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寫作技巧第四篇: 討論性的短文: Task 2

不管是在IELTS雅思的學術組或是一般訓練組測驗,第二部分的寫作都是討論性的短文。你必須針對一個問題陳述你的意見或是觀點,然後有條理地把你的論點以短文的方式呈現。你至少要寫250個字,而且不要花超過40分鐘在這個部分。短文的主題可能是任何一個成人會討論的話題,例如:

  1. 環境
  2. 教育
  3. 犯罪
  4. 貧窮
  5. 醫療保健
  6. 網際網路

讓我們來看看這種題型的範例.

'As English is now the world language and an essential skill in business, English language instruction should begin in kindergarten.'

To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Present your ideas and opinions with examples where necessary.

You should write 250 words

如何應付這種題型

第一步: 分析問題

首先,讓我們來分析問題。把關鍵字好好想過,釐清字詞的意義

世界語言 – 英語是我們的世界語言嗎? 如果是,為什麼會這樣說? 全球各地使用英語的狀況為何? 有其他替代的全球性語言嗎?

必要的 – 所有的人真的都需要會說英語嗎? 有哪些工作是不需要使用英語的? 社會上的重要人士英語都很好嗎?

幼稚園 – 這是開始學英語的最好時機嗎? 這麼早開始學英語的優點和缺點各為何?

第二步: 腦力激盪

現在,決定你是要贊成 (你同意應該從幼稚園開始學英語) 或是反對(你反對) 這個論點,然後把你的想法記下來。通常,正反兩面都探討是有幫助的。而且試著想一些真實的範例來證實你的想法。

閱讀以下的句子 – 哪些是贊成,哪些是反對的想法?

  1. 其他語言比英語更廣泛地被使用。
  2. 英語被視為國際商場上的語言
  3. 許多跨國產業以英語為企業的語言
  4. 其他的語言也被應用在商場上
  5. 在中國的外商主管都被要求學習中文
  6. 英語在高等教育上被使用,甚至在非英語系國家
  7. 在幼稚園階段學習英語可能會幫助學生具備雙語能力
  8. 語言代表著文化,需要被保存
  9. 幼童還沒有完全學會使用自己的母語,而且會感到很疑惑
  10. 幼童對新的語言接受度很高

答案
Answers
贊成 2, 3, 6, 7, 10
反對 1, 4, 5, 8, 9

第三步: 計劃

現在你已有些想法了,你可以開始計劃這文章的架構。想一下每個段落的主題是什麼。像這樣的題目,很基本的段落架構如下。斜體字的部分為對句子有幫助的用語。

1: 引言
解釋這個議題的背景
In recent years; Nowadays; Over the past twenty years…

2: 贊成
Arguments in favour of introducing English tuition in kindergarten (one or two paragraphs)
Some people think; They say; It's true that …

3: 反對
Arguments against doing this (one or two paragraphs)
On the other hand; Other people would argue; One example of this is …

4: 結論
Your own personal opinion based on all the arguments
Overall; Having looked at both sides; In conclusion …

第四步: 開始寫作

以下的短文為此題目的一範例文章,但是並沒有照原來的順序排列。你能把這幾個段落排出正確的順序嗎?
(注意 - 起首用語皆為連接段落的用語)

  • A
  • It's true that English is very important in international business, and many multinational companies use English as their corporate language. It is also very important in terms of educational opportunities, with many universities now teaching courses in English even in non-English speaking countries, not to mention the information and entertainment available from global media such as Hollywood movies and the Internet. Many people feel that teaching children English from a young age gives children the opportunity to become bi-lingual which would provide them with many advantages in the future. Pre-school children are also obviously very receptive to new language.
  • B
  • However, the real issue is whether children of kindergarten age are mentally ready to start learning a foreign language. It stands to reason that a child who has not mastered their mother tongue will be very confused by exposure to a second unrelated form of communication.
  • C
  • Having looked at both sides of this issue, it seems clear that, although English is very important, educators need to think carefully about the child's overall development when deciding when to introduce English into the curriculum. Doing this too early could result in children being proficient in neither language, and there are also issues of cultural identity that need to be considered.
  • D
  • Nowadays, many people regard English as the main world language and it is certainly true that it is a very important tool for communication between people from different countries. Because of this, many kindergartens now offer English language instruction to children as young as 3, but this the really the best age to start learning a foreign language?
  • E
  • On the other hand, some people might argue that it is a mistake for children's education to focus exclusively on English, particularly as there are other languages, such as Chinese and Spanish that are more widely spoken. In an increasingly multi-polar world other languages clearly have a role to play, for example this week it has been reported that all new foreign executives in China will be required to pass a Chinese proficiency exam. Others would also argue that language represents culture, and that by putting too much emphasis on one language we risk diluting other languages and cultures.

答案
1: D
2: A
3: E
4: B
5: C

現在,照著一樣的步驟,試著做以下的題目:

'Crime in cities is out of control. The government needs to build more prison facilities and fill them with criminals'

To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Present your ideas and opinions with examples where necessary.
You should write 250 words

記得:

  1. 分析問題,且在關鍵字上做記號
  2. 針對正反兩面的看法,開始做腦力激盪
  3. 計劃段落的內容
  4. 撰寫,完成短文

你的短文一定要包含以下幾點:

  1. 有理由的見解
  2. 真實的範例來證明你提出的要點
  3. 連接用語來幫助讀者了解文章的脈絡
  4. 段落

網址
記得到以下的網站去查詢更多針對這種短文的撰寫技巧:
http://www.ielts.org/
http://www.writefix.com/argument/essaylist.htm
http://www.uefap.com/writing/writfram.htm
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/1/2/

FAQs 常問問題

問: 我必須要使用英式英語拼音嗎?
答: 不用。就像IELTS雅思測驗的其他部分,英式英語或美式英語都是被接受的,但是建議考生在寫作時,最好能夠前後一致,使用同一種拼法。

問: 針對題目的議題,我一定要正反兩面都討論嗎?
答: 不一定。如果你覺得某一層面的探討非常強而有力,你可以把每個段落都用來解釋為什麼你覺得這個理由很強烈。以上的段落架構只是給你個建議,讓你知道如何開始撰寫這類的短文。

問: 我一定要做結論嗎?
答: 能夠總結一下你提出的要點總是比較好的,且或許你可以在下結論時可以給一點個人的意見。

問: 如果題目的主題跟我學校學的無關怎麼辦? 我需要去學那些可能在考試會出現的主題嗎?
答: 這些主題通常跟整個社會有關,所以每個人應該都多少知道一些,你不需要是專家才能回答這些問題。但是,如果你能讀些有關一般議題的英文報章雜誌,你可以學會更多相關的字彙。