雅思考試:利用寫作框架觀察閱讀文章結(jié)構(gòu)
2014-12-25 16:24:24留學網(wǎng)整理
筆者在日常教學中,多以閱讀寫作為主,盡管一項為輸入,一項為輸出,一項是許多學生的得分機會,一向讓考生頭痛不已,但兩者在雅思教學點上卻有著相輔相成的密切關系。在教授閱讀時,筆者常引導學生利用寫作框架觀察閱讀文章結(jié)構(gòu),更好地把握定位方向;而在寫作課上,分析真題題目也少不了閱讀能力的幫助。
許多學生認為,動輒900-1000字的閱讀文章對于只有150和250字的雅思作文借鑒意義不大,事實上,兩者在主題、構(gòu)思、句式、用詞等方面有著很大的相似性。本文中,專家將就此一一說明:
1. 主題性
閱讀文章和雅思寫作題目涵蓋的范圍比較廣,具有極強的主題性,其重合話題有:環(huán)境、社會、教育三大方面。閱讀文章的內(nèi)容能幫助考生更好地理解題目的文化背景,積累觀點素材,在備考過程中,考生可以將這兩項結(jié)合起來。
劍四test 2的reading passage 1“Lost for Words”極好的回答了雅思一道較難的文化類考題:what are the reasons for the loss of many cultures and languages? How to solve this problem?”
許多學生因為缺少對這一背景的了解而無從下手,我們完全可以看看這篇閱讀文章提供了哪些素材:
1 “What makes a language endangered is not just the number of speakers, but how old they are. If it is spoken by children, it is relatively safe。”
2 “…people reject the language of their parents… It begins with a crisis of confidence, when a small community finds itself alongside a larger, wealthier society…”
3 “Quite often, governments try to kill off a minority language by banning its use in public or discouraging its use in schools, all to promote national unity。”
4 “… They cannot refuse to speak English if most commercial activity is in English…”
這些都是十分準確而又全面的回答,說明了許多語言喪失的原因,甚至連語言喪失對于文化的連帶影響也有所涉及:“Language is also intimately bound with culture, so it may be difficult to preserve one without the other。”
這篇文章在后文也對如何解決這一問題做出了回答:
“ …a growing interest in cultural identity may prevent the direst prediction from coming true…。’apprentice’ programs have provided life support t several indigenous languages。”
值得注意的是,這篇閱讀文章的結(jié)構(gòu)是遵循“背景—原因—解決方式”的架構(gòu)來安排的,對于寫作結(jié)構(gòu)也有很好的架構(gòu)作用。
2.流程圖的描述
2010年雅思寫作Task I圖畫題頻現(xiàn),許多學生不太熟悉流程圖,對于如何描述其過程極為擔心。其實分析發(fā)現(xiàn),這樣的句式在說明型的閱讀文章中屢見不鮮,這類閱讀文章常常涉及某個事物的發(fā)展過程或者制作方式,其遣詞造句都是可以進行學習和利用。
劍五Test 2 Reading passage 1是一篇關于對現(xiàn)代塑料的說明文章,其中有一段就是對塑料制作過程的描述,很多句式都可以“拿來我用”。
首先是對這一流程的總體概括“The original patent outlined a three-stage process, in which phenol and formaldehyde were initially combined under vacuum inside a large egg-shaped kettle。” 我們可以根據(jù)這個句式來描寫2009年9月一道關于玻璃瓶子回收過程的題目,如:
“A three-stage process is outlined, in which the used bottles are collected and re-produced in the plant. “
接著,制作過程中的細節(jié)按照先后順序鋪開,并結(jié)合被動語態(tài)與準確的動詞選擇:“The resin was allowed to cool in shallow trays until it hardened, and then broken up and ground into powder. Other substances were then introduced, including…。 . In the last stage, the heated Bakelite was poured into a hollow mould of the required shape …”,其中的”cool, break, grind, pour”等動詞都是在工作流程中的高頻詞匯。“then, in the last stage”也可以作為極好的連接過渡詞。
劍五Test 4 Reading passage 2關于強化玻璃的說明文中也有類似的描述句式:“… used to make glass, and nickel can also be introduced by fragments of nickel alloys falling into the molten glass. As the glass is heated, these atoms react to form …”
其中的“be used to, introduce, melt, heat”也都可以用在描述中。
3.圖表的描述
由于閱讀文章中也不乏對于數(shù)據(jù)的說明,我們也很容易找到可以在雅思圖表作文中使用的句式。
劍四 Test 2 Reading passage 2中的一段“According to…, 18% of patients…; 12% suffer from…, which is only 1% more than those…。 . Those suffering from… represents 7% of their patients, and candida sufferers represent an equal percentage. … represent 6% and 5% respectively, and a further 4% see… “
這是一段很好的排序段范例,在描寫數(shù)據(jù)的同時也比較了大小,句式變化多樣,考生也不妨學習一下。
4.辯論文章觀點的表述
盡管沒有與雅思寫作辯論文章完全對應的形式,閱讀文章中也有很多可以效仿的觀點表述句式,與學生動輒“some people think…”的單調(diào)表述相比,其表達生動多樣。在此進行了一些總結(jié):
如“… reject this, pointing out that… ”, “When it comes to…,…”, “… believe the main reason for… is…”, “there is a widespread belief that…”, “It was once assumed that…。 . However,…”, “There is an abundance of evidence to support the belief that…” , “the answer to… depends on…”,等。
總之,作為較為正式的英文表達,雅思閱讀是極好的寫作模仿對象。考生可以從閱讀文章里汲取許多好的句式,以克服在日常寫作中“中式英語”的問題。
5. 用詞
雅思寫作對詞匯的要求主要是準確性和多樣性,許多學生對這一標準沒有明確的認識和把握,而在閱讀文章中可以很清楚地了解到什么樣的詞匯更適合書面表達。