GRE作文范文 Issue-42

“People are mistaken when they assume that the problems they confront are more complex and challenging than the problems faced by their predecessors. This illusion is eventually dispelled with increased knowledge and experience.”

嘉文博译Sample Essay

Today, people are living in an age of information and technology explosion. Telecommunications and computers have led to the ability to access literally billions of pages of information on virtually any subject without ever even leaving your own home. This information explosion has led to a chronic condition of information overload. It would appear on the surface that our problems have been made much more complex and challenging because of our increased knowledge and experience. However, taking a broad overview of the situation, it becomes apparent that when placed into context, human beings over the centuries have faced equally challenging problems with similar complexity.

From the beginning of time, mankind has been faced with problems. The earliest problems were focused simply on the act of survival, such as how to gather enough food to live and how to build a shelter that would keep them safe from the elements. Although these problems seem quite simple to solve for most of the world’s population today, at that time the state of technology and knowledge was not so advanced. Of course, looking back with hindsight from today’s perspective, one can say that the problems of today are much more complex and challenging. But to a civilization that had not yet discovered fire or the wheel, the problem of just surviving was as difficult for them as are any of the problems facing humans today.

Similarly, the problems throughout the ages up to today have continued to focus on survival, but with more of an emphasis on the quality of life rather than merely with just staying alive. As people learned how to build proper shelters and to grow and raise their own food, they began to want better shelter and more varieties of food. Jealousies arose between those that had more and those that had less, creating even more problems. The complexity of a society’s difficulties seems to increase in direct proportion to their level of knowledge and experience. As technologies became more developed and complex, so did the intricacies of the society’s problems. Rather than solving all of a civilization’s problems, increasing knowledge and experience actually added to those problems.

Additionally, it is axiomatic that the people that are alive today believe that their own problems are much greater than those of civilizations past. Overpopulation, the threat of AIDS, pollution of the environment and continued war in many parts of the world seem to be insurmountable problems that are unique to today’s society. Certainly our ancestors did not have to worry about privacy on the Internet or suicide hijackers slamming an airplane into a heavily populated city, nor did they have to worry about nuclear war or biological weapons being unleashed upon a city. But it doesn’t take additional knowledge or experience to understand that to those past societies, their problems seemed at the time to be equally complex and challenging.

To summarize the issue, throughout human civilization, mankind has faced problems that seemed insurmountable at the time. Problems throughout history have become more complex as human knowledge has become more complex. Increased technology has led to continuously more difficult problems while at the same time providing better tools to solve these problems. When taking the state of technology at the time into consideration, it is apparent that the problems of our predecessor’s were either equally or possibly even more challenging and complex than the problems that we face in today’s world. It does not require additional human knowledge and experience to realize that the view that our problems are more difficult is based on our own paradigm rather than the reality of the situation.

参考译文

人们如果认为他们所面临的问题比他们的前人所面临过的问题更为复杂，更具挑战性，那么这是大错特错的。这种虚幻的认识会随着知识和经验的增加而被驱散。

　　今日，人们生活在信息和技术爆炸时代。电信和计算机使人们不离开房间就能够获得关于任何学科的数亿页的信息。这一信息爆炸已导致了一种长期的信息过剩状态。表面看来，我们的问题由于知识和经验的增加反而变得更加复杂，更具挑战性。然而，从广义上看待这情况，显而易见，当置于大背景中时，人类几百年来一直面临着同样复杂的，同样具有挑战性的问题。

　　人类从一开始起，就面临着种种问题。最早的问题集中在生存上，即如何积攒足够的食物以维持生命，如何建造一个住所能够抵挡风雨。尽管对于今天世界上大多数人来说这是非常简单的问题，但在那时技术和知识尚未达到如此进步。当然，如果我们以今天的眼光事后聪明地回头看，可以说今天的问题复杂得多，棘手得多。但是对于一个尚未发现火或轮子的文明社会来说，仅仅生存的问题已是与我们今天所面对的任何问题同等困难了。

　　同样，千百年来的问题仍然集中在生存上，但今天更强调的是生活质量而不是仅仅活着。随着人们学会如何建造合适的住所以及如何播种庄稼，他们开始想得到更好的住所，吃品种更多的食物。富裕者与贫困者之间产生了妒忌，从而生出更多的问题。一个社会中各种困难所能达到的复杂性，似乎与知识和经验水平成正比地增加。　知识和经验的增加，不但没有解决一个文明社会的所有问题，反而使那些问题节外生枝。

　　此外，今天活着的人们认为他们的问题比前人所面临的问题大得多，这是不言自明的。人口爆炸，爱滋病，环境污染，世界上许多地方连绵不断的战争，似乎成了今天的社会独有的不可解决的问题。当然，我们的祖先不需担心网络上刺探隐私，也不必担心自杀性劫机犯驾机撞入人口稠密的城市，更不必担心核战争或生物武器投向某座城池。然而，不需要更多的知识和经验我们也能认识到，对于过去的社会群体，他们的问题当时似乎是同样地复杂和棘手。

　　总而言之，纵观人类历史，人类在各个时期都面临着似乎难以克服的问题。随着人类的知识变得更加复杂，问题也相应地变得更加复杂。不断增加的技术不断导致更难的问题，但同时也为解决这些问题提供了更好的方法。考虑到当时的技术状况，显然我们祖先的问题比起我们今天所面对的问题或者是同样的复杂和棘手，或者是更加复杂和棘手。不需要更多的人类知识和经验我们就能认识到，认为我们的问题更为困难的观点是基于我们自已的范式，而不是基于具体的现实。

 

GRE作文范文 Argument-42

"It is known that in recent years, industrial pollution has caused the Earth's ozone layer to thin, allowing an increase in the amount of ultraviolet radiation that reaches the Earth's surface. At the same time, scientists have discovered, the population of a species of salamander that lays its eggs in mountain lakes has declined. Since ultraviolet radiation is known to be damaging to delicate tissues and since salamander eggs have no protective shells, it must be the case that the increase in ultraviolet radiation has damaged many salamander eggs and prevented them from hatching. This process will no doubt cause population declines in other species, just as it has in the salamander species."

嘉文博译Sample Essay

Here the arguer states that industrial pollution has caused the Earth’s ozone layer to become thinner, thus allowing more ultraviolet (UV) radiation to reach the surface of the Earth. The arguer states that at the same time, scientists have discovered that the population of a species of salamander that lays its eggs in mountain lakes has declined. The arguer also states that ultraviolet radiation is known to be damaging to delicate tissues and that salamander eggs have no protective shells. The arguer than concludes that UV radiation must have damaged the salamander’s eggs and prevented them from hatching, and that the same process will cause other species’ populations to decline as well. This argument should be rejected because it is based on faulty cause and effect reasoning.

First of all, the arguer fails to present any evidence that UV radiation is actually damaging this particular species of salamander’s eggs or that it prevents them from hatching. Although it may be that UV rays are harmful to delicate tissues, it does not automatically follow that UV rays are therefore harmful to the salamander’s eggs or that it keeps them from being able to hatch. Furthermore, the arguer implies that because this salamander’s eggs have no protective shells, they must be vulnerable to UV radiation. Again, there is no evidence that this is the case. It is possible that they simply are not vulnerable to ultraviolet radiation, with or without protective shells. Without providing direct proof that the UV rays are indeed harmful to the salamander’s eggs, the argument is weakened and remains unconvincing.

Furthermore, there is absolutely no evidence presented that the salamander’s eggs are being harmed or prevented from hatching by anything. It is possible that the eggs of the salamander are not being harmed at all. The arguer assumes that UV radiation damage is the reason for the decline in the population but totally ignores all other possible reasons. For example, it is possible that another species that preys on the salamanders or its eggs has increased, therefore leading to the decline in its population. It could be that other types of pollutants have polluted the water, killing off the salamander and/or its eggs. Perhaps a drought has caused the mountain lakes to shrink, therefore leaving fewer places for the salamander to lays its eggs and causing the decline. By ignoring these other possible reasons for the decline in the population of this species of salamander, as well as providing no evidence that its eggs are actually even being harmed, the arguer has critically weakened his or her position.

In addition, there is absolutely no evidence whatsoever presented that, even assuming that the UV radiation is causing a decline in this particular species of salamander, it will also cause population declines in other species. It does not follow that simply because one species has been negatively impacted by ultraviolet radiation that other species will be harmed as well. It could be possible that this particular species of salamander has a genetic predisposition that causes it to be ultra-sensitive to ultraviolet radiation, therefore resulting in a decline in its population. The argument fails to convince that other species will also decline, even assuming that this particular species of salamander is being harmed by UV radiation.

In summary, the arguer bases his or her argument on vague and unconvincing evidence. Without showing a direct cause and effect relationship between an increase in ultraviolet radiation and damage that prevents this species of salamander’s eggs from hatching, as well as direct evidence that other species will be harmed as well, this argument fails to convince on its premise and should be rejected.

参考译文

　　众所周知，在最近的几年中，工业污染已导致地球的臭氧层变得日益稀薄，致使到达地球表面的紫外线辐射量增加。同时，科学家们发现，一种在山间湖泊里产卵的物种——蝾螈——的种群数量已出现减少。由于紫外线辐射会破坏纤薄的组织，且由于蝾螈的卵没有任何保护性外壳，情况肯定是，紫外线辐射的增加已毁灭了大量的蝾螈卵，使他们无法被孵化。这一过程无疑会导致其他物种的种群数量下降，正如它已导致了蝾螈物种的数量下降那样

　　上述文字的论述者在这里宣称，工业污染已导致地球的臭氧层变得日趋稀薄，从而使更多的紫外线辐射到达地球表面。论述者称，与此同时，科学家们发现，一种叫做蝾螈的在山间湖泊里产卵的物种，其种群数量已呈下降趋势。论述者还指出，紫外线辐射可破坏纤薄的组织，并且蝾螈的卵没有任何保护壳。论述者然后得出结论认为，紫外线辐射肯定已对蝾螈的卵构成破坏，致使它们无法孵化，并且这同一种过程也将致使其他物种的种群数量呈下降趋势。这一论述应予以摈弃，因为它全然基于谬误和虚妄的因果推理。

　　 首先，论述者没能列举出任何证据来证明，紫外线确实在损害着蝾螈这一特定物种所产的卵，以及在阻碍着它们的孵化。虽然紫外线有可能对纤薄的组织有害，但这并不能自然而然地使我们得出结论，说紫外线因此对蝾螈的卵有害，使它们无法被孵化出来。此外，论述者暗示，由于这种蝾螈的卵没有任何保护壳，它们肯定易于受到紫外线的毁损。我们再一次发现，没有任何证据可证明实际情况确实如此。有可能是，无论有没有保护壳，它们根本不会易于受紫外线毁损。由于没能提供直接的证据来证明紫外线对蝾螈的卵确实有害，故这一论述深受削弱，令人无法信服。

　　进一步而言，论述者绝没有列举出证据来证明，蝾螈的卵正受到任何因素的危害，或因为任何因素而无法得以孵化。蝾螈的卵有可能一点也没有受到伤害。论述者假设紫外线的破坏是该种群数量下降的原因，但却完全忽略了所有其他各种可然性原因。例如，可能另一类物种的数量在不断上升，它们以蝾螈及它们的卵作为捕食对象，从而导致其种群数量下降。也有可能是其他种类的污染物造成了水污染，大量杀死了蝾螈和/或其卵。或许干旱造成山间湖泊萎缩，从而使蝾螈产卵的场所越来越少，引起该物种数量下降。由于忽略了造成蝾螈这一物种种群数量下降的其他可然性因素，论述者严重削弱了其论点的逻辑性。

　　此外，论述者绝对没有列举出任何证据来证明这样一个结论，即尽管我们假设紫外线辐射正在造成蝾螈这一特定物种数量下降，它也必将造成其他物种的种群数量下降。有一件事情是不合逻辑的，即只是因为某一物种受到了紫外线辐射的负面影响，其他物种也会以同样的方式受到伤害。情况有可能是，蝾螈这一特定物种具有某种基因特性，使其对紫外线辐射特别敏感，从而导致其种群数量下降。该论述没能让我们相信，即使假定蝾螈这一特定物种正在受到紫外线辐射的伤害，其他物种也会出现数量上的减少。

　　归纳而言，论述者将其论述基于模糊不清的和无法令人置信的证据上。该论述由于没能在紫外辐射量的增加与造成蝾螈这一物种的卵无法孵化的破坏之间证明某种直接的因果关系，且没能列举出直接的证据来证明其他的物种同样也会受到危害，故无法让人信服其命题，故应予以摈弃。

嘉文博译郑重声明：