GMAT考试写作指导：Issue写作范文六七

　　67. The speaker claims that our jobs greatly influence our personal interests,

　　recreational activities and even appearance. While I agree that the personal lives of

　　some people are largely determined by their work, in my view it would be a mistake to

　　draw this conclusion generally. In my observation, the extent to which occupation

　　influences personal life depends on the nature of the work, and how central the

　　work is to ones sense of self.

　　On the one hand, consider my friends Steve and William. Steve works as a

　　gardener, but after work he creates oil paintings of quality and poignancy. His leisure

　　time is spent alternately at the sea, in the wilderness, and in dark cafes. William paints

　　houses for a living, but on his own time he collects fine art and books in first edition, as

　　well as reading voraciously in the area of American history. Their outside activities and

　　appearance speak little about what Steve or William do for a living, because these men

　　view their jobs as little more than a means of subsidizing me activities that manifest

　　their true selves. At the same time, they have chosen jobs that need not spill over into

　　their personal lives, so the nature of their jobs permits them to maintain a distinctive

　　identity apart from their work.

　　On the other hand, consider my friend Shana―a business executive who lives and

　　breathes her work. After work hours you can invariably find her at a restaurant or bar

　　with colleagues, discussing work. Shanas wardrobe is primarily red―right off the

　　dress-for-success page of a womans magazine. For Shana, her job is clearly an

　　expression of her self-concept. Also, by its nature it demands Shanas attention and time

　　away from the workplace.

　　What has determined the influence of work on personal lives in these cases is the

　　extent to which each person sees himself or herself in terms of work. Clearly, work is at

　　the center of Shanas life, but not of either Steves or Williams. My sample is small;

　　still, common sense and intuition tell me that the influence of work on ones personal

　　life depends both on the nature of the work and on the extent to which the work serves

　　as a manifestation of ones self-concept.