“Some people think any government money spent in supporting the artists such as painters, musicians and poets should be spent on more important things. To what extent do you agree or disagree?”

　　本次考题关于政府投资，是一个的老题，以前出现过。

　　那么，政府是否应该不资助艺术家呢?或者说，资助艺术家会带来什么好处和坏处呢?

　　很显然，艺术是属于超越现实的东西，政府首先应该解决民生问题，包括衣食住行等基本问题，但是这并不意味着政府应该不资助艺术家，因为从现实的角度看，艺术其实也可以为政府带来收入，同时艺术还可以改善人们的精神状态，起到凝聚人心的作用。从这个角度看，政府其实也应该适度资助艺术家的工作。

　　老师笔记

　　01

　　Many people consider any government investment on artists such as painters, musicians, and poets as wasteful because the government should put the tax-payers’ money to more important things. While I do believe there are things moreessential than art, I insist that artists should also be financially supported by the government.

　　人认为，政府对艺术家(如画家、 音乐家和诗人)的任何投资都是浪费，因为政府应该把纳税人的钱投放到更重要的事情。虽然我确实相信有的东西比艺术更重要，但我依旧坚持认为艺术家也应得到政府财政支持。

　　解析

　　(1)本段直接进入正题，表明自己的观点。请观察范文是如何修改题目句子，避免重复的。

　　(2) wasteful 浪费的

　　(3) essential 重要的，关键的

　　(4) insist 坚持认为

　　02

　　Needless to say, the first priority for any government is improving the living conditions of its citizens. Paintings, music, and literature are needed by people only when their basic necessities are satisfied. It is hard, therefore, to imagine a government will give immense amount of money to artists when its people are still suffering from poverty.

　　不用说，任何政府的首要任务都是改善公民的生活条件。只有基本生活必需品得到满足后，人们才会需要绘画、音乐和文学。因此，当人们还在遭受贫穷时，很难想像某个政府会把大量的钱投给艺术家。

　　解析

　　(1)本段论述题目观点的合理之处：贫穷的时候，政府的确不会大量投资艺术。

　　(2) needless to say 不必说

　　(3) priority 首要，优先

　　(4) necessities 需求

　　(5) immense 巨大的

　　03

　　Yet this does not mean that any investment on artists is a waste of money. In the first place, art can become a lucrative business and bring a lot of revenue to a country, even when it is still poor. India is a perfect case in point. Its movie industry since 1970s has created millions of jobs and brought tons of money to India in addition to boosting the country’s tourism. Furthermore, art can improve people’s mental state and bring them together, especially when a country is in crisis. The entire United States, for example, was paralyzed right after the 9/11 terrorist attack, but it quickly recovered from that paralysis, largely because American people were inspired by the artistic works which encourage them to face the reality and move on.

　　然而这并不意味着对艺术家的任何投资都是在浪费钱。首先，艺术可以成为一门赚钱的生意，给带来大量的收入，即使当这个还很贫穷的时候。印度就是一个很恰当的例子。自上世纪 70 年代以来，其电影产业已给印度创造数以百万计的就业机会，并挣了不计其数的给钱，同时还促进了该国旅游业。此外，艺术可以改善人的心理状态，使他们团结起来，尤其是当一个处于危机时。比如，9/11恐怖袭击后，整个美国处于瘫痪状态，但它很快就从这种瘫痪状态中苏醒过来了，很大程度上就是因为美国人受到艺术作品的鼓舞，这些作品鼓励他们面对现实，继续前进。

　　解析

　　(1)本段讨论艺术能带来的好处：物质上可以挣钱，精神上可以凝聚人心。论述的时候，均采用了举例法。

　　(2)lucrative 盈利的

　　(3)revenue (政府)收入

　　(4)boost 促进

　　(5)faralyze 使……瘫痪

　　(6)inspire 鼓舞

　　04

　　Seen in this light, art is anything but useless, for it is not only profitableeconomically, but also inspiring spiritually. When people’s basic needs are met, art will definitely become an important part of their life. When this happens, the government’s investment on art will become absolutely necessary and relevant.

　　从这个角度看，艺术绝非毫无用处，因为它不仅在经济上可以盈利，而且在精神上还可鼓舞人心。当人们的基本需求得到满足时，艺术将肯定会成为他们生活的重要组成部分。在这种情况下，政府对艺术的投资就会变得必要和有理。

　　解析

　　(1) 本段是结论，总结前文观点。

　　(2) seen in this light 从这个角度看来

　　(3) profitable 盈利的，赚钱的

　　(4) relevant 相关的