孙远GMAT作文讲义（一）

　　一、考试指南 　　GMAT作文考两篇作文，一篇是一个是非问题分析; 另一篇作文是一个逻辑问题分析; 另一篇作文是一个逻辑问题分析。两篇作文各考30分钟，加起来共一个小时。简单地说，第一篇作文是立论，第二篇作文是驳论。

　　1. 逻辑问题分析例文

　　The following appeared in a memorandum from the Director of Human Resources to the executive officers of Company X.

　　Last year, we surveyed our employees on improvements needed at Company X by having them rank, in order of importance, the issues presented in a list of possible improvements. Improved communications between employees and management was consistently ranked as the issue of highest importance by the employees who responded to the survey. As you know, we have since instituted regular communications sessions conducted by high-level management, which the employees can attend on a voluntary basis. Therefore, it is likely that most employees at Company X now feel that the improvement most needed at the company has been made.

　　Discuss how well reasoned you find this argument. In your discussion be sure to analyze the line of reasoning and the use of evidence in the argument. For example, you may need to consider what questionable assumptions underlie the thinking and what alternative, explanations or counterexamples might weaken the conclusion. You can also discuss what sort of evidence would strengthen or refute the argument, what changes in the argument would make it more logically sound, and what, if anything, would help you better evaluate its conclusion.

　　2. 是非问题分析例文

　　Employees should keep their private lives and personal activities as separate as possible from the workplace.

　　Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated above. Support your views with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading

　　GMAT作文题库是怎么回事

　　GMAT作文的评分标准

　　GMAT作文如何阅卷和评分

　　二、课程安排

　　1. 教学内容

　　Part One: Analysis of an Argument

　　Case Study 1

　　Case Study 2

　　Case Study 3

　　Case Study 4

　　Part Two: Analysis of an Issue

　　Case Study 1

　　Case Study 2

　　Case Study 3

　　Case Study 4

　　Part Three: Summary

　　1. Language Skills

　　2. Prep Tips

　　2. 教学方法

　　案例分析

　　逻辑分析

　　是非分析

　　作文的结构和模式

　　论证方法

　　语言问题

　　三、逻辑问题例文分析

　　Case Study 1

　　The following appeared as part of an article in a daily newspaper.

　　The computerized onboard warning system that will be installed in commercial airliners will virtually solve the problem of midair plane collisions. One planes warning system can receive signals from anothers transponder--a radio set that signals a planes course--in order to determine the likelihood of a collision and recommend evasive action.

　　Discuss how well reasoned you find this argument. In your discussion be sure to analyze the line of reasoning and the use of evidence in the argument. For example, you may need to consider what questionable assumptions underlie the thinking and what alternative, explanations or counterexamples might weaken the conclusion. You can also discuss what sort of evidence would strengthen or refute the argument, what changes in the argument would make it more logically sound, and what, if anything, would help you better evaluate its conclusion.

　　2分作文:

　　This argument has no information about air collisions. I think most cases happen is new airports because the air traffic is heavy. In this case sound airport control could solve the problem.

　　I think this argument is logically reasonable. Its assumption is that plane collisions are caused by planes that dont know each others positions. So pilots can do nothing, if they know each others position through the system it will solve the problem. If it can provide evidence the problem is lack of knowledge of each others positions, it will be more sound and persuasive.

　　More information about air collisions is helpful,

　　4分作文

　　The argument is not logically convincing. It does not state whether all planes can receive signals from each other. It does not state whether planes constantly receive signals. If they only receive signals once every certain time interval, collisions will not definitely be prevented. Further if they receive a signal right before they are about to crash, they cannot avoid each other.

　　The main flaw in the argument is that it assumes that the two planes, upon receiving each others signals, will know which evasive action to take. For example, the two planes could be going towards each other and then receive the signals. If one turns at an angle to the left and the other turns at an angle to the right, the two planes will still crash. Even if they receive an updated signal, they will not have time, to avoid each other.

　　The following argument would be more sound and persuasive. The new warning system will solve the problem of midair plane collisions. Each plane will receive constant, continual signals from each other. If the two planes are headed in a direction where they will crash, the system will coordinate the signals and tell one plane to go one way, and the other plane to go another way. The new system will ensure that the two planes will turn in different directions so they dont crash by trying to prevent the original crash. In addition, the planes will be able to see themselves and the other on a computer screen, to aid in the evasive action.

　　6分作文

　　The argument that this warning system will virtually solve the problem of midair plane collisions omits some important concerns that be addressed to substantiate the argument. The statement that follows the description of what this warning system will do simply describes the system and how it operates. This alone does not constitute a logical argument in favor of the warning system, and it certainly does not provide support or proof of the main argument.

　　Most conspicuously, the argument does not address the cause of the problem of air plane collisions, the use of the system by pilots and flight specialists, or who is involved in the midair plane collisions. First, the argument assumes that the cause of the problem is that the planes courses, the likelihood of collisions, and actions to avoid collisions are unknown or inaccurate. But if the cause of the problem of midair plane collisions is that pilots are not paying attention to their computer systems or flight operations, the warning system will not solve the collision problem. Second, the argument never addresses the interface between individuals and the system and how this will affect the warning systems objective of obliterating the problem of collisions. If the pilot or flight specialist does not conform to what the warning system suggests, air collisions will not be avoided. Finally, if planes other than commercial airliners are involved in the collisions, the problem of these collisions cannot be solved by a warning system that will not be installed on non-commercial airliners. The argument also does not address what would happen in the event that the warning system collapsed, falls, or does not work properly.

　　Because the argument leaves out several key issues, it is not sound or persuasive. If it included the items discussed above instead of solely explaining what the system supposedly does, the argument would have been more thorough and convincing.

　　Case Study 2

　　The following appeared in an Avia Airlines departmental memorandum: On average, 9 out of every 1000 passengers who traveled on Avia Airlines in 1993 filed a complaint about our luggage-handing procedures. This means that although some 1 percent of our passengers were unhappy with those procedures, the overwhelming majority were quite satisfied with them; thus it would appear that a review of the procedures is not important to our goal of maintaining or increasing the number of Avias passengers.

　　Discuss how logically convincing you find this argument. In explaining your point of view, be sure to analyze the line of reasoning and the use of evidence in the argument. Also discuss what, if anything, would make the argument more sound and persuasive, or would help you to better evaluate its conclusion.

　　Student Essay

　　In Avia Airliness survey, nearly 1 present of its passengers were unhappy with its baggage-handling procedures. The result sounds good. But the small pool of samples in regard with all passengers, the weakness of procedure of complaint, and other reasons below will weaken the result, or draw to an opposite conclusion .

　　Avia Airlines can only survive by transporting hundreds of thousands of passengers each years. Many passengers who were not satisfied with its baggage-handling procedures maybe did not write down a complaint. Assuming that only one percent of those unsatisfied passengers complained in written forms, the number of unsatisfied would be 900 out of every 1000 passenger. It is a horrible ratio. Avia Airlines could be murdered by the remaining 899 unsatisfied ones.

　　To 1000, 9 seems a very small ratio. But if the first of the nine unsatisfied passengers is President Clinton, the story is attactive to most reporters. In some hours or days, Avia Arline will exist in newspapers, magazines, TV sports, reports and Internet. This kind of free advertisement will surely bomb AA to sky.

　　Avia Airlines has too many competitors in and out of USA. Clients of other Airlines, for instance, Singapore. Airlines or Japan Airlines may have no complaints about baggage-handling procedures. AA may gradually loose more and more of its passengers and die out.

　　So AA s conclusion would. be absurd through reasoning. Unsatisfied passengers who did not complain, the famous persons who complained, and competitors with no unsatisfied passengers all will make disastrous result for the Avia Airlines. So a review of the procedure is very important to its goal of maintaining or increasing the number of passengers.

　　Revised Essay

　　In this argument, the arguer concludes that a review of Avia Airlines baggage-handling procedures will not further its goal of maintaining or increasing the number of Avia passengers. To support this conclusion, the arguer points out that only one percent of passengers who traveled on Avia last year filed a complaint. In addition, the arguer reasons that the great majority of Avia passengers are happy with baggage handling at the airline. This argument suffers from two critical flaws.

　　In the first place, the argument turns on the assumption that the 99 percent of Avia passengers who did not complain were happy with the airlines baggage-handling procedures. However, the arguer provides no evidence to support this assumption. The fact that, on average, 9 out of 1000 passengers took the time and effort to formally complain indicates nothing about the experiences or attitudes of the remaining 991. It is possible that many passengers were displeased but too busy to formally complain, while others had no opinion at all. Lacking more complete information about passengers attitudes, we cannot assume that the great majority of passengers who did not complain were happy.

　　In the second place, in the absence of information about the number of passengers per flight and about the complaint records of competing airlines, the statistics presented in the memorandum might distort the seriousness of the problem. Given that most modern aircrafts carry as many as 300 to 500 passengers, it is possible that Avia received as many as 4 or 5 complaints per flight. The arguer unfairly trivializes this record. Moreover, the arguer fails to compare Avias record with those of its competitors. It is possible that a particular competitor received virtually no baggage-handling complaints last year. If so, Avias one percent complaint rate might be significant enough to motivate customers to switch to another airline.

　　In conclusion, the arguer fails to demonstrate that a review of the baggage-handling procedures at Avia Airlines is not needed to maintain or increase the number of Avias passengers. To strengthen the argument, the author would have to provide evidence that most Avia passengers last year were indeed happy with baggage-handling procedures. To better evaluate the argument, we would need more information about the numbers of Avia passengers per flight last year and about the baggage-handling records of Avias competitors.

　　四、Argument开头段模式训练

　　.写作的开头尤其重要

　　.事先准备一个开头模式

　　.进行适当调整

　　.已经提出的模式

　　第一段

　　第一句归纳原论证结论

　　第二句话指出原论证一个方面的论据

　　第三句话指出另一个方面论据

　　第四句话表明对论述的基本判断

　　Sample 1:

　　Argument Question :

　　The following appeared as part of an article in a trade magazine for breweries.

　　Magic Hat Brewery recently released the results of a survey of visitors to its tasting room last year. Magic Hat reports that the majority of visitors asked to taste its low-calorie beers. To boost sales, other small breweries should brew low-calorie beers as well.

　　开头段:

　　In this argument, the arguer concludes that all small breweries should brew low-calorie beers in order to increase sales. To support this conclusion, the arguer points out that most visitors to the tasting room of Magic Hat Brewery showed interest in its low-calorie beers. In addition, the arguer reasons that since most visitors like to taste the low-calorie beers of Magic Hat Brewery, most customers of other small breweries would also like to buy low-calorie beers. A careful examination of this argument would reveal how groundless it is.

　　Sample 2:

　　Argument Question :

　　The following appeared as part of an article in the book section on a newspaper.

　　Currently more and more books are becoming available in electronic form-either free-of-charge on the Internet or for a very low price-per-book in compact disc. Thus literary classics are likely to be read more widely than ever before. People who couldnt have purchased these works at bookstore prices will now be able to read them for little or no money; similarly, people who find it inconvenient to visit libraries and wait for books to be returned by other patrons will now have access to whatever classic they choose from their home or work computers. This increase in access to literary classics will radically affect the public taste in reading, creating a far more sophisticated and learned reading audience than has ever existed before.

　　A compact disc is a small portable disc capable of storing relatively large amounts of data that can be read by a computer.

　　开头段:

　　In this argument, the arguer concludes that the increasing availability of books in electronic form will automatically bring about a far more sophisticated and learned reading audience. To support this conclusion, the arguer points out that the Internet and compact discs have made it more convenient for readers to find, buy or read books. In addition, the arguer reasons that since more people have easier access to literary classics, tasteful readers will emerge in large numbers. This argument is flawed in two major aspects.