GRE作文范文 Issue-15

"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."

嘉文博译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.

参考译文

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

　　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。

 

GRE作文范文 Argument-15

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

嘉文博译Sample Essay

"A folk remedy* for insomnia, the scent in lavender flowers, has now been proved effective. In a recent study, 30 volunteers with chronic insomnia slept each night for three weeks on lavender-scented pillows in a controlled room where their sleep was monitored. During the first week, volunteers continued to take their usual sleeping medication. They slept soundly but wakened feeling tired. During the second week, the volunteers discontinued their medication. As a result, they slept less soundly than the previous week and felt even more tired. During the third week, the volunteers slept longer and more soundly than in the previous two weeks. This shows that over a short period of time lavender cures insomnia.."

(*A folk remedy is usually a plant-based form of treatment common to traditional forms of medicine, ones that developed before the advent of modern medical services and technology.)

This arguer states in his or her argument that a recent study has proven that the scent of lavender flowers is an effective remedy for insomnia. To support this conclusion, the arguer cites the study, which tested thirty volunteers over a three-week period in a controlled room where their sleep was monitored. During the first week, the volunteers continued to take their usual sleeping medications and slept well but awoke feeling tired. For the second week, the medication was discontinued and the volunteers slept less soundly and felt even more tired than before. During the third week, the volunteers slept longer and more soundly than before. This conclusion is based on problematic reasoning and fails to convince on any level.

First of all, the fact that the study took place in a controlled room makes the study's results likely to be different than what would have been found in the volunteers' home environments. For most people, it is difficult, at least at first, to sleep in a new bed in a different place, thus altering the normal patterns of sleeping and ultimately the results of the study. In addition, a study based on the results of only thirty volunteers over just three weeks is hardly a thorough and convincing study of an entire population. This argument is greatly weakened by both of these problems with the study method.

Secondly, the study results showed that for the first week, the subjects slept soundly but wakened feeling tired. This would be expected as medication can force sleep but not the natural type of sleep that is necessary to normally refresh the mind and the body. For the second week, the medication was discontinued with the result being that the volunteers slept less soundly and were even more tired than before. Again, this would be expected as taking away the medication that normally made the volunteers sleepy had interrupted the normal sleep routine. With less sleep, of course the volunteers would feel more tired. For the third week, the study found that the volunteers slept longer and more soundly than they had in the previous two weeks. Rather than attributing this to the lavender scent, the subjects in reality had been tired for the previous two weeks, including one in which they discontinued medication. It would be a natural result for them to sleep well during the third week due to being so tired from the previous two weeks. Additionally, by the third week, the volunteers would be getting familiar with their still relatively new sleeping environment, again helping them to sleep better. With so many possible other causes of better sleep during the third week, it is highly unlikely that the lavender scent had any effect on the volunteers. Because the arguer does not address these other causes, the argument here also fails to convince.

In summary, the arguer has used some unconvincing anecdotal evidence to try to show a direct cause and effect relationship between the scent in lavender flowers and a cure for insomnia. To strengthen the argument, evidence must show a direct causal relationship between the lavender scent and its effect on sleep. The study presented as evidence of such a link does not isolate other possible factors that probably led to better sleep for the volunteers, and as such it does not contribute much to the arguer's improbable conclusion.

参考译文

　　作为一种治疗失眠的民间偏方，熏衣草花卉的花香已被证明有其疗效。在近期的一项研究中，有30名志愿者--他们全都患有长期失眠症--在一间控制室内连续三周每晚都枕着有熏衣草花香的枕头就寝。科研人员对他们的睡眠状况进行了全程监测。第一星期，志愿者们继续服用他们平常服用的安眠药。他们睡得很香，但第二天醒来时感觉疲惫。第二周，志愿者们停止服用安眠药，结果是，他们睡得没有上个星期那么香，并觉得更为疲惫。至第三周，志愿者们睡眠的时间比前两个星期更长，且睡得更香。这表明，在一个较短的时间内，熏衣草已治愈了失眠症

　　（注：所谓偏方常指一种基于植物的治疗形式，为传统医疗形式所普遍采用，它们形成于现代医疗服务和技术出现之前。）

　　 上述论点的论述者在其论述中陈述道，近期的一项研究已证明，熏衣草花卉的芳香可有效地治愈失眠症。为了支持这一结论，论述者援引了一项研究，该研究对30名志愿者进行了为期三个星期的测验，将受测试者置于一间控制室内，对其睡眠状况进行全程监测。第一周，志愿者们继续服用他们惯常服用的安眠药，睡得很香，但醒来时甚感疲倦。第二周，志愿者们停止用药后，睡得便没有那么香，且感到比以前还要疲倦得多。第三周，志愿者们睡眠的时间较以前长，且睡得香。这一结论基于极成问题的逻辑推理，在任何层面上均无法令人置信。

　 首先，该项 研究是在某一控制室内进行，这一事实就足以使得该项研究的结果可能全然有别于在其家庭环境中进行研究所有可能发现的结果。对于大多数人来说，至少是在初期，是很难在一个全新的环境中的一张全新的床上睡好的，因此，这会改变其正常的睡眠模式，并因而会最终改变研究结果。此外，一项只是基于三十个人为期仅三个星期的研究很难成为一项面向所有人口的全面而有说服力的研究。由于该研究方法中的这二大缺陷，上述论点倍遭削弱。

　　其次，该项研究的结果表明，第一周内，受试者们睡得很香，但醒来时甚感疲倦。这可以被视作意料之中的事，因为药物可强制人们入睡，但这种睡眠不是一种自然的睡眠，不是用来放松身心的一种正常手段。第二周内，药物的使用被停止，其结果是，志愿者们没能睡得那么香，且感到比以前甚至更疲倦。这又是情理之中的事。因为拿走那些通常会使志愿者们感到困倦的药物会打断其惯常的睡眠习性。由于睡得较少，志愿者们当然会感到更为倦乏。至第三周，该项研究发现，志愿者们的睡眠与以前的二周相比时间变长了，且睡得更香了。我们不应将这一点归诸于熏衣草的芳香。实际上，这是由于受试者们二个星期以来已甚感困倦，其中包括停止服用药物的那个星期。由于在第二周中是如此疲倦，因此，他们在第三周中睡得很香应是顺理成章。此外，至第三周，志愿者们已越来越适应了他们仍然相对陌生的睡眠环境，这一点也可以帮助他们睡得更香。由于第三周中志愿者睡眠状况的改善存在着如许多其他的可然性原因，因此，熏衣草的芳香极不可能对志愿者们产生了任何影响。由于论述者没有涉及这些其他的原因，故所持论点在这里再次无法令人信服。

　　概而言之，论述者利用某些缺乏说服力的、轶事趣闻性质的证据，试图来证明在熏衣草花香和医治失眠症之间存在着某种直接的因果关系。若要使其论点更具力度，就必须拿出证据来证明熏衣草的芳香和它对失眠的疗效之间有着直接的因果联系。作为这一联系的证据而摆出的该项研究，没能分离出其他某些有可能致使志愿者们改善其睡眠状况的或然性因素。如此看来，该项研究无法起到太大的作用来支持论述者所提出的那种极不可能的结论。

嘉文博译郑重声明：