第三一篇
31 Read the following story carefully and write an essay in which you should:
1. retell the story briefly;
2. interpret the meaning;
3. make your comments.
You should write 160~200 words neatly on ANSWER SHEET 2.
Where are we going?
A boat docked in a tiny Mexican village. An American tourist complimented the Mexican fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took him to catch them. “Not very long,” answered the Mexican.
“But then, why didnt you stay out longer and catch more?” asked the American.
The Mexican explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his needs and those of his family.
The American asked, “But what do you do with the rest of your time?”
“I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a siesta with my wife. In the evenings, I go into the village to see my friends, play the guitar, and sing a few songs…I have a full life.”
The American interrupted, “I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help you! You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat. With the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second one and a third one and so on until you have an entire fleet of trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middle man, you can negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant. You can then leave this little village and move to Mexico City, Los Angeles, or even New York City! From there you can direct your huge enterprise.”
“How long would that take?” asked the Mexican. “Twenty, perhaps twentyfive years,” replied the American. “And after that?”
“Afterwards? Thats when it gets really interesting,” answered the American, laughing. “When your business gets really big, you can start selling stocks and make millions!”
“Millions? Really? And after that?”
“After that youll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the coast, sleep late, play with your children, catch a few fish, take a siesta, and spend your evenings enjoying your friends!” 在本書的大作文中，我們不僅為大家提供了圖畫題和圖表題，還提供了一些比較特殊的題目，比如這篇看文章寫作。我們這樣做，不僅因?yàn)閲?guó)外考試中有類似的形式，更重要的是想拓寬大家的視野，提高大家的應(yīng)變能力。
該題目先給出了一篇極富哲理的三百余字的短文，而后提出了三點(diǎn)要求，簡(jiǎn)述該故事；闡釋其中含義；給出你的評(píng)論。這篇文章可以分成三段來寫：第一段是簡(jiǎn)要地重述該故事；第二段闡釋含義并作出評(píng)論；最后一段是結(jié)語。In the above story, an American tourist wishes to turn a Mexican fisherman into a millionaire so that the latter can enjoy a happy life. The fisherman simply turns him down because he has been living that kind of happy life now.
From this story we gain a deeper insight into the ultimate question of happiness.Do we need to tell others how to be happy? Is getting rich the only way to be a happy person? Does earning a lot of money surely bring an intense feeling of happiness? Happiness is a largely related with individual perception, and there is definitely no need for us to reshape others lives in the name of bringing them happiness. Furthermore, becoming rich does not necessarily bring happiness, if we cannot control ourselves to spend money in the right way. Finally, to travel happily and hopefully is equal to and even better than to arrive. It is not wise at all to sacrifice youth, health or todays happiness just for a bright future in our dreams.
Happiness is a feeling. We go a thousand miles and spend many years to pursue what we actually can grasp today. Around us there are too many people who are busy all day, and those who are smart enough to enjoy life are always few. 這篇文章分為三段。第一段寫得非常簡(jiǎn)潔，很能體現(xiàn)寫作者總結(jié)概括的能力。該段只有兩句話，突出描寫了美國(guó)人的意圖和墨西哥漁民截然相反的態(tài)度。
第二段是核心段落。第一句直接點(diǎn)出了該文討論的主題：幸福。而后三句話連續(xù)三個(gè)問題，對(duì)文中以美國(guó)人為代表的一大批人的觀點(diǎn)表示質(zhì)疑。后四句給出回答：第五句說幸福與個(gè)人的感覺相關(guān)；第六句說變得富有不一定能帶來幸福；第七、八句最耐人尋味：快樂地、充滿希望地旅行甚至比到達(dá)更好，為了夢(mèng)想中的光明未來而犧牲自己的青春、健康或今天的幸福是不明智的。其中第七句暗引了蘇格蘭作家Robert Louis Stevenson的名句：To travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive.
最后一段做結(jié)：幸福是一種感覺。我們跨越千里，等待多年所追逐的其實(shí)就在身邊。匆匆忙忙的人總是太多，能享受生活的人卻寥寥無幾啊。如果提綱中給出的要求是闡釋含義并給出評(píng)論，這類文章是比較難寫的。這篇文章大家一定要細(xì)細(xì)琢磨，領(lǐng)悟其中的深刻含義。
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