GRE作文范文 Argument-33

“A recent study suggests that people who are left-handed are more likely to succeed in business than are right-handed people. Researchers studied photographs of 1,000 prominent business executives and found that 21 percent of these executives wrote with their left hand. So the percentage of prominent business executives who are left-handed (21 percent) is almost twice the percentage of people in the general population who are left-handed (11 percent). Thus, people who are left-handed would be well advised to pursue a career in business, whereas people who are right-handed would be well advised to imitate the business practices exhibited by left-handers.”

嘉文博译Sample Essay

This arguer claims that a recent study suggests that left-handed people are more likely to succeed in business than right-handed people. For support, the arguer cites the results of a study where researchers studied photographs of one thousand prominent business executives and found that twenty-one percent wrote with their left hand. The arguer claims that the percentage of left-handed prominent business executives is almost twice that of left-handed people in the general population (eleven percent). The arguer then concludes that left-handed people should pursue a career in business while right-handed people should copy the business practices of left-handed people. This argument fails to convince on its premise because it is based on faulty reasoning.

First of all, there are problems with the research study itself. By studying only photographs rather than the actual people, there are two errors that may occur in drawing conclusions regarding which hand the subjects actually use to write. It is possible that although they were photographed with a pen in their left hand or apparently writing with their left hand, the business executives are in reality right-handed or ambidextrous. Merely looking at photographs is a poor substitute for actually observing or interviewing the business executives. Furthermore, in many cases with photographs, the negatives have been reversed when the photograph is printed, thereby reversing right and left. Although it may appear that the business executive is writing with his or her left hand, in reality he or she may have been using the right hand instead, or vice versa. The possibility of flaws in the research study itself critically weakens this argument.

Secondly, the arguer’s contention that the study suggests that people who are left-handed are more likely to succeed in business is wrong. Even assuming the accuracy of the study, only twenty-one percent of prominent business executives were said to write with their left hands. The vast majority of seventy-nine percent of prominent business executives wrote with their right hands. Simple mathematics shows that there are more right-handed prominent business executives than left-handed ones. Moreover, being a “prominent” business executive does not necessarily equal success in business. The arguer has framed the definition of success in business as becoming a “prominent business executive” when there are many other valid definitions of what makes one a success in business. One certainly does not have to be “prominent” nor a “business executive” to be successful in business. Failing to address these features of the research study further weakens this argument.

Finally, it simply does not follow that left-handed people should pursue a career in business and that right-handed people should imitate the business practices of left-handers. There are far too many other variables involved with success in business than solely which hand a person writes with. Inner-motivation, perseverance and just plain good luck are far more likely indicators of an individual’s success in business. To pursue any type of career or particular business practices based on such a flawed and ambiguous study would be the height of foolishness.

To summarize, the value of the research study itself is highly questionable because it is based on merely looking at photographs, which may be misleading. Furthermore, the arguer uses percentages that are not directly comparable with each other to attempt to show a correlation between which hand a person writes with and potential success in business. This argument is tenuous at best and should be rejected without better, more convincing evidence submitted for support.

(581 words)

参考译文

最近的一项调查表明，习惯用左手的人比习惯用右手的人更可能在企业里取得成功。研究人员研究了1000位优秀的企业主管的照片，发现百分之二十一的主管用左手写字。而习惯用左手的优秀企业主管的比率(21%)几乎是习惯用右手的总人数的比率(11%)的一倍。因此，那些习惯用左手的人应该在企业求职，而对于习惯用右手的人来说，模仿习惯用左手的人所表现出来的商业做法不失为一项明智之举。

这位论证者声称，最近的一项调查表明，习惯用左手的人比习惯用右手的人更有可能在企业里取得成功。为了支持其论点，论证者引用了一项调查的结果，说研究人员研究了1000位优秀企业主管的照片，发现其中21%的人用左手写字。论证者说道，习惯用左手的优秀企业主管的比率几乎是习惯用右手的总人数的比率(11%)的一倍。论证者然后得出结论：习惯用左手的人应该在企业谋职而习惯用右手的人应该模仿用左手的人的商业行为。这一论证没能在其前提上令人信服，因为它是建立在错误的推理基础之上。

首先，该项研究本身不乏某些问题。由于只研究人的照片而不是研究实际的人，因此，围绕着受试者实际用哪只手来写字，在得出结论时将会产生两种谬误。情况有可能是，尽管他们在拍照时左手持笔，或表面上作出左手写字的模样，这些企业主管们实际上却是惯于使右手的，或者是两手都善用的。只看相片，远比不上实际观察或面试这些企业主管。此外，就这些相片而言，在许多情况下，在相片冲洗时，底片被颠倒，从而将左右弄反。虽然给人的印象是某位企业主管正用其左手写字，但实际上他/她可能正好相反，所使用的却是右手。反之亦然。这项研究本身所有可能存在的缺陷严重削弱了本项论述。

其次，论述者所提出的论点，即该项研究表明惯于使左手的人更易于取得商业成功。这本身就是谬误的。即使假设该项研究精确无误，但也仅有21%的杰出企业主管据称使用左手写字。占79%的绝大多数著名企业主管使用右手写字。进行简单的数学计算就可表明，善使右手的杰出企业主管在数量上远超过善使左手的企业主管。除此之外，做一个杰出的企业主管并不必然等同于商业成功。当何谓“商业成功”实际上存在着如许多其他有效定义的时候，论述者对商业成功所下的定义却将其仅限于“成为一个杰出的企业主管”。毫无疑问，要取得商业成功，人们既没有必要成为“杰出人物”，也没有必要成为“企业主管”。该项研究由于没能探讨这些方面的内容而使论证缺乏力度。

最后，有一点是不合逻辑的，即凡是左撇子都应该追求一种商界生涯，而右撇子就应该去模仿左撇子的商业实践。商业成功涉及到许许多多其他可变性因素，而决非仅仅限制在惯于使用哪只手的问题。内在的动机、锲而不舍的精神以及好运气等更有可能来表明一种商业上的成功。如果以这样一种存在严重缺陷且又模棱两可的研究为依据去追求任何类型的职业生涯或某些特定的商业实践，将不啻于是愚蠢至极。

概而言之，该项研究的价值令人极感疑惑，因为它仅仅以看相片这一有可能产生误导作用的行为来作为其依据。其次，论述者使用了相互间并不具有直接可比性的两组百分比以期证明，在一个人写字时所使用的左手或右手与其商业上的潜在成败之间存在着某种逻辑联系。本项论述充其量也是极为薄弱的，在不能提供更为充分且更有说服力的证据来支持它的情况下应彻底予以摈弃。