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Direction 21
Read the following story carefully and write an essay in which you should:
1. retell the story briefly;
2. interpret the meaning;
3. make your comments.
You should write 160~200 words neatly on ANSWER SHEET 2.
题目：
Where are we going?
A boat docked in a tiny Mexican village. An American tourist complimented the Mexican fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took him to catch them. “Not very long,” answered the Mexican.
“But then, why didnt you stay out longer and catch more?” asked the American.
The Mexican explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his needs and those of his family.
The American asked, “But what do you do with the rest of your time?”
“I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a siesta with my wife. In the evenings, I go into the village to see my friends, play the guitar, and sing a few songs...I have a full life.”
The American interrupted, “I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help you! You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat. With the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second one and a third one and so on until you have an entire fleet of trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middle man, you can negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant. You can then leave this little village and move to Mexico City, Los Angeles, or even New York City! From there you can direct your huge enterprise.”
“How long would that take?” asked the Mexican. “Twenty, perhaps twentyfive years,” replied the American. “And after that?”
“Afterwards? Thats when it gets really interesting,” answered the American, laughing. “When your business gets really big, you can start selling stocks and make millions!”
“Millions? Really? And after that?”
“After that youll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the coast, sleep late, play with your children, catch a few fish, take a siesta, and spend your evenings enjoying your friends!”
审题：
在本书的大作文中，我们不仅为大家提供了图画题和图表题，还提供了一些比较特殊的题目，比如这篇看文章写作。我们这样做，不仅因为国外考试中有类似的形式，更重要的是想拓宽大家的视野，提高大家的应变能力。
该题目先给出了一篇极富哲理的三百余字的短文，而后提出了三点要求，简述该故事；阐释其中含义；给出你的评论。这篇文章可以分成三段来写：第一段是简要地重述该故事；第二段阐释含义并作出评论；最后一段是结语。
Sample:
In the above story, an American tourist wishes to turn a Mexican fisherman into a millionaire so that the latter can enjoy a happy life. The fisherman simply turns him down because he has been living that kind of happy life now.
This story makes every one of us look at the ultimate question of happiness closer and deeper. Do we need to tell others how to be happy? Is getting rich the only way to be a happy person? Does earning a lot of money surely bring an intense feeling of happiness? Happiness is a largely related with individual perception, and there is definitely no need for us to reshape others’ lives in the name of bringing them happiness.
Furthermore, becoming rich does not necessarily bring happiness, if we cannot control ourselves to spend money in the right way. Finally, to travel happily and hopefully is equal to and even better than to arrive. It is not wise at all to sacrifice youth, health or today’s happiness just for a bright future in our dreams.
Happiness is a feeling. We go a thousand miles and spend many years to pursue what we actually can grasp today. Around us there are too many people who are busy all day, and those who are smart enough to enjoy life are always few.
点评：
这篇文章分为三段。第一段写得非常简洁，这一段很能体现出我们总结概括的能力。该段只有两句话，突出描写了美国人的意图和墨西哥渔民截然相反的态度。
第二段是核心段落。第一句直接点出了该文讨论的主题：幸福。而后三句话连续三个问题，对文中以美国人为代表的一大批人的观点表示质疑。后四句给出回答：第五句说幸福与个人的感觉相关；第六句说变得富有不一定能带来幸福；第七、八句最耐人寻味：快乐地、充满希望地旅行甚至比到达更好，为了梦想中的光明未来而牺牲自己的青春、健康或今天的幸福是不明智的。其中第七句暗引了苏格兰作家Robert Louis Stevenson的名句：To travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive.
最后一段做结：幸福是一种感觉。我们跨越千里，等待多年所追逐的其实就在身边。匆匆忙忙的人总是太多，能享受生活的人却寥寥无几啊。
心得：
如果提纲中给出的要求是阐释含义并给出评论，这类文章是比较难写的。这篇文章大家一定要细细琢磨，领悟其中的深刻含义。
