闭关前最后一贴，关于写作的几个注意事项[重要]

eveningboatUID: 157918

这个星期六就考TOEFL了，却一直在作文版转悠。
明天直到考前彻底闭关 :mad:，这个是考前最后一贴了。
这篇文章原作者是fishergirl，在issue综合区提供下载，可是到现在只有46个人下过（估计都是上一次考试下载的）

其实这篇文章很重要，很有价值。我刚才在论坛里翻了半天（半个小时有了），一开始记错了关键词，白白浪费掉好多时间……

I’m not the most talented writer, I’m probably somewhere around average.  However, the good thing is that everyone can get better.  The key is to keep on practicing.  Here are a few suggestions that may be helpful.

1)  The golden rule in short persuasive essays is that the first paragraph needs to clearly set-up the topic and then lay out what you think are the best supporting arguments (if you agree with the statement) or what are the major flaws (if you disagree).
2) In this particular case, perhaps it may be a good idea to start of by asking an interesting rhetorical question?  
3) Clearly state your hypothesis (the argument that you support).

Here is an example of what I’d write about for the first paragraph:

When was the last time a news headline reported co-Superbowl champions or even an announcement of new tri-CEO of a major fortune 500 company?  Such scenarios are highly unlikely because real life does not afford us with a competitiveless workplace.  In modern society, there will always be both winners and losers.  Predictably, winners have a tendency to reach higher goals more often than their losing counterparts.  Successful people usually earn this distinction through their praiseworthy ability and/or hard work.  Even from a historical perspective, archeological evidence has indicated that every great ancient civilization (Chinese, Egyptian, Greek, Byzantine, Mayan, Incan, Roman etc…), at least in part, rose into or fell from prominence due to natural competition.  Recently, there is a radically new proposal, which has gained some attention amongst education policy makers and various debating circles. They are essentially in favor of abolishing the current educational-based letter grading system and replacing it with a non-competitive educational approach.  These constituents have argued that overemphasizing grades sets-up an unnecessary precedence in actively learning children.  They claim that by increasing the level of competitiveness, the overall quality of education for each student may actually be significantly lowered.  Despite the problems associated with a competitive learning environment, this teaching system is far better adept at preparing students for their prospective careers.

4) The second paragraph I would start off by introducing the definition of competition.

Example:
Competition is defined by a biochemical, ecological, economic or sporting activity whereby two or more individuals or groups strive antagonistically against one another for resource, market share or for quality or for reputation.

5) Then I would state all the pros and cons of both sides (especially the controversy behind grade inflation).

6) Form a conclusion that contains a logically sound argument that is based on the evidence and information of the essay’s body:

In conclusion, even though non-competitive approaches may be emotionally attractive for their potential uses in helping to raise student self-esteem and psyche, such characteristics play a lesser role in the challenges that they will realistically face in their future careers.  In the end, regardless of type of curriculum, teaching quality, relations and instructional methods, what matters most is the pursuit and attainment of academic excellence.  Undoubtedly, major changes to the current traditional letter-grading system could be implemented in order to dramatically improve the overall quality of education.  However, these problems do not warrant total abandonment and replacement with an entirely new system.  There are several lines of educational evidence that clearly points to letter grading and number-scoring as the most effective methods for measuring academic standards and progress.  The benefits gained through competitive study far outweigh any other alternative strategy.  It is a reasonable assumption that the competitive nature of test-taking significantly contributes to the overwhelming majority of students’ successes.  Therefore, striving to reach high test scores encourages every student to freely compete with one another, providing them with a natural competitive edge that they will value for the rest of their working lives.

Helpful writing points:
1) Try not to say (I)
2) Always refer to evidence (makes your argument sound much stronger) rather than stating opinions and/or motives (these sound too weak and wishy-washy).
3) The US has become a politically correct (PC) country, especially in academia.  Never use male or female genders.  It is well-known that a majority of graders are fervent believers of PC agenda.  They may deduct points from you score if they interpret your writing as being derogatory towards women (even if you didn’t mean and did it unintentionally).  Instead of using he/she/girl/boy, use gender neutral words such as people, person, they, them etc…
4) Try your best to use words with the correct meaning of what you’re trying to articulate to the reader.  Even though words have a variety of meanings, they need to be used correctly.  Each definition has slightly different meanings.  Synonyms usually cannot be switched interchangeably.  Plus, keep in mind, the first listed definition in the dictionary is often the most common use of the word.  Sometimes, subsequent definitions may be used much less frequently.
5) Try not to get overly complicated when writing.  If you do your essay will lose meaning, making it difficult for the reader to understand what you’re attempting to say.  When you write your first draft, I think it is very important to write as straightforward and direct as possible.  During the second revision, try to add a little more depth and complexity.  However, be careful in going overboard.
6) In general, when writing English, try to keep verbs toward the beginning of the sentence.  This tends to make it easier for the reader to follow the action conveyed.  Even though it’s perfectly fine to place verbs at the back of the sentence, the meaning sometimes gets muddled if you do so.
7) Avoid using clichés and/or slang.

genie05UID: 30358

UP,谢谢

babebobaUID: 172981

up
up

imongUID: 140258

https://bbs.gter.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=175018

上次最后放到这里了。

cleonlxUID: 172606

感谢一下。考托顺利！

SmartSonicUID: 160051

祝考好