Writing1.
Read the following passage of nonfiction carefully and write a summary about 100 words. When most people think of the word "education", they think of a pupil as a sort of animate sausage casing. Into this empty casing, the teachers are supposed to stuff "education".
But genuine education, as Socrates knew more than two thousand years ago, is not inserting the stuffing of information into a person, but rather eliciting knowledge from him; it is the drawing out of what is in the mind.
"The most important part of education," once wrote William Ernest Hocking, the distinguished Harvard philosopher, "is this instruction of a man in what he has inside him."
And as Edith Hamilton has reminded us, Socrates never said, "I know, learn from me." He said, rather, "Look into your own selves and find the sparks of truth that God has put in- to every heart, and that only you can kindle to a flame."
In the dialogue called the "Meno", Socrates takes an ignorant slave boy, without a day of schooling, and proves to the amazed observers that the boy really "knows" geometry-because the principles and axioms of geometry are already in his mind, waiting to be called out.
So many of the discussions and controversies about the content of education are futile and inconclusive because they are concerned with what should "go into" the student rather than with what should be taken out, and how this can best be done.
A college student, who once said to me, after a lecture, "I spend so much time studying that I don't have a chance to learn anything." was succinctly expressing his dissatisfaction with the sausage casing view of education.
He was being so stuffed with miscellaneous facts, with such an indigestible mass of material, that he had no time(and was given no encouragement)to draw on his own resources, to use his own mind for analyzing and synthesizing and evaluating this material.
Education, to have any meaning beyond the purpose of creating well-informed dunces, must elicit from the pupil what is latent in every human being—the rules of reason, the inner knowledge of what is proper for men to be and do, the ability to sift evidence and come to conclusions that can generally be assented to by all open minds and warm hearts.
Pupils are more like oysters than sausages. The job of teaching is not to stuff them and then seal them up, but to help them open and reveal the riches within. There are pearls in each of us, if only we knew how to cultivate them with ardor and persistence.
Education is generally thought to be an action of filling in, like making a sausage. But more than two thousand years ago Socrates has pointed out that education in fact is to draw out of what is in the mind. To support his ideas, Socrates once talked about an ignorant slave boy who knows geometry without any kind of education. Every human being has inner knowledge in his mind, and the content of education should be getting things out from him rather than filling in. Human beings are not sausages; they are more like oysters, and education is to search and find the pearls in them.
[解析] 这篇文章很简洁明了,条理分明。第一段作者直接点明主题思想。讲到如今,人们普遍认为教育是一种“填充”行为。从第二段到第八段作者使用例子告诉我们在两千年前,苏格拉底就已经指出事实上教育不仅仅指人的思想活动。最后一段作者重新强调了教育的本质指的是人类本身的一些东西而不是像香肠一样硬“填充”给人类的。
2.
Read the following passage of nonfiction carefully and write a summary about 100 words. When television was first introduced into American society thirty years ago, writers and social scientists thought that this new invention would better American life. "Television is going to bring American families closer together." predicted psychologist Joel Gold in 1949. Pictures which advertised television in the 1950s invariably showed a happy family gathered together in the living room, sharing the TV viewing experience. Who could have guessed that a quarter of a century later Mother could be in the kitchen watching a daytime drama, Dad would be in the living room watching a ball game, and the children would be watching cartoons in their bedrooms?
Television has certainly changed American life, but not the way the first critics predicted. Because the first televisions were enormously expensive, most families owned only one. By 1975, however, 60% of American families owned two televisions or more and some middle class families had as many as five television sets under one roof. Such multi-set families may keep families members in the same house, but that hardly brings them "together". In fact, family outings—hiking, going to the movies, going out to dinner—are often limited by TV be- cause one or more family members don't want to go: "I'll miss my program." is the common complaint.
Perhaps more important than the lack of family outings is the destruction of family time together at home. Social scientists in the 1950s could not have realized how much television Americans would watch in the 1980s; the average American watches 6 hours of TV a day. That leaves little time for the special family characteristics and traditions that used to be formed during long evenings together. The time devoted to games, songs, and hobbies—all shared activities—in the years before TV is now dominated by "the tube". And especially damaging to family relationships is the elimination of the opportunities for talking, chatting, arguing, and discussing. Without such communication, family life disintegrates.
Domination is the key word. Families in American today schedule their lives around the television. Children rush home from school to watch their programs while they do their homework. Mother shops between her special programs. The ski slopes are nearly empty on Superbowl Sunday; football on TV takes precedence. The family may even eat meals in front of the television. Moreover, television is used as a baby-sitter; small children nationwide spend countless hours in front of the TV, passively ingesting whatever flashes before their eyes. Addition of some sort inevitably follows; TV becomes a necessary part of life, and receiving a TV for his own room because the wish of every child. Moreover, parents use the television as a source of reward and punishment: "If you mow the lawn, you can watch TV an extra hour tonight." or "No TV for you. You didn't do your homework." Ultimately, life- styles revolve around a regular schedule of eating, sleeping, and watching television.
Isn't there a better life than this dismal, mechanized arrangement? According to social scientist Mary Helen Thuente, "The quality of life is diminished as family ties grow weaker, as children's lives grow more and more separate from their parents, as the opportunities for living and sharing within a family are eliminated." Indeed, if the family does not accumulate shared experiences, it is not likely to survive. Consequently, if parents and children alike do not change their priorities, television will continue to exert its influence on American family life as baby-sitter, pacifier, teacher, role model, and supplier of mores and morals, thus sup- planting the place of the family in society.
Thirty years ago, when television first appeared in American society, it was predicted that the family life in American will be changed since TV can bring family members closer. However, things didn't happen as this. Although the family life in American did change because of TV, it changed in an opposite direction. Instead of bringing family together, television leads to the alienation of family members. Family members share less time together and have fewer activities, which results in the degeneration of family life. If people still pay little attention to this, it will become a serious problem.
[解析] 这篇文章总体来说可分为三大部分,第一段为第一部分,介绍了电视出现的时间以及出现后对人类的影响程度。第二段到第四段简述了电视出现后,人们的生活确实改变了很多,然而这种改变却是朝着相反的方向发展的。不但让家庭成员疏远了很多,而且人们的很多时间也受到了电视的控制。最后一段为第三部分,点明了文章的主题思想,警示人们如果再不对此引起注意,问题会变得越来越严重。
Write a "sentence outline" for each of the following topics, and then change them to "topic outlines".3. Our Endangered Environment
句子提纲
Topic: Our Endangered Environment
Thesis: We are making our environment unfit for human habitation.
Outline:
Ⅰ. The environment pollution has become more and more serious nowadays.
Ⅱ. Air pollution adversely affects our health and destroys the beauty of our country- side.
A. Automobile exhaust injures people's health and causes smog in cities.
B. Factory smoke does harm to plants and pollutes soil and lakes.
Ⅲ. Water pollution releases harmful chemicals into rivers and our drinking water.
A. Industry wastes are responsible for the pollution of the rivers.
B. Municipal wastes are responsible for the pollution of our drinking water.
Ⅳ. Noise pollution does great harm to animals and humans.
Ⅴ. If we still pay little attention to this problem, the earth will become unfit for human to live.
(2)话题提纲
Topic: Our Endangered Environment
Thesis: We are making our environment unfit for human habitation.
Outline:
Ⅰ. The seriousness of environment pollution
Ⅱ. Air pollution
A. Automobile exhaust
B. Factory smoke
Ⅲ. Water pollution
A. Industry wastes
B. Municipal wastes
Ⅳ. Noise pollution
Ⅴ. The possible result
[解析] 看到这个题目时,首先,对于这个问题我们可以将它分为三个部分来写,那么在第一段话中使用一定的导入语诸如:With the rapid development of social science and technology来引出自己的主题思想(We are making our environment unfit for human habitation我们正在使我们的环境越来越不适合人类居住了)。在第二部分中,可以通过举例法(如:空气污染、水污染、噪音污染等)来说明现如今环境污染已经变得越来越严重了,并分别进行举例说明。在最后一部分作者呼吁人们,如果该问题再不引起重视,那么这个地球会变得越来越不适合人们居住。主体段落的展开方式因人而异,可用对比法,列举法或叙述法等。
4. Owning Your Own Home
句子提纲
Topic: Owning Your Own Home
Thesis: There are a number of advantages and disadvantages in owning a home.
Outline:
Ⅰ. Nowadays, owning a home has become a big issue for people.
Ⅱ. There are a number of disadvantages in owning a home.
A. You have to pay taxes and cost of maintenance.
B. You are fixed in a limited environment.
Ⅲ. There are a number of advantages in owning a home.
A. The value of property will have an increase.
B. You will have more private space.
Ⅳ. People have to think carefully before making their decisions.
(2)话题提纲
Topic: Owning Your Own Home
Thesis: There are a number of advantages and disadvantages in owning a home.
Outline:
Ⅰ. Introduction
Ⅱ. Disadvantages
A. Financial reasons
B. Limited place
Ⅲ. Advantages
A. Financial reasons
B. More private space
Ⅳ. Conclusion
[解析] 首先,对这个问题应该从两个角度去思考,比如有个家庭的利与弊。你可以在第一部分中就通过导入语(Nowadays, owning a home has become a big issue for people.)先点名文章的论点(There are a number of advantages and disadvantages in owning a home.)。在第二部分中可以采用对比法、列举法或者叙述法来阐述有家的利与弊。最后一部分中来再次强调在成家之前一定要做好充足的准备。
5. We are all sensitive to color. There are some colors we like a lot and some we don't like at all. Some colors soothe or excite us and some make us happy or sad. People are affected because color is tied to all aspects of our lives.
Experts in colorgenics believe that the colors we wear say a lot about us, and that we subconsciously choose to wear certain colors in order to communicate our desires, emotions and needs.
Colorgenics experts claim that our clothes send messages to others about our mood, personality and desires. For them, pink expresses peace and contentment of the wearer. People who often wear pink are supposed to be warm and understanding. The message is that you would like to share your peace and happiness with others. Red garments indicate a high level of physical energy. People who wear red like to take life at a fast pace. Brown is the color of wealth and shows a need for independence and material security. Wearers of green have love of nature and enjoy peaceful moments.
Color is used symbolically in all cultures and it plays an important role in ceremonies and festivities. Yellow is a symbol of luck in Peru and it can be seen just about everywhere. Yellow is also an important color to the Vietnamese who use it at weddings and on their flag, where it represents courage, victory and sacrifice. In many cultures, white symbolizes purity, and black, on the other hand, symbolizes death.
Some experts believe that colors have a strong effect on us and that colors can be used to heal. They say that by concentrating our thoughts on certain colors, we can cause energy to go to the parts of the body that need treatment. White light is said to be cleansing, and it can balance the body's entire system. Yellow stimulates the mind and creates a positive attitude, so it can help against depression. Green, which has a calming and restful effect, is supposed to be good for heart conditions.
Some psychologists also use color to treat patients with emotional and psychological problems. By giving them what is called the Luscher color test, in which people select the colors they like and dislike, doctors can learn many things about a patient's personality.
In conclusion, the study of color can help us understand ourselves and improve our lives. It offers an alternative way to heal the body and spirit, and it can help us understand what others are trying to communicate. We can then respond to their needs and achieve a new level of understanding.
Introduction: People are all sensitive to color.
A. People like or dislike some colors because colors can make people feel differently.
B. Thesis: People are affected by color, which is tied to all aspects of our lives.
2. Colors play an important part in our lives.
A. The colors we wear can express our mood, personality and desires.
B. The symbolic meaning of the same color varies in different cultures.
C. Colors have medicinal effects.
3. Conclusion: The study of color can help us understand ourselves and improve our lives.
A. Colors can heal our body and spirit.
B. Colors can help us understand others better.
[解析] 这是一篇关于颜色和人们生活的文章,要写出它的outline,首先来分析一下文章各个段落的内容和各段落之间的关系。
第1段:这一段主要讲到了我们对颜色都很敏感。有些颜色我们很喜欢,而有些我们一点儿也不喜欢。一些颜色让人平静或兴奋,一些让人高兴或伤感。然后点明全文的主旨,即人们之所以受颜色影响是因为颜色和我们的生活息息相关。People are affected 1aecaLlse color is tied to all aspects of our lives.
1)be sensitive to对……敏感
2)be tied to与……紧密相关
第2段:颜色方面的专家相信,我们穿戴的颜色能显示出很多关于我们的事,我们下意识地选择穿戴某种颜色是为了表达一定的想法、情感和需要。we subconsciously choose to wear certain colors in order to communicate our desires, emotions and needs.
communicate传达,传递(意见和信息)
第3段:研究颜色的专家认为我们的衣服能向他人传递我们的心情、性格和愿望。
对于他们,粉红色象征着穿衣服的人的平静和满足。经常穿粉红色衣服的人被认为是和善的、善解人意的。People who often wear pink are supposed to be warm and understanding.传达的信息就是你想和他人分享这份平静和快乐。红色暗示着精力充沛。棕色象征着财富,同时暗示有寻求独立和物质保证的需求。喜欢穿绿色衣服的喜欢自然,并且享有平静的时刻。
be supposed to被认为是
第4段:颜色在所有文化里都有象征意义,在庆典和节日里,颜色也发挥着很大的作用。在秘鲁,黄色象征着好运,因此它随处可见。在越南,黄色也是一种重要的颜色,经常被用在婚礼上或旗帜上,象征勇气、胜利和牺牲。在很多文化中,白色代表着纯洁,相反,黑色代表着死亡。
1)play an important role扮演着重要的角色
2)a symbol of……的象征
第5段:一些专家相信颜色对我们有重要的影响,同时颜色被用来帮助人们康复。他们说,集中我们的心思在一种特定的颜色上能使能量到达身体内需要治愈的地方。白色被认为能平衡身体的整个系统。黄色能刺激大脑,使产生一种积极的态度,所以用来抵制抑郁症。绿色,有凝神的效果,所以绿色被认为有利于心脏。
1)have an effect on对……有影响
2)concentrate on集中精力于
3)be good for对……有好处
第6段:一些心理学家还用颜色治疗有情感疾病和心理问题的病人。通过一个颜色测试,心理医生能从病人选择的花中知道很多东西。
第7段:总之,对颜色的研究能让我们更好地理解和提高我们的生活。它提供了一种不同的方法去治疗身体上和精神上的问题,也能让我们明白别人想和我们交流什么。我们可以凭借这个给予他们需要的回应,从而实现更高水平的理解。
通过上文的分析,我们可以把全文分为以下三个层次。
第一个层次:即第1段。总的介绍人们对颜色的敏感。一方面说人们喜欢或讨厌某些颜色,因为不同的颜色给人不同的感觉。另一方面,人们受颜色的影响,因为颜色与人们的生活息息相关。
第二个层次:即第2~6段。主要讲颜色在人们的生活中发挥着重要的作用。第2段是过渡段。第3、4、5、6段分别从不同角度阐明颜色的重要作用:我们穿戴的颜色能反映出我们的心情、性格和需求;同一种颜色在不同的文化下有不同的象征意义;颜色有医疗的效果。
第三个层次:即最后一段。主要讲对颜色的研究有助于我们更好地了解我们自己,提高我们的生活水平。一方面,颜色能使我们的身体和精神得到恢复。另一方面,颜色有助于我们更好地理解别人。
6.
Read the following passage carefully and try to compose a "topic outline" for the passage provided. A bill has been introduced in the United States Congress which, if passed, would reduce the minimum wage for working teenagers under the age of 18. The minimum wage would be decreased a small amount for each year under 18 until the age of 15. A few teenagers react negatively towards the bill, but they are probably the lucky ones who have a job. Although these people would have to take a cut in pay, the bill has many advantages and should be pas- sed.
First of all, the idea of a reduced minimum wage would allow for the hiring of more teenagers. Unemployment is high for teens under 18, especially in minority groups. If the bill became a law, two teenagers would be hired for the price of one. Even though some people say that a business might hire teenagers in place of older people, this is highly unlikely. Most teens only work part-time and therefore would not interfere with hiring in the older work force.
Putting more teenagers in the work force would be beneficial because the wages that they make would help their parents out financially. These teenagers would have their own spending money for dates, for gas, and for clothes. Also, putting more teenagers on the job could possibly reduce the crime rate among them. With some money in their pockets, teenagers would not need to shoplift or to commit robbery.
Some teens think the proposed wages would be so low. It would not be worth their working. However, a reduced wage does not mean that employers are free to pay unreasonably low wages. As it is, many small businesses pay below minimum wage now, and they have no trouble finding teenagers who are willing to work. In addition, no income tax is taken out for teenagers, so almost all their wages are pure income.
Some people fear this bill will mark an end to the minimum wage requirements for every- one. These people are misinformed, for this minimum wage reduction would not affect any- one 18 or older. Instead it would mainly affect the teenagers that work during the summers and after school. These teenagers are making money to save and to spend for extras. They are not, in the main, breadwinners. The older teenagers and adults, who are breadwinners, would continue at their same salaries.
The reduced minimum wage could also take a small burden off already aiding business that hires teenagers. If they do not have to pay so much for wages, the business could take the money saved and invest it in their own businesses. They could renew or expand their machinery to increase production. Finally with the overall decrease in expenditures because of the reduced minimum wage, prices could go down, which would help to fight inflation.
Although some younger teenagers do not want to take the wage cuts, this idea has many positive economic possibilities: it might help in Solving problems with unemployed teens, parents' financial burdens, crime, and revitalization of business. The bill deserves a chance.
Ⅰ. The introduction of the bill
Ⅱ. The advantages of the bill
A. Benefits to teenagers
1. Increasing of hiring chance
2. Helping parents by earning one's own spending money
3. Reducing the crime rate among teenagers
4. Pure income
B. No affection to others
C. Benefits to business
Ⅲ. The positive possibilities of the bill
[解析] 这样的题相对来说比较容易,我们在答题时,只要找出文章中相应的句子,对亏入座即可。下面我们具体来分析一下本题。
第一段:作者介绍了bill的由来。说到bill的出现,对于已经工作的十八岁以下的青少年来说,他们的最低工资额度减少了。
第二段:讲到了bill的出现给青少年带来的很多优势。首先,可以让青少年们获得更多被雇佣的机会。
第三段:青少年工作可以使得他们的父母在经济上减轻了一些负担。
第四段:对于青少年的薪水,国家是不收税的,这样他们挣的工资是净工资。
第五段:讲到bill的出现除了对青少年有影响之外,不会影响其他人。
第六段:bill的另一个好处就是在生意上带来优势。
第七段:作者强调了bill带来的积极影响。
7.
Read the following passage carefully and compose a "topic outline" for it. What Is a Rodeo?
"Rodeo" is a Spanish word meaning "gathering place or marketplace for cattle." A rodeo itself is a competitive contest based loosely on traditional cowboy skills of riding and roping. It consists of six major events: riding an untamed horse in a saddle; riding an untamed horse without a saddle; riding a bull; roping a calf; wrestling a bull to the ground; racing horses around barrels with women riders. A rodeo is perhaps the most genuinely American of all sports.
The first rodeo took place following a cattle roundup in the 1880s. From this informal cowboy pastime, a colorful spectacle has evolved that contains many familiar American elements—the exciting action of bucking horses and bulls, the explosive masculine environment, the hot dog stands, beer barrels, boots, jeans, and cowboy hats.
Today, most rodeos are staged in a large, flat arena that is fenced off to protect the viewing public. Grandstands are erected on two sides of the arena; on the other sides are places to hold the horses, calves, and bulls. Nearby are narrow chutes from which animals are re- leased into the arena. On a platform a loudspeaker system is set up for the announcer, who introduces the riders and comments on the events as they happen. Near the arena are refreshment stands where people gather to buy food and drink. Portable rest rooms are set up near the grandstand, and an ambulance is parked nearby in case of an accident.
An opening parade of proud riders on proud horses usually begins a rodeo; the performers carry flapping national and state flags. Then the two-act performance begins. Calf roping and bull wrestling are timed events. In the fastest possible time, a man must rope and throw to the ground a calf and tie three of its feet together. In bull wrestling, the object is to tumble the bull onto its back with its head and all its feet in line. Calf roping has been done under fifteen seconds, and a bull has been wrestled in less than ten seconds.
When riding an animal, a contestant mounts before the chute gates are opened. The rider must stay on the bucking animal for eight seconds; points are given for the performance of both the animal and the contestant. In all riding events, the contestant is disqualified if he touches the animal with his free hand.
Probably the most difficult rodeo feat is Brahman bull riding. During this event, a rodeo comes to resemble a circus because gaily—costumed clowns come into the arena to distract the bull's attention from fallen riders. To stay on a bucking bull for as long as eight seconds is one of the most challenging tasks in a rodeo. Spectators eagerly wait for this event.
The present circus extends far beyond the region where the contests first developed. Now rodeos are popular throughout the western half of the U. S. A. and in major eastern and southern cities. Australia also stages these events. One of the biggest rodeos of all is held during the annual Calgary Stampede in Calgary, Canada.
Topic outline
Ⅰ.Introduction: rodeo, an American contest of cowboy skills
A.Meaning of rodeo
B.Six major events based on cowboy skills
C.Thesis: A rodeo is perhaps the most genuinely American of all sports.
Ⅱ.Development of the American colorful pastime
A.The first rodeo in the 1880s
B.American elements in the event
Ⅲ.Present-day performance and rules
A.Arena and its environment
B.Opening parade
C.Timed events: calf roping and bull wrestling
D.Riding events: animal riding and the most difficult feat
Ⅳ.Conclusion: popularity in the U.S.A., Australia and Canada
[解析] 全文共分7个自然段,文章脉络比较清晰。
第一段为总括段(Introduction),介绍了什么是rodeo及其包含的赛事。最后一句话以简练的语言概括本段,可作为论点的。
第二段讲述了美国丰富多彩的娱乐活动的发展情况,其中包括第一届rodeo的举办时间及该比赛中加入的美国元素。此为第二个层次。
第三、四、五、六段主要讲述了当今的rodeo表演及规则。可作为第三个层次。其中,第三段描述了rodeo的表演场地及其环境状况;第四段讲了露天游行及计时赛事(包括用绳子捆牛和与牛摔跤);第五、六段讲了骑术赛事及其中最扣人心弦的骑牛比赛。
最后一段为总结段,讲述了当今rodeo在各国(美国、澳大利亚及加拿大)的受欢迎状况。
由上述分析,便可列出该文章的提纲。