实用英语写作技巧选修课

实用英语写作技巧选修课 Part One English Paragraph I. The organization of a paragraph There are three reasons why John is not going to university. In the first place, his family is quite poor and, since he has four younger brothers and sisters still at school, he feels that he should help his family financially as soon as possible. Secondly, if he went to the university, his mother would be left alone to look after the young children. Finally, he has been offered a good job with excellent chances of promotion. Consequently, although he wants to go to university very much, John is going to take the job instead. 2 II. Characteristics of English paragraphs: 英语段落有三个特点:平行,发展,混合 Three sentence relationship 1. Parallel(平行)每个段落之间都是并列的意思. Different types of students have different ways of spending their spare time. Some active students, especially boys, prefer to play ball games and do other physical exercises. Some inactive students prefer to stay in the classroom writing letters, reading popular novels or magazines, or listening to popular music. Some hardworking students make use of their spare time to consult reference books or to go over their lessons. Some romantic students like to go to the countryside to enjoy the natural scenery and fresh air. For students whose families are poor, they like to do certain part-time jobs to support themselves. In a word, whatever they choose to do, they can make their spare time colorful and enjoyable. 3 2. Developing(发展) 下一个句子是上一个句子的延伸,解释上面句子 I like reading novels because they tell interesting and moving stories. Moreover, some stories(下一句以此为 ) are instructive(,). By 有指导意义的有建议的主语 describing good and evil(坏的,邪恶的) people, and the bright side and the dark side of life, such stories help me to distinguish between right and wrong, and understand people and life. As a result, reading them has perhaps made me wiser. 3. Mixed (混合) 三小段平行结构和每小段自己的发展语句 Automobile accidents occur for a variety of causes. // First, poor weather conditions are often responsible. When the roads are snowy, icy, or wet, it is more difficult to control a car. / Accidents can also happen when certain parts of the automobile malfunction. Faulty brakes and defective tires, for example, have been blamed for many mishaps./ But the most common cause of accidents is driver error. A careless, sleepy, or drunk driver is not fully alert and runs a high risk of having an accident. 4 III. Rules of paragraph writing(英语段落写 作原则) unity, coherence，full development 落一致性) 1. Paragraph Unity (段 A topic sentence & many related supporting sentences With the changes in their social role, women’s position in the family has been improved as well. Husband and wife are now equal in the family. They cope with problems of daily life together and share the responsibility of doing household chores and taking care of children. But in some families, you can still find that wives are being busy with dinners, while husbands are comfortably sitting in armchairs reading newspapers or watching football games on TV. With the changes in their social role, women’s position in the family has been improved as well. In some families, you can find several that wives are being busy with dinners, while husbands are comfortably sitting in armchairs reading newspapers or watching football games on TV.Husband and wife are now equal in the family. They cope with problems of daily life together and share the responsibility of doing household chores and taking care of children.语句提前 5 Compare the following paragraphs 1)I want to talk about my father. He is strict with his children, especially with me. He won’t let me out of the house unless I’ve done all my homework. He is a tall and rather skinny man. Some people say he is good-looking. He has a nice streak of grey in his hair. He laughs a lot and enjoys life. My father is interesting. 2) My father’s face is rough. His complexion is leathery(似皮革的) and wrinkled. There are large pores in the skin that covers his nose and cheeks. His nose, broken twice in his life, makes him look like a boxer who has lost many fights. His mouth, unless he smiles, looks hard and threatening. His chin is massive(又大又重的) and angular (有角的). Shaved or not, my father’s face is rugged. 6 2. Paragraph coherence(段落连贯性) Logic order of sentences逻辑顺序 Cohesion of sentences I like reading novels. They tell interesting and moving stories. Some stories are instructive. They describe good and evil people. They describe the bright side and the dark side of life. They help me distinguish between right and wrong. They help me understand people and life. I seem to become wiser. I like reading novels because they tell interesting and moving stories. Moreover, some stories are instructive. By describing good and evil people, and the bright side and the dark side of life, such stories help me to distinguish between right and wrong, and understand people and life. As a result, reading them has perhaps made me wiser. Such stories 说的是上面some stories 用moreover比and更能突出主题 7 3. Full development(内容的丰富性) Enough details: facts, statistics, examples 要有足够的细节 Positive and Negative Aspects of Sports Taking part in sports can also help improve study efficiency. It can give you a rest after a day’s hard work. It can make you relax when you feel tired and broken-down. It can relieve the pressure you have in studies. If you take part in sports regularly, your study efficiency will surely improved. 怎么样没说,只说它能怎么样,显得没有内容,空洞. Taking part in sports can also help improve study efficiency. For example, whenever I feel a little tired from studies, I will have a 15-minute walk on campus. After a brief walk I always feel entirely refreshed and relaxed. I can continue to study and memorize things better. My personal experience shows that half an hour’s exercise after supper will help you maintain concentration for a whole night. 8 用事实举例 Taking part in sports can also help improve study efficiency. One study shows that people who take regular exercise suffer less from anxiety and are able to work harder. According to a medical report, 83 percent of the freshmen who had trouble with studies were in bad physical shape. And when they were put into a physical fitness program, their grades picked up more or less. 9 IV. Topic Sentence 1. What is a topic sentence? 我们在查看世界地图的时候，会发现地球上水的面积 要比陆地面积大。海洋占了地球的四分之三。 The sea is very big in the world. When you look at the map of the world you will find that there is more water than land on the earth. The sea covers three quarters of the world. Bamboo has many uses. Many people use it to make chairs, tables, curtains, bird cages and so on. Its tender young shoots can be eaten. The soft pulp inside the stems can be made onto a fine paper. No wander people say bamboo is a useful plant. 10 2. Features of a good topic sentence 1) Completeness: Bamboo has many uses. There are three reasons why John is not going to university. 2) Limited (not too general): ×Modern technology brings great convenience to education × Computers are important. Computers make our teaching efficient. From an economic perspective, earning a college degree is a sound investment. 3) Allowing full development (not too narrow) Different types of students have different ways of spending their spare time. Some stories are instructive. 11 Can the following be good topic sentences? Is money a good thing? The biggest city in the United States is New York. If they were no electric power, people would have to use fire to light the room in the evening. Hong Kong is famous for its developed economy, high standard of living, and intercultural atmosphere. We celebrate Christmas on December 25. My brother was depressed yesterday for several reasons. Drugs are dangerous. Aspirin can have several harmful side effects. 12 3. How to write topic sentence 1) Affirmative Statement Computer plays an important part in education. 2) Questions & Answers Should smoking be forbidden in public places? The answer is yes. What is the main cause of generation gap? It is lack of communication. 3) Subject + Complement Pattern A problem that keeps Luoyang from becoming a clean civilized city is the serious pollution of the city. One way to stay healthy is to do sports regularly. 4) General & Particular While many members of the animal kingdom communicate, humans communicate in the most sophisticated (complicated) way. Good manners are important in all countries, but ways of expressing good manners are different. Although smoking has been a popular habit for centuries, it has always had its enemies. 13 4. Position of topic sentence 1) head topic sentence(段头主题句) Television is harmful for children’s healthy development. When children spend too much time watching television, they cannot concentrate on their studies. What is worse, their eyesight becomes poorer. And they are often exposed to violence, which gives them many bad effects. 14 2)–tail topic sentence(段尾主题句) The Amazon River is the widest river in the world, with one-fifth of all the fresh water on earth moving through its mouth. In length it is second only to the Nile, and if stretched across the United States, it would reach from New York to Los Angeles. In addition, the Amazon covers the largest area of any river. Therefore, it can be argued that the Amazon is the mightiest river on earth. 15 (A) Some students prefer a strict teacher who tells them exactly what to do. (B) Others prefer to be left to work on their own. (C) Still others like a democratic discussion type of class. (D) No one teaching method can be devised to satisfy all students at the same time. 16 3) head–and-tail topic sentence(头尾主题 句) I like reading novels because they tell interesting and moving stories. Moreover, some stories are instructive. By describing good and evil people, and the bright side and the dark side of life, such stories help me to distinguish between right and wrong, and understand people and life. As a result, reading them has perhaps made me wiser. 17 Good manners are important in all countries, but ways of expressing good manners are different from country to country. Americans eat with knives and forks; Japanese eat with chopsticks. Americans say "Hi" when they meet; Japanese bow. Many American men open doors for women; Japanese men do not. On the surface, it appears that good manners in America are not good manners in Japan, and in a way this is true, but in all countries it is good manners to behave considerately toward others and bad manners not to. It is only the way of behaving politely that differs from country to country. 18 4) -mid topic sentence (段中主题句) My parents have gone out for the evening. (B) Just as I settle down to read or watch TV, my little brother demands that I play with him. (C) If I get a telephone call, he screams or knocks something over. (D) I always have to hang up to find out what’s wrong with him. (E) Baby sitting my brother is no fun. (F) He refuses to let me eat a snack in peace. (G) Usually he wants half of whatever I have to eat. (H) Then when he finally grows tired, it takes about an hour for him to fall asleep. 19 5) pre-‖-topic sentence (段前主题句) State Of Mind and Efficiency College students tend to complain either about their teachers’ teaching methods, or about their intelligence quotient if they find, however hard they are, they cannot achieve satisfactory results. Is it really the case that their poor results are solely due to the problems as they think to be? The answer is definitely “No”. As a matter of fact, there are many other factors that have something to do with a student’s performance, among which his state of mind is the most important. When a student is in good mood and his mind in peace, his brain works most efficiently. On the contrary, if he is in a troubled mood, he cannot concentrate on anything he is doing. He may find his head as numb as a block of wood, unable to think, to deduce, to calculate or even to read. This is typical of the case when a student worries too much about his studies, when he has too many things to do, when he thinks too much about other things. So to get a good result in his studies, a student must learn to keep his mind in peace under any circumstances. Only in this way can he work most efficiently and get a satisfactory result. 20 6) Implied topic sentence (隐含主题句) A Terrible Hurricane A few days ago we went through a terrible hurricane. It came abruptly with the sea water coming into our house. We had to leave away from house to a safe place. When the tide receded and the wind stopped, we came back home. As we approached our house so hurriedly abandoned the night before, we first saw the shrubs and flowers we had carefully planted last spring broken off at their bases and scattered in the pools of muddy water. Also in these dark pools, bits of window-panes lay shattered. Looking at the house, I saw only gaping holes where windows had once been. Inside, the hurricane waters, which had by now receded, had washed everything a dirty brown, In the living room, chairs lay on their sides, the stereo system was propped up against the sofa, and my favorite lamp lay broken on the floor. Upon seeing all this, I sat down and wept. Now that we have come back, we have to clean and tidy up all the rooms in our house as well as our courtyard and lawn. 21 V. Supporting sentences 1) Relevance(相关性原则) Topic Sentence: The Women’s Movement has had several effects on the English language. a. It has created Ms., a title for women comparable to Mr. for men. b. The movement has changed the ending of several compound words from “–man” to “-person”. c. The movement is responsible for some new terms. d. The movement has had an effect on the third-person singular pronoun. 22 Topic Sentence: Students on this campus recently voiced several complaints. a. They voiced dissatisfaction with the campus lighting. b. They expressed their disgust with the cafeteria food. c. They protested the grading policies of the instructors. 23 e.g. The world has enjoyed many benefits from the invention of the telephone. For example, people can contact with families and friends who live far away through telephones. And the telephone has also contributed greatly to efficient communication in the world of business. Some people complain that they have to pay high phone bills each month. Besides, telephone shortens the distance between oceans and continents as people living in different continents can talk with each other through telephones. 24 e.g. The majority of the spectators are onlookers who want to satisfy their curiosity. of course, curiosity is sometimes necessary and important. Without curiosity, people will not make progress. These people show their interest only in what has happened, not in how to solve the problem. Meanwhile they expect to maintain their roles as spectators and are reluctant to be personally involved in the accident. After all, accidents occur too often recently. This type of spectators do neither harm nor good to any one. 25 2) 层次化原则 In English writing, three broad types of error can be distinguished. // The first type of error is the error which leads to a misunderstanding, or even worse, to a breakdown in communication. The student tends to work out a sentence in his own language and then translate it word-by-word into English. This often produces non-English sentence patterns. / The second type of error is that which leads to ungrammatical English, but does not usually interfere with the meaning. The wrong selection of a verb tense often comes into this category. /The third type of error concerns style and usage. When a student writes “The results of the research were terrific”, he is making this type of mistake because native speakers of English never use the word “terrific” in their own academic writing. Each of the three mistakes can damage one’s composition. A learner of English should always be aware of the three mistakes when he writes in English. 26 3) Sentence Variety(多样性原则) We decided not to go to class. We planned to get the notes. Everyone else had the same plan. Most of us ended up failing the quiz. decided not to go to class, but we We planned to get the notes. Everyone else had the same plan, so most of us ended up failing the quiz. 27 I studied hard for the next exam, and I got Bill to help me, but I still did poorly, but I did much better than on the previous exam. The teacher was obviously displeased with me, but his frowns did not shatter my self-confidence. With some help from Bill, I studied hard for the next exam; and even though I still did poorly, I did much better than on the previous exam. The teacher’s frowns did not shatter my self-confidence. 28 I waked up at 6:30. I thought I was late. I washed quickly. Then I went into the kitchen. I found something to eat. I finished eating in a few minutes. I took my bike and hurried out. I rode very fast along the streets. Soon I was at the school gate. But it was closed. Then I realized that it was Saturday. I waked up at 6:30. Thinking that I would be late for school, I washed quickly, went into the kitchen, and found something to eat. Then I hurried out with my bike. I rode as fast as I could along the streets, and soon got to the school gate, but it was closed. Only then did I realize that it was Saturday. 29 I sit here at the keyboard. I try to think of things to say. The words are not coming very freely. I think that is probably because it is the end of a long day. It may be that I am tired. I can not continue my writing. Free writing may help me break through the writer’s block. I sit here at the keyboard trying to think of things to say, but the words are not coming very freely. Probably, they aren’t coming because it is the end of a long day, and I’m tired. Whatever the reason, I can not continue my writing. Perhaps free writing will help me break through the writer’s block. 30 5. Logic order of sentences in a paragraph 1) Time order(时间顺序) I had a terrible morning today. I slept so late that I did not have time to eat my breakfast. On my way to my political science class, I fell over a stone and tore my raincoat. In the middle of a class, I discovered I had left my physics my locker(抽屉). At the end of the homework in class, the professor would not let me go for lunch on time, because I had not turned in my homework, and he wanted to talk over this problem with me. 31 2) Space order(空间顺序) 32 3) General-specific order(概括---具体) Competition and cooperation are involved in every field of life and work. For example, in football match, all players in the team must work with joint efforts in order to win the match. Such activities require teamwork. If you are a businessman and expect customers to buy your products, you have to compete with others. Competition stimulates people to improve their work and makes the world develop rapidly, while cooperation helps to create a harmonious and peaceful atmosphere and improve work efficiency. 33 4) Specific-general order(具体---概括) In study students’ competition against each other results in bigger progress; cooperation is also indispensable because sometimes it’s impossible to finish a huge task within the given time all by oneself. Take our country for another example, China compete with many countries in developing our science and technology; however, in order to catch up with those developed countries and take a lead in the international market in the long run, China must learn from those developed countries by cooperating with them. Actually in many activities, both competition and cooperation are required. 34 5) Climactic order (渐进顺序) It was graduation day at college, and faces beamed with pride. Teachers vigorously shook hands with their students, delighted that so many had successfully completed the program. Even prouder were relatives of the graduates. They had encouraged wives, husbands, sons, and daughters who, tired and discouraged, had threatened to leave college. But the proudest of all were the graduates. Many had returned to school after years in the world of work. They had toiled at the jobs, gone to school at night, and cared for their families---this day made all the sacrifices worthwhile. 35 36 Part Two English Essays I. Structure of an essay Problems of Writing in English (引言段) Learners of English usually find that writing is the most difficult skill they have to master. Even native speakers of English often find it hard to write well on some subjects. It may, therefore, be helpful to analyze the types of error that the learners of English usually make. Three broad types of error can be distinguished. (主题 句) The first type of error is the error which leads to a misunderstanding, or even worse, to a breakdown in communication. The student tends to work out a sentence in his own language and then translate it word-by-word into English. This often produces non-English sentence patterns. The second type of error is that which leads to ungrammatical English, but does not usually interfere with the meaning. The wrong selection of a verb tense often comes into this category. The third type of error concerns style and usage. When a student writes “The results of the research were terrific”, he is making this type of mistake because native speakers of English never use the word “terrific” in their own academic writing.(支撑句) Each of the three mistakes can damage one’s composition.(结尾句 1------结论型)A learner of English should always be aware of the three mistakes when he writes in English. (结尾句 2------概括型/建议型) 37 (结尾段)As we mentioned above, there are three main kinds of error in learners’ writing in English. If a student of English wants to write well, he must try his best to avoid these mistakes in his essays. 38 II. Introduction (Introductory Paragraph) 1. Function: 1) Introduce the topic 2) Narrow the topic to a certain aspect and introduce the thesis 3) Arouse the readers’ interest 4) Set the tone for the whole essay 39 2. Methods for Introduction 1) A directly stated thesis (general-specific) Online Chatting With the development of computers, the Internet has made its way into our daily life, online chatting as a new communicative way has become more and more popular, especially with youngsters. However, like everything else, online chatting has both advantages and disadvantages. On one hand, people can make friends and air their views freely on line. When they feel frustrated they may talk with a stranger online rather than with their parents or friends. For they think it’s easier to talk with a stranger on- line. They can also chat with people from different areas all over the world. When the chat is over, they feel contented and refreshed. On the other hand, some young people become too addicted to online chatting. They will sit in front of the computer day and night. It is not only a waste of time but also harmful to their health. In my opinion, online chatting does bring a lot benefits to our life, but we should try to reduce the negative effects to the minimum and make online chatting our valuable assistant. 40 The Benefits of Volunteering December 5th is the International Volunteer Day. And China now has 4.5 million registered volunteers who have provided more than 4.5 billion hours of voluntary work. In my opinion, the volunteering is a great work and it has two benefits. Firstly, volunteering is a work which can help people in need. If people have no food to eat, the volunteers will send food at once; if people have no clothes to keep warm in winter, the volunteers will send enough clothes at once and so on. Secondly, volunteering is a work which can help a thcountry, even the world. On May 12, 2008, when a terrible earthquake struck Sichuan province of China, so many volunteers went to Sichuan, sending food, drink and so on to the disastrous area, and trying to save the people who were in great danger. It was volunteering that helped Sichuan people and helped China! In a word, volunteering is a special and great work. It can bring aid, kindness, love, and so many important things to people and to the world. I’d like to be a volunteer and I hope there will be more and more volunteers in the world to bring more love and light to our common family——earth! 41 2) Claim & counter-claim Should Parents Send Their Kids to Art Classes? Nowadays more and more parents send their kids to various art classes after school or at weekends. Some people are strongly against this phenomenon because they worry that attending art classes will deprive children of their joy and freedom in childhood. However, others are firmly in favor of this behavior because they believe art training is useful for a child’ development. I agree with the latter because attending art classes benefits children in many aspects. First, art classes can help to explore children’ art potentials. The earlier the children are exposed to arts, the more likely it is to find out the artistic potential hidden in them. Even if they fail to become great artists, their interests in arts, say, in music, cultivated in childhood will be of great value in their whole life. Second, art classes can enrich a child’s life. Since born, children will have to face a severe competition and bear a lot of pressure. Most children are buried in piles of homework day after day, with no time to enjoy themselves, which makes their life dull and boring. Attending art classes will enable children to relax themselves and enjoy a colorful childhood. Since art classes are important in children’s development, parents can send their children to art classes according to their children’s interest. 42 Will Tourism Bring Harm to the Environment? In recent years, tourism has developed rapidly in China. More and more people choose to spend their holidays by traveling. Some people begin to worry that too much tourism will destroy our living environment and suggest that we should do something to limit it. I don’t think so. I believe that tourism will not bring harm to the environment. Instead, it can contribute to the beautification of our environment. First, tourism promotes the protection of the environment in the scenic spots. Once a place is regarded as a tourist resort, it will receive greater attention from the government. The government will take many measures to beautify the environment there, to build dams, to plant trees and flowers, to preserve water resources, to protect the wildlife, etc, which is beneficial to the ecological balance in the scenic spots. Secondly, tourism will raise people’s awareness of environmental protection. Tourism helps to purify people’s mind. When visiting the beautiful place, seeing the clean environment, admiring the wonderful nature, people will realize how important a clean world is. They will develop the feeling of protecting the environment around them. Since tourism is beneficial to the protection of our environment, it should be developed in an even more rapid way and more people will be encouraged to go traveling in their spare time. I believe that our environment will become more and more beautiful with the development of tourism. 43 3) A brief narration, description, anecdote or personal experience e.g. Last year, I went traveling to Nanjing with my mother. In one of the parks, we saw many dead fish floating on the surface of the lake. My mother told me these fish were killed by the polluted water. How terrible! Nowadays, pollution is becoming more and more serious in our country. e.g. My hometown used to a beautiful small village. The village was covered by many kinds of green trees. Every morning the birds were singing happily in the trees. The small river running around the village was clean and pure with many fish in it. But now, everything has changed. The trees have died. The birds have stopped singing. The river has got dry. And the fish have all died. What happened to them? It was pollution. The village was severely polluted by the newly built factories around it. 44 e.g. When I was 16 years old, I found I was in constant conflict with my mother. I couldn’t bear her whatever she said. I didn’t want to talk to her. Sometimes I even wanted to leave home. Now, as a college student, I have realized it was generation gap between us made me feel so unhappy at that time. Nowadays, generation gap is becoming more and more serious in many families. 45 4) A Question e.g. Have you noticed that the once clear and blue sky has turned to be dark and grey? Have you considered the problem that the birds have stopped singing in the morning? Have you wondered why we can seldom observe the bright moon and shiny stars in the city’s evening sky? This phenomenon is caused by the serious environmental pollution. 46 5) Definition, quotation and statistics My View on Diligence and Success Everybody knows that diligence is the key to success. As a proverb says, “Diligence is the mother of success.” It means that if a person works hard consistently, he is sure to make success sooner or later. All famous people of great achievements are examples of diligence. They all owe their success to hard work. Without constant efforts, no one can expect to succeed in doing anything great. Thomas Edison kept on working hard for a long time before he was able to invent the electric light. Madam Curie worked hard in the poor conditions for many years before she finally discovered radium. Some people may attribute success to good luck. But good luck favors only those who are always well prepared and diligent people who can make use of it. Idleness can only lead to poverty. If you do not devote yourself to your study and work, you can hardly make a living, let alone make some accomplishments. As college students, we must be aware that the only way to success is hard work. We must concentrate our attention on our studies, and make full use of our precious time. It’s certain that our future success will only rest on our constant efforts. As a proverb says, “Only by working hard, can we leap a bumper harvest.” 47 e.g. What is a little learning? A little learning suggests “ scanty knowledge,” “ being ignorant and ill –informed,” or “ half baked knowledge.” An English proverb reads: “A little learning is s dangerous thing.” I think it quite right. But why is it dangerous? The following points will clarify my stand and reasoning. e.g. A proverb reads: “A little learning is a dangerous thing.” It means “People with a little knowledge are often unaware of their ignorance and are consequently misled.” (quoted from Pope’s Essays on Criticism) I agree to both the sayings and will prove the truth by deduction as follows. 48 3. Ineffective introductions a. Avoid beginning your paper with a complaint or an apology b. Avoid beginnings that start too far back. c. Avoid beginning with an introduction that merely repeats the assignment d. avoid starting your essay with a reference to the title. 49 III. Conclusion (Concluding paragraph) 1. Function 1) Give a summary to the essay 2) Tell the meaning (purpose) of the writing 2. Methods for conclusion 1)A restatement of the thesis, a summary or conclusion + 2) Suggestions, encouragements, hope, wish, warning… 50 The Benefits of Volunteering December 5th is the International Volunteer Day. And China now has 4.5 million registered volunteers who have provided more than 4.5 billion hours of voluntary work. In my opinion, the volunteering is a great work and it has two benefits. Firstly, volunteering is a work which can help people in need. If people have no food to eat, the volunteers will send food at once; if people have no clothes to keep warm in winter, the volunteers will send enough clothes at once and so on. Secondly, volunteering is a work which can help a thcountry, even the world. On May 12, 2008, when a terrible earthquake struck Sichuan province of China, so many volunteers went to Sichuan, sending food, drink and so on to the disastrous area, and trying to save the people who were in great danger. It was volunteering that helped Sichuan people and helped China! In a word, volunteering is a special and great work. It can bring aid, kindness, love, and so many important things to people and to the world. I’d like to be a volunteer and I hope there will be more and more volunteers in the world to bring more love and light to our common family——earth! 51 Is Money All Powerful? In modern society, many people are money-oriented. They believe money talks and with money, they can do almost anything, so they make great efforts to run after money. But in my opinion, money is not as powerful in some aspects. I have sufficient reasons to explain my statement that money is not all powerful. With money we can only buy some material things, but not the spiritual ones. For example, we can buy a big house, but we may fail to have a family; we may buy some delicious food and beautiful clothes, but we may not have a good health. We can have many people around us, but we may not have many true friends. Running after money so eagerly may lead to violations of the law and breaks of discipline. In order to earn more money, some government officials become corrupt; some ordinary people commit crime such as stealing, robbing, and even murdering. When in prison, it is too late for them to blame themselves. From the above analysis, we can see that money is not so powerful. Therefore, we should possess correct attitude towards money and try not to be the slave of money. 52 3. Ineffective conclusion 1) Don’t merely repeat your thesis. 2) Avoid some overworked expressions as In conclusion, In summary, I hope, I have shown, or In the final analysis 3) Don’t introduce a new topic. 4) Avoid conclusions that apologize or back out. 53 IV. Body (Developing paragraphs) 1. Examplification Competition and cooperation are involved in every field of life and work. For example, in football match, all players in the team must work with joint efforts in order to win the match. Such activities require teamwork. If you are a businessman and expect customers to buy your products, you have to compete with others. Competition stimulates people to improve their work and makes the world develop rapidly, while cooperation helps to create a harmonious and peaceful atmosphere and improve work efficiency. 54 In study students’ competition against each other results in bigger progress; cooperation is also indispensable because sometimes it’s impossible to finish a huge task within the given time all by oneself. Take our country for another example, China compete with many countries in developing our science and technology; however, in order to catch up with those developed countries and take a lead in the international market in the long run, China must learn from those developed countries by cooperating with them. Actually in many activities, both competition and cooperation are required. 55 Some people will do the strangest things to gain fame. For example, there are those who go in for various kinds of marathons, dancing or kissing or blowing bubble gum(泡泡 糖)for days at a time, to get their names in the paper or in a record book of some kind. Then there are people who sit on flagpoles or who perch (坐在高处或危险处)on the edges of skyscrapers for a week or more, apparently enjoying the attention they receive from the crowd below. There are people who hope to be remembered by someone because they eat the most cream pies or because they collected the most bottle tops. And there are even people who seek public notice by way of setting a record for the number of articles of clothing that they can put on at one time or the number they can take off. Of course, there are a few mentally twisted individuals who seek fame at the expense of other peoples’ property or even lives, but fortunately, the great majority of people satisfy their urge to be remembered in ways that produce little more damage than tired lips or a bad case of indigestion(消化不良) 56 The ability to write well-organized, concise paragraph is essential to a student’s success in almost all university courses. In preparing scientific reports of laboratory experiments, a student must present his or her findings in logical order and clear language in order to receive a favorable evaluation of his work. In writing successful answers to essay questions on history or anthropology examinations, a student must arrange the relevant facts and opinions according to some accepted pattern of paragraph structure. And certainly in writing a book report for English, or a critique for political studies, or a term paper for sociology, a student must pay attention to the style or organization as well as the content. Clearly, skill in expository (解释、说明性的) writing is crucial to successful achievement in most university subjects. 57 2. Cause and effect analysis There are three reasons why John is not going to university. In the first place, his family is quite poor and, since he has four younger brothers and sisters still at school, he feels that he should help his family financially as soon as possible. Secondly, if he went to the university, his mother would be left alone to look after the young children. Finally, he has been offered a good job with excellent chances of promotion. Consequently, although he wants to go to university very much, John is going to take the job instead. 58 According to official statistics, more than 10,000 people in the country were killed in car accidents last year. The increasing rate of car accidents can be attributed to three general causes. Mechanical problems of cars, such as faulty brakes, bald or flat tires, contribute to the high rate of car accidents. Environmental problems, such as blind corners, narrow streets, heavy fog, slippery roads cause a significant number of disasters. Such errors of human problems as excessive speed and drunken driving are considered the major factor of the fatal accidents. If drivers had been careful, many needless slaughters in car accidents could have been avoided. 59 With the widespread of television both in the city and in the countryside, people’s life style is changing greatly. First, television is changing people’s view of recreation. With at least one television set in each house, most people now will enjoy a film at home rather than going to the cinema because they think it more comfortable and cozy to be at home than in a cinema. Second, TV changes people’s idea of consumption. Thanks to the purchase programs on TV, people can shop at home without going to the shop that is crowded and far away. Finally, TV changes people’s idea of study. A lot of people, especially the young who have been working for years, can learn from the teaching programs on TV. In short, the effect of TV on people’s life is tremendous. 60 Why College Students Have Difficulty Finding Jobs A recent survey shows that about 30% college students can't find a suitable job after their graduation from college. And the number seems to be increasing. The cause of this phenomenon lies in three aspects. First, our society can not provide sufficient job vacancies for the graduates because of the economic depression and the reform of labor force division. Second, the academic subjects of the college fall far behind the practical working requirements. Third, college students are too particular about their future job. Many graduates only want to have a job with high salary. They refuse to work in the area of harsh living and working conditions. The above mentioned analyses tell us that the causes are various. But if college students don’t take personal interests into consideration too much and if they change their employment concept, they can still have chance to find a job. 61 3. Comparison and contrast A professor’s mannerisms can either help or hinder communication in the classroom, and they can also show whether or not he is interested in the students or the subject. Consider the classroom behavior of Dr. Axe, my English 100 instructor. Unshaven, wearing a blue beach shirt, seasucker pants(泡泡纱裤子), and a pair of sandals (便鞋)with no socks, Dr. Axe would habitually trudge(蹒跚地走) into the classroom late. After dragging himself to the center of the room and dropping his attache case on the desk, he would call the roll, never smiling, never saying good morning. He would collapse in his chair with a weary sigh and proceed to read an essay out loud to the class. Now and then, as if he were drifting off on a cloud to Venus, he would pause to gaze at the scuff-marked floor. Then he would continue reading, pausing every few minutes to entertain a reverie. In sharp contrast was Dr. Grind, my English 101 instructor, who would enter the classroom briskly, wearing a plaid( 花 格的) sports coat, white dress shirt(礼服衬衫), neatly pressed slacks(宽松裤) and Hush Puppy shoes. Upon reaching his podium(讲台) he would quickly check his seating charts (座次)for absentees and then smiled as he greeted the class. Then he might read in the class, initiate a class discussion, give a pop quiz, discuss writing assignment: the route was so varied that we never know what he would do next. Sometimes he would pace the floor while waiting for an answer to a question; other times he would shake the hand of a student who had given him a correct answer. When looking at a book on the podium, Dr. Grind had a habit of shifting his spectacles up and down as he pondered what he would say next. Always fiddling(坐立不安), twiddling(轻轻 62 转动),moving around, Dr. Grind kept the class awake with his restless behavior. The same can not be said of Dr. Axe. 63 Online Chatting With the development of computers, the Internet has made its way into our daily life, online chatting as a new communicative way has become more and more popular, especially with youngsters. However, like everything else, online chatting has both advantages and disadvantages. On one hand, people can make friends and air their views freely on line. When they feel frustrated they may talk with a stranger online rather than with their parents or friends. For they think it’s easier to talk with a stranger on- line. They can also chat with people from different areas all over the world. When the chat is over, they feel contented and refreshed. On the other hand, some young people become too addicted to online chatting. They will sit in front of the computer day and night. It is not only a waste of time but also harmful to their health. In my opinion, online chatting does bring a lot benefits to our life, but we should try to reduce the negative effects to the minimum and make online chatting our valuable assistant. 64 4. Process Analysis 【例4】 65 5. Classification Hotels are found in every country and city of the world. Generally they can be classified into three large groups based on location. First, airport hotels are located near airports. Their guests include passengers of short stay-overs or canceled flights and travelers who are on business. The second type is downtown hotels, also called commercial hotels. These hotels are near large office complexes and retail stores in the major metropolitan areas. They are attractive to people attending meetings and conventions, and to many tourists as well. Third, there are also resort hotels located near beaches or mountains. Resort hotels accommodate vacationers and recreation-minded people. Though there may be a few other areas where hotels are found, such as along highways, most of them are located near airports, in downtown areas, and in resort areas. 66 67 Part Three Patterns of Text Organization I. General-Specific(一般---具体模式) II. Claim-Counter-claim (主张---反主张模 式) III. Problem-Solution Pattern (问题---解决 模式) 68 I. General-Specific(一般---具体模式) On the Importance of Sports All people agree that sports provide them with exercise and enjoyment and are important for their health. It is really the case. Sports benefit people in many ways. First, sports make our bodies strong, prevent us from getting too fat and keep us healthy. For example, if you keep on swimming for a month, you are sure to become very strong, for swimming requires a lot of strength. Second, sports give us valuable practice in making eyes, brain and muscles work together. For instance, in table tennis, our eyes see the ball coming, judging its speed and direction, and pass this information into the brain. The brain then has to decide what to do, and sends its orders to the muscles of the arms, legs, and so on, so that the ball is met and hit back where it ought to go. All this happens with great speed. For those who work with the brain most of the day, the practice of such skills is especially useful. Third, sports are also helpful for character-training. In many sports and games, perseverance and patience are needed. For instance, in running race, you are becoming exhausted and are really anxious to stop for a rest, but your competitive sense and perseverance urge you to keep running till you reach the destination and possibly win the championship. Such virtues will be of great benefit to you when coming across difficulties in your future 69 work. Besides, sports are also a source of entertainment. We have a lot of fun in sports activities. In conclusion, for students, sports are indispensable(不可或缺的). Taking part in sports can help us gain good health and the power to overcome difficulties, which, in turn, are bound to help improve our academic performance. Online Chatting With the development of computers, the Internet has made its way into our daily life, online chatting as a new communicative way has become more and more popular, especially with youngsters. However, like everything else, online chatting has both advantages and disadvantages. On one hand, people can make friends and air their views freely on line. When they feel frustrated they may talk with a stranger online rather than with their parents or friends. For they think it’s easier to talk with a stranger on- line. They can also chat with people from different areas all over the world. When the chat is over, they feel contented and refreshed. On the other hand, some young people become too addicted to online chatting. They will sit in front of the computer day and night. It is not only a waste of time but also harmful to their health. In my opinion, online chatting does bring a lot benefits to our life, but we should try to reduce the 70 negative effects to the minimum and make online chatting our valuable assistant. 71 Three Types of Parents It is universally true that all parents in the world love their children. However, as parent’s views of life vary, they show their love in different ways. Generally speaking, parents can be classified into three types---the monarch type, the servant type, and the friend type---according to their different ways of showing their love. The monarch-type parents are intolerant, autocratic, and self-centered. They lay down regulations in the family for children to obey. They enjoy making decisions and arrangements for the “ignorant” children, believing that the young ones will never grow up. When their authority is challenged, they become angry. They have little respect for their children’s opinions. Contrary to the monarch-type parents, the servant-type parents revolve around their children all the time. They are soft, good-natured, and easy-going. Such parents never deny their children any wish, and will cheerfully run to buy anything their children ask for. They are happy so long as their children are content. With the sincere belief that love means sacrifice, they are ready to give up everything for their children’s sake. The third-type parents, as the term implies, treat their children as friends. Like good friends, these parents discuss with their children the latest news, share their children’s many interests, and listen attentively to their children’s expression of emotion, whether it is anger, fear or sorrow. They have an intimate relationship with their children. They 72 discuss problems with their children rather than provide ready solutions. They respect their children as their equals. There is no doubt that children welcome the third type parents, for a free, friendly and sympathetic atmosphere at home is best for the development of youngsters both in body and in mind. All parents should re-examine and change some of their ways of showing love if they want their children to grow up happy and healthy. 73 Creating a Green Campus Green campus refers to not only a clean environment, but also a civilized atmosphere. The topic of a green campus has aroused public attention recently because of its decisive role in the growth of college students. A green campus, rather than anything else, contributes greatly to students’ physical and mental development. In a green campus, the environment is clean, with no pollution of any kind. Also, many trees and flowers make the campus an ecological and natural resort. When students breathe the fresh air, see the beautiful scene, they feel warm, safe and comfortable. In addition, clean environment can purify student’s soul and improve their moral standard and ethical level. This is helpful to create a civilized atmosphere, in which students love their campus, respect knowledge, and study together harmoniously like brothers and sisters. All these are important for students’ healthy development both in body and in mind. Therefore, in no place other than campus should we attempt to make a green atmosphere. To create a green campus, we should take effective measures. In the first place, it is essential that rules and regulations be worked out and enforced by the authorities. Furthermore, it is ripe time that we enhanced the awareness of the students themselves. Only in this way a green campus can be achieved in the near future. 74 The Benefits of Volunteering December 5th is the international Volunteer Day. Tens of thousands of people have been registered as volunteers to help those poor or in need. I’m proud because I have also become a volunteer and have tried to offer help to many people around me. As one of the volunteers I think volunteering benefits people in two important ways. First, volunteering helps to create a stable and harmonious social atmosphere, which conforms to the aims of China’ development proposed by our party’s 17th National Congress. In modern society, everyone is sure to meet with difficulties, facing financial crisis, suffering from diseases, etc. If one person is in trouble, and hundreds of people around him give him a hand, he will feel less worried and warm in our society. This is helpful to draw close the relationship between people and to build a friendly, united and harmonious living atmosphere. Such situation is beneficial to everyone one of us. Secondly, volunteering is helpful for a person’s development. A volunteer can get the chance to learn a lot of our society and to know about other people’s troubles. Voluntary work will make a person sympathetic and train his ability to deal with different kinds of people. In the process of helping others, a volunteer feels that his personal value is realized and then develops a feeling of fulfillment. Therefore we can say that volunteering is a great work. 75 It can bring love, warmth, peace to our society and can help a person to improve himself. I hope that more and more people, especially college students join this glorious voluntary work. 2. Claim-Counter-claim (主张---反主张模式) Money and Happiness Some people believe that money is the source of happiness. With money they can buy everything they need in the world. They believe money is power. For example, if one has lots of money, he can go to a good university for further education and have a satisfactory job after graduation, make even more money, and buy a luxurious house or whatever he desires. No doubt he will live happily. However, some people hold that there are things that money can not buy such as health, happiness and friendship. What is worse, money can be the root of all evil. As the common saying goes, “A man may go astray once he makes much money; a woman may become rich once she becomes loose in morals.” A too strong desire for money and improper use of money can lead to disaster. In my opinion, money is very important. We can not buy anything without money. But money is not everything. What money will bring you depends on your belief and goal in life. If you earn your money by hard and honest work and use it to improve your living standards, and also use it for the benefit of others as well, then you may get true happiness. 76 On the other hand, if your lifelong goal is to make money and use your money only for your own needs, you will become selfish and will never really feel happy. 77 Is Money All Powerful? In modern society, many people are money-oriented. They believe money talks and with money, they can do almost anything, so they make great efforts to run after money. But in my opinion, money is not as powerful in some aspects. I have sufficient reasons to explain my statement that money is not all powerful. With money we can only buy some material things, but not the spiritual ones. For example, we can buy a big house, but we may fail to have a family; we may buy some delicious food and beautiful clothes, but we may not have a good health. We can have many people around us, but we may not have many true friends. Running after money so eagerly may lead to violations of the law and breaks of discipline. In order to earn more money, some government officials become corrupt; some ordinary people commit crime such as stealing, robbing, and even murdering. When in prison, it is too late for them to blame themselves. From the above analysis, we can see that money is not so powerful. Therefore, we should possess correct attitude towards money and try not to be the slave of money. 78 State of Mind and Efficiency College students tend to complain either about their teachers’ teaching methods, or about their intelligence quotient if they find, however hard they are, they cannot achieve satisfactory results. Is it really the case that their poor results are solely due to the problems as they think to be? The answer is definitely “No”. As a matter of fact, there are many other factors that have something to do with a student’s performance, among which his state of mind is the most important. When a student is in good mood and his mind is in peace, his brain works most efficiently. On the contrary, if he is in a troubled mood, he cannot concentrate on anything he is doing. He may find his head as numb as a block of wood, unable to think, to deduce, to calculate or even to read. This is typical of the case when a student worries too much about his studies, when he has too many things to do, when he thinks too much about other things. So to get a good result in his studies, a student must learn to keep his mind in peace under any circumstances. Only in this way can he work most efficiently and get a satisfactory result. 79 Should Parents Send Their Kids to Art Classes? Children are the future of the nation, the pearl in their parents’ eyes. Hoping that their kids can become the cream of the crop among others, more and more parents send their kids to various art classes to let them learn more. However, people hold different opinions toward this phenomenon. Some people hold a firm position that it is a beneficial thing for kids to attend art classes. There, kids can not only learn some art skills that may be helpful for them someday, but also get a chance to expand their interests to a great extent and broaden their minds. Besides, by attending art classes, kids can make a lot of friends, thus their communication skills may be improved. However, others hold an opposite opinion. They think parents should not send their kids to art classes blindly against kids’ will, because this will get a definitely negative impact on kids. Kids, in these people’ eyes, should be given more flexible time to relax and do whatever they are interested in. Sending kids to art classes will deprive children of their nature to enjoy freedom. Thus, sending kids to these classes is harmful. Every coin has two sides. As far as I am concerned, I think children’s interests should be taken into careful consideration before being sent to art classes. Children should be given enough freedom to develop by themselves. Whether parents should send their kids to art classes, it depends. 80 Should Parents Send Their Kids to Art Classes? Nowadays more and more parents send their kids to various art classes after school or at weekends. Some people are strongly against this phenomenon because they worry that attending art classes will deprive children of their joy and freedom in childhood. However, others am firmly in favor of this behavior because they believe art training is useful for a child’ development. I agree with the latter because attending art classes benefits children in many aspects. First, art classes can help to explore children’ art potentials. The earlier the children are exposed to arts, the more likely it is to find out the artistic potential hidden in them. Even if they fail to become great artists, their interests in arts, say, in music, cultivated in childhood will be of great value in their whole life. Second, art classes can enrich a child’s life. Since born, children will have to face a severe competition and bear a lot of pressure. Most children are buried in piles of homework day after day, with no time to enjoy themselves, which makes their life dull and boring. Attending art classes will enable children to relax themselves and enjoy a colorful childhood. Since art classes are important in children’s development, parents can send their children to art classes according to their children’s interest. 81 Should parents send their kids to art classes? A child’s world is supposed to be fresh, new and beautiful, full of wonder and excitement. Unfortunately, this is not the case for some kids, whose joys are dimmed and even lost because they are forced to attend various art classes. Many parents think attending art classes promise more chances for their children’s future career, while I don’t think so. Actually, attending art classes has greatly influenced children’ healthy development in many ways It is obvious that sending kids to art classes may deprive children of their pleasure to play after school. Faced with competition and contest for better universities, most children are buried in piles of homework. Forcing them to art classes will leave them less time to enjoy the beauty of the nature or to play with their friends. Besides, forcing kids to various art classes will leave children less freedom to enjoy the things they are really interested in. Not all children are fond of arts, and not all children are art talents. In that case, having to finish the art training will become a heavy burden to them. Buried in art practicing work, children will have no time or mind to do the things they are good at, which is harmful for children’s development. Therefore sending kids to art classes against their wills is not a wise thing. Parents should consider their children’s interest and talents before deciding to enroll their children in any art classes. Remember, interest is the best teacher, and only interest can help a person successful. 82 83 3. Problem-Solution Pattern (问题---解决模 式) My View on Cheating in Exams In modern society of tough competition, examination is an important way to evaluate a student’s performance at school and a person’s potentialities at work. Unfortunately, cheating in exams is becoming more and more serious in many schools, and even universities. Students cheat for several reasons. Most parents, even teachers care more about students’ success than their moral development, which stimulates the students to get high scores dishonestly. Students who don’t study hard at usual time always try to cheat in order to pass exams. Some top students also cheat because they think it is unfair to be left behind in scores. . It is obvious that cheating has very bad effects. Firstly, scores got by cheating can not indicate one’s weakness of knowledge and ability. And so it is difficult for the teacher to be aware of the students’ weakness so as to offer some help. Secondly, cheating in exams, like flu.,may encourage other students to follow suit, for some students can be awarded prizes and permitted to enter good universities by cheating in exams. Thirdly, it is not helpful for fair competition. Some students don’t work hard, but their grades are 84 very high. In my opinion, cheating is an unhealthy tendency, and therefore should be done away with. Regulations should be enforced that students with cheating behavior must be punished severely. As a student, we should be honest and strict with ourselves. We shouldn’t deceive ourselves as well as others. 85 My View on Environmental Pollution It is well known that the world we live in is getting worse and worse because of the increasing environmental destruction. For example, many people are cutting down trees for fuel or sale, but deforestation results in the increase of global temperature and unpleasant change of climate. Besides, human beings are being bothered by water pollution, air pollution and noise pollution. Governments of most countries have taken some measures to stop the environment from being further damaged. Many people are trying hard to find ways to prevent the pollution from going on. Law concerning environmental protection has been put into effect and situations in many regions have improved. However, the problem of environmental protection is far from being solved completely. On the one hand, environmental pollution and destruction are getting worse and worse with the rapid development of science and technology. On the other hand, many people have realized the urgency of solving the problem. In brief, we have a long way to go before we can make the earth a better place to live in. 86 Our Education Should Be Quality-oriented From elementary school to college, students, teacher s and even parents are all striving for high scores, for getting good marks is the only access to good universities and well-paid jobs. This is because the current education system does not aim at improving the students’ quality, but only at developing their ability to perform well on examinations. Consequently, many students, even those with high scores, often do poorly when it comes to the practical application of knowledge and theory they have learned. Many people have realized the importance of quality education, and our government is starting to advocate quality-oriented education. The alternative focuses on students’ ability and quality as a whole. This policy encourages students to think creatively and prepares them for the fierce competition in the st21 century; and it will relieve students of their heavy burden of homework. And exam results will no longer play a key role in evaluating the academic achievements a student make in school. In some schools and universities, students have already started to feel the benefits this new program is bringing about. In sum, the only way to eliminate exam-oriented education system is to apply quality-oriented education system nationwide. I firmly believe in the major power of the quality-oriented education. We 87 will see the more colorful life, the looser environment, yet the more creative minds of future students. 88 Topics for Exercises 1. Is Reciting Necessary for English Learning? 2. Is Immitation Necessary for English Writing? 3. The Importance of Self-confidence 4. The Importance of Interest in English Learning 5. My View on Quality-oriented Education 6. Should College Entrance Examination be Canceled? 7. Childrens’ Schoolbags Are Getting Heavier 8. The Importance of a Harmonious Society 89 English Letters Dr. Jane Smith Foreign Student Advisor Winthrop University Rock Hill, SC 29733 September 28, 2006 Dear Dr. Jane Smith, I am a new student from China and this is my first week at Winthrop University. While I am excited about beginning my academic studies here, and while the one-day orientation was very helpful, I am still feeling lost and need a lot of help. I have experienced difficulties in getting to places, buying textbooks, and finding my classrooms because the campus is so big. I believe that many other new international students must have experienced similar difficulties. I thereby suggest that the orientation program last two or three days instead of one and that a student ambassador program be sent up to help new students, particularly new international students on more individual basis. It is my belief that such an expanded program would help new students to adjust to Winthrop much more quickly. Thank you very much for your attention and I look forward to hearing from you soon. Sincerely yours, Wang Liang 90 English Department Luoyang Teachers College Luoyang June 15, 1999 Principal Taiyuan No.5 Middle School Taiyuan 030012 Dear sir, I have heard from my teacher that you are looking for a few qualified teachers of English. I am writing to try my luck. I am 23 years old and will soon graduate from the English Department of Taiyuan Teachers’ College. I have completed my four years’ courses with credits in all subjects. I am able to speak English fluently and fond of teaching career. Besides, I am good at computer operation. Enclosed you will find a copy of transcript of records of all subjects and that of a testimonial as required. I shall be very grateful if you give me a chance to work in your school. Yours truly, Li Xin 91 92