GMAT考试写作指导：Issue写作范文六

　　6. The speaker here defines success simply as the ability to choose how to spend

　　ones life. Under this definition, people who have the freedom to do whatever they want

　　at any time they choose would presumably be the most successful ones, while those

　　who have no such freedom would be the biggest failures. Viewing the definition in this

　　light reveals three serious problems with it.

　　The chief problem with this definition of success is that by the definition nearly

　　all people would be regarded as failures. The reason for this is simple. Most people have

　　extremely limited choices in what they can do and when they can do it. In other words,

　　unrestricted freedom of choice is a luxury only a few people―perhaps a handful of

　　tyrannical dictators and ultra-wealthy individuals―can afford.

　　Secondly, people who have a high degree of freedom in choosing their lifestyle

　　often acquire it through means that would not earn them the accolade of being

　　successful. For example, lottery winners or people who inherit a great deal of money

　　may be able to spend their life in any way they choose, but few people would regard

　　them as successful merely due to their financial fortune.

　　A third reason this definition of success is unacceptable is that it repudiates some

　　of our basic intuitions about success. For most people, success is related to achievement.

　　The more you achieve, the more successful you are; conversely, the less you achieve the

　　less successful you are. Defining success in terms of freedom of choice ignores this

　　intuition.

　　In sum, the proposed definition of success is far too limiting, and it belies our

　　intuition about the concept. I think that most people would agree with me that success is

　　better defined in terms of the attainment of goals.