【喜洋洋杀G大队】jesse 7月12号作业

mustjesseUID: 2659977

TOPIC: ISSUE103 - "The study of history has value only to the extent that it is relevant to our daily lives."

As the Tang Dynasty famous emperor Tang Taizong once said(and I paraphrase): Taking the history for a mirror, we can know our society’s rise and fall. Although not completed, the development of history is periodic. So learning history can make our society develop better. The study of history has much value beyond benefiting our daily lives.

First of all, the society as a whole can learn to avoid repeating mistakes by studying the grave mistakes in human history. In fact , people knew this in ancient times of china. In the course of the long history developing of china , the ancient emperors have known that only put effort to learn the history before, their dynasty can avoid making the mistakes which have been make repeatly, then achieve the purpose of their dynasty being long prosperous. It`s generally accepted in the world that Tang Dynasty is one of the most rich and powerful dynasties. Why Tang Dynasty can gain so big achievements among so many dynasties of china? I think it cannot without Tang Taizong`s idea that taking the history for a mirror, we can know our society’s rise and fall.

For another, from learn history, we can gain many ancient ideology and culture which are still have big effect on many aspects of our modern society. For example, filial duty tell people how to be a good son or daughter, and it is very important for a harmonious society. Sun Tzu`s The Art of War is become popular in the world nowadays, why ? Because people have known that the strategies written in Sun Tzu`s The Art of War are so valuable that they can be not only applied in the process of a company`s development but also in a country`smilitary development .

In addition, study of history can help us know the process of our society’s development , understand our present society ,and also enables us to predict the future. Each country has its history ,and each history is different. Through the study of history , we can know how our society come from in detail , more than that ,we can have a better understanding our present society. Undeniably, it is vital to one country. This is just like a person, there is no doubt that only one know where he or she is from and what is the situation of his or her self , can he or her know the goal that he or her need to gains. A country doesn`t have history is the same as a person doesn`t have memories, it a thing of terror. It just because we have a better understand of our present society , we can predict the future. As a result, our country can avoid do idle work based on our prediction that our society may how or where to develop.

In conclusion, we are part of history just as history is part of us. The study of history benefits us not only in our daily life, but also in our better understand the present and more correct to predict the future.


TOPIC: ARGUMENT161 - In a study of reading habits of Leeville citizens conducted by the University of Leeville, most respondents said they preferred literary classics as reading material. However, a follow-up study conducted by the same researchers found that the type of book most frequently checked out of each of the public libraries in Leeville was the mystery novel. Therefore, it can be concluded that the respondents in the first study had misrepresented their reading habits.
WORDS: 463
TIME: 00:19:43
DATE: 2009-7-13 2:06:41

In this argument, the author cites a study most respondents said they preferred literary classics as reading material. The author also cites a fellow-up study conducted by the same researchers that the mystery novel was the kind of book which was checked most frequently. The author concludes that the respondents in the first study had misrepresented their reading habits.
I find this argument specious on several grounds.

First of all, the fact that the mystery novel was the type of book most frequently checked out in pubic libraries does not ensure that it is the preferred by most people. As what we have known , frequency is time to be divided by the number that the book have been checked. Lacking evidence to confirm the mystery novel was preferred by most people, it is entirely possible that the result of this study is due to most people just
thumb through the type of mystery novel, or during the time of study , a hot mystery novel was become popular. Without considering and ruling out other possible reasons why the frequency means the kind of mystery novel was preferred by most people the author cannot convince me of his conclusion. After all , the value of frequency is just means
time to be divided by the number that the book have been checked.

Next , the arguer fails to rule out the possibility that most respondents actually spent more time reading literary classics, or read more literary classics books than the mystery novels. The first study that the author cites said that most respondents preferred literacy classics as reading material, but this does not mean most respondents actually spent more time reading literary classics. It is possible that the respondents are the person who like reading literary classics, or they just like thumb through literary classics, in fact , they spent less time on literary classics than other type of book.

Even if the respondents are really take more time to read literary classics than other book, it still does not necessarily prove the respondents` reading habits. Maybe in the during the time of this study, many literary classics was published for some reason. Thus , most respondents spend more time on them. It is possible that before the study the most respondents actually preferred some other kind of book. Lacking evidence to prove the doubt in all such respects, the author cannot justifiably conclude that
the respondents are really take more time to read literary classics than other book.


In conclusion , the argument is indefensible as it stands. To strengthen it the author must cite more study that the time people spend on literary classics or mystery novels , and compared with other book, how many literary classics or
mystery novels were read.