GRE作文范文 Issue-47

“Student should memorize facts only after they have studied the ideas, trends and concepts that help explain those facts. Students who have learned only facts have learned very little.”

嘉文博译Sample Essay

The memorization of facts can be a handy tool when trying to impress upon someone how much you know about a subject, if that particular person doesn’t know much about the subject him or herself. But to truly learn about something, one must definitely understand more than the mere facts of the situation or subject to be able to go beyond simply regurgitating memorized details.

To begin with, the foundation of learning can be based on the facts themselves. It is necessary during the learning process to memorize some facts in order to grasp the essence of the subject that is being taught. For example, learning the years that certain events happened during Chinese history can help a student to place those events in context with what was happening in Chinese society and the rest of the world during those particular time periods. But simply learning the dates of the events will not give the student any insight into Chinese history or culture without knowing the circumstances leading up to and surrounding that particular event. It is a combination of the memorization of facts, along with studying the ideas, trends and concepts of the time period that will allow the student to master the subject at hand.

In the past, teachers believed that memorization of facts was the best way for a student to learn a subject. For some subject areas, this may still be the best method for a student to comprehend what is being taught. As one example, a student’s memorization of the multiplication tables can give him or her a solid foundation on which to build additional mathematical knowledge. Similarly, memorization of the table of elements gives the student a basis of reference for an entire lifetime of future scientific study. Memorizing the spelling of words is also very helpful in the sense that the student that knows how to spell the word most likely also knows the meaning of the word. With all of these examples, it is evident that sometimes merely learning facts can be enough to give the student a solid educational background, at least early on in life.

But merely learning the facts is not enough for a student to reach his or her fullest potential. It is in the application of those facts where the student reaches a higher state of knowledge. It would truly be impressive for someone to name the list of emperors and empresses in chronological order throughout Chinese history, but without any knowledge of what he or she did as a leader, there is little value in being able to do so. Simple memorization of facts is the lowest level of learning, while being able to apply those facts in different situations and to explain the theories behind those facts is the highest level of learning. Whether the student memorizes the facts first or firstly understands the ideas and concepts behind those facts makes no difference, it is the ability to coherently discuss the facts and their underlying concepts that a student truly shows his or her ability.

In summary, it is certainly not enough for a student to merely memorize facts. Memorization is at the lowest level of learning, it is in the ability to apply concepts and theories to different situations where a student reaches the highest level of learning. Whether the facts are memorized first or after the student understands the underlying theories does not matter, what matters is that the student truly grasps the subject with full comprehension to the best of his or her ability.

参考译文

将事实记忆得滚瓜烂熟，这只有在试图使别人觉得你对某一学科知识渊博时才能成为一个好使的工具，如果那个人自己对该学科知之甚少。但要想真正学到知识，人们所需弄懂的就绝不仅仅只是关于某一情景或某一学科的某些事实。只有这样，才能超越对细节的呆板记忆。

　　首先，学习的基础可以基于事实本身。在学习过程中，有必要背诵记忆某些事实，以便掌握所授学科的精髓。例如，学习中国历史上某些事件发生的年代，这将有助于一个学生将这些事件置于中国社会及世界其它地方在这些特定的时代所发生的事件的大背景之中。但是，纯粹记忆这些事件的年代将无法使学生对历史或文化形成深刻的了解，因为学生并不懂得导致某一特定事件或围绕着某一特定事件的具体情况。只有将对事实的背诵记忆与对某一时代的思想、趋势和观念的学习结合起来，才能让学生掌握所要学习的学科。

　　过去，教师们相信，背诵记忆某些事实对于学生学习某一学科是一种最好的方法。对于某些学科领域来说，这可能仍不失为一种最好的方法让学生去理解所教的内容。举例来说，学生背诵乘法表可让他/她具备一个坚实的基础，据此建立起更多的数学知识。同样地，背诵记忆化学元素表可为学生提供一种参照的基础，使其未来终身的科学研究都能从中受益。牢记词汇的拼写也是非常有用的，因为懂得如何拼写的人最有可能也会知道词汇的含义。从所有这些例子中，显而易见，有时候仅仅熟记某些事实是能够给学生提供一个坚实的教育背景，尤其是在人生初期。

　　但是，仅仅熟记某些事实尚不足以让一个学生实现他/她全部的潜质。只有将这些事实加以应用，学生才能达到更高一层的知识境界。如果有人能按照年代顺序将中国历史上一长串男性和女性皇帝的名字逐一道出，这确实非同凡响。但是，如果根本不了解这些皇帝作为领导者都做了些什么，那么，即使能做到那样也是毫无价值的。对事实进行简单的诵记只能算作最低级层面上的学习行为，只有能将这些事实应用于不同的情况，并能解释这些事实背后所隐含的理论，这才是最高级层面上的学习行为。学生是首先熟记事实，还是首先领会这些事实背后的思想及观念，孰先孰后并不重要。能够严谨地探讨这些事实，并揭示其深层的理念，才充分体现着一个学生的真才实学。

　　总而言之，对于一个学生来说，仅仅熟记某些事实肯定是远远不够的。背诵只是属于学习的最低层面，将概念和理论应用于不同情况的能力，才能让一个学生抵达学习的最高层次。学生对事实的熟记是发生在弄懂了深层次的理论之前还是之后，这并不重要。重要的是，学生应尽其所能，在充分理解的基础上，真正掌握一门学科。

 

GRE作文范文 Argument-47

The following appeared in a memorandum from the new president of the Patriot car manufacturing company.
"In the past, the body styles of Patriot cars have been old-fashioned, and our cars have not sold as well as have our competitors' cars. But now, since many regions in this country report rapid increases in the numbers of newly licensed drivers, we should be able to increase our share of the market by selling cars to this growing population. Thus, we should discontinue our oldest models and concentrate instead on manufacturing sporty cars. We can also improve the success of our marketing campaigns by switching our advertising to the Youth Advertising agency, which has successfully promoted the country's leading soft drink."

嘉文博译Sample Essay

With this argument, the president of the Patriot car manufacturing company is apparently attempting to persuade his or her audience that due to the fact that the body styles of the company’s cars have been old-fashioned in the past, the cars have not sold as well as those of the competition. The president continues on to advocate that the company should focus on selling cars to newly licensed drivers because many regions of the country have reported a rapid increase in the number of newly licensed drivers; that the company should discontinue its oldest models and concentrate on manufacturing sporty cars; and that the company’s marketing campaigns can be improved by changing over to the Youth Advertising Agency. At first look, the president’s argument seems reasonable but a closer examination reveals that it is based on faulty reasoning and it should therefore be rejected.

The first problem with the argument lies in the dubious reasoning attached to the idea that Patriot can increase its share of the market by selling cars to the growing population of newly licensed drivers that many regions in the country have reported. There is no evidence presented that newly licensed drivers buy cars, the president appears to merely assume this as a fact. Additionally, simply because many regions of the country report an increase in newly licensed drivers, it does not necessarily mean that this phenomenon is occurring in markets to which Patriot has access. The president’s argument is greatly weakened by failing to present support that newly licensed drivers are an accessible and viable market for Patriot automobiles of any type.

Secondly, Patriot’s president appears to assume that there is a causal relationship between the company’s “old-fashioned” body styles and sales relative to those of the competition, but fails to present any evidence whatsoever that this is actually the case. Several other possible causes for lower sales than competitors are not discussed, such as a fewer number of cars produced, the possible much higher cost of Patriot cars, a poor brand image, or a poor perception of the quality of Patriot automobiles, for example. Furthermore, the president states that the older models of cars should be discontinued with increased concentration on manufacturing sporty cars. There is nothing in the argument to support the idea that newly licensed drivers want to buy sporty cars, even assuming that Patriot’s body styles are “old-fashioned”.

Finally, the sum of this argument boils down to the unstated but apparent assumption by Patriot’s president that the company needs to focus on the youth market rather than the older market. The president argues that switching to the Youth Advertising Agency would improve the success of the company’s marketing campaigns. The president seems to assume that newly licensed drivers are young drivers, but there is no support for this conclusion anywhere in the argument. Furthermore, this part of the argument is also based on a false analogy – that the advertising agency can also promote automobiles simply because they also successfully promoted the country’s leading soft drink, which clearly has very little to do with the successful promotion of such a distinctly different product. Failing to provide any direct evidence that supports this part of the argument critically weakens the president’s conclusions.

In summary, this argument shows that the president has made several unproven assumptions leading to the conclusion that the company’s target market should be changed to focus on the youth market. Without direct evidence that these assumptions have a basis in fact, the argument must be rejected.

参考译文
下述文字摘自爱国者汽车制造公司新总裁的一份备忘录。

　　“过去，爱国者汽车的车身款式陈旧不堪，我们的汽车销售状况远不如我们竞争对手的汽车。但现在，鉴于在本国的许多地区新近获得驾驶执照的司机数量激增，我们就有可能通过将汽车推销给这部分不断增长的人口，从而来增加我们的市场份额。因此，我们必须中止我们最古老的车型，将注意力转而集中在运动型汽车的制造上。此外，我们也应将我们的广告事务转交给青年广告公司来代理，以提高我们营销活动的成功。众所周知，青年广告公司有着成功促销本国首屈一指的软饮料品牌的经验。”

　　在以上论述中，爱国者汽车制造公司的新总裁显然试图去说服他（或她）的听众，使他们相信由于该公司汽车的车身款式在过去陈旧不堪，以致于这些汽车的销售情况要比其竞争对手的汽车来得糟糕。这位总裁接着倡议，公司应该集中注意力将汽车售给那些刚获得驾驶执照的司机，因为在该国的许多地区，新近获得驾驶执照的司机数量激增；公司应中止其最古老的车型，集中力量来生产运动型汽车；公司应将广告事务转给青年广告公司来代理，这样其营销活动的效果将显著提高。初看上去，这位新总裁的论点似乎不无道理，但细加推敲，就会表明其论点基于极为谬误的逻辑推理，因此应予摈弃。

　　 该论点的第一个问题，在于围绕着以下这个观点所展开的令人疑惑的逻辑推理，即爱国者公司通过将汽车销售给该国许多地区与日俱增的新近获得驾驶执照的司机这部分人口，它就能增加其市场占有份额。没有证据可表明，刚获得驾照的司机会购买汽车，所以新总裁似乎只是将一种假设当作了事实。此外，即使该国的许多地区新近获得驾照的司机人数激增，但这并不必然意味着这一现象正发生在爱国者公司能够打入的市场领域内。由于这位新总裁没能拿出依据来证明，刚获驾照的司机对任何类型的爱国者汽车代表着一种可行的和能够进入的市场，故其论点的力度受到严重削弱。

　　其次，爱国者公司的这位新总裁似乎假设，公司汽车的旧车款式与相对于竞争对手的汽车销售量之间，存在着因果关系。然而，这位新总裁却没能拿出任何的证据来说明情况确实如此。造成汽车销售量低于竞争对手，可能存着诸多其他原因，如所制造的汽车数量较少，爱国者汽车的成本过高，糟糕的品牌形象，以及对爱国者汽车的质量缺乏清晰的意识等。凡此种种原因都没有得到探讨。此外，这位新总裁称，较为古老的车型应被停止生产，转而全力以赴去生产运动型汽车。即使我们假设爱国者汽车的车身款式确实显得“陈旧过时”，但论述中也根本没有任何依据可支持新获驾照的司机会购买运动型汽车这一观点。

　　最后，本项论述的一切的一切，归根结底在于爱国者公司总裁未加言明但却显而易见的那一假设，即公司应将注意力集中在青年市场而非大龄群体市场。这位新总裁指出，将广告业务交由青年广告公司来代理会大大提高公司营销活动的成功。这位新总裁似乎在假设，新近获得驾照的司机均为年轻司机。但论述中没见任何地方有任何依据来支持这种结论。此外，论述中的这一部分同样也是基于某一虚假类比——即既然青年广告公司成功地促销了该国首屈一指的软饮料，则它也能成功促销汽车。但是很显然，成功促销饮料与成功促销如此迥然不同的产品几乎毫无关系。新总裁由于不能提供任何直接的证据来支持其论述中的这一部分内容，故严重地削弱了他（或她）的结论。

　　总而言之，本项论述表明，新总裁作出了多项未予证实的假设，并由此得出结论，认为对公司的目标市场应作调整，须将注意力集中在青年市场上。由于此项论述没有直接的证据可证明这些假设具有事实依据，故应予摈弃。

嘉文博译郑重声明：