本文作者│刘弋,领航学院学术导师,兼托福听力及口语老师。
英语专业本科,后赴美国佛罗里达大学攻读教育学硕士,托福及GRE高分。
毕业后在美国公立小学教学三年后回国,具备良好的课控能力,了解学生心理,教学严谨,掌握先进的低龄段学生的教学经验。
通过本科四年的系统专业学习和美国五年时间的工作生活,功底扎实,发音纯正,对美国校园文化及风土人情非常了解。
▲托福 & 口语
在托福考试中,口语部分可能是很多学生觉得最为紧张的一个单项。
题型多变,题目内容更是涉及生活的各个方面。
口语部分一共有六道题,前面两道题因为不要求结合任何听力和阅读材料内容,直接要求学根据题目所给出的话题进行理由论述,而被称为口语独立题。
独立题主要分为四大题型:列举题,三选一,评价类,和描述题,然而不管是哪一种题型,题目都明确表示要 “Use details and examples in your response.”
大多数中国考生在回答这两个题的时候都会遇到一个问题:段落过于空泛,答案明显不充实,很多时候说出的论据其实都只是在反复解释重申自己的主旨句,而不是在按照题目所要求的用细节支撑自己的观点。
那我们今天就来讲几种用细节支撑自己的观点的方法!
用数据说话:
我们来看这个范文:
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement that parents should put more pressure on students than before?
I disagree with the statement that parents should put more pressure on their children for the following reasons.
First, students are already under tremendous pressure as they are.
For example, in China, a typical high school student takes eight hours of class a day, Monday through Friday.
After school, they have to face a mountain pile of homework assignments.
Not to mention all the quiz, exams and presentations they have to be ready for.
In my opinion, parents should encourage their kids to participate in activities that are not school related, things like traveling and volunteering.
我们在讲学生学习压力大课业负担重的时候,可以用具体的数字来表示他们每天花非常多的时间在学校作业上,如范文中的“eight hours”。
相似的类型比如:
在交通工具的选择上,坐地铁到底有多方便呢,与其空谈地铁多好多方便,不如给出具体的数字来对比:I used to spend about an hour on my way to work but now, it only takes me twenty minutes and I don't need to worry about the risk of traffic jams.
再举一个例子:
职业类型的题目中,警察的工作到底压力多大呢,反反复复强调他们压力大工作辛苦和无私付出,不如用直观的数字:“My dad used to be a police officer and I remember there were several times he left home at 3 o’clock in the morning after answered emergency phone calls.”
我们在用细节支撑自己的观点时,可以在论据中加入适当的数字。
用数据说话,使你的论点更有说服力。
抽象的东西具体化:
我们来看这篇范文:
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? It is better to live at a place there the climate stays the same all year around.
I think it’s better to live at places where the climate changes all year around.
First, we get to do some different activities during different seasons.
Take Beijing for example.
The temperature and climate changes from season to season pretty dramatically here.
That means I can fly a kite in spring, swim in an outdoor pool and enjoy the sunlight in summer, take beautiful pictures of leaves during autumn and ski with friends when snow builds up in winter.
Also, when the temperature fluctuates, our life style changes with it, our body adapts too.
I believe this is good for our immune system.
我们在表述一些比较宽泛的主题的时候,比如“do some sports” 或者“relax ourselves”的时候,可以用具体的活动,动作,将这些抽象的概念具体化。
像范文中,具体举例了“fly a kite”还有“swim in the pool”等等。
相似的类型比如:
在介绍“my favorite restaurant”的时候,如果只是反复说“their environment is good and the food there is delicious” 是不是显得很空洞呢。
我们来积累一些较细节的词汇让我们在介绍餐馆的时候可以更加细节更加生动:
Happy hour
Buy one get one free
Tender and juicy
Chef’s recommendation
Tuesday Special
Main course
Side dish
balanceddiet等等
这就是我们在准备口语过程中非常重要的环节,语料积累。
语料(pre-assembled chunk)的积累让你不再“囊中羞涩”。
大量的有意义的短语和固定搭配最终会形成你自己的语料库,在考试时根据题目类型调配组合,那么自然可以在短短的口语考试规定时间内,给出高质量的答案。
你永远的好朋友 Tony!
在举例时我们最经常用的一句话就是“take myself for example”, 但是不要忘记我们永远都可以有一个imaginary friend,比如Tony,在需要的时候为我们成为任何人。
来看这篇范文:
20170917 北美
What do you think is the worst quality a roommate could have? Being messy, or being noisy?
I think the worst quality a roommate could have is being messy.
Take my roommate Tony for example.
When I was in college, I had this roommate whose name is Tony and he was a really messy person.
He kept a dog in our room but he never walked his dog, so his dog peed and pooped in the dorm.
It was really messy and stinky.
Everyday when I go back to the dorm and look at this mess, I can’t put myself in a good mood.
Also, when someone is messy, you might have pest problems.
When I was living with Tony, he never put away his leftover food, so within just a couple of months, we’ve got cockroaches and rats in out apartment.
It was a horrible experience.
Tony就是这么万能。
看题:
“说一次你不小心伤害了别人情感的事”: 那么我可能一次口不择言伤害了Tony
“说一次难忘的旅行”:那么我和Tony在旅行路上糗事百出但互相照顾
“成功经营一家公司需要什么品质呢”:那么我曾经认识一个成功的企业家Tony
当然啦,Tony只是举一个例子,在自己的亲身经历或者亲身感受不适用的时候,我们可以用他人的经历来充实我们的段落。
一个满意的答案,形成往往分三步:1.
形成构思,想法:conceptualize,2.
再用自己的语言能力支撑:formulate,3.
最后用语言表达出来:articulate
在口语独立题的备考过程中,最开始我们可以采用背诵优秀段落的形式,大量的输入是一切一切的基础。
一些高质量的答案我们拿来背诵,反复录音练习,是一种很有效很重要的起步训练。
渐渐你就会发现在复述的过程中你会有自己的想法,删掉或替换掉一些别人生活中的例子,同时加入支撑自己论据的细节,还有一些自己习惯使用的短语,最终形成自己觉得舒服且可以自如使用的答案啦。
看完这篇,宝宝们是否还有其他不清楚的地方呢,欢迎来翰林咨询我们
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