2012GRE備考:Ideas

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GRE寫作成為橫在中國學(xué)生的理想和現(xiàn)實之間的一大障礙,因此,如何攻克寫作這道屏障,成為擺在我們面前的首要任務(wù)。
    下面的材料旨在豐富學(xué)生在是非問題寫作方面的思想和語言,考生在復(fù)習(xí)時可以先分類閱讀這些篇章,然后嘗試寫相關(guān)方面的作文題。
    學(xué)習(xí)語言的人應(yīng)該明白,表達能力和思想深度都靠日積月累,潛移默化。從某種意義上說,提高英語寫作能力無捷徑可走,你必須大段背誦英語文章才能逐漸形成語感和用英語進行表達的能力。這一關(guān),沒有任何人能代替你過。
    因此,建議你下點苦功夫,把背單詞的精神拿出來背誦文章。何況,并不是要求你背了之后永遠牢記在心:你可以這個星期背,下個星期忘。這沒有關(guān)系,相信你的大腦具有神奇的能力。背了工具箱里的文章后,你會驚訝的發(fā)現(xiàn):I can think in English now!
    1. Critical Thinking
    Critical thinking is a path to intellectual adventure. Though there are dozens of possible approaches, the process can be boiled down to concrete steps. This article offers some starting points for your journey.
    Be willing to say “I don’t know”
    Some of the most profound thinkers of our time have practiced the art of critical thinking by using two magic phrases: I don’t know and I’m not sure yet.
    Those are words many people do not like to hear. We live in times when people are criticized for changing their minds. Our society rewards quick answers and quotable “sound bites.” We’re under considerable pressure to utter the truth in 15 seconds or less.
    In such a society, it is a courageous and unusual act to pause, to look, to examine, to be thoughtful, to consider many points of view—and to not know. When a society embraces half-truths in a blind rush for certainty, commitment to uncertainty can move us forward.
    This willingness to give up certainty can be hardest to accept when it comes to notions that seem obvious. “Many things are certain,” some people say. “For example, it’s obvious that two plus two equals four.”
    Think again. When we use the base-three number system, two plus two equals 11. A child learning to write numerals might insist that two and two makes 22. And a biologist might joke that two plus two adds up to a whole lot more than four when we’re talking about the reproductive life of rabbits.
    Even scientific knowledge is not certain. At a moment’s notice, the world can deviate from what we call “l(fā)aws” of nature. Those laws exist inside our heads—not in the world. What’s more, modern science tells us many things that contradict everyday certainties. For example, physics presents us with a world where solid objects are made of atoms spinning around in empty space, where matter and energy are two forms of the same thing. Even in mathematics and the “hard” sciences, the greatest advances take place when age-old beliefs are reexamined.
    Define your terms
    Imagining two people arguing about whether an employer should extend family health care benefits to people who live together but are unmarried. To one person, the word family means a mother, father, and children. The other person applies the word family to any long-term, supportive relationships between people who live together. Chances are, the debate will go nowhere until these people realize they’re defining the same word in different ways.
    Much opinion conflict can be resolved—or at least clarified—when we define our key terms up front. This is especially true with abstract, emotion-laden terms such as freedom, peace, progress, or justices. Blood has been shed over the meaning of these words. It pays for us to define them with care.
    Practice tolerance
    Having opinions about issues is natural. When you stop having opinions, you’re probably not breathing anymore. The problem comes when we hold opinions in a way that leads to defensiveness put-down, or put-offs.
    Going hand in hand with critical thinking is tolerance for attitudes that differ from yours. Consider that many of the ideas we currently accept—democracy, Christianity, voting rights for women, civil rights for people of color—were once considered the claims of “dangerous” and unpopular minorities. This historical perspective helps us accept a tenet of critical thinking: What seems outlandish today may become widely accepted a century, a decade, or even a year from now. 感謝您閱讀《Ideas 》一文,出國留學(xué)網(wǎng)(liuxue86.com)編輯部希望本文能幫助到您。