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Official Guide 官方指南题目
Practice Test 1
1. Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below
To change is to risk something, making us feel insecure. Not to change is a bigger risk, though we seldom feel that way. There is no choice but to change. People, however, cannot be motivated to change from the outside. All of our motivation comes from within.
Assignment: What motivates people to change?
Practice Test 2
2. Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below
Technology promises to make our lives easier, freeing up time for leisure pursuits. But the rapid pace of technological innovation and the split second processing capabilities of computers that can work virtually nonstop have made all of us feel rushed. We have adopted the relentless pace of the very machines that were supposed to simplify our lives, with the result that, whether at work or play, people do not feel like their lives have changed for the better.
Assignment: Do changes that make our lives easier not necessarily make them better?
Practice Test 3
3. Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below
A mistakenly cynical view of human behavior holds that people are primarily driven by selfish motives：the desire for wealth, for money, or for fame. Yet history gives us many examples of individuals who have sacrificed their own welfare for a cause or a principle that they regarded as more important than their lives. Conscience—that powerful inner voice that tells us what is right and what is wrong—can be a more compelling force than money, power, or fame.
Assignment: Is conscience a more powerful motivator than money, fame, or power?
Practice Test 4
4. Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below
The old saying, “be careful what you wish for”, may be an appropriate warning. The drive to achieve a particular goal can dangerously narrow one’s perspective and encourage the fantasy that success in one endeavor will solve all of life’s difficulties. In fact, success can sometimes have unexpected consequences. Those who propel themselves toward the achievement of one goal often find that their lives are worse once “success” is achieved than they were before.
Assignment: Can success be disastrous?
Practice Test 5
5. Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below
A better understanding of other people contributes to the development of moral virtues. We shall be both kinder and fairer in our treatment of others if we understand them better. Understanding ourselves and understanding others are connected, since as human beings we all have things in common.
Assignment: Do we need other people in order to understand ourselves?
Practice Test 6
6. Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below
There is, of course, no legitimate branch of science that enables us to predict the future accurately. Yet the degree of change in the world is so overwhelming and so promising that the future, I believe, is far brighter than anyone has contemplated since the end of the Second World War.
Assignment: Is the world changing for the better?
Practice Test 7
7. Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below
“Tough challenges reveal our strengths and weaknesses.” This statement is certainly true; adversity helps us discover who we are. Hardships can often lead us to examine who we are and to question what is important in life. In fact, people who have experienced seriously adverse events frequently report that they were positively changed by their negative experiences.
Assignment: Do you think that ease does not challenge us and that we need adversity to help us discover who we are?
Practice Test 8
8. Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below
Traditionally the term “heroism” has been applied to those who have braved physical danger to defend a cause or to protect others. But one of the most feared dangers people face is that of disapproval by their family, peers, or community. Sometimes acting courageously requires someone to speak out at the risk of such rejection. We should consider those who do so true heroes.
Assignment: Should heroes be defined as people who say what they think when we ourselves lack the courage to say it?
Official Guide Sample Test 1
9. Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below
Some people believe that there is only one foolproof plan, perfect solution, or correct interpretation. But nothing is ever that simple. For better or worse, for every so-called final answer there is another way of seeing. There is always a “however”.
Assignment: Is there always another explanation or another point of view?
Official Guide Sample Test 2
10. Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below
1 Honesty is an important value in every relationship. Whether interacting with a friend, a roommate, a spouse, a parent, or another loved one, individuals expect others to be honest and feel betrayed when they are deceived.
2 Deception can actually make it easier for people to get along. In a recent study, for example, one out of every four of the lies told by participants was told solely for the benefit of another person. In fact, most lies are harmless social untruths in which people pretend to like someone or something more than they actually do.
Adapted from Allison Kornet, “The Truth About Lying”
Assignment: Is deception ever justified?
