Some people claim that humanity has made little real progress over the past

游客2023-12-14  9

问题     Some people claim that humanity has made little real progress over the past century or so on the ground that technological innovations have taken place, but the overall condition of humanity is no better. War, violence and poverty are still with us. Technology cannot change the condition of humanity. How do you think of their idea? Write an essay of about 400 words. You should supply an appropriate title for your essay.
    In the first part of your essay you should state clearly your main argument, and in the second part you should support your argument with appropriate details. In the last part you should bring what you have written to a natural conclusion or make a summary.
    Marks will be awarded for content, organization, grammar and appropriateness. Failure to follow the above instructions may result in a loss of marks.

选项

答案                     Undeniable Human Achievement
    To be sure, war, violence and poverty are still with us and we as mankind are probably more aware of these problems worldwide than ever before thanks to advances in technology and communication. But depending upon the definition of progress and the condition of humanity, this would appear to be an incorrect statement.
    First of all, the phrase "little real progress" from the first sentence must be defined. If the author defines progress as elimination of death, war, violence and poverty, then perhaps it could be stated that humankind has not made much improvement over the past one hundred years. However, if the term "progress" is defined not as elimination of these problems but rather a reduction in them, then great progress has been made over the past century. Life expectancies are up in nearly every country of the world due to improvements in medicine and the scientific study of the human body. War and violence, although still present, has been reduced and to a large part confined to certain areas of the world rather than the global wars of the past such was World Wars I and II. Poverty has also been reduced as international trade has lead to economic improvements in many formerly impoverished nations. Very real progress has been made in these areas over the past one hundred years.
    Secondly, the phrases "the overall condition of humanity" and "the condition of humanity" must be defined. The term means how we are able to live our lives during the time that we are given, thus again tremendous progress has been made during the past century. Cures have been found for many diseases, some of which have officially been completely eliminated. Medical treatments for other diseases have made them less deadly or less debilitating. For example, many cancer victims that would have died in the past can now go on living comfortably and cancer-free after treatment. Diabetics who would have died in the past can now live nearly normal lives.
    Even poor eyesight can be effectively eliminated through laser surgery. It would seem to be beyond argument that overall, the condition of humanity is much better now than it was one century ago.
    As mankind continues on into the twenty-first century, it would be preferable to consider all that has been accomplished over the past one hundred years and to look ahead to future advances over the next century instead of ignoring mankind’s obviously improved circumstances today.

解析     本文的亮点在于,没有急于对命题中的观点进行否定,而是先不急不缓地对该观点中的关键词进行定义,让读者心中有数。同时列举出大量事实论据,一方面批驳了命题中的谬误,另一方面也把鲜活的证据摆在读者面前,那么人类社会究竟是否取得进步就不言自明了。结尾段又将过去与未来联系起来,更增强了作者论证的气势。考生在行文时可以借鉴的是,不一定要对对立面观点全盘否定,有时较为迂回的批驳反而能够起到更好的效果。
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