Most people are taught that loyalty is a virtue. But loyalty-whether to one's friends，to one's school or place of employment，or to any institution-is all too often a destructive rather than a positive force.
大多数人被告知忠诚是一种美德。但是无论是对朋友、对学校、对单位还是对任何机构，忠诚时常都是弊大于利的。
GRE写作范文：
I disagree with the author for he has confused the faithfulness with the misguided or overextended loyalty. In fact，loyalty does be a cherished virtue that should be given enough emphasis.
Loyalty，a kind of lasting persistence and its precondition is that the subject of fidelity is worthy of such strong emotion. In each society，loyalty is a indispensable and vital part of the system of morality. No matter in schools，at home or at work，first midst and last，people accept a similar education that as an individual，he or she should first have a sense of ligeance，that is work for the whole. Of course，the subjects of loyalty are various including scientific theory，friends，family，schools，places of employment and the nation. A vivid example can lend support to the statement is the heroical astronomer - Bronow，who advanced Copernicus' theory that the earth and other planets revolve around the sun，enraged the Roma church that held the Ptolemaic system of astronomy and was burnt to death just because he refused to give up his scientific theory. It is the lasting loyalty toward truth that lead Bronow to sacrifice himself. And people all respect such duteous spirit. However，without loyalty，the morality of a society will deteriorate into apathy desert and everyone just lives for him/herself，that is to say，no one is willing to pay loyalty to the whole，then finally the human civilization will fall apart.
However，on the other hand，the fidelity should not be confused with misguided or overextended loyalty and the latter is all too often a destructive rather than a positive force. People all hold that mutual loyalty between friends is the basis of lasting friendship. But people should also realize that true loyalty and authentic responsibility for a friend are not only always believing him or her unconditionally but also persuading，helping and even impeaching him or her when him or her has committed serious mistakes or even crimes. Of course，when facing up to such painful dilemma，each one will hesitate because he or she is afraid of being censured to betray his or her friend and some one may choose to keep slient in order to insist of the so-called loyalty.
