我是 Ben 老师。今天我们首先先讲到的是托福写作的介绍。托福写作的题型
基本上有两种,相比其他例如 speaking 来讲会简单很多。只要掌握这两种
题型并熟悉它们的破解方法,基本上就能轻松应对。
一、托福写作的题型介绍
1.1 Integrated Writing(整合性写作)
题型介绍:第一题是万年不变的 integrated writing(整合性写作)。我们
需要整合 reading 和 listening 的资讯,变成一篇完整的 essay。
注意事项:这种题型完全不需要加入自己的意见,只需单纯地 summarize 内
容。关键在于如何抓住重点并建立清晰的框架。
准备方法:
通常,reading 部分会是一个偏学术性的 topic,会介绍三个例子或理论。
我们需要找出文章的主旨和这三个例子或理论的具体内容,并记在笔记上。
listening 部分由教授反驳 reading 的三个点,挑战它们不能支持主题。我
们要记下教授的反驳点,然后将 reading 和 listening 互相交织,形成一
个完整的答案。
考试时间:这题需在 20 分钟内写完 250 字。准备时间应该是充裕的,但如
果框架不熟练,可能会在时间上有些压力。
1.2 Academic Discussion Task(学术讨论题型)
题型介绍:第二题是 academic discussion task,去年新制的题型。这题只
有 10 分钟时间,需要读、想、写三个步骤。
注意事项:reading 部分会有一个教授提问,并有两个学生分别给出相反的
意见。我们需要选边站,表达自己的意见,并与两个学生互动。
准备方法:
选边站,表达自己的意见。
与两个学生互动,展示我们的观点和反驳。
清晰表达自己的立场和与学生的互动。
考试时间:这题需在 10 分钟内完成至少 100 个字。
二、托福写作的题型实际演练
接下来,我们通过实际演练来理解这两种题型。
Integrated Writing 演练
题目:
Reading (3 minutes):
For years, people have been cutting down trees to provide the
necessary materials to build homes and create various everyday
items. However, due to population increases and the advent of new
technology, clearing forests has become easier than ever. This has
led to deforestation, a state in which large areas of nature are
cleared of all trees. While some oppose deforestation, there are
many benefits that help improve people’s lives.
The clearing of large areas of land has provided an abundance of
farmland. In place of trees, large fields have been created which
can be used to raise both crops and livestock. As the world
population continues to increase, it’s crucial that enough food
is produced for every single citizen. Not only do these new farms
provide for local residents, but the local economy also benefits
if they produce a surplus which can be exported to other areas.
Secondly, cleared land is not only used for farming, but for the
development of new residential areas. As previously mentioned, the
global population is rising, and with more people comes an
increased demand for living space. This arrangement also benefits
the regional economy. Investors buy up areas of land, employ
locals to build homes and buildings, and a new urban area arises
where people can live, work, and thrive.
Finally, it’s important to remember that the forestry industry is
an integral part of many national economies. In countries like
Brazil, Thailand, and Indonesia, there is a large percentage of
the population who rely on deforestation as a source of income. In
order to satisfy the world’s demand for paper, furniture, and
lumber, thousands of jobs have already been created. What will
happen to these workers if this industry is shut down?
Summarize the points made in the lecture, being sure to explain
how they cast doubt on the specific points made in the reading
passage. You have 20 minutes to write your answer.
答案:
The reading and the lecture are both about deforestation, the
clearing and cutting down of trees in a large area. While the
author of the article argues that there are many benefits to
deforestation, the lecturer disputes the claims presented in the
article. The lecturer’s position is that deforestation has many
consequences, and attacks each of the claims made in the reading.
According to the reading, cutting down trees creates farmlands now
suitable for growing crops and raising livestock. The author
states that this provides more food for people and can benefit the
economy. This argument is challenged by the lecturer, claiming
that it is not necessary to destroy rainforests for land to farm.
In addition, the lecturer points out that there are advanced
technologies that allow for alternative ways to farm without soil.
Secondly, the author suggests that clearing the areas also
provides residential space for people to live and work in; a
concern as the population continues to increase. The lecturer,
however, asserts that deforestation displaces the animals from the
forest and destroys the plants which provide us with oxygen. He
goes on to say that this long-term cost is not worth the money
people can make from residential developments on the land.
Finally, the author puts forth the idea that cutting down trees is
necessary for many national economies. The author contends that
thousands of jobs have been created due to deforestation. In
contrast, the lecturer’s stance is that those who work in the
wood cutting industry are actually paid very small wages. He says
that deforestation does not benefit the workers at all, but rather
the large company owners.
老师讲解:
好,当我们遇到这种整合性写作时,我们要怎么去准备呢?基本上这种题型
会有一个 reading 和一个 listening,我们要做的就是把它们两个资讯全部
整合在一起。
做笔记:reading 和 listening 的重点要抓出来。
利用框架的建立方法,知道我们的框架怎样,需要哪些资讯。这里可能需要
一个 main statement,这里可能需要一个 supporting argument 等等。
找出连接词,通常连接词后面会有我们需要的东西。例如,reading 的第一
段要找出 main subject 和定义。
抓重点:
例如,第一段的主旨是 deforestation,接下来是它的三个好处。我们找到
deforestation 和 benefits of deforestation 的资讯,后面三个段落的
main statement 和 supporting statement 也要找出来。
例如,第一段的主旨是 deforestation,接下来是它的三个好处。我们找到
deforestation 和 benefits of deforestation 的资讯,后面三个段落的
main statement 和 supporting statement 也要找出来。
Listening 部分:
教授会反驳 reading 的三个好处。我们一样要找出每一段的 main
argument 和 supporting argument。例如,第一段的重点是 it’s not
necessary to destroy rainforest for land to farm,抓住连接词后面的
重点,记下主要论点。第二段反驳 residential areas 的好处,指出
deforestation 的长期代价不值得。第三段反驳 national economies 的好
处,指出工作人员的工资很低,并不真正受益于 deforestation。
Academic Discussion Task 演练
题目:
Your professor is teaching a class on education. Write a post
responding to the professor’s question. In your response, you
should
express and support your personal opinion
make a contribution to the discussion in your own words An
effective response will contain at least 100 words. You have ten
minutes to write.
Professor: A new story about Artificial Intelligence (AI) is in
the news almost every day. And, of course, companies are spending
an enormous amount of money to develop new technologies related to
AI. Before next class, I want you to consider the following
question: Is AI a dangerous technology that, overall, will be
harmful to society, or is it a powerful tool that will improve the
lives of people?
Megan: Personally, I think AI is a threat. As AI advances, many
jobs may become automated, leaving people without work. That will
certainly increase income inequality. Additionally, there’s the
risk that AI systems could be programmed with biases or used to
discriminate against certain groups. We need to be careful and
ensure that AI is developed in an ethical and responsible way.
Since we can’t guarantee that right now, I think it is best to
slow down.
David: I disagree with Megan. I’m of the opinion that AI has the
potential to solve many of the world’s problems, from climate
change to disease. Additionally, AI can help us make better
decisions by analyzing vast amounts of data and identifying
patterns that humans may miss. That said, I agree with Megan that
we must ensure that AI is developed and used in a responsible way
that benefits society as a whole.
答案:
Personally, I believe that AI technology will only be an impactful
tool that can improve our lives in the future. I strongly agree
with David’s idea that many world’s issues like climate change
and disease could potentially be dealt with by AI. I’d add that
the algorithm will allow this technology to complete numerous
tasks more efficiently in order to cut down manual effort, such as
customer service and text comprehension. While Megan raised the
relevant point that income inequality could be one of the
consequences as many jobs may become automated due to the AI
advancement, she didn’t mention that there are still plenty of
important jobs that are irreplaceable by technology, especially
those that require human empathy. To be specific, although we can
talk to Alexa or Siri to check up on the weather or news, it is
hard to build a trusting relationship and find mental health
support from AI because they are highly dependent on human
interaction. Therefore, I think that despite some concerns, AI
will undoubtedly be a useful tool to assist our daily lives.
老师讲解:
当我们在准备 academic discussion task 的时候,基本上我们读加想加写
只有 10 分钟,读的时候尽量要把时间省下来,尽量能找到重点赶快开始写
。
找到 professor 的问题:通常这个问题在最后一句,直接先读最后一句就好
,如果题目不清楚再去前面看前言的部分。
例如,is AI a dangerous technology that overall will be harmful to
society or is it a powerful tool that will improve the lives of
people?题目非常清楚了,问你 AI 是不是危险的工具,我们要做的就是选
边站。
选边站:
以这个 answer 为例,我们是 support AI is gonna become a powerful
tool to improve our lives,首先 straight to the point 回答问题,
personally I believe that AI technology will only be an impactful
tool that can improve our lives in the future,straight to the
point,不需要太多前言。
与学生互动:
先与 David 互动,因为他跟我们站同一边,summarize 他为什么,reason
是什么,I strongly agree with David’s idea that many world issues
like climate change and disease could potentially be dealt with
by AI,summarize,结束。
加入自己的 opinion,为什么也支持 AI 对人们有帮助,efficient,让流程
变得非常 efficient,I will add that the algorithm will allow this
technology to complete numerous tasks more efficiently in order to
cut down manual efforts,减少人力,节省人力成本,such as customer
service and text comprehension,more efficient,带一点 example,
customer service, text comprehension,这些工作容易被 replaced,也可
以省下很多人力成本。
与 Megan 互动,虽然站不同边,不支持 AI,也 summarize 让她
recognize your point,while Megan raises the relevant point that
income inequality could be one of the consequences as many jobs
may become automated due to the AI advancement,再来 challenge,她
没有提到还有其他重要工作不能被技术取代,especially those that
require human empathy,很多需要人们同情心的东西,AI 做不到,这个
example 再进部分,一句话就好,to be specific, although we can talk
to Alexa or Siri to check up the weather or the news, it’s hard
to build a trusting relationship or find mental support from AI
because they’re highly dependent on human interaction。
总结:therefore I think that despite some concerns, AI will
undoubtedly be a useful tool to assist our daily lives in the
future。清楚的开头,与第一个学生互动,自己 opinion,与第二个学生互
动,反对第二个学生,最后 conclusion,框架完整,10 分钟内写完,抓时
间,如果时间不够,一些 example 可以省略性删除,主要还是大方向
opinion 和反对点讲清楚,有时间再补 support。
三、学生通常托福写作上的盲点为何?老师会如何帮助他们进步
以过去来讲,我基本上平均帮学生提高 20-40 分的总分左右,通常如果同学
一开始第一次考可能只有 60-70 分,但成绩不满意,我会帮他们提高到 80
以上,80 是基本分。只要框架建立清楚,时间和框架掌握住,基本分很容
易有。
学生比较多的问题,方向上基本上第一个是连接词用得不顺,都用一些很基
本的 first, second, third 或 the first reason is, second reason is
,这些很容易改,平替用 to begin with, to start with, moreover, in
addition, furthermore 这些连接词,therefore, as a result,帮助你替
换基本的 also, but。这是第一个帮助学生把答案脱颖而出的很大方法。
再来是精简改写,很多同学不太容易快速把东西精简浓缩,时间花很多,
complain 时间不够。这部分我们会有几个专门精简改写的练习,先看别人怎
么做,再学习资讯很多时候怎么快速浓缩,意识不漏掉。再有第三点是最多
学生会遇到,写作第一题 listening 听不清楚,找不到重点,最好的练习方
法是提升听力。一开始听不懂没关系,多听 2-3 次,不讲解,让自己听,把
笔记补完。每一段找两句话的方向,多听几次,重点找出来再讨论,找不到
一句一句来。通常这样帮助学生,他们会有很大进步。后面越来越顺,就算
词汇量不多或听不懂,只要知道一段找两句话,压力小很多。快速笔记也是
帮助学生的点,熟悉这些点后,分数马上提高,因为知道怎么建立框架,需
要的是资讯,填进去分数自然高。
再来第四点,时间掌控,框架搞定后就是时间掌控。我用刚刚的应试技巧,
很大程度帮助每个写不完的学生。慢慢压,不会一开始就强求在时间内写完
,一开始先写 15 分钟,下次写 12 分钟,只要比上一次好就是进步,比之
前快多一分钟也好。多几秒进步不大,但每次练习有比之前好,考试前多练
,压到 10 分钟内或第一题 20 分钟内,时间问题解决。
四、关于托福写作要得高分的诀窍总结
框架:最重要的一点。利用 template 学习建立框架,让每一段对称,主题
发展明确。而且不要无限延伸,不要一直拖,尤其是 example。时间有限,
讲到点就卡掉,move on to the next section。
笔记:笔记一定要自己看得懂,多练习从关键字生出完整句子。抓不到重点
时,锁定一段找两句话,尤其是 supporting statement,前面漏掉了,后面
还有机会。main argument 找连接词,first, second, third,后面通常有
需要的东西,锁定关键字,笔记会好很多。
时间:时间掌控非常重要,平常练习多用码表看每个 section 花多少时间。
如果时间不够,先拿掉加分的东西,先建构基本分的东西。确认框架对称,
在时间内把剩下的东西补齐或去掉。
连接词和精简改写:利用连接词,精简改写的技巧,帮助提高分数。不要硬
把中文翻成英文,换种方式讲,一样意思就好。不要刻意用难字,有 broad
range of vocabulary 是好,但不必刻意用难字替换原本的字。
自信:对自己的答案有自信,避免使用 maybe, probably 这些字眼,尤其在
讲自己 opinion 的时候。选择能展现自信的字,该断句的地方要断句,句子
精简,straight to the point。
希望上述这些技巧能帮助大家在托福写作中取得好成绩。祝所有考生都能取
得理想的分数!