Some people think the most important thing about being rich is that it gives an opportunity to help other people. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

 

本周考题也算一个难得的新题，在近5年内都没有出现过。但这个题目对我们来说，也不应构成什么大的威胁。富裕之后，最重要的事情是什么？是享受，还是帮助别人？

 

从正能量方面来说，我们肯定会同意富裕后最美好的事情就是能够帮到别人。但如何来论证这个观点呢？

 

唐老师觉得可以考虑从两个方面来说：首先，我们有钱后去帮助别人，这是能够给我们带来更多幸福和成就感的事情；但是这也有一个条件，那就是，我们只有去帮助那些我们真正想帮助的人，而不是被媒体或舆论所逼迫去帮助别人，这才能带来真正的幸福，同时，帮助别人带来的幸福与给别人捐多少钱也不一定成正比。

 

因此，本题唐老师的思路就是：首先点明观点（有钱后帮助别人能给我们带来幸福），然后论证这个幸福来自于我们的内心，同时与帮助的幅度没有太大关系。这样写既围绕了题目要求，同时也显得丰富和客观。各位考生，你是怎么写的呢？

 

老师笔记

 

01

 

If being rich is being happy, can helping others be a super-happiness? Theresounding answer is yes. The rich would feel even a higher degree of happiness, particularly when they are giving for causes that they are passionate about.

 

如果富有就是幸福，那么帮助别人是否是超级幸福呢？响亮的回答是肯定的。富人会感到更高程度的幸福，特别是当他们为充满激情的事由而奉献时。

 

解析

（1）本段引入话题，并提出观点：帮助别人，尤其是为自己喜欢的事由而奉献时能够带来幸福。这种问句开头方式，需要开门见山，对此把握不好的同学谨慎使用。

（2）resounding 响亮的

（3）giving 给予；捐献；奉献

（4）be passionate about... 对......充满激情

 

02

 

Generally, those who are happiest are those who give the most to others, according to ancient wisdom and new research. It makes conventional sense that helping other people in need is a path to everlasting happiness. As the Chinese saying goes: “If you want happiness for an hour, take a nap. If you want happiness for a lifetime, help somebody.” Scientific experiments also show that altruism, or selfless concern for the well-being of others, is hard-wired in the brain, and it is pleasurable. In view of all this information, helping others may be just the secret to living a life that is both happy and meaningful.

 

根据古老的智慧和新的研究，最幸福的人通常是那些给予别人最多的人。帮助其他需要帮助的人是让人通往永恒幸福的道路，这在传统上是有道理的。正如中国谚语所说：“如果你想要一个小时的幸福，就小睡一会儿。如果你想要一辈子的幸福，那就帮助别人吧。”科学实验也表明利他主义，即对他人幸福的无私关怀，是根植于我们大脑中的，而且是令人愉快的。考虑到所有这些信息，帮助他人也许就是度过幸福而且有意义的一生的秘诀所在。

 

解析

 （1）本段论述帮助他人能够给人带来幸福的两个证据：古老的智慧和新近的研究。

（2）ancient wisdom 古老的智慧

（3）people in need 需要帮助的人

（4）everlasting 持久的

（5）as the Chinese saying goes,... 正如中国谚语所说......

（6）altruism 利他主义

（7）well-being 利益

（8）hard-wired 存在于内心深处的

（9）in view of 鉴于；考虑到

 

 

 

03

 

However, it is important to remember that helping others does not always make the rich feel the happiness they deserve. In some cases, giving can make the rich feeltaken advantage of, even though it is the right thing to do. Therefore, to be really happy in helping others, the rich can choose the causes they love. Meanwhile, giving to a cause that specifies where their money is going can lead to a positive feeling of everlasting happiness rather than a negative feeling of resentment. Understandably, it is not only how much money they give, but also how much love they put into giving.

 

然而，必须要记住，帮助别人并不总让富人体验他们应得的幸福。在某些情况下，有钱人的奉献会让他们觉得被利用，即使奉献时正确的做法。因此，要真正在帮助别人中感到幸福，富人可以选择他们自己喜欢的事由。如果一个事由明确了钱将用于何处，此时的奉献也能带来永恒幸福的积极感觉，而不是一种消极的怨恨感。不难理解，这与他们奉献了多少金钱无关，而是他们投入了多少爱。

 

解析

（1）本段讨论帮助他人获得幸福感的条件，一是要帮助自己愿意帮助的人或事，二是要清楚知道自己的钱用到哪里。同时指出，幸福感不只是来自捐了多少钱，更来自投入了多少爱。

（2）deserve 应得到......

（3）take advantage of 利用；欺骗

（4）specify 清楚说明

（5）resentment 怨恨

 

04

 

In giving, rich people can choose the causes that fit them to achieve a high degree of happiness. The best thing the rich can do with their money, therefore, is not just being able to help others, or even how much they can help, but being able to help for the right causes. 

 

在奉献中，富人可以选择适合他们的事由，以获得高度的幸福感。因此，富人能用他们的钱来做的的事情，不仅仅是能够帮助别人，甚至也不是能帮到多少忙，而是能为正当的事由提供帮助。

 

解析

 （1）本段结论：有钱人的幸福感不只是来自可以帮助别人，而且来自帮到正确的人。

（2）fit 适合

（3）achieve 达到，实现

 

 

本场考试范文

If being rich is being happy, can helping others be a super-happiness? The resounding answer is yes. The rich would feel even a higher degree of happiness, particularly when they are giving for causes that they are passionate about.

 

Generally, those who are happiest are those who give the most to others, according to ancient wisdom and new research. It makes conventional sense that helping other people in need is a path to everlasting happiness. As the Chinese saying goes: “If you want happiness for an hour, take a nap. If you want happiness for a lifetime, help somebody.” Scientific experiments also show that altruism, or selfless concern for the well-being of others, is hard-wired in the brain, and it is pleasurable.  In view of all this information, helping others may be just the secret to living a life that is both happy and meaningful.

 

However, it is important to remember that helping others does not always make the rich feel the happiness they deserve. In some cases, giving can make the rich feel taken advantage of, even though it is the right thing to do. Therefore, to be really happy in helping others, the rich can choose the causes they love. Meanwhile, giving to a cause that specifies where their money is going can lead to a positive feeling of everlasting happiness rather than a negative feeling of resentment. Understandably, it is not only how much money they give, but also how much love they put into giving.

 

In giving, rich people can choose the causes that fit them to achieve a high degree of happiness. The best thing the rich can do with their money, therefore, is not just being able to help others, or even how much they can help, but being able to help for the right causes.

(304 words)