Issue 57 范文精析1

57 The main benefit of the study of history is to dispel the illusion that people living now are

significantly different from people who lived in earlier times.

I concede that basic human nature has not changed over recorded history, and that

coming to appreciate this fact by studying history can be beneficial in how we live as a society.

However, I disagree with the statement in two respects. First, in other ways there are marked

differences between people of different time periods, and learning about those differences

can be just as beneficial. Second, studying history carries other equally important benefits as

well.

ills are here to stay, because they spring from human nature. For instance, crime and violence

have troubled almost every society; all manner of reform, prevention, and punishment have

been tried with only partial success. Today, the trend appears to be away from reform toward

a "tough-on-crime" approach, to no avail.

However beneficial it might be to appreciate the unchanging nature of humankind, it is

equally beneficial to understand and appreciate significant differences between peoples of

different time periods----in terms of cultural mores, customs, values, and ideals. For example,

the ways in which societies have treated women, ethnic minorities, animals, and the

environment have evolved over the course of human history. Society's attitudes toward artistic

expression, literature, and scientific and intellectual inquiry are also in a continual state of

benefits of studying history. Learning about the courage and tenacity of history's great

explorers, leaders, and other achievers inspires us to similar accomplishments, or at least to

face own fears as we travel through life. Learning about the mistakes of past societies helps

us avoid repeating them. For instance, the world is slowly coming to learn by studying history

that political states whose authority stems from suppression of individual freedoms invariably

fall of their own oppressive weight. And, learning about one's cultural heritage, or roots,

fosters a healthy sense of self and cultivates an interest in preserving art, literature, and other

cultural artifacts--all of which serve to enrich society.

To sum up, history informs us that basic human nature has not changed, and this history

lesson can help us understand and be more tolerant of one another, as well as develop

这篇文章有两个切入点：

1. 过去和现在的人们到底一样还是不一样

2. 学习历史的好处是不是仅仅是这个

点名了学习历史的其他

这段大部分内容都是

在讨论不同，但是没有

涉及知道这些不同的

意义；如果中心句可以

写成学习历史可以让

我们感受到社会的

进步会更好一点的