雅思(课程)写作一直是很多小考鸭的软肋:存在缺少output的练习,表达的不熟练,思维的局限,对于模板句的依赖等问题。要想提高雅思写作的能力,练习是王道,同时,需要词汇的积累,表达的训练,结构的把握,思路的拓展,题目的熟悉,以及速度的提升。今天,就从审题角度来跟大家聊聊,如何有效地提高写作效率。
我们先来看这样一道雅思题目:
Should old man live with their own children together, or should they live in the nursing houses?
很多同学拿到手第一时间就会用本能反应做出选择。老人家当然应该在家里由子女自己来照顾,怎么能够送老人院呢?然后,就开始迫切地写作文。然而写着写着,可能会发现要么论据不够充分,写到一半无话可些,要么某些想法在用英文表达时,遇到太多的障碍。
审题的过程应拆解为如下4步:
1.读题意
2.辨题型
3.列提纲
4.选立场
1、读题意
这一步相对比较简单,雅思写作题干通常不会有复杂的长难句,只要大家认识所有的单词即可。当然如果遇到生词,也有两个方法可以解决。
一是借助上下文猜。如下面这道题目:Disruptive school students have a negative influence on others. Students who are noisy and disobedient should be grouped together and taught separately. Do you agree or disagree? 其中的第一个单词disruptive可能就有同学不认识,不知道精确意思。但是后文中的students who are "noisy and disobedient"的同义解释,不难让大家得出"吵闹的,不守规矩的"这样的意思。
二是通读机经,扫除生词。因为,不见得所有的生词都能够猜得了。有时题目中出现"censorship"(审查制度) 、"anti-social behavior"(反社会行为)、"juvenile delinquency"(青少年犯罪)这样含义比较专业的生词,考生们基本是无法根据上下文推出精确意思的,比较好的解决方法就是通读机经。
2.辨题型
所谓题型,实际就是题目最后半句话的写作指令,写作要求。不同题型,写作要求不同,逻辑步骤不同,段落结构不同,也会直接影响下一步的列提纲工作需要做的操作。
雅思考试的大作文通常分为五种题型,每种题目的出题形式都有非常明确的标志。下面为大家列举的是每种不同题型的示例,大家留意后面的粗体字写作指令即可。
同意与否
Disruptive school students have a negative influence on others. Students who are noisy and disobedient should be grouped together and taught separately. Do you agree or disagree?
Rich countries often give financial aid to poor countries, but it does not eliminate the poverty, so rich countries should give other types of help to the poor countries rather than the financial aid. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
双边讨论
Some people claim that censorship is necessary because there are too many undesirable contents in the mass media, while others argue that it will hinder information freedom. Discuss both views and give your opinion?
Some people say that the best way to improve public health is by increasing the number of sports facilities. Others however say that this would have little effect on public health and that other measures are required. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion。
利弊分析
Some experts believe that it is better for children to begin learning a foreign language at a primary school rather than secondary school. Do the advantages of this outweigh the disadvantages?
问题解决
Many people believe that today there is a general increase in anti-social behavior and lack of respect for others. What might have caused this situation? How to improve it?
综合提问
As most people spend a major part of their adult life at work, job satisfaction is an important element of individual wellbeing. What factors contribute to job satisfaction? How realistic is the expectation of job satisfaction for all workers?
Many developing countries are currently expanding their tourist industries. Why is this case? Is it a positive development?
3.列提纲
说起来简单,所谓的列提纲,无非就是想题目需要的论据进行罗列,包括:同意或反对某个观点的理由,事物的优缺点,问题的原因、后果、解决方案等等。但是实际上不同的话题,难度不同,我们能够列出有效论据的难度也不同。就算是简单的题目,依然要经历一个"想"和"筛选"的阶段。
让我们回到刚才的例题,来做一个示范:
Should old man live with their own children together, or should they live in the nursing houses?
首先,"想"就是我们所说的brainstorming的过程。基于对题目的正确理解,考生可以先将话题的两个对立面的优缺点都尽量地详细思考分析一番,而并不要只是执着地去想自己的先入为主或者本能选择的"在家照顾父母"的好处。这样,可以让自己后面的决定更加客观,让理智而非情感来决定我们的立场。当然这道题目本身不难,所以,相信大部分考生都能够想到下面的这些观点。
可以用下面的表格来做一个双方论据比较。
At home VS nursing house
1. 与家人的情感交流,归属感1. 与其他老人(同龄人/朋友)的交流
2. 方便、贴心的照顾2. 专业的照顾,医疗(避免意外)
3. 传统,尽孝道,责任,义务,3. 适应社会发展趋势
4. 分担家务,带孩子4. 丰富多彩的活动
5. 省钱(服务好的老人院比较昂贵)5. 省心(不必担心父母)
应该说,这样的一个提纲,正反两边论据一一对应,无论选择任何一边作为立场,都会有充分的内容可以发挥。但是,在考生真正动笔写之前,一定要先思考一个问题,那就是,这些内容用英文会不会有表达不了的?无论是词汇上的障碍,还是表达清晰度的困难?
所以,接下来的筛选工作就很重要了。考生要看看自己所想到的内容当中有没有被迫要从文章当中去掉的观点。
包括:
缺少词汇支持的
难以表达清楚的
论证力度较弱的
缺少词汇支持的
从词汇上来分析,我们需要用到的有一定难度的词组主要有:family bound(家庭归属感), professional medical service(专业的医疗服务),social trends(社会趋势),fulfill one's filial duty(尽孝道),responsibility and obligation(责任和义务)。
而这当中对于大家最困难的,莫过于要表达类似"在中国子女们都会选择自己照顾父母,因为孝顺父母、尽孝道是历来的传统,是子女的责任和义务"的观点。当然,就算不认识以上词组,聪明的同学也会想到用paraphrase的方法尽量表达自己的意思,但是词汇上必然有逊色,更何况更多人可能会绞尽脑汁还是想不到最后才被迫放弃。所以"what you want to say"其实并不重要,"what you can say"才是关键。
难以表达清楚的
有些想法,在交谈中,我们用中文简单几个字就能够让对方明白意思。但是写作,尤其是雅思写作则完全不同。评分标准Task Response一项中,对于论据的拓展有着明确的要求,要求考生"present,extend,and support main ideas",避免"over-generalize"。有些观点拓展起来有难度,或者是过于抽象无法拓展,所以考生们都应该根据实际的情况做出取舍。
例如刚才的支持父母在老人院生活的理由中,"适应社会发展趋势",就是比较难解释清楚的一条,更不用说,可能同样会遇到词汇的障碍。
论证力度较弱的
后这一条指的是,当支持一方立场有足够多的论据并且都可以顺利表达时,考生应该尽量选择逻辑性更强,更加直接的论据来写,而论证效果相对较弱的可以选择去掉。比如,支持父母在家与子女生活的论据中,"省钱"和"分担家务",以及支持父母在老人院生活的论据中"适应社会发展趋势",这几条实际就是属于后者力度较弱的论据。因为,毕竟大部分不是为了省钱和做家务而把父母留在家里,也绝不是为了赶时髦而把父母送老人院。
4、选立场
其实,如果经过了刚才的思考和筛选的步骤,做决定就是一件简单且更加有把握的事情了。可能对于这道题目,多数考生会发现,选择"父母在老人院生活"作为立场,似乎论据更充分,发挥起来也更容易。当然,这并不意味着,我们要改变自己真实的想法,真的把父母都送老人院,我们只是用"更聪明"的心态写了一篇作文而已。
当然,我们的最终目的还有提高写作速度。我们将刚才选择的立场--父母在老人院生活--的论据稍作排列如下:
专业的医疗照顾,避免意外
子女更加省心
老人院的同龄人多,有更多交流
更加丰富的活动
这时,考生唯一需要做的还剩两件事,其一,将论据在心中稍作拓展,自然梳理一遍关键词;其二,组织语言,也就是一个连词成句、句子组段的工作,再稍微注意一下连贯和衔接即可。而这一步,正是考生通过听老师讲解后,自己反复练习,最容易提高熟练度和效率的部分。
具体的操作,我们可以参考下面的以前两条论据写作body段1的示范:
1.Professional medical care'old people health problem'facility +equipment+ staff' always available'emergency'quickly respond'accident/tragedy avoid
2.Adult children' no need to worry'focus on career
基本上,整段话的关键词都在这里列举了出来,剩下的时间,学生几乎都已在5-8分钟内写好一个100字左右的段落出来。
Most obviously and importantly, aged parents can be well tended in nursing houses. As is known to all, old people usually suffer from the pain of all kinds of diseases or the potential health hazards, while in nursing houses they can receive professional care, with first-class medical facilities equipped and experienced staff always available. Therefore, the possible risks could be minimized and numerous accidents can be avoided, because when emergency happens, nursing houses will definitely respond more promptly than family, who are not likely to be with their aged parents all the time. At the same time, adults don't have to be distracted or worry about their parents, so they can better focus on their career, which benefits the society in some senses。
通过上述内容,不难看出,有效的审题,不仅可以帮你更好地选择合适的立场,减小半途而废的风险,更能够将写作过程中构思内容的部分独立出来,在写作时,专注的处理语言的组织,将精密复杂的多线程工作分开来完成,效率也就更高了哦。