GRE写作成为横在中国学生的理想和现实之间的一大障碍，因此，如何攻克写作这道屏障，成为摆在我们面前的首要任务。
Many such extinctions are due to natural forces, while others are due to anthropogenic factors.
In any event, it is far beyond our ability to save them all. By what standard, then, should we
decide which species are worth saving and which ones are not? In my observation, we tend to
favor animals with human-like physical characteristics and behaviors. This preference is
understandable; after all, dolphins are far more endearing than bugs. But there is no logical
justification for such a standard. Accordingly, what makes more sense is to decide based on
our own economic self-interest. In other words, the more money and jobs it would cost to save
57
a certain species, the lower priority we should place on doing do.
In sum, the issue of endangered-species protection is a complex one, requiring subjective
judgments about moral duty and the comparative value of various life forms. Thus, there are
no easy or certain answers. Yet it is for this very reason I agree that economic self-interest
should take precedence over vague notions about moral duty when it comes to saving
endangered species. In the final analysis, at a point when it becomes critical for our own
survival as a species to save certain others, then we humans will do so if we are fit – in
accordance with Darwin’s observed process of natural selection.
Issue 51
"Facts are stubborn things. They cannot be altered by our wishes, our inclinations, or the
dictates of our passions."
Can we alter facts according to our wishes or inclinations? If by "facts" the speaker means
such phenomena as political, economic, social, or legal status quo, then I concede that we can
alter facts. The reason for this is that such systems are abstract constructs of our inclinations,
wishes, and passions to begin with. Otherwise, I strongly agree with the speaker that we
cannot alter facts. When it comes to certain aspect of our personal lives, and to historical
events and scientific truths, no measure of desire or even passion can change external reality.
On an individual level, we all engage in futile attempts to alter facts--by pretending that
certain things are not the way they are because they are inconsistent with our wishes or
personal interests. Psychologists refer to this psychological defensive mechanism, which
seems to be part of human nature, as "denial." Consider curious pastimes such as
mind-reading, psychic healing, rituals that purportedly impart immortality, and other such
endeavors, which seems to transcend all cultures and periods of human history.
Understandably, we would all like to have the ability to alter the physical world, including
ourselves, as we see fit, or even to live forever by means of the sheer force of our will. Yet, not
one iota of scientific evidence lends support to the claim that any human being has ever had
any such ability.
Nor can we alter facts by virtue of our inclinations or passions when it comes to history.
Admittedly, no person can truly know any particular past that the person did not experience
firsthand. In this sense history is a construct, created for us by reporters, archivists, and
historians. Historical facts are therefore susceptible to interpretation, characterization, and of
course errors in commission and omission. This is not to say, however, that historical facts can
be altered by our inventing versions that suit our inclinations or wishes. In short, an historical
event is not rendered any less factual by either our ignorance or characterization of it.
Similarly, when it comes to science our wishes and desires ultimately yield to the
stubbornness of facts--by which I mean empirical scientific evidence and the laws and
principles of the physical world. Admittedly, in many cases it is difficult to distinguish between
scientific "fact" and mere "theory." History is replete with examples of what were considered at
one time to be facts, but later disproved as incorrect theories. Yet it is telling that many such
obsolete theories were based on the subjective inclinations, desires, and wishes of theorists
and of the societies in which the theorists lived. For example, the notions of an Earth-centered
tmiverse and of linear time and space were both influenced by religious notions--that is, by
58
human wishes and passions. As our factual knowledge increased such theories ultimately give
way.
感谢您阅读《GRE作文范文大全（27） 》一文，出国留学网(liuxue86.com)编辑部希望本文能帮助到您。