GRE作文范文 Issue-46

“There are two types of laws: just and unjust. Every individual in a society has a responsibility to obey just laws and, even more importantly, to disobey and resist unjust laws.”

嘉文博译Sample Essay

Once a society has determined that it wants to be governed by the rule of law, then each individual in that society has a responsibility to obey those laws. If the laws are fair, then they must be obeyed. Unjust laws must be resisted through whatever means are necessary, including disobeying those same laws until they are repealed.

Firstly, for any society that truly wants to be civilized, laws must be enacted that at the very least give its citizens a guideline on the behavior that is expected of them. Without the rule of law, anarchy would likely reign supreme and ultimately result in the destruction of that particular society. Laws are usually enacted based on the values, beliefs and morals of the general populace. Without such laws, individuals would be tempted to give in to some of the more animalistic desires innate within the human soul, with the end result being at best a disorganized society and at worst the annihilation of the population.

Secondly, those just laws that have been enacted (which will hopefully be all or at the very least, the majority of them) must be faithfully obeyed in order for a society to move forward. Because most laws are the codification of the society’s values, beliefs and morals, they are generally based on the notion of justice and fair play. As long as the laws treat everyone equally, the population should dutifully obey them. It is equally important that those who disobey those laws are punished fairly and in proportion to their crime. Without a systematic distribution of justice, laws are worth less than the paper that they are written on. Corruption in the legal system is also a distinct danger, regardless of whether the laws that have been enacted are just or unjust. If individuals are allowed to buy themselves out of trouble, the entire legal system will break down, again resulting in anarchy. As a fundamental part of a civilized society, just laws must be obeyed to the fullest extent possible

Furthermore, of equal importance is the fact that unjust laws must be fought against through whatever means are necessary. The very foundation of a legal system is that it is based on a notion of justice, and that means justice for all, not just the chosen few. Unfair or unreasonable laws can cause a society to lose respect for all laws, regardless of whether they are just or unjust. In these cases, civil disobedience may be necessary in order to bring attention to the situation. Perhaps the politicians or government officials were unaware of the unjustness of the law when it was written. It could be that the officials did not foresee that the law would have a disparate impact on certain individuals in a society. But regardless of the reason, an unjust law must not go unopposed. One unjust law can easily lead to another; therefore it is incumbent upon all individuals in a society to fight such inadequacies with all of their might.

In summary, a legal system should serve the society as a guideline for the behavior that is expected of its citizens. Should the leaders of that society enact any laws that are unfair or unreasonable, it is the duty of all citizens to ensure that it is changed or repealed through whatever means are necessary. Laws should be of the people, by the people and for the people, and citizens must take a proactive role in ensuring that they truly give justice for all.

参考译文

有两种法律：正义的和非正义的。社会中的每个人都有责任遵从正义的法律以及——甚至更为重要地——拒绝服从并且抵制非正义的法律。

　　一旦一个社会决定用法律来统治社会，那么这个社会中的每一个人都有责任服从其法律。如果法律是公正的，就必须服从它。对于不公正的法律，人们应该以各种必要的方式进行抵制，包括违抗它直至被废止。

　　首先，对于任何真正追求文明的社会，必须颁布法律，至少为公民提供一个期望他们如何行为处事的准则。如果没有法律，无政府状态就可能甚嚣尘上，并且最终导致这个社会的瓦解。法律的制定，通常是基于人民大众的价值观念，道德标准和信仰。如果没有这样的法律，个人就会情不自禁地委身于某些人性中固有的兽性欲望，其结果至少是社会混乱，更有甚者是整个人口的灭亡。

　　其次，那些所颁布的正义的法律（希望是全部的法律或者至少是大部分的法律）必须一丝不苟地得到遵循，以便使这个社会得以进步。因为大多数法律都是把社会群体的价值观念、道德标准和信仰编制成典，所以法律一般是以正义和公平为基础的。只要法律平等地对待每一个人，公民就应该责无旁贷地遵守它。同样重要的是，那些违法之人应该公正地依照所犯罪行的程度受到惩处。如果公正在法律中得不到全面体现，法律便会成为一纸空文。法律部门的腐败，也是一个极大的危害，无论所制定的法律是公正的还是非公正的。如果个人被允许舞弊枉法，整个法律体制就会分崩离析，从而同样导致无政府状态。正义的法律，作为文明社会不可或缺的一部分，必须得到最大限度的遵从。

　　进而言之，同样重要的是我们必须以各种方式抵制非正义的法律。法律体制的基础在于它是以公正为基础的，这就是说法律应该对所有的人都是公正的，而不是仅对少数特选子民。不公正的和不合情理的法律会引起社会群体轻视所有法律，无论法律是正义的或非正义的。在这种情况下，为了引起人们的注意，公民的抵制是必要的。或许，某部法律在当初制定时，政治家或政府官员没能意识到其中不公正的地方。也有可能是，官员没有预料到法律会对社会中的某些人产生各不相同的影响。但无论其原因为何，非正义的法律决不应该让它放任自流而不加以任何抵制。一种非正义的法律会轻易地导致产生另一种非正义的法律，因此竭尽全力反对法律中的这类缺陷是社会中全体公民义不容辞的职责。

总的说来，一个法律体制应该对整个社会充当一种公民应有行为的规范。倘若某社会的领导者制定了任何不公平、不合情理的法律，所有的公民都有责任采取一切必要的手段来保证改变或者废除这种法律。法律应该为人民拥有，由人民产生，为人民谋取福利。公民应该采取积极主动的姿态以保证法律给予全民以公正。

 

GRE作文范文 Argument-46

The following appeared in a memorandum to faculty from the academic vice president of Waymarsh University.

嘉文博译Sample Essay

"So that we can better accomplish Waymarsh University's academic goals, we should adopt the job-opportunity (job-op) program offered at Plateau Technical College and strongly encourage all students at Waymarsh to participate in it. The success of the job-op program at Plateau is evident: over the past two years, more than 75% of the freshmen at Plateau have enrolled in the optional job-op program. Moreover, at Plateau, the grades of job-op students are consistently higher than those of other students, 90% of the job-op students receive job offers within a month after their graduation, and most former job-op students report much success in their careers."

With this argument, the academic vice president attempts to persuade the faculty of Waymarsh University that a job-opportunity (job-op) program being offered at Plateau Technical College should be adopted in order for the university to better accomplish its academic goals. To support the argument, the vice president writes that the success of Plateau’s job-op program is shown by the enrollment of 75% of freshmen at that school, that the grades of the job-op students are consistently higher than those of other students, that 90% of the job-op students receive job offers within one month of graduation, and that most former job-op students report much success in their careers. The vice president’s argument suffers from several critical flaws as well as a false analogy and it should therefore be rejected.

In the first place, the argument is critically weakened by directly comparing the academic goals of a university with a job opportunity program at a technical college. A university will have a different student body makeup than that of a technical college – therefore these students will have different wants and needs regarding the academic programs that are offered. Moreover, there is no relationship demonstrated between the academic goals of Waymarsh University (which are never mentioned) and the job opportunity program at Plateau Technical College. This “apples to oranges” comparison between the academic goals of a university and a job opportunity program at a technical college represents a false analogy that cannot be overcome in this argument.

Furthermore, the mere fact that 75% of the freshmen have enrolled in the optional job opportunity program at Plateau Technical College does not necessarily indicate its success. There may be underlying factors that have caused three-fourths of the freshmen at the school to enroll in the program, such as allowing for an easier path to a degree or that the students are allowed to work to pay all or part of their tuition fees, for example. Even assuming that such an enrollment rate indicates the success of the program at Plateau, it simply has nothing to do with the accomplishment of Waymarsh University’s academic goals. On the contrary, the program might actually be a detriment to the accomplishment of such goals for the university by distracting students from their studies by allowing them to work while going to school.

The vice president also cites as evidence of the success of the Plateau job-op program the idea that the grades of the job-op students are consistently higher than those of the other students. This may not be support for the idea that academic goals are being reached but rather that the core curriculum courses are merely easier than those of the other students. Additionally, the fact that 90% of the job-op students at Plateau receive job offers within one month of graduation is cited in support of the argument.

The receipt of job offers would seem to have very little to do with Waymarsh’s accomplishment of academic goals. In fact, the job offers may be for very low-level jobs that most university students would not accept in the first place. Furthermore, the vice president states that most former job-op students report much success in their careers. Again, this has nothing to do with the academic goals of a university. It is only natural that any type of former students would report much success in their careers – no one wants to admit failure in their work-related pursuits!

In summary, the vice president’s argument is based on a false analogy and problematic reasoning that proves nothing. Without providing direct evidence that the success of the job-op program at the technical college is directly related to the accomplishment of academic goals of Waymarsh University, the vice president’s argument must be rejected.

参考译文
下述文字摘自Waymarsh大学学术副校长致教职员工的一份备忘录。

　　“为了更好地实现Waymarsh大学的学术目标，我们应该采用高原技工学院所提供的“工作机会计划”，并竭力鼓励Waymarsh大学的所有学生参与到此项计划中来。高原技工学院“工作机会计划”的成功是显而易见的：在过去两年中，高原技工学院75%以上的新生报名参加了这一选修课性质的“工作机会计划”。此外，在高原技工学院，参加“工作机会计划”的学生的成绩一直要比其他学生的成绩高；有90%的“工作机会计划”学生在其毕业后的一个月内就获得工作聘任书，而大多数前“工作机会计划”学生也宣称他们的职业生涯极为成功。”

　　学术副校长试图用以上论点来使Waymarsh大学的教职员工相信，高原技工学院所提供的“工作机会计划”应予采用，以便使该大学更好地完成其学术目标。为了支持这一论点，这位副校长写道，高原技工学院“工作机会计划”的成功体现在以下几下方面：该校新生高达75%的报名参加率；参加该计划的学生的成绩一直要高于其他学生；参加该计划的90%的学生在毕业之后的一个月内就收到了工作聘用，以及大多数前“工作机会计划”学生宣称，他们的职业生涯甚为成功。这位副校长的论点含有多个严重漏洞及一项虚假类比，故应予摈弃。

　　 首先，这一论点的一个严重缺陷在于将一所大学的学术目标与某一技工院校的“工作机会计划”直接地相提并论。一所大学的学生群体构成不同于一所技工学院的学生群体构成，因此这些学生会针对所提供的学术计划有着不同的需求。此外，备忘录作者没能证明在Waymarsh大学的学术目标（这些目标从未被具体提及过）和高原技工学院的“工作机会计划”之间存在着任何的联系。在一所大学的学术目标和一所技工学院的“工作机会计划”之间所作的“苹果对桔子”式的比较，代表着该论点中一种无法逾越的虚假类比。

　　此外，75%的新生报名参加了高原技工学院带有选修课性质的“工作机会计划”，这并不一定标志着这一计划的成功。可能有某些深层的因素导致该校3/4的新生报名参加该计划，例如，该计划使学生更易于获得学位，或者它可允许学生进行勤工俭学来部分或全部支付他们的学费，等等。即使我们假设这样的一种报名率确实标志着高原技工学院这一计划的成功，但它与Waymarsh大学实现其学术目标根本毫无关系。相反，这一计划可能会在实际上危及该大学学术目标的实现，因为允许学生边学习边工作，会使学生无法专注于他们的学业。

　　作为高原技工学院“工作机会计划”成功的证据，这位副校长还援引了这样一种看法，即参加“工作机会计划”的学生，其成绩一直高于其他学生。这或许无法当作学术目标正在被实现这一观点的依据，倒有可能恰恰相反，它表明这部分学生的核心课程只是比其他学生学的核心课程来得更容易罢了。此外，高原技工学院参加“工作机会计划”的学生中有90%的人在毕业后的一个月内就能获得工作录用，这一事实也被引用来支持此项论述。但获得录用似乎与 Waymarsh大学实现其学术目标几乎毫不相关。事实上，这些聘用书所针对的可能只是极为低端的工作，多数大学生根本就不会接受。另外，该副校长还说，大多数前“工作机会计划”的学生宣称其职业生涯极为成功。这又与大学的学术目标毫不相关。任何一类昔日的学生都会宣称他们的职业生涯甚为成功，这是再自然也不过的事情了，因为谁也不想承认他们在事业上无所建树。

　　总而言之，这位副校长的论点纯粹基于虚假类比以及成问题的逻辑推理，根本证明不了什么问题。由于没有提供直接的证据来证明在技工学院取得成功的“工作机会计划”与 Waymarsh大学学术目标的实现直接相关，这位副校长的论点应予摈弃。

嘉文博译郑重声明：