一 教育类 [b]1. A nation should require all its students to study the same national [b]curriculum until they enter college rather than allow schools in different [b]parts of the nation to determine which academic courses to offer.” [b]2. While some leaders in government, sports, industry, and other areas [b]attribute their success to a well-developed sense of competition, a society [b]can better prepare its young people for leadership by instilling in them a [b]sense of cooperation. [b]3. In order to improve the quality of instruction at the college and [b]university level, all faculty should be required to spend time working [b]outside the academic world in professions relevant to the courses they [b]teach. [b]4. Universities should require every student to take a variety of courses [b]outside the student’s field of study because acquiring knowledge of [b]various academic disciplines is the best way to become truly educated. [b]5. Colleges and universities should offer more courses on popular music, [b]film, advertising, and television because contemporary culture has much [b]greater relevance for students than do arts and literature of the past. [b]6. It is primarily through formal education that a culture tries to [b]perpetuate the ideas it favors and discredit the ideas it fears. [b]7. Some educational systems emphasize the development of students’ [b]capacity for reasoning and logical thinking, but students would benefit [b]more from an education that also taught them to explore their own emotions. [b]8. It is often asserted that the purpose of education is to free the mind [b]and the spirit. In reality, however, formal education tends to restrain our [b]minds and spirits rather than set them free. [b]9. How children are socialized today determines the destiny of society. [b]Unfortunately, we have not yet learned how to raise children who can help [b]bring about a better society. [b]10. Both parents and communities must be involved in the local schools. [b]Education is too important to leave solely to a group of professional [b]educators. [b]11. The purpose of education should be to provide students with a value [b]system, a standard, a set of ideas—not to prepare them for a specific job. [b]12. Society should identify those children who have special talents and [b]abilities and begin training them at an early age so that they can [b]eventually excel in their areas of ability. Othervise, these talents are [b]likely to remain undeveloped. [b]13. Although innovations such as video, computers, and the internet seem to [b]offer schools improved methods for instructing students, these technologies [b]all too often distract from real learning. [b]二 学习类 [b]1. We can usually learn much more from people whose views we share than [b]from people whose vies contradict our own. Disagreement can cause stress [b]and inhibit learning. [b]2. No field of study can advance significantly unless outsiders bring their [b]knowledge and experience to that field of study. [b]3. Anyone can make things bigger and more complex. What requires real [b]effort and courage is to move in the opposite direction-in other words, to [b]make things as simple as possible. [b]4. Students should memories facts only after they have studied the ideas, [b]trends, and concepts that help explain those facts. Students who have [b]learned only facts have learned very little. [b]5. Scholars and researches should not be concerned with whether their work [b]makes a contribution to the larger society. It is more important that they [b]pursue their individual interests, however unusual or idiosyncratic those [b]interests may seem. [b]6. In any academic area or professional field, it is just as important to [b]recognize the limits of our knowledge and understanding as it is to acquire [b]new facts and information. [b]7. Facts are stubborn things. They cannot be altered by our wishes, our [b]inclinations, or the dictates of our passions. [b]8. Students should bring a certain skepticism to whatever they study. They [b]should question what they are taught instead of accepting it passively. [b]9. There is no such thing as purely objective observation. All observation [b]is subjective; it is always guided by the observer’s expectations or [b]desires. [b]10. The human mind will always be superior to machines because machines are [b]only tools of human minds. [b]11. Critical judgment of work, in any given field has little value unless [b]comes from someone who is an expert in that field. [b]12. People who pursue their own intellectual interests for purely personal [b]reasons are more likely to benefit the rest of the world than are people [b]who try to act for the public good. [b]13. Originality does not mean thinking something that was never thought [b]before; it means putting old ideas together in new ways. [b]14. The study of ac academic discipline alters the way we perceive the [b]world. After studying the discipline, we see the same world as before, but [b]with different eyes. [b]15. The way students and scholars interpret the materials they work with in [b]their academic fields is more of personality than of training. Different [b]interpretations come about when people with different personalities look at [b]exactly the same objects, facts, data, or events and see different things. [b]16. As we acquire more knowledge, things do not become more comprehensible, [b]but more complex and more mysterious. [b]17. It is a grave mistake to theorize before one has data. [b]三 行为类 [b]1. Although many people think that the luxuries and conveniences of [b]contemporary life are entirely harmless, they in fact, prevent people from [b]developing into truly strong and independent individuals. [b]2. Public figures such as actors, politicians, and athletes should expect [b]people to be interested in their private lives. When they seek a public [b]role, they should expect that they will lose at least some of their privacy. [b]3. Creating an appealing image has become more important in contemporary [b]society than is the reality or truth behind that image. [b]4. The concept of ‘individual responsibility’ is a necessary fiction. [b]Although societies must hold individuals accountable for their own actions, [b]people’s behavior is largely determined by forces not of their own making. [b]5. People work more productively in teams than individually. Teamwork [b]requires cooperation, which motivates people much more than individual [b]competition does. [b]6. In any realm of life-whether academic, social, business, or political— [b]the only way to succeed is to take a practical, rather than an idealistic, [b]point of vies. Pragmatic behavior guarantees survival, whereas idealistic [b]views tend to be superceded by simpler, more immediate options. [b]7. It is primarily through our identification with social groups that we [b]define ourselves. [b]8. Only through mistakes can there be discovery or progress. [b]9. Most people recognize the benefits of individuality, but the fact is [b]that personal economic success requires conformity. [b]10. People who are the most deeply committed to an idea or policy are the [b]most critical of it. [b]11. No amount of information can eliminate prejudice because prejudice is [b]rooted in emotion, not reason. [b]12. The most essential quality of an effective leader is the ability to [b]remain consistently committed in particular principles and objectives. Any [b]leader who is quickly and easily influenced by shifts in popular opinion [b]will accomplish little. [b]13. Sometimes imagination is a more valuable asset than experience. People [b]who lack experience are free to imagine what is possible and thus can [b]approach a task without constraints of established habits and attitudes. [b]14. In any given field, the leading voices come from people who are [b]motivated not by conviction but by the desire to present opinions and ideas [b]that differ from those held by the majority. [b]15. It is always an individual who is the impetus for innovation; the [b]details may be worked out by a team, but true innovation results from the [b]enterprise and unique perception of an individual. [b]16. Success, whether academic or professional, involves an ability to [b]survive in a new environment and--, eventually, --to change it. [b]17. Most people choose a career on the basis of such pragmatic [b]considerations as the needs of the economy, the relative ease of finding a [b]job, and the salary they can expect to make. Hardly anyone is free to [b]choose a career based on his or her natural talents or interest in a [b]particular kind of work. [b]18. If a goal is worthy, then any means taken to attain it is justifiable. [b]19. People often look for similarities, even between very different things, [b]and even when it is unhelpful or harmful to do so. Instead, a thing should [b]be considered on its own terms, we should avoid the tendency to compare it [b]to something else. [b]20. People are mistaken when they assume that the problems they confront [b]are more complex and challenging than the problems, faced by their [b]predecessors. Thus illusion is eventually dispelled with increased [b]knowledge and experience. [b]21. Moderation in all things is ill-considered advice. Rather, one should [b]say, ‘Moderations is most things,’ since many areas of human concern [b]require or at least profit from intense focus. [b]22. Most people are taught that loyalty is a virtue. But loyalty—whether [b]to one’s friends, to one’s school or place of employment, or to any [b]institution—is all too often a destructive rather than a positive force. [b]四 政治类 [b]1. It is often necessary, even desirable, for political leaders to withhold [b]information from the public. [b]2. There are two types of laws: just and unjust. Every individual in a [b]society has a responsibility to obey just laws and, even more importantly, [b]to disobey and resist unjust laws. [b]3. To be an effective leader, a public official must maintain the highest [b]ethical and moral standards. [b]4. It is impossible for an effective political leader to tell the truth all [b]the time. Complete honesty is not a useful virtue for a politician. [b]5. Those who treat politics and morality as though they were separate [b]realms fail to understand either the one or the other. [b]6. Laws should not be stationary and fixed. Instead, they should be [b]flexible enough to take account of various circumstances, times, and places. [b]7. The goal of politics should not be the pursuit of an ideal, but rather [b]the search for common ground and reasonable consensus. [b]五 科技类 [b]1. The primary goal of technological advancement should be to increase [b]people’s efficiency so that everyone has more leisure time. [b]2. Money spent on research is almost always a good investment, even when [b]the results of that research are controversial. [b]3. Humanity has made little real progress over the past century or so. [b]Technological innovations have taken place, but the overall condition of [b]humanity is no better. War, violence, and poverty are still with us. [b]Technology cannot change the condition of humanity. [b]4. When research priorities are being set for science, education, or any [b]other area, the most important question to consider is : How many people’s [b]lives will be improved if the results are successful. [b]5. The function of science is to reassure; the purpose of arts is to upset. [b]Therein lies the value of each. [b]6. Technology creates more problems than it solves, and may threaten or [b]damage the quality of life. [b]7. Most important discoveries or creations are accidental: it is usually [b]while seeking the answer to one question that we come across the answer to [b]another. [b]六 传媒类 [b]1. In the age of television, reading books is not as important as it once [b]was. People can learn as much by watching television as they can by reading [b]books. [b]2. The purpose of many advertisements is to make consumers want to buy a [b]product so that they will ‘be like’ the person in the ad. This practice [b]is effective because it not only sells products but also helps people feel [b]better about themselves. [b]3. Because of television and worldwide computer connections, people can now [b]become familiar with a great many places that they have never visited. As a [b]result, tourism will soon become obsolete. [b]4. High-speed electronic communications media, such as electronic mail and [b]television, tend to prevent meaningful and thoughtful communication. [b]5. In this age of intensive media coverage, it is no longer possible for a [b]society to regard any woman or man as a hero. The reputation of anyone who [b]is subjectied to media scrutiny will eventually be diminished. [b]七 社会类 [b]1. Such nonmainstream areas of inquiry as astrology, fortune-telling, and [b]psychic and paranormal pursuits play a vital role in society by satisfying [b]human needs that are not addressed by mainstream science. [b]2. Society does not place enough emphasis on the intellect-that is, on [b]reasoning and other cognitive skills. [b]3. It is through the use of logic and of precise, careful measurement that [b]we become aware of our progress. Without such tools, we have no reference [b]points to indicate how far we have advanced or retreated. [b]4. At various times in the geological past, many species have become [b]extinct as a result of natural, rather than human, processes. Thus, there [b]is no justification for society to make extraordinary efforts, especially [b]at a great cost in money and jobs, to save endangered species. [b]5. The absence of choices is a circumstance that is very, very rake. [b]6. What society has thought to be it greatest social, political, and [b]individual achievements have often resulted in the greatest discontent. [b]7. The well-being of a society is enhanced when many of its people question [b]authority. [b]8. Tradition and modernization are incompatible. One must choose between [b]them. [b]9. The only responsibility of corporate executives, provided they stay [b]within the law, is to make as much money as possible for their companies. [b]10. Many problems of modern society cannot be solved by laws and the legal [b]system because moral behavior cannot be legislated. [b]11. Scandals—whether in politics, academia, or other areas—can be useful. [b]They focus our attention on problems in ways that no speaker or reformer [b]ever could. [b]12. Practicality is now our great ideal, which all powers and talents must [b]serve. Anything that is not obviously practical has little value in today’ [b]s world. [b]13. It is easy to welcome innovation and accept new ideas. What most people [b]find difficult, however, is accepting the way these new ideas are put into [b]practice. [b]14. The best way to understand the character of a society is to examine the [b]character of the men and women that the society chooses as its heroes or [b]its heroines. [b]15. Progress is best made through discussion among people who have [b]contrasting points of vies. [b]八 历史类 [b]1. The video camera provides such an accurate and convincing record of [b]contemporary life that it has become a more important form of documentation [b]than written records. [b]2. Most people would agree that building represent a valuable record of any [b]society’s past, but controversy arises when old buildings stand on ground [b]that modern planners feel could be better used for modern purposes. In such [b]situations, modern development should be given precedence over the [b]preservation of historic buildings so that contemporary needs can be served. [b]3. The greatness of individuals can be decided only by those who live after [b]them, not by their contemporaries. [b]4. The study of history places too much emphasis on individuals. The most [b]significant events and trends in history were made possible not by the [b]famous few, but by groups of people whose identities have long been [b]forgotten. [b]5. The study of history has value only to the extent that it is relevant to [b]our daily lives. [b]6. When we concern ourselves with the study of history, we become [b]storytellers. Becauses we can never know the past directly but must [b]construct it by interpreting evidence, exploring history is more of a [b]creative enterprise than it is an objective pursuit. All historians are [b]storytellers. [b]7. So much is new and complex today that looking back for an understanding [b]of the past provides little guidance for living in the present. [b]8. The chief benefit of the study of history is to break down the illusion [b]that people in one period of time are significantly different from people [b]who lived at any other time in history. [b]九 艺术类 [b]1. Imaginative works such as novels, plays, films, fairytales, and legends [b]present a more accurate and meaningful picture of human experience than do [b]factual accounts. Because the creators of fiction shape and focus on [b]reality rather than report it literally, their creations have a more [b]lasting significance. [b]2. The arts (painting, music, literature, etc.) reveal the otherwise hidden [b]ideas and impulses of a society. [b]3. ‘It is the artist, not the critic,’ who gives society something of [b]lasting value. A person who evaluates works of art, such as novels, films [b]music, paintings, etc. [b]4. As long as people in a society are hungry or out of work or lack the [b]basic skills needed to survive, the use of public resources to support the [b]arts is inappropriate—and, perhaps, even cruel—when one considers all the [b]potential uses of such money. [b]5. In order for any work of art—whether film, literature, sculpture, or a [b]song—to have merit, it must be understandable to most people. [b]十 文化类 [b]1. Governments must ensure that their major cities receive the financial [b]support they need in order to thrive, because it is primarily in cities [b]that a nation’s cultural traditions are preserved and generated. [b]2. Rituals and ceremonies help define a culture. Without them, societies or [b]groups of people have a diminished sense of who they are. [b]3. The way people look, dress, and act reveals their attitudes and [b]interests. You can tell much about a society’s ideas and values by [b]observing the appearance and behavior of its people. [b]4. The true value of a civilization is reflected in its artistic creations [b]rather than in its scientific accomplishments. [b]十一 国际类 [b]1. All nations should help support the development of a global university [b]designed to engage students in the process of solving the world’s most [b]persistent social problems. [b]2. Many of the world’s lesser-known languages are being lost as fewer and [b]fewer people speak them. The government of countries in which these [b]languages are spoken should act to prevent such languages from becoming [b]extinct. [b]3. With the growth of global networks in such areas as economics and [b]communication, there is no doubt that every aspect of society—including [b]education, politics, the arts, and the sciences—will benefit greatly from [b]international influences. [b]4. The surest indicator of a great nation is not the achievements of its [b]rulers, artists, or scientists, but the general welfare of all its people. [b]5. The material progress and well-being of one country are necessarily [b]connected to the material progress and well-being of all other countries.