【题目】

　　Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Sometimes it is better not to tell the truth. Use specific reasons and details to support your answer.

　　【范文】

　　23. Sometimes It Is Better Not to Tell the Truth

　　It is my belief that "honesty is the best policy" in most situations. If we lie to others for our own advantage, it is sure to hurt us eventually. Once we become known for telling lies, we will lose the trust of others, and trust, once lost, is difficult to recover. However, I do believe that there are situations in which it is sometimes better not to tell the truth.

　　Truth is a high ideal, but so is compassion. I don't believe that it is right to hurt people unnecessarily, even with something as noble as the truth. In some situations the truth is of no benefit to someone and will only hurt him. For example, if a man breaks up with his girlfriend and she says terrible things about him, there is no point in telling the man. Similarly, if someone buys something and then asks for your opinion, there is no need to tell him that you think he wasted his money. The truth would only have been helpful before the purchase.

　　To sum up, one should think before speaking, even when it means deciding between the truth and a lie. One must balance truth with compassion, especially when it is a matter of personal opinion. The truth should be told as much as possible, but I don't believe that there is any harm in telling a white lie when the situation calls for it.
 
 
 
 
有时候不说实话比较好
　　【译文】

　　23.有时候不说实话比较好

　　我认为在大多数的情况下，"诚实为上策"。如果我们为了自己的利益而向别人说谎，这样做最后一定会伤害到自己。一旦别人知道我们会说谎，就会对我们失去信任，而信任一旦失去就很难恢复了。不过，我真的相信在某些情况下不说实话比较好。

　　真实是种崇高的理想，但是同情也一样。我认为不必要地伤害别人是错误的，即使是为了像真实这种高贵的情操。在某些情况下，说实话对别人没有任何好处，反而只会伤害对方。例如，有个男的和女朋友分手了，如果这个女友说了一些他的坏话，那么告诉那个男的这件事根本就没什么意义。同样地，如果有人买了东西，问你有何看法时，你就没必要告诉他你认为他是在浪费钱，因为这样的实话只有在买东西之前有帮助。

　　总之，开口说话之前应该先思考，即使这就意味着必须决定要说实话还是要说谎。我们必须斟酌该说实话还是该同情对方，特别是在表达个人看法的时候。虽然应该尽可能多说实话，但是我认为，当情况需要时，说些善意的谎言并不会有什么害处。

　　【注释】

　　belief n.信念

　　policy n.政策

　　advantage n.好处；利益

　　eventually adv.最后

　　recover v.恢复

　　ideal n.理想

　　compassion n.同情

　　noble adj.高贵的

　　benefit n.利益；好处

　　break up with sb.和某人分手

　　point n.意义

　　similarly adv.同样地

　　purchase n.购买

　　to sum up总之

　　balance v.使平衡；斟酌

　　a white lie善意的谎言

　　call for需要