SAT写作重点话题讲解(二):选择类

　　回顾过去几场考试，可以发现college board 十分青睐挑战权威和提出新想法这个主题，既然如此青睐，各位参加6月考试的考生还是应该额外关注。其他类别包括物质类别，个人价值观判断等。接下来给大家罗列一些重点话题，以供参考。

　　重点四：选择类

　　Is striving to achieve a goal always the best course of action, or should people give up if they are not making progress?

　　首先是审题。这个题目比较简单，不放弃自然比较好写。笔者上课讲过美国自行车员Lance Armstrong，他得了癌症，但是从不放弃，因为心中有个梦想环法冠军。 接下来给大家准备了他的生平简单介绍，看的过程中大家可以学习如何利用一个人故事的不同部分论证众多种SAT作文题目。

　　素材(参考书籍外研社人物传记丛书系列)：

　　By age thirteen, Lance had proved himself to be a good runner and an excellent swimmer. He was always on the bike, pedaling away. So when he saw an advertisement for a junior triathlon called Iron Kids, it seemed like a perfect fit.

　　A triathlon is a race with three parts. Competitors begin the race with a swim, then climb onto bikes for a long ride. At the end of the ride, the racers jump off their bikes and begin a distance run. Triathlon is an exhausting sport for which few people are suited. But it was perfect for Lance.

　　He entered more adult triathlons and started winning some of them. Soon, Trianthlete magazine named him the national Rookie of the Year in sprint triathlons. But as he continued to train, he felt more and more comfortable on the bike. Soon, dreams of being a professional road racer replaced his dreams of being a star in triathlon.

　　论证题目：Do people achieve greatness only by finding out what they are especially good at and developing that attribute above all else?

　　是的

　　伟大：环法冠军

　　特别擅长：自行车

　　其他：游泳跑步

　　1990 Lance moved out on his own. He settled in Austin, Texas, where he rented an apartment. He also joined the U.S. national cycling team under coach Chris Carmichael.

　　He was stubborn. He didnt understand the strategy of holding a little energy in reserve.

　　First race: 1990 Amateur World Championship in Japan. The race, held on a very hot day, was 115 miles long with a difficult uphill section. Chris wanted Lance to draft--- to stay behind other riders and save some energy for the end of the race.

　　But Lance didnt listen to his coach. He was overconfident and quickly pedaled to a big lead. The lead grew to almost 90 seconds, but Lance was exhausting himself. He got tired and slowed down. His lead fell to a minute, than to 30 seconds. Soon the peloton had caught him. Lance couldnt mount a charge at the end. He could only slide back into the draft and finish eleventh.

　　论证题目： 1Do people accomplish more when they are allowed to do things in their own way?

　　自己方式：冲刺，领先。

　　结果：输了比赛。

　　2 Are people more likely to be productive and successful when they ignore the opinions of others?

　　Is it sometimes better to take risks than to follow a more reasonable course of action?

　　Impatience was not Lances only problem during races. His aggressive style also got him into trouble. He didnt give his opponents any respect. He would shout at them and insult them during races. He wouldnt work with his own teammates. He would show them up， just to prove that he was better. In response other riders sometimes got in his way on purpose and tried to slow him down. They refused to draft with him. By being selfish, Lance was isolating him.

　　An common idea in team racing: that one racer should move over to let another one win.

　　After 1990 Italy: Lance was riding as an amateur on the U.S. cycling team. He also signed on with a professional team called Subaru-Montgomery.

　　Both teams were competing in the race. The race was held over ten stages, each on a different day. As the race went on, only one rider, an American named Nate Reese, was ahead of Lance. One evening between stages, Eddie, the coach of the Subaru-Montgomery team, told Lance that he was expected to help Reese, a professional, win the race.

　　注(amateur cyclists get paid but they cant win prize money at international events )

　　He wasnt used to the idea of staying back to let somebody else win. He talked to his coach Chris. His coach told him to take every chance to win. His mother Linda also encouraged him to ride the best he could.

　　In the final stage, he pushed hard to take over the lead. His fast pace left Reese far behind. The Italian fans were angry that an American was leading the race. They threw glass and tracks onto the road, hoping to make Lance blow a tyre. It didnt matter, though. Lance crossed the finish line first, with a margin of victory of more than a minute. As Lance expected, Subaru-Montgomery kicked him off the team for disobeying orders. But Lance knew that if he kept winning the races hed have his pick of teams.

　　论证题目：

　　1Is it necessary to question the authority?

　　权威：自行车界的潜规则

　　为什么挑战：家人教练鼓舞，抓住胜利，表现出最好的自己。

　　怎么挑战：赢得比赛。

　　结果：a rare American win in a European cycling event; made his mark on the cycling world