话说今日江湖,学习外语之风大盛。加之四、六级考试的胜出者可获毕业证书,甚者更可得招聘单位之青睐。于是一时间江湖群雄或努力学习奋发图强,或四处探寻轻松获胜之法。在此项考试中,作文一项尤为重要,多少英雄亦折于此处,究其原因是复习不得法也。前辈高人不忍见悲剧重现,故特编写此秘笈,供欲过级者研习。

　　总纲

　　六级作文一般分为三大类:图表类作文、议论文和应用文。此三类文章有共同之处,欲得高分必先洞悉其要义。

　　一、作文用词

　　比武取胜之道,不外乎招数精妙或内力深厚,两者兼有则为最佳。六级作文之内力深厚即为词汇量大。倘若6000余六级词汇能尽数存于脑中,何愁作文不过?然有此内力者甚少,故应于作文中注意词的难度,能用难的不用易的,尽量保证有15%-30%的四级词汇和一定量的六级词汇(具体数量由个人词汇量而定)。但有一点要切记:对于吃不准的词不要勉强使用,以防弄巧成拙,遇此情况可用其他近义词代之。六级作文词数亦有限制,一般为150词左右,倘遇到无话可说之时可视情况变换一下表达方式,以短句变长句,单句换从句等,既可凑齐字数,又免使文章流于单调。例如:"a lot of people think that"可换成"some people have the idea of that";"firstly"可换成"in the first place","the foremost reason for my propensity is... "等。

　　二、句式结构

　　看历代江湖风云,武功招数极多。易者如罗汉拳、螳螂拳等,易学却难以技压群雄;难者如易筋经、乾坤大挪移等,虽修习不易但一招习成则可名震武林。六级作文亦是如此。芸芸众生皆可修习之术,一眼看去往往平淡无奇,唯有独出心裁、别具一格之术方能得观者青睐。例如:看图作文第一段,众人皆以The picture tells us that...开头,人云亦云,焉能不败?然若以另一表达方式,如As is shown in the picture... 开头,则立显与众不同,使观者耳目一新。

　　招数精妙亦在于变化无穷。习武之道但求一"变"字,绝无一招吃遍天下的道理。六级作文也讲句式变换,在作文中以一种句式写到底是写作大忌,如此作文会给人以乏味单调的印象,内容再好也成鸡肋。若适当注意将长短句、单复句交替使用,则会使文章读起来更加琅琅上口,且富有文采。试观Martin Luther King之演讲词 "I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.",读来荡气回肠,令人唏嘘不已。究其原因,皆以其句式精妙而取胜,留文如此,亦无悔矣。再如: "Many people notice that..."可换成如下多种形式:

　　以上两点为本秘笈总纲,无论考试文题如何均需牢记,是为作文成功之基础。然仅知此节尚不足以称霸武林。凡高手者,需能就题而文,随机应变。文体不同,具体应对方式亦有不同,三种文体,三套应对套路,以下章节为您一一分解。

　　图表作文

　　图表作文,即给出一幅图画或图表,要求根据其内容作文,有时会有文字提示。此类文章要点在于准确理解图表的含义,理解对了,成功一半;理解偏了,则堕入旁门左道,无法修成正果。理解文题之后即可动笔成文,此时切记注意段落安排。六级作文的格式有相对固定的要求,图表作文一般应写成三段式或者五段式。文章应该是清汤素面、干净利落;若是拖泥带水、缠夹不清,则会功亏一篑。看图作文的体例与中文作文的议论文的引论、本论及结论相仿:第一段应该简要地阐述图画或图表的内容。在这里应该注意必须"简要"叙述,切不可絮絮叨叨。之后的第二段应该阐述自己的观点,举例论证。第三段作总结,再点明一下主题,这样就功德圆满了。下面请看图表作文的一套心法口诀。

　　例题:

　　Topic: Changes of People's Diet

　　Requirement:

　　1. State the changes of people's diet in the past five years.

　　2. Give possible reasons for the changes.

　　3. Draw your own conclusions.

　　It can be seen from the table that in the past five years, some changes have taken place in people's diet. The proportion of grain which is the main food of Chinese people has decreased by 4%. On the other hand, the proportion of milk and meat in people's diet has increased three to four percent respectively. Why are there such big changes? In my opinion, three reasons contribute to it.(着重描绘图表中显著的升降部分, 并用数字报告落差)

　　First, meat and milk consumption increased because these products are more available in markets and stores. Second, due to the improved standard of living during this period, people could afford more meat and milk and consumed more. Lastly, grain and fruit and vegetable consumption increased because people were eating more meat and drinking more milk. All of these factors may have contributed to the changes in people's diet. (列出三点原因,层次要清晰,辅以 due to, because 等表原因的句式)

　　In conclusion, we can see from the changes in diet observed that the health of the people should have improved during this time period due to the protein from the meat and the calcium from the milk. Moreover, with an increase in meat and milk consumption, there also comes an increase in fat intake. Thus, more people may have become overweight. In the future, people must be careful to maintain a diet which includes a balanced proportion of every basic food group. (总结图表表现出的主要问题,并简要指出解决方式或提醒人们要注意什么)

　　议论文

　　议论文,又名论说文,乃命题者历年之最爱,亦为出现频率最高之文体。该题通常可分为三类,无非是单一命题、正反论述、观点论述三者。先说前者,欲论证单一命题,其论证透彻之道无外乎理由充分,论据有力而已。理由充分,即抓住要害,点明问题之本质,此即如比武之时攻敌要害,以期一招取胜。论据有力,则必以充分事例来支撑己之论点。此两点好似心法招式,两者兼备方成绝技。而正反论述则另有一套制胜法宝:此类文体在考试中最为常见,盖因其易于控制,评分方便。然其亦有一定难度,并非小菜一碟,切不可轻视。此题通常有一提纲,需将其转为英文,然切不可机械翻译。转换要义如下:认清提纲性质,找出其关键词,选择写作范围,最后确立有力之中心句。照此修习则即可于考试无忧矣。最后一类为观点论述,此多为提纲作文,亦为出题者所好。早有前辈将其特点总结,现列之于此:先提出一现象,分析其优缺点,最后则为本人之态度。照此答题战可立于不败,进可攻取优秀,退亦能保全及格。遇此类题另有一秘诀可用,即善用对比类过渡词,做好此点可使文章流畅圆润,增色不少。议论文另有一套心法口诀如下。

　　例题归类:

　　1. 学习生活方面

　　Don't hesitate to say "no". (1999.1)

　　Reading selectively or extensively? (1999.6)

　　How I finance my college education (2000.1)

　　Is a test of spoken English necessary?(2000.6)

　　2. 就业方面

　　My view on job-hopping (1997.6)

　　How to succeed in a job interview (2001.1)

　　3. 社会热门话题

　　My view on fake commodities (1998.1)

　　Do "Lucky numbers" really bring good luck? (1998.6)

　　Reduce Waste on Campus (2003.12)

　　4. 谚语和格言

　　Haste makes waste. (1997.1)

　　套路1.单一命题式

　　The answer to this statement depends on your own experience and life style. In my view, buying computers is as important as, if not more important than, buying books. So it is sagacious to 　　　　. Among countless factors which influence the choice, these are three conspicuous aspects which are as follows.

　　The main reason for my propensity for　　　　is that　　　　.

　　Another reason can be seen by every person is that　　　　.

　　Futhermore,　　　　.

　　In short,　　　　　　　　. (复述前文中的理由)

　　套路2. 正反论述题

　　Some people argue as if it is a general truth that a 　　　　.But to be frank, I cannot agree with them. There are numerous reasons why I have no confidence in them, and I would explore only a few primary ones here.

　　The main problem with this argument is that it is ignorant of the basic fact that　 　　. (解释本段中心)

　　Another reason why I disagree with the above statement is that I believe that　 　.

　　What is more, some students are interested in　　　　.

　　套路3. 观点论述题 (A or B)

　　Depending on personal experience, personality type and emotional concern, we find that some people believe A. Meanwhile, others prefer B. From my own point of view, it is more advisable to choose A rather than B. My arguments for this are listed as follows.

　　The main reason for my propensity for A is that　　　　.(就理由进行解释)For instance, 　　　　.

　　Another reason which can be understood is that　　　　. (就理由进行解释) For example,　　　　.

　　The argument I support in the first paragraph is also favoured because　　　　.

　　Although I agree that there may be a couple of advantages of B, I feel that the disadvantages are more obvious. Such as　　　　.

　　In a word, 　　　　. So, it is sagacious to support the statement that ________.

　　应用文

　　应用文,即为日常应用之文,乍听似为废话,然细品之则有其道理。应用文在于应用,其体例内容均需为日常应用服务。此类文体被新近列入大纲,类别也是五花八门,如书信、简历、便条、通知等等皆可为题。而观最近历年之考题,书信似为应用文之热点,所考应用文即为书信。应用文要点在于格式,但从六级考试已考过的两次书信来看,均为给出开头和结尾,只需写出正文即可。书信则另有一套固定结构:第一部分为简单介绍,用术语说是开场白;第二部分是书信的正文部分,一般为写信目的或要求;最后则为结束语。以下请参看应用文类通用心法套语,当用心研习,可保百战不殆。

　　一、书信类

　　1. 私人书信:

　　开头:I apologize for not writing to you for so long.

　　I was sorry to hear that...

　　I am very glad to hear that you are all enjoying good health.

　　结尾:Hope to hear from you soon.

　　Best wishes for your health and happiness.

　　You have my best wishes for continued and increasing success.

　　2. 事务书信:

　　开头:I recently attended a meeting held in Beijing...

　　I was surprised to hear that...

　　结尾: I will appreciate whatever help you can give us.

　　Please accept my apologies for troubling you.

　　介绍信:May I introduce to you Mr. ...

　　Your kindness will be greatly appreciated by all concerned.

　　申请信:Please send me the regulations for admission to your college.

　　Please send me a set of past papers of...

　　求职信:I am confident that I am suitable for the kind of job you are advertising.

　　I shall appreciate a response from you at your earliest convenience.

　　邀请信: I hope you won't decline my invitation.

　　It would be a pleasure to come to your party. Unfortunately, ...

　　祝贺信: Wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

　　Please accept this small token gift on the occasion of your birthday.

　　感谢、道歉信:Many thanks for your nice present and valuable advice.

　　I am grateful for your kind wishes for my success.

　　I am sorry that I had to cancel our appointment yesterday.

　　I regret that it is entirely out of my power to grant your request.

　　二、简历类

　　简历是申请入学或工作常用的一种文件。它包括:1)私人信息(姓名、住址、出生情况、身高、体重、婚姻、健康及爱好等);2)学历情况(从高中写起);3)工作经历(正式或兼职工作);4)证明人(能证明你学习、工作情况的人)四个部分。

　　此类问题出现较少,故在此不再赘述。应用文应试诀窍如上所述,因其在考试中出现频率不高,且难度不大,故诸位只要心有准备,小心应对,即可顺利过关。

　　后记

　　作文于六级考试而言意义重大,我等不才斗胆写下此通关秘笈,非为私利,乃是为造福武林,助闯关者一臂之力。观此秘笈需用心研习,当先通晓各文体共同之处,从大处把握,力争内外兼修,基本功与技巧并重。进而融会贯通,使全文浑然一体。至于对各种不同文体,则更要注意区别对待,小心应付,决不可用错心法,一旦用错,则处处受制,不得翻身。切记!若要作文得到高分,仍需作全面复习,紧抓基础。习武之人讲究根基牢,气不浮,作文亦如此。若从单词、句式入手,循序渐进,稳扎稳打,则有朝一日终会修成正果。一时投机取巧固然会有所收获,但终非作文习武正道,华山剑气之别,亦在于此。最后有一言奉与各位:高分秘笈无他,唯用心耳。

　　(文/祝珣；英语通大学英语六级考试版 03～04学年第4期； 版权归英语辅导报社所有，独家网络合作伙伴新浪教育，未经许可，不得以任何形式进行转载。)