GRE（ANALYTICALWRITING）模拟试卷1（共18题）

GRE（ANALYTICALWRITING）模拟试卷1（共9套）（共18题）GRE（ANALYTICALWRITING）模拟试卷第1套一、陈述观点(本题共1题，每题1.0分，共1分。)1、Claim:Thoughoftenconsideredanobjectivepursuit,learningaboutthehistoricalpastrequirescreativity.Reason:Becausewecanneverknowthepastdirectly,wemustreconstructitbyimaginativelyinterpretinghistoricalaccounts,documents,andartifacts.Writearesponseinwhichyoudiscusstheextenttowhichyouagreeordisagreewiththeclaimandthereasononwhichtheclaimisbased.标准答案："Thefartherbackyoucanlook,thefartherforwardyouarelikelytosee."ThesewordsfromWinstonChurchillclearlydemonstratesthatunderstandingthepastisofgreatimportance.Themethodtostudythehistory,however,remainsdebated.Somearguethatbecausewecouldneverdirectlyprobeintothepast,wecanonlyreconstructitbyimaginativelyinterpretinghistoricalaccounts,documents,aswellasartifacts.Asaresult,creativityactuallybecomesanessentialrequirementforlearningaboutthepast,eventhoughsucheffortsareconsideredtobeanobjectivepursuit.Inmyopinion,Ilargelyagreewiththelinesofreasoningabove,althoughIfindproblemswiththepremisesthatthepastcannotbedirectlyknownandtheunsubstantiatedassumptionthatpursuitoflearningabouthistoryisanobjectiveendeavor.Tobeginwith,let’slookattheargumentthatitisimpossibletoknowthepastdirectly,whichIcannotfullyagreewith.Frommyownpointofview,thehistoryitselfcanactuallybedirectlyknown,asthereareabundanthistoricaldocumentsthatfaithfullyrecordwhatexactlyhappenedinthepast.Forinstance,theassassinationofPresidentJohnF.KennedywasbroadcastliveinfrontoftheAmericanpublicsoanyfuturehistorianinterestedinthiseventwillhavedirectaccesstosuchimportantarchives.Evenforsomeeventsintheveryremotepast,therecanstillbedocumentsonwhathappened,bothrecordedinartifactsandinnature.Theoriginofagricultureforinstanceisbelievedtohappenaround13,000yearsagobeginningintheFertileCrescentintheMiddleEast.Thisisbasedonevidenceoftheremainsofagriculturalequipmentdiscoveredfrommodern-daySyriaandIraqdatingbacktothatperiod.Fossilrecordshowingtheemergenceofdomesticatedcropsalsofirmlyinformsusthetransitionfromhunter-gatheringtoasedentarylifestyleknownasfarming.Therefore,itisnotreasonabletoclaimthatthehistoricalpastcanneverbedirectlyknown.Thatbeingsaid,eventhoughwecandirectlyknowthepastevents,whatremainsunclearispeople’smotivationandwhatisintheirmind.Thisturnsouttobewhereimaginationisneeded.Asaresult,Ibyandlargeagreewiththeclaimthatlearningaboutthepastrequirescreativity.Let’stakethecaseofJohnF.Kennedy’stragicdeathasanexample.Althoughhisassassinationisclearlydocumented,eventothisdayitisstillnotclearwhytheallegedassassincommittedsuchacrime.Thismysteryiscompoundedbyfactthatthesuspectwasmurderedsoonafterwards,forcingpeopletorelyonimaginationtoinferhismotivation.Hence,eventhoughthepastcanbeknowndirectly,understandingwhatisbehindthehistoricalfactsrequiresimaginativecapacities.Forsuchaneventwithdetaileddocumentationandextensiveinvestigations,westillneedtocreativelyinterpretsomeofitselements,soitisnotsurprisingthatforeventsoccurringinthemoredistantpastwithlittleornodirectarchiving,imaginationbecomescritical.Similarly,eventhoughwecoulddeterminefromawiderangeofevidencethetimingofwhenagriculturestarted,onehastospeculatethereasonwhypeoplechangedtheirlifestyle.CoulditbethechangeinEarth’sclimate?Coulditbesimplyacoincidence?Therealcausesformanyhistoricaleventsdonotcarryasimple,straightforwardanswerandinsteadchallengeourimaginativefaculty.However,beforeconcludingmyargument,Ineedtopointoutonemoreissuewithintheoriginalclaim.Itisclaimedthatlearningaboutthehistoryisthoughttobeobjective,butIdonotthinkthisisthecase.Tounderstandthereason,wemustgobacktothefundamentalsonhowhistoryislearned.Peopleunderstandhistorybasedonourinterpretationofthearchives.Whileitistruethathistoricaldocumentsandartifactsareobjective,theinterpretationonthemisverymuchsubjective.Despitetheiracademictraining,historiansarestillhumanbeingsandhavebiasesandpreferences.Asaresult,therecouldbedifferentviewsonthesameobject.Forexample,theEasterIsland,locatedintheSouthPacific,isknownforthegiantstonestatues.Historianshavelongspeculatedtheirpurposeandsignificance:someclaimtheyarethepersonificationofdeities,whileotherarguetheyrepresenttheancestorsoftheislandhabitantswithnoreligiousimplication.Adifferentinterpretationonthestatuescouldpaintadrasticallydifferentpictureontheisland’sreligiousculture.Todate,themysteryofEasterIslandstonesculpturesremainsunresolved,anditillustratesthesubjectivenatureofstudyinghistory.Toconclude,becausehistoricaldocumentsareeithersparseordonotrecordpeople’sinnerthinking,learningaboutthepastdoesrequirecertainlevelofimaginationandcreativity.Thatsaid,itdoesnotestablishtheinabilitytoknowthepastdirectly,andinthemeantime,learningaboutthepastisactuallyahighlysubjectiveendeavorbecauseitinvolvesourinterpretationofhistoricaldocumentsandartifacts.(816words)知识点解析：本题认为：研究过去的历史需要创造力，因为我们不能直接获知过去发生了什么，所以要富有想象力地去解读历史记录、文献以及器件。注意本题分为了claim和reason两个部分，我们需要分开进行讨论。首先，我们来思考reason当中的陈述，我们究竟能否直接获知过去发生的事情呢?本文认为是可以的，因为大量的史实记载了过去究竟发生了什么，譬如肯尼迪总统于1963年在达拉斯被刺杀，整个过程被新闻直播记录了下来——请注意在原文的举例过程中，我们并没有强调肯尼迪是在何时何处被刺杀的，这是因为例子举得好不好并不在于细节的多少，而是例子本身是否恰当。接着本文进一步延展，认为即便是发生在远古时期、没有文献记录的事情我们也可以知晓，譬如农业的出现。换言之，我们清楚地知道肯尼迪总统被刺杀这一事实，也知道农业在何时出现，因此说“直接了解过去是不可能的”这一点并不成立。但是，本文也承认创造力在历史研究当中的重要性，这是因为我们不能获知历史事件的原因。在这里，本文使用了一种高明的论证技巧，即对原有例子的新解读。在主旨段第二段中，我们仍然使用了肯尼迪总统被刺杀以及农业出现的例子，并指明：虽然我们有各种历史事件的直接或间接记录，但是它们为什么会发生需要想象力。这里我们延续了上一段同样的例子，但给出了不同的解读，这等于在论证和论据两个层面同时完成了反转，读起来更加令人信服。具体来看，原文中有一个让步状语从句，说“尽管(研究历史)被认为是客观的”，这句话很多同学在写文章时把它漏掉了。对于考生而言，想要拿高分就一定要充分利用题目中的信息，所以我们在第三主旨段对这一让步状语从句提出了质疑，认为研究历史本身就是一个主观的过程，因为它包含了我们对史料的解读和对原因的揣测，这些解读(interpretation)都会受到个人的主观偏好影响。这道题给我们的启迪是，我们一定要意识到Issue题干当中任何一个词、一句话都是蕴含了信息的，如果是像本题一样有一个完整的从句，那更应该要引起我们的注意——ETS不会将一句没用的话放在题干里。二、评估论证(本题共1题，每题1.0分，共1分。)2、WovenbasketscharacterizedbyaparticulardistinctivepatternhavepreviouslybeenfoundonlyintheimmediatevicinityoftheprehistoricvillageofPaleaandthereforewerebelievedtohavebeenmadeonlybythePaleanpeople.Recently,however,archaeologistsdiscoveredsucha"Palean"basketinLithos,anancientvillageacrosstheBrimRiverfromPalea.TheBrimRiverisverydeepandbroad,andsotheancientPaleanscouldhavecrosseditonlybyboat,andnoPaleanboatshavebeenfound.Thusitfollowsthattheso-calledPaleanbasketswerenotuniquelyPalean.Writearesponseinwhichyoudiscusswhatspecificevidenceisneededtoevaluatetheargumentandexplainhowtheevidencewouldweakenorstrengthentheargument.标准答案：TheauthorofthisarticlearguesthatsinceatypeofbasketthatisoriginallythoughttobeproducedsolelyintheprehistoricvillageofPaleawasfoundinLithos,thepurportedly"Paleanbaskets"arenotuniquelyPalean.Tofurthersupportthisargument,he/sheemphasizesthatasPaleaandLithosaredividedbythebroadanddeepBrimRiver,theonlymeansoftransportationbetweenthemisbyboat.SinceboatshavenotbeenfoundinPaleathusfar,thebasketcouldnothavebeentransportedacrosstheriver.AlthoughthepresenceofanallegedPaleanbasketinLithosmayindeedsuggestthatLithosalsoproducedsimilarbaskets,moreevidenceisneededtohelpusevaluatetheauthor’sconclusion.Closescrutinyrevealsseveralkeyconclusionsinhis/herargumentthatlackcriticalsupport.Firstly,evidencerevealingBrimRiver’sgeologicpastiscriticallyneededtoassisttheevaluationoftheauthor’sassertionthattheBrimRiverhasalwaysbeendeepandbroadandcouldonlyhavebeencrossedbyboat.Thusfar,thisassertiondoesnotreceiveanysupportandcouldpossiblybewrong,sinceEarth’sgeologicfeaturescouldhavechangedoverthousandsofyears.AlongandcontinuousrecordofriversedimentsmayhelpusdeterminetheBrimRiver’shistory.IfitshowstheBrimRiverwasindeedbroadandinaccessiblewhencivilizationsinPaleaandLithosfirstdevelopedandthrived,theauthor’sargumentwillbeundoubtedlystrengthened.If,however,itturnsoutthattheBrimRiverwasashallowcreekorevendidnotcometoexistenceatallwhenhumansfirstsettledinthisregion,thenwemustrejecttheassertionthatPaleanbasketscouldonlyhavereachedLithosbyboat.Secondly,evenifweacknowledgefornowthattheBrimRiverhasalwaysbeenbroadanddeepsincethehumansettlementinLithosandPalea,moreevidenceisneededtohelpusevaluatewhetherboatswereunavailableintheentireregion.TheauthormentionsthatnoboatswerefoundinPalea,butgivesnoinformationregardingboatsinothervillages.IfnewdiscoveriesindicatethatLithosvillagerspossessedboats,thetransportationofPaleanbasketsbyboatwaspossibleandthePaleanbasketfoundinLithoscouldindeedhavebeentransportedinthisway.Onthecontrary,newevidencerevealinganabsenceofboatsintheentireBrimRivervicinityduringthistimewouldhelpsupporttheconclusionthattheso-calledPaleanbasketsarenotuniquetoPalea.Finally,grantedthatnoboatwasavailabletocrosstheBrimRiver,wemustconsiderthepossibilitythatthebasketscouldhavebeentransportedindirectlyonlandfromPaleatoLithos.Yet,basedoncurrentinformationofferedbytheauthoritischallengingtoevaluatethelikelihoodofsuchascenario.IfadditionalevidenceemergessuggestingthattradewasprevalentinthisregionandthatbothLithosandPaleawereactivelyengagedintrade,theauthor’sargumentwillbeweakened,sincethebasketscouldhavebeenmerchandisethatmadeitswayfromPaleatoLithosviaalargetradenetwork.Ontheotherhand,ifwehaveevidencesuchaslocalchroniclesindicatesPaleaand/orLithossocietieswererelativelyisolatedandhadlimitedinteractionwithnearbyprehistoricvillages,thenitisunlikelythatPaleanbasketscouldhavearrivedinLithos.Inthiscase,theauthor’sconclusionisstrengthened.Tosummarize,theevidencewhichtheauthorquotesdoesnotprovideconclusiveinformationabouttheoriginofthebasketfoundinLithos.Asaconsequence,weneedadditionalinformationtobetterevaluateoftheauthor’sclaim.(593words)知识点解析：文章的基本语气客观，并没有强调论证作者一定错了，而是在每一段都反复强调“现有证据不足以支撑作者的观点”，同时举出了作者可能错误的情况。本文的两个论证要点是：1．两个村落之间的河流在过去可能不存在，或者并不如现在这样既宽且深，所以人们可以自由渡河；2．现在没有发现任何船只，不代表过去就没有可以利用的船只。另外，即便人们过去因为河流既宽且深而且没有可以利用的船只，但篮子依然可以通过其他方式从P地达到外地。正文部分的过渡和衔接非常平顺自然，通过让步句(evenifweacknowledgefornowthattheBrimRiverhasalwaysbeenbroadanddeep和grantedthatnoboatwasavailabletocrosstheBrimRiver)把各个段落有机地结合了起来。注意写作指令中提到了explainhowtheevidencewouldweakenorstrengthentheargument，文章对此有很好的照应：在每一段说明需要新证据之后，既分析了什么样的证据能够削弱作者观点，也分析了哪些证据能够增强作者观点。根据我们的经验，很多考生在写作过程中容易忽略增强作者观点的证据。文章的句式变化、词汇选择都比较得体，这也是拿到Argument高分的必要条件。(两个村落之间的河流现在既宽且深→这条河过去也存在，并且既宽且深)+(没有发现船只→确实没有船只可以利用)→篮子非P地独有GRE（ANALYTICALWRITING）模拟试卷第2套一、陈述观点(本题共1题，每题1.0分，共1分。)1、Tobeaneffectiveleader,apublicofficialmustmaintainthehighestethicalandmoralstandards.Writearesponseinwhichyoudiscusstheextenttowhichyouagreeordisagreewiththeclaim.Indevelopingandsupportingyourposition,besuretoaddressthemostcompellingreasonsand/orexamplesthatcouldbeusedtochallengeyourposition.标准答案：Politicalpunditsoftendebatewhatcharacteristicsapoliticalleadermusthave.Somearguethatinordertobeeffective,agovernmentofficialhastoholdthehighestethicalandmoralstandardssothattheycanamassenoughfollowerstolead.Althoughthisargumentseemsreasonableatfirstglanceandcanbesupportedwithseveralexamples,Idonotthinkthatstickingtothehighestethicalandmoralstandardsnecessarilyleadstoaneffectiveleader.Tobeginwith,thosewhounderscoretheimportanceofethicalandmoralstandardswouldclaimthatinordertobecomeaneffectiveleader,onehastodemonstrateapersonalcharismatoattractfollowers.Acorollaryisthatheorshemustbemorallysublime.MohandasGandhiforexampleisundeniablyagreatleaderinIndianNationalLiberationMovement.Hisprincipleofnon-violentdisobediencenotonlylaidthefoundationofhisstruggleagainsttheBritishcolonialpowerbutalsoinspiredfuturenationalliberationmovementsacrosstheglobe.Somewouldarguethatitwashishighlevelofpersonalmoralitythatdrewmillionsoffollowersathomeandabroad,whilehewasaliveandafterhispassingaway.Hisposthumoustitle"Mahatma",whichliterallymeans"great-souled",servesasalivingproofofhisreputationallegacy.Thatbeingsaid,Ifindthelinesofreasoningandtheexampleabovenotsufficientlyconvincing,becauseahighmoralandethicalstandarddoesnotnecessarilymeananeffectiveleader.InthecaseofMahatmaGandhi,IdonotdenythatGandhiischaracterizedbyanearperfectpersonalityandextremelyadmirablemoralprinciples,butitremainsunproventhatitishisverymoralprinciplesthatmadehimwidelyreveredbypeoplearoundtheworld.Here,IventuretoarguethatadmirationofGandhi’smoralityismoredirectlyrelatedtothecauseofIndianindependenceandhisnon-violentresistance.Moreover,hiscompetenceandsuccessinunitingpeopleintheIndiansubcontinentalsocontributedtohisesteemedreputation.Thebottomlineisthatmoralstandardsalonecouldnotnecessarilyguaranteeaneffectiveleadership.ThecaseofEmperorWanlicouldserveasanappropriateexamplehere.The13thEmperoroftheMingdynastyheldthesupremepowerformorethanfourdecades,butdespitehismaintaininghighethicalandmoralprinciplesinaccordancewithtraditionalConfuciusteaching,littlewasachievedunderhisreign.Indeed,hisindifferencetopoliticalaffairsisoftenthoughttomakepossiblethefightforpowerbetweendifferentfactions.Thisinternalpowerstruggle,originatingfromWanli’sineffectiveleadership,ultimatelyledtotheweakeningoftheMingdynasty.Finally,Iwouldliketodemonstratethatevenifapublicofficialdoesnotholdthehighestmoralorethicalstandards,heorshemaystillbecomeaneffectiveleader.Forinstance,WinstonChurchilliswellregardedasaneffectiveleaderforhiscontributioninleadingtheBritishpeopleagainsttheinvasionofNaziGermany.Yetfromapersonalperspective,ChurchillwasanimperialistwhobelievedinthesuperiorityofthewhiteAnglo-Saxonpeopletootherraces.Suchablatantexpressionofracismwoulddeprivehimofanymoralsuperiority,butitdidnotrenderhimaneffectiveleader.AsimilarexampleisDonaldTrump,45thPresidentoftheUnitedStatesofAmerica.Sincehiselectionbid,Trumphasbeensurroundedbyscandals,rangingfromhisracistandsexistremarkstoallegationsofsexualharassment.Atanyrate,itwouldbedifficulttoarguethatTrumpmaintainsthehighestmoralstandards,buthedidmanagetoexecuteseveralordersaccordingtohisconservativepoliticalvision.IntheeyesofmanyconservativeRepublicanvoters,TrumpmaybethemosteffectivepresidentsinceRonaldReagan.Thesetwoprominentpoliticalfiguresillustratethatadmirablemoralprinciplesarenottherequisiteforaneffectiveleader,becausefundamentallyspeaking,thepurposeofpublicofficialsistoservethepeoplethatvotetheleadersintooffice.Iftheofficialssucceededinfulfillingthepromisemadetothevoters,theycouldbeviewedaseffective.Tosummarize,theexistenceofineffectiveleadersstickingtorigorousmoralprinciplesandeffectiveleaderswithblemishesontheirpersonalitiesargueagainstthenotionthatofficialsmustholdthehighestmoralstandardsinordertobeaneffectiveleader.Whileforcertainleaders—suchasGandhi—theireffectiveleadershipmayseeminglyarisefromtheirimpeccablemoralrecords,therearestillmanyotherfactorsatplayindeterminingleadershipeffectiveness.(731words)知识点解析：本文是GRE最为经典的政治类Issue题之一。它看起来说的是道德准则的重要性，但实则更为深层次的话题是：一个有效的领导人到底需要什么品质。针对这个问题，我们的落脚点最终会变成什么是effective，而为此我们必须要思考政府中领导的目的是什么。换言之，我们要思考的问题是“政府的目的是什么?”。在本文中，第三主旨段的最后一句话点出了文章的核心思想：只要一个领导人能够履行对选民的承诺、并为他或她的选民服务，那么这个领导人就可以被认为是卓有成效的。这很明显是一种功利主义(utilitarianism)的思路，但笔者想为此找一些传统政治学理论上的背书。这篇文章背后的逻辑可以用卢梭《社会契约论》中的理论来解读。卢梭认为：政治的本质是当权者与公民之间的一种契约关系，这种契约的必要性源自个体的脆弱与低效和集体的强大与高效。在这个契约中，公民放弃了自身的一部分自由，并且赋予了当权者(政府)一定的权力。而相反，被公民赋权的政府则需要为公民服务，提供诸如国防、教育、医疗等公共服务。因此，如果政府和政治家能够完成其基本的义务，那就是其有效性的体现。值得注意的是，在政府所需要实现的目的中，拥有最高的道德准则本身并不是其中之一。尽管如同第一段所说，一个圣人的道德感召力会增强其领导力，但这种看法其实也默认了道德只是实现领导力的一个促进因素，而非领导力本身。这就是为什么可能会存在“道德感很高但无力的领导人”(第二主旨段)和“道德感很差但有效的领导人”(第三主旨段)。想清楚这一点或许就不难理解，为什么当下西方许多政治家在个人道德上不堪，但民众却依然买他们的账——原因就是选民在选举过程中更看重政治家能否为他们的利益服务。在道德主义者看来，这无疑会是令人万分沮丧的局面，但“也许这就是生活”，是一种更基于实用主义的政治哲学。有了这些思考，本文的思路就呼之欲出了。要强调的是，本文举出了很多名人故事作为例证，这些需要日常生活当中的积累和有针对性的准备。另外，本文举了中国古代皇帝的例子，这对于外国人来说可能会比较陌生，因此在行文过程中一定要花额外的笔墨进行介绍。二、评估论证(本题共1题，每题1.0分，共1分。)2、ThefollowingappearedonthewebsiteScienceNewsToday."Inarecentsurveyofmorethan5,000adolescents,theteenswhoreportedeatingthemostmealswiththeirfamiliesweretheleastlikelytouseillegaldrugs,tobacco,oralcohol.Familymealswerealsoassociatedwithhighergrades,betterself-esteem,andlowerratesofdepression.Almost30percentoftheteenssaidtheyateatleastsevenmealsperweekwiththeirfamilies.Clearly,havingahighnumberoffamilymealskeepsteensfromengaginginbadbehaviors."Writearesponseinwhichyoudiscussoneormorealternativeexplanationsthatcouldrivaltheproposedexplanationandexplainhowyourexplanation(s)canplausiblyaccountforthefactspresentedintheargument.标准答案：InanarticlepublishedonthewebsiteScienceNewsToday,theauthorarguesthatahighnumberoffamilymealsisthekeytokeepingteenagersfromengaginginbadbehaviors.Hisorherconclusionisbasedontwoimportantpiecesofobservations.First,amongmorethan5,000respondents,theteenswhoreportedeatingthemostmealswiththeirfamiliesweretheleastlikelytouseillegaldrugs,tobacco,oralcohol.Second,highergrades,betterself-esteem,andlowerratesofdepressionarefoundtocorrelatewithfamilymeals.Whilefamilymealsmaybetheveryreasonthatkeepsteensfromthosebadbehaviors,thereareotherpossiblealternativeexplanationsthatcouldrivaltheauthor’sexplanation.Specifically,wemustaskiftheapparentcorrelationbetweenfamilymealsandbetterbehaviors,insteadofbeingcausallylinkedastheauthorsuggests,hassomecommonreasons.First,ahighernumberoffamilymealsmaysimplymeantheparentshavemorefreetimeattheirdisposalandthereforeabletopaymoreattentiontotheirchildren’seducationandbehaviors.Whenafamilyisfinanciallystruggling,itisnotuncommonthatparentswillhavetoworkextrahoursorfindadditionaljobstomaketheendsmeet.Inthiscase,itisnotalackoffamilymealsthatleadtoteens’badbehaviorsandworseperformanceatschool.Instead,therealreasonisthefactthattheirparentscannotpayenoughattentiontotheirbehaviorandaffordqualityeducation.Byinference,itcouldevenbehypothesizedthatthefinancialhardshipmayforcethefamilytoliveinneighborhoodswithhighcrimerates.Inthoseenvironments,itisnotsurprisingtoseetheadolescents,withoutthepropersupervisionfromtheirlegalguardians,fellpreytothedrugdealersonthestreet.Inthiscase,whatisbehindtheapparentconnectionbetweenfamilymealsandteenagebehaviorisasharedfundamentalfactor:thesocioeconomicalclassthatthefamilyisin.Familieswithmoreincomewouldnaturallybeabletohavefamilymealsmore.Second,toextendtheargumentaboveevenfurther,onecouldenvisionanotheralternativehypothesisthatfocusesontherelationshipwithinthefamily.Thatis,evenifafamilyisrich,whatiftheparentsareinconstantfight?Insuchahypotheticalscenariotheteenagermayhavewitnesseddomesticviolenceandcouldbemorepronetocommittingoffensesthemselves,therebyexplainingwhyinthesurveytheyweremorelikelytopossessillegaldrugs,tobacco,andalcohol.Perhapstheirparentsweredoingthesame.Toextrapolatethispossibilitytotheextreme,teenagerswithmostseverecrimebehaviorsandworstschoolperformancemightcomefromsingle-parentfamily,inwhichtheparentsgotdivorced.Thiscouldbeaseriouspsychologicalshocktothechild,makingthemunconfidentatschoolandleadingtodepression.Assadasitmaysound,thesepoorkidswithbadbehaviorsand/orlowself-confidencecannothavefamilymealsbecausetheydonothaveahappyfamilyinthefirstplace.Towrapup,Ihavepresentedtwoalternativehypothesestoexplaintheobservationthatteenagershavemorefamilymealstendtobehavebetter.Whiletheauthorclaimsthatfamilymealsarethecauseofthosegoodbehaviors,acausalrelationshipisnottheonlyexplanation.Instead,theycouldshareacommoncause,suchasthefamily’sfinancialsituationand/orthefamilyrelationship.Withoutmorein-depthanalysisofthosefamilies,wecannothastilyconcludewhattherealreasonbehindtheteens’badbehaviorsis.(578words)知识点解析：本题中作者把“和家人一起吃饭”和“青少年表现更好”这两件同时发生的事情进行了因果关联，并认为前者是后者的原因，其逻辑为：和家人一起吃饭多，非法药物使用少+和家人一起吃饭多，成绩好，自尊心强，不抑郁+30％的受访者说每周和家人吃7顿饭→和家人一起吃饭有助于避免青少年不良行为这一类型逻辑推导的问题在于，两件同时发生的事情不代表它们之间有因果关系，也有可能是具有共同的原因。在本题中至少有两种可能性，其一是家庭足够有钱，才能让全家一起吃饭，否则家长需要去打工，这也就意味着他们无法陪伴自己的小孩。其次，一块吃饭可能象征着家庭和睦，亲子关系好，这就使得小孩成长过程中能够感受到更多的关爱。在这种情况下，“和家人一起吃饭多”只是诸多背后深层因素的外在表现之一，不是青少年表现更好的原因。当然，从理论上来说本题可能有一个相反的因果关系，也即只有小孩表现好，家长才愿意与孩子一块吃饭当作奖赏。但就本题的情况，从共同原因(经济、家庭关系)的角度出发更加合适。GRE（ANALYTICALWRITING）模拟试卷第3套一、陈述观点(本题共1题，每题1.0分，共1分。)1、People’sbehaviorislargelydeterminedbyforcesnotoftheirownmaking.Writearesponseinwhichyoudiscusstheextenttowhichyouagreeordisagreewiththestatementandexplainyourreasoningforthepositionyoutake.Indevelopingandsupportingyourposition,youshouldconsiderwaysinwhichthestatementmightormightnotholdtrueandexplainhowtheseconsiderationsshapeyourposition.标准答案：Ispeople’sbehaviorlargelydeterminedbyexternalforcesratherthantheirownmaking(i.e.personalpreferencesandinterests)?Whilesomepeoplemayemphasizetheimportanceof"freewill"andarguethatourbehavioriscontrolledbywhoweare,Iwouldliketoofferanoppositeview.Thatis,people’sbehaviorisindeedprimarilytheresultofexternalforcesoverlongtimescaleandviaimmediateeffects.Tobeginwith,somewouldclaimthathumanbeingshavefreewillsandcandecideforthemselveswhatorwhatnottodo.Admittedly,nobodywouldbewillingtosubjugateoneselftotheorderofothers.Instead,outofpersonalmotivesorasenseofconscience,people’sbehaviorwilldeviatefromwhattheenvironmentorthoseexternalfactorsdictate.Forexample,soldiersontheEastsideoftheBerlinWallwereinstructedtoshootandkillanyonedefectingtotheWestaftertheendofWorldWarII.Despitesuchseeminglyirresistibleforcesbytheauthority,notallsoldiersobeyedbuttheyoptedtofollowtheirownconscience.Rather,whattheydidwasdeliberatelymissingthetargetandallowingthedefectorstoenterWestGermany.Thisexamplevividlyillustrateshow,asaconscioushumanbeing,peoplewillactinaccordancewiththeirpersonalvaluesandcanresistexternalforces.However,people’sbehaviormayappeartostemfromtheirpersonalchoicesnottheexternalforces,thisisanillusion.Thisisbecauseourpersonality,personalvalues,moralstandardsandetc.arefundamentallyallshapedbyexternalfactorsovermanydecades,orevenseveralgenerations.Intheexampleofsoldiersdisobeyingdirectordersdiscussedabove,theperson’smoralityisclaimedtoberesponsiblefortheirbehavior.Yet,itdoesnotinvestigatewheresuchasenseofconscienceeventuallycomesfrom.Frommypointofview,moralityistheproductofthelong-termevolutionofhumaninteractionswitheachotherandtheenvironmentinsociety.Forexample,thereasonwhycannibalismisnotacceptedbythemajorityofthesocietyisthatitviolatesthefundamentalaspectsofourvaluesthatallmenarecreatedequal.Suchavalue,inturn,resultsfromacentury-longdebateabouthumanrightsandequality,facilitatedbytheincreaseinproductivitysincetheIndustrialRevolution.Asaresult,externalforceshaveplayedacriticalroleinshapingone’sownmaking,thoughimplicitlyandgradually,andwillcontinuetodoso.Furthermore,eveninshorttimespanexternalforceshavebeenprovencapableofeffectivelychangingpeople’sbehavior.Thankstomodern-dayresearchinpsychology,numerousexperimentshavebeendesignedtoexaminewhatcontrolspeople’sbehavior.Whatthoseexperimentsessentiallydoismeasurethebehavioraloutcomeafterchangingcertainenvironmentalfactors.Ifpeople’sbehaviorisindeedthemainresultoftheirfreewill,theiractionshouldlargelythesameregardlessofchangesintheenvironmentinwhichtheylive.Ontheotherhand,ifexternalforceslargelydictatepeople’saction,thisshouldbeimmediatelyobservableinthoseexperimentconditions.Basedontheresultsofmanypsychologicalstudies,itturnsoutthatexternalforcesdoplayacriticalrole.Forinstance,studiesonpoliceofficersshowthatwhentheyseeaspeedingcarinbrightcolor(suchasred),theyaremorelikelytopullthecaroverandissueaticketthanseeingablackcarspeeding,eventhoughparallelstudiesfindnopersonalpreferenceincolors.Here,thecolorofthecaristhesoledeterminantoftheofficer’sbehavior.Anotherexampleisaboutpeople’sperceptiononclimatechange,donebyDr.ElkeWeberatColumbiaUniversity.Whentwolaymenwereexposedtonewsaboutglobalwarming,theonesittinginahotterroomtendstoshowgreaterlevelofbeliefandconfidenceinthenewsthantheonesittinginacoldroom.Again,theirreflectionontheperceivedinformationhingesdirectlyontheenvironment.Tosummarize,theargumentpresentedabovedemonstratesthatpeople’sbehaviorisdeterminedbyforcesinsteadoftheirownmaking,bothindirectlyanddirectly.Importantly,whilepeople’s