近年来,大学英语六级考试多套试题中均采用了引言型命题方式,即要求考生通过评论一句话(一般是名言或谚语)来写一篇作文。题目中引言常常表达抽象人生哲理,所以引言型作文迥异于分析具体社会现象作文。面对这种抽象题目,一些考生很不适应,感觉束手无策无从下笔,而且模板和套话也派不上用场。本文拟通过2013年6月三道作文真题来分析引言型作文写作攻略,以帮助考生更好地应对这一写作题型。
第一、审题立意
引言型作文要求考生根据一句名言或谚语来写一篇作文。由于名言或谚语往往言简意赅既深刻又抽象,所以要写好此类作文仔细审题就显得格外重要。考生要准确把握名言或谚语所蕴含意义。
2013年6月六级考试三道作文题目
题目一
Directions: For this part you areallowed 30 minutes to write an essay commenting on the remark “Earth providesenough to satisfy every man’s need but not every man’s greed。” You can citeexamples to illustrate your point. You should write at least 150 words but nomore than 200 words。
审题:本题引用印度圣雄甘地一句名言。前半句话意思是,地球是人类赖以生存家园为人类提供了所需要一切;后半句话意思是人类过度开发会造成地球资源枯竭,环境恶化威胁到人类自身生存。综合起来甘地这句名言启示:人类应当合理地利用自然资源不要向地球过度索取
题目二
Directions: For this part you are allowed 30 minutes towrite an essay commenting on the remark “Good habits result from resistingtemptation。” You can cite examples to illustrate your point. You should writeat least 150 words but no more than 200 words。
审题:本题引言是一句古老谚语,意思是要形成良好习惯必须经受住诱惑,由于每天都面临着各种各样诱惑,所以要形成良好习惯绝非易事。这个谚语之所以能够流传千百年它道出了人们切身感受。
题目三
Directions: For this part you are allowed 30 minutes towrite an essay commenting on the remark “A smile is the shortest distancebetween two people。” You can cite examples to illustrate your point. You shouldwrite at least 150 words but no more than 200 words。
审题:本题中名言出自美国著名钢琴家、幽默作家Victor Borg。这句名言本身不难理解,意为:微笑能够拉近人与人之间关系。
第二、谋篇布局
从2011年12月起六级作文写作指令中不再包含三条提纲。这让一些考生方寸大乱,不知道作文该写成几个段落,其实六级考试引言型作文仍以三段布局为佳。
第一段:引出名言并用通俗语言简要解释其蕴含意义。这一段任务是亮出观点,宜简洁明快。一般不要超过三句话。
第二段论证名言正确性。这一段是作文重心所在,考生要不惜笔墨把道理讲透。
第三段先简要议论,然后提出解决问题建议或者号召大家践行这个道理。
结尾段虽无实质性分析却也不可或缺。它会使作文意思和结构更圆满。人写文章讲究“凤头、猪肚、豹尾”说开头要精彩,主体部分要内容充实,结尾要简洁有力,这一审美要求也适用于六级英语作文。
第三、论证方法
引言型作文主体段落要论述名言或谚语正确性。这就要求考生掌握一些特殊论证技巧。
由于名言或谚语所蕴含哲理往往比较抽象。因此笔者建议考生“虚”题“实”写,即通过摆事实来讲道理,不要空发议论。下面笔者推荐两种论证抽象道理实用方法。
1.列举事实
对于比较抽象道理,考生不要空泛地议论。大多数考生词汇量和表达能力尚不足以应付抽象论证,要证明抽象道理最好方法用事实说话。考生可以在第二段里列举出具体事实、研究结果、调查数据等来证明这个名言或谚语正确性。例如就此次六级考试第一道作文题目来说,考生可以在第二段举出人类滥砍、滥伐森林事实从而证明人类对自然资源过度开采会威胁到自身生存。请看下面范文:
Deforestation is a good case in point. Trees give us the oxygen we breathe thepaper we use and the fruits we eat. But forests—the cradle of manycivilizations—have been shrinking at an alarming rate. Man has been ruthlesslycutting down trees to meet his insatiable appetite for timber firewood orfarmland contributing to the greenhouse effect which scientists believe couldbe disastrous for human beings if we do not stop this insanity。
2.讲述故事
对于一些生活哲理,考生可以用生活中具体例子来证明其正确性。最好能举出大家熟悉名人轶事,若一时想不起名人轶事考生,也可以讲述身边普通人故事。这是降低写作难度窍门。讲述故事无论是从遣词还是造句来说,都比抽象论证更容易下笔。这种写法化抽象为具体从而实现化难为易。例如,就本次六级考试第二道作文题目而言考生可以在第二段举出熟悉人事例,从而证明只有经受住诱惑才能形成良好习惯。请看下面范文
David Liu,my immediate superior,is now as fit as a fiddle. But who knows he used to be a sickly mansometimes coughing so badly as to gasp for breath? Itwas all because of his heavy smoking. He decided to embrace a healthy lifestylehalf a year ago. It was no easy job for him but he overcame the temptation tosmoke and has become alive and kicking。
上面范文以身边人为例,讲述了此人经受住抽烟诱惑,成功戒烟从而养成良好生活习惯,并恢复健康故事,以此证明了这句谚语正确性。除此之外,考生也可以举出发生在身上事例,例如通过讲述亲身经历来证明微笑力量,请看下面范文
Let me share a personal experience. One awful morning everything went wrong: the alarm clock broke down; I got up late; I hurried to work only tofind the key left in my room after slamming the door shut. You can imagine myfrustration. On my way to work I tried smiling to cheer myself up. I forced abig smile on my face. It was a hard task for me at first as I was down. But itworked! Every person I smiled at smiled back. Somenodded some flashed a grin and some commented on the weather. By the time I gotto the office I was a happy man again。