GRE作文范文 Issue-28

"The study of an academic discipline alters the way we perceive the world. After studying the discipline, we see the same world as before, but with different eyes."

嘉文博譯Sample Essay

One of the primary aims of an educational system is to change the way that its students behave and interact with the rest of the world, even at the elementary school level. As one moves further up through school, perhaps even moving on to the graduate level of studying a particular academic discipline, there is no doubt that the world itself has not changed, but the way that the educated person views the world has become vastly different. If this were not so, there would be little reason for a person to pursue higher learning.

To begin with, let's take the example of the study of a relatively simple academic discipline such as marketing. The scholar studies all aspects of marketing, such as marketing research, marketing communications and marketing management. Over a period of three to four years or more, the student learns all about how people, organizations, corporations and governments all use marketing to persuade the general public to believe in a particular idea, campaign, product or political belief. From the very first marketing class, the student becomes aware that marketing is engaged in the process of manipulating people. The world will never look the same to that individual as he sees the tremendous amount of information available to the world in an entirely different (and most likely more cynical) light. For instance, as a specific example, the student learns that most products and brands featured in television and movies are placed there deliberately, with a large fee paid to the producers by the company that sells the product. It will be difficult for the marketing scholar to watch almost any movie or program without looking through his or her new frame of reference, noticing practically every brand name and product that is featured in a television program or theatrical release.

Furthermore, the more intensive the education, the more that person's view of the world will change. Nuclear physicists cannot look at an object without noting on some level its subatomic components and construction. Astronomers with a PhD cannot be expected to simply gaze at a starlit sky in the same manner as a pair of young lovers out on a date. Physicians cannot help but see the human body in a much more clinical manner than most other people - after all, they have most likely thoroughly analyzed a human body before, both inside and out. A lawyer will never be able to perceive the world in the same way again after law school or especially after practicing law for several years. The study of law will instill in the law student a critical method of analyzing facts and situations. It is only natural that this training will spill over into other aspects of the lawyer's life, not just when dealing with legal facts. It is not possible to "think" in more than one way once your mind has been trained at critical analysis. Additionally, after the lawyer has practiced for several years, he or she will likely have seen both the good sides and the bad sides of humanity in a society. Even when meeting new people, the experienced lawyer will have a predisposed opinion of how he or she perceives this person based on their own paradigm, looking through the biased lenses of legal training.

The study of an academic discipline does not in and of itself make the world different, although the application of those studies can certainly change the course of human events. But the perceptions of the world and the way that it works are forever altered for the individual that pursues a higher education, as his or her "eyes" will never "look" the same way again.

(613 words)

參考譯文

對一個學科之研習，可以改變我們認識世界的方式。在研習一個學科之后，我們所看到的仍是一個和以前相同的世界，但觀察的角度已全然不同。

一種教育體制的首要目的，是改變其學生的行為以及與世界交流的方式，甚至在初等教育的水平上亦復如此。隨著一個人繼續(xù)上學，甚至在研究生階段研習某一學科，世界本身無疑是沒有什么變化的，但是受教育者觀察世界的方式已經(jīng)是很大地不同了。倘若不是這樣的話，就沒有什么理由讓一個人接受高等教育了。 首先，讓我們以研習一個相對簡單的學科(例如市場營銷)為例。學習者研習市場營銷的各個方面，諸如市場調(diào)查，市場流通，市場管理等。通過三、四年或更長時間的學習，學生學習到個人、機構(gòu)、公司和政府是如何運用營銷這門學問勸誘公眾相信某種觀念、運動、產(chǎn)品或政治信仰的。從最初的市場課堂，學生意識到市場營銷所關(guān)涉的就是一個操縱人的過程。隨著一個人用完全不同的(而且很可能是更加憤世嫉俗的)目光看到大量的信息涌入這個世界，這個世界將永遠不會對這個人是同樣的。例如，作為一個具體的例子，學生會了解到，在電視和電影中所宣傳的大多數(shù)產(chǎn)品和商品都是故意地安排在那兒的，銷售那些產(chǎn)品的廠家給制片人支付了巨額費用。對于市場營銷的學者來說，去觀看任何電影或電視節(jié)目而不加進他/ 她自己新的參照框架是很困難的。他會注意到電視節(jié)目或電影上播放的幾乎每一種品牌和產(chǎn)品。

進而言之，教育俞精深，一個人看待世界的角度就會變化愈大。核物理學家不可能觀察一個事物而不在一定程度上注意其亞原子成份和結(jié)構(gòu)。具有博士學位的天文學家不可能與一對在露天約會的年輕情侶以同樣的方式注視星光明亮的天空。內(nèi)科醫(yī)生會情不自禁地比多數(shù)常人更易于從臨床的角度觀察一個人體。一個律師在讀完法學院或從業(yè)數(shù)年之后，決不會再以同樣的方式認識世界。對法律的研習會給法律專業(yè)的學生灌輸一種分析事實和情況的判斷方法。很自然，這種訓練將擴展到這位律師生活的其它方面，而不僅僅限于處理法律事務。一旦你的腦子受到批判性分析的訓練，你就不可能用兩種或兩種以上的方法"思維"。而且，在一位律師從業(yè)若干年之后，他/她很可能會看到一個社會群體中人類美好的方面和丑陋的方面。甚至在遇見陌生人時，有經(jīng)驗的律師對他/她認識該人的方式也會具有基于他們自己范式的先入之見，因為他/她是在透過法律訓練的偏頗之鏡來審視他人的。

對某一學科進行研習，這一做法本身不會改變世界，盡管對于所學學科的應用肯定會改變?nèi)祟愂录倪^程。但是對世界的感知認識以及感知認識世界的方式，對于那些受高等教育之人來說卻是永遠地改變了，因為受過高等教育之人的"目光"決不會再以同樣的方式"看"待他周圍的一切。