托福獨立寫作難點話題思路解讀和高分范文賞析：earn a lot of money means successful?

　　Only people who earn a lot of money are successful?

　　Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Only people who earn a lot of money are successful. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

　　寫作思路展開結構分析

　　不能同意。Only是絕對修飾詞。確實，往往成功的一個表象是金錢的多少。但錢不是衡量成功的唯一的標準，比如黑幫分子(members of criminal syndicate)、一些黑心的商人 (evil-minded businessman)。還有些職業(yè)收入遠不如其他行業(yè)，比如，我國的教師，護士。成功的定義更應該基于社會貢獻：甘地(Gandhi)就身無分文(without a cash in his pocket);特蕾莎修女 (Mother Theresa )也是好例子。

　　本話題高分范文賞析

　　China is host to over one billion people. While the majority of China's population is not rich; in fact, it is a very small percentage of people who hold the status of being wealthy. Does this mean that the vast majority of Chinese people are unsuccessful? The answer to this is irrefutably "no". There are many measures of success, and money is one of them. However, money is far from the main measure of success. To prove this point, one need only consider the possibility that a man could be wealthy beyond belief, but not consider himself successful. Perhaps he inherited his money, and has done nothing of value in his life. Perhaps he earned the money through ill means. Whatever the situation, it is more than possible that a rich man could be considered unsuccessful, either by himself, or by others. Many people believe that the main measure of success is happiness, rather than material goods. Without happiness, even a person with money, status and children would not be successful. However, a low paid schoolteacher might think he/she was very successful if he/she succeeded in getting children to learn their material well. Or perhaps a housewife, who makes no money of her own, would feel successful if she raised a healthy, well-adjusted child and kept her home looking wonderful. It is also important to look at the difference between self-perceived success and one's success in the eyes of another person. Perhaps the outside world views a man as unsuccessful if he does not have a lot of money, but he views himself as very successful because of his achievements in life. Whose opinion is more important? I believe that if one thinks he/she is successful, then he/she is, no matter what other people say. In conclusion, money is not the only measure of success. Anyone can be successful, whether they are rich or poor. What matters is how one views himself/herself; if one is proud of one's achievements in life, and feels that he/she has lived a fulfilling life, then he/she is successful.