2月7日SSAT考试写作真题：
Which century would you like to live in?
解析：
这个题目属于半开放式的议论文题目，在结构上可以借鉴
从内容方面来说，这个题目可以跟“你最喜欢的书、电影、历史人物”等归为一类，在内容上可以互相灵活借用。素材的积累建议翻看中学历史课本，从中摘取你感兴趣的书(最好是同时改编成电影的)、历史人物等，，把专门的单词短语摘录下来。比如在回答这个文章的时候，就把之前给学生们讲解用过的《悲惨世界》、林肯等材料用上了。
需要注意的是，在素材选取上，要么选择没有被用滥的(爱迪生、伽利略的出现频率就很高)，要么把一个常用的素材说详细、或换一个角度写(比如林肯用的也很多，但是可以介绍他富有争议的一部分，比如南北战争是否真的给黑人带去了生活的改善等，而不是人云亦云地歌颂他让黑奴翻身做主人)。总之，尽量避免落于俗套，突出你自己的观察，毕竟S
范文：
If it were me, I would like to live in the nineteenth century, a time when radical changes took place, inspiring art works were created and modernity replaced feudalism. As Charles Dickens generalized in his A Tale of Two Cities: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times”, the nineteenth century was such a complex time that the decay of the old and the adventure of the new occurring in this period really fascinate me.
If I could live in the nineteenth century, the first place I would visit was Europe. The reason why I choose Europe was because I want to explore its complicated situation after revolution, which is reflected by numerous art works created at that time. I am spellbound in Hugo’s Les Miserables, in which he points out that revolution does not merely bring people light of freedom and equality, as the way oversimplified by the history textbook I read, but also leads to disorder and chaos. I would like to step on the land of Europe, to explore whether the poor virtually suffered more severe pain, as indicated by Hugo. Moreover, I was especially touched by the plot that when facing the policeman’s interrogation, Jean Valjean bravely admitted his crime and fake identity. Comparing to people who obtained fortune and fame from the turbulent days, his bravery and integrity really illuminate the darkness. I would also pay attention on ordinary citizens’ daily life if I went to Europe, to discover people who insisted on justice even in troubled times as Valijean did, since the goodness in human nature, as implied by Hugo, provides the ultimate solution for chaos and darkness.
The second stop would be United States, a nation which just ended its Civil War. I want to collect newspapers reporting Civil War, to see how people from both sides debated over the legacy of the war. I also expect to learn how Abraham Lincoln tried to convince the landlords in the southern slave states of the meaning to abolish slavery, and how he used his president power to implement the Emancipation Proclamation regardless of the heated opposition. In addition, I would go into people’s common life, especially the life of the freedmen. I want to look at their excited facial expressions and share their happiness, as well as explore the influence of civil war on them, both positive and negative ones.
The third place I would like to visit is Asia, where I could witness the clash between the modernity and the feudalism. I would take Japan as my first destination, as it just initiated its Meiji Reform. I am curious about how the reform successfully transformed Japan from an isolated outcast to a modern country, without triggering severe rebellion of the old money and power. A contrast example might be Qing Dynasty, the last feudal dynasty of China. While the emperor had tried to implement a series of reforms to embrace modernity, his attempts failed, and the dynasty was overturned by military powers, which led China into a long period of inner wars. I would like to explore what are the factors that lead the two countries to such dramatically different paths.
All in all, if I had a chance, I would choose to live in the nineteenth century. As I discussed above, the reason why it attracts me so much is its complication, which I would like illustrate by citing Dickenson’s quote again: “It was the season of light, it was the season of darkness”.