标题 | 主旨句:英语概要写作的点睛之笔 |
范文 | 吕吉尔 摘? ? 要:英语概要写作的主旨句体现考生对文本的整体理解能力和高度概括能力。主旨句概括全文的主旨大意,同时限定文章的组织结构,是由所给短文的主题词和对该主题的看法构成的一个完整句子。写好概要主旨句的诀窍在于找准文本的话题以及对该话题的看法。 关键词:概要写作;主旨句;逆向思维 在高考英语概要写作中,主旨句体现考生总览篇章的阅读能力,属于比概括要点更高的思维层次。有无主旨句关乎概要写作的得分档次,因为高考阅卷评分标准对主旨句也有赋分。因此,在平时的概要写作教学中,教师有必要指导学生认识主旨句,写好主旨句。 一、定义和作用 所谓主旨句(thesis statement),即概括说明篇章话题和内容要点的句子[1]123。它与概括说明段落大意的主题句(topic sentence)十分相似。两者的差异在于,前者针对全文,后者针对某个段落。 主旨句的作用是限定篇章话题,提供发展线索,规定写作顺序。因此,主旨句要陈述篇章的具体话题,给读者提供篇章的内容要点。主旨句的表述要清楚易懂,能够让读者明白文章的走向[1]123。此外,主旨句还可列出副话题,或列出主话题或副话题的细分部分,从而指示出篇章的组织结构,以便展开讨论和解释[2]59。例如: Native Americans have made many valuable contributions to modern U.S. culture, particularly in the areas of language, art, food, and government. 该主旨句内容明确具体,既给出了主话题(美国土著对现代美国文化的影响),又列出了副话题(语言、艺术、食物和政府)。 主旨句的项目顺序应与这些项目在篇章中的顺序一致[3]51。例如: Although the extreme weather of my hometown is often unbearable, I enjoy the rural setting and friendly people there. 由该主旨句可推知,该篇章其余部分的呈现顺序应如下面所示: 1. Unbearable weather of my hometown 2. Two positive aspects of life there (1) Rural setting (2) Friendly people 二、內容和构成 从上面例句可以看出,主旨句的内容包含两个方面,一个是篇章中讨论的中心人物或中心事物,另一个是作者或他人对篇章中心人物或中心事物的态度、信念或观点。主旨句是指出并解释整篇文章内容的完整句子,通常是一个句子。它的特点是可以进一步叙述、说明或议论[4]。因此,简单陈述某个事实的句子不可用作主旨句。试比较: a1. Mary is a college student. a2. Mary is the best student in our class. b1. I had classes this morning. b2. I will never forget the English class I had this morning. 上述例句中,a1、b1句不宜做主旨句,而a2、b2句则可用作主旨句。 主旨句所包含的内容及其所起作用决定了主旨句的构成。一个完整的主旨句是由两个或三个部分组成,可用下式表示: 篇章主题(名词)+ 断言(动词)+ 展开部分(任选)[3]49 其中,“展开部分”通常是由because, so, to, although, even, though, while引导的语句。例如: Beijings weather is hot and humid in the summer. (篇章主题 + 断言) Current child abuse laws should be modified to mandate stricter punishments, support better communication within the community, and more clearly define childrens rights. (篇章主题 + 断言 + 展开部分) When studying a foreign language, there are several ways to improve your use of the language. (展开部分 + 断言 + 篇章主题) 三、问题和改进 在主旨句的撰写方面,常见的问题有以下一些[2]68,应加以避免。 1.表述过于笼统 例句:A college education is a good investment. 改进:A college education is a good investment for four reasons.(改进后的句子更加具体,便于展开讨论) 2.成了简单告知 例句:I am going to write about sports injuries. 改进:Avoid sports injuries by taking a few simple precautions.(改进后的句子主题更加明确,且含对策提示) 3.仅仅陈述有关话题的显见事实 例句:The Internet is a communication superhighway. 改进:The explosion of the Internet has had more positive consequences than negative ones.(改进后的句子有了明确的观点) 4.仅仅陈述某一争议的两面 例句:There are advantages and disadvantages to using nuclear power. 改进:Although there are some advantages, using nuclear power has many disadvantages and should not be part of our countrys energy plan.(改进后的句子清楚地给出了作者的看法) 四、步骤和诀窍 鉴于高考概要写作题是根据所给短文来写概要,与一般文章写作顺序不同,我们可从逆向思维角度出发来写概要的主旨句,即在提取并表达了短文要点的基础上概括出主旨句。根据主旨句的构成特点,我们可按以下两个步骤来写: (1)找出短文的话题(即篇章主题词); (2)给出对该话题的看法(即做出断言)。 由于高考概要写作只用60个词左右的篇幅答题,主旨句不宜过长,因此可将主旨句中可任选的“展开部分”省略不写,以求简短[5],因为“概要”中的每个句子表达的是短文的要点,本身就是主旨句的“展开部分”。 话题通常用单词或短语表示,而主旨句必须是个句子。在提炼主旨句时,可先找出或确定短文的话题,写出关键词语,然后再根据短文的要点内容及顺序拓展成主旨句。例如: Seasons → Every season has its own special characteristics. Cheating → Our school has decided to take a firm stand on cheating. Saving money → People in China save money for three reasons. Speed reading → Speed reading helps students to improve their reading comprehension in several ways. A tourist delight → Xian is a tourist delight for its many places of historical interests. People who live in this residential quarters → People who live in this residential quarters are alike in religion, occupation and politics. 寫好主旨句的一个实用小技巧是,可先用“The author thinks that ...”来开句,完成一个包含作者见解的句子,然后把“The author thinks that”去掉,剩下的部分就是一个可能的主旨句[6]。例如: The author thinks that a vegetarian diet is one of the best ways to live a healthy life. The author thinks that governments must restrict the use of chemicals in agriculture and food production. 五、鉴别和判断 阅读下列句子,判断哪些是写得好的主旨句,哪些是写得不好的主旨句,哪些仅仅简单陈述事实,不宜用作主旨句。分别用Y、N、F标识之。 ① Chinese is one of the six official languages of the United Nations. ② The sport of cross-country running has allowed me to get in better shape and meet some interesting people. ③ Some people prefer digital cameras, while others like traditional ones. ④ To be a successful student, good study habits are more important than intelligence. ⑤ There are several advantages of owning a car, but there are also many disadvantages. ⑥ Half of the one-child families in China want a second child. ⑦ Using public transport would be one of the best ways to solve the traffic and pollution problems in cities around the world. ⑧ While traveling, staying in a hotel offers more comfort, but sleeping in a tent is less expensive. ⑨ The United States became an independent nation in 1776. ⑩ Health is achieved through a combination of exercise, proper diet, relaxation, and strong social relationships. (参考答案:①F;②Y;③N;④Y;⑤N;⑥F;⑦Y;⑧N;⑨F;⑩Y) 参考文献: [1]DREYER S, 廖柏森.美国老师教你写出好英文[M].北京:机械工业出版社,2010. [2]OSHIMA A, HOGUE A. Writing academic English (fourth edition) [M]. New York: Pearson Education, 2006. [3]黛安娜·M.考夫曼.北大英文写作教程[M].北京:北京大学出版社,2003. [4]李靖民,徐淑华.实用英语写作(修订版)[M].西安:西北工业大学出版社,2003:75. [5]SAYID W M. Students thesis statement in essay writing class[J]. English Education: Jurnal Tadris Bahasa Inggris, 2017, 10 (2): 276. [6]ZEMACH D E, RUMISEK L A. Academic writing from paragraph to essay[M]. London: MacMillan, 2005: 61. |
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