[1010G]【决战2010备考日志】by nanfeng25899---stay hungry stay foolish

solv6868UID: 2244156

不客气 不过修改还是用edit比较合适 revise是指对书籍的修正

nanfeng25899UID: 2629871

June 28
today, my classes occupied so much time that I could not fulfill my schedule as I had expected yesterday. But I have to say I have tried my best to spare any leisure time to work on my GRE---revised 3 issues of the members in our group.  So what I can do is just to fight on until the moment when my GRE test is over.

nanfeng25899UID: 2629871

June 2
today, the activity of the main group resumed. After hearing the declaration of 草木版版，I hold the conviction that I will get satisfactory mark in the end. Of course, without the effort myself, I will get nowhere. Therefore, I will devote all my time to GRE thus realizing my dream~~~

tracywlzUID: 2522388

加油加油~
bless~

nanfeng25899UID: 2629871

June 2   THE STUDYING NOTES 1

【Fundamental Course of Writing】基础写作每日一讲（1）20 Questions for Writers

找个题目来实战分析一下吧
SSUE207：
207"Rituals and ceremonies help define a culture. Without them, societies or groups of people have a diminished sense of who they are."


20个问题：
1．What does X (ritual and ceremonies) mean? (Definition)
(1) Rituals:the established form for a ceremony specifically : the order of words prescribed for a religious ceremony
(2)Ceremonies: a formal act or series of acts prescribed by ritual, protocol, or convention
2. What are the various features of X? (Description)
(1) routine, formal
(2) different countries has different rituals and ceremonies
(3) prescribed by the former
3. What are the component parts of X? (Simple Analysis)
different rituals and ceremonies have distinguished steps
4. How is X made or done? (Process Analysis)
take actions as the forms generated from the ancestors
5. How should X be made or done? (Directional Analysis)
6. What is the essential function of X? (Functional Analysis)
celebration
7. What are the causes of X? (Causal Analysis)
Celebration
8. What are the consequences of X? (Causal Analysis)
  officially becomes one number of a certain group or to be something
9. What are the types of X? (Classification)
   religious ceremony, customs, holidays
10. How is X like or unlike Y? (Comparison)
like mode of thinking
11. What is the present status of X? (Comparison)
   some of them are still existed; others has been out of our sight
12. What is the significance of X? (Interpretation)
   help define a different culture thus preserve cultural identity
13. What are the facts about X? (Reportage)
   the same as 11
14. How did X happen? (Narration)
   get together to make it happen
15. What kind of person is X? (Characterization/Profile)
16. What is my personal response to X? (Reflection)
in my opinion, it can preserve cultural identity but also has its own limits
17. What is my memory of X? (Reminiscence)
moon festival, spring festival
18. What is the value of X? (Evaluation)
celebration and preserve cultural identity
19. What are the essential major points or features of X? (Summary)
help to preserve the cultural identity but has its own limits
20. What case can be made for or against X? (Persuasion)
Expect the rituals and ceremonies, other things like the mode of thinking will also help to define a culture thus preserving our cultural identity

nanfeng25899UID: 2629871

June 2 THE STUDYING NOTES 2
【Fundamental Course of Writing】基础写作每日一讲（2）Writing Anxiety

Coping with Writing Anxiety

Many situations or activities, such as writing, taking tests, competing in sports, or speaking before a large audience, may make us anxious or apprehensive. It's important to remember that a moderate level of anxiety is helpful and productive. That flow of adrenaline（n.肾上腺素） is a natural response that helps get us ready for action. Without it, we might not perform as well.

If we let our anxiety overwhelm us, it can cause problems. If we control that anxiety, however, we can make it work for us.（说的很对；对称的句型也很好~~~） One way to do that is to use some of the coping strategies listed below.

Coping Strategies:

• Focus your energy by rehearsing the task in your head.
• Consciously stop the non-productive comments（没用的思路） running through your head by replacing them with productive ones.
  （没有想象中的那么简单吧。。。）
• If you have some "rituals（仪式）" for writing success, use them. (这个还是比较有帮助的，我个人来说)

Examples:

• -Follow a protocol you may have for organizing your time. Use a favorite pen if you have one.
  （回忆模板，摸摸自己的幸运物）

• -Spend a few minutes doing some relaxation exercises. （做运动）
• -Take a break: physically walk away from the situation for a few minutes if you can. （溜达溜达）

Relaxation Strategies

• Stretch伸展! If you can't stand up, stretch as many muscle groups as possible while staying seated. （不要吓到邻座...）（这个还是很有效的~~~）
• Try tensing and releasing various muscle groups. Starting from your toes, tense up for perhaps five to ten seconds and then let go. Relax and then go on to another muscle group. （这可是个大工程。。。）
• Breathe deeply. Close your eyes; then, fill your chest cavity（GRE:腔） slowly by taking four of five short deep breaths. Hold each breath until it hurts, and then let it out slowly. （这个我常用，就是老把别人弄得紧张了。。。哈哈）
• Use a calming word or mental image to focus on while relaxing. If you choose a word, be careful not to use an imperative. Don't command yourself to "Calm down!" or "Relax!"

nanfeng25899UID: 2629871

June 3 THE STUDYING NOTES

【Fundamental Course of Writing】基础写作每日一讲（3）Writer's Block

Symptoms and Cures for Writer's Block  对于神经性写作便秘的症状介绍及治疗建议

Because writers have various ways of writing, a variety of things can cause a writer to experience anxiety, and sometimes this anxiety leads to writer's block. Often a solution can be found by speaking with your instructor (if you are in school), or a writing tutor. There are some common causes of writer's block, however, and when you are blocked, consider these causes and try the strategies that sound most promising:

Symptom

You have attempted to begin a paper without doing any preliminary work such as brainstorming or outlining...

Possible Cures

• Use invention strategies（解释见后面~~~）suggested by a tutor or teacher
• Write down all the primary ideas you'd like to express and then fill in each with the smaller ideas that make up each primary idea. This can easily be converted into an outline

Symptom

You have chosen or been assigned a topic which bores you....

Possible Cures

• Choose a particular aspect of the topic you are interested in (if the writing situation will allow it...i.e. if the goal of your writing can be adjusted and is not given to you specifically, or if the teacher or project coordinator will allow it) （always under this kind of circumstances）
• Talk to a tutor about how you can personalize a topic to make it more interesting

Symptom

You don't want to spend time writing or don't understand the assignment...

Possible Cures

• Resign yourself to the fact that you have to write
• Find out what is expected of you (consult a teacher, textbook, student, tutor, or project coordinator)
• Look at some of the strategies for writing anxiety listed below

Symptom

You are anxious about writing the paper...

Possible Cures

• Focus your energy by rehearsing the task in your head.
• Consciously stop the non-productive comments running through your head by replacing them with productive ones.
• If you have some "rituals" for writing success (chewing gum, listening to jazz etc.), use them.

Symptom

You are so stressed out you can't seem to put a word on the page...

Possible Cures

• Stretch! If you can't stand up, stretch as many muscle groups as possible while staying seated.
• Try tensing and releasing various muscle groups. Starting from your toes, tense up for perhaps five to ten seconds and then let go. Relax and then go on to another muscle group.
• Breathe deeply. Close your eyes; then, fill your chest cavity slowly by taking four of five short deep breaths. Hold each breath until it hurts, and then let it out slowly.
• Use a calming word or mental image to focus on while relaxing. If you choose a word, be careful not to use an imperative. Don't command yourself to "Calm down!" or "Relax!"

Symptom

You're self-conscious about your writing, you may have trouble getting started. So, if you're preoccupied with the idea that you have to write about a subject and feel you probably won't express yourself well...

Possible Cures

• Talk over the subject with a friend or tutor.
• assure yourself that the first draft doesn't have to be a work of genius, it is something to work with. (This is always what I do…)
• Force yourself to write down something, however poorly worded, that approximates(这个词用的很不错~~~) your thought (you can revise this later) and go on with the next idea.
• Break the task up into steps. Meet the general purpose first, and then flesh out（“使其丰满起来”用得非常形象） the more specific aspects later.
• Try one of the strategies on the next page of this resource.

Other Strategies for Getting Over Writer's Block If you have tried the other strategies and are still having problems, try some of these general techniques for getting over writer's block. These strategies will prove more helpful when you're drafting your writing.
Begin in the Middle Start writing at whatever point you like. If you want to begin in the middle, fine. Leave the introduction or first section until later. The reader will never know that you wrote the paper "backwards." Besides, some writers routinely save the introduction until later when they have a clearer idea of what the main idea and purpose of the piece will be.（这样写总会有点会跑题的感觉。。。）
Talk Out the Paper Talking feels less artificial than writing to some people. Talk about what you want to write someone—your teacher, a friend, a roommate, or a tutor. Just pick someone who's willing to give you fifteen to thirty minutes to talk about the topic and whose main aim is to help you start writing. Have the person take notes while you talk or tape your conversation. Talking will be helpful because you'll probably be more natural and spontaneous in speech than in writing. Your listener can ask questions and guide you as you speak, and you'll be more likely to relax and say something unpredictable than if that you were sitting and forcing yourself to write.(方法很好，the feasibility is low)
Tape the Paper Talk into a tape recorder, imagining your audience sitting in front of you. Then, transcribe the tape-recorded material. You'll at least have some ideas written down to work with and move around. (Brilliant idea!)
Change the Audience Pretend that you're writing to a child, to a close friend, to a parent, to a person who sharply disagrees with you, or to someone who's new to the subject and needs to have you explain your paper's topic slowly and clearly. Changing the audience can clarify your purpose and can also make you feel more comfortable and help you write more easily.
Play a Role Pretend you are someone else writing the paper. For instance, if you have been asked to write about sexist advertising, assume you are the president of the National Organization of Women. Or, pretend you are the president of a major oil company asked to defend the high price of oil. Consider being someone in another time period, or someone with a wildly different perspective from your own. Pulling yourself out of your usual perspective can help you see things that are otherwise invisible or difficult to articulate, and your writing will be stronger for it.

Invention Strategies
Freewriting： Write without stopping for five or ten minutes. It's usually helpful to have the topic heading or a focusing phrase or sentence in front of you, just to keep on track. But what's most important is NOT to edit. Mistakes are ignored, false starts are ignored--just keep on truckin'.
Blindwriting： A variation of freewriting. Go to a computer, turn off the monitor, and type away. Keeping the topic in front of you with a post-it note works well.
Listing： Have the student "talk aloud" about the assignment and list ideas, phrases, etc. down as he/she says them. The tutor can do the listing, too, but it's probably less directive to have the student do it. Then, using the right-hand column of the page, associate items on the list with each other. Gradually a structure for a paper will emerge.
Mapping：This is a graphical, nonlinear version of listing. As you talk to a student about an assignment, write down key words on a piece of paper. Start with the general topic, the broadest key word for the topic. From there add other key words, linking them to each other or to the general topic as seems most appropriate. Just discussing with the student how to draw the map gets him/her to think about relationships between ideas, relative weight of ideas, and relevancy of ideas.
HDWDWW：This stands for How Does Who Do What and Why? Basically, this is a variation on asking the traditional 6 journalistic questions (where, when, why, who, what and how). You could start with the general topic at the top of the page, then draw a column for Who, a column for DOES WHAT, and a column for WHY. Under each column list ideas related to those sub-areas.
Double-Entry Listing： Essentially, this is just a double-column format that helps writers think about oppositions. In the left hand column you may put major points; in the right-hand column, you'd put down either related points or opposing points. This technique is very good for comparison/contrast papers and for "rebut an argument" papers.
Matrices (or plain old tables)： This might work fine with someone from the sciences or social sciences, because they'd be used to it. Columns might represents sub-parts to a topic or different examples. (e.g., the topic is "Grunge Rock" and the columns represent groups like Pearl Jam, Nirvana, etc.); rows represent other sub-topics. In the cells of the matrix put more ideas, phrases, words, sentences, etc.

DriverEntryUID: 143979

过来看看，LZ加油

nanfeng25899UID: 2629871

68# DriverEntry
谢谢啦~~~

nanfeng25899UID: 2629871

【Fundamental Course of Writing】基础写作每日一讲（4）start to write

Planning (Invention): when you start to write

You can try the textbook formula:
I. State your thesis.
II. Write an outline.
III. Write the first draft.
IV. Revise and polish.
（most people use this method when writing）

. . . but that often doesn't work!

Instead, you can try one or more of these strategies:

Ask yourself what your purpose is for writing about the subject.

There are many "correct" things to write about for any subject, but you need to narrow down(用的很好) your choices. For example, your topic might be "dorm food." At this point, you and your potential reader are asking the same question, "So what?" Why should you write about this, and why should anyone read it?

Do you want the reader to pity（这里是动词，同情的意思）you because of the intolerable food you have to eat there?

Do you want to analyze large-scale institutional cooking?

Do you want to compare Purdue's dorm food to that served at Indiana University?

Ask yourself how you are going to achieve this purpose.

How, for example, would you achieve your purpose if you wanted to describe some movie as the best you've ever seen? Would you define for yourself a specific means of doing so? Would your comments on the movie go beyond merely telling the reader that you really liked it?

Start the ideas flowing

Brainstorm. Gather as many good and bad ideas, suggestions, examples, sentences, false starts, etc. as you can. Perhaps some friends can join in. Jot down everything that comes to mind, including material you are sure you will throw out. Be ready to keep adding to the list at odd moments as ideas continue to come to mind. (That is what our brainstorming is aimed at)

Talk to your audience, or pretend that you are being interviewed by someone -- or by several people, if possible (to give yourself the opportunity of considering a subject from several different points of view). What questions would the other person ask? You might also try to teach the subject to a group or class.

See if you can find a fresh analogy that opens up a new set of ideas. Build your analogy by using the word like. For example, if you are writing about violence on television, is that violence like clowns fighting in a carnival act (that is, we know that no one is really getting hurt)?

Take a rest and let it all percolate.(one of effective way sometimes)

Nutshell your whole idea.

Tell it to someone in three or four sentences.

Diagram your major points somehow (worth trying)

Make a tree, outline, or whatever helps you to see a schematic representation of what you have. You may discover the need for more material in some places.

Write a first draft.

Then, if possible, put it away. Later, read it aloud or to yourself as if you were someone else. Watch especially for the need to clarify or add more information.

You may find yourself jumping back and forth among these various strategies.

You may find that one works better than another. You may find yourself trying several strategies at once. If so, then you are probably doing something right!

nanfeng25899UID: 2629871

【Fundamental Course of Writing】基础写作每日一讲（5）Writing With Computers

Writing With Computers

Using word processing software on a computer is an efficient way to write. You can delete, revise, and cut and paste with great ease and speed, without having to retype, and you will find your drafts easier to read as you revise. Even if you cannot type well (and many successful computer users can't) indeed, a computer can be both a convenience and an aid throughout the writing process. But remember to save your files often and make a backup copy of the file, even when you've carefully saved it. Disks can fail and not open, and files can be deleted or lost.

Word processing software can aid your efforts in all aspects of the writing process:

Planning

freewriting

If freewriting or brainstorming is a useful invention strategy for you, do either invention strategy on a computer using word processing software. You can then cut and paste parts of those planning notes into a draft as needed. Some writers find that they can freewrite more easily by turning down the computer screen, so they cannot see what they type.(really?) You may also want to create separate files for different topics discovered while freewriting.

writing an e-mail message

As you think about your assignment or topic, try writing an e-mail message to a friend, to someone in your class, or to a Writing Lab tutor . Use that e-mail message to test ideas as you would in a conversation with peer group members or a tutor. Encourage the person who receives the e-mail to ask you questions that help you clarify your ideas.

making an outline

Set up headings for an outline in large bold letters. Later, as you go back and fill in the subheadings and sub points, you will be able to see the larger structure of the paper. Some word processing programs either outline for you or permit you to indicate the outline headings in a way that allows you to go back and forth between a screen showing only the headings and screens showing the detailed material within sections.(woo~amazing)

planning visually

Use a drawing or painting program to do some visual planning. To do some clustering, put a topic word or phrase in a circle in the middle of the page and then surround that circle with clusters of related ideas (also in circles). Use lines to connect these ideas to the main idea or to other sub-ideas. To try branching, another visual planning strategy, put the main idea at the top of the page and then list sub-ideas underneath the main idea with related points for each sub-idea branching off.
(Logic tree)

keeping a journal

If keeping a journal helps you, start a journal file for each assignment and include thoughts and questions that occur to you as you proceed through the writing. Include a plan for how you will proceed through the assignment, and if there are stages or steps to complete, write a "to do" list. Include phrases and ideas that occur to you and that may fit into the paper later with some cutting and pasting from one file to another. You may want to insert page breaks for different sections or thoughts.

Drafting

creating a scrap file

As you start an assignment, make two separate files, one for the assignment itself and the other for scraps of writing that you will be collecting. As you write (or plan) use the scrap file to cut and paste anything that doesn't seem to fit in as you write. This scrap file can be a very useful storage space for material that should be deleted from the paper you are writing now but that may be useful for other writing assignments. You may also want a separate file for keywords, words that come to mind and that can be used when needed or phrases that may come in handy as section headings in your paper.(very useful when you need to choose the material that corresponds with topics if you have one scrap file)

Splitting screens

If you are using a Macintosh or Windows, you can have multiple files visible on your screen at the same time. Consider this strategy if it helps you to look at one bit of information while trying to create another. One box on the screen can display your outline or visual planning while another can display your draft. Or, you can keep your scrap file visible while writing a draft. Remember that you can cut, copy, and paste between files.

adding notes

As you gather material from your reading (or want to save comments to yourself about something you've written), develop a method to store this kind of material that you may or may not use. For example, put parentheses around material that might not stay in a later draft, or use bold lettering, or make use of a word processing feature that permits you to store material as notes. Be sure to delete this material when you are sure you no longer want it.

Organizing

mixing up the order of paragraphs or sentences

Make a new copy of your file. Then, in the new file, use the cut-and-paste feature to move paragraphs. You may see a better organizing principle than the principle you had been using. Do the same with sentences within paragraphs.

checking your outline

Look again at the bold-lettered headings of the outline you made during planning (or create one now), and reassess whether that outline is adequate or well organized.

staying on topic in every paragraph

Put your topic sentence at the top of each paragraph to keep the sentence in mind and not lose track of your topic.(very important)

Revising

starting at the beginning of the file

Each time you open a file, you are at the beginning of the draft. Start there when you are drafting and revising and read until you come to a section where you will be working. That rereading has several advantages for you. It helps you get back into the flow of thought, and it permits you to review what you've written so that you can revise as you read forward. But be careful not to get caught up in endless revising of the beginning of the paper, especially if like some writers, you find that you need to write the whole paper before you can write the introduction.

renaming a file

Each time you open your file, save it as a different file so that you always know which is the most recent version you've worked on. If your first draft is Draft I, the next time you open that file, save it as Draft II. (Good ideas)

saving copies of material to cut and paste

When you are moving large blocks of text, highlight what you are going to move and make a copy for your clipboard before moving. if you lose the portion you are moving, you still have a copy available.

printing out hard copies to read

It may help you to look at a printed copy of your paper as you revise, so you can see the paper's development and organization.

resisting the neat appearance of a printout

If you print out a draft of your paper, resist the temptation to hand in that draft because it looks neat and seems to have a finished appearance.

using page or print view to check paragraphs

Switch to the page or print view so that you can see the whole view of each page on screen. Do the paragraphs look to be about the same length? Does one look noticeably shorter than the others? Does it need more development? Is there a paragraph that seems to be disproportionately long? (when revising everyone should importance to this point)

highlighting sentence length

Make a copy of your main file and, using that copy, hit the return key after each sentence so that each looks like a separate paragraph. Are all of your sentences the same length? Do they all start the same way and need some variety?

Editing and Proofreading

using online tools

A number of online tools exist, such as spell checkers, grammar checkers and style analyzers, but grammar and style checkers are not effective. Distinguishing between appropriate advice and inappropriate advice is difficult and a style checker relies on rules you may not be familiar with. Some word processing programs include a thesaurus which is useful for looking up synonyms for words you've been using too much or for finding more specific words than the ones you have used.

changing the appearance of key features of your writing

Change active verbs to bold letters, put passive constructions in italics, use larger fonts for descriptive words, underline your thesis statement, and so on. By changing the appearance of these features, you may see that you have too many passives or that you don't have many descriptive words.

editing on hard copy

It may be easier for you to print out a draft and mark it for editing changes. If you do, put marks in the margins to indicate lines where changes are to be made, so you can easily find them again.

nanfeng25899UID: 2629871

【Fundamental Course of Writing】基础写作每日一讲（6）thesis statement（上）

文章的主题－Thesis：

一、什么是主题句？
注意全文所说的主题就是开头段中的全文主题句，不是各个分论点段的段TS.
要区分Thesis statement和Topic sentence！前面简称T,后面简称TS.
What is a thesis?
A thesis statement declares what you believe and what you intend to prove. （主题句说明你的观点和要论证的论点）A good thesis statement makes the difference between a thoughtful research project and a simple retelling of facts.（事实和论据不是主题句！）
A thesis statement is a sentence (or sentences) that expresses the main ideas of your paper and answers the question or questions posed by your paper. It offers your readers a quick and easy to follow summary of what the paper will be discussing and what you as a writer are setting out to tell them. The kind of thesis that your paper will have will depend on the purpose of your writing.
A good tentative thesis will help you focus your search for information. But don't rush! You must do a lot of background reading before you know enough about a subject to identify key or essential questions. You may not know how you stand on an issue until you have examined the evidence. You will likely begin your research with a working, preliminary or tentative thesis which you will continue to refine until you are certain of where the evidence leads.
The thesis statement is typically located at the end of your opening paragraph. (The opening paragraph serves to set the context for the thesis.) 注意，这里明确的指出了，主题句（thesis statement）必须出现在开头段（opening paragraph）的最后！
主题句一般出现在开头的最后一两句．这个规定我搜索了不下２０个网站，都是这样要求的，可见，这个规定大家最后遵守，我想，阅卷人一定会在你的Introduction里边的最后一两句找你的Thesis，你就是要确保他在这里找到！
Remember, your reader will be looking for your thesis. Make it clear, strong, and easy to find.使主题句清晰！
对于AW，主题句属于：
Argumentative Thesis Statements
In an argumentative paper, you are making a claim about a topic and justifying this claim with reasons and evidence. This claim could be an opinion, a policy proposal, an evaluation, a cause-and-effect statement, or an interpretation. However, this claim must be a statement that people could possibly disagree with, because the goal of your paper is to convince your audience that your claim is true based on your presentation of your reasons and evidence. An argumentative thesis statement will tell your audience:
·
your claim or assertion
·
the reasons/evidence that support this claim
·
the order in which you will be presenting your reasons and evidence （陈列原因的时候看来要注意了…）
Example: Barn owls' nests should not be eliminated from barns because barn owls help farmers by eliminating insect and rodent pests.
A reader who encountered this thesis would expect to be presented with an argument and evidence that farmers should not get rid of barn owls when they find them nesting in their barns.
Questions to ask yourself when writing an argumentative thesis statement:
·
What is my claim or assertion?
·
What are the reasons I have to support my claim or assertion?
·
In what order should I present my reasons?

二、什么是好的主题句的属性？
Attributes of a good thesis:

·
It should be contestable, proposing an arguable point with which people could reasonably disagree. A strong thesis is provocative; it takes a stand (表示一种观点) and justifies the discussion you will present.
·
It tackles a subject that could be adequately covered in the format of the project assigned.
·
It is specific and focused. A strong thesis proves a point without discussing “everything about …” Instead of music, think "American jazz in the 1930s" and your argument about it. （注意，主题不要假，大，空，要具体针对问题！）
·
It clearly asserts your own conclusion based on evidence. （我记得是谁又曾经说过assert是个贬义？？所以说，有了根据，再发表意见！）Note: Be flexible. The evidence may lead you to a conclusion you didn't think you'd reach. It is perfectly okay to change your thesis!
·
It provides the reader with a map to guide him/her through your work.
·
It anticipates and refutes the counter-arguments
·
It avoids vague language (like "it seems").
·
It avoids the first person. ("I believe," "In my opinion") （强烈注意，不要使用第一人称！！！！）
·
It should pass the So what? or Who cares? test (Would your most honest friend ask why he should care or respond with "but everyone knows that"?) For instance, "people should avoid driving under the influence of alcohol," would be unlikely to evoke any opposition. （不要说那些大家都知道的废话，要有可质疑性，可辩论性．）
·
附：什么是the So what? or Who cares? test：
The "So What?" Test
Whenever you plan on writing a research paper, there is an extremely important point that you must constantly keep in the forefront of your mind--even English teachers frequently mention it as something students fail to do time and time again. What is it? To be sure to choose a topic worth arguing about or exploring. This means to construct a thesis statement or research question about a problem that is still debated, controversial, up in the air.
So arguing that drinking and driving is dangerous-- while you could find a ton of evidence to support your view --would be pretty worthless nowadays. Who would want to read something they already knew? You wouldn't be persuading them of anything and all your work would be pretty meaningless.
What this means is that during the topic-formulating stage and again now, always keep asking "SO WHAT?", "WHO CARES?" or to paraphrase the famous Canadian journalist Barbara Frum: "Tell me something new about something I care about."That will automatically make your paper significant and interesting both for you to write and the reader to study.
总结一下：
主题句的dos and don’ts
Dos:
表明立场，具体，并且中心明确，表明自己的观点和结论，出现在开头段的末尾，同时提示读者作者的行文思路．
Don’ts:
不要说废话，说空话，说大话，不要出现第一人称，不要含糊不清．

公式：

Specific topic + Attitude/Angle/Argument = Thesis

What you plan to argue + How you plan to argue it = Thesis

三、如何检验自己写好的主题句是否合格？

Try these five tests:

·
Does the thesis  inspire a reasonable reader to ask, "How?" or Why?" 吸引读者思考
·
Would a reasonable reader NOT respond with "Duh!" or "So what?" or "Gee, no kidding!" or "Who cares?" 避免出现so what问题
·
Does the thesis  avoid general phrasing and/or sweeping words such as "all" or "none" or "every"? 避免绝对的论调
·
Does the thesis lead the reader toward the topic sentences (the subtopics needed to prove the thesis)? 主题句是否引导了下文的分论点或者段主题？
·
Can the thesis be adequately developed in the required length of the paper or project? 主题句是否可以适合被展开论述？
If you cannot answer "YES" to these questions, what changes must you make in order for your thesis to pass these tests?

下面是一些好的主题句的例子：
E-coli contamination should not happen.

The causes of the Civil War were economic, social, and political.

The Simpsons represents the greatest animated show in the history of television.

The Simpsons treats the issues of ethnicity, family dynamics, and social issues effectively.

Often dismissed because it is animated, The Simpsons treats the issue of ethnicity more powerfully than didthe critically praised All In The Family.

Although many parents of teens struggling with body image may blame television models and other such stars, these body issues and their disorders stem back to their daughters' younger days of pigtails and Barbies.

Despite their high-tech special effects, today's graphically violent horror movies do not convey the creative use of cinematography or the emotional impact that we saw in the classic horror films of the 1940s and 50s.

nanfeng25899UID: 2629871

【Fundamental Course of Writing】基础写作每日一讲（6）thesis statement（下)

四、如何写出好的主题句？（思维的步骤）
１．Rank with justification　考虑重要性
·
Most important to least important
·
Least important to most important
2.Contrasts (of perspectives of sources) 对比，考虑流行和反对观点
·
Although newspapers at the time claimed ……, the most significant cause/explanation/reason, etc. is ……
·
While Sb. and Sb. maintains that  ................, more accurately/importantly, etc, # 2's position is the stronger one. (Substitute "most historians" for  So and So and the appropriate person or view or source for #2.)
3.Perception versus reality; 感觉与现实
l
Although Turner himself may have believed X, the real causes were Y and Z.
4.Good versus bad reasons:
l
Historians generally list six reasons as the cause for X, but among these are four that are valid and two that are not.
５． Cause and Effect: 因果关系
·
Certainly, X was the cause and Y was its effect, but between the two are two other factors of equal importance.
·
Separately the causes would have not necessarily led to a rampage; however, together their effect was inevitably murderous.  
·
Although the effects of the rampage were . . ., the causes were understandable/justifiable/inevitable.
·
The more important effects of Nat Turner's rebellion went beyond those of  the local rampage.
６．Challenge:质疑，否定
Nat Turner's rebellion not a righteous response to the injustice of slavery; it was motivated purely by disturbing psychological issues.   

７．提出系列问题：
·
What should the audience/reader do/feel/believe?

·
Who are the major players on both/each side and how did they contribute to?

·
Which are the most important?
·
What was the impact of?

·
Can I compare? How is X like or unlike Y?

·
What if?  Can I predict?

·
How could we solve/improve/design/deal with?
·
Is there a better solution to?
·
How can you defend?
·
What changes would you recommend to?

·
Was it effective, justified, defensible, warranted?
·
Why did this happen?
Why did it succeed?
Why did it fail?
·
What should be? What are/would be the possible outcomes of?

·
What are the problems related to?
·
What were the motives behind?

·
Why are the opponents protesting?

·
What is my personal response to?
·
What case can I make for?

·
What is the significance of?
·
Where will the next move(s) occur?

·
How is this debate likely to affect?
·
What is the value or, what is/are the potential benefit(s) of?
·
What are three/four/five reasons for us to believe?

五、对于主题的头脑风暴：
Thesis Brainstorming
注意下面的三点：
As you read look for:

• Interesting contrasts or comparisons or patterns emerging in the information
  
• Is there something about the topic that surprises you?
  
• Do you encounter ideas that make you wonder why?
  
• Does something an "expert" says make you respond, "no way! That can be right!" or "Yes, absolutely. I agree!"
  

Example of brainstorming a thesis:
Select a topic: television violence and children
Ask an interesting question: What are the effects of television violence on children?
Revise the question into a thesis: Violence on television increases aggressive behavior in preschool children.
Remember this argument is your “preliminary” or “working” thesis. As you read you may discover evidence that may affect your stance. It is okay to revise your thesis!（可以修改自己原来设定的主题，就是说通过对题目的理解和论据的权衡，修改主题以利于论证）

论据：As you write and revise your paper, it's okay to change your thesis statement -- sometimes you don't discover what you really want to say about a topic until you've started (or finished) writing! Just make sure that your "final" thesis statement accurately shows what will happen in your paper.

Create a list of sample questions to guide your research:

• How many hours of television does the average young child watch per week?
  
• How do we identify a "violent" program?
  
• Which types of programs are most violent?
  
• Are there scientific research studies that have observed children before and after watching violent programs?
  
• Are there experts you might contact?
  
• Which major groups are involved in investigating this question?
  

六、主题示例：注意下面的例子中前一个不是Thesis而后一个是！

How to Tell a Strong Thesis Sentence from a Weak One.1. A strong thesis takes some sort of stand.明确表明立场！Remember that your thesis needs to show your conclusions about a subject. For example, if you are writing a paper for a class on fitness, you might be asked to choose a popular weight-loss product to evaluate. Here are two thesis statements:
There are some negative and positive aspects to the Banana Herb Tea Supplement.
This is a weak thesis. First, it fails to take a stand. Second, the phrase “negative and positive aspects” is vague.
Because Banana Herb Tea Supplement promotes rapid weight loss that results in the loss of muscle and lean body mass, it poses a potential danger to customers.
This is a strong thesis because it takes a stand.
2. A strong thesis justifies discussion.留给大家质疑和讨论的余地．Your thesis should indicate the point of the discussion. If your assignment is to write a paper on kinship systems, using your own family as an example, you might come up with either of these two thesis statements:
My family is an extended family.
This is a weak thesis because it states an observation. Your reader won’t be able to tell the point of the statement, and will probably stop reading.
While most American families would view consanguine marriage as a threat to the nuclear family structure, many Iranian families, like my own, believe that these marriages help reinforce kinship ties in an extended family.
This is a strong thesis because it shows how your experience contradicts a widely-accepted view. A good strategy for creating a strong thesis is to show that the topic is controversial. Readers will be interested in reading the rest of the essay to see how you support your point.
3. A strong thesis expresses one main idea.表达一个主要观点Readers need to be able to see that your paper has one main point. If your thesis expresses more than one idea, then you might confuse your readers about the subject of your paper. For example:
Companies need to exploit the marketing potential of the Internet, and web pages can provide both advertising and customer support.
This is a weak thesis statement because the reader can’t decide whether the paper is about marketing on the Internet or web pages. To revise the thesis, the relationship between the two ideas needs to become more clear. One way to revise the thesis would be to write:
Because the Internet is filled with tremendous marketing potential, companies should exploit this potential by using web pages that offer both advertising and customer support.
This is a strong thesis because it shows that the two ideas are related. Hint: a great many clear and engaging thesis statements contain words like “because,” “since,” “so,” “although,” “unless,” and “however.”（对于建立一个很好thesis很重要~~）
4. A strong thesis statement is specific.具体而不抽象A thesis statement should show exactly what your paper will be about, and will help you keep your paper to a manageable topic. For example, if you write a paper on hunger, you might say:
World hunger has many causes and effects.
This is a weak thesis statement for two major reasons. First, “world hunger” can’t be discussed thoroughly in five or ten pages. Second, "many causes and effects" is vague. You should be able to identify specific causes and effects. A revised thesis might look like this:
Hunger persists in Appalachia because jobs are scarce and farming in the infertile soil is rarely profitable.
This is a strong thesis because it narrows the subject to a more specific and manageable topic and it also identifies the specific causes for the existence of hunger.

其他例子：

I would like to become a chef when I finish school

Although both chefs and cooks can prepare fine meals, chefs differ from cooks in education, professional commitment, and artistry.

I enjoy white water rafting.

A first water rafting experience can challenge the body and spirit and transform an adolescent into an adult

Men are chauvinists.

Our American family structure encourages men to repress their true feelings, leaving them open to physical, psychological, and relationship difficulties.

Steroid abuse

Steroids, even those legally available, are addictive and should be banned from sports.

Hip hop is the best thing that has happened to music in twenty years

Though many people dismiss hip hop as offensive, hip hop music offers urban youth an important opportunity for artistic expression, and allows them to articulate the poetry of the street.

Many people object to today's violent horror movies.

Despite their high-tech special effects, today's graphically violent horror movies do not convey the creative use of cinematography or the emotional impact that we saw in the classic horror films of the 1940s and 50s.

nanfeng25899UID: 2629871

【Fundamental Course of Writing】基础写作每日一讲（7）段落TS和逻辑顺序标志词

Topic Sentences and Signposting

Topic sentences and signposts make an essay's claims clear to a reader. Good essays contain both. Topic sentences
reveal the main point of a paragraph. They show the relationship of each paragraph to the essay's thesis, telegraph the point of a paragraph, and tell your reader what to expect in the paragraph that follows. Topic sentences also establish their relevance right away, making clear why the points they're making are important to the essay's main ideas. They argue rather than report. (说得很好！！！)Signposts, as their name suggests, prepare the reader for a change in the argument's direction. They show how far the essay's argument has progressed vis-à-vis the claims of the thesis.



Topic sentences and signposts occupy a middle ground in the writing process. They are neither the first thing a writer needs to address (thesis and the broad strokes of an essay's structure are); nor are they the last (that's when you attend to sentence-level editing and polishing). Topic sentences and signposts deliver an essay's structure and meaning to a reader, so they are useful diagnostic tools to the writer—they let you know if your thesis is arguable—and essential guides to the reader.

Forms of Topic Sentences

Sometimes topic sentences are actually two or even three sentences long. If the first makes a claim, the second might reflect on that claim, explaining it further. Think of these sentences as asking and answering two critical questions: How does the phenomenon you're discussing operate? Why does it operate as it does?

There's no set formula for writing a topic sentence. Rather, you should work to vary the form your topic sentences take. Repeated too often, any method grows wearisome. （恩啊，说的很对）Here are a few approaches.

１．Complex sentences.
Topic sentences at the beginning of a paragraph frequently combine with a transition from the previous paragraph. This might be done by writing a sentence that contains both subordinate and independent clauses, as in the example below.（利用复合句，联系上下文的作用）


Although Young Woman with a Water Pitcher depicts an unknown, middle-class woman at an ordinary task, the image is more than "realistic"; the painter [Vermeer] has imposed his own order upon it to strengthen it.


This sentence employs a useful principle of transitions: always move from old to new information.
The subordinate clause (from "although" to "task") recaps（v重述要点） information from previous paragraphs; the independent clauses (starting with "the image" and "the painter") introduce the new information—a claim about how the image works ("more than Ôrealistic'") and why it works as it does (Vermeer "strengthens" the image by "imposing order").


２．Questions.
（提问）Questions, sometimes in pairs, also make good topic sentences (and signposts).
Consider the following: "Does the promise of stability justify this unchanging hierarchy?" We may fairly assume that the paragraph or section that follows will answer the question. Questions are by definition a form of inquiry, and thus demand an answer. Good essays strive for this forward momentum.（merit an attempt）

３．Bridge sentences.
Like questions, "bridge sentences" (the term is John Trimble's) make an excellent substitute for more formal topic sentences. Bridge sentences indicate both what came before and what comes next (they "bridge" paragraphs) without the formal trappings of multiple clauses: "But there is a clue to this puzzle."


４．Pivots.
Topic sentences don't always appear at the beginning of a paragraph. When they come in the middle, they indicate that the paragraph will change direction, or "pivot." This strategy is particularly useful for dealing with counter-evidence: a paragraph starts out conceding a point or stating a fact ("Psychologist Sharon Hymer uses the term Ônarcissistic friendship' to describe the early stage of a friendship like the one between Celie and Shug"); after following up on this initial statement with evidence, it then reverses direction and establishes a claim ("Yet ... this narcissistic stage of Celie and Shug's relationship is merely a transitory one. Hymer herself concedes . . . "). The pivot always needs a signal, a word like "but," "yet," or "however," or a longer phrase or sentence that indicates an about-face. It often needs more than one sentence to make its point. (可以在改作文时进行拓展的点)

Signposts

Signposts operate as topic sentences for whole sections in an essay. (In longer essays, sections often contain more than a single paragraph.) They inform a reader that the essay is taking a turn in its argument: delving into a related topic such as a counter-argument, stepping up its claims with a complication, or pausing to give essential historical or scholarly background. Because they reveal the architecture of the essay itself, signposts remind readers of what the essay's stakes are: what it's about, and why it's being written.


Signposting can be accomplished in a sentence or two at the beginning of a paragraph or in whole paragraphs that serve as transitions between one part of the argument and the next. The following example comes from an essay examining how a painting by Monet, The Gare Saint-Lazare: Arrival of a Train, challenges Zola's declarations about Impressionist art. The student writer wonders whether Monet's Impressionism is really as devoted to avoiding "ideas" in favor of direct sense impressions as Zola's claims would seem to suggest. This is the start of the essay's third section:


It is evident in this painting that Monet found his Gare Saint-Lazare motif fascinating at the most fundamental level of the play of light as well as the loftiest level of social relevance. Arrival of a Train explores both extremes of expression. At the fundamental extreme, Monet satisfies the Impressionist objective of capturing the full-spectrum effects of light on a scene.

The writer signposts this section in the first sentence, reminding readers of the stakes of the essay itself with the simultaneous references to sense impression ("play of light") and intellectual content ("social relevance"). The second sentence follows up on this idea, while the third serves as a topic sentence for the paragraph. The paragraph after that starts off with a topic sentence about the "cultural message" of the painting, something that the signposting sentence predicts by not only reminding readers of the essay's stakes but also, and quite clearly, indicating what the section itself will contain.

nanfeng25899UID: 2629871

现在每天要过题库，写文，改文，语言，fundamnetal， 真的是有写累啊，不过马上就要考试了，要加油了~~~fight~~