程曉
2016年6月六級(jí)考試已落下帷幕,就寫(xiě)作部分而言,這次考試再次印證了國(guó)內(nèi)英語(yǔ)測(cè)試(包括四、六級(jí)和考研)“反押題”的特點(diǎn):沒(méi)有繼續(xù)考查以往較為常見(jiàn)的圖畫(huà)作文或引言作文,而是在三套試卷中給了三個(gè)開(kāi)放式的命題讓考生發(fā)揮,分別是:① Try to imagine what will happen when more and more robots take the place of human beings in industry as well as peoples daily lives. ② Try to imagine what will happen when more and more people study online instead of attending school. ③ Try to imagine what will happen when people spend more and more time in the virtual world. 六級(jí)作文出題出人意料,而這次四級(jí)作文也一反常態(tài)地考了多年未出現(xiàn)的書(shū)信作文,書(shū)信的主題是“感謝老師/家長(zhǎng)/同學(xué)”。
這其實(shí)是許多考生自己需要反思的問(wèn)題——學(xué)英語(yǔ)的意義何在?是模式化的死記硬背應(yīng)付考試,還是能在不同的情境下用英語(yǔ)表達(dá)自己的觀點(diǎn)?“反押題”其實(shí)準(zhǔn)確來(lái)說(shuō)是“反模板”,因?yàn)槟0迨纸┯玻芏嗫忌踔翛](méi)搞懂模板結(jié)構(gòu)的意思就死記硬背下來(lái),在考場(chǎng)上寫(xiě)下模板,填上主題詞,寫(xiě)作就算完事了。這種靠考前硬背模板、上了考場(chǎng)按模板填空的作文,其得分根本不能體現(xiàn)考生的實(shí)際英語(yǔ)表達(dá)能力,至少不能證明考生的語(yǔ)言表達(dá)能力可以應(yīng)對(duì)不同場(chǎng)合的需要。語(yǔ)言是要應(yīng)用在不同情境里的,哪怕你是個(gè)靠“套路”行走江湖的司儀,你也不可能把西式婚禮用的“模板”硬套在鄉(xiāng)村式流水席的婚禮上吧?
所以筆者覺(jué)得,這次六級(jí)考試可以說(shuō)是個(gè)徹底的里程碑,宣告“寫(xiě)作模板”必須退出六級(jí)考試的舞臺(tái),當(dāng)然四級(jí)考試也是如此。
所謂“功能表達(dá)”,指的是具有諸如描述現(xiàn)象、分析原因、闡述影響、表達(dá)觀點(diǎn)等特定功能的英語(yǔ)表達(dá)。這次六級(jí)考試的三個(gè)話題是讓你想一想“當(dāng)越來(lái)越多的機(jī)器人代替了人類(lèi)勞動(dòng)/越來(lái)越多的人參加在線教學(xué)/越來(lái)越多的人沉浸于虛擬世界時(shí)”會(huì)怎么樣。這其實(shí)就是在讓考生寫(xiě)一個(gè)事物帶來(lái)的影響,也就是寫(xiě)“影響功能句”,這個(gè)方面需要詳細(xì)展開(kāi)重點(diǎn)寫(xiě)。當(dāng)然也不是說(shuō)通篇文章都只能寫(xiě)“這些事物帶來(lái)的影響”,考生也可以寫(xiě)“原因功能句”:為什么機(jī)器人會(huì)越來(lái)越多地取代人類(lèi)勞動(dòng)呢?比如因?yàn)榭茖W(xué)技術(shù)日新月異,或者出于安全和節(jié)約勞動(dòng)力等因素考慮。考生還可以寫(xiě)“現(xiàn)象功能句”:機(jī)器人在各行各業(yè)以及人們的生活中越發(fā)常見(jiàn),甚至可以舉例說(shuō)明它們的應(yīng)用。最后考生還可以加上“觀點(diǎn)功能句”:這樣的現(xiàn)象有好也有不好,我們應(yīng)該怎么做?這些都可以寫(xiě),并且只有這樣才能撐起較為完整的文章結(jié)構(gòu)。拿這次六級(jí)真題中“當(dāng)越來(lái)越多的機(jī)器人代替了人類(lèi)勞動(dòng)會(huì)怎樣”的話題為例,這篇作文的寫(xiě)作結(jié)構(gòu)可以作如下布局。
第一段:表明在科學(xué)技術(shù)日新月異的背景下(原因功能),機(jī)器人的使用變得越來(lái)越常見(jiàn)(現(xiàn)象功能),同時(shí)引出這個(gè)現(xiàn)象會(huì)給人類(lèi)社會(huì)帶來(lái)深遠(yuǎn)的影響。
(原因功能) In an age when science and technology changes with each passing day, (現(xiàn)象功能) the use of robots is becoming more and more popular and they are gradually taking the place of human beings in industry and our daily lives, (空泛影響) which is bound to exert profound influences on human society.
第二段:具體論述機(jī)器人的使用會(huì)對(duì)人類(lèi)社會(huì)的未來(lái)產(chǎn)生什么影響:一方面,這能把人類(lèi)從枯燥或是危險(xiǎn)的工作中解脫出來(lái);另一方面,這會(huì)使未來(lái)很多工作機(jī)會(huì)消失不見(jiàn)(不需要人類(lèi)去做了)。最后進(jìn)一步提出,機(jī)器人的使用有好的一面,也會(huì)對(duì)人類(lèi)社會(huì)產(chǎn)生潛在的威脅。
(具體影響) On the one hand, human beings will be relieved of some tedious or dangerous work such as cleaning the floor or exploring the deep ocean. On the other hand, vast numbers of jobs will evaporate because they can be done by robots. Therefore, I believe that the use of robots that can make our lives much easier by reducing human labor, improving work efficiency and helping people avoid unnecessary danger will also pose a potential threat to human society. Many people will lose their jobs.
第三段:發(fā)表個(gè)人觀點(diǎn),機(jī)器的使用有好的一面也有不好的一面,人類(lèi)的體力勞動(dòng)會(huì)被取代,所以應(yīng)該用好自己的“腦力”。
(觀點(diǎn)功能) Accordingly, the use of robots, an inevitable trend in modern society, has its pros and cons. However, we create these machines and we are the masters of them. If we use robots to substitute our brawn (體力), we should learn to make better use of our brains.
考生可以從討論話題的實(shí)際需求出發(fā),總結(jié)出以下這些常見(jiàn)的“功能表達(dá)”:
①陳述/展開(kāi)現(xiàn)象;
②闡釋原因;
③討論影響;
④發(fā)表觀點(diǎn);
⑤實(shí)例輔助。
考生在日常學(xué)習(xí)時(shí)一定要善于發(fā)現(xiàn),勤于記錄,積累這些功能表達(dá)。比如在范文中,“A that can do B will also do C”這個(gè)句型(見(jiàn)左欄范文中的斜體部分)是來(lái)自于閱讀真題中的句型;而exert profound influences on、pose a potential threat to這類(lèi)表示影響的表達(dá)都是寫(xiě)作范文中的常用表達(dá)。下面筆者給考生羅列上述常見(jiàn)功能表達(dá)的具體例句,這些例句的寫(xiě)法都比較經(jīng)典,值得大家背誦模仿,其中加粗部分都是考生可以在不同的話題中模仿套用的常見(jiàn)詞或結(jié)構(gòu)。
1陳述/展開(kāi)現(xiàn)象
① In this day and age, people, especially young people, are becoming increasingly dependent on digital products, some of whom even forget how to write a simple word by themselves without the use of a computer or a mobile phone.
今時(shí)今日,人們,尤其是年輕人,變得越來(lái)越依賴(lài)數(shù)碼產(chǎn)品,他們當(dāng)中有些人不用電腦或手機(jī)甚至連一個(gè)簡(jiǎn)單的單詞都寫(xiě)不對(duì)。
② Recent years have witnessed a phenomenon that there is an increase in the number of parents who see their children as little princes or princesses and think their children are the best of the best.
近年來(lái)目睹的一個(gè)現(xiàn)象就是,越來(lái)越多的家長(zhǎng)把自己的孩子當(dāng)成小王子或小公主,并且認(rèn)為自己的孩子是最最優(yōu)秀的。
2 闡釋原因
① Why? The reasons are simple and can be listed as follows. To begin with, the parents and teachers are mainly responsible for such a phenomenon, for the reason that most of them only attach importance to childrens tests scores while totally turning a blind eye to their personal interests and overall development. Whats more, fierce competition in the job market drives students to concentrate on getting high scores in school tests so that they may graduate with an Honors Degree, which may help them get a decent job after graduation.
這個(gè)現(xiàn)象為什么發(fā)生呢?理由很簡(jiǎn)單,可羅列如下:首先,父母和老師要對(duì)這個(gè)現(xiàn)象負(fù)主要責(zé)任,因?yàn)樗麄冎写蠖鄶?shù)人都只關(guān)注孩子的成績(jī),而對(duì)孩子的個(gè)人興趣和全面發(fā)展熟視無(wú)睹。其次,就業(yè)市場(chǎng)的激烈競(jìng)爭(zhēng)也在驅(qū)使學(xué)生專(zhuān)注于在學(xué)??荚囍腥〉煤贸煽?jī), 這樣他們就能獲得榮譽(yù)學(xué)位而畢業(yè),而這能幫助他們?cè)诋厴I(yè)之后找到一份體面的工作。
② It is understandable that in a society where fierce competition is going on in all areas of life, the great majority of people are living under a lot of pressure and are busy with their jobs, so it is not an easy task for them to exercise frequently.
可以理解的是,在一個(gè)各行各業(yè)競(jìng)爭(zhēng)都很激烈的社會(huì)里,大多數(shù)人的生活壓力都很大,都在忙于工作,所以對(duì)他們來(lái)說(shuō)經(jīng)常鍛煉也不容易。
3 討論影響
① Such a phenomenon is bound to adversely affect childrens emotional and intellectual growth as their parents words and deeds have far reaching influences on the formation of a childs character. For instance, how can we expect a child to become a person of responsibility and moral integrity without his parents acting like good role models?
這樣一個(gè)現(xiàn)象注定會(huì)對(duì)孩子的情感和智力成長(zhǎng)產(chǎn)生負(fù)面的影響,因?yàn)楦改傅难孕袑?duì)孩子性格的形成有著深遠(yuǎn)的影響。進(jìn)一步說(shuō),父母不能做好榜樣,又怎么能期待他們的孩子成長(zhǎng)為一個(gè)負(fù)責(zé)任、誠(chéng)實(shí)正直的人呢?
② Optimism not only helps us face hardships and adversities bravely and confidently, but also lays a solid foundation for bringing our ability and potential into full play.
樂(lè)觀不僅幫助我們勇敢自信地面對(duì)困難和逆境,也同樣為充分發(fā)揮我們的潛力和才能打下堅(jiān)實(shí)的基礎(chǔ)。
4 發(fā)表觀點(diǎn)
① In my opinion, optimism is therefore a necessity of life and all of us should learn to keep our face turned towards the sunshine, be we in good times or bad times.
在我個(gè)人看來(lái),樂(lè)觀是一種生活的必需品,而我們都需要學(xué)著面朝陽(yáng)光,無(wú)論身處困境還是逆境。
② As a matter of fact, as long as people can enhance their awareness of doing physical exercise, time is not a problem. For instance, they can run to work or ride bicycles; they can climb stairs instead of taking elevators. Always remember: “Life lies in movement.”
事實(shí)上,只要人們能夠增強(qiáng)鍛煉身體的意識(shí),時(shí)間就不是問(wèn)題。比如,人們可以跑步或騎自行車(chē)去上班,人們可以多走樓梯而不是乘電梯。記?。骸吧谟谶\(yùn)動(dòng)。”
5 實(shí)例輔助
① The same modern digital devices that have provided great convenience for our life have also influenced our life in negative ways. For instance, an increasing number of youngsters are getting addicted to online games, both adults and youngsters spare time is occupied by mindlessly using various Apps on their phones and people are increasingly reluctant to leave their phones or computers, which undoubtedly wastes much precious time that should be spent in doing more meaningful things.
現(xiàn)代的數(shù)碼設(shè)備給我們的社會(huì)帶來(lái)巨大便利的同時(shí)也從負(fù)面影響著我們的生活。比如:越來(lái)越多的年輕人對(duì)網(wǎng)絡(luò)游戲上癮,無(wú)論成年人還是青少年的空閑時(shí)間都被漫無(wú)目的地使用手機(jī)中的App所占據(jù)了,人們也越來(lái)越離不開(kāi)手機(jī)或電腦,這樣做無(wú)疑會(huì)浪費(fèi)掉很多原本可以做更有意義的事情的時(shí)間。
② There is no doubt that mutual learning is of great significance. The truth is that without mutual learning, Tu Youyou and her colleagues could never have succeeded in obtaining the pure substance qinghaosu since the whole process was so complicated that no one could have completed it alone.
毋庸置疑,相互學(xué)習(xí)的意義重大。事實(shí)是,如果沒(méi)有相互學(xué)習(xí),屠呦呦和她的同事就不可能成功地提取純凈物“青蒿素”,因?yàn)檎麄€(gè)過(guò)程是如此復(fù)雜,一個(gè)人不可能獨(dú)立完成。
作文題目的要求可以有各種變化,但是四、六級(jí)寫(xiě)作集中關(guān)注的幾個(gè)大話題還是不會(huì)有多少變化。比如,今年筆者的“20篇押題作文”的前兩篇就是關(guān)于科技與生活類(lèi)的,這類(lèi)話題在四、六級(jí)考試中出現(xiàn)的頻率最高。同時(shí)還有關(guān)于家庭教育、學(xué)校教育、同學(xué)影響類(lèi)的話題也是經(jīng)常出現(xiàn),這次四級(jí)考試就考了這方面的話題,而在此之前也考過(guò)“對(duì)我影響最大的一位同學(xué)”“獲益最多的一次校園活動(dòng)”“印象最深刻的一門(mén)課”等類(lèi)似的話題。考生需要重點(diǎn)關(guān)注的最后一個(gè)話題就是“個(gè)人品質(zhì)”,這類(lèi)話題常常以引言作文的形式出現(xiàn),比如“堅(jiān)強(qiáng)的意志、好奇心、做好小事、做行動(dòng)派……”建議考生在考前一個(gè)月多關(guān)注這些寫(xiě)作話題,去看一些靠譜的作文預(yù)測(cè)和范文,在看的過(guò)程中一定要做好摘錄,摘錄每一類(lèi)話題中常見(jiàn)的高頻用詞和句型,然后自己去仿寫(xiě)幾篇類(lèi)似話題的作文,找老師進(jìn)行批改,這樣的提升效果是立竿見(jiàn)影的。
六級(jí)作文對(duì)于考生語(yǔ)言質(zhì)量的要求在于“準(zhǔn)確性”和“多樣性”?!皽?zhǔn)確性”需要考生重視英語(yǔ)基本的句法規(guī)則,在日常英語(yǔ)學(xué)習(xí)的過(guò)程中強(qiáng)化語(yǔ)法的基本概念。對(duì)于“多樣性”,考生們需要多積累不同的用詞和句式表達(dá)。在此筆者給考生列出六級(jí)作文中一定能用上的高分句型。
1. 定語(yǔ)從句的靈活應(yīng)用
We live in an age when science and technology changes with each passing day.
我們生活在一個(gè)科學(xué)技術(shù)日新月異的時(shí)代。
We live in a society where temptations, such as alcohol, drugs and gambling, abound.
我們的生活里充滿了各種誘惑,如毒品、賭博、酒精等。
2. 狀語(yǔ)從句的省略
When (they are) confronted with difficulties and challenges, young people who lack self-confidence tend to give up easily.
當(dāng)面臨困難和挑戰(zhàn)的時(shí)候,缺乏自信的年輕人往往容易放棄。
在此,需要說(shuō)明的是,如果狀語(yǔ)從句的主語(yǔ)和主句的主語(yǔ)一致且從句的謂語(yǔ)動(dòng)詞中含有be動(dòng)詞,此時(shí)從句往往可以省略“主語(yǔ)和be動(dòng)詞”。
3. 強(qiáng)調(diào)句
It was confidence that enabled Liu Xiang to overcome his serious injury and reach the peak of his career.
正是自信使得劉翔能夠克服嚴(yán)重的傷病,到達(dá)事業(yè)的頂峰。
4. 倒裝句
Only by doing our best today can we be sure that we are really making an effort to improve ourselves and we are approaching our goals step by step.
只有在當(dāng)下盡力做到最好,我們才能確保我們真的在努力提高自身,且一步步地接近我們的目標(biāo)。
5. 同位語(yǔ)
The use of robots, an inevitable trend in modern society, has its pros and cons.
機(jī)器人的使用作為現(xiàn)代社會(huì)一個(gè)不可避免的趨勢(shì)既有好的一面也有不好的一面。
6. 虛擬語(yǔ)氣
It is critical that important decisions be made on the basis of comprehensive investigation and analysis.
關(guān)鍵的是,重要的決定應(yīng)該在綜合的調(diào)查和分析的基礎(chǔ)上做出。
值得注意的是,這類(lèi)虛擬表達(dá)的句式為:“It is important/urgent/necessary/imperative (或其他表示觀點(diǎn)和態(tài)度的形容詞) that sb. (should可省略) do sth.”
寫(xiě)作能力的提高和口語(yǔ)一樣,是輸出能力的提高,需要大量的、準(zhǔn)確的和反復(fù)的信息輸入,同時(shí)更需要及時(shí)的、有效的和反復(fù)的輸出練習(xí)。和中文的學(xué)習(xí)一樣,大量的積累和重復(fù)是練好寫(xiě)作的唯一途徑。為了通過(guò)考試,短期內(nèi)集中突擊是個(gè)可行的方法,但是若想真正提高英語(yǔ)的表達(dá)能力,路漫漫其修遠(yuǎn)兮。
不是所有學(xué)生都需要學(xué)習(xí)英語(yǔ),如果你的目標(biāo)只是為了應(yīng)付考試,那么希望你能盡早解脫,把時(shí)間花在自己想做的事情上;如果你覺(jué)得自己想學(xué)也覺(jué)得有必要學(xué)好英語(yǔ),那么希望在“反押題/反模板”的壓力之下,你能知道學(xué)語(yǔ)言是為了在不同情境下表達(dá)自己的想法。面對(duì)英語(yǔ)學(xué)習(xí),我們應(yīng)該“少一點(diǎn)套路,多一點(diǎn)真誠(chéng)”。像高中學(xué)習(xí)語(yǔ)文那樣,去讀外刊、讀原著、看美劇、看電影……不僅要看,更要模仿,像個(gè)學(xué)母語(yǔ)的孩子一樣。