Stand on your Own Feet
Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a composition on the topic: Stand on Your Own Feet. You’re given the first sentence of each paragraph. You should write at least 120 words (not including the given words).
Stand on Your Own Feet
There is an old saying that “Self-help is the best help”.——————————————
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Those who have depended on others all their lives are seldom good for anything in a crisis.———————————————---------------------------------------------------------------------
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.In some western countries, it is universally accepted that the prime element in character is the power of self-direction.———————————————————————————
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【范文】
Stand on Your Own Feet①
There is an old saying② that “Self-help is the best help”③. The truth of it has been proved by the successful lives of great men and women in history. They depended on their own strength, fought their way to④ triumph over the road of difficulty and through all sorts of obstacles. Some poor people who have been self-educated won for themselves distinguished⑤ positions with the respect and esteem of the whole world.
Those who have depended on others all their lives are seldom good for anything in a crisis⑥. When difficulty of misfortune comes, they look around for somebody to rely on⑦. When there is no prop⑧, and their efforts to seek support are in vain⑨, they fail. On the other hand, many a person has succeeded simply because he has supported himself. It is true, indeed, that we can lean on neither parents nor others all our lives.
In some western countries, it is universally accepted that the prime element in character is the power of self-direction. The supreme⑩ aim of school discipline and family education is to prepare the young to be self-governing men and women. The young people there don’t want to live in their parents’ shadow and think it shameful to depend on their parents for money. We Chinese should learn from them. Let’s remember the famous saying “God helps those who help themselves”11, and stand on our own feet.
【注释】
①stand on your own feet：自主，自食其力
②an old saying：古老的格言；谚语
③self-help is the best help：自助是最好的帮助；天助不如自助
④fight their way to：他们一路冲过去（直到）
⑤distinguished：著名的，卓越的；杰出的
⑥in a crisis：面临危机；处在紧要关头
⑦rely on：依赖；依靠
⑧prop：支柱；靠山
⑨in vain：无益地；徒然的
⑩supreme：最高位的；首要的
11God helps those who help themselves：天道酬勤；自助者天助
【点评】
这是一篇典型的段首句作文。这种题型的作文曾经在四级考试中出现过几次。作者在第一段运用举例说明法对所给的主题句“Self-help is the best help”进行论证。在第二段，作者结合本段论点Those who have depended on others all-their lives are seldom good for anything in a crisis用例子（在遭遇不幸和困难时，有的人失败了，而有些人战胜困难取得成功）来证明。在段末再做出小结：We can lean on neither parents nor others all over lives。这句话既强调了主题，又起到了照应段首句的作用。末段对照西方国家的一些观念和经验，进一步阐明了学会自立的重要性。
全文长短句结合，读起来很有节奏感。作者准确选用谚语，结合使用列举法和举例说明法，论证充分有力，过渡自然。
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
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