问及中国学生写作的困境， 不仅仅是学生甚至是某些学者， 近乎异口同声： “ 词汇量不足” 云云。其实这种所谓的词汇量问题，虽然不敢断然否定其存在，但是在培养学生写作技能的初级阶段根本不是问题，如果说词汇是个问题，那么至少是写作技能提高阶段的问题。在参加诸如GRE考试和GMAT考试的写作中，都不应该鼓励学生使用复杂的词汇量。
在考生參加國內英語考試寫作，比如四級，六級，考研，在職碩士等領域，根本不應該提及。否則對學生應試分數提高，造成誤導。爲什麽這樣說呢？
第一個原因是：中國高中水平以上學生英語學習，主要是積累詞彙，大部分考生已經具備2000個英語詞彙。這對于基本生活中問題的表達和闡述，以及應付各種考試已經綽綽有余。問題是考生根本不會合理地使用自己已經掌握的詞彙。如果自己已經有的，不去合理利用，反而追求自己沒有的，豈不是非常荒謬？這是一個非常淺顯的道理：用好自己已經有的資源！
我舉個例子來證明這種教學理念。表格兩欄，分別表達不同的詞彙，左面一欄，教學實踐統計表明，97.3%的高中生已經掌握，右面一欄，在GRE班上只有7%的學生認知含義。
現在我們考慮一道雅思作文題目：
Some people say that it wastes both time and money to protect animals while others say that it is useful to protect animals. What is your opinion?
如果指導學生用自己已經掌握的單詞，完成這樣的作文考試，考生實際上可以考到8分。下面是一種寫法：
What are the values of animals? Fish and shrimp give people foods; birds give poets new ideas and ideals; even a simple fly offer scientists new information for research. Clearly, animals are important. Then who can say that it is a waster of money to protect such important things? I believe that human should protect animals.
56 words
譯文：
動物的價值是什麽呢？魚和蝦給我們食物，鳥兒給詩人理想和靈感，甚至是簡單的蒼蠅也爲科學家提供新的研究信息。顯然，動物是重要的。那麽，誰又能說保護如此重要的動物是浪費呢？我認爲，人類應該保護動物。
使用複雜的詞彙寫作
Cetaceans are not created to decorate the immense chaotic oceans or to offer poets or littérateurs aspirations or inspirations. Nor does falconry soar towards the empyrean and scud in the firmament to demonstrate His almightiness. Then humans, the wretched descendents of Adams as the scripture tells within the eon, have been meditating such questions as why creatures exist. Were they once created by the omnipotent God or what scientists termed as nature? Recently both philosophers and environmentalists ponder that whether or not human beings should carry out campaigns to salvage wildlife. The question is that such campaigns might constitute considerable deteriorate elements both to the flora and fauna。
譯文：
上帝创造鲸鱼，并不是为了点缀那广漠无垠喧嚣混沌的海洋，也不是为了激发诗人或者文人骚客的灵感或者情感；鹰击长空，掠过天宇也不是为了证明自然的威力。人类，根据万古流传的经文传说，是那亚当的子孙，一直在思考着生物为什么存在于世的问题。 究竟生物为万能的造物主所一时创造，还是科学家冠以为“自然”的呢？现在，无论哲学家还是环境保护主义者都在思考人类究竟是否要发起拯救动物的行动。问题是诸如此类的救助行为可能成为恶化动植物区系的因素。
講解：
前後兩篇範文都是出手不凡。但是，第二篇使用複雜的詞彙寫作，一般考生會感到：此曲只應天上有，人間能得幾回聞？但是第一篇範文完全使用考生熟悉的詞彙。
可以看出，能够写出如此流畅的作文，并不是使用了复杂的单词，而是一种文章的结构和作者的思路。实际上使用右面一栏的单词，表达的思想完全可以用左面这些考生熟悉的词汇完成。考试要求考生写出250个单词的作文，二考生实际应试需要的词汇，最多是200个。加上不同的作文题目的题材变化的考虑，考生用已经掌握的2000个单词可以取得非常高的分数。 遗憾的不是考生词汇量不够，而是考生的脑海中根本没有把这些单词变成句子。中国学生学习英文仿佛就是背诵单词。
作者本人就是在大学期间受这种错误教学理念的误导，背诵了一本新英汉字典，背了四年，背了至少不下千遍，可是写出的文章还是狗屁不通。于是，又去背诵梁实秋编写的《远东英汉大词典》，还是制造不出文章。后来遇到了哈佛大学的朋友，她给了我一本BIBLE, 告诉我每天读，注意句子的构成和句子之间的关系。我开始非常反感，认为这是侮辱我的宗教信仰。当时我甚至觉得这个朋友动机不纯，有拉我下水的恶意。
可是當我讀到聖經中優美的句子時候，我甚至陶醉了，當時我在北大未名湖畔，這樣的句子感動了我：
you are the salt of the earth…
You are the light of the world…
will shine before humanity
这里面的美在于一种单纯和简单。之后，我每日都读圣经，学习英语表达的技术，久而久之，感悟到其中的美，就逐渐开始欣赏英语简单词汇表达的美丽和艺术。后来从学生变成老师，我教授美国文学和语言学，着重分析过ERNEST HEMINGWAY作品词汇的朴素和执着的表现力。在THE SUN ALSO RISE中，读者完全可以品味如何用最简单的词汇表达最高尚的人类思维。
其實，複雜的詞彙是學生一時半時無法掌握的，反而是簡單的單詞如何用好，成爲英語寫作應試教學初級的主要課題。如果用好簡單的詞彙，就可以逐步追求表達的准確和精確，使用複雜的詞彙。可是一開始就鼓勵學生背誦大量的詞彙，既不現實，也對于應試于事無補。
比如我再舉個例子，還是雅思考試的題目。
Computers are now widely used in education so the teachers are not as important as they were before computers were popular. Do you agree or disagree with this point?
範文
Compared with other human inventions and innovations, computers, the cold machines that are definitely devoid of soul, admittedly, have been playing a significant role in shaping and reflecting human life, study, and work patterns. Thus at one time the average public was flooded by the overwhelming written materials and advertisements advocating, or even exaggeratedly promoting, various computers and their affiliated software, making it hard for the people to distinguish the facts from fictions. Worst of all, some scholars and engineers even imprudently “forecast” that computers will finally replace or supersede teachers in education. On the strength of philosophical and scientific analysis in a far more profound and insightful way, I solemnly and firmly gainsay such a misguiding argument and put forward that never in history have any human made machines had superseded, in its strict sense, human beings, nor will they。
譯文
和其它人類得發明革新相比，計算機，這種毫無靈魂的冰冷機器，誠然在塑造並反映人類工作，生活，和學習模式上起到重要得作用。因而，一度人們爲潮水般的，大肆宣揚甚至是誇張促銷計算機及其相關軟件的書面材料和廣告所包圍，使得一般公衆難辨真僞。更有甚者，某些學者和工程人員不負責任地鼓吹計算機最終會因其優越行而取代教授。根據深刻致密的哲學和科學分析，我堅定地，嚴肅地否定這種誤導性的論點。我指出，曆史上從來沒有任何機器，從嚴格的字面意義上講，曾經取代過人類。將來也不會。
講解
這種文章，考生看到幾乎沒有不認識的單詞，但是要是讓考生寫出這樣的句子，筆者鬥膽斷言，實在是：“蜀道難，難于上青天”。爲什麽會有這種現象出現呢？別人寫，考生認識，可是自己怎麽也些不出來。什麽原因呢？
道理非常簡單：考生死記硬背單詞的漢語意義，而不是在英語的文章中學習單詞的用法和搭配。導致的後果就是寫不出真正的文章。
針對這個問題。筆者提出讀寫教程的學習方法。並且，在新東方已經試點。學生是一些高中考不上大學的所謂“留學垃圾”(其實我本人反對這種說法)。先看教學之前，考生的作文。我隨機從2000份作文中抽取兩篇，一字不差地原文轉載學生的習作：
学生作文之一 30分钟
someone said that teachers not no longer useful, nevertheless I don’t agree it。
Now, computers are widely in all kinds of fields. And it is more and more important. But some of special fields computers can’t do any thing. For example, whe the child was young. They come to school. They can’t use any machine before. They need a warm hand from mother techer more than cold computer key. So I don’t agree it。
这是一名中国考生在30分钟内写的“文章”—— 其实，根本不是文章。错误百出，时态混乱，动词错误，逻辑关系不明等等错误。
学生作文之二 30分钟
Compared to the automobile or train, the bicycle nowadays tends to be more common as a transport. Some people are think that the bicycle is the best way to tour. I am of the opinion that riding bicycle has advantage and disadvantages。
To begin with, bicycle is the cheapest transport. In china, people just need spend RMB 400 to buy a high quality bicycle. The car, however, at least is spent RMB 40000. To many Chinese people, they prefer to buy a bicycle because they have no enough money to buy a car. Next, sometimes riding bicycle is more convenient than driving a car. For example, I have to spend 1 hour to drive car cover 10 miles during the rush hour from my home to my office in Beijing. At same distance, I only need 20 minutes by riding bicycle. Finally, I think the bicycle do not make heavy pollution to our environment。
這些文字是在中國考生中非常有代表性的。其他教師和考生可以閱讀類似的作文，然後進行批改訓練。提高自己的寫作教學和寫作能力。
根据这些情况，我在NATIONAL GEOGRAPHY 杂志上选取了部分含有考生需要的句型，首先进行分析，然后让学生模仿。看看下面选取的一段文字：
The wolves play an integral part in the ecosystem in the archipelago, and their diet can offer scientists important clues about the dynamics between predator and prey。
Investigating the feces of the elusive wolves, Darimont found that their diets consist to a large extent of black-tailed deer. But he also found that their diets vary greatly depending on location. On the outer islands, for example, wolves are far less likely to have a deer for lunch than on the inner islands。
These findings suggest that wolves can deplete resources in isolated areas, making the link between the predators and their prey more delicate there。
The information is important for understanding not only island ecosystems, but also for conservation efforts. If scientists can understand how species behave on isolated islands, they may be able to figure out how the species will behave in other places that are becoming more fragmented。
选自：Canada"s Rain Forest Wolves a Link to Past
Stefan Lovgren October 1, 2004
從這段文字中，我首先教學生學習：
ecosystem
biota
biodiversity
play an integral part in
play a key role in
offer somebody something
dynamics between …and…
predators and prey
然後根據第二個段落，講解現在分詞短語結構，
consist of consist to a large extent of
depend on depend to a large extent on
比較結構的對稱性和倒裝性
be likely to do something
not only…but also…
然後指導學生學習寫作：分析下面一篇學生作文：
Living in the big cities, people are more likely to forget the key roles that animals play in an ecosystem. But almost all animals can do good, directly or indirectly, to our life. For example, fish and shrimp offer not only foods but also scientific research materials. Birds in various colors and shapes offer scientists new clues to understand the dynamic between human and other animals. From this point of view, animals must be well protected。
這是，授課結束後，一個學生的寫作。對比前後兩篇作文，明顯看到進步。
如果我只是单纯地讲解单词，学生不可那写出这样的文章。但是，我给学生讲解的完整的句子和句子之间的逻辑关系。就直接启发学生的思维，导致分数的提高。 从这个教学实例可以推出，教学生提高句子量，应该是写作突破的方法之一。
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发表于 2018-10-24 12:37:29
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