【GRE写作】The Issue Task 精选20讲 · 第7讲

前两讲(Analyze an Issue Task的第5讲、第6讲)，我们学习了GRE写作中Analyze an Issue Task中颇具难度的一种指令：

Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the claim and the reason on which that claim is based.

接下来两讲，我们看第四种指令：

Write a response in which you discuss which view more closely aligns with your own position and explain your reasoning for the position you take. In developing and supporting your position, you should address both of the views presented.

很明显，这种指令与前三种指令又不一样了，详见Analyze an Issue Task的第1-6讲，其主要区别在于：

指令构成

如果有过雅思写作学习背景的同学，可能会更加熟悉此种指令。

本指令的prompt由两个独立观点构成，浓缩版本可以总结为“Some people think X. Others think Y.”

要注意问题指令中出现的两个高光处：“more closely aligns with your own position”&“address both of the views presented”，说明笔者需要选边的同时还得兼顾到另外一方观点的探讨。

这就好比一个多数男性曾遇到的一个问题：“如果我和你妈同时掉水里，你会先救谁”。

ETS当然知道我们在生活中会遇到这样的窘境难以左右，但它所想考察的却是我们是否具备足够的批判性思维和分情况讨论的能力，如：在大多数情况下，婚前的男性通常会将自己的母亲奉为女神，因为我们都有俄狄浦斯情结。而随着时间的推移、心智的熟悉、爱情的出现(仅限如果，没有也正常)，很有可能发生的是“爱人”会渐渐取代母亲的角色占据一个男人心底的全部。

因此，more closely aligns with就有了一个较为深入的探讨和回应，而非简单直白的非A即B。

谋篇布局

具体的文章结构取决于两个观点之间的底层逻辑为何。

具体来说，它们有可能是同向的，有可能是相斥的，有可能是互补的，甚至有可能是totally irrelevant，等等。因此，见招拆招即可。

具体的段落分配，可以参见之前的“敌方观点”类direction (详见Analyze an Issue Task的第3讲、第4讲)。

我们以一个题目为例：

Some people believe that corporations have a responsibility to promote the well-being of the societies and environments in which they operate. Others believe that the only responsibility of corporations, provided they operate within the law, is to make as much money as possible.

发现了么，笔者故意挑选了一个相对来说比较“聊得开、有话说”的话题(这种话题的例证应该是不胜枚举的)。

在当下消费主义、享乐主义盛行的社会里，企业的社会担当与商业生态尤为值得我们做出深刻的思索。绝 对词什么的一眼就瞥见了吧?那笔者的底层思考逻辑就不必赘述了。

试做文章剖解如下：

[Introduction]

While some people believe that corporations have the obligation to protect society and environment, others believe that the only purpose of them is to rake in profits as much as possible. I agree that making profits is important. In the grand scheme of things, though, all companies have a responsibility to watch out for their customers. Their customers are how they make their money. If they’re not watching out for their customers, they obviously will see a drop in their profits. However, being overwhelmingly profit-driven at the sacrifice of conscience may not be that recommendable.

[Body Para. 1]

Consider light bulbs, an invention that has all kinds of potential possibly incurring heavy losses. It is basically just a glass globe with electricity running through it! If a bulb gets too hot, it could potentially start a fire. Similarly, if someone removed the glass from around the tungsten wire, you’d basically have an exposed electrical wire that could hurt anyone who touched it. Makers of light bulbs know and understand all these dangers. They want consumers to purchase their products, so the first and smartest way to make that happen is to ensure that the products are safe and thus more attractive to the customer base. If everyone who used light bulbs was afraid of getting zapped, profits would obviously go down and light bulbs would not be a very profitable enterprise.

【本段解析】

还是比较贴合托福写作的语域和风格的，保个4+先。切记，至少过了issue的语言关：correct, clear, concise，再去学习这样的“弯弯绕”的说话方式。

[Body Para. 2]

This same thinking applies to all major products. The automobile is one of the most dangerous tools man uses. Tens of thousands of automobile drivers die every year in accidents. Insuring that the vehicles contain designs and parts that promote customer safety is a main focus of car manufacturers. Certain parts of cars were built with promoting driver’s well-being in mind. For instance, air bags, anti-lock braking systems, online crash reporting. These features are considered standard now, and they were all developed to increase the safety of consumers. These features were not cheap to develop, but car manufacturers improved their profits anyway because they developed products with public safety in mind, which is what customers expect. If this symbiosis relationship wasn’t true, then we would still have cars without airbags or even seatbelts. Worrying about the safety and actually improving it for customers is not just a basic responsibility of corporations, but it spurs their profits, too.

【本段解析】

还是通过类比的手法将文脉从“盈利”拉向“社会担当”。思考的深度若是能达到adequately address the issue, 语言稍微正常点就可以拿到4的分数了。

[Conclusion]

In conclusion, it is pretty clear that a corporation’s desire to make more profits is in line with a corporation’s responsibility to consumers. Increasing the focus on consumers and worrying about taking care of them and the environment can promisingly lead to bigger profits and success for corporations in the long run.

【本段解析】

脑中底层出现的中文思路是什么，就写什么即可。不必介意词汇和语法的现象，Issue Task明显更关注观点破解立意高度，即笔者是否能体现出一定凌冽深邃的哲思。