|
|
解析SAT短文中的Critical
Thinking
作者：胡琳、汪小武 |
下面是篇在SAT考试中真实的满分12分的短文，如果把黄色部分去掉，还是一篇好短文，但是Critical
Thinking就不够了，大概可以得10分。黄色部分，展示了学生的分析和归纳能力，也就是Outstanding Critical
Thinking。
Assignment:
Is it more valuable for
people to fit in than to be unique and different? Plan and
write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this
issue. Support
your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading,
studies,
experience, or observations.
Essay:
It is more
valuable for people to be unique and different. Conformity is the
bane of our existence— it is differences among people that gives
each of us greater perspective and allows us to make better
judgments. Throughout history and literature，numerous
people have refused to “fit in”，which
allowed them to do many things they could not have if they chose to
“fit in”，such as Atticus Finch，Huckleberry
Finn，and Copernicus and Galileo.
In To Kill a Mocking bird
by Harper Lee，Atticus Finch refuses to flow with society. When he is
assigned to defend a black man accused of raping a white woman，he
acts differentlythan most other lawyers would have. In a case of a
white man’s word against a black man’s，the trial would only be a
show because the black man would certainly been indicted.
However，Atticus
is aware that the defendant is innocent and fights a losing battle
to reveal the truth，which is what all lawyers should do. He is
considerably different from most other men of his time，who would
have realized the outcome was inevitable and would not have
struggled against it. Thus，he is able to open the peoples’ eyes to
the truth，and although he does lose the case，he scores a moral
victory. His refusal to go down
without a fight marked him as different，but this difference opened
the door for the truth，allowing the parochial townspeople to see a
larger perspective，beyond their racial prejudices.
|
|
Huck Finn is also different，which
allows him to see the truth and makebetter judgments. In The
Adventures of Huckle berry Finn by Mark Twain，Huck shuns
“respectable” society，preferring his free，unchained life. This
refusal to obey society’s restrictions allows him to befriend a
runaway slave，something that would be impossible in “respectable”
society. His difference allows him to
see the man as a person，not chattel to be sold at a whim. He begins
to realize that slavery is wrong，that all men should be free.
Therefore，when his new friend is captured，Huck decides to help him
escape，going against all his society has taught him.
He is described in glowing terms as a hero，simply because his
differences allowed him a more encompassing view of his
world，allowing him to make a very good decision.
Copernicus and Galileo also refused
to “fit in” with their society； when they discovered the true
structure of the solar system，they went against standard views and
aired their own. Many scorned them for their discoveries and
ostracized them，trying to make them conform and manipulate their
discoveries to support the older view of the universe. However，they
persevered in spite of all the
obstacles they faced and continued to promote their discoveries.
They were unique— they created a new theory and published it during
a time when difference was feared and struck out against.
Eventually，their discoveries were verified，opening a new perspective
and eventuallyleading to even more important discoveries. Their
discovery changed peoples’perspectives of the world and led the
people to become more open-minded，leading to the discovery of even
more，wonderful ideas.
These examples illustrate how
nonconformity is an essential quality for mankind. The greatest
thinkers were unique— they did not try to “fit in” and follow
society；instead，they led it.
Differences among people give each of us greater perspective and
allow us to make better judgments，suchas the decision to be
different. With conformity，there cannot be change or progress，an
essential process for the human race- uniqueness and differences
allow us to prosper and flourish.
微信ID：ivytrack
欢迎加入常春藤之路教育群 （扫码参加）
北美最大的教育微信群
[版权所有，如要转载，
不得更改或删去落款
本文原自常春藤之路（www.ivytrack.org)]
|
|