2013年1月12日托福写作真题及范文

一、综合写作

题目：Marsupial（有袋动物）和Placenta（胎盘动物）哪种更适应环境？

听力观点（核心论点：Marsupial比Placenta更适应环境）

1. 有袋动物出生后，器官会继续发育，母亲的乳汁能保护它们免受感染，帮助其顺利成长，提升生存几率。

2. 有袋动物能够主动调节体温，它们会刻意降低自身温度，这样可以减少能量消耗，进而减少对食物的需求，更易适应食物匮乏的环境。

3. 曾经有袋动物和胎盘动物一同生活在澳大利亚，但现在澳大利亚只有有袋动物存活，说明有袋动物在两者的竞争中获胜，进一步证明其比胎盘动物更适应环境。

二、独立写作

题目：An effective leader should try to make others feel that they are part of the decision making process.（一位高效的领导者应该努力让他人感到自己是决策过程的一部分。）

2013年1月12日托福独立写作真题范文

To effectively manage a team or a business, we need a leader. Some people claim that an effective leader should make his or her subordinates feel that they are also decision makers, believing that this will give them a sense of belonging, which may make them work more spontaneously and conscientiously. Although there is some element of truth in the statement, I still believe that in most cases an effective leader is an authoritarian leader who makes decisions independently with little or no input from the rest of the group.

To begin with, there are situations where there is little time for group discussion so it is unrealistic for a leader to make others feel that they participate in the decision-making process. When the situation is urgent, an effective leader should have the ability and courage to make the final decision. For instance, in a company facing a sudden market crisis, such as a sharp drop in product sales or a sudden rise in raw material prices, there is no time to organize group discussions to collect everyone’s opinions. At this time, a leader who can make quick and decisive decisions can help the company avoid greater losses. If the leader spends a lot of time letting employees participate in decision-making, the company may miss the best opportunity to solve the crisis, which will affect the survival and development of the entire team.

Besides, when the leader is the most knowledgeable and visionary person in a group, it is more productive when the leader gives direct instructions telling those employees what needs to be done, when it should be done, and how it should be done. For example, when Steve Jobs first put forward the idea of iPad, his co-workers opposed his suggestion, saying that iPad is not a computer nor a cellphone, and nobody would buy it. However, Jobs insisted that iPad be created and launched onto the market. Now the result is obvious. People of different ages love iPad, and it has become one of the most successful products in the history of science and technology. This example best illustrates that effective leaders do not have to let subordinates feel that they are also decision-makers. Most subordinates do not have the foresight and sagacity that leaders possess; the best thing for them to do is to follow their sagacious leader and complete their own tasks well.

Last but not least, if team members feel that they are also decision-makers, then there is a possibility that those team members demand equal pay as the leader, or they have the delusion that they are as capable as their leader. This will easily lead to conflicts within the team, affect the unity of the team, and even reduce work efficiency. For example, in a small team, if the leader lets every member participate in decision-making, some members may think that their opinions are as important as the leader’s, so they ask for higher salaries or more rights. Once their demands are not met, they may become negative at work, which will have a negative impact on the entire team’s work progress.

From the above discussion, we can draw the conclusion that running a company or regulating an organization is not an easy task. Sometimes leaders should let employees feel that they are involved in the decision-making process to enhance team cohesion, but in most cases, to guarantee the effective running of a company or an organization, a successful leader should have the guts and ability to make various decisions alone. Only in this way can the team develop in a more efficient and orderly manner.