作文第一套：

　　Issue：

　　The luxuries and conveniences of contemporary life prevent people from developing into truly strong and independent individuals.

　　Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the statement and explain your reasoning for the position you take. In developing and supporting your position, you should consider ways in which the statement might or might not hold true and explain how these considerations shape your position.

　　Argument：

　　The following appeared as part of an article in a business magazine.

　　"A recent study rating 300 male and female Mentian advertising executives according to the average number of hours they sleep per night showed an association between the amount of sleep the executives need and the success of their firms. Of the advertising firms studied, those whose executives reported needing no more than 6 hours of sleep per night had higher profit margins and faster growth. These results suggest that if a business wants to prosper, it should hire only people who need less than 6 hours of sleep per night."

　　Write a response in which you examine the stated and/or unstated assumptions of the argument. Be sure to explain how the argument depends on these assumptions and what the implications are for the argument if the assumptions prove unwarranted.

　　作文第二套：

　　Issue：

　　27. In any field of inquiry, the beginner is more likely than the expert to make important contributions.

　　在所有的研究領(lǐng)域中，新手要比專家更有可能獲得重要的發(fā)現(xiàn)。

　　Argument:

　　62.The following appeared in a memo from the director of a large group of hospitals.

　　"In a laboratory study of liquid antibacterial hand soaps, a concentrated solution of UltraClean produced a 40 percent greater reduction in the bacteria population than did the liquid hand soaps currently used in our hospitals. During a subsequent test of UltraClean at our hospital in Workby, that hospital reported significantly fewer cases of patient infection than did any of the other hospitals in our group. Therefore, to prevent serious patient infections, we should supply UltraClean at all hand-washing stations throughout our hospital system."

　　Write a response in which you examine the stated and/or unstated assumptions of the argument. Be sure to explain how the argument depends on these assumptions and what the implications are for the argument if the assumptions prove unwarranted.

　　作文第三套：

　　Issue：

　　38 It is primarily through our identification with social groups that we define ourselves.

　　我們主要通過(guò)認(rèn)同社會(huì)群體來(lái)定位自己。

　　78、The following appeared in a memo from the vice president of a food distribution company with food storage warehouses in several cities.

　　"Recently, we signed a contract with the Fly-Away Pest Control Company to provide pest control services at our fast-food warehouse in Palm City, but last month we discovered that over $20,000 worth of food there had been destroyed by pest damage. Meanwhile, the Buzzoff Pest Control Company, which we have used for many years, continued to service our warehouse in Wintervale, and last month only $10,000 worth of the food stored there had been destroyed by pest damage. Even though the price charged by Fly-Away is considerably lower, our best means of saving money is to return to Buzzoff for all our pest control services."

　　Write a response in which you discuss what specific evidence is needed to evaluate the argument and explain how the evidence would weaken or strengthen the argument.

　　作文第四套：

　　Issue:

　　28. The surest indicator of a great nation is represented not by the achievements of its rulers, artists, or scientists, but by the general welfare of its people.

　　一個(gè)國(guó)家的偉大體現(xiàn)在國(guó)民的安樂上，而不是體現(xiàn)在統(tǒng)治者、藝術(shù)家或科學(xué)家的成就上。

　　Argument:

　　78、The following appeared in a memo from the vice president of a food distribution company with food storage warehouses in several cities.

　　"Recently, we signed a contract with the Fly-Away Pest Control Company to provide pest control services at our fast-food warehouse in Palm City, but last month we discovered that over $20,000 worth of food there had been destroyed by pest damage. Meanwhile, the Buzzoff Pest Control Company, which we have used for many years, continued to service our warehouse in Wintervale, and last month only $10,000 worth of the food stored there had been destroyed by pest damage. Even though the price charged by Fly-Away is considerably lower, our best means of saving money is to return to Buzzoff for all our pest control services.”

　　Write a response in which you discuss what specific evidence is needed to evaluate the argument and explain how the evidence would weaken or strengthen the argument.