Can Money Buy Happiness?
Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a composition on the topic: Can Money Buy Happiness? You should write no less than 120 words and you should base your composition on the outline (given in Chinese) below:
1．有人认为金钱是幸福之本（source of happiness）；
2．也有人认为金钱是万恶之源（root of all evils）；
3．我的看法。
【范文】
Can Money Buy Happiness?
Can money buy happiness? Everyone has his own views.
Some people think that money is the source of happiness. In their mind①, money can buy a lot of things such as food, clothes, and also can pay for their enjoyment such as dancing and skating. With money, people can get what they like and do what they want to do. People can do nothing if they do not have money. In today’s society, people can never walk a step without money. These people believe that money can buy happiness.
Yet others think that money is the root of all evil. These people are guided by the concept② that money is the best thing in the world, so they are attempting to③ get more and more money. A lot of crimes occur such as stealing and robbery. Even some government officials are corrupted to accept bribery④. Under such circumstances⑤, some people hate money and think that it is money that causes sadness.
In my opinion, I think both of them exaggerate the influence of money. Undoubtedly, money can help people to enjoy themselves, and on the other hand, it can also result in⑥ evils. As a coin has two sides, money can be both positive and negative. Thus, we should earn money and use money correctly.
【注释】
①in their mind：在他们看来
②concept：观念；概念
③attempt to：试图…；努力…
④bribery：贿赂
⑤under such circumstances：在这种情况下
⑥result in：带来…的结果
【点评】
本文是一篇根据汉语提纲展开的议论文。
作者开门见山，在第一段就直接提出中心论题Can Money Buy Happiness?，并指出每个人都有自己的看法。
在第二段，作者结合提纲中第一点提示，指出：有些人认为金钱是幸福之本，接着对这种观点进行剖析。
在第三段，作者结合提纲中第二点的提示，指出：另一些人认为金钱是万恶之源，并用一些普通百姓和政府官员的事例对这种观点进行分析。在此段开头，作者还恰当地运用Yet进行了语义上的转折性过渡。
在第四段，作者用In my opinion进行顺利过渡，首先对上述两种极端的观念进行批判，接着又阐述了自己对这个问题的看法。
参考文献：英语作文高分必背丛书：大学英语四级写作/李华田主编，武汉大学出版社，2005
