作者：北美考试院 托福写作组 叶晓轩
本期考题考察综合写作属于频的生物话题，阅读材料中对动物的某个生理结构的功能提出猜想，而听力则一一反驳，指出这些猜想都有不合理的地方。在TPO中，这类话题还是比较常见的，比较具有代表性的有TPO 33, TPO 5等。
Keywords: narwhal; possible function; observe; hypothesis.
可以类比下列这些TPO的综合写作。
TPO 33 考古发现的carved stone balls是用来做什么的
阅读部分：
总观点：提出三种猜想
1. 狩猎打仗的武器
2. 因为大小相同，所以可能是称重的工具，或重量的计量单位
3. 象征社会地位
听力反驳：
总观点：阅读的猜想各有不妥
• 狩猎武器应该有破损，但是这些石球表面保存完好
• 虽然这些石球大小差不多，但是材质密度各不相同，导致实际重量悬殊，无法用作重量计量单位；
• 如果是地位象征，应该在人们的墓穴中一起陪葬，但是并未在墓穴中发现。
TPO 5对Massive stone buildings用途的猜想
阅读部分：
1. 空间大，可能是供人居住的
2. 储存食物maize的
3. 有一些broken pots，像是庆典仪式留下来的，所以可能是用作庆典中心
听力反驳：
总观点：阅读的解释有问题。
• 供人居住应该有足够的fireplace，这些建筑的空间足够上百个家庭居住，但是fireplace基本上只够上十个家庭使用；
• 储存食物应该有食物的遗留，以及装食物的容器，这些都没有发现。
• Broken pots旁边还发现了一些建筑垃圾和建筑工具，所以有可能就是建筑工人吃完剩下的东西堆在那里，只是常规垃圾不是庆典留下的东西。
题目解析：
10月14日的独立写作是一道实打实的新题，它要求我们探讨有财富差距的人会不会成为好朋友。题干中没有出现任何可以供我们进行比较的对象，提炼关键字之后，仅有两个：钱，成为好朋友。那么在有限的时间中，这种没有比较项、题干过于简洁的题目，推荐的做法就是设计让步段，再另想一到两个分论点作为常规的主体段。
从“不能成为好朋友”的角度，我们需要思考：财富差距会如何阻碍友谊的形成和维系。结合自身经历或者对他人的观察，不难想到“嫉妒”这个经典的阻碍因素。另外，我们可以顺着事情的发展进一步推演，即使成为了朋友，在这样的关系中，双方的交流或者说资源分享必然是不对等的，久而久之难免出现隔阂。而让步段，则可以结合理想情况来让步：或许有性格很好、懂得感恩或乐于助人的人，可以不顾贫富悬殊成为好友。后面的反驳则可以戳破这种理想情况：这样的人少之又少。
从“可以成为好朋友”的角度，我们也可以将上述要素反过来推演：受助一方懂感恩，施助一方乐于助人，那么即使有财富差距也可以成为好友。另外我们也可以加入新的思考，生活中大家和自己的朋友经济状况可能达到完全一样嘛？答案显然是否定的。因此第二主体段可以论述，和朋友有财富差距是非常普遍的事情，但人们仍然会交到朋友。而“嫉妒”就可以被我们设计到让步段中：穷人见识到了富人的生活确实可能会产生嫉妒从而不能与之成为好友；但是总有那些乐观积极的人是可以看到这样的友谊中正面的影响从而倍加珍惜。因此能不能成为好友的根源在于性格，贫富差距只是一个表面因素。
由于本文构思上的难度相对较大，大家在考场实战中，可以酌情选择减少一个主体段，从而节省构思时间以保证文章的完成度，并确保已有主体段的逻辑通畅和充分展开。
请参考如下范文：
As the society develops, the wealth gap is also being widened. More people start to sense this gap and thus start pondering: can people become good friends with someone richer than themselves? From where I stand, I think people surely can.
First off, wealthy people can also have the same experience as the poor does so that there is a solid basis for them to enjoy a close friendship. Rich people are not born to be rich; they would have also been through what the poor is undergoing. As a result, they could understand the poor people’s situation and thus can offer some effective advice. If the poor were grateful, the relationship absolutely would last long. To be specific, when a poor but grateful person has received some genuine and helpful suggestions from the rich, he or she would try hard to make progress and repay for this kindness. Once the rich people notice their favor gets returned, they would also feel accomplished because of the appreciation from the poor. As this cycle repeats, the poor and the rich - or we could say, those who are helping and those who are paying back - can definitely establish long-lasting friendships.
It is true that the one can be jealous of the rich when coming into contact with the wealthy people's well-off lifestyle. However, this does not mean all the poor people are the same: those who are positive and optimistic enough, would be more likely to enjoy the rich ones’ company and even try to learn from them about making a fortune. Only those who are typically envious tend to easily ruin the relationships with the rich and in this circumstance, possibly, they may not be capable of keeping any relationship at all, not only with the rich people. Thus, it is not about whether people with incommensurable wealth can be good friends or not; rather, it is about whether their natures are compatible.
In conclusion, it should not be people’s wealth that decides whether a friendship can endure or not. Instead, people’s certain personalities such as being helpful, grateful or optimistic, are the factors that matter.
