ISSUE221求拍

hudu464UID: 2512268

TOPIC: ISSUE221 - "The chief benefit of the study of history is to break down the illusion that people in one period of time are significantly different from people who lived at any other time in history."

The study of history is first a database offering us understanding of people and society in different times. Likenesses in people's behavior and social norms can be identified by comparing two or more periods of times, breaking down the isolation built upon time people living in now feels. Thus, it could help people in current times to find inspirations and guidance in their ancestors when confronted with universal and timeless puzzles and dilemmas.

People living today are experiencing a society that is in a constant and rapid change in all realms. Our lives, admittedly, have a drastic distinction with people live in the past and the future. We could befriend with people anywhere Internet reach. We fly over Pacific Ocean from New York to Tokyo. Both are not even imaginable for people who lived in an isolated tribe and knew at most thirty people throughout their lives. In terms of future, the possibility is far beyond of our wildest imagination. Our existences and lives are increasingly isolated because of all significances we had stridden. This isolation, however, is permeable by the study history, which offers well-told individual and social stories that could inspire us.

Ever since the Egyptian first invented graphic language, human beings have been asking us existential puzzles. Who are we? Why are we here? What are we going to do with our life? These questions are not answered in the vast information available in the Internet. On the contrary, the information blast put us on the urge of finding a simple and clear answer so we would not get lost in confusions came along. Especially for young people, who at their twenties or thirties, a self-identity is a threshold puzzle they have in their lives. Neither "Facebook" nor "YouTube" provided a handbook of how to identify oneself. Rather, they read biographies and other forms of individual story to find inspiration. On the other hand, in the pursuit of a successful life, people from all times share difficulties. A study of history is not only a study of certifiable heroes who worked through ethical dilemmas but also of ordinary men and women who provided lessons in courage and diligence. Difficulty and hard choices do not merely exist in fiction. We do have them in real life. Came in different forms, these dilemmas are universal and timeless. Family and career, for example, is probably the most common dilemma people in our days have. We are perplexed when our loved ones commit to morally unacceptable behavior. Our role of being a responsible citizen could in conflict with one of being a loving family. This happened in both ancient and modern times when our country enlisted young men and women into the army to fight a war. Confronted hard choices, we have nowhere else to ease our anxiety toward the future unless history presented a good record. Human natures stayed in a relatively stable range regardless of time and space, stemming eternal puzzles and dilemmas that none of us could deny. In this way, history reflects everlasting similarities among human being in different times, providing guidance and inspirations for people living in an isolated period of time.

To conclude, despite the drastic appearance of lives between people living in different times, the study of history sews them together by universal and timeless puzzles and dilemmas. Based upon consistencies, we could uncover the inspirational guidance underlying those isolated periods of time.

plukaUID: 2721764

The study of history is first a database offering us understanding of people and society in different times. Likenesses in people's behavior and social norms can be identified by comparing two or more periods of times, breaking down the isolation built upon time people living in now feels. Thus, it could help people in current times to find inspirations and guidance in their ancestors when confronted with universal and timeless puzzles and dilemmas.

People living today are experiencing a society that is in a constant and rapid change in all realms. Our lives, admittedly, have a drastic distinction with people live in the past and the future. We could befriend with people anywhere Internet reach. We fly over Pacific Ocean from New York to Tokyo. Both are not even imaginable for people who lived in an isolated tribe and knew at most thirty people throughout their lives. In terms of future, the possibility is far beyond of our wildest imagination. Our existences and lives are increasingly isolated because of all significances we had stridden（费解，all significances指什么，为啥因此而isolated，这个isolated是怎样一种状态？）. This isolation, however, is permeable by the study history, which offers well-told individual and social stories that could inspire us.
本段指出各个时代的巨大差异引发疏离感，但该疏离感可通过学习历史解决。问题是‘疏离感’不明确。是觉得现代与古代太不一样了，觉得前无古人心里没底而不安，还是现代社会压力太大觉得不安？这是本段中心概念，必须明确。
Ever since the Egyptian first invented graphic language, human beings have been asking us existential puzzles. Who are we? Why are we here? What are we going to do with our life? These questions are not answered in the vast information available in the Internet. On the contrary, the information blast put us on the urge of finding a simple and clear answer so we would not get lost in confusions came（along the information么，现在时） along. Especially for young people, who at their twenties or thirties, a self-identity is a threshold puzzle they have in their lives. Neither "Facebook" nor "YouTube" provided a handbook of how to identify oneself. Rather, they read biographies and other forms of individual story to find inspiration（explain!读传记为何能帮人获得自我认同？不解释的话略觉费解。比如指出自我认识建立在理解自我和理解环境的基础上，解释一下读传记有助于理解这些）. On the other hand, in the pursuit of a successful life, people from all times share difficulties. A study of history is not only a study of certifiable heroes who worked through ethical dilemmas but also of ordinary men and women who provided lessons in courage and diligence. Difficulty and hard choices do not merely exist in fiction. We do have them in real life. Came in different forms, these dilemmas are universal and timeless. Family and career, for example, is probably the most common dilemma people in our days have. We are perplexed when our loved ones commit to morally unacceptable behavior. Our role of being a responsible citizen could in conflict with one of being a loving family. This happened in both ancient and modern times when our country enlisted young men and women into the army to fight a war. Confronted hard choices, we have nowhere else to ease our anxiety toward the future unless history presented a good record.（建议把a study of history...句挪到这里。在上面的位置，该句后面跟着长串‘difficult’的内容，没能得到及时回应） Human natures stayed in a relatively stable range regardless of time and space, stemming eternal puzzles and dilemmas that none of us could deny. In this way, history reflects everlasting similarities among human being in different times, providing guidance and inspirations for people living in an isolated period of time.

本段接着上段，指出历史的作用，分两部分：帮助获得自我认识；帮助解决道德困境。较深入的论点需要解释，仅给出现象的话，说服力不够。尤其不能放过与中心概念有关的发展内容。
To conclude, despite the drastic appearance of lives between people living in different times, the study of history sews them together by universal and timeless puzzles and dilemmas. Based upon consistencies, we could uncover the inspirational guidance underlying those isolated periods of time.
全文：T（历史帮助现代人解决永恒而普遍的问题）——>B1（各个时代的巨大差异引发疏离感，但该疏离感可通过学习历史解决）——>B2（指出历史的作用：获得自我认识；解决道德困境）——>结论

首先赞一下‘universal and timeless puzzles and dilemmas’这个想法！是一个很好的切入点，指出了各个时代的共通性，也能反映出题目的‘各个时代都是一样的人’的意思。文章首尾都提到了这个概念，若在主体部分进一步stress, clarify, develop，效果会很不错。目前论述了历史是很好的工具，但‘共通性’的印象不强。个人觉得如果要stick to timeless puzzles这个点的话，可以考虑B1篇幅小一点，集中笔力发展一下各种困境的过去、现在，以及历史的助益。
加油~！
以上~