阐释道理型六级作文写作策略

2014年6月六级考试的作文沿用了2013年6月六级考试中出现的阐释道理型的写作命题思路，即要求考生根据一句名言、谚语或俗语写一篇议论文。本文拟以此次六级考试的三道写作真题为例，从开头方法、论证方法和结尾方法三个方面与考生谈谈如何应对阐释道理型六级作文。

真题回顾

与以往两次考试中出现的抽象、晦涩的名言不同，此次六级考试中出现的三道作文题目涉及的都是一些为人处世的道理，这些道理更加贴近日常生活，寓意明白晓畅，因此考生在理解题目方面应该没有问题。下面我们分别来看本次考试出现的三道写作真题。

题目一

Directions： For this part， you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay explaining why it is unwise to put all your eggs in one basket. You can give examples to illustrate your point. You should write at least 150 words but no more than 200 words.

审题：这道题目中包含的俗语（不要把所有鸡蛋都放在同一个篮子里）揭示的是一种人生智慧。其蕴含的道理非常浅显，那就是凡事要留有余地，不可孤注一掷。

题目二

Directions： For this part， you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay explaining why it is unwise to jump to conclusions upon seeing or hearing something. You can give examples to illustrate your point. You should write at least 150 words but no more than 200 words.

审题：这道题目中包含的俗语是一个生活经验，即不要一看到或听到什么就仓促下结论。

题目三

Directions： For this part， you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay explaining why it is unwise to judge a person by their appearance. You can give examples to illustrate your point. You should write at least 150 words but no more than 200 words.

审题：这道题目中包含的俗语也是一个生活经验，即不要以貌取人。

开头段写作策略

阐释道理型六级作文宜写成三个段落。其中开头段有两重作用：一是引起读者的阅读兴趣，二是引出文章所讨论的话题。只要能起到上述作用，开头段在写法上可以不拘一格。常见的开头方法有三种，下面分别举例说明。

1开门见山

考生可以在开篇第一句话就点出题目中所包含的俗语，然后简要解释其寓意，从而引出文章要讨论的话题。比如题目一就可以这样开头：

An old saying goes “never put all your eggs in one basket.” It warns us not to risk losing everything by pinning all our hopes on one action. I believe there is a lot of truth in this saying.

2引用俗语

考生可以在开篇第一句话先引用一个与话题密切相关的俗语，然后通过解释这个俗语来引出文章要讨论的话题。比如题目二就可以这样开头：

As an old saying goes， “Act in haste， repent at leisure.” The saying warns us against jumping to conclusions upon seeing or hearing something. Let me tell you a story to illustrate this point.

3故事开篇

考生可以在文章开篇先讲一个逸闻轶事，以此来引出所要讨论的话题。这种写法生动有趣，被广泛应用于英语新闻特写和专栏文章中。比如题目三就可以这样开头：

Rebecca Zhang， a top student in my department， has had the blues. She was turned down again at the job interview last week because of her plain looks. Zhang’s case is hardly unique in today’s society， where a person is often judged by his or her appearance.

需要提醒考生的是，用故事法开头时须注意以下三点：第一，故事要动人，能吸引读者的注意力，因此最好选择那些可喜、可愕、可悲、可叹的事件；第二，故事要简短，毕竟它只是一个引子；第三，故事讲完后要迅速地过渡到文章所讨论的话题，此时可以使用一些起过渡作用的句型，如the story is not rare/alone/isolated或sb.’s case is far from unique等。

论证段写作策略

阐释道理型作文的第二段要阐明题目中名言、谚语或俗语所蕴含的道理，这是文章的重心所在。虽然此次六级考试三道作文题目中的道理浅显易懂，但是写起来并不轻松，因为很多考生不知道该如何将这些似乎不言自明的道理解释明白。因此要写好阐释道理型作文，考生还需掌握一项重要的论证技巧，那就是举例论证。有些考生以为只能以伟人事迹为例，其实不然，除此之外，考生也可以使用下面三种常用的举例素材。

1凡人小事

与汉语议论文不同的是，英语议论文中的例子不拘一格，既可以是名人轶事，也可以是凡人小事，还可以是作者的亲身经历。只要能证明道理，都可以娓娓道来。以题目一为例，考生要论证“不要把所有鸡蛋都放在同一个篮子里”这个道理，可以举出自己表弟的例子：他一心想上哈佛大学，但在留学申请时同时申请了好几所美国的大学；最后虽然没能上哈佛，但也不至于一无所获，去了芝加哥大学。这样的例子既简单又贴切，请看下面的参考范文。

It is obvious that if we put all our eggs in one basket and then drop it， we will break all the eggs. Similarly， if we pin all our hopes on one course of action and it fails， then we will be in a tight corner. So the surest way is to put our eggs in several different baskets for safekeeping. A cousin of mine makes a good example. Although he was set on going to Harvard University， he applied to several American universities to avoid having all his eggs in one basket. This strategy worked well for him， for he was eventually admitted to the University of Chicago.

2传说故事

神话传说、民间故事也可以成为很好的例子。相对于中国文化来说，西方文化是一种更为强势的文化，因此考生可以尽量举西方人所熟悉的传说故事。以题目二为例，考生在论证“不要一看到或听到什么就仓促下结论”这个道理时，就可以举出英国一个有名的传说：北威尔士王子Llywelyn一时冲动，误杀了他的一条忠实的狗，结果酿成大错。请看下面的参考范文。

Legend has it that Llywelyn， a Prince in north Wales， had a faithful dog called Gelert. One day the prince went hunting with his men and told the dog to stay at home and look after his baby son. On his return， he was greeted by Gelert， jaws dripping with blood. He was alarmed and searched for his son but there was no sign of him. Llywelyn concluded that Gelert had savaged his baby. Mad with grief， he killed the dog. Then he heard a child’s cry coming from outside. He ran out of the house and found the baby lying on the ground unhurt. Near him was a dead wolf. Thus his hasty conclusion led to an egregious mistake.

3媒体红人

备受新闻媒体关注的人物也可以成为考生写作时的例子。以题目三为例，考生要论证“不能以貌取人”这个观点时，就可以举出英国苏珊大妈（Susan Boyle）的例子。在2009年的《英国达人》选秀比赛中，相貌平平的苏珊大妈以美妙的天籁之音震惊全场，最后取得决赛第二名的成绩。这件事曾被全球媒体广泛报道，成为人们热议的话题，因此以苏珊大妈为例来证明“人不可貌相”再合适不过了。请看下面的参考范文。

But it is unwise to judge a book by its cover. Consider Susan Boyle. When she walked onto the stage of Britain’s Got Talent on April 11， 2009， everyone’s first impression of her was unfavorable. In fact， many in the audience， even the show’s judges， laughed at or made fun of her plain appearance. But once she began to sing， they changed their minds. She finished second in the final and became one of the top-selling artists with her album I Dreamed a Dream. Susan’s story is a compelling reason why looks shouldn’t be overrated.

俗话说，一例胜千言。一个恰当的例子可以把一个抽象的道理说得既生动又明白。举例论证还能化难为易，因为讲述一个具体的事例总比抽象地说理更容易下笔。而要在写作时举出适当的例子，考生平时就要做有心人，在阅读中多思考、多积累。但凡名人轶事、凡人小事、亲身经历、历史事件、神话传说，只要能够阐明一个道理，都要留心。但是考生须知，讲述事例只是手段，是为了证明一个道理，因此叙事要与所证明的道理紧密联系，在写作时最好夹叙夹议。

结尾段写作策略

阐释道理型六级作文的结尾段一般要指出这个道理的现实意义，并号召大家践行这个道理。结尾段并无实质内容，其主要作用是照应开头、重述主题，加深读者的印象，并给读者一种圆满的感觉。结尾段的写作讲究简洁明快，一般两三句话即可，切勿画蛇添足。

就题目一来说，考生可以先指出把所有鸡蛋放在同一个篮子里的害处，然后建议大家不可把所有的时间、金钱或者精力都投入到一件事当中。请看下面的参考范文。

Putting all eggs in one basket is a sure recipe for disappointment or even tragedy. Thus， it is advisable that we not invest all our time， money， or energy in only one option in any endeavor.

就题目二来说，考生可以先承接上文，指出生活中的确有很多情况让我们容易仓促下结论，然后号召大家时刻保持头脑冷静，三思而后行。请看下面的参考范文。

Though such an extreme example is rare， there are circumstances in our daily life where it is tempting to rush to conclusions. So let’s always keep a cool head and think twice before arriving at any conclusions.

就题目三来说，考生可以先指出外貌往往是靠不住的，然后建议大家不可以貌取人。需要注意的是，结尾段在内容上往往与开头段很相似，所以要注意变换说法，避免措辞重复。请看下面的参考范文。

Looks can be deceptive. Therefore， we should always resist the temptation to judge others based on their physical appearance. Anyway， who says an ugly duckling cannot turn into a beautiful swan？

总之，经过几次考试之后，阐释道理型作文的命题方式逐渐走向成熟。考生只要掌握这种题目的审题立意、结构布局和展开论证的一些策略，多加练习，并在平时的阅读中勤于积累，写出高分的六级作文并非难事。