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詞匯量少的學生怎么寫好托福作文
問及中國學生寫作的困境, 不僅僅是學生甚至是某些學者, 近乎異口同聲: 詞匯量不足 云云。其實這種所謂的詞匯量問題,雖然不敢斷然否定其存在,但是在培養學生寫作技能的初級階段根本不是問題,如果說詞匯是個問題,那么至少是寫作技能提高階段的問題。在參加諸如GRE考試和GMAT考試的寫作中,都不應該鼓勵學生使用復雜的詞匯量。
在考生參加國內英語考試寫作,比如四級,六級,考研(微博),在職碩士等領域,根本不應該提及。否則對學生應試分數提高,造成誤導。為什么這樣說呢?
第一個原因是:中國高中水平以上學生英語學習,主要是積累詞匯,大部分考生已經具備2000個英語詞匯。這對于基本生活中問題的表達和闡述,以及應付各種考試已經綽綽有余。問題是考生根本不會合理地使用自己已經掌握的詞匯。如果自己已經有的,不去合理利用,反而追求自己沒有的,豈不是非常荒謬?這是一個非常淺顯的道理:用好自己已經有的資源!
我舉個例子來證明這種教學理念。表格兩欄,分別表達不同的詞匯,左面一欄,教學實踐統計表明,97.3%的高中生已經掌握,右面一欄,在GRE班上只有7% 的學生認知含義。(對2003年不同時期三個班GRE共計1572人進行的統計, 另外一個統計是2004年北京暑假考研6個班,2793人進行的統計):
熟悉詞匯/ 陌生詞匯
1. scientists /entomologists
2. experts /aurelian
3. parents/ invertebrates
4. educators /cetaceans
5. generally /falconry
6. contribute /denunciate
7. Do reprehend
8. good/ rious
9. harmful /nocuous
10. hurtful /insalubrious
11. influence /promulgate
12. life allege
13. work
14. study
15. play
16. role
17. Not only…but also
18. shape /forge
19. form /Fabricate
20. build /illume
21. cold Ruthless and relentless
22. but /albeit
23. environment /biota
24. plants /flora
25. animals/ fauna
26. values
27. hold
28. maintain
現在我們考慮一道雅思(微博)作文題目:
Some people say that it wastes both time and money to protect animals while others say that it is useful to protect animals. What is your opinion?
如果指導學生用自己已經掌握的單詞,完成這樣的作文考試,考生實際上可以考到8分。下面是一種寫法:
What are the values of animals? Fish and shrimp give people foods; birds give poets new ideas and ideals; even a simple fly offer scientists new information for research. Clearly, animals are important. Then who can say that it is a waster of money to protect such important things? I believe that human should protect animals.
56 words
譯文:
動物的價值是什么呢?魚和蝦給我們食物,鳥兒給詩人理想和靈感,甚至是簡單的蒼蠅也為科學家提供新的研究信息。顯然,動物是重要的。那么,誰又能說保護如此重要的動物是浪費呢?我認為,人類應該保護動物。
使用復雜的詞匯寫作
Cetaceans are not created to decorate the immense chaotic oceans or to offer poets or littérateurs aspirations or inspirations. Nor does falconry soar towards the empyrean and scud in the firmament to demonstrate His almightiness. Then humans, the wretched descendents of Adams as the scripture tells within the eon, have been meditating such questions as why creatures exist. Were they once created by the omnipotent God or what scientists termed as nature? Recently both philosophers and environmentalists ponder that whether or not human beings should carry out campaigns to salvage wildlife. The question is that such campaigns might constitute considerable deteriorate elements both to the flora and fauna。
譯文:
上帝創造鯨魚,并不是為了點綴那廣漠無垠喧囂混沌的海洋,也不是為了激發詩人或者文人騷客的靈感或者情感;鷹擊長空,掠過天宇也不是為了證明自然的威力。人類,根據萬古流傳的經文傳說,是那亞當的子孫,一直在思考著生物為什么存在于世的問題。 究竟生物為萬能的造物主所一時創造,還是科學家冠以為自然的呢?現在,無論哲學家還是環境保護主義者都在思考人類究竟是否要發起拯救動物的行動。問題是諸如此類的救助行為可能成為惡化動植物區系的因素。
講解:
前后兩篇范文都是出手不凡。但是,第二篇使用復雜的詞匯寫作,一般考生會感到:此曲只應天上有,人間能得幾回聞?但是第一篇范文完全使用考生熟悉的詞匯。
可以看出,能夠寫出如此流暢的作文,并不是使用了復雜的單詞,而是一種文章的結構和作者的思路。實際上使用右面一欄的單詞,表達的思想完全可以用左面這些考生熟悉的詞匯完成。考試要求考生寫出250個單詞的作文,二考生實際應試需要的詞匯,最多是200個。加上不同的作文題目的題材變化的考慮,考生用已經掌握的2000個單詞可以取得非常高的分數。 遺憾的不是考生詞匯量不夠,而是考生的腦海中根本沒有把這些單詞變成句子。中國學生學習英文仿佛就是背誦單詞。
作者本人就是在大學期間受這種錯誤教學理念的誤導,背誦了一本新英漢字典,背了四年,背了至少不下千遍,可是寫出的文章還是不通。于是,又去背誦梁實秋編寫的《遠東英漢大詞典》,還是制造不出文章。后來遇到了哈佛大學的朋友,她給了我一本BIBLE, 告訴我每天讀,注意句子的構成和句子之間的關系。我開始非常反感,認為這是侮辱我的宗教信仰。當時我甚至覺得這個朋友動機不純,有拉我下水的惡意。
可是當我讀到圣經中優美的句子時候,我甚至陶醉了,當時我在北大未名湖畔,這樣的句子感動了我:
you are the salt of the earth…
You are the light of the world…
will shine before humanity
這里面的美在于一種單純和簡單。之后,我每日都讀圣經,學習英語表達的技術,久而久之,感悟到其中的美,就逐漸開始欣賞英語簡單詞匯表達的美麗和藝術。后來從學生變成老師,我教授美國文學和語言學,著重分析過ERNEST HEMINGWAY作品詞匯的樸素和執著的表現力。在THE SUN ALSO RISE中,讀者完全可以品味如何用最簡單的詞匯表達最高尚的人類思維。
其實,復雜的詞匯是學生一時半時無法掌握的,反而是簡單的單詞如何用好,成為英語寫作應試教學初級的主要課題。如果用好簡單的詞匯,就可以逐步追求表達的準確和精確,使用復雜的詞匯。可是一開始就鼓勵學生背誦大量的詞匯,既不現實,也對于應試于事無補。
比如我再舉個例子,還是雅思考試的題目。
Computers are now widely used in education so the teachers are not as important as they were before computers were popular. Do you agree or disagree with this point?
范文
Compared with other human inventions and innovations, computers, the cold machines that are definitely devoid of soul, admittedly, have been playing a significant role in shaping and reflecting human life, study, and work patterns. Thus at one time the average public was flooded by the overwhelming written materials and advertisements advocating, or even exaggeratedly promoting, various computers and their affiliated software, making it hard for the people to distinguish the facts from fictions. Worst of all, some scholars and engineers even imprudently forecast that computers will finally replace or supersede teachers in education. On the strength of philosophical and scientific analysis in a far more profound and insightful way, I solemnly and firmly gainsay such a misguiding argument and put forward that never in history have any human made machines had superseded, in its strict sense, human beings, nor will they。
譯文
和其它人類得發明革新相比,計算機,這種毫無靈魂的冰冷機器,誠然在塑造并反映人類工作,生活,和學習模式上起到重要得作用。因而,一度人們為潮水般的,大肆宣揚甚至是夸張促銷計算機及其相關軟件的書面材料和廣告所包圍,使得一般公眾難辨真偽。更有甚者,某些學者和工程人員不負責任地鼓吹計算機最終會因其優越行而取代教授。根據深刻致密的哲學和科學分析,我堅定地,嚴肅地否定這種誤導性的論點。我指出,歷史上從來沒有任何機器,從嚴格的字面意義上講,曾經取代過人類。將來也不會。
講解
這種文章,考生看到幾乎沒有不認識的單詞,但是要是讓考生寫出這樣的句子,筆者斗膽斷言,實在是:蜀道難,難于上青天。為什么會有這種現象出現呢?別人寫,考生認識,可是自己怎么也些不出來。什么原因呢?
道理非常簡單:考生死記硬背單詞的漢語意義,而不是在英語的文章中學習單詞的用法和搭配。導致的后果就是寫不出真正的文章。
針對這個問題。筆者提出讀寫教程的學習方法。并且,在新東方已經試點。學生是一些高中考不上大學的所謂留學 (微博) 垃圾(其實我本人反對這種說法)。先看教學之前,考生的作文。我隨機從2000份作文中抽取兩篇,一字不差地原文轉載學生的習作:
學生作文之一 30分鐘
someone said that teachers not no longer useful, nevertheless I don’t agree it。
Now, computers are widely in all kinds of fields. And it is more and more important. But some of special fields computers can’t do any thing. For example, whe the child was young. They come to school. They can’t use any machine before. They need a warm hand from mother techer more than cold computer key. So I don’t agree it。
這是一名中國考生在30分鐘內寫的文章—— 其實,根本不是文章。錯誤百出,時態混亂,動詞錯誤,邏輯關系不明等等錯誤。
學生作文之二 30分鐘
Compared to the automobile or train, the bicycle nowadays tends to be more common as a transport. Some people are think that the bicycle is the best way to tour. I am of the opinion that riding bicycle has advantage and disadvantages。
To begin with, bicycle is the cheapest transport. In china, people just need spend RMB 400 to buy a high quality bicycle. The car, however, at least is spent RMB 40000. To many Chinese people, they prefer to buy a bicycle because they have no enough money to buy a car. Next, sometimes riding bicycle is more convenient than driving a car. For example, I have to spend 1 hour to drive car cover 10 miles during the rush hour from my home to my office in Beijing. At same distance, I only need 20 minutes by riding bicycle. Finally, I think the bicycle do not make heavy pollution to our environment。
這些文字是在中國考生中非常有代表性的。其他教師和考生可以閱讀類似的作文,然后進行批改訓練。提高自己的寫作教學和寫作能力。
根據這些情況,我在NATIONAL GEOGRAPHY 雜志上選取了部分含有考生需要的句型,首先進行分析,然后讓學生模仿。看看下面選取的一段文字:
The wolves play an integral part in the ecosystem in the archipelago, and their diet can offer scientists important clues about the dynamics between predator and prey。
Investigating the feces of the elusive wolves, Darimont found that their diets consist to a large extent of black-tailed deer. But he also found that their diets vary greatly depending on location. On the outer islands, for example, wolves are far less likely to have a deer for lunch than on the inner islands。
These findings suggest that wolves can deplete resources in isolated areas, making the link between the predators and their prey more delicate there。
The information is important for understanding not only island ecosystems, but also for conservation efforts. If scientists can understand how species behave on isolated islands, they may be able to figure out how the species will behave in other places that are becoming more fragmented。
選自:Canada"s Rain Forest Wolves a Link to Past
Stefan Lovgren October 1, 2004
從這段文字中,我首先教學生學習:
ecosystem
biota
biodiversity
play an integral part in
play a key role in
offer somebody something
dynamics between …and…
predators and prey
然后根據第二個段落,講解現在分詞短語結構,
consist of consist to a large extent of
depend on depend to a large extent on
比較結構的對稱性和倒裝性
be likely to do something
not only…but also…
然后指導學生學習寫作:分析下面一篇學生作文:
Living in the big cities, people are more likely to forget the key roles that animals play in an ecosystem. But almost all animals can do good, directly or indirectly, to our life. For example, fish and shrimp offer not only foods but also scientific research materials. Birds in various colors and shapes offer scientists new clues to understand the dynamic between human and other animals. From this point of view, animals must be well protected。
這是,授課結束后,一個學生的寫作。對比前后兩篇作文,明顯看到進步。
如果我只是單純地講解單詞,學生不可那寫出這樣的文章。但是,我給學生講解的完整的句子和句子之間的邏輯關系。就直接啟發學生的思維,導致分數的提高。 從這個教學實例可以推出,教學生提高句子量,應該是寫作突破的方法之一。
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