Section: WRITING
ISSUE
PoolNumber:
19
Issue 1
Governments should focus on solving the immediateproblems of today rather than on trying to solve the anticipated problems of the future.
Analysis：
Immediate problems are always those demanding promptsolutions, including natural catastrophes, flight or train accidents, economic crisis and so forth. All theseproblems may give rise to chain effects– for example, when flood happens, the area that suffers a lot will fall short of water, food and labor force togo against the flood. If not addressedproperly and promptly, the shortage will soon develop into larger demand and casualty. Therefore, placingemphasis on tackling the urgent problemsshould be held in high regard for the government in terms of avoiding further loss.
However, it is impossible for a government to merelyfocus on immediate problems. Since people never live for now, the government should consider the potentialneeds that its people may have andpossible problems that may appear in the future. Also, not only does the government have tocope with things within the countryboarder, but it also has to take into account the future development and potential threats on human beings. Therefore,such anticipated problems must beanalyzed thoroughly and treated carefully as the advancement and possibleobstacles in technology, theenvironmental problems and the national force issues.
Moreover, citizens would like to see that theirgovernment is far-sighted enough to set up a detailed plan for the future. Without the blueprint and promisesfor the future development, the governmentwill have trouble winning the overall ground, thus losing the confidence coming from its people. Besides, oncethe “anticipated problems” become“immediate problems” one day, it is easy to imagine how chaotic our society might be in that the governmenthas not prepared for such possibilities.
ISSUE
Pool
Number:54
Issue 2
In order to become well-rounded individuals, allcollege students should be required totake courses in which they read poetry, novels, mythology, and other types of imaginative literature.
Analysis:
Poetry, novels, mythology and other types ofliterature all contribute to the creativity and imagination of individuals. When students are buried in these works,they will picture the scenario depictedin the poems and novels, learn some beautiful descriptions and communicate with people in a more understandablefashion. Also, the characters infavorable works encourage students to look into themselves and to stretch themselves to better theirlives.
However, not all students are big fans of literature.Forcing those who are reluctant to readimaginary literature or interested in other forms of activities to take up reading will yield opposite results –they will be less willing to take thesecourses or even develop negative feeling against their schoolwork. Besides, a well-rounded person is notnecessarily proficient in literature. Itis equally possible that he or she has other hobbies – painting, carving,dancing and so forth.
ISSUE
PoolNumber:
143
Issue 3
No field of study can advance significantlyunless it incorporates knowledge and experience from outside that field.
Analysis：
Referring to some knowledge and experience from otherfields of study can no doubt propel thesubject forward. This can be illustrated by a great number of examples – Artificial Intelligence, a newborntechnology that has defeated a master inweiqi and a group of elite lawyers, is a good case in point. Combining knowledge in computer science, chess,legislations and their interpretations, and also economy, management and so on, the scientists can ultimatelyfuse a great many subjects together tocomplete sophisticated tasks and help people do more trivial things.
However, some subjects are difficult to mergetogether. For example, the advancement in astronomy has nothing to do with religions and mythology. If it isthe case that all subjects must findways to mix together, then most people would have perceived that the universe is geocentric and it is the God but notwhat happens in the big bang thatcreates all human beings.
Worse, the scientists will just wait for theadvancement and incorporation from otherfields of study as is described in the statement. But the basis for a subject to advance is the dedication of scientistsand deeper understanding of the subject itself.
ARGUMENT
PoolNumber:
78
Argument 1
The following appeared in a memo from the vicepresident of a food distribution companywith food storage warehouses in several cities.
"Recently, we signed a contract with the Fly-Away PestControl Company to provide pest controlservices at our fast-food warehouse in Palm City, but last month we discovered that over $20,000 worth of foodthere had been destroyed by pest damage.Meanwhile, the Buzzoff Pest Control Company, which we have used for many years, continued to service ourwarehouse in Wintervale, and last month only $10,000 worth of the food stored there had been destroyed bypest damage. Even though the pricecharged by Fly-Away is considerably lower, our best means of saving money is to return to Buzzoff for all our pestcontrol services."
Fallacies:
可能有其他原因导致仓库中食品收到虫害。比如，食品包装出现问题、当地虫害大规模爆发、库房常年使用缺乏维修等。另外，由于文中说明的是经济损失，这就涉及到受到虫害的食品单价问题。也就是说，如果这一批次的食品单价高，那么经济损失自然高，跟Fly-AwayPest Control公司无关。
Buzzoff Pest Control Company管理的仓库和Fly-AwayPest Control Company管理的仓库并不能进行比较，因为仓库的地点、天气状况和仓库本身的使用年限和环境问题都有可能是不同的。另外，两个仓库存放的食品也有可能是不同的。
最后的结论有逻辑错误：即使上面的错误假设都成立，那么我们也不能说B公司在其他地点的仓库的灭虫效果跟在Wintervale是一样的。另外，作者声称B公司能够省钱，这犯了错误抉择的问题。我们并不知道还有没有其他的公司也做相同的业务，也不知道还有没有其他的办法保护食品不受虫害影响。
ARGUMENT
Pool
Number:
5
Argument 2
The following appeared in a letter to the editorof the Balmer Island Gazette.
"On Balmer Island, where mopeds serve as apopular form of transportation, the population increases to 100,000 during the summer months. To reduce the number of accidents involving mopeds andpedestrians, the town council of BalmerIsland should limit the number of mopeds rented by the island's moped rental companies from 50 per day to 25 perday during the summer season. By limiting the number of rentals, the town council will attain the 50percent annual reduction in mopedaccidents that was achieved last year on the nei**oring island of Seaville, when Seaville's town council enforcedsimilar limits on moped rentals."
Fallacies:
作者暗含的意思是mopeds数量上升导致交通事故的频繁发生。但实际上，我们不能证明交通事故的发生是由于mopeds和其驾驶员。比如说，行人不按照交通法规行走、岛上骤然增加的人口占据了机动车道、交通管理员不足、交通标志不够明确等等都有可能造成交通事故增加。
作者建议限制moped的措施仅限于夏季的几个月，但其要达到的目标却是年均减少百分之五十的事故率。但我们并不清楚夏季的交通事故占全年的交通事故的比例。
作者把去年在临岛Seaville的事情同本岛今年的情形进行类比，这犯了时地全等的错误。因为地方不一样，面临的环境、人口、交通状况等都不同。另外，时间上的不同也会导致情况发生变化。
RECAP
本次考试的ISSUE部分和ARGUMENT部分都较为简单，其中ARGUMENT部分的第二题是上课一定会讲到的题目。Issue部分的三道题上课也都会进行分析。
