GRE作文范文 Issue-32

“Practicality is now our great idol, which all powers and talents must serve. Anything that is not obviously practical has little value in today’s world.”

嘉文博译Sample Essay

The value of something that is or is not practical in today’s world depends on whose vision you are using to look at the situation. In the richer countries of the world, frivolous and apparently useless products, ideas and services abound. But even within these wealthy countries, there are still those that are barely surviving as opposed to those who are unabashedly rich. On the contrary, for the poorer, still developing countries that comprise most of mankind, practicality is usually a necessity for survival. It is an interesting contrast between different perspectives that shows a true dichotomy between the different types of societies and the people that live within those societies.

To begin with, one should look at the idea of “practicality” from the standpoint of a person living in a rich country, such as the United States. There are poor people living in poverty in virtually every state of the union. From the barrios of California to the mountain villages of West Virginia, there are numerous people who have no need for anything that is not “practical” for them. Food and shelter are their priorities with no time to even think about owning something as frivolous as a mobile phone or satellite television. For these people, practicality is a necessity and they must use what little power or talent they have available to them to merely survive.

On the other hand, in these same United States, there are people of almost unimaginable wealth whose idea of what is “practical” is vastly different. As just one example, the billionaire Donald Trump probably believes that he could not properly go about his business without his fleet of jets, yachts and automobiles, not to mention the vast range of luxury hotels and condominiums that he owns. In his situation, what is practical is whatever makes his life more comfortable. Undoubtedly Mr. Trump owns either property or possessions that he has probably never even seen. For these ultra-rich people, the word “practicality” may not even exist, as they have more money to spend on what other people would consider to be useless items, such as a $100,000 Rolex watch. These types of assets may not be practical but they certainly have value. For the very rich, practicality gives way to wants and desires.

In contrast with the two distinct groups discussed above, people from developing nations may never have even heard of satellite television or $100,000 timepieces. For them, practicality is a way of life. If something is not useful, then it must be discarded. Their focus is on subsistence, much in the same way as those poorer people in the richer countries. In an impoverished country however, these people would likely trade the expensive Rolex watch for a goat or cow – much more practical in their situation. Whereas the people of a richer country would see an intrinsic value built into the brand name and quality of the watch, people in an extremely poor country would see only a useless piece of metal and crystal. They perhaps tell time by the sun and need no watch regardless of its so-called “value”. In these parts of the world, clearly practicality is the necessary focus that requires the devotion of all time, talent and effort to things that are useful.

In summary, how much talent and power one devotes to something will depend on the value that the individual places on the particular idea, product or service. The value of something that is not practical, and indeed what is in itself “practical” will depend solely on the individual’s point of view

(597 words)

参考译文

实用性是我们现在最大的偶像，我们所有的力量和才能都必须服务于它。任何不具明显实用性的事物在今天的世界上都是没有价值的。

一个事物在今天的世界上是否实用，其价值取决于用谁的观点去看待它。在比较富裕的国家，花哨却无实际价值的和明显无用的产品、观念和服务设施比比皆是。但是，即使在这些较为富裕的国家，仍然有一些人仅能勉强糊口存活，与那些富得荒淫无度的人们构成鲜明对照。相反，对于比较贫穷的、仍然处于发展中的国家(他们构成人类的大多数)，实用常常是生存的必要条件。正是不同观点之间的一个饶有趣味的对比，才揭示出了不同类型的社会之间以及生活于这些社会中的人们之间的一个真正的两极分化。

首先，我们可以从生活在富裕国家——例如美国——的人们的视角来审视“实用”。实际上在联邦的每一个州，都有穷人生活于贫困之中。从加利福尼亚的市镇郊区到西弗吉亚州的山村，许许多多的人对于不“实用”的东西毫无需求。食物和住房是他们最迫切需要的东西，他们甚至没有时间考虑拥有诸如移动电话或卫星电视这类没有意义的物品。对于这些人，实用是必要条件，而且他们必须使出浑身解数以保生存。

另一方面，同样是在美国，有些人拥有多得难以想像的财富，而他们对“实用”的观念与前者有着天壤之别。举一例以说明，亿万富翁Donald Trump或许认为，如果没有他的飞机、快艇和汽车队伍，他就不能正常地干他的事情，且不说他所拥有的数目可观的豪华饭店和设施场所。对他来说，实用意味着那些使他生活得更舒适的东西。毫无疑问，Trump先生拥有着他甚至可能从未见过的财产或财富。对于这些极富的人，“实用”一词或许根本就不存在。因为他们拥有更多的钱能花在那些被其他人认为没有用的东西上，例如价值十万美元的劳力士手表。这类财产可能不实用，但它们的确具有价值。对于非常富有之人，实用性已让位于需求与欲望。

与上面谈到的两类不同的人形成鲜明对照的是，发展中国家中有些人甚至从来没有听说过卫星电视或十万美元的手表。对于他们来说，实用就是生活方式。某物如果没用，就必须被扔掉。他们的目光只是专注于生活，与富裕国家的穷人毫无二致。然而，在一个贫困的国家，这些人很可能会拿这块昂贵的劳力士手表去换一头羊或一头牛——这在他们看来要实用得多。

虽然富裕国家的人能意识到手表的名牌和质量包含着内在价值，但在极端贫困的人看来，它只不过是一件毫无用途的金属和晶体。他们或许利用太阳获知时间而不是借助手表，尽管手表具有所谓的“价值”。在世界的这些地区，显然实用才是他们每时每刻追求的需要，用途才是他们的才华和精力所投入其中的东西。

总之，人把多少才华和精力投入到一种事物，取决于一个人所赋予给某观念、产品和服务的价值。某物是否实用，以及什么东西就其本身而言是“实用的”，仅仅取决于一个人的看法。