GRE备考:GRE作文范文大全(43)
GRE写作成为横在中国学生的理想和现实之间的一大障碍,因此,如何攻克写作这道屏障,成为摆在我们面前的首要任务。
Morality laws impinging on personal freedoms are not made any more useful or effective by
purporting to serve the greater good of society, because on balance their costs far outweigh
their benefits. For instance, those who defend the cfiminalization of drug use cite a variety of
harms that result from widespread addiction: increased incidence of domestic violence,
increased burden on our health-care and social-welfare systems, and diminished productivity
of addicts. However, these defenders overlook the fact that outlawing addictive substances
does not prevent, or even deter, people from obtaining and using them. It only compels users
to resort to theft and even violent means of procuring drugs, adding to the economic costs of
enforcement, prosecution, and punishment. In short, the costs of proscription outweigh the
benefits.
In sharp contrast to personal behavior, the behavior of businesses can and must be
controlled through legislation. Left unfettered, businesses tend to act on behalf of their own
financial interest, not on behalf of the society at large. And when excessive business profits
accrue at the expense of public health and safety, in my view business has behaved immorally.
Examples of large-scale immoral behavior on the part of businesses abound. For example,
although technology makes possible the complete elimination of polluting emissions from
automobiles, auto manufacturers are unwilling to voluntarily make the short-term sacrifices
necessary to accomplish this goal. Tobacco companies have long known about the health
hazards of smoking cigarettes; yet they weigh the costs of defending law suits against the
profit from cigarette sales, and continue to cater to nicotine addicts. And when given the
chance, many manufacturers will exploit underage or underprivileged workers to reduce labor
costs, thereby enhancing profits. In short, only govemment holds the regulatory and
enforcement power to impose the standards needed to ensure moral business behavior.
In sum, whether legislating morality is effective or even appropriate depends on whether the
behavior at issue involves personal freedom or public duty. Legislating personal moral
behavior is neither practicable nor proper in a democratic society. On the other hand,
legislating business morality is necessary to ensure public health and safety.
Issue 90
"We live under the illusion that we know what we want, when actually we merely want what we
are supposed to want." 感谢您阅读《GRE作文范文大全(43) 》一文,查字典出国留学网()编辑部希望本文能帮助到您。GRE写作成为横在中国学生的理想和现实之间的一大障碍,因此,如何攻克写作这道屏障,成为摆在我们面前的首要任务。
I strongly disagree that personality is the key to how a student or scholar interprets the
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material with which he or she works. Whether those materials be facts, events, data, or
observations, in my view the key factor in their interpretation is a person's training and
educational background.
Assuming that by personality the speaker embraces such personal attributes as individual
temperament, disposition and general mood, and outlook, it seems to me that personality has
little bearing on how students and scholars interpret the materials with which they work.
Admittedly, whether an individual tends to be an optimist or a pessimist might have some
beating on interpretation. For instance, an archeology student with a generally sanguine
outlook toward life might respond to a lengthy yet unsuccessful search for certain artifacts as
discovery and progress--insofar as certain possibilities have been eliminated, bringing us
closer to affirmative discoveries. In contrast, an archeology student with a generally
pessimistic outlook might condude that the same effort was in vain and that nothing has been
learned or otherwise gained. Yet it strikes me that these reactions are emotional ones that
have nothing to do with intellectual interpretation.
In sharp contrast, one's educational background and training can serve as a strong influence
on how one interprets historical events involving human affairs, statistical data, and especially
art. With respect to human affairs, consider the centuries-old imperialist policies of Great
Britain. A student of political science might interpret British imperialism as a manifestation of
that nation's desire for political power and domination over others. A student of economics
might see it as a strategy to gain control over economic resources and distribution channels for
goods. A sociology or anthropology student might see it as an assimilation of culture. And, a
student of theology or religion might interpret the same phenomenon as an attempt, well
intentioned or otherwise, to proselytize and to impose certain beliefs, rituals, and customs on
others.
Educational training and background also affects how students and scholars interpret
seemingly objective statistical data. It is crucial here to distinguish between numbers
themselves, which are not subject to varying interpretations, from what the numbers
signify--that is, what conclusions, prescriptions, or lessons we might come away with. Consider,
for example, a hypothetical increase in the rate of juvenile crime in a particular city. Although
the percent change itself might be subject to only one reasonable meaning, what the change
signifies is open to various interpretations. A sociologist might interpret this data as an
indication of deteriorating family unit or community. A student of public policy or government
might see this statistic as an indication that current legislation fails to implement public policy
as effectively as it could. And a student of law or criminal justice might interpret the same
statistic as a sign of overburdened courts or juvenile detention facilities. 感谢您阅读《GRE作文范文大全(43) 》一文,查字典出国留学网()编辑部希望本文能帮助到您。GRE写作成为横在中国学生的理想和现实之间的一大障碍,因此,如何攻克写作这道屏障,成为摆在我们面前的首要任务。
Finally, when it comes to how students and scholars interpret art, training and educational
background play an especially significant role. After all, while facts and figures are to some
extent objective, the meaning Of art is an inherently subjective, and highly personal, matter. A
business student might interpret a series of art works as attempts by the artist to produce
viable products for sale in the marketplace. However, a theology student might eschew such a
cold and cynical interpretation, seeing instead an expression of praise, a celebration of life, a
plea for grace, or a struggle to come to terms with mortality. Even art students and scholars
can interpret the same art differently, depending on their training. A student of art history might
see a particular work as the product of certain artistic influences, while a student of art theory,
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composition, and technique might view the same work as an attempt to combine color foi
visual impact, or as an experiment with certain brush-stroke techniques.
To sum up, I concede that as students and scholars our working "materials"--facts, data,
objects, and events--are open to subjective interpretation in terms of what they teach us.
However, what our materials teach us is a function of what we've already learned, and has little
if anything to do with our personal basket of emotions and moods called "personality."
Issue 91
"As we acquire more knowledge, things do not become more comprehensible, but more
complex and more mysterious." 感谢您阅读《GRE作文范文大全(43) 》一文,查字典出国留学网()编辑部希望本文能帮助到您。