英语专业考试(TEM)写作资料：
专八2025年真题
PART V WRITING (45 MIN)
Read carefully the following two excerpts on humility and ambition, and then write your response in NO LESS THAN 300 WORDS, in which you should:
1. summarize the main message of the two excerpts, and then
2. give your opinions on how to balance humility with ambition in your future career development.
You can support yourself with information from the excerpts.
Marks will be awarded for content relevance, content sufficiency, organization and language quality. Failure to follow the above instructions may result in a loss of marks.
Write your response on ANSWER SHEET FOUR.
Excerpt 1
What is humility associated with?
Humility is considered by many philosophers a core element of virtue, which has important benefits to the individual and society. Humility is associated with avoiding conflict, fostering reconciliation, acceptance, and peaceful coexistence. We generally perceive humility as a positive trait, and even feel naturally drawn to humble individuals.
Humility is also associated with personal happiness. Humble people generally have a great appreciation for living and for day-to-day experiences, and they are often family- and relationship-oriented. The call for humility is likely grounded in the observation that humility is associated with appreciation of life and interpersonal relationships. Living a simple life and being down-to-earth not only give you a good social life. They also help you earn the respect of other people. Humble people would avoid giving themselves praise as much as they can. Appreciation and recognition of their abilities normally come from other people. As the saying goes, respect is earned and not demanded. When people start taking notice of your good qualities without your asking for it, humility has done its job.
Excerpt 2
Humility and ambition
There has been a remarkable conflict between the call for humility and the societal value system that rewards competitiveness and prominence. General wisdom is that it’s harder to advance our career when we humbly stand back instead of promoting ourselves. Humility is frequently perceived as a weakness. Therefore, we tend to spend most of our lives working to achieve the opposite of humility — we strive for recognition. We don’t want to be like others — we want to be better. There is barely a moment in our lives when we are not confronted with some kind of yearning or need. Of course, many of these fulfill basic functions and thus are necessary to sustain life, e.g., craving to eat, drink, rest, and comfort. They may temporarily preoccupy our minds but may otherwise not represent a major distraction. Yet in excess, desire can consume our minds and may blind us to the fortune of our existence. We all know individuals who seem obsessively driven by some form of craving, e.g., wealth, beauty, and status. Their mind tells them that these things will make them feel fulfilled, and they won’t rest until they achieve their goals. In our busy lives, we usually feel there’s something we “should be” accomplishing. Many of these may be indeed necessary to support our lives, but many may not.
【参考范文】
Whether humility is a strength or a weakness has long been a topic of interest and concern among philosophers as well as the general public. Humility has been widely recognized as a core element of virtue linked to personal and social well-being, since this quality is associated not only with promoting harmony, reconciliation, and peaceful coexistence, but also with appreciation of everyday life and interpersonal relationships. By contrast, in current societal values where competitiveness and prominence are highly praised, people often strive for recognition and a sense of fulfillment rather than humility; however, excessive yearning for success and status can dominate our minds and prevent us from appreciating the beauty and meaning of ordinary life.
In light of the discussion mentioned above, I tend to subscribe to the notion that it is of utmost importance to balance humility with ambition, especially in our personal growth and development. To begin with, individuals should properly express our desire and ambition. Ambition serves as an essential driving force that motivates individuals to pursue their goals and realize their potential. Without aspiration, people may lack direction and motivation, which can lead to mediocrity in the long run. Ambition can also encourage persistence and self-discipline, enabling individuals to overcome challenges they may face along the way. Nevertheless, if not properly balanced, ambition may lead people to become overly competitive and obsessively focused on personal achievement, hence diminishing their ability to realize their own limitations and learn from others.
Moreover, while aspiring to remarkable achievements in our life, we should also stay humble and down-to-earth. Aiming high does not mean that success can be easily achieved. Meanwhile, keeping a down-to-earth attitude helps individuals remain realistic and modest about their abilities and motivates them to work hard rather than rely on unrealistic expectations. For example, Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple, was well known for his relentless pursuit of excellence. He also firmly believed that true success comes from striving for perfection and paying attention to even the smallest details. This attitude pushed him to work hard to improve their products. Without such persistence and commitment to high standards, he might never have transformed Apple into one of the most innovative and successful technology companies in the world.
To sum up, humility and ambition are not opposing forces that conflict with each other, but complementary qualities that contribute to ultimate success. When balanced appropriately, ambition provides the motivation to move forward, while humility offers the wisdom to maintain a healthy perspective on life and relationships.
【中文翻译】
谦逊究竟是一种优点还是一种弱点，长期以来一直是哲学家以及普通大众关注和讨论的话题。谦逊被广泛认为是一种与个人和社会福祉密切相关的核心美德，因为这种品质不仅有助于促进和谐、和解与和平共处，还能让人更加珍惜日常生活以及人与人之间的关系。相比之下，在当今社会价值观中，竞争力和卓越地位往往备受推崇，人们更倾向于追求认可与成就感，而非保持谦逊；然而，对成功和地位的过度渴望可能会主导我们的思想，使我们忽视平凡生活中的美好与意义。
基于以上讨论，我倾向于认为，在个人成长与发展的过程中，在谦逊与抱负之间保持平衡至关重要。首先，人们应当适当地表达自己的愿望和抱负。抱负是一种重要的驱动力，能够激励人们追求目标并实现自身潜力。缺乏志向的人往往会缺乏方向和动力，从长远来看可能导致平庸。与此同时，抱负还能够培养坚持不懈的精神和自律能力，使人们能够克服在前进道路上可能遇到的各种挑战。然而，如果缺乏适当的平衡，抱负也可能使人变得过度竞争，并过分执着于个人成就，从而削弱其认识自身局限并向他人学习的能力。
此外，在追求卓越成就的同时，我们也应当保持谦逊和脚踏实地的态度。志存高远并不意味着成功可以轻易获得。同时，保持脚踏实地的态度能够使人对自身能力保持理性而谦逊的认识，并激励人们通过努力工作来实现目标，而不是依赖不切实际的期待。例如，苹果公司的联合创始人史蒂夫·乔布斯以其对卓越的不懈追求而闻名。他始终坚信，真正的成功来源于对完美的不懈追求以及对细节的高度关注。正是这种态度推动他不断努力改进产品。若没有这种坚持不懈的精神以及对高标准的执着追求，他或许不可能将苹果公司发展成为世界上最具创新力和最成功的科技公司之一。
总而言之，谦逊与抱负并不是相互对立的力量，而是相辅相成、共同促成最终成功的重要品质。当两者得到恰当的平衡时，抱负为人们提供不断前进的动力，而谦逊则赋予人们以智慧，使他们能够以更加健康和理性的视角看待人生与人际关系。
祝大家都有个好成绩！
微博：陈曲老师
