argumentative essay and inductive__ essay models for studen

Page 1 of 10 ESSAY-WRITING Argumentative essay and inductive essay

Model 1

Youth

Youth is not a time of life; it is a state of mind; it is not a matter of rosy cheeks, red lips and supple knees; it is a matter of the will, a quality of the imagination, a vigor of the emotions; it is the freshness of the deep springs of life.

Youth means a temperamental predominance of courage over timidity of the appetite, of adventure over the love of ease. This often exists in a man of 60 more than a boy of 20. Nobody grows old merely by a number of years. We grow old by deserting our ideals. Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm Wrinkles the soul. Worry, fear, self-distrust bows the heart and turns the spirit back to dust.

Whether 60 or 16, there is in every human being's heart the lure of wonder, the unfailing childlike appetite of what's next and the joy of the game of living. In the center of your heart and my heart there is a wireless station; so long as it receives messages of beauty, hope, cheer, courage and power from men and from the Infinite, so long are you young.

When the aerials are down, and your spirit is covered with snows of cynicism and the ice of pessimism, then you are grown old, even at 20, but as long as your aerials are up, to catch waves of optimism, there is hope you may die young at 80.

(From English Language Learning, 1991, No. 9) Model 2

What Makes a Good Student

We students shall be the builders and reformers of our country. It is incumbent on us to make necessary preparations before undertaking such a hard task. To attain this end, we must first of all try to be good students.

What, then, makes a good student? People differ on this issue. Some claim that a student is excellent provided he gets good marks in his learning. Others argue that a student should achieve an all-round development in him. I agree with the latter.

A good student should be noble-minded, learned and healthy. A person who does something good or bad depends upon his integral qualities. If a student neither works hard and gets good results in his studies, nor takes care of his health, nor cultivates his virtue, he could do nothing for society after his graduation. Not a single one of the three points can be dispensed with.

A noble mind means virtue. It is the essence of all the noble and good characters. A virtuous man does things in the interests of the people and society. He devotes himself selflessly to what he does. And in case of danger and hardships he always marches forward courageously reckless of his own gain and safety. One who does everything from a selfish motive has no noble ideas; as a result, he will either become a mediocre person or commit crimes against the society and the people.

A student, however, without rich knowledge, cannot serve the people well. I think a good student should be diligent in his studies. The more he studies, the more he will improve his knowledge. A man cannot do anything well unless he has a good command of what he learns. Hogarth, a famous English artist, said: "Genius is nothing but labour and diligence." If a student wants to achieve mastery of a science he must spare no efforts in the courses he learns. And in turn only when he acquires much more knowledge can a student contribute much to the society and people, and consequently prove his value of life.

To keep fit is one more important point for a good student. Anyone, who has not a strong body, can do little for his country and people, even if he has higher knowledge and excellent ability. A student, as I have said, is the master of his country in the future. He should pay much attention to his health and take some physical exercises in his leisure hours so that he can become a strong man. As for as I know, there was a man, who, when he was a student, studied diligently in his leisure time but neglected his health. No sooner did he come to serve the country than he died for lack of a strong body. From this point we can realize that good health is the guarantee for a student to acquire rich knowledge and serve the people.

To sum up, in order to be good students, we should train ourselves to a high standard of morality, cultivate good behaviour, devote our time and energy to the storage of knowledge, and take regular physical exercises to be strong people.

Model 3

Fairy Tales Are Good for Children

G. K. Chesterton

What fairy tales give the child is his first clear idea of the de feat of bogey [ghost or evil spirit]. The baby has known the dragon intimately ever since he had an imagination. What the fairy tale provides for him is a St. George to kill the dragon.

I find that there really are human beings who think fairy tales bad for children. A lady has written me an earnest letter saying that fairy tales ought not to be taught to children even if they are true，She says that it is cruel to tell children fairy tales, because it frightens them. You might just as well say that it is cruel to

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give girls sentimental novels because it makes them cry. All this kind of talk is based on that complete forgetting of what a child is like, which has been the firm foundation of so many educational schemes. If you kept bogeys and goblins away from children they would make them up for themselves. One small child in the dark can invent more hell than Swedenborg. One small child can imagine monsters too big and black to get into any picture, and give them names too unearthly and cacophonous to have occurred in the cries of any lunatic. The child, to begin with, commonly likes horrors, and he continues to indulge in them even when he does not like them. There is just as much difficulty in saying exactly where pure pain begins in his case，as there is in ours when we talk of our own free will into the torture-chamber of a great tragedy. The fear does not come from fairy tales; the fear comes from the universe of the soul.

The timidity of the child or the savage is entirely reasonable：they are alarmed at this world because this world is a very alarming place. They dislike being alone because it is verily and indeed an awful idea to be alone. Barbarians fear the unknown for the same reason that Agnostics worship it — because it is a fact. Fairy tales, then, are not responsible for producing in children fear, or any of the shapes of fear; fairy tales do not give the child the idea of the evil or the ugly; that is in the child already, because it is in the world already. Fairy tales do not give a child his first idea of bogey.

(From A College English Writing Course by Ma Baojin &

Rebecca Neufeld)

Model 4

Campus Life

Campus life is busy but interesting. It offers students a wealth of knowledge, research work and social activities which students enjoy very much during the four years' stay in a university.

In the first place they will acquire knowledge greatly. During the first two years, students are required to learn basic subjects，such as English, mathematics, physics, etc. In the next two years students will start to learn their major subjects. For example students who major in computer science should master Computer Language, Computer Operating System, Computer Program Design and so on. Besides required courses students can have some options according to their interest.

In addition to the mastery of knowledge, students are supposed to develop their practical ability. They are engaged in seminars，academic reports, experiments and research work, in which they can bring their professional knowledge or skill into full play. Moreover, library and reference rooms provide them with various kinds of books and magazines which facilitate their classroom learning and research work.

Social activities also come into campus life. The activities range from academic to recreational, such as English club, art salon, sports? club, etc. These activities help to enrich their cultural life and also serve as bridge linking students to society.

As is shown above, the three major parts constitute the campus life in which students can be well equipped intellectually, morally and physically.

(From A New College Handbook of Writing by Gao Guizhen) Model 5

Campus Life

To university students, the educational process presents a whole new kind of campus life. This life ends not only with a delivery of a piece of diploma, but also with a high level of academic ability which will help them develop into highly-qualified students.

Knowledge, research work and social activities characteristic of campus life act to qualify the development of capable students. First, what they have mastered will indicate an avenue for academic and professional exploration. As knowledge has laid a solid foundation for their practical work, they can fully combine theory with practice. Secondly, in research work and experiments they can bring their professional knowledge or skill into full play. For example, in the solution of practical problems in a research, they have cultivated their creative ability. Finally, social activities, ranging from academic to recreational, such as English club, art salon, sports club, etc. , serve as a bridge linking them to society. These activities will broaden their horizons and enable them to become aware of what the society will demand of them, thus they can learn to adapt themselves to society.

Obviously, these three parts of campus life work together to facilitate all-dimensional development. Such campus life will prepare them for interesting and challenging future careers and lead them to develop along the guideline that their campus life has offered to them.

(Ibid.)

Model 6

From Induction to Deduction

Suppose you go into a fruiterer's shop, wanting an apple. You take up one, and on biting it you find it is sour; you look at it and see that it is hard and green. You take up another one, and that too is hard, green, and sour. The shopman offers you a third; but before biting it you examine it and find that it is hard and green,

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and you immediately say that you will not have it, as it must be sour like those that you have already tried.

Nothing can be more simple than that, you think; but if you will take the trouble to analyze and trace out into its logical elements what has been done by the mind, you will be greatly surprised. In the first place you have performed the operation of induction. You found that in two experiences hardness and greenness in apples go together with sourness. It was so in the first case, and was confirmed by the second. True, it is a very small basis, but still it is enough to make an induction from; you generalize the facts, and you expect to find sourness in apples where you get hardness and greenness. You found upon that a general law that all hard and green apples are sour? and that, so far as it goes, is a perfect induction. Well, having got your natural law in this way, when you are offered another apple which you find is hard and green, you say, "All hard and green apples are sour; this apple is hard and green; therefore this apple is sour." That train of reasoning is what .logicians call a syllogism and has all its various parts and terms –its major premise, its minor premise, and its conclusion. And by the help of further reasoning, which if drawn out would have to be exhibited in two or three other syllogisms, you arrive at your final determination, "I will not have that apple." So that, you see, you have in the first place, established a law by induction, and upon that you have founded a deduction and reasoned out the special conclusion of the particular case.

(From Guide and Handbook for Writing by Irwin Griggs & David

H.Webster)

Model 7

The Relativity Principle

Anyone who has ever ridden on a railroad train knows how rapidly another train flashes by when it is traveling in the opposite direction and conversely how it may look almost motionless when it is moving in the same direction.

A variation of this effect can be very deceptive in an enclosed station like Grand Central Terminal in New York. Once in a while a train gets under way so gently that passengers feel no recoil whatever. Then if they happened to look out the window and see another train slide past on the next track, they have no way of knowing which train is in motion and which is at rest; nor can they tell how fast either one is moving or in which direction. The only way they can judge their situation is by looking out the other side of the car for some fixed body of reference like the station platform or a signal light. Sir Isaac Newton was aware of these tricks of motion, only he thought in terms of ships. He knew what on a calm day at sea a sailor can shave himself or drink soup as comfortably as when his ship is lying motionless in harbor. The water in his basin, the soup in his bowl, will remain unruffled whether the ship is making five knots, 15 knots, or 25 knots. So unless he peers out at the sea it will be impossible for him to know how fast his ship is moving or indeed if it is moving at all. Of course, if the sea should get rough or the ship change course abruptly, then he will sense his state of motion. But granted the idealized conditions of a glass-calm sea and a silent ship, nothing that happens below decks — no amount of observation or mechanical experiment performed inside the ship —will disclose its velocity through the sea. The physical principle suggested by these considerations was formulated by Newton in 1687. "The motions of bodies included in a given space," he wrote, "are the same among themselves, whether that space is at rest or moves uniformly forward in a straight line."

This is known as the Newtonian or Galilean Relativity Principle. It can also be phrased in more general terms: mechanical laws which are valid in one place are equally valid in any other place which moves uniformly relative to the first.

(Adapted from American English Rhetoric by Robert G. Bander) ,

Model 8

Should We Learn to Do Housework?

Nowadays, when we walk through the streets, we often see many boys and girls who, instead of spending their time on books, go roaming about the streets, start funny clubs, give parties. These boys and girls behave badly and they think highly of themselves. They do not work and just remain idle.

On the contrary, we can also see some boys and girls who live in a small world of their own. They bury themselves among books and also are proud of themselves. They think that it will be condescending themselves if they do housework for they often think themselves very educated.

These two types of youngsters are wrong. In my opinion everyone, without the exception of boys, should have a knowledge of housework. After all, they will have a family of their own, and they should contribute their part in maintaining a good home. Boys should also learn to do housework for, what will they do if they remain single? Though not all boys remain single, yet they will be valuable assistants in the family if they know some housework. After all, they will not lose anything, but, on the contrary, gain some knowledge.

We can find examples in our fellow-students studying abroad. All young men do housework as a girl does. Of course in Hong Kong, we have servants and we just sit down comfortably and watch our tasks

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being accomplished by them. But what shall we do if the servant quits and all things are left to ourselves? We just cannot leave them as they are and let the worms and ants eat them up. And what can we do if we go and study in a foreign country where servants are out of our means to employ? We must work for ourselves. Why not start to learn housework now or else it will be too late? Everyone should learn to do housework. What do you think, boys and girls?

(From English Letters and Composition by He Jianlan)

Model 9

Procrastination

Procrastination is the putting off till tomorrow what ought to be done today. It is always a vice, since it is a sin against the sense of duty. The peculiar force of "tomorrow" lies in the fact that it is always future, and the peculiar disease of the procrastinator is his aversion to the present time as a time for action. He is continually hoping that tomorrow may bring what for him today never brings, the right moment — in other words, the impromptu he needs.

This defect is generally akin to laziness, and so in its nature is physical, arising from a weakness of the will, which shows itself in the reluctance to make a necessary bodily effort. Occasionally, however, procrastination is intellectual, and is the result of a state of mental indecision which is quite incompatible with strength of will and vigor of action.

"Procrastination is the thief of time. " The proverb tells us that delays are dangerous, and it often happens that a thing which is not done at the right time cannot be done at all. In a business position, the man who procrastinates causes a confusion of affairs and an accumulation of work which is never finished. He is always behindhand and always in a hurry; his habit is a perpetual source of discomfort to himself and annoyance to others, in addition to the material loss which it often entails. Such a man, moreover, cannot be trusted with any business of importance; no one can be sure that he will keep an appointment or fulfill an engagement.

It should be remembered that rarely, if ever, does a task become easier for being deferred on account of its difficulty; and, since each day makes its own demands, in leaving today's work to be done along with tomorrow's we run the risk of failure in both.

(From English Letters & Composition by He Jianlan)

Model 10

My View on Opportunity

There is no consensus of opinions among people as to the view of opportunity. Some people suggest that opportunities are rare, and only the luckiest persons can obtain them, while some other people argue that in a sense everyone has opportunity from time to time.

As far as I am concerned, I agree with the latter opinion to some extent.

I think that various kinds of opportunities are around us all the time. However, the opportunity will not run into you voluntarily. You must try your best to find them and make full use of them. I had such an experience. When I was studying in high school there was a national chemistry competition. Most of my classmates thought that we had virtually no chance of winning the competition since we were studying in a local high school. But I felt that it was a good chance and I must grasp it. So I prepared for it thoroughly and finally I won the first prize.

In conclusion, I believe that the opportunities exist everywhere in our society and everyone is equal for them. We can acquire them only if we are prepared and qualified just as a proverb says "opportunities are only for the prepared minds". (A student essay)

Model 11

Food for Thought

Peter Carison The cliché, once a hallowed American tradition occupying a unique place in our national life, is now poised on the brink of the crossroads and it may be too late to turn back.

In these troubled times, the cliché is increasingly under fire from the left and the right alike. Before we allow it go the way of the nickel phone call, however, we as a nation must take a good, hard look at this pressing problem.

The cliché is as American as apple pie. An integral part of our way of life, it has become an American institution. Passed from generation to generation by word of mouth, the cliché is among the treasures that make up our rich national heritage.

MANIFEST DESTINY

As every schoolchild knows, the clichéhas a long and glorious history here in the land of the free.

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Clichés were here long before I was born and they'll be here long after I'm dead and buried. Cliché traveled from the Old World to the New to follow their manifest destiny. They crossed the Great Plains, forded the rushing rivers and traversed the burning sands of the steaming deserts of this teeming continent until they stretched from sea to shining sea. And each succeeding wave of immigrants assimilated into the melting pot by learning to mouth our cliché.

And these clichés did not crawl out of the woodwork. Many of our Founding Fathers added their 2 cents to the nation's great storehouse of cliché. Jefferson, Lincoln and Roosevelt created enough clichés to choke a horse, and Franklin coined more phrases than Carter has pills. Since then, these immortal words of wisdom have become landmarks on the American scene.

Today, however, the cliché is under siege. In an age when traditional values are falling by the wayside like dominoes, nothing is sacred —not even cliché. During the tumultuous ’60s, social critics attacked the clichés from all angles. They claimed clichés were out-dated and irrelevant, stood in the way of meaningful dialogue and threw monkey wrenches into the social fabric. If we can land a man on the moon, they asked, why can't we do something about the cliché?

Some of these pointy-headed intellectuals urged us to adopt new, improved clichés, get our heads together and come up with viable alternatives. Others, extremists of the lunatic fringe, went one step further. These wild-eyed radicals claimed the cliché was elitist, racist and sexist and urged us to abandon it entirely.

But talk is cheap. It's easy to criticize but it's a whole different kettle of fish to propose a practical alternative. And these critics have been unable or unwilling to come up with a single concrete proposal.

Common sense dictates, therefore, that we hold our horses. If we get rid of the cliché before we find something to replace it with, we will be opening a Pandora's box. Charging in to this like a bull in a china shop would be putting the cart before the horse and creating a dangerous precedent.

As the great silent majority of Americans understand all too welt, we cannot in good conscience allow this to happen. We cannot straddle the fence on this clear-cut issue. We must act quickly and decisively. The vast majority of average Americans of all races, creeds and colors will have to take the bull by the horns and unite in a rare outpouring of bipartisan support for the beleaguered cliché.

We cannot afford to give up the clichéwithout a fight. Let's face facts: You can fool some of the people some of the time, but you can't change human nature. This is a free country and a man has a right to say what he pleases — even if it's a hackneyed cliché. In this increasingly complex society, where the only constant is change, clichés still occupy a warm spot in our hearts. They are quicker, easier and more economical than other forms of talk. They also require less energy than thoughtful, carefully constructed sentences. And in this day and age, that's nothing to sneeze at.

HEARTWARMING COEXISTENCE

But don't get me wrong. I'm not advocating that we stand in the way of progress. I'm simply urging red-blooded Americans to show their true colors. While holding fast to the tried-and-true clichés that made this country what it is, we must also be eager to embrace the latest up-to-the-minute clichés hot off the pressed. It would be truly heartwarming indeed if the old clichés and the new could learn to live together in peaceful coexistence from Maine to California.

And so, my fellow Americans, in conclusion I humbly submit that we must heed the wishes of the people or we will cease to exist as a free and independent nation. Original thoughts are not a dime a dozen. They are rare as diamonds, coming along but once in a life-time. Therefore we must return to the time-honored phrases of our forefathers. If they were good enough for Ben Franklin, they're good enough for me. Remember: a cliché saved is a cliché earned.

(From Popular Writing in America

by Donald McQuade & Robert Atwan)

Model 12

A SURVEY OF READING HABITS OF

POSTGRADUATES MAJORING IN ENGLISH

English Division, Foreign Language

Department, Haicheng University

7 April 1998

On 8th March 1998, a survey was conducted among 16 postgraduates majoring in English at Haicheng University. The purpose of the survey was to discover the students' reading habits.

The survey was conducted by means of a questionnaire given to the students to complete. The first part of the questionnaire dealt with the type of reading and its frequency. The second section was concerned with newspapers and journals; the type of items read and those that were read first.

From the table of data, the most significant items are as follows. In (he first section 81% of the students regularly read academic books, while 44% regularly read academic journals. Nothing else is read

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regularly or often by 14% of the students. The following comments can be made about the reading of newspapers, magazines and books of fiction: 55% regularly read China Daily and Beijing Review;34% sometimes read English fiction; 45% sometimes read foreign magazines or journals such as Newsweek and The New Yorker. On the other hand, 12% never read foreign magazines or journals.

In the second section, not surprisingly, 100% choose to read news about China or foreign commentaries on China in newspapers and 56% read this first; 94% read international news and 25% read this first; 81% read news about Britain or the United States. The only other item that is usually read by more than 50% of the students is new book information (read by 56%).

If any conclusions may be drawn from the data, they are, perhaps, as follows: English major postgraduates presumably have little time for general reading, most of their reading time is spent on books and journals on their own subject. Outside their studies, apart from reading news about China, international news, and news about Britain and America, they scarcely have any time for reading on other matters of personal interest.

(From A Handbook of Practical Writing by Pu Siyi) Model 13

Be Careful in the Use of Pesticides

Pesticides are useful in killing injurious insects in the farming fields. But they are not always so effective. So people should be cautious in use of them.

One of the reasons the use of pesticides in farming should be severely restricted and controlled is that pesticides kill "good" and "bad" insects indiscriminately. You may think the more dead insects the better, but some insects are actually beneficial to farmers. By spraying their fields with toxic pesticides, they destroy the good with the bad. One example of a good insect is the ladybug. The ladybug actually eats insects such as aphids and scales that do damage to plants. In fact, some farmers are beginning to use ladybugs instead of the dangerous pesticides for insect control. Another example of a useful insect is the honeybee. In the United States, nearly 100 crops with a farm value of $ 1 billion annually depend on the honeybee for pollination. Another $3 billion worth of crops benefit from bee pollination because of higher and better-quality yields. However, honey bees gather poison as they forage for pollen. As a result, they are steadily being exterminated by the very people they are helping. Today there are 20 percent fewer honeybee colonies in the United States than there were ten years ago. And scientists predict that their population will continue to decline. You might argue that farmers can get along with smaller yields. However, the world's population is continuing to increase and higher food production is becoming a global priority. Farmers agree that honeybees are the most efficient way to pollinate their crops. Yet with their use of pesticides, they are surely eliminating their best friends.

If we are to have enough food in the future, we should protect our friends the honey bees and other good insects by controlling dangerous pesticides.

(Adapted from Refining Composition Skills) Model 14

Air Occupies Space

When you pack your bag with books, your books occupy some space in your bag. If you ask your friends to put their books in your bag, there will come a time when no more books will enter your bag. This is because all the books occupy space and the space in your bag is not big enough for all the books to enter.

All things must occupy space. Air too occupies space. We cannot see air, so how do we know that it occupies space?

Let us find out if air occupies space. Crumple a piece of paper, and put it in a jar such that when you overturn the jar, the paper will not fall out.

Fill a bucket with water and slowly push the jar upside down into the bucket of water. Make sure the jar is upright all the time it is being pushed down. Do not tilt it. Do you see water entering the jar?

Now remove the jar from the bucket of water and examine the piece of paper. Is it wet? The paper remains dry because water did not enter the whole jar. Air was in the jar and it prevented the water from entering the whole jar. This shows that air occupies space.

(From Basic Science Series: Air published by PEP International

Private Limited)

Model 15

Learning from the Spirit of a 1000-foot Cliff,

Being an Upright Man

"A sea contains hundreds of rivers because of its great capacity; A cliff erects thousand feet high because of its selfless upright."

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Page 7 of 10 ESSAY-WRITING Argumentative essay and inductive essay This is an antithetical couplet written on scrolls hanging on the wall in the official residence of Lin Zexu, a Chinese national hero.

Conveying his emotion with objects to encourage himself, Lin compared himself to "a 1000-foot cliff" and expressed his aspiration of selflessness, dauntlessness, uprightness and unyieldingness, which calls forth in me a feeling of profound respect for the hero. The countless Chinese people with lofty ideals have composed soulstirring songs after songs encouraging the healthy trends with their selfless breadth of mind.

As you look through the junior middle school textbooks on Chinese, you will excitedly find many texts of great education. Of Back Bone by Wu Han sings the praises of Wen Tianxiang in such phrasing; He was imprisoned in a damp underground ward in Beijing suffering all kinds of torment. The court of the Yuan Dynasty induced him to capitulate, but he refused so resolutely that he was murdered as a result. Wen Tianxiang, like the very '"1000-foot cliff", open and above-board , was exactly a "selfless and upright" roan. How touching My Confession by Chen Ran can be — "A man cannot lower his noble head. Only those who fear death beg 'freedom'. Cruel beating means nothing to me, Even death-threat cannot make my mouth open." Chen Ran, like the very "1000-foot cliff", was exactly a "selfless and upright" man. The ending of The Last Speech is earth-shattering and heaven-battering; "We are not afraid to die; we have the spirit to sacrifice ourselves. As Mr. Li had done, we'll at all times step out of a doorway with our front foot, then we'll not be prepared to step into it with our hind one!" Wen Yiduo, on his way home, was assassinated. Wen Yiduo, like the very "1000-foot cliff", was exactly a "selfless and upright" man! When you read Chen Yi's poem Three Movements on the Meiling Ridges written as he was likely to die, how can you not be moved by the general's awe-inspiring righteousness! Facing "sanguinary slaughter", Chen Yi sang the strong line; "My head should hang over our country's gate", determined to "Go to the netherworld to summon my former army fighters. And kill Yamaraja by holding high hundred thousand flags and banners. "Chen Yi, even more like the "1000-foot cliff",

was a "selfless and upright" man! To put together, it is our Chinese nation's fine tradition and valuable spiritual wealth to learn from the spirit of a 1000-foot cliff and to be a selfless and upright man. At present, Kong Fansen, the people's public servant, is the paragon in 1990s learning from the" 1000-foot cliff "and being selfless and upright man. During his lifetime he wrote a scroll for himself, which reads. "An adult man can sacrifice his own interest for others in his lifetime. Be a hero among ghosts and never come back home after his death." That is what he practised all his life. After he died, people dedicated to him many elegiac couplets, one of which reads, "Not spoiled by a speck of dust. with hands remaining clean he regarded fame and gain, safety and danger as the water in Shiquan River; Twice leaving his native place, feeling solely attached to the Snow Town, he considered the national cause weightier than Gangdise Mountain." This sets the best value on his character and morals. Kong Fansen so completely went into the realm of the "selfless" thought that "he regarded fame and gain, safety and danger as the water in Shiquan River" and that he devoted all his life to his second native place —Tibet. Therefore he is the selfless 1000-foot cliff" and "upright man" in the new era.

We can absolutely believe that the fine tradition of learning from the "selfless 1000-foot cliff"and being an upright man will be passed on from generation to generation; and that there will stand a 1000-foot cliff after a 1000-foot cliff towering to the skies in the land of 9.6 million square kilometres of our great motherland!

(Translated and adapted from The Skills in Argumentation

by Gao Changmei)

Model 16.

First Affirmative Constructive Speech

Should animals be used for the testing of substances involving procedures meant to benefit or enhance human life? That is the question posed in today’s debate.

Animal testing has occurred since the days of Aristotle when he used animal testing for medicinal purposes. It is a heated topic with debates, even violence being used in the effort to argue it. We with affirmative thought must address it.

We believe that animal testing should be used to enhance human life, and we have several statements to back that. First, huge medical advances have been made using animals in research. Vaccines developed from animal testing have been used to protect humans from measles, mumps, diphtheria, smallpox, rubella, and polio. Other advances have also been made in other aspects. Second, while the negative side will argue that there are effective alternatives to animal testing, there really aren’t. Computer alternatives are not able to completely replicate the complex biochemicals and activities in an organism. Alternatives cannot show the effect of the experiment on the whole creature if only one small part, such as a cell or tissue is used. In addition, cells that have been in cultures tend to lose the characteristic of the cell or organ they were taken from. At this point it is unlikely that alternatives will ever be as effective as animal testing. Third, animal testing is also used to help less fortunate countries than our own. A technique that is used is splicing, which is the process of taking a desired gene from one animal and placing it in another. The idea is that the desired

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gene would affect the way that its host organism grows. For example, through splicing, a cow could be made to be bigger, creating more milk and more meat. Processes like this have been used, and spliced animals have already been sent to third world countries. So far this has gone smoothly.

The reason why we are here today is to confront the issue of animal testing. To begin with, while animal rights activists argue that animals are equal to humans, we know they are not. Animals have not made the advances in this world that humans have. True, I will agree that they feel pain, but that does not make them equal to humans; it makes them alive, and that is a huge difference.

Another reason why we choose to confront the issue is that it has gotten way out of hand. Animal rights radicals have gone so far as to bomb and set fire to research facilities that use animals, which slows down advances in medical research. And lets not forget it is also illegal. We need to stop debating this issue and let animal testing continue. Violence will not solve it, and animal testing is actually very humane.

Animal researchers are not cruel. In addition to researchers^ own standards, committees are also required to survey over labs. In fact, in 1985 Congress passed the Health Research Extension Act in which animal research institutions must have an overseeing committee consisting of a vet, a public member, and a scientist.

We the affirmative side do have a plan. First, we would ensure that all overseeing of animal testing facilities are properly funded and well run, so that the humane treatment of animals is insured. We will also work to pass a law specifically protecting us from animal rights radicals. We will make sure this law has severe consequences to anyone who tries to harm a valued researcher or research facility. To guarantee that this law will be carried out, we suggest a special committee to be placed in each state to watch over researchers and their facilities, and to prosecute those who break this law.

In conclusion we too value the rights and safety of animals, but animal testing must continue. I urge you to remember how many medical advances had been made through animal testing, and to continue to support it. Also remember that violence will never solve anything. These animal rights radicals are out of line, and must be stopped.

Whether we should clone human beings has become one of the hottest issues in recent years. Some people are happy about the rapid development of science and technology penetrating into every field of our life while others have expressed deep concern with the consequences the appearance of human clones might bring to human society. The paper falls into the second camp, in which the writer's argument is clearly and logically presented and the refutation is also thought provoking.

Model 17

Should We Clone Human Beings?

At the end of the year 2002, a heretical religious organization declared that the first baby clone in the world had been born. Although this news has not been confirmed, many countries' leaders have taken clear-cut stands against cloning human beings. The debate about cloning people has been put on the agenda again. Whenever scientific breakthroughs have been made in the clone technology, a fierce storm centered on cloning human beings would certainly be aroused. In my opinion, the clone technology that can bring benefit to mankind may be further expanded. But as to its other aspect—"to clone humans", it must be forbidden.

Once the clone technology has been made use of by some people, it will bring disastrous consequences to humanity. My argument is based on the following points. To begin with, the technology of cloning people is not reliable. The present experiments of cloning animals have showed that the successful rate was only 2%. For example. Dolly, a sheep clone, looked young in appearance but it actually had aged organs inside, which had serious arthritis and consequently died at the age of six. And it follows that human clones may suffer from all kinds of diseases such as stillborn fetus, deformity, and organ failure in later life.

Second, as the identifications of these people are hard to determine, the relationships between human clone and the people being cloned are unable to be brought into the ethical system now available. From ethicists" point of view, "Is he on earth your son or your brother?" because in genetic relationships, the genetic characteristics between them are alike.

On the other hand, the process of breeding later generation will no longer involve mutual participation of both sexes. Thus the true ethical relationships between husband and wife, father and son, and so on, will not exist any more. This will perhaps result in huge and hard-to-bear attack on social relations and family structures.

In addition, as far as biological persities are concerned, a great number of human clones whose genes are completely the same are likely to bring out an. extensive spread of numerous emerging diseases, which will lead to degeneration of human race and has an extremely negative impact on human survival.

Finally, due to cloned people's special characteristics, they must sustain psychological handicaps, which might be a source of new social problems. For instance, if a cloned person is unable to give birth to offspring while he has childbearing right, can he bring a suit against scientists? What responsibilities will scientists

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Page 9 of 10 ESSAY-WRITING Argumentative essay and inductive essay

take? What if human clones accuse scientists that they first of all shouldn’t have produced them in the form of clone?

However, there are some people who have put forward different ideas, claiming that with the forthcoming birth of the cloned baby, people's attitude to cloned people would also change and cloned people might quickly be accepted in the way that test-tube babies have been by society. Moreover, the world needs another Einstein to contribute to human civilization. Their first proposition is virtually impossible, for human ideology is usually deeply rooted and it can’t be changed overnight. As to the second beautiful dream, what situation could we be thrown into if there were too many Hitlers instead of another great Einstein?

In conclusion, the clone technology is dangerous if it is applied to cloning human beings. In any case, we must adopt a cautious attitude toward this fascinating technology and put it to rational use in case Pandora's box might be opened. All in all, life should be neither produced nor destroyed at random. I believe if Dolly were a human being, he would have whined out his sufferings he had endured when his life was going to its end.

—a student Exercise

I. Identify what evidence is used in each of the following essays:

1. The Way to Success

Everyone tries to achieve success in his/her career. But one finally attains his aim while the other fails. Why? The one continues his cause to the end through long period of hard struggles, but the other is easily disappointed and stops halfway.

Strong will, perseverance and diligence are the three essentials of success. A man of strong will and perseverance always has an inflexible spirit. He sticks to his cause no matter how tough it might be. Dr. Sun Yat-sen was such a man. Many of his attempts failed, but he held to his purpose with firmness and finally succeeded in overthrowing the Qing Dynasty. Diligence means steadiness in one's work and study. Su Qing stabbed himself in order to keep attentive to studies. Marx often worked 15 hours a day. Life is short and we have too much to do. Without diligence no one can achieve anything.

I believe that where there is a will there is a way, and that success belongs to those who can suffer long years of patient toil and constant efforts.

2. On Luck

Nowadays many people believe in luck. They believe it in love? in tests, promotions, etc. I think of luck in many respects. It does not come alone. Luck and opportunity go hand in hand with hard work and knowledge.

I was once assigned to work deep in the mountain. Being from a poor family, friendless and having no influential relative to rely on, I cursed my luck and let myself drift aimlessly and idled my time away until one day I realized that I could better myself by working hard at my lessons and excel in academic studies. Unsatisfied with my surroundings, I could not sleep at night. Listening to the sound of water rushing down the mountain, I felt I must keep going on just like the water. So I used to get up and read early in the morning when it was still dark and quiet. While others were sleeping soundly, I was already up in my study, reading.

Hard work is rewarding. When the college entrance examination came, I took it without hesitation. As a result, I distinguished myself in the test. Now I am at college, majoring in my favorite subject, English.

I think luck is nowhere to be found but in my own hands. With hard work we can be more knowledgeable and with knowledge comes good luck.

II. The following is an expository essay explaining a process. After reading it, change it into an inductive essay by giving it a sharp convincing edge to express your standpoint and making a conclusion.

Conductors and Insulators

Connect two wires to a battery, one with the positive pole, the other with the negative pole. Then connect the free ends of the wires with a bulb. The bulb will light up. This means it is a closed circuit. Then break the circuit and link one end with one more wire. Next, do things as follows:

Connect a paper clip to each of the free ends of the wire. Touch the two paper clips together. The bulb lights up. This shows that electricity is flowing through the circuit.

Separate the two clips. The light goes off. This means that the circuit is broken.

This kind of circuit which is used to find out whether or not electricity passes through a substance, is called a testing circuit.

Place a nail between the clips. Make the clips touch the nail.

Does the bulb light up?

If it does you know that it is a closed circuit. This means that electricity is flowing through the nail.

Hence the nail is a conductor. It conducts electricity.

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Page 10 of 10 ESSAY-WRITING Argumentative essay and inductive essay Place a piece of chalk between the clips. Make the clips touch the chalk. Does the bulb light up?

If it does not, you know that electricity cannot flow through the chalk. Then the chalk is an insulator. It does not conduct electricity.

Repeat the experiment using a wooden ruler, a piece of glass, a metal spoon, a coin, a piece of paper, a pin, a plastic comb, a key, a pencil, a tin lid and a rubber eraser.

You can find that the metal spoon, the coin, the pin, the key, and the tin lid are conductors and that the wooden ruler, the piece of glass, the piece of paper, the plastic comb, the pencil, and the rubber eraser are insulators.

Assignment

I. Nowadays with the development of economy, existing cities are growing bigger and new cities are

appearing. Some people think this is a good thing, others hold an opposite view. What do you think of it?

Write an essay of about 300 words on the topic: My View on the Urbanization in China.

II. Some people hold the view that a student's success in university study follows the same pattern as that of farming, which is characterized by "sowing the seeds, nurturing growth, and harvesting the rewards"

process. Write an essay of about 300 words on the topic given below to support this view with your own experience as a university student: Sowing the Seeds, Nurturing Growth and Harvesting the Rewards. III. Some people believe that newspapers are the best source of news. Others think news is presented better on TV or radio. What is your opinion? Write an essay of about 300 words arguing your standpoint after conducting a survey by means of a questionnaire given to your schoolmates.

IV. Some people believe that there are luck numbers that can bring good fortune. Others think one's misfortune has nothing to do with bad numbers. Do you agree with the former or the latter? Write an essay of about 300 words to prove your viewpoint by citing some specific examples.

V. Some people think that failure is a bad thing, while others believe that one can benefit from failure. What is your opinion about this point? Write an essay of about 300 words proving your viewpoint by using some common sense.

VI. Home Schooling Is not a Good Choice

VII. Marine Parks should Be Closed

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