原创托福真题范文: In order to make ourselves happy, we should learn how to make others happy first

（本文为老郑原创，未经许可请勿转载）

The argument that one’s happiness derives from other’s happiness assumes that people only enjoy a sense of satisfaction or accomplishment after contributing to the general well-being of others. Yet, this assumption, I believe, does not effectively reveal the authentic origin of happiness and thus is dubious at best.

History indeed witnessed a myriad of saints who devoted their lives to the happiness of others. People like Mother Teresa do set up examples of people of high integrity and thus should be said to have based their happiness on that of others. Yet, it is both impossible and unrealistic to require an average person to follow suit.

Unlike those saints, worldly people usually acquire a sense of happiness from mundane affairs or sensual pleasures rather than how much they have pledged themselves to others. When theater-goers see a movie with a happy ending, they feel happy because the plot meets the expectation of them; when a tourist visits a long-cherished scenic spot, he or she acquires the due happiness; when a teenager has the ticket to his or her favorite rock band, he or she yells with unimaginable pleasure. All these sorts of happiness have nothing to do with making others happy in the first place. From this perspective, it is misleading to pretend that one’s happiness must be based on that of others. (Original work by Laozheng, please do not repost without permission).

Second, the pleasure of happiness is a private, highly individual experience. To wit: one’s pearl might be another’s poison. What one finds convenient and delightful might be considered disgusting by another. For example, many gourmets relish food with oil and fat, a behavior would repel most, if not all, athletes who would prefer a diet that would be considered bland by the former. These mutually exclusive preferences indicate that the origin of happiness varies from person to person and thus the feelings of happiness should not be measured with the same yardstick. In other words, happiness comes from one’s own experience of the outside world.

Be that as it may, it would be wrong and extreme to suggest that people should base their happiness on the sufferings of others. Though history abounds with examples of tyrants or brutal masters who enjoyed a privileged life because they exploited slaves or servants, the general trend of society towards equality has, to a large extent, destroyed such distorted and unfair relationships. The current society that respects the choices of individuals favors the principle that happiness should be confined to the innermost feelings of people who are not supposed to intrude into the life of others under the pretext of giving happiness to or deriving happiness from them.

以下为范文翻译，有兴趣的同学可以做回译练习

一个人的幸福来源于他人的幸福，这种说法认为，人们只有在为他人的普遍幸福做出贡献后，才会享受到满足感或成就感。然而，我认为，这种假设并不能有效地揭示幸福的真实起源，因而充其是可疑的。

历史上确实有无数的圣人将自己的一生奉献给了他人的幸福。像特蕾莎修女这样的人确实树立了高尚的榜样，因此应该说是把自己的幸福建立在别人的幸福之上。然而，要求一个普通人效仿是不可能的，也是不现实的。

与那些圣人不同的是，世俗的人通常从俗事或感官享受中获得幸福感，而不是自己为别人承诺了多少。当影院的观众看到一部大团圆结局的电影时，他们会觉得很幸福，因为剧情符合他们的期待；当游客游览了一个向往已久的景区时，会获得应有的幸福；当少年拿到了自己喜欢的摇滚乐队的演出票时，会大呼过瘾，难以想象。这种种的幸福，首先与让别人幸福无关。从这个角度看，假装自己的幸福必须建立在别人的幸福之上，这是一种误导。（老郑原创作品，未经允许请勿转发）。

其次，幸福的快乐是一种私人的、高度个体化的体验。总结起来是：一个人的珍珠可能是另一个人的毒药。一个人觉得方便、愉快的事情，可能会被另一个人认为是恶心的。例如，很多美食家都喜欢吃含油和脂肪的食物，这种行为会让大多数甚至是所有的运动员排斥，他们更喜欢前者认为平淡的饮食。这些相互排斥的偏好表明，幸福的起源因人而异，因此，幸福的感受不应该用同一个尺度来衡量。换句话说，幸福来自于自己对外界的体验。

虽然如此，但如果说人们应该把自己的幸福建立在别人的痛苦之上，那是错误的，也是极端的。虽然历史上因剥削奴隶或仆人而享受特权生活的残暴者例子比比皆是，但社会走向平等的大趋势在很大程度上摧毁了这种扭曲的不公平关系。尊重个人选择的当下社会，主张幸福应该局限在人们内心深处的感受，不应该以给予他人幸福或从他人身上获取幸福为借口，侵入他人的生活。