球网络的发展，毫无疑问社会的每个方面，包括教育、政治、艺术及科学，将从国际影响中获益匪浅。"

[范文正文]
电信的日趋全球化以及世界各国经济日趋相互依存，这一点不容置疑。新闻和其它信息可以在几秒钟之内传遍全球。上百个不同国家内的银行几乎可在瞬间内将钱款转入世界上几乎任何另一所银行。随着这些全球性网络获得越来越进一步的发展，世界将日甚一日地变得更"小"。虽然毫无疑问社会的诸多方面可以并且可能从这些互联中获益，但社会的每个方面是否都能从国际影响中获益匪浅，这令人怀疑。

教育可能拥有最大的机会获益于这些全球性网络。学生登录互联网或万维网，信息便从世界各地源源不断地涌来。现在，只要坐在电脑旁，而无需去图书馆枯燥地查阅一堆堆书籍或一卷卷缩微胶卷。思想和信息的实时国际交流能够得以实现，且确实已被实现，只要通过实况录像卫星转播这一形式的电信会议而将学校在全球范围内连结起来。美国的学生可以"坐"在中国某一大学的课堂内。随着全球通信日趋完善且更为廉价，教育所能从中获得的益处可谓无究无尽，且有持续扩展之势。

科学也拥有广阔的前景从全球网络中获益匪浅。某个国家内的某个公司的研发部门可在瞬间将信息传递到该公司在全球的所有其他研发部门。医学研究和信息可在全球范围内分享，大大缩短了在医学领域取得快速进步所需的时间，因为每个单独的研究人员再也不必去重复他人的研究努力。通过与全球网络相联的科学家们的共同努力，各种科学知识和信息能够很快地被分享，被检验，被完善。正如教育那样，我们可以再一次说，一个全球性科学网络的潜在益处正在不断增涨，且规模无可限量。

对于政治领域而言，在潜在益处这一点上，情形就不是那么的肯定了。一方面，在大多数国家，人们现在可以通过电子邮件瞬间信使服务以及聊天室直接与其他国家的人们进行联络，从而能够弄清楚世界上几乎每一个其他国家中的政治环境和情况。这可能潜在地导致重大的民主进步，因为有更多的人们要求在其政府代表中拥有自己的呼声。但在另一方面，政府可能将这视作对其政权的威胁，并竭力阻止人们获取这些通信方式，这对于全体民众来说显然不是一件好事。

就文化和艺术总体而言，全球性网络可能在实际上更多地是一种威胁，而非裨益。尽管艺术迷们现在比以前任何时候能更多地了解其他国家的文化和艺术，但这有可能导致某种艺术的"全球化"或一体化，因为会创立某种国际标准，有可能潜在地使未来的文化艺术差异消失殆尽。例如，法国政府规定，只有有限的一部分信息允许用英语来播出，目的就是为了保护法兰西文化和语言。随着全球性网络变得更为广泛，艺术和文化实际上会失去其民族特性，这似乎是一个自然进程。

社会的几乎每个方面都有望获益于全球性网络的飞速增涨。总体而言，人们越是彼此间联系起来，他们就有更多的机会来学会相互理解。但在人们忙着去彼此理解和互相交流的过程中，有一点极为重要，那就是人们不应该丧失那些使其有别于他人的独特文化特征。

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Issue119
"When research priorities are being set for science, education, or any other area, the most important question to consider is: how many people's lives will be improved if the results are successful?"

Sample Essay

To discuss this statement, one must begin with the assumption that resources are limited, as they almost always are, and that therefore research priorities must be set based on those finite resources. Those resources would include the total number of researchers as well as the money available for the research. As an absolute statement, using the basis of the total number of lives improved would at first glance appear to be a simple and clear cut method to determine what priorities are given to what types of research. But in reality, politics, the number of available researchers in a given field and the total funding available all determine to a large extent where research priorities must lie.

Unfortunately, in a great deal of instances, research priorities are increasingly intertwined with governmental politics. As one example, when the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) first appeared, it was seen primarily as a homosexual disease or a disease that afflicted very poor Africans. As a result, politicians saw little reward in pushing for money to fight the disease. In the beginning, very little money was spent on researching the causes and potential cures for this deadly disease. As more and more cases were diagnosed, it eventually became clear that the disease was not limited to poor Africans and homosexuals and it was in fact increasingly spreading to the rest of the population. This motivated politicians to act to spend more money on research to combat AIDS, but it is likely still not enough. If research priorities were based purely on the number of people's lives that could be improved, one would be hard pressed to find a higher priority. The number of people that are infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, is in the hundreds of millions. But as the disease is still seen primarily as one affecting mainly poor Africans, politicians have been reluctant to significantly increase spending on researching the deadly disease.

Another factor that must be considered is the number of researchers available in a given field. If politicians could actually be persuaded to focus on AIDS as their top research priority and dedicated unlimited funding to the project, maybe this would benefit the most people throughout the world. Yet without enough properly trained researchers, all of the money in the world cannot move the research along any faster. Perhaps the money could be used to encourage more highly trained people to enter the field, but that would take years of training before the benefits could be seen.

Finally, the amount of funding available for research has a clear impact on where the research priorities will lie. Politics, the number of researchers and funding are all interwoven together in an inseparable bundle that makes a simple goal such as improving the highest number of people's lives impossible to reach. In many countries, there is simply no money available for research of any kind as they are merely subsistent countries that even lack adequate funding to properly feed their own populations. Other countries may simply lack the desire to spend money on research, preferring to spend money on construction projects or other areas. Without adequate funding where research is done, only certain types of basic level research can be performed. Priorities must be made according to what the government can afford and where its highest potential lies, rather than the absolute number of people that can benefit from such research.

In theory, assigning research priorities by the number of people that will benefit is a practical and simple way to make a decision. In reality, defining which benefits are most important, politics, the number of researchers available and funding make the decision much more difficult. Maybe someday in the future, with technological advances, mankind can afford to make this theory become a reality.
(634 words)

观点陈述型作文/[题目]

"当我们为科学、教育或任何其他领域确定研究优先权时，需要考虑的一个最重要的问题是：如果研究结果获得成功，有多少人的生活将由此得以改善？"

[范文正文]

要讨论上述论题，我们必须首先作出这样的假设，即资源是有限的，因此，研究优先权的确定必须基于这些有限的资源。这些资源将囊括全体研究人员及可用于研究的资金。作为一项绝对陈述，将得以改善的生活的数量作为基础，这初看上去不失为一种简单和不言而喻的方法，用来确定哪些优先权应该被赋予哪些类研究。但在实际上，政治，某一特定领域中所能获得的研究人员数量，以及所能获得的全部研究经费都在很大程度上决定着优先权应赋予何种研究。

不幸的是，在诸多情形中，研究优先权越来越与政府政治交织在一起。例如，当艾滋病最初出现时，这种病主要被视作一种同性恋病症或一种非洲穷人所患的病。这样政客们便觉得竭力去弄钱来对付这种疾病没有太大的回报。起初，用于研究这一致命疾病的病因和潜在疗法的资金少得可怜。随着越来越多的病例被诊断出来，人们最终恍然大悟，这种病并非仅限于非洲穷人和同性恋者，并且它实际上正越来越扩散至其他群体的人身上。这促使政客们行动起来，将更多的钱应用于对付艾滋病的科研上，但现在看来依然远远不够。如果研究优先权纯粹基于能得以改善的生活数量上，我们就会尴尬地发现，全世界数百万人受此病毒感染。但由于这一疾病仍基本上被视为主要影响非洲穷人的一种疾病，政客们一直不愿意大规模增加对这一致命疾病的研究经费。

另一个必须考虑的因素是某一特定领域中所能获得的研究人员的数量。如果政客们实际上能够被说服将艾滋病当作其首要的研究课题并为该项目提供无限的科研经费的话，这或许能使世界上最多数量的人从中获益。但倘若没有足够数量受过恰当训练的研究人员，再多的资金投入也无法推动这项研究朝着更快的方向发展。经费或许能用来鼓励更多受过高端训练的人们进入这一领域，但这得进行多年的训练，然后才有望从中受益。

最后，所能获得的研究经费的数额也对确定研究优先权存在明显的影响。政治、研究人员的数量、以及经费不可分割地全都交织在一起，从而使改善最多数量的人们的生活这一简单的目标都无法得以实现。在许多国家，根本弄不到任何资金来进行任何性质的研究，因为这些国家只是些勉强维持生存的国家，甚至还缺乏充足的资金来使其人口得以果腹。另有一些国家根本就缺乏将资金用于研究的欲望，更愿意将钱花在房屋建设项目或其他领域。在没有充足的资金进行研究的情况下，就只能从事某些基本层面上的研究。优先权只能依据政府所能拿得出来的钱的数额以及这笔钱所能发挥的最大潜在作用来确定，而不是依据所能从研究中获益的绝对人数。

从理论上讲，依据受益者的人数来划分研究优先权，这不失为一种实用而又简单的决策方式。但实际上，确定哪些效益最为重要，政治因素、所能获得的研究人员的数量、以及研究资金都致使这一决策变得远为困难。或许有朝一日，随着技术的进步，人类能使这一理想变作现实。

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Issue121
"At various times in the geological past, many species have become extinct as a result of natural, rather than human, processes. Thus, there is no justification for society to make extraordinary efforts, especially at a great cost in money and jobs, to save an endangered species."

Sample Essay

Certainly no one can argue that many, and perhaps most, extinct species became extinct naturally rather than due to human interference. After all, mankind's length of time on earth, when compared to the age of the planet, is very small. In some instances, mankind is probably lucky that some species became extinct long before we made our first appearance. It is difficult to imagine humans living alongside dinosaurs, for example. But to say that there is no justification for society to make extraordinary efforts to save an endangered species overestimates our own importance, minimizes the importance of a species, and ignores the intricate balances that all species on earth contribute to in our environment.

It is easy to make the assumption that because humans are capable of reason and thought, we are the dominant and therefore the most important species on earth. We could assume that all other species are also put here for our use, to use and abuse as we best see fit. To a certain extent, we can control almost all other varieties of life on this planet. But having that ability and exercising that ability are two different things, and who is to say exactly what our role should be on Earth? Religious theologians have different ideas as to man's place in the world, but these are all based on human ideas and thoughts. It would seem to be possible that animals and plants have ways of communicating that humans cannot recognize or understand. It is possible that there are forms of communication in this world that we do not have the capability of understanding, and it is important that we do not assume that we know everything. As the dominant species on Earth, it is our responsibility to use that position wisely and destroy as little as possible while still assuring the survival of mankind.

Taking the absolute point of view, humans would be justified in allowing any species to become extinct if it would take extraordinary efforts to save it. Of what use, for example, is the Giant Panda other than to look at as a cute and loveable creature? Or what about tigers, who can and have killed humans in the past? And why should we care about some small species of fish that may become extinct if we build a certain dam, if that dam will provide electricity for hundreds of thousands of people? Alligators have attacked people in the United States, so why should we make any effort to protect them? The answer would seem to be obvious - that eliminating these species gives us less diversity in the environment. Humans cannot exist as the lone species on this planet. The absolute importance of biodiversity is only just beginning to be understood. The extinction of a species today might lead to unimaginably negative consequences in the future. Humans can likely not determine the relative importance of any one species.

Finally, there is a very delicate balance in nature that we also cannot determine with any precision. The chains of life are intricately bound together in a beautiful pattern that we cannot see through our own myopia. While most people would agree that permanently eliminating flies and mosquitoes, for example, is a good idea, we don't know what effect that might have in the long term. Certainly flies aid in the decomposition of waste materials. Mosquitoes may be an important food source for other animals in the food chain that directly leads to food for humans. To break any one link in this or any of the possibly billions of food chains in the environment could lead to catastrophe.

As humans, we must realize that there are balances in the environment that we don't understand and that we must protect. To allow the extinction of any particular species could prove to be a fatal mistake to the long-term survival of mankind.

观点陈述型作文/[题目]

"在过去地质进程的不同阶段，许多物种由于自然进程而非人类进程的原因而灭绝。因此，人类社会没有任何正当的理由去作巨大的努力，尤其是在资金和劳动力方面作巨大的投入，去拯救某一濒危物种。"

[范文正文]

许多业已灭绝的物种，或许大多数已灭绝的物种，是由于自然原因而非人类干扰的原因而灭绝，这一点肯定无人质疑。毕竟人类在地球上所存在的时间长度，相对于这颗行星的年龄而言，实乃微不足道。在某些情形中，人类可能很幸运，有些物种在我们最初出现之前早已灭绝。例如，很难想象人类和恐龙生活在一起。但如果有人说，人类社会没有任何正当的理由去作巨大的努力，拯救某一濒危动物，这便过高估计了我们自己的重要性，贬低了物种的重要性，并忽略了地球上所有物种在我们环境中所共同构建的各种错综复杂的平衡关系。

我们很容易作这样一种假设，即由于人类具有推理和思维能力，我们便是地球上主导的并因此是最重要的物种。据此，我们以为，其他所有物种被放在那里也是为了让人类享用，按我们的需求去使用，去滥用。在某种程度上，我们可以控制这一星球上几乎所有其他的生命种类。但是，拥有这一能力和运用这一能力完全是两码事，而又有谁能确凿无误地说明人类在地球上应扮演何种角色？宗教神学家们对于人类在世界中的地位有不同的观点，但这些均基于人类的观念和思想。动植物似乎有可能拥有人类所无法认识到或无从理解的交流方式。这个世界上有些交流方式可能是人类没有能力理解的，因此，有一点很重要，我们不应该认为我们无所不知。作为地球上的主导物种，我们的责任在于明智地使用我们的这一地位，在确保人类自身生存的条件下尽可能少地毁灭其他物种。

如果采取一种绝对的观点，那么，如果挽救某一物种需要作出巨大努力，则人类让这一物种趋于灭绝应该说不无其合理性。例如，大熊猫作为一种可爱的动物可用于观赏之外，它还能具有别的用途吗？能置人于死地且已经在过去令人类生灵涂炭的老虎，我们又该如何处理呢？如果我们筑起一条大坝，这条大坝能为成千上万的人供电，某些小鱼类会趋于灭绝，我们难道应该去关爱这些鱼类吗？在美国，鳄鱼攻击过人类，我们为何要努力去保护它们呢？答案似乎是不证自明的，那就是，灭掉这些物种就会减少我们环境的多样性。人类不能作为孤立的物种生存在这个星球上。生物多样性的绝对重要性刚开始被人认识到。某一物种今日的灭绝可能会导致未来无法想象的负面效果。人类可能无权决定任一物种的相对重要性。

最后，自然界中的某种微妙平衡也是我们所无法确切断定的。一条条生命之链以一种美丽无比的模式错综复杂地缠绕在一起，人类凭着短浅的目光是绝难看透这一模式的。例如，虽然人们会同意，永久性地消除苍蝇和蚊子会是一个不错的主意，但我们无法知道那样做的长远影响会怎样。苍蝇无疑有助于废物的降解。蚊子在食物链中可能是其它动物的重要食物来源，而这一食物链又能直接为人类制造食物来源。打断环境中这一食物链或数以百万计的有可能存在的食物链中的任何一个环节，都将引起灾难性的后果。

作为人类，我们必须意识到环境中的有些平衡关系是我们所无法理解的，但我们却必须予以保护。允许任何特定一种物种灭绝，对于人类长远的生存都将成为一个致命的错误。

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Issue142
"The well-being of a society is enhanced when many of its people question authority."

Sample Essay

A society is made up of individual people, no two of whom are exactly alike. Some are smarter, some have more money, and some are docile and blindly follow leaders while others are more vocal in addressing the topic of authority. In most cases, it is better when many of a society's people are questioning authority. Generally, the more the people that are questioning authority, the more the society's people care about what that authority is doing. Centuries ago, there were many reasons why a society should not question the controlling authority. Even today there may be some cases where fewer questions are better, but for the majority of the world's people, it is true that a society is made better by asking questions of the authorities that control them.

In the past, emperors, kings and queens controlled much of the world with an authority that could not be questioned. In some cases, the leaders were deemed to be heavenly deities that could do no wrong, therefore purely blind allegiance was both expected and demanded. In some cases, the entire existence of a society would depend on the unquestioning loyalty of the leader's subjects. Hundreds of years ago this type of leadership made sense as people were generally poorly educated and would have been much worse off without such a strong leader. Uneducated peasants were mainly farmers and could hardly be expected to know how to keep a society together. Their leaders were expected to protect and defend the society from roving gangs and armies from other countries. The sustained success of the Roman Empire, the Ottoman Empire and centuries of rulers in China and Japan show the necessity of having authority that was beyond question.

As time passed and people became better educated, the reasons for having such leaders became fewer and fewer. Along with the Industrial Revolution came the need for more and more people to have a voice in their own governments and chosen leaders. No longer bound to one particular piece of ground by the earth that they farmed, people could move about and learn more about what was happening both in their own societies and those nearby. Feudal kingdoms began dying out. People began to realize that their leaders were not "heavenly chosen" but merely fallible human beings just like themselves. With the growing realization that these leaders were not perfect came the idea that questioning authority might not be such a bad thing after all.

Certainly in the past one hundred years there have been continuing dictatorships that have suppressed millions by wielding absolute authority. In some cases, people were executed for daring to question authority. Even recently, the Taliban in Afghanistan ran an oppressive form of government that was beyond question to its society. If no one ever dared to question the authority, people would have less reason to believe that anything was wrong with their government. But every time one person would speak out, another person or two was probably inspired to do the same. One voice could inspire many other voices. Man's right to self-determination should be an inalienable right, but remaining silent is not the way to assert that right. One voice or a few voices may be silenced, but eventually the authority being questioned will be forced to answer.

In general, the more people that question authority, the more likely the society is to get real answers. Questioning authority is the best way to keep a government honest and accountable. No government official should be afraid to answer the question "Why?" If a society has people that are willing and able to question authority, they are much more likely to determine the course of that society. People in a self-determining society have the best opportunity for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
(653 words)

观点陈述型作文/[题目]

"当社会中的许多民众敢于对当权者提出质询时，整个社会的福祉便能得以提高。"

【范文正文】

社会是由个人组成的，他们中绝无二人是截然相同的。有些较为聪明，有些较为富有，有些较为驯顺，会盲目追随领袖人物，而有些则在对待政府当局这一论题上显得更能言善辩。普遍而言，对政府当局质疑的人越多，这表明社会民众就越关注政府当局在做些什么。数个世纪以前，存在着许多的理由，致使一个社会无法对控制着政权的政府进行质疑。即使在今天，可能在某些情形中，人们提出的质疑越少越好。但对于世界大多数的民众而言，有一点似乎是确凿无疑的，即整个社会通过对控制着他们的政府当局提出诸多质询，这个社会就会变得更好。

昔日，皇帝、国王、王后们控制着整个世界的大部分，其权威不容置疑。在有些情形中，这些领袖人物被视若上界的神灵，绝不可能铸成任何错误。这样一来，臣民们不仅仅被期望，而且亦被要求去对领袖们绝对盲目地效忠。在某些情形中，社会的全部存在完全有赖于领袖人物的臣民们不加质疑的绝对忠诚。数百年之前，当民众普遍没有接受过良好的教育时，这样一种类型的执政风格尚有其合理之处。设若没有这样一个强有力的领袖人物的话，整个社会的状况可能会糟糕得多。我们不可能期望那些没有受过教育的农民去懂得如何来统辖整个社会。这样，这些农民的领袖们则被期望去保护和防卫这个社会，使其免受匪邦或敌国军队的侵扰。罗马帝国、奥托曼帝国以及中国和日本数个世纪的统治者们持久的成功表明了拥有一个不容置疑的政府当局的必要性。

随着时间的推移以及人们日趋受到良好的教育，拥有昔日那种领袖人物的理由也变得越来越少。伴随着工业革命，对越来越多的人来说，有必要在其自己的政府中和他们所选择的领袖们身上体现出自己的呼声。由于不再为他们所耕种的大地羁绊于任何一片特定的土地，人们可以自由流动，并更多地了解到有关他们自己社会中以及邻近社会中所在发生的一切。封建王国开始分崩离析。人们开始意识到他们的领袖并非是"神授"的，而只是一些也有可能失误的凡夫俗子，与他们自己毫无二致。随着人们渐趋意识到这些领袖人物们并非完美无缺，一种新的理念便告诞生，即对政府当局进行质疑或许并非是一件十分糟糕的事情。

毫无疑问，在过去的一百年中，出现过持续不断的专制政体，通过行使绝对权力而压迫天下百姓。在某些情形中，人们若敢质疑政府当局，便会遭到处决。即使在不久之前，阿富汗塔利班实行一种镇压民众的统治形式，不容社会有所质疑。如果没人敢质疑政府当局，人们就越是没有理由去相信其政府运转正常。但每当一个人敢于直抒己见时，另外一二个人或许会受到感染而同样行事。一个人的声音会唤起无数其他人的声音。人类自决的权力应成为一种不容剥夺的权力，而保持沉默永远也无法行使这一权力。一个人的声音或少数几个人的声音可以被扼制，但最终，遭到质疑的政府当局将被迫作出回答。

普遍而言，人们越是质疑政府当局，一个社会就越有可能获得真正的答案。对政府当局质疑是使一个政府诚实和负责的最佳途径。所有政府官员都不应惧怕去回答"为什么？"这一问题。如果一个社会拥有愿意且能够质疑政府当局的民众，他们就更有可能确定该社会的发展方向。生活在一个自治社会中的人们享有最好的机会去追求生活，追求自由，追求幸福。

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Issue150
"Because of television and worldwide computer connections, people can now become familiar with a great many places that they have never visited. As a result, tourism will soon become obsolete."

Sample Essay

In any society, there are people that are born to travel and there are homebodies who are happy with where they are at, with no desire to go anywhere else at all. Most people probably fall somewhere in between the two extremes. As television channels have become more numerous and computer connections have become faster and more easily available, there is more information on hand to the average person than ever before in history. But rather than making tourism obsolete, the Internet and television will spur more people to travel to places that they otherwise would never have known.

In years past, people could read about different places in newspapers and magazines or possibly hear about them on the radio. In the earlier days of television, an inability to take television equipment to some of the more remote spots of the world kept people from learning about many places. Even when another country or continent was described or televised, it would seem to be a far away, exotic place that was unreachable to all but the hardiest and most adventurous travelers. Airplanes were still thought of as more of a novelty or for domestic travel only. Ships could take people to far away places but weeks or months were needed to reach the destination. Normal people did not have the time or the money to spend on such foreign travel.

Incredible changes in vehicles for transportation have made travel not only safer but faster and more comfortable as well. High-speed magnetic levitation (mag-lev) trains can transport people safely at speeds of up to three hundred miles an hour in parts of Europe and Japan. The Concorde jet can transport people from New York to London in less than four hours in luxurious comfort. Gigantic cruise ships that can sail to almost any ocean ports have been built that rival any five star land-based hotels anywhere in the world. There have even been space tourists who have traveled into outer space to the International Space Station and returned safely to Earth. Not only have the transportation vehicles themselves been greatly enhanced, but the highways and railways that the vehicles use have also been tremendously improved. More places than ever before are now accessible by rapid and reliable transportation.

The information technology age will likely also drive more people to tourism through the sheer increase in information available to the average person. Access to knowledge about any country is as close as an individual's desktop computer. The more countries and regions that an individual can become familiar with, the greater the likelihood that he or she will find a place that he or she would like to visit in person. Previously unknown island paradises and countries are now making themselves famous through the use of television and the World Wide Web, trying to cash in on the billions of dollars that are spent every year on tourism. Global incomes have also increased, allowing more and more people in more countries to afford traveling for a vacation.

While it is likely that there are people that will do their traveling "virtually" through television or the computer, it is equally likely that even without the availability of such a wealth of information, they would not have traveled anyway. Hiking the Grand Canyon in the United States or scuba diving around the Great Barrier Reef in Australia is not the same as watching it on television or the Internet. Snow skiing in the Swiss Alps or breathing in the fresh air of the Scottish Highlands must be personally experienced to be enjoyed. Shaking hands with a local Chinese villager in his own home or tasting the cooking of a friendly tribesman along the Amazon River simply cannot be done without traveling. Technology only increases the knowledge that is easily available; it cannot dampen the enthusiasm for tourism in those that love to travel.
(684 words)

观点陈述型作文/[题目]

由于电视和全球性的电脑联网，人们现在可以了解从前没有见到的众多地方，其结果是旅游业会很快变得萧条。


[范文正文]

在任何一个社会里，总有一些人天生爱旅游，也有一些恋家的人喜欢他们所在的地方，根本没有到别处去游山玩水的愿望。大多数人们可能处于两个极端之间。由于电视频道更多了，电脑联络更快更方便了，普通人所能掌握的信息比历史上任何时候都多。但是，网络和电视不仅不会使旅游业萧条，反而会促使更多的人到更多的地方旅游。假如没有网络和电视，他们会永远都不知道这些地方。

在过去的年代里，人们能在报纸和杂志上了解到不同的地方，或者可能从收音机里听说一些。在电视发展的早期，电视设备不能被运到世界上某些更偏远的地区，这使得人们无从了解许多地方。即使当一个国家或某个大陆被描述或在电视上播放时，它似乎还是那些坚强的、敢于冒险的旅行者以外的人们所无法接近的遥远而又神秘的地方。飞机更是被看作一种新奇的事物或者只是为国内旅行所用。轮船能把人们带到遥远的地方，但要到达目的地，还需要几周或几个月的时间。普通人没有时间和金钱用于这样的境外旅游。

交通工具的令人难以置信的改进使得旅行不仅安全快捷，也更加舒适。欧洲和日本的一些地区的高速磁悬浮火车能以每小时高达三百公里的速度安全运送旅客；协和客机能在不到四小时的时间内把人们极其舒服地由纽约送到伦敦；能远航到几乎所有海港的大型巡游船已经被建设得能和世界上任意一处的五星级陆地酒店相媲美；甚至还有一些宇宙空间游客到外层的国际空间站旅行并安全返回地球。不仅是交通工具本身被大大地改善，这些工具所利用的高速公路和铁路也被大幅度地改进。迅速而可靠的交通工具使得人们可以到达前所未有的更多地方。

信息技术时代很可能也会因为普通人的可用信息的迅速增长而促使更多的人去旅游。了解一个国家正如同接近一台个人桌面电脑那样容易，一个人所熟悉的国家和地区越多，他或她发现一个自己想亲自旅游的地方的可能性就越大。以前所不为人知的岛上乐园和国家现在正通过电视和互联网使自己扬名并试图从每年消费于旅游的数十亿美元中赢得利润。全球的收入也增加了，这使得更多的人能够支付假期旅游的费用。

虽然可能会有一些人通过电视或电脑进行"虚拟"旅行，但也同样有可能在没有这样大量的信息可用的情况下，他们还是哪也不去。在美国的大峡谷游玩或在澳大利亚的大堡礁周围戴水肺跳水和在电视上或网络上观看并不是一回事；在阿尔卑斯山滑雪或是在苏格兰高地上呼吸新鲜空气必定是亲身经历的快乐；到一个中国本地的村民家中与他握手或品尝亚马逊河岸边友好的部落成员的烹调手艺都离不开旅行。技术只是增加了容易获取的知识；它并不能打消那些爱好旅行的人们的热情。

imongUID：140258

Issue151
"High-speed electronic communications media, such as electronic mail and television, tend to prevent meaningful and thoughtful communication."

Sample Essay

Telecommunications have developed at a tremendous pace over the past decade. Electronic mail has become nearly an exclusive form of communication for some people. Satellites and an increasingly wired worldwide community allow for videoconferencing and instantaneous communication all over the globe. Television no longer has to be just a one-way communication; it can now be an interactive experience. When used properly, high-speed telecommunications can actually add to the meaningful and thoughtful exchanges of ideas. But in many other ways, these new communications media have taken away the art of letter writing and conversation and serve to prevent evocative and introspective interactions from taking place.

The rapid development of high-speed electronic communications media has led to many improvements that actually allow humans to communicate with each other better than ever before. Fiber optic cable can very quickly deliver enormous amounts of information almost anywhere in the world. Satellites orbiting the earth can transmit voices and video instantaneously from one point to another. Technology and the overall development of the telecommunications infrastructure have lowered the costs of global communication to the point that it is now affordable for the great majority of the world's population.

As worldwide telecommunications have become both faster and less expensive, people are now able to keep in contact with more people in more places. Electronic mail can be used to deliver vast amounts of information at basically no cost. Email is fast, flexible and reliable. A person can communicate with the world from the privacy of their own home without ever having to set foot outside. Thoughts and feelings can be put down into writing and sent immediately to another person on the other side of the planet. Instant messenger services allow real time communication with anyone that has a computer and access to the Internet, anywhere in the world. In this manner, high-speed telecommunications have fostered thoughtful and meaningful conversations between people who in many cases might never have been able to meet at all without these technological advances.

On the other hand, in years past people would sit down and put pen to paper to write heartfelt letters that required great thought and reflection. The entire process of writing a letter and mailing it to another person took time and effort. Letters could be rewritten over and over again until they were practically perfect before being sent. Every word could be carefully chosen to ensure that just the right message would be delivered. As opposed to email, once the letter was delivered, there was then a physical object that could not only be read, but also touched and possibly even smelled (if it were scented) to give the written letter an extra dimension of communication. The handwriting itself often told much about the writer of the letter. Another factor in favor of handwritten letters is that because physically handwriting a letter took time and effort, it was much less likely to be written and delivered in anger or haste. This greatly lessened the distinct possibility, which occurs frequently with email or instant messengers, that one might regret the message that was delivered. As with the spoken word, instant electronic communication can often never be taken back, and even worse, it is also in writing so it can be passed on in its original form to others.
As with handwritten letters, electronic communications have also tended to supplant actual spoken conversations with others. Why call or stop in for a visit when you can email your friends, with less time involved, for free? For that matter, why pick up the telephone and call your friends individually when you can send them all one mass email with the latest news about your life? Speed and ease of effort with new technology can definitely lead to less thoughtful and meaningful conversations between people.

In some ways, rapid telecommunications media have made the exchanges of ideas between people much more meaningful and thoughtful by allowing people to keep in touch in many different ways that were impossible in the past. But as usual with progress, some traditions such as the handwritten letter and the art of conversation are in danger of being lost, leading to more superficial interactions that keep us more isolated as individuals.
(706 words)

观点陈述型作文/[题目]

"高速电子传播媒介，例如电子邮件和电视，常常妨碍人们达成意义深刻、有思想深度的交流。"

[范文正文]

过去的十年间电信业飞速发展。对某些人来说，电子邮件几乎已经成为无可替代的一种通信方式。人造卫星的使用以及一个日益互联的世界使电视会议及全球内的同步交流得以进行。电视实现的不再仅仅是单向的传播，如今它可以给人们带来互动式的全新体验。如果使用得当，高速的电信业实际上可以促进意义深刻、有思想深度的交流。然而在其他许多方面，这些新的传播媒介却使人们丢弃了书信及交谈的艺术，不利于人与人之间产生启发性的、内省性的交互作用。

高速电子传播媒介的快速发展带来的进步实际上使得人们能够比以往更好地进行交流。光纤光缆能很快地将大量的信息传送到世界上几乎任何一个地方。绕地球轨道运行的卫星瞬间就能把声音和图像从一个地点传送到另一地点。先进的技术和电信基础设施的整体发展降低了全球通信的费用，如今世界上的绝大多数人都能够负担得起。

由于世界范围内的电子通信速度越来越快、费用越来越低，现在人们能够与更多地方的更多数量的人保持联系。使用电子邮件几乎不用花钱就可以传播大量的信息。电子邮件传送速度快，方式灵活，使用起来也比较可靠。一个人足不出户，呆在自己家的私人小天地中就能够跟全世界进行交流。他的想法和感受一经记录就能立即发送到地球另一端的人那里。即时信使服务（MSN）使世界各地任何一个有电脑能上网的人都能进行实时交流。通过这种方式，高速电子通信促成了人与人之间意义深刻、有思想深度的交谈。而如果没有这些技术进步，他们很可能永远也不会聚在一起。

另一方面，在过去，人们常常会坐下来用笔和纸写信，写下他们经过仔细思量的肺腑之言。这个写信和寄信的整个过程需要花费时间和精力。在寄出前，信是可以一遍又一遍地重写直到万无一失为止。每一个字都可以被仔细推敲直到确保意思被完好表达出来。与电子邮件不同的是，当这种手写的信件被寄出去以后，它就是一个实实在在的东西，不仅能被阅读，还能被摸得着、嗅得到（如果信纸有香味的话），这就使手写的信件具有了独特的交流内涵。信的笔迹本身常常可以反映出写信人的许多情况。人们偏爱手写信件的另外一个原因是手写信件花费时间和精力，因而就不太可能是在发怒或匆忙的状态下写就和寄出的。这大大减少了使用电子邮件或即时信使（MSN）时可能发生的情况--人们经常会对发出的信息懊悔不已。如同出口的话一样，即时的电子通信一旦完成常常是不能够收回的，甚至更糟--由于它也是以记录下来的方式存在的，所以它可以以最原始的形式传送给其他更多的人。

如同手写信件一样，电子通信也有让人们减少面对面交谈的倾向。既然无需付钱、花一点时间发个电子邮件就能够问候一下朋友，为什么还要打电话或登门拜访呢？只要给朋友们发一个集体电子邮件说说你的近况，又干吗要给他们一个个分别打电话呢？花费的时间和精力少了，意义深刻、有思想深度的交谈肯定也就减少了。

快速的电子通信借助许多过去不可能具备的新方式使人们建立起了联系。因此，在某些方面，它使人们之间思想的交流意义更为深刻、更有思想内涵。然而，正如进步通常都会对传统带来负面影响影响，像手写书信和谈话的艺术这些传统的东西正面临着被摈弃的危险，这会使人们的交流更趋肤浅而使我们作为个体更加被隔绝开来。