GRE作文范文 Issue-50

“Scholars and researchers should not be concerned with whether their academic work makes a contribution to the larger society. It is more important that they pursue their individual interests, however unusual or idiosyncratic those interests may seem.”

嘉文博译Sample Essay

The needs of larger society obviously are much more important than the individual desires of anyone within that society, be they scholars and researchers or the highest leader of the country. However, somewhat paradoxically, when scholars and researchers are allowed to pursue their own individual interests, they are much more likely to make a greater contribution to a society than if they are forced to focus their efforts on contributing to that society.

To begin with, the world definitely needs the academic work of scholars and researchers to assist with mankind’s development and growth. The human race has no shortage of problems that need solutions, some much more urgent and serious than others. For example, a cure for cancer or an end to world hunger should receive the utmost attention of the academic world. However, there is something that is even more important than solving the world’s most pressing problems – the recognition of the human right to self-realization and the control of one’s own destiny. Without this very basic human right, none of the other problems would seem to have much significance. Scholars and researchers must be allowed to pursue their own interests, regardless of whether those interests appear to have potential benefits for the greater welfare of society. The right to follow one’s own dreams should almost always supersede the wants and demands of the general population.

Secondly, it is inherent in the human spirit to be more productive in pursuit of something that is of interest to that particular individual. Too many times we are forced into doing something that we don’t really like doing, either through our own failures or because of the influences of others. Similarly, scholars and researchers must be given the freedom to choose their own areas of study, no matter how offbeat or seemingly useless those areas may be. In academia as in the business world, the intellectual must be allowed to follow his or her heart to work on whatever field of study truly piques his or her interest, regardless of its potential benefits for society. One can only imagine what would have happened had Thomas Edison been forced to study medicine rather than following his own interests, but the world would certainly be a without a number of modern wonders if he had. If Michelangelo had been forced to study mathematics rather than allowed to pursue his artistry, the world would certainly be a less beautiful place in which to live. Although it is all well and good to wish to benefit society, and most scholars and researchers probably do, it is in the act of self-actualization that we can reach our fullest potential and make our best contribution to the world.

Finally, is should be remembered that most people have an inner desire to help others, no matter how selfish he or she may appear on the surface. Research is rarely wasted on the trivial – people are motivated by the desire to do something meaningful with their lives. It is unlikely, even given the pure freedom to pursue whatever studies the scholar or researcher desires, that society will receive no benefits. Indeed, simply giving the intellectual the freedom to pursue his or her own interests makes for a better society. Whether a scholar or researcher makes a tremendous contribution to society or no contribution at all through his or her studies, the world itself is a better place for having allowed them to pursue their own individual areas of interest.

参考译文

学者和研究人员没有必要去关注他们的学术工作是否对更大范围的社会有所贡献。更重要的是，他们要追求他们个人的兴趣，不管那些兴趣看上去是多么的怪异或乖戾。

　　大社会的需要显然远比该社会中任何一个人的愿望更为重要，不管他们是学者或研究人员，还是国家的最高领导人。但是，有点儿矛盾的是，当学者和研究人员被允许去追求他们自己的个人兴趣时，他们更有可能对一个社会作出更大的贡献。倘若他们被迫去刻意地集中其所有努力，为社会作贡献的话，则很有可能适得其反。

　　首先，世界当然需要学者和研究人员的学术工作，用来帮助人类的发展与成长。人类有的是需要解决的问题，其中一些比其他的一些更加迫切和严重，例如治愈癌症或解决世界饥饿就最应该得到学术世界的注意。然而有一些比解决世界最紧迫问题更为重要的东西——承认自我实现这一人权，以及对自我命运的控制。没有这些最基本的人权，其他的问题将不会有多大意义。学者和研究人员必须被允许去追求他们自己的兴趣，不管那些兴趣看上去是否对社会较为广泛的福祉有无潜在的好处；追寻自己梦想的权利几乎应该永远超过大众的需要和要求。

　　第二，在追求对某个具体的个人有利的东西的时候，人们总是希望更加富有成效，这是人的精神里与生俱来的。但太多的时候我们被迫去做我们并不真正喜欢做的事情，或者因为我们自己的失败，或者因为别人的影响。相类似地，学者和研究人员必须被赋予去选择他们自己研究领域的自由，无论那些领域可能是多么的怪异或似乎毫无用处。在学术上，就像在生意场上一样，知识分子必须被允许去追寻他或她内心的召唤，去工作于任何真正能激起他或她兴趣的研究领域，不管它对社会的潜在好处如何。假如爱迪生被强迫去研究医药而不是遵循他自己的兴趣，将会发生什么样的结果，我们只能凭想象去猜测了。但假如他真的那样做了，世界将肯定缺少一批现代而又奇妙的事物；假如米开朗基罗被迫研究数学而不被允许去追求他的艺术，这世界居住起来将一定会是个不怎么美丽的场所。虽然为社会带来好处的愿望很好，而且可能大部分学者和研究人员都是这样做的，但唯有在自我实现这一行为中，我们才能最大限度地发挥潜力并且对世界做出我们最好的贡献。

　　最后我们必须记住的是，大部分人都有帮助他人的内在愿望，无论他或她在表面上显得多么自私。对微不足道问题的探索极少被浪费过，因为人们总是被用他们的生命做一些有意义事情的愿望激励着。即使不管学者或研究人员的研究愿望是什么，只要他们总是被给予纯粹的自由，社会也不可能一无所获。实际上，纯粹地给予知识分子追求他或她自己兴趣的自由会造就一个更好的社会。不管一个学者或研究人员通过他或她的研究对社会作出了巨大贡献或者完全没有贡献，世界本身已经变成了一个更好的地方，因为已经允许他们去追求他们自己个人感兴趣的领域。

 

GRE作文范文 Argument-50

“The following appeared in a magazine article about planning for retirement.”

嘉文博译Sample Essay

"Because of its spectacular natural beauty and consistent climate, Clearview should be a top choice for anyone seeking a place to retire. As a bonus, housing costs in Clearview have fallen significantly during the past year, and real estate taxes remain lower than those in neighboring towns. Nevertheless, Clearview's mayor promises many new programs to improve schools, streets, and public services. Retirees in Clearview can also expect excellent health care as they grow older, since the number of physicians in the area is far greater than the national average."

With this argument, the writer attempts to persuade the reader that Clearview should be a top choice as a retirement destination due to its “spectacular natural beauty” and its consistent climate. The writer also states that other advantages to retiring in Clearview include the fact that housing costs have fallen “significantly” during the past year and that real estate taxes remain lower than those in neighboring towns. The writer goes on to state that even with lower housing costs and real estate taxes, the city’s mayor has promised new improvement programs for schools, streets and public services. Finally, the writer argues that because the number of physicians in the area is far greater than the national average, people who retire in Clearview can expect excellent health care. This argument is based on problematic reasoning and it should therefore be rejected.

The first problem is with the claim that people should retire in Clearview because of its “spectacular natural beauty”. Beauty lies in the eye of the beholder – what one retiree considers natural beauty might be a barren landscape to another. Some people prefer deserts while others prefer forests. Furthermore, the writer claims that Clearview has a “consistent” climate. What type of “consistent” climate does it have? Antarctica and the Mojave Desert have consistent climates, yet it is doubtful that few people would want to retire there. Without describing what the “spectacular natural beauty” is and what type of consistent climate Clearview has, the argument fails to convince that it is an ideal retirement location.

The second problem arises from the writer’s claims that housing costs have fallen consistently in the past year and that real estate taxes are lower than those in surrounding towns. First of all, the mere fact that housing costs have fallen does not give a good indication of housing costs as compared to other possible retirement locations. It is possible that houses were outrageously priced one year ago and that they are still priced much higher than the national average. Similarly, real estate taxes may be lower than those of surrounding cities but may still be much higher relative to those of other potential retirement communities. Furthermore, even assuming that real estate taxes are lower, other taxes, such as sales or personal property taxes, may be much higher than everywhere else. Without stating the housing costs or real estate and other taxes relative to other potential retirement areas, the writer has critically weakened his or her argument.

In addition, the writer mentions the mayor’s promises to improve schools, streets and public services. Not much needs to be said about the validity of a politician’s promises, particularly during an election year – they are usually not worth the paper that they are printed on. The mere promises of a politician do not make for a convincing argument that one should retire in Clearview.

Finally, the writer argues that people who retire in Clearview can expect excellent healthcare because the number of physicians in the area is far greater than the national average. It simply does not follow that the number of physicians in an area has anything to do with the quality of the health care offered. It is possible that many of these physicians are retired themselves and do not practice medicine. Even more seriously, perhaps the city of Clearview has an extremely easy licensing procedure that allows practically anyone to become a physician. Without further supporting evidence, the mere number of physicians in the area has nothing to do with the quality of healthcare offered in Clearview.

In summary, the writer’s arguments sound like the Clearview tourism bureau wrote them – they sound good in the magazine article but fail to hold up under closer inspection. Without further proof that the stated benefits of Clearview for retirees in Clearview are actually beneficial, the writer’s argument fails to convince on its premise that Clearview is a good choice as a retirement destination.

参考译文
下述文字摘自有关规划退休的一篇杂志文章。

鉴于其壮观的自然美景以及稳定的气候状况，Clearview市应该成为任何一个寻找隐退场所的人的首选。作为一种额外的有利条件，Clearview市的住房费用在过去一年中大幅下降，且房地产税要比邻近城镇保持着更低的水平。虽然如此，Clearview市的市长承诺，将实施许多新计划来改善学校、街道和公共服务水平。在Clearview市，退休人员还可望随着年龄的日渐增加而获得优良的医疗保健，因为该地区的大夫数量远高于全国的平均数量

　　通过上述论述，文章作者试图让其读者相信，Clearview市不失为退休目的地之首选，因为它拥有“壮观的自然美景”和稳定的气候状况。文章作者还指出，适合于在Clearview退休的其他有利条件中还包括这样一个事实，即在过去的一年中居住费用已“大幅度”下降，房地产税比邻近城镇保持着更低的水平。这位作者继续论述道，即使已经有了较低的居住费用及房地产税，该市的市长仍承诺针对学校、街道和公共服务实施一些新的改进计划。最后，文章作者论述道，由于该地区医生的数量远高于全国平均数量，所以在Clearview市欢度退休生活的人们有望获得优良的医疗保健。此项陈述基于甚成问题的逻辑推理，理应予应摈弃。

　　第一个问题在于这样一种主张，即人们应该在Clearviwe度过其退休生活，因为这里有“壮观的自然美景”。正如俗话所说，美仅存在于观赏者心目之中，因此，在一位退休者心目中可构成一片自然美景的东西可能在另一位退休者眼中仅是一片光秃秃的风景。有些人喜欢沙漠，但另一些人则偏爱森林。此外，文章作者称Clearview市拥有一种“稳定”的气候状况。但那种“稳定”的气候条件到底是指什么呢？南极洲和莫哈维沙漠的气候状况始终如一，但令人怀疑的是，会有人意愿在那里度过其退休生活吗？由于没有清楚地描述“状观的自然美景”是什么，以及Clearview市的稳定气候状况究竟是何种类型，故此项论述没法使人相信Clearview市是一处理想的退休场所。

　　 第二个问题源于文章作者的两个主张，即住房成本在过去一年中已大幅度下降，且当地的房地产税低于邻近城镇。首先，居住成本已经下降，这一事实本身并不能有力地表明Clearview市相对于其他有可能的退休场所的居住成本。情况有可能是，这里的房价曾贵得离谱，现在的房价仍然远高于全国的平均指数。同样地，房地产税有可能低于邻近城镇，但相比于其他潜在的退休社区仍可能高出很多。此外，即使我们假设房地产税相对较低，但其他税项（例如销售税或个人财产税）则有可能远高于其他地方。由于没能说明Clearview市相对于其他潜在的退休地区在其住房费用或房地产及其他税收方面的情况，故文章作者严重地削弱了其论点的逻辑性。

　　此外，文章作者还提到Clearview市的市长已承诺要改善学校、道路及公共服务。关于政客们所作承诺的有效性，尤其是在选举之年所作的承诺，我们几乎没有必要再作讨论。这些承诺的价值通常不会超出印着这些承诺的纸片的价值。一位政客所作的某些承诺，尚不足以构成人们应该在Clearview市度过退休生活的一项令人置信的论据。

　　最后，文章作者论述道，在Clearview市度过其退休生活的人有望获得良好的医疗保健，因为这一地区的医生数量远超过全国的平均数。但仅凭这一点根本无法得出这样的结论，即一个地区的医生数量与该地区所提供的医疗保健质量必定成正比。有可能的是，这些医生中的许多人自己已经退休，不再行医。甚至更为严重的是，在Clearview市，获取行医资格的程序极为简易，使几乎任何人都有资格成为医生。由于没有进一步的佐证依据，该地区医生数量本身与Clearview市所能提供的医疗保健的质量就不存在任何必然的联系。

　　总而言之，文章作者的论述听上去仿佛是由Clearview市的旅游局撰写的。这些论点对于杂志类文章来说听上去甚为诱人，但细加推敲则不堪一击。由于没有进一步的证据来证明该作者所陈述的Clearview市的各种益处对于Clearview市退休者来说确实有益，故他（或她）的论点没能证实其命题，即Clearview市作为一个退休目的地不失为一个不错的选择。

嘉文博译郑重声明：