一戰103分心得 (5)：寫作 - 英檢

※寫作準備

使用材料：iBT托福寫作（Jeff Santariasci著/哈佛出版）（推薦！）、機經題目

高中時以為自己英文作文寫得不錯，
但準備托福的過程中，發現台灣教育訓練出來的英文作文能力，
跟托福的要求似乎有很大的偏差，得重新下過功夫才行。
剛好朋友借我這本iBT托福寫作，
原本只是抱著免錢書不看白不看的心理隨意翻翻，但後來覺得真的還不錯。

這本書前半內容主要是在重塑一些文法觀念，
點出了常見於台灣學生的盲點，以美國人的角度提供了一些新的思維，
這部分我沒有細看，只有略讀，但有些觀念還滿實用的。
後半則介紹英文寫作的格式架構，也提供了許多可組合成模版的套句，
我也從中借了一些句型，稍加轉化後用在自己的模版。
總之，這本書份量不大卻深入淺出，很適合準備時間不長的人快速吸收。


〈獨立寫作〉

先從相對棘手的獨立寫作開始談起。
綜合前人經驗，與Jeff的書的意見，我認為獨立寫作大抵有以下重點，
也就是開門見山、具體舉例、邏輯一貫。
析言之，一篇作文約分四到五段，頭尾段大抵上可以使用模版，
除了充實字數，也可以為自己爭取一些思考主要內容的時間。
在中間段落即主要內容的鋪陳，每一段的起始句就要點出段落主旨，
後面的補充敘述和舉例即是順著主旨句開展。
而舉例的部分同口說一二題，應盡量具體以支撐立論，避免流於信口開河。
所謂邏輯一貫，則包含了段落內與段落間的內容，都不應互相矛盾。
至於文法只求正確不求高深，文字也只求堪用不求艱澀。

上開的要求其實並不難，都是可以透過多加練習達成的。
只要結構完整、邏輯通順，沒有重大文法錯誤或重複的錯誤拼字，
份量上再盡量提高字數，（但切忌流於頭尾重中間輕）
相信要拿下水準以上分數並非夢想。
當然，最好還是有人幫忙批改，畢竟一些文法錯誤或邏輯謬誤自己比較難看出。

我練習的方式很單純，先用記事本打，再貼上word檢查拼字，
最後寄給英文很好的朋友幫忙勘誤。
考前十天左右開始每天一篇，（獨立和整合交錯即可，維持手感）
考試時自認維持平常水準，字數約430字，如此獨立寫作便拿到了G。


班門弄斧時間

口說無憑，丟一篇自己練習寫的範文給大家參考，
寫得不好還請莫偷偷恥笑…
題目大意是，有人認為因為搬家會失去老朋友，
所以搬家不是件好事，你贊同這種說法嗎？

The topic of people's views about the advantages and disadvantages of
moving to a new town or country can be approached from several ways. Some
agree that it is often not a good thing for people to move to other places
because that they might lose old friends. On the other hand, others might
hold a different attitude toward this issue. As for me, I have also drawn my
opinion. I personally agree with the latter statement. Here are some of the
reasons why I think so.

解析：第一段主要是模版的內容稍做代換而成的，簡單來說都是些廢話…
但是這些廢話其實還是有點名題旨的作用。

模版主要來自於Jeff的書，但自己做了些潤飾，
我覺得ET$還沒那麼閒到去抓模版，（複查時就不一定了）
所以用模版OK，但還是別全盤照抄比較好。
第一段小結的部分點出自己的立場，但還不用給具體理由，
理由擺在中間說明就好。

*Some people may think that losing old friends is a big lost when one
moves from one area to another, thus it is not good for people to move their
house. However, this kind of thought has defects. *One can always make new
friends without dropping out old ones unless there has been disappointing
things between he or she and his or her old friends. This is a world plenty
of communicating methods and traffic constructions. Although we leave our
friends, we can still keep in touch with them simply by letters, phone calls
and e-mails; we can even use webcams or Skype to see if our friends look good
now. Furthermore, if we miss our old friends very much, we can just buy a
plane ticket, and fly over half of the earth back to our hometown. *For
example, I moved from my hometown, which is a little countryside village, to
the largest city in my country when I was ten years old. I was sad then, but
soon I found it was convenient for me to write letters to my past classmates.
We exchanged things happened in our daily lives in these letters, as if I had
never left them. In fact, we are still very good friends now!

解析：因為分成四段，所以二三段就是主要鋪陳內容的部分，
即針對自己的立場提出兩個論點（各一段）加以說明。
結構上包含主旨句、延伸鋪陳、舉例。（「*」符號部分）
舉例當然可以用掰的，畢竟不是每個人都剛好搬過家，掰得合理一點就好。

現在看起來這段的主旨句下得不夠精確，
應該簡單地寫，搬家不見得就會失去朋友，這樣就好。在此補充。
另外，有人建議舉例後面還是要一句小結，
我自己在寫的時候則常常沒有，一方面來不及，一方面覺得有點累贅，
這部分大家可以自己衡量。

*In addition, it is not the best way to judge whether the movement is good
for us or not merely by the lost of old friends. *Sometimes the main reason
why we move to other cities is to find more opportunities for development. If
we don't leave that old little town just because we love our old friends, we
might not be able to find a better job, earning a higher salary; this kind of
lost can be even bigger. *Take myself for example. If I had not left my
hometown to the city I am living in now, I would have barely had the chance
to attend a good university and find a good job.

解析：因為還在主內容的部分，所以結構與第二段同。
可以看出我第一個論點是搬家後還是可以跟朋友保持聯絡，
第二個論點是向外追求發展比較重要。
兩個論點分別獨立支持著「搬家好」的立場，沒有彼此矛盾的問題。

當然事後深究起來，或許一二論點順序對調，整個邏輯會更通暢，
即「追求發展比較重要，何況搬家了還是可跟朋友聯絡」，
但寫的時候無暇考慮這麼多，其實看起來也還好（吧）。

To sum up, I suggest that moving to other places is not always bad for
us. It is first because we can still keep in touch with our old friends
without losing them. Secondly, we sometimes find more chances outside our
hometown.

解析：結論段重述立場與論點。Jeff的書中也有提供末段的模版，
諸如「我無意主張我的立場完全正確，但我確信我的論點是充分的。」
大家可以考慮是否使用。


大家應該可以看出，我的範本文沒有很艱澀的文法和單字，
就是盡量照著上面的規矩走，
考試時也差不多維持這個水準，成績還算不差。


〈整合寫作〉

整合寫作考的其實比較偏向閱讀和聽力的能力，
一樣使用模版，分四段，即開頭加上三論點的正反意見，
考試時約寫了300字，最後拿了F，中規中矩。
模版俯拾即是，我也是參考前人智慧稍做潤飾而已，
重點還是在於聽力的部分盡量聽全，筆記也盡量做完整，這樣就差不多了。

而不管是獨立或整合寫作的模版，重點都不是在於死記，
而是透過模版了解文章應該具備的架構，
所以不需要背得一字不漏，自己的意見還是最重要的。
當然一些同義字要多加代換，例如lecturer/professor、
article/reading passage、indicate/point out/suggest…
這也是老生常談了，版上有很多朋友的整理，我也就不一一贅述。


班門弄斧時間

一樣貼一篇整合寫作的練習給大家參考，
結構大同小異，就不一一解析了。
我沒有寫結論段，主力放在閱聽內容的鋪陳整合，
且沒有（也不應）加入個人的意見。

Both the article and the lecturer are discussing the topic of addressing the
decline of Torreya. Nevertheless, the speaker discords with the ideas of the
reading passages. She offers some reasons to oppose the article.

First of all, the narrator thinks that reestablishment is not a suitable
method. Although in the reading passage it claims that Northern Florida's
microclimate is good for Torreya to grow, the professor suggest that the
place mentioned in the article is now affected severely by its surrounding
areas. Furthermore, because of the climate change due to global warming, the
spot and its surrounding areas are becoming more dryer than before. As a
result, it is no longer appropriate for Torreya to live.

In addition, the speaker rejects the idea of moving Torreya to another
location. While in the article it declares that Torrea grows well in forests
further north, the lecturer believes that it might be a disaster to other
plants in that area. She provides another kind of tree for example. Although
that kind of tree spreads out successfully after being moved, it on the other
hand kills all other trees and that thus becomes a catastrophe.

Last but not least, the lecturer disagrees with the suggestion of preserving
Torreya in research centers. Though in the passage it mentions that research
centers are good choices, the professor believes that this method will do
harm to Torreya eventually. That is because those Torreyas suitable for
preserving are not large and strong enough to survive disasters in the long
term.


（待續）

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