托福写作范文系列文章(Part 13)

　　1 EX Why do you think some people are attracted to dangerous sports or other dangerous activities? Use specific reasons and examples to support our answer.

　　Dangerous sports or activities attract a certain type of person. This person is often a risk taker, an optimist, and a fatalist.

• People who take risks are found both in dangerous sports and business. But it is a special person who takes a risk with his own life as opposed to his money. My father was a risk taker. He put everything be owned into his business, but he stopped playing risky sports like horseback riding and skiing. Once his business was a success and he no longer bad to worry about providing for us, he returned on the age of 60, to the risky sports that he did as a youth.

　　Someone who plays a dangerous sport must be an optimist. They cannot imagine that anything will happen to them. They never think about breaking their leg while skiing, falling off a cliff while rock climbing, falling on their head while sky diving. They live for the thrill of the moment without a thought to the many things that could go wrong.

　　Rock climbers and sports car drivers must be fatalist. They might plan for potential problems, but once they have done everything they can do, the outcome is out of their bands. A motorcyclist when jumps across a narrow canyon will get the fastest, strongest bike available that will carry him or her across the canyon, however, wind conditions or other problems might interfere and the cyclist my fall short of his goal.

　　Many people have the same traits of course. Many of us are risk takers, optimists and fatalists. But I think people who play dangerous sports must have these characteristics in abundance.

　　2 EX Which is more important for success: the natural ability you are born with or hard work? Explain your opinion, using specific reasons and examples.

　　Without a doubt, hard work is a much better predictor of success than natural ability. In my experience, I have seen this at work in sports, school, and work.

　　Many athletes have a natural ability to run the fastest mile or kick the ball the most accurately. Unless they work hard though, they will not be stars. They need to train daily, eat properly, live correctly. It takes hard work to be Number One.

　　At school, I have seen many very bright students do poorly on exams. They count on their intelligence to get them through. However, unless they do their homework every day, participate in class discussions, and study for exams, they will be the bottoms of the class.

　　Many salespeople can talk with anyone and convince him or her to buy something. They have a natural ability to sell. They must however apply some hard work to this skill. They must learn a lot about their customers, about the product they are selling, and about the market, they must put some effort into the paper work that goes along with the sale. If they don’t follow through, the sale will not be made.

　　Whatever the area, whether on the playing field, at school, or on the sales floor, a person must not rely on his natural ability along if he or she wants to succeed. They must work hard to be a success.