GRE高频作文.doc

7."The video camera provides such an accurate and convincing record of contemporary life that it has become a more important form of documentation than written records."
8."It is often necessary, even desirable, for political leaders to withhold information from the public."
10"Governments must ensure that their major cities receive the financial support they need in order to thrive, because it is primarily in cities that a nation's cultural traditions are preserved and generated."
11"All nations should help support the development of a global university designed to engage students in the process of solving the world's most persistent social problems."
17"There are two types of laws: just and unjust. Every individual in a society has a responsibility to obey just laws and, even more importantly, to disobey and resist unjust laws."
26"Most people would agree that buildings represent a valuable record of any society's past, but controversy arises when old buildings stand on ground that modern planners feel could be better used for modern purposes. In such situations, modern development should be given precedence over the preservation of historic buildings so that contemporary needs can be served."
30"The primary goal of technological advancement should be to increase people's efficiency so that everyone has more leisure time."
36"The greatness of individuals can be decided only by those who live after them, not by their contemporaries."
38"In the age of television, reading books is not as important as it once was. People can learn as much by watching television as they can by reading books."
39"The intellectual benefits of attending a university or college are vastly overrated: most people could learn more by studying and reading on their own for four years than by pursuing a university or college degree."
41"Such non-mainstream areas of inquiry as astrology, fortune-telling, and psychic and paranormal pursuits play a vital role in society by satisfying human needs that are not addressed by mainstream science."
46"While some leaders in government, sports, industry, and other areas attribute their success to a well-developed sense of competition, a society can better prepare its young people for leadership by instilling in them a sense of cooperation."
47"Society does not place enough emphasis on the intellect-that is, on reasoning and other cognitive skills”.
48"The study of history places too much emphasis on individuals. The most significant events and trends in history were made possible not by the famous few, but by groups of people whose identities have long been forgotten."
50"In order to improve the quality of instruction at the college and university level, all faculty should be required to spend time working outside the academic world in professions relevant to the courses they teach."
51"Education will be truly effective only when it is specifically designed to meet the individual needs and interests of each student."
54"History teaches us only one thing: knowing about the past cannot help people to make important decisions today."
56"Governments should focus more on solving the immediate problems of today rather than trying to solve the anticipated problems of the future."
59"Too much emphasis is placed on role models. Instead of copying others, people should learn to think and act independently and thus make the choices that are best for them."
61"High-profile awards such as the Nobel Prize are actually damaging to society because they suggest that only a few people deserve such recognition."
64"Many people know how to attain success, but few know how to make the best use of it."
许多人知道如何获得成功，但很少人懂得充分利用成功；it指“success" 强调成功后如何利用
74"The most effective way to communicate an idea or value to large groups of people is through the use of images, not language."
80"All students should be required to take courses in the sciences, even if they have no interest in science."
83"Government should preserve publicly owned wilderness areas in their natural state, even though these areas are often extremely remote and thus accessible to only a few people."
85"Government funding of the arts threatens the integrity of the arts."
87."In any field of inquiry, the beginner is more likely than the expert to make important discoveries."
88"Technologies not only influence but actually determine social customs and ethics."
93. "The concept of 'individual responsibility' is a necessary fiction. Although societies must hold individuals accountable for their own actions, people's behavior is largely determined by forces not of their own making."
99. "In any realm of life-whether academic, social, business, or political-the only way to succeed is to take a practical, rather than an idealistic, point of view. Pragmatic behavior guarantees survival, whereas idealistic views tend to be superceded by simpler, more immediate options."
103."The study of history has value only to the extent that it is relevant to our daily lives."
108."In many countries it is now possible to turn on the television and view government at work. Watching these proceedings can help people understand the issues that affect their lives. The more kinds of government proceedings - trials, debates, meetings, etc. - that are televised, the more society will benefit."
110."When we concern ourselves with the study of history, we become storytellers. Because we can never know the past directly but must construct it by interpreting evidence, exploring history is more of a creative enterprise than it is an objective pursuit. All historians are storytellers."
120."So much is new and complex today that looking back for an understanding of the past provides little guidance for living in the present."
127."Facts are stubborn things. They cannot be altered by our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions."
130."How children are socialized today determines the destiny of society. Unfortunately, we have not yet learned how to raise children who can help bring about a better society."
131."The arts (painting, music, literature, etc.) reveal me otherwise hidden ideas and impulses of a society."
136."The absence of choice is a circumstance that is very, very rare."
138"Only through mistakes can there be discovery or progress."
144."It is the artist, not the critic,* who gives society something of lasting value."
147."Tradition and modernization are incompatible. One must choose between them."
150."Because of television and worldwide computer connections, people can now become familiar with a great many places that they have never visited. As a result, tourism will soon become obsolete."
152 "The only responsibility of corporate executives, provided they stay within the law, is to make as much money as possible for their companies."
153."Students should bring a certain skepticism to whatever they study. They should question what they are taught instead of accepting it passively."
154."Both parents and communities must be involved in the local schools. Education is too important to leave solely to a group of professional educators."
157."There is no such thing as purely objective observation. All observation is subjective; it is always guided by the observer's expectations or desires."
159."The human mind will always be superior to machines because machines are only tools of human minds."
160."The most essential quality of an effective leader is the ability to remain consistently committed to particular principles and objectives. Any leader who is quickly and easily influenced by shifts in popular opinion will accomplish little."
161."'In this age of intensive media coverage, it is no longer possible for a society to regard any woman or man as a hero. The reputation of anyone who is subjected to media scrutiny will eventually be diminished."
167."It is impossible for an effective political leader to tell the truth all the time. Complete honesty is not a useful virtue for a politician."
173."Originality does not mean thinking something that was never thought before; it means putting old ideas together in new ways."
175."It is always an individual who is the impetus for innovation; the details may ' be worked out by a team, but true innovation results from the enterprise and unique perception of an individual."
177."The study of an academic discipline alters the way we perceive the world. After studying the discipline, we see the same world as before, but with different eyes."
83."As we acquire more knowledge, things do not become more comprehensible, but more complex and more mysterious."
184."It is a grave mistake to theorize before one has data."
185."Scandals-whether in politics, academia, or other areas-can be useful. They focus our attention on problems in ways that DO speaker or reformer ever could."
186."Practicality is now our great idol, which all powers and talents must serve. Anything that is not obviously practical has little value in today's world."
195"The goal of politics should not be the pursuit of an ideal, but rather the search for common ground and reasonable consensus."
197. "The material progress and well-being of one country are necessarily connected to the material progress and well-being of all other countries."
207."Rituals and ceremonies help define a culture. Without them, societies or groups of people have a diminished sense of who they are."
208."The way people look, dress, and act reveals their attitudes and interests. You can tell much about a society's ideas and values by observing the appearance and behavior of its people."
210."Most people choose a career on the basis of such pragmatic considerations as the needs of the economy, the relative ease of finding a job, and the salary they can expect to make. Hardly anyone is free to choose a career based on his or her natural talents or interest in a particular kind of work."
212. "If a goal is worthy, then any means taken to attain it is justifiable."
214."Society should identify those children who have special talents and abilities and begin training them at an early age so that they can eventually excel in their areas of ability. Otherwise. these talents arc likely to remain undeveloped."
218."In order for any work of art- whether film, literature, sculpture, or a song-to have merit, it must be understandable to most people."
226. "People are mistaken when they assume that the problems they confront arc more complex and challenging than the problems faced by their predecessors. This illusion is eventually dispelled with increased knowledge and experience."
235. "Most people are taught that loyalty is a virtue. But loyalty-whether to one's friends, to one's school or place of employment, or to any institution-is all too often a destructive rather than a positive force."