issue 103 欢迎拍砖

wuyinheroUID: 2683653

TOPIC: ISSUE103 - "The study of history has value only to the extent that it is relevant to our daily lives."
WORDS: 601
TIME: 00:46:22
DATE: 2010-7-20 11:24:04

When asked about whether the study of history has great value, opinions vary from person to person as people's distinctive background and experience. Some people hold the idea that histories are the accumulated events that are of little value to our existence, however, in my viewpoint, the study of history has a favorable effect both on our personal lives and the government's decisions.

It is universally acknowledged that history is accumulated by past events, which means that it won't happen again the near future. For this reason, a large number of people advocate that the study of history would waste us both time and energy. In their opinion, the priceless time and resource should be invested in the acquisition of various skills and knowledge, which would prepare us better when we are facing unfamiliar situations. However, it need not be the case. There is an old saying that "history makes people wise". The study of history would play an essential role in our personal lives and the government's management.

To begin with, it will be extraordinary beneficial for us to learn history if we want to make less mistakes and more progress. The textbook of history is full of vivid examples and stories which give people insightful suggestions and advices. The failure of the well-known persons informs us where their limitations are, so we could avoid these mistakes on our way to success. Besides, the success of the prestigious persons could tell us how they conquered difficulties and give us confidence when we feel frustrated. Therefore, the study of history could help us to avoid mistakes and learn how to encounter difficulties. A concrete example is not very far to seek, the story of greatest inventor Edison gives me great insight in my study and research. As a graduate student in the university, I have to conduct different kinds of experiment in the laboratory every day. It is unavoidable for me to encounter some difficulties in my research and sometimes I even have to face failures. Nevertheless, when I consider about Edison's story that after thousands of times of trying he finally found the raw material for light, I would gain confidence and continue with my study. This example clearly illustrates that the study of history would encourage us to face frustrations and make more progress.

In addition, the government would benefit a lot from the study of history as the political leaders would learn how to efficiently manage the government. The failure of our ancestors will give the leader a lesson on how to avoid the predecessor's errors. According to a recent report, more than thirty percent of people who are the government's think tank are historians in the university, they could provide insightful suggestions for the political leaders. For instance, the Chinese government has learned a lot from its passed history. The fact that China has fell behind with its counterparts for at least one hundred years in large part is due the leader's unwise policy. When the leaders began to study history and compare China with the developed countries, they found the reason and adopted the open policy. Thanks to the reasonable policy, China has achieved great success in recent years. As a result, the study of history also benefits the government and the political leaders could make more reasonable policies based on the country's past experience.

To sum up, from what has discussed above, we could safely draw the conclusion that the study of history not only has value that is relevant to our personal lives, but also the government could benefit a lot from the past experience.

lingli_xiaoaiUID: 172506

When asked about whether the study of history has great value, opinions vary from person to person as people's distinctive background and experience. Some people hold the idea that histories are the accumulated events that are of little value to our existence, however, in my viewpoint, the study of history has a favorable effect both on our personal lives and the government's decisions.

It is universally acknowledged that history is accumulated by past events, which means that it won't happen again [in] the near future [this sentence is kind of confusing. You mean history won’t repeat itself? ]. For this reason, a large number of people advocate that the study of history would waste us both time and energy. In their opinion, the priceless time and resource should be invested in the acquisition of various skills and knowledge , which would prepare us better when we are facing unfamiliar situations. [what skills and knowledge? Be specific, so reader know what you mean by the sentence] However, it need not be the case. There is an old saying that "history makes people wise ". The study of history would play an essential role in our personal lives and the government's management. [you don’t have to repeat the sentence again]
[Up to this point, your issue confuses me….I know what you’re trying to say is…history is not only valuable when it is related to our daily life but also valuable in other aspect, such as politics. But the way you used to express this idea is not clear…you said “history is of little value to our existence”” should be invested in the acquisition of various skills and knowledge, which would prepare us better when we are facing unfamiliar situations”, and you went on using whole paragraph to discuss this point, however, this is not your opinion and it is not the statement made in the topic; then the question is why bother? Where this opinion comes from and why you even want to discuss it?]

To begin with, it will be extraordinary beneficial for us to learn history if we want to make less mistakes and more progress. The textbook of history is full of vivid examples and stories which give people insightful suggestions and advices [about what?]. The failure of the well-known persons informs us where their limitations are, so we could avoid these mistakes on our way to success. Besides, the success of the prestigious persons could tell us how they conquered difficulties and give us confidence when we feel frustrated. Therefore, the study of history could help us to avoid mistakes and learn how to encounter difficulties. A concrete example is not very far to seek, the story of greatest inventor Edison gives me great [ insight? Or inspiration] in my study and research. As a graduate student in the university, I have to conduct different kinds of experiment in the laboratory every day. It is unavoidable for me to encounter some difficulties in my research and sometimes I even have to face failures. Nevertheless, when I consider about Edison's story that after thousands of times of trying he finally found the raw material for light [blub], I would gain confidence and continue with my study. This example clearly illustrates that the study of history would encourage us to face frustrations and make more progress.

In addition, the government would benefit a lot from the study of history as the political leaders would learn how to efficiently manage the government. The failure of our ancestors will give the leader a lesson on how to avoid the predecessor's errors. According to a recent report, more than thirty percent of people who are the government's think tank are historians in the university, they could provide insightful suggestions for[to] the political leaders. For instance, the Chinese government has learned a lot from its passed history. The fact that China has fell behind [compared] with its counterparts for at least one hundred years in large part is due the leader's unwise policy. When the leaders began to study history and compare China with the developed countries, they found the reason and adopted the open policy. Thanks to the reasonable policy, China has achieved great success in recent years. As a result, the study of history also benefits the government and the political leaders could make more reasonable policies based on the country's past experience.

To sum up, from what has discussed above, we could safely draw the conclusion that the study of history not only has value that is relevant to our personal lives, but also the government could benefit a lot from the past experience.
[My feeling is that, you know what you need to discuss in order to response to the topic, but your written English, including your vocabulary is too limited to discuss anything in depth. I would suggest you read some English sample assays and using treasures and dictionary when writing.  You have to try to discuss things like a graduate student, not middle school student, so don’t let your language ability stop you from writing a good assay.]

[Following paragraph is from an article called: why we study history? Please read and get an idea of how to write and discuss problems like someone with higher education. Don't get me wrong. I am not saying you have to write as prefect as this example, at least you have to think like it in Chinese, then try to translate your thoughts into English.]

[The importance of history in explaining and understanding change in human behavior is no mere abstraction. Take an important human phenomenon such as alcoholism. Through biological experiments scientists have identified specific genes that seem to cause a proclivity toward alcohol addiction in some individuals. This is a notable advance. But alcoholism, as a social reality, has a history: rates of alcoholism have risen and fallen, and they have varied from one group to the next. Attitudes and policies about alcoholism have also changed and varied. History is indispensable to understanding why such changes occur. And in many ways historical analysis is a more challenging kind of exploration than genetic experimentation. Historians have in fact greatly contributed in recent decades to our understanding of trends (or patterns of change) in alcoholism and to our grasp of the dimensions of addiction as an evolving social problem.

One of the leading concerns of contemporary American politics is low voter turnout, even for major elections. A historical analysis of changes in voter turnout can help us begin to understand the problem we face today. What were turnouts in the past? When did the decline set in? Once we determine when the trend began, we can try to identify which of the factors present at the time combined to set the trend in motion. Do the same factors sustain the trend still, or are there new ingredients that have contributed to it in more recent decades? A purely contemporary analysis may shed some light on the problem, but a historical assessment is clearly fundamental—and essential for anyone concerned about American political health today.

History, then, provides the only extensive materials available to study the human condition. It also focuses attention on the complex processes of social change, including the factors that are causing change around us today. Here, at base, are the two related reasons many people become enthralled with the examination of the past and why our society requires and encourages the study of history as a major subject in the schools.]

wuyinheroUID: 2683653

Thanks.

I really appreciate your help with my essay