從GREIssue考試的官方陳述看issue寫作素材的準備思路

1、從greissue考試的官方陳述看issue寫作素材的準備思路 從gre issue考試的官方陳述看issue寫作素材的準備思路到底用中國素材還是美國素材好?”“到底什么樣的素材會吸引考官的眼球?”“法律類的題目我實在沒有例子怎么辦?”“像牛頓、愛因斯坦的例子到底能不能用?”我個人認為，要回答上述問題，就要先仔細閱讀一下ets對gre寫作的官方陳述：“the analytical writing measure tests your critical thinking and analytical writing skills. it assesses your ability to arti

2、culate and support complex ideas, construct and evaluate arguments, and sustain a focused and coherent discussion. it does not assess specific content knowledge.the tasks in the analytical writing measure relate to a broad range of subjects from the fine arts and humanities to the social and physica

3、l sciences but no task requires knowledge of specific content. in fact, each task has been tested by actual gre? test takers to ensure that it possesses several important characteristics, including the following: gre test takers, regardless of their field of study or special interests, understood th

4、e task and could easily respond to it. the task elicited the kinds of complex thinking and persuasive writing that university faculty consider important for success in graduate school. the responses were varied in content and in the way the writers developed their ideas.”上述的官方陳述中，我們可以看出以下幾點：1)不考察專業(yè)背

5、景。ets明確指出：“it does not assess specific content knowledge.”“no task requires knowledge of specific content.”既然如此，素材是否足夠?qū)I(yè)，對考分是沒有影響的。也就是說，專業(yè)性強的素材不一定能夠為考試加分。而普通素材也不一定讓考試減分。所以，我個人覺得，我們要徹底摒棄issue素材準備過程中對知識背景的過分依賴。2)著重考察辯證性思維(critical thinking)和分析性的寫作能力(analytical writing skills)。ets明確指出，gre寫作考試，其實更關(guān)注于：你的

6、寫作是否體現(xiàn)了辯證性思維，你的寫作是否論證性強、具有說服力。因此，我們其實不應(yīng)該花很多時間在素材上，大量的精力應(yīng)該放在論證是否說服力強這一點上。以ets所給出的官方范文為例，ets在官方網(wǎng)站和官方指南上都給出了題庫第一題的從1分到6分的官方范文。其中那篇6分的官方范文，我們通過剖析不難發(fā)現(xiàn)。全文所用的11個例證沒有一個是學術(shù)性專業(yè)性很強的例子。相反，作者所舉的例子都是很普通的、平時生活中非常常見的例子。以下段落摘自該文的第一段注1：“the statement linking technology negatively with free thinking plays on recent hu

7、man experience over the past century. surely there has been no time in history where the lived lives of people have changed more dramatically. a quick reflection on a typical day reveals how technology has revolutionized the world. most people commute to work in an automobile that runs on an interna

8、l combustion engine. during the workday, chances are high that the employee will interact with a computer that processes information on silicon bridges that are .09 microns wide. upon leaving home, family members will be reached through wireless networks that utilize satellites orbiting the earth. e

9、ach of these common occurrences could have been inconceivable at the turn of the 19th century.”這其實是一個很值得推敲的issue開頭。整個段落中，作者所使用了三個例子(car, computer, mobile phone)，均屬很平常很普通的素材。但是，語句的寫作非常流暢，讓讀者閱讀之后大腦中產(chǎn)生很強的畫面感。由此可見，素材本身不分高低貴賤，用好生活中的很樸實的素材，也能夠成就gre寫作高分。此外，還需要關(guān)注的是，普通例子還有一個極其重要的好處，那就是說服力更強。還是拿這個段落舉例，作者用“a q

10、uick reflection on a typical day reveals how technology has revolutionized the world.”這樣一句話把這三個例子串了起來，體現(xiàn)出這些例子的典型性和普適性。一定程度上，這樣平常、簡單的例子來例證，非但沒有讓*“遜色”，反而讓這種論證變得具有極強的說服力。相反，如果你在此舉的例子很特殊很專業(yè)，反而不具有說服力。為什么呢?我們學習argument考試的時候應(yīng)該都學過一個邏輯錯誤叫“hasty generalization”(以小推大)。事實上，所有的舉例論證，都會有這個問題。argument中我們要指出這個邏輯漏洞，而

11、在issue寫作中，我們就要盡量避免這個邏輯漏洞。如何盡量彌補?就是依靠樸實無華的日常生活中的例子。而盡量避免學術(shù)性強，專業(yè)性強的例子。為什么要提這一點呢?因為長期以來，gre issue一直給學生甚至部分老師一種幻覺，那就是：既然是學術(shù)考試，就必須要把*寫得很學術(shù)。比如，凡是出現(xiàn)法律類的題目，就必須把法律的基本假定、法律的意義這些東西要闡述清楚。這種認識，在很長一段時間內(nèi)，哪怕是在現(xiàn)在，依然普遍存在。不少gre寫作老師甚至某些gre寫作參考書，對學生的這種認識也起到了推波助瀾的作用。普遍地，同學們會選擇“難”、“深”的素材來作為寫作素材，覺得在考試中所運用的素材越專業(yè)越艱深，就越能體現(xiàn)出自己

12、深厚的學術(shù)功底。而實際情況并非如此。在我所接觸的學生習作中，不乏有使用專業(yè)性很強、而寫得并不理想的*。以下為典型的一例：(學生習作)11. peoples behaviour is largely determined by forces not of their own making.the statement indicates that people behave according to external forces instead of their own idea. however, as the great philosopher karl marx said, all the

13、 things are determined by inner world, since internal elements are decisive while external factors merely play a role of catalyst. consider the process of decision making, which peoples behaviour depends on. no matter how powerful external forces are, it is people themselves that decide whether they

14、 yield to the forces or insist on their own belief or follow their hearts when pressure from external forces and ideas in inner world are controversial. accordingly, for this matter, i would like to stand the side marx holds.to start with, we should acknowledge that behaviour is depended on decision

15、. as cognitive behaviour theory proves, peoples behaviour directly results from decision. only after thinking and decision can people set out to do something. based on this assumption, therefore, it is necessary for us to have a look on the process of decision making.peoples behaviour can be classif

16、ied into two groups. one is instinctive behaviour which regareds people as a kind of animal, and the other is social behaviour. however, as people are a kind of social animal with brilliant mind, instinctive behaviour such as seeking for water, food and sacurity, in terms of people, is nevertheless

17、controlled by brains. for instance, soldiers can suffer from thirsty and hunger during wars, students will stop eating when class starts for the sake of respecting teachers, although they may extremely hungry. thus, despite instinctive behaviour may determined by forces on other kinds of animal, peo

18、ple behaves after their decisions.social behaviour, the other group, is more clear to see dependence on decision. large number of theories study decision making and factors influencing decision. communication and psychological theorists developed consistency theory, which offers us a powerful testim

19、ony on peoples own decision when facing conflict choice. all consistency theories begin with the same premise: people are more comfortable with consistency than inconsistency. therefore, people tend to initially seek mental balance facing conflicts. even though external pressure does not obviously f

20、orce one, who is the unique one holds different idea with others, to change idea, but for seeking mentally balance, the individual tends to follow the majority. in this way, decision changes, on ones own making.similarly, in terms of economics theory, game theory provides a method of studying decisi

21、on making, which also strengths peoples own tendency to maximum the benefit and minimum the loss .take laws, a definitely type of forces out of peoples mind, for example. laws forbid people in a variety of aspects. no matter what individuals thinks, laws regulate peoples behaviour. and during ones d

22、ecision making on whether he is going to drive or not after drinking beer, for example, he is bound to weigh benefits and loss. laws doubtless play a role of affecting his decision.上文給讀者的最大印象是“難懂”。而且作為寫作老師，我完全想象得出來，作者寫這篇*的過程也同樣是極其痛苦的。作者非常希望自己能夠?qū)懗鲆黄苌羁痰?，可是對于一個對英語寫作的駕馭能力不是特別高的同學來說，寫這樣的*就會出現(xiàn)被“憋”住的情況。即

23、：想表達但不會表達、或者想表達但不知如何表達的情況。*中，這種例子不計其數(shù)。全文從第一段開始，就引用了社會行為學和社會心理學的理論來進行闡述，但是，所有讀者在讀*的過程中，幾乎要每讀一句話就要停頓一下，想一想作者到底要表達什么。比如，第四段第一句話：social behaviour, the other group, is more clear to see dependence on decision. 這種句子，就是典型的讀者大致能夠知道作者想表達什么，但就是不會表達的情況。更為典型的就是第四段的倒數(shù)第二句：even though external pressure does not ob

24、viously force one, who is the unique one holds different idea with others, to change idea, but for seeking mentally balance, the individual tends to follow the majority. 此句話層次非常不清楚，讓讀者讀后完全不知所云。事實上，這種寫作常常會讓*陷入“死局”作者很痛苦，同時讀者也很痛苦。作者想表達但不會表達，讀者想弄清楚作者的意思但反復讀還是弄不清楚。出現(xiàn)這種情況的主要原因，其實就是文中所使用的寫作素材理論性過強，導致過于抽象。我

25、們知道，無論是哪門語言，表達抽象概念的難度要遠遠大于表達具體事例的難度。這幾乎成為了所有人全都認同的常識。因此，如果沒有能力來駕馭這樣的*，想辦法把*寫得更加“簡單”才是明智之舉。而且，既然ets已經(jīng)明確指出，是否了解專業(yè)背景對于*分數(shù)的高低沒有任何影響，這就說明把*寫得艱深是完全沒有必要的。既然如此，那就索性不要選擇理論性專業(yè)性強的素材。很多同學在骨子里害怕gre issue考試，例子是其中的一個致命問題。而事實上，我們根本不用擔心，因為所有的話題，我們其實都有辦法用日常生活中的例子就完全能夠應(yīng)付。比如，涉及類似法律領(lǐng)域的題目，就沒有生活的例子了嗎?當然不是!交通法規(guī)、食品安全、網(wǎng)絡(luò)安全、保

26、護環(huán)境、盜版、甚至義務(wù)教育法，都是阿!哪一個不可以舉例?!為什么一定要舉辛普森案件、十四修正案呢?藝術(shù)沒有生活的例子了嗎?文學、影視中的好例子比比皆是，為何一定要舉莫扎特、貝多芬呢?如果把這些例子準備好，那是非常棒的。既好寫、又具有說服力，何樂而不為呢?當然，必須要指出的，*的觀點是基于ets官方陳述的解讀和中國學生寫作的實際情況入手進行分析的。并不代表所有同學都一定要沿著這條思路走。專業(yè)性強的例子不是不可以，而是具有劣勢。但這并不表明每一個學生都寫不好專業(yè)性強的例子。所以，同學們要根據(jù)自己的實際情況進行選擇。如果某個領(lǐng)域的專業(yè)性素材你非常熟悉而且寫起來得心應(yīng)手，當然是可以的。gre作文資料：

27、政治66 學習的生理學thought, in a general sense, is commonly conceived as something arising from the stimulation of neurons in the brain. current understanding of neurons and the central nervous system implies that the process of learning corresponds to changes in the relationship between certain neurons in

28、the brain. research is ongoing in this area.it is generally recognized that memory is more easily retained when multiple parts of the brain are stimulated, such as through combinations of hearing, seeing, smelling, motor skills, touch sense, and logical thinking.repeating thoughts and actions is an

29、essential part of learning. thinking about a specific memory will make it easy to recall. this is the reason why reviews are such an integral part of education. on first performing a task, it is difficult as there is no path from axon to dendrite. after several repetitions a pathway begins to form a

30、nd the task becomes easier. when the task becomes so easy that you can perform it at any time, the pathway is fully formed. the speed at which a pathway is formed depends on the individual, but is usually localized resulting in talents.第六大類 政治類2 哲學與政治philosophers have forever been concerned with pol

31、itical and social matters. not only have they asked how politics work but mainly, how they should work. these philosophers have been concerned with the nature and justification of political obligation and authority and the goals of political action. although their doctrines have differentiated, and

32、numerous have been utopian in concept, they have all shared the same ideas and convictions that it is the political philosopher?s duty to distinguish between what is and what ought to be, between existing political institutions and potentially more humane institutions. throughout the centuries, phil

33、osophers have debated over the moral issues involved in the search for the ideal society. three influential philosophers in this field have been plato, john locke and karl marx. their philosophies and utopian states have continually influenced political actions and thoughts throughout the ages.19 掌權(quán)

34、者的文化the idea of unmarked categories originated in feminism. the theory analyzes the culture of the powerful. the powerful comprise those people in society with easy access to resources, those who can exercise power without considering their actions. for the powerful, their culture seems obvious; for

35、 the powerless, on the other hand, it remains out of reach, lite and expensive.the unmarked category can form the identifying mark of the powerful. the unmarked category becomes the standard against which to measure everything else. for most western readers, it is posited that if a protagonist?s rac

36、e is not indicated, it will be assumed by the reader that the protagonist is caucasian; if a sexual identity is not indicated, it will be assumed by the reader that the protagonist is heterosexual; if the gender of a body is not indicated, it will be assumed by the reader that it is male; if a disab

37、ility is not indicated, it will be assumed by the reader that the protagonist is able bodied, just as a set of examples.one can often overlook unmarked categories. whiteness forms an unmarked category not commonly visible to the powerful, as they often fall within this category. the unmarked categor

38、y becomes the norm, with the other categories relegated to deviant status. social groups can apply this view of power to race, gender, and disability without modification: the able body is the neutral body; the man is the normal status.gre作文備考資料之創(chuàng)新10 創(chuàng)新者的八大特點a 2005/6 mit survey of innovation in tech

39、nology found a number of characteristics common to innovators working in that field.1. they are not troubled by the idea of failure.2. they realize that failure can be learned from and that the failed technology can later be reused for other purposes.3. they know innovation requires that one works i

40、n advanced areas where failure is a real possibility.4. innovators are curious about what is happening in a myriad of disciplines, not only their own specialism.5. innovators are open to third-party experiments with their products.6. they recognize that a useful innovation must be robust, flexible a

41、nd adaptable.7. innovators delight in spotting a need that we don?t even know we harbor, and then fulfilling that need with a new innovation, and as such.8. innovators like to make products that are immediately useful to their first users.38 想象力的概念imagination is the ability to form mental images, or the ability to spontaneously generate images within one?s own mind. it helps provide meaning to experience and understanding to knowledge; it is a fundamental facility through which people mak