(一)图画式作文
从2000到2009年这十年间B部分写作考的都是图画式作文。从命题者的角度来说,这是为了更好地考查考生的写作能力,如:理解、推断和书面组织。由于它只允许考生在规定的范围内进行描述、分析,这就避免考试时套用考试前背好的范文的现象的发生。图画常以漫画或照片的形式出现,有的图画还有题目和提示性文字,这是为了帮生理解图画的内容。从应试的角度看,审题、谋篇、语言是写好作文的三要素。命题,图画及题中的文字说明是用于审题的;而“写作要求”往往是针对布局谋篇的,同时写作要求也影响语言的分配。
1. 图画式作文的审题
第一,仔细研读作文指令,从题目中找出中心词,分析修饰词,从而准确地抓住题目的中心。考生首先要搞清楚作文的要求,如:是否有标题?标题是什么?是否有提纲?文章字数是多少等。然后,从作文的题目中理解命题者命题的主要意图。如2002年考题,题目为“Culture—National and International”。首先,中心词为“文化”,观察图片发现是一个身着中国民族服装的西方女孩的照片。从女孩那灿烂的笑容上我们不难看出她的心里是多么的欣喜,而这种欣喜来自于对中国文化的感受。而后再看修饰词“本国的,国际的”,这进一步缩小写作范围为文化的交流,而这种交流反映了两方面的情况:一方面是中国文化对世界文化的渗透;另一方面是世界对中国文化的了解与接受。
第二,考生要注意题目中的文字说明,看文字说明要做到看清主、谓、宾。比如,2001年考题是“爱心是一盏灯,在越黑暗的地方越明亮”。很多考生写到了爱心的比较上,哪里要多给一些爱心,哪里要少给一些爱心,这就是偏题。之所以偏题的原因就是没有抓住句子主语。这一句的主语是什么?自然是“爱心”。再看其谓语、宾语,可以看出本题是提倡在需要的地方献爱心。
第三,要认真解读图画,因为图画是作文的信息基础。如果说题目与文字提供了中心的骨,那么图画就提供了中心的肉。图画作文的中心思想通常体现在图中人物的动作、表情或画龙点睛的一句或几句话中。考生可以在抓住题目与说明文字的基础上,对图画进行抽象,点出图画的寓意。如2009年考题,我们看到了网络既拉近了人们的距离也在人们之间竖起了隔膜。2006年考题,我们看到了对明星盲目的崇拜。2002年考题,我们可以看到欣喜——了解中国文化的欣喜。
2. 图画式作文的谋篇
作文的题干中会提出两到三项写作要求,考生在谋篇时要抓住这些要求。虽然图画式作文的写作要求看似变化莫测,但实际上只涉及5个方面:描述图画、指明寓意、分析原因、联系实际、给出建议。不仅历年的考查内容有限,考查内容的个数也很相似,一般来说是考查3个考点。即使只有两条要求,实际上它常包含一个隐性条件,所以考生也要涉及3点才能把文章写透彻。比如2009年的考题要求:1) describe the drawing briefly 2)explain its intended meaning 3) give your comments。由于这些写作要求类似于提纲,图画式作文也可以当做三段式的提纲作文。第一段用来描述图画并揭示出其寓意(寓意用一句话来概括即可),第二段分析原因,最后一段发表评论或提出建议。篇幅的比例分配,第二、三段应是文章的重点,应占2/3。
3. 图画式作文的语言组织
作文的语言应长短句兼顾,句式变化多样,当然语法的正确性是必需的。如果实在掌握或控制不好语言,可以采用长短句按1∶3的比例或反之。句子写完后,也可自问一下是否用了分词结构,不定式,感叹句等多种句式。如没有,可适当调整句式。在组织语言中要特别注意连贯性,连贯性不仅从连词、语句的使用中体现出来,更重要的是语意的相互照应。考生要注意自己的作文中心是否与主题句紧密连接,例子是否直接支持主题,号召是否呼应了主题和例子,等等。
4. 图画式作文的描写
描写是再现客观事物,其目的是使人感受到具体的情况。考研作文中的描写应注意的问题:第一,围绕主题,描写最突出的特征和能够支持主旨的细节;第二,描写要按照一定的逻辑顺序进行(如时间、空间等);第三,描写力求生动、形象、准确。如:
Waller,Texas,is a small town for all other forms of civilization. There is no movie theater,no bowling alley,and certainly no mall. This place doesn t even have a Wal Mart. Residents of Waller have all heard the saying: “There are only two things for kids to do in Waller,and one of them is drinking.” This may seem humorous at first,but,unfortunately,there is some truth to it.
描述是为一定中心服务的。本段通过描述Waller精神生活的缺乏引出文章中心:娱乐活动缺乏带来酗酒等社会问题。
(二)图表式作文
图表作文是通过提供的一组或几组数据来反映某个趋势或某一问题、现象。要求考生对图表中的相关数据进行描述、分析和评论,并得出合乎逻辑的结论。它是将数据、形象信息转换为文字信息的过程。
图表作文要求的不是对图表的简单叙述,而是抓住图表所反映的主要问题。因为图表式作文所要讨论的现象和问题都隐含在数据里,所以考生常会感到比较难写。因此要想抓住主旨,就要分析图表中那些最有代表性、规律性的数字,或变化大的数字。它的写作误区是报流水账,对数据面面俱到,却不能指出图表所反映的中心,也不能利用数据进行有力的论证。
常见的图表类型有:①表格,它表示多种事物的相互关系;②曲线,它常表示事物的变化趋势;③柱状,它用来表示几种事物的变化情况及相互关系;④饼状,表示各事物在总体中所占的比例及相互关系。
表格和曲线作文的审题与其他类型的作文相比难度较大,主要表现在考生不易准确、全面地把握图表显示的信息。这类作文提供了大量数据,但题目往往要求少用所给数据,避免简单罗列数据。一般用一般现在时,如果图表提供了时间参数,则应采用相应的时态。
图表作文的写作步骤:①分析图表及说明性文字;②分析数字所反映的主旨,得出中心论点;③列提纲;④写作。
关于图表式作文的描述方法:
第一种情况:横向对比。描述这种图表需要对比各数据间的差别,主要以数值、倍数、排列等方式来描述。
常用句型:
①A department has the lowest sales figure in the three departments,followed by the B department and C department.
②The figure of A is about twice as much as that of B.
③The income from sales is 10 million,making the company the highest one in sales.
④The A’s income reaches 20 million,which is in the middle of the list.
第二种情况:纵向说明。只要指出不同单位之间的比较,描述如何增减,增减幅度如何,反映出什么问题,就可以了。描述这样的图表时,可用以下词汇和句型:
①The rise lasted for two weeks and then began to level off in June.
②The trend/increase slowed down in May.
③The trend of increasing working hours began to gain momentum in January. (开始走强)
④Prices went up by 50%, but the number of smokers maintained.
⑤It picked up speed at the end of this year.
常用词汇及表达法:increase,decrease,rise,fall,slow down,level off,pick up speed,maintain,drop,the trend reverses,decline,gain/lose momentum, a steady/ substantial(实质性的)increase,a minor/slight/dramatic drop。
第三种情况:纵向、横向均有的说明。这种图表不仅要注意同一事物的变化趋势,也要注意不同事物之间的差距及变化。
表示百分比常用句型:
①It accounts for 30% of the total population.
②There are 4 members with master’s degrees,making up nearly a quarter of the workforce.
③Doctors make up 40% of the staff in the hospital.
表示增长率的常用句型:
①The figure of income increased by about 200% as compared with ten years ago.
②The number of students has reached 200,indicating a rise of 4%,compared to last year.
Example:
The two bar charts indicate the annual emissions of CO2 per capita and populations of seven countries. Industrialized countries certainly contribute more to the CO2 levels in the atmosphere,with the US at the top —3.93 tons per capita per year. It is followed by Japan and the UK,with emissions of 3.32 tons and 2.15 tons respectively. Though these countries usually don’t have large populations,they consume disproportionately large quantities of natural resources and therefore are more blamed for global warming. Developing countries,on the other hand,usually have lower levels of emissions. China,for example,has the largest population in the list. Yet its emission of CO2 per capita is only 980 kg,being about a quarter of the emission level of the US. Another good example is Korea. Its population is the smallest in the list,so is its per capita emission of CO2
The charts show no correlation between emission levels of CO2 and the sizes of population.
本文比较了7个国家二氧化碳排放的变化幅度,及相互对比关系。
其它图表式作文的常用句型:
①The curves show__in a certain year.
②It can be seen that__(sth)fluctuates quite substantially in this year.
③It just increases slightly.
④The pie charts show the changes__in some place in 1999
⑤It can be seen from the chart that the proportions of A and B are going down, though the falling level of the latter is a lot higher/lower than that of the former.
⑥The expansion is more noticeable during the second half of the 8--year period.
⑦It falls from 30% of the staff in 1990 to 20% in 1998 and then the trend reverses, finishing at 34% in 2000.
⑧And A is higher than B except for the months June to September.__drops dramatically from about__in January to__in June.
⑨The falling trend levels off from__to__,__(sth) goes all the way up to__and then it begins to drop to.
(三)提纲式命题作文
提纲式作文既有论说文,也有议论文。它主要考查的内容为:说明主题,分析原因或解释做法。例如:1995年的试题“希望工程”中提纲的要求是:(1) Present situation. (2) Necessity of the project. (3)My suggestion.它要求考生解释说明“希望工程”,分析开展希望工程的意义和原因,联系考生自己提出一些建议或具体的做法。从提纲的要求上看,提纲式命题作文对联系社会的要求不是很多,写作难度也相对较小。它要求考生在正确理解题意的基础上,根据提纲去选择素材。提纲提供了每段的段落大意,在开展论述时不能偏离提纲或改变内容。提纲一般为三部分,考生应针对提纲采用三段的结构来开展文章。如:
Nowadays,China’s economy is fast developing. People’s living standard has improved a lot. In some areas,however,there are still many people living below the poverty line. They have difficulties for the very basics like food and clothes,let alone getting good education. What can we do to help these less developed areas in our country? I think we can do the following things.
First of all,the government and our society must pay more attention to these less developed areas. The government should spend more money on the basic construction projects in these areas instead of spending it on cultural and artistic projects in cities. It should also encourage some private enterprises and companies to donate to these poor areas.
Secondly,transportation is very important in less developed areas. We should help them build more railways and more roads so that the local people can benefit from the convenient transportation. It can also promote their communication with developed areas.
Finally,technology is necessary in developing economy in these areas. Poor farmers should be taught technology and new skills and should have easier access to money in the bank,such as getting loans to start businesses.
All in all,so long as we continue our efforts to help these less developed areas,these areas will shake off poverty sooner or later.
再如:
Directions:
Write an article to an English newspaper discussing laid-off workers and re-employment in China. In your article you should
(1) describe briefly the present situation of unemployment,
(2) analyze the causes of it,
(3) give advice for re-employment.
You should write about 200 words neatly on ANSWER SHEET 2.
范文:
There is an increasing number of workers,not only the middle-aged but also the young who are laid off from their jobs. Some laid-offs thus become poverty-stricken and can hardly support their children to continue their studies. And those employed are also worried a great deal that someday they may lose their jobs. This phenomenon has caught great attention in society. In order to maintain social stability,many re-employment service centers are being set up to give the laid-offs a helping hand.
The increasing number of laid-off workers is caused mainly by the industrial restructuring and economic development across the country. In market economy,the enterprises have to reduce workforce or the redundant. Another reason is that some enterprises claim bankruptcy owing to their poor management and backward product structure,which made millions of workers jobless. Laborers from the countryside are also contributing to the increasing numbers of the laid-offs.
Off-job doesn’t mean no job. There are plenty of opportunities for the laid-off workers to be re-employed. Take Shanghai for example,the city is developing into an international economic center,shifting its old labor intensive industries out of the city and replacing them with new enterprises. But there is a fundamental requirement for the laid-offs if they want to be enrolled in these new posts. They must have certain skills. To many laid-off workers,they have to get job training to make themselves qualified and competitive in the human resources market.
(三)文章开头与结尾的写作方法
1.文章开头的写法
(1)引言法
在文章开头引用具有代表性的名人名言,既可吸引读者,又可以点题。如:
“Be the first to be concerned with the world’s troubles and the last to enjoy worldly happiness.”Fan Zhongyan,a scholar of the Song Dynasty,expresses eloquently the lofty spirit of Chinese intellectuals in his maxim. On realizing that the cause of China’s lack of development was its backwardness in science and technology,many modern scholars accordingly went to Western countries to study.
本段以“先天下之忧而忧,后天下之乐而乐”引出主旨,给人以深刻的印象。
(2)提问法
如: Why are foreigners so glad that barriers have been dismantled? China has a population of 1.2 billion,and US $1 000 billion of GDP. It is a country with one of the fastest economic growth rates in the world. China’s entry into the WTO will therefore enable all economic entities in the world to expand trade and investment,bringing benefits to enterprises,consumers and workers in these countries.
(3)数据引用
引用恰当的数据,使文章开头简洁、有力。对于表格式作文,常从描述、分析表格入手。如:
It is reported that from 1995 to 1998,the number of cars in Shanghai rose at the rate of 20%,but the average speed of cars dropped at the rate of 30%. It should be noticed that 43% of added cars during the period of 1995~1998 is private cars. Therefore some people point out that the most effective way to solve the traffic problem is to ban private cars. But I think they have gone extremely far away.
本段通过引用数据对私车增多及车速下降这一现象进行了详细的描述。通过分析,作者自然地引出观点:完全禁止私车是偏激的做法。
(4)概要法
开门见山,首先提出文章的主要观点,然后通过举例或逻辑推理等方法加以详述。如:
This report is divided into three main sections: what equipment you need,how to use equipment,and how to maintain equipment.
2.文章结尾的写法
(1)总结法
总结式结尾的作用在于回顾全文、突出中心,使读者对文章形成一个整体的把握。要想写好总结式结尾,就要求文章内容本身重点突出、中心明确,这样回顾起来才有点可抓。在写总结式结尾时,对于论证中提到的要点应该点到为止,而重在重申论点。如:
On the whole,life in China has become better after 30 years,Ordinary people now enjoy a more colorful life than before. Though some problems have arisen in the progress,we still can’t deny this positive trend.
(2)建议法
针对文章前面的分析,提出相对应的号召或解决方案,表示对将来的期待或鼓动大家采取相应的行动。如:
It is essential that effective measures should be taken to redress such inequality.
It is high time that we should urge an immediate end to this phenomenon.
(3)反问法
在末尾加上反问,可使文章引人思考。如:
Psychological health of the youth should be concerned by our society. On being advised by his school that he should leave after failing several exams,a Beijing university student decided to commit suicide,but first killed his father and grandmother so as to spare their grief at his own death. A 13-year-old Sichuan Province girl ran away from home recently in pursuit of her favorite movie star,and has not been seen since. Isn’t there anything wrong with psychological health of the youth?
用反问句加深主题:年轻人的心理健康有些问题,应该得到更多关注。
(4)引语法
用引语归结全文,有画龙点睛的作用,使文章既生动,又有说服力。如:
All of us wish for a bright future and hope to master a useful career. Those who persist in remaining idle will never fulfill their ambitions, “No pains,no gains” is a motto with much meaning. Meditate and live by it.
以“不劳不得”做总结,很好地归纳了上文,给人以警示。
(5)首尾呼应法
在首尾两处点题,可以使段落的中心突出。如:
China’s reforms have brought China a lot of benefits and have changed Chinese people’s life a great deal. A lively atmosphere has prevailed in all walks of fields throughout the country. The national economy has been thriving and national defense has ever been consolidated. In science and technology,quite a lot of achievements have been made. Certainly,the progress made in all fields has led to the raise of living standard for Chinese people.
首尾均强调了一系列有利于社会进步的改革给中国人的生活带来的改变,重点突出。
(四)短文写作中常用的关联词
1.表示列举和举例
first of all,for one thing,for another,to begin with,first,second,next,in the first (second) place,furthermore,moreover,beyond that,also,besides,in addition,what is more,such as,finally; for example,for instance等。
2.表示原因
since,because (of),as,for,owing to,result from,due to,on account of,on the ground of,as a result of等。
3.表示时间顺序
at the same time,as soon as,so far,since,then,until,when,meanwhile,shortly,later,lately,after a while,at that time,before,earlier,presently,in the meantime,formerly等。
4.表示空间顺序
close to,close at hand(近在身旁),next to,down,far,beyond,against(对着),on the opposite side(相对的),opposite to,above,across,across from,around,at the bottom,before,behind,below,beneath,between,in the middle of,in the distance,in the center of,farther,on the left/right等。
5.表示重复
in other words,again,as has been pointed out,to repeat,as I have said above,once again,after all,indeed,in fact,truly,of course,chiefly,especially,certainly,actually,particularly,to be sure,above all,surely,most important of all,even worse,no doubt,needless to say等。
6.表示结果
so,then,therefore,thus,hence,consequently,as a result,accordingly,for this reason,as a consequence,on that account,it follows that等。
7.表示总结
to sum up,in summary,to summarize,in short,in brief,to be brief,in other words,on the whole,in conclusion,to conclude等。
8.表示对比和对照
(1)对照:but,however,yet,or,nevertheless,still,nonetheless,conversely,nor,rather,whereas,thought,on the one hand,on the other hand,on the contrary,by contrast with/to,in contrast (with/to),even though,instead,unlike,different from,instead (of),the opposite (of),unlike,although,while,but等。
(2)对比:similarly,likewise,like,as,at the same time,in fact,too,in the same way,in a like manner,both,each,also,compared with等。
(五)短文写作中的经典语义过渡的模式以及必备句型
考研英语写作的题材多数同我们日常生活相关,通常涉及事物间的比较,要求说明其相似性、相异性和事物之间的因果关系;有时要求考生分析事实,找出原因或解决问题的方法,或对一个问题提出个人看法等。所以考生在复习写作时,要尽可能熟悉和掌握表达这些关系的常用句型,这将对提高写作能力有较大帮助。
1.表示相似性的句型
①Moral corruption(A)is to the State(B)as physical disease(C)is to an individual body(D).(A之于B犹如C之于D)
②Just as woods are indispensable to birds,so is the earth to human beings.(正如…,…也如此)
③As far as personality is concerned,Tom (A) and Peter (B) have almost everything in common.(A和B有共同之处)
④My hobby (A) is similar to his (B) in that we both like collecting records,foreign and domestic. (A与B相似)
⑤As the economies of all countries are closely interrelated no country can develop in self-seclusion. The same is true of China. (The same is true of. The same can be said of... 也是如此)
2.表示相异性的句型
①Beijing (A) is populous and crowded,while Canberra (B) is just the opposite.(A与B正相反)
②China’s condition (A) differs from ours (B) in that China has the largest population in the world. (A不同于B在于)
③While it may be true that basketball and volleyball share certain features,the excitement each arouses in the spectators is not the same.(…是不相同的)
3.表示权衡性的句型
①It seems safe to say that the advantages of marriage outweigh the disadvantages of divorce.(利大于弊)
②Perhaps nothing can rival the pleasure from reading. (…是无与伦比的)
③There could be no doubt that job-hopping has its drawbacks as well as merits.(既有优点也有缺点)
④Men (A)may be superior to women(B) in physical affairs. Yet,there is no difference in intelligence.(A优于B)
⑤People’s attitude towards drugs varies from person to person.(…是因人而异的)
4.表示过渡性的句型(承上启下,使新观点不至于显得突兀、武断)
①Some people argue as if it is a general truth that . But to be frank,I cannot agree with them for the following reasons.
②According to/As can be seen in figures/statistics /the findings/data released/provided by the government/an institute, .
③There are several/many causes/reasons for this dramatic/significant growth/change/decline/increase in .
④There are no less than three advantages in as rendered below.
⑤The reasons are chiefly as follows .
⑥Another reason why I advocate the attitude of is that.
⑦Last but not least, .
⑧What is more, .
5.表示倍数与比例关系的句型
近年来图表作文经常出现,考生需要熟悉和掌握一些常用的句型来解释图表、分析和表达数据间的倍数和比例关系:
①Asia ranks first both in area and in population among the seven Continents.Europe is second to Asia in population,but in area it is the last but one.
②We all hope that a country’s population should be in proportion to its area, unfortunately the reality often goes against our will.
③A is a far larger university,being over three times as big as B.
6.引用图表内容时的过渡句型
图表式作文经常使用as从句做解释性描述的过渡,它的运用,可以使短文由图画的说明解释,陡然一转,由客观说到主观,由一般说到个体,过渡自然。
①This picture shows . At the beginning, ,as we can see in the upper half of the picture. However,the lower half of the picture shows that .
②As is revealed in the graph .
③As the survey results show .
④As we could find out later in this unit,his plan was not quite as he had expected.
⑤This table provides several important points of comparison between the two universities.As can be indicated in the table,the housing space for the staff of A in 1995 was 34 500 square meters,which nearly doubled the B’s corresponding figure.
7.描述图表常用的概括性句型
这种句子通常用于开篇和结尾。
①This table provides,several important points of comparison between the two key universities.
②The two graphs depict the same thing seen in two different ways. The first diagram simply records . The second graph throws a new light on .
③The key findings taken from the surveys are as follows: .
④If drivers continue to drive more carefully and further strengthen their sense of safety,the rate of accidents can be expected to decline even more dramatically in the year 1998.
8.引论或得出结论的句型
①As the proverb goes,“ ”. It is quite understandable that .
②Along with the development of society more and more problems are brought to our attention,one of which is that .
③Admittedly,there are merits to both sides of the argument.
④Contrary to widely held belief,I believe that .
⑤Now,it is commonly believed /some people think that ,but I wonder whether .
9.表示转折的句型
①On the surface of it,this may seem to be a good solution,but if thinking again,we would point out some drawbacks.
②At first thought,it may seem to be an attractive idea,but it does not bear closer analysis when we find .
③Superficially,it seems to be a sound solution,but when carefully weighing in the mind,we find that .
④A close inspection of these arguments would reveal how flimsy they are.
⑤The undeniable deficiency in this remark is that it is negligent of the bare fact that .
⑥However,we also cannot deny that .
10.表示解释、分析、引申的句型
①One very strong argument for is that .
②It is an obvious fact that .
③One of the most important things about is that .
④A particularly notable case of this matter is .
⑤We may look into every possible reason,however,foremost reason for is .
⑥is mainly/ partly/ also responsible for the rise/increase/ decrease in .
⑦We may cite/quote/mention a single/common example of .
⑧A recent/nationwide study/survey/poll conducted/ taken at a university/ by scientists indicates/reveals/ suggests that .
⑨Of course,this will have some negative effects on .
⑩ is a case in point.
11.表示得出结论的句型
①From what has been discussed above,we may safely draw the conclusion that .
②Taking into account all these factors,we may safely reach the conclusion that .
③Judging from all evidence offered,we may safely come to the conclusion that .
④All the evidence/analysis supports a (an) sound/ unshakable/just conclusion/ view that .
12.表示建议、采取行动的句型
①It is necessary/ essential that effective actions/ quick steps/ proper measures should be taken to prevent the situation/ correct tendency / end phenomenon.
②There is little doubt that serious/ considerable/ special attention must be called /paid /devoted to the problem /shortage of .
③It is high time that we placed/put great/special/considerable emphasis on theimprovement/ development /increase of .