Chapter 01 天下没有免费的午餐

概述

当前社会中充斥着大量的免费项目，比如免费信息、免费样品、免费餐饮，甚至还有免费旅游、免费教育。很多人对此趋之若鹜，但是天下真有免费的午餐吗？在这些免费噱头的背后，商家真正的目的是什么？我们又该如何看待这些免费商品和服务呢？这些都是值得探讨的问题。

一、写作思路

首段：可以描述当前社会中存在许多免费项目这一现象，也可以通过“天下没有免费的午餐”这句俗语来引出当前的现象。然后表明自己的观点，即没有什么是真正免费的。

中段：可以从两个方面来论述为什么“天下没有免费的午餐”。首先，免费并不意味着没有附加条件。许多免费的项目只是一个噱头，其背后的目的可能是促使消费者进行消费。比如我们经常在电视上看到许多免费的健康讲座，其目的可能是为了推销各类保健品或药品。另外，有些免费项目虽然的确给我们的生活带来了巨大的好处，但是这样的好处却不能持续。比如手机的某些服务项目一开始是免费的，在吸引到一定数量的消费者之后就会变成收费项目，因此消费者只能享受到短期的免费服务。

末段：重申个人观点，即没有什么是真正免费的，我们要慎重看待生活中的免费项目。

二、参考范文和译文

参考范文

There’s No SuchThing as a Free Lunch

There is an old saying that there is no such thing as a freelunch; but today we are constantly offered free information, free samples, freedinners and even free tours. Does this mean the old saying is wrong? I believethat there is nothing truly free. Everything comes with a price.

“Free of charge” does not mean there are no strings attached. Inmany cases, it is an initial lure that a company hopes will result in further,paid consumption of its products. For instance, many free-entry lectures onhealth topics are attractive to consumers, especially the elderly, but theirpurpose is not to spread useful medical details, but to push the listeners intopurchasing health care products. As another example, some things are offeredfree in the short term, such as mobile service programs, in the hopes ofhooking consumers on a particular program, which quickly becomes expensive.

In my view, the old saying is right. Nothing is truly free, andit may not be the best choice to accept “free” offers if one cannot resist orignore the sales pitches that come later for expensive services and products.If we want to get a quality product or service, it is right to pay a fair pricefor it.

参考译文

天下没有免费的午餐

俗话说，天下没有免费的午餐。但如今却常常有人向我们提供免费信息、免费样品、免费餐饮甚至免费旅游。难道这表明俗话是错的？我认为世上没有真正免费的东西，凡事都是要付出代价的。

“免费”并不意味着没有附加条件。在许多情况下，它