2012年1月SAT作文满分范文
题目：Is it wise to be suspicious of the motives or honesty of the people,even those who appear to be trustworthy?
范文：Throughout history and literature, there are a variety of examples that concerns the everlasting debate between trust and skepticism. Some argue that one should trust and accept of others, because humans are thought of as being fundamentally kind. Others maintain that one can never be too cautious when considering the motives of others, since under most circumstances; people are drive by selfish motives. There is no doubt that it requires considerable courage and great wisdom to have faith in others, however, skepticism towards the motives of others cannot simply be regarded as cynicism, because often times, even those who appear completely honest and trustworthy and be acting with selfish intensions.
Shakespeare Is famed for his eloquent use of language, but it is his ability to create dramatic tension and psychological intensity among well-sculpted characters that made him the most widely-read playwright in the history of English literature. In one of his most well-read plays, King Lear, Shakespeare skillfully presented his audience with the tragedy of Lear, who experienced heartbreak and mistreatment because his judgment was clouded by the seemingly honest and trustworthy facades of his two elder daughters. In the opening of the play, it is evident to the audience that Goneril and Reagan are flattering their father with words steeped in honey, and throughout their lengthy and flamboyant verse they attempt the show their father how pure and genuine their love for him is. In a masterly maneuver of dramatic irony, King Lear is completely fooled by these flattering claims without a trace of suspicion in his mind. He not only awarded his elder daughters more wealth and power than he originally promised because he was pleased by their gilded words, but also disowned his youngest daughter Cordelia and the faithful Kent for speaking out against them. Lear was fooled by appearance and tricked by arrogance so skillfully that he cannot differentiate between trickery and true honesty. His example shows that one cannot be too weary of people with selfish intensions, no matter how genuine their appearance suggests.
Niccolo Machiavelli’s name is often associated with negative connotations, but today many scholars believe that certain principles he outlined for Lorenzo de Medici in his famous work, the Prince, contributed greatly to the development of modern political science. In the Prince, Niccolo Machiavelli then described concisely to Lorenzo how to become a powerful and efficient ruler who can maintain power. He stressed the importance of getting the trust of others, but also emphasized that a “prince” should not easily trust others. This claim appears contradictory, but with further examination, one can see its merit. This is not only part of judgment and consideration when making decisions, in Machiavelli’s brilliant and ruthless mind, it can be used as a political and diplomatic weapon, in the right hands, can achieve either great deeds or ause great damage. Therefore, one cannot easily trust others especially if one plans on using honesty as a means of deceit to ascertain one’s own goals.
In conclusion, it is indeed wise to be suspicious of the motives or honesty of other people, even though they appears to be trustworthily, because according to Machiavelli, the stone-old brilliant political world can use the mask of honesty as a powerful weapon to hide deceit, and the tragedy of King Lear suggest that not only that one cannot trust those with gilded words, even one’s children. Yet, the world should not be devoid of hope and love: even the shamed King Lear eventually finds a brief moment of comfort in Cordelia and Kent, who did not seem honest at first, but remind with him loyally to the end.2012年10月SAT作文满分范文
题目：Should we care just as much about people in other countries as we do about people in our own country?
范文：To ordinary citizens the difference between nationalism and patriotism may seem small, but in the study of history and politics, the distance is great. The concept of a country itself is to subject to many different definitions and interpretations. In an age of globalization, the concept of national boundaries may apply more to legal sovereignty identity. The study of history and politics show that despite the ordinary conception that nationalism is similar to patriotism, in the modern age of globalization the concept for only caring for ones within one’s national boundaries is outdated, and it is most beneficial if we care about citizens of the global community as much as we do about people in our own country.
When studying history, one realizes that there are many distances where a leader of powerful countries adopted isolationist politics in order to maintain one’s own national interest, but in the process of doing so, neglected the global responsibilities and resulted in serious and previously avoidable consequences. During the late 1920s and early 1930s where Adolf Hitter rose to prominence in Germany and quickly abolished democracy and inspired the people to adopt fascism with full of enthusiasm, the rest of Europe simply watched their choice of compromise is known to today as the notorious period of appeasement, when France allowed Nazi Germany to expand into Czechoslovakia. They chose to avoid conflict because of the looses and memories of World War one, but they underestimated Hitler’s potential and ambitious when Neville Chamberlain retreated after giving up the freedom of the citizens of Czechoslovakia, he thought he saved the British people by securing “peace for our time”. After that he know that a few years later all of Europe would be at war, and British will suffer heavily. Historians argue that World War two could have been avoided if leaders could give up more comforts earlier on.
One of the most influenced political scientists in history, Niccolo Machiavelli, argued in his pamphlet The Prince that in order for a leader to be successful, he must be keenly aware of the conditions of the states around him, because in order for one state to survive, the ones around it cannot be suffering from war, plague and torment because soon those catastrophes can cross boundaries as people travel. He used the example of the French invasion of the late 1490s to illustrate his point. At that point in history Italy was divided into several city states. When Naples was stuck with the plague, Florence was conceived itself if the alliance allowed French entry to protect itself interest. Although in the end the French armies retracted, they laid waste to vast regions of Italians land and reversed me achievements of the event that all could be avoided if the people of Italy have cared enough to get together.
In conclusion, from the study of history and politics one can conclude that it is in one’s best interest to care about other nations as much as one self’s.2013年1月SAT作文满分范文
题目：Is it necessary for people to initate others before they can become original and creative?
范文：Throughout art, literature, and science, creativity and originality are qualities coveted above all others when creating new work. The definition of creativity and originality, however, are not precisely clear and therefore left up to debate. Because the creativity and originality of a work itself is conducted through the comparison to previous or contemporary works in similar fields, one can argue that the creativity of a work cannot be determined without comparison to other works. Therefore, one can argue that one has to learn from others before creating words of one’s own, although the learning process itself is not necessarily imitation, but the development of a thorough sense of understanding that allows for the future creations of originality and ingenuity.
In science, new theories and theorems are developed based on experiments, hypothesis and data proposed and connected by previous and contemporary scientists, Sir Isacc Newton once made the famous remark, stating that he has pushed scientific development so much further through his laws of motion, theory of gravitation and methods of calculus, because he was “Standing on the shoulder of giants.” He was referring to one scientists such as Copernicus and Galileo, without whose daring and ingenious hypothesis, as well as comprehensive data and analysis obtained through hours of observation. Newton, however, did not form his new theories by simply repeating what great men before him had done before. He thoroughly studies the works of previous, as well as contemporary scientists, and understood completely the logic and flaws of their works. It is with this solid foundation of knowledge learned from others that he developed his own work, Newton portrays an ideal example of ingenuity from experience and understood that goes well beyond imitation.
Another examples of how creativity is based on knowledge of previous generations but spawned by contemporary aesthetics and needs that requires far more than imitation can be found in architecture..The Gothic cathedrals of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries still dominate the landscapes of major European cities, and their designs and executions are developed to suit the needs of that era based on previous knowledge. The architectural before the Gothic, the Romanesque, revived much of the architectural works of classical Greece and Rome. During the Gothic era, however, new needs and aesthetics developed, and the thick walls and small windows of Romanesque buildings were no longer ideal. Instead, Gothic masons incorporated new mathematical concepts, such as the Golden Ratio, into an updated version of Romanesque design, resulting in not only the famous pointed arches ,but also soaring bell towers and enchanting Rose windows that filled the interior with tints of heavenly light, just as the artisans of Gothic Europe envisioned.
In conclusion, creativity and originality have to be based upon the works of predecessors and contemporaries. To be truly creative, however, one must move beyond imitation, and develop something truly new that reflect both a thorough understanding of what came before, as well as contemporary aesthetic and needs.