雅思写作开头的重要性不言而喻,精彩的开头才能抓住考官眼球。为此,很多考生准备了很多看似高端,却晦涩难懂的词汇和句型,来彰显自己的与众不同,但结果却不尽如人意。因此,要想在写作考试的短时间内构思出一个精彩的开头,就需要充分了解雅思写作题目中的提问方式。据此,世诺留学的写作老师丁玲根据作文题目所提问题,把写作题目分为五类:观点类、讨论类、利弊分析类、报告类和混合类。每种类型都有对应的开头方法,考生只有充分了解每个写作题目的分类,才能在最短的时间内想到最吸引眼球的开头。
一、观点类
雅思写作题目中的观点类,我们通常以认可或者不认可来进行作答。并且这类题型中的观点也只有一个。考官在乎的是论证的过程,是考生是否有足够的例子证明自己观点的对错。开头可以遵循第一句陈述背景,第二句对是否同意观点进行选择,一般同意的话可以进行转述题目,不同意的话可以用让步状语从句改写,例如although,even if等。第三句可以陈述自己的观点。我们从下面的例子进行分析一下。
例子:Some people believe that unpaid community service should be a compulsory part of high school programs (for example working for charity, improving the neighborhood or teaching sports to younger children). To what extent do you agree or disagree?
按照上述的方法,我们选择同意的话,就第一句就是背景句“For decades, community work has been viewed as an effective way of cultivating responsible citizens.”第二句则是对观点进行同意,那么可以写成“ It has been suggested that high school students should be involved in unpaid community services as a compulsory part of high school programme.”最后一句就是表述自己的观点“As far as I am concerned, sending students to work in community services is a good idea as it can provide them with a number of valuable skills.(个人观点)”一个好的开头,最重要的就是对背景和题目的改写,切记不要直接照抄题目。
二、讨论类
通常这种的重点就是探讨两方的观点,然后表明自己的观点。这种题目的开头只需要写出讨论话题的背景以及用用自己的话陈述双方的观点。对于个人的观点,无需放在开头。同样,考生若要出彩的开头,还是需要重点把握改写题目上,可以通过一些模板的套用,和语句的同义转化进行改写,侧重点就是双方的观点是什么。
三、优劣势类
通常是题目会给出一个背景或者趋势,让考生进行比较分析优劣之别。往往考生认为此类题目需要陈述背景,其实是不用的,只需要表达考生的分析结果,认为是好处大于坏处,还是坏处大于好处。这时候开头就只需要一句话进行表达,不需要额外赘述。
我们看下面例子:
More employer try to employ equal numbers of men and women for all types of jobs.To what extent do you think the advantages of this trend outweigh the disadvantages.
根据上述方法,我们不需要过多描述背景,只需要选择某一方,然后用一句话代替即可:
Many employers today aim to recruit equal numbers of males and females for all kinds of jobs. I believe the positive effects of this trend outweigh the negative effects.
四、报告类
跟上述的优劣势类接近,都是给一个案例或者报告进行分析,开头段只需要考生对题目进行改写和拓展。对于这类题目,考生需要记住的开头不宜过长,而且也不需要带自己的观点。只需要改写题目即可。
考生了解完写作题目的分类之后,最需要注意的就是对背景句的改写。对题目和背景的改写能力往往是开头考查的重点。这时就需要我们对句型进行扩展。通常,雅思写作题目都是简洁明了的,所以对题目或者背景改写不仅可以增加字数,还能让考官看到你句子扩展的能力。
先来看一个简单的例子:
1.There was a substantial increase.
2.There was a substantial increase in the number of cars.
3.There was a substantial increase in the number of cars using clean energy.
再来看一个稍微长点的例子:
1.Some environmental experts claim that individuals’ efforts are too trivial.
2.Some environmental experts claim that individuals’ efforts are too trivial to play a significant role in tackling environmental pollution.
3.Some environmental experts claim that individuals’ efforts are too trivial to play a significant role in tackling environmental pollution as most of the problems are happening now on a global scale.
从上述三段可以很清楚了解,扩展句型的重要性。
五、Mix类
其标志性特点是,题目中出现若干个问题。与上述四种不同的是,Mix题型的两个问题较为随机,第一个问题可能是原因,类似与report类型;第二个问题可能就会是考生常见的观点类或者讨论类等。解答的方法是,按照所问问题逐一回答,解答这类题型时,一定要注意分段,一般为5段式结构。需要注意的是,一定要在首段回应argue,并且在整个行文中切记要回答完所有提问。值得注意的是,在文章开头段,可以不回答完所有的问题。
我们看下面的例子:
Increasing the price of petrol is the best way to solve traffic and pollution problems. To what extent do you agree or disagree? What other measures do you think are effective?
根据上述方法,我们的满分论文里有这样几种写法:
1.There is no doubt that traffic and pollution from vehicles have become huge problems, both in cities and on motorways. Solving these problems is likely to need more than a simple rise in the price of petrol.
2.I disagree with the idea that increasing petrol prices is the best way to deal with traffic and pollution.
3.Bad traffic and increasing pollution are thorny issues challenging every major city in the globe. To combat such problems, government encourages companies to mark up gas price in an effort to decrease car use and cut down waste gas. However it may temporarily alleviate the problem, but is doubtfully the optimal solution.
最后,对主语进行多种变化的训练也是提升雅思写作开头的必要手段。从上述可以知道主语很多情况都是一大串的观点,如果直接照搬句子,很容易让考官察觉。这时候就需要我们对主语进行多种变化的练习。
从下面例子可以看出:
Why is the old buildings turns down/knocked down based on its historical and artistic value?
如果疑问句做主语的,描述的是老建筑是否被拆掉是依据它的历史和艺术价值。我们可以把主语改为这样:Whether an old building should be torn down/knocked down depends on its value in history and art.只有这样对主语进行多样性训练,才能保证句子结构多样性,让考官认可考生熟练运用各种句式的能力。
如何写好雅思写作开头,考生在写开头之前必须要了解题目的类型,才能对照写最合适的开头,注意背景句的改写,以及个人观点表达的位置。当然,文无定法,考生可以结合上述方法与自己的练习心得,行文做到有理有据,严格按照各项评分标准,一定能在接下来的雅思考试中取得佳绩。
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