GRE寫作ARGUMENT開頭段寫法介紹
GRE寫作ARGUMENT作為駁論文,其寫作特點(diǎn)是不需要考生本身提出某個(gè)觀點(diǎn),考生需要做的只是從給出的題目素材中尋找漏洞逐一反駁,這就給習(xí)慣了寫立論文開頭先寫觀點(diǎn)的考生帶來一些寫作思路上的挑戰(zhàn)。其實(shí)ARGUMENT開頭段除去拋出觀點(diǎn)外在寫法上和其它議論文是基本一致的,以下就是比較好的寫法:
1. 首句開門見山指出文章邏輯錯(cuò)誤
可以先通過一個(gè)小小的讓步,指出文章的論證有其道理(這里可以高度概括一下文章邏輯論證思路和方法by comparison … with…)relatively/appear to/seem to/well presented/after all(注意這里不要summery the argument,要immediately engage the argument!),然后筆鋒一轉(zhuǎn)however/while指出文章邏輯是有問題的。
2. 簡單概括文章的邏輯錯(cuò)誤,用高度凝練的語言提示下文論證思路
這里又分為好幾種方法:
a. 用first/in addition/also等清晰地列出文章邏輯錯(cuò)誤和下文反駁要點(diǎn)。
b. 指出施行題目中建議的后果。
c. 只提示下一段的論證,承接下一段(不推薦)。
d. 用列舉他因的方式提示下文論證要點(diǎn)。
以官方范文為例
Argument test 1: Speed Limits in Forestville.
Discuss how well reasoned you find this argument.
“Six months ago the region of Forestville increased the speed limit for vehicles traveling on the region's highways by ten miles per hour. Since that change took effect, the number of automobile accidents in that region has increased by 15 percent. But the speed limit in Elmsford, a region neighboring Forestville, remained unchanged, and automobile accidents declined slightly during the same six-month period. Therefore, if the citizens of Forestville want to reduce the number of automobile accidents on the region's highways, they should campaign to reduce Forestville's speed limit to what it was before the increase.”
Models from Practice Book
6分:
The agrument is well-presented, but not thoroughly well-reasoned. By making a comparison of the region of Forestville, the town with the higher speed limit and therefore automobile accidents, with the region of Elmsford, an area of a lower speed limit and subsequently fewer accidents, the argument for reducing Forestville's speed limits in order to decrease accidents seems logical.
However,
這篇開頭一開始就直截了當(dāng)指出這篇argument是not well reasoned,然后高度概括了題目中的要點(diǎn)和題目的觀點(diǎn),下文反駁的第一段就用however承接,邏輯連貫,是大家比較喜歡的argument開頭。
Argument test 2: Scott Woods
The following appeared as a letter to the editor of a local newspaper.
"Five years ago, we residents of Morganton voted to keep the publicly owned piece of land known as Scott Woods in a natural, undeveloped state. Our thinking was that, if no shopping centers or houses were built there, Scott Woods would continue to benefit our community as a natural parkland. But now that our town planning committee wants to purchase the land and build a school there, we should reconsider this issue. If the land becomes a school site, no shopping centers or houses can be built there, and substantial acreage would probably be devoted to athletic fields. There would be no better use of land in our community than this, since a large majority of our children participate in sports, and Scott Woods would continue to benefit our community as natural parkland."
This letter to the editor begins by stating the reasons the residents of Morganton voted to keep Scott Woods in an undeveloped state. The letter states that the entire community could benefit from an undeveloped parkland. The residents of the town wanted to ensure that no shopping centers or houses would be built there. This, in turn, would provide everyone in the community with a valuable resource, a natural park.
The letter then continues by addressing the issue of building a school on the land. The author reasons that this would also benefit the entire community as a natural parkland since much of the land would be devoted to athletic fields. The author of the letter comes to the conclusion that building a school on the land would be the best thing for everyone in the community.
This letter is a one-sided argument about the best use of the land known as Scott Woods. The author may be a parent whose child would benefit from a new school, a teacher who thinks a school would boost the community, or just a resident of Morganton. Regardless of who the author is, there are many aspects of this plan that he or she has overlooked or chosen to ignore.
這篇文章的開頭實(shí)在是太長了,個(gè)人不建議寫這樣的開頭,前兩段全部是對(duì)題目的改寫,第三段還用了兩行去猜這個(gè)argument作者的身份,畢竟我們只有30min去寫一篇argument,我認(rèn)為開頭還是開門見山,簡單明了地表明文章觀點(diǎn)比較好,把重點(diǎn)放在后面的論證部分。
我們可以看到commentary對(duì)這種開頭也并不看好!
COMMENTARY
This outstanding response begins somewhat hesitantly; the opening paragraphs summarize but do not immediately engage the argument. (注意,這句話的意思是,rater希望看到的是immediately engage the argument的文章,而不是summarize the argument!)However, the subsequent paragraphs target the central flaws in the argument and analyze them in almost microscopic detail.
Argument test 3: Smile Bright
Discuss how well reasoned you find this argument.
A recent survey of dental patients showed that people who use Smile-Bright toothpaste are most likely to have capped teeth -- artificial but natural-looking protective coverings placed by dentists on individual teeth. Those people who had begun using Smile-Bright toothpaste early in life were more likely to have capped teeth than were people who had begun using Smile-Bright later in life. In addition, those who reported brushing their teeth more than twice a day with Smile-Bright toothpaste were more likely to have caps on their teeth than were those who reported brushing with Smile-Bright less frequently. Therefore, people wishing to avoid having their teeth capped should not use Smile-Bright toothpaste.
The argument contains several facets that are questionable. First, the reliability and generalizability of the survey are open to quesiton. In addition, the argument assumes a correlation amounts to a causal relationship. The argument also fails to examine alternative explanations. I will discuss each of these facets in turn.
這篇開頭非常清晰地直接指出了文章的三個(gè)邏輯錯(cuò)誤,既高度概括了題目的邏輯錯(cuò)誤點(diǎn),又提示了下文的邏輯論證順序和內(nèi)容,使人一目了然,可以學(xué)習(xí)這種方式。
Argument test 4: Roller Skating
Discuss how well reasoned you find this argument.
Hospital statistics regarding people who go to the emergency room after rollerskating accidents indicate the need for more protective equipment. Within this group of people, 75 percent of those who had accidents in streets or parking lots were not wearing any protective clothing (helmets, knee pads, etc.) or any light-reflecting material (clip-on lights, glow-in-the-dark wrist pads, etc.). Clearly, these statistics indicate that by investing in high-quality protective gear and reflective equipment, rollerskaters will greatly reduce their risk of being severely injured in an accident.
Benchmark 6
The notion that protective gear reduces the injuries suffered in accidents seems at first glance to be an obvious conclusion. After all, (先來一個(gè)小讓步)it is the intent of these products to either prevent accidents from occuring in the first place or to reduce the injuries suffered by the wearer should an accident occur. However, the conclusion that investing in high quality protective gear greatly reduces the risk of being severely injured in an accident may mask other (and potentially more significant) causes of injuries and may inspire people to over invest financially and psychologically in protective gear. (指出了施行題目中建議的后果)
這篇開頭先高度概括題目中的結(jié)論,然后以after all引出一個(gè)小讓步,再用However指出如果實(shí)施這個(gè)建議會(huì)帶來什么后果,高度概括這個(gè)conclusion存在的兩個(gè)問題:忽略他因和人們的錯(cuò)誤投資,為下文的論證做鋪墊。
Argument test 5: University of Claria
Discuss how well reasoned you find this argument.
The University of Claria is generally considered one of the best universities in the world because of its instructors' reputation, which is based primarily on the extensive research and publishing record of certain faculty members. In addition, several faculty members are internationally renowned as leaders in their fields. For example, many of the faculty from the English department are regularly invited to teach at universities in other countries. Furthermore, two recent graduates of the physics department have gone on to become candidates for the Nobel Prize in Physics. And 75 percent of the students are able to find employment after graduating. Therefore, because of the reputation of its faculty, the University of Claria should be the obvious choice for anyone seeking a quality education.
SAMPLE-1 (score 6)
While the University of Claria appears to have an excellent reputation based on the accomplishments and reputations of its faculty, one would also wish to consider other issues before deciding upon this particular institution for undergraduate or graduate training.(開門見山對(duì)題目中的建議提出質(zhì)疑,通過先讓步再轉(zhuǎn)折的方法,先高度概括題目大意,再指出自己的觀點(diǎn)。)The Physics and English departments are internationally known, but these are only two of the areas in which one might study. Other departments are not listed; is this because no others are worth mentioning, or because no other departments bothered to turn in their accomplishments and kudos to the publicity office?(直接開始引出第一個(gè)TS)
這篇開頭也是開門見山對(duì)題目中的建議進(jìn)行質(zhì)疑,并引出第一個(gè)反駁的分論點(diǎn),下文緊接著這一段的末句展開論證,個(gè)人比較喜歡第一句,對(duì)第二句不是很有愛,最好能提示全文,不要只提示下一段吧。
Argument test 6: Silver Screen Movies
Discuss how well reasoned you find this argument.
The following is taken from a memo from the advertising director of the Silver Screen Movie Production Company.
"According to a recent report from our marketing department, fewer people attended movies produced by Silver Screen during the past year than in any other year. And yet the percentage of generally favorable comments by movie reviewers about specific Silver Screen movies actually increased during this period. Clearly, the contents of these reviews are not reaching enough of our prospective viewers; so the problem lies not with the quality of our movies but with the public's lack of awareness that movies of good quality are available. Silver Screen should therefore spend more of its budget next year on reaching the public through advertising and less on producing new movies."
SAMPLE-1 (score 6)
The argument presented above is relatively sound, however, the author fails to recognize all the elements necessary to evaluate his situation. The idea that more money be invested in advertising may be a helpful one, but perhaps not because people are unaware of the current reviews. To clarify, it may be necessary to advertise more in order to increase sales, however that could be due to many circumstances such as a decrease in the public's overall attendance, an increase in the cost of movies, or a lack of trust in the opinions of the reviewers.
這篇范文感覺跟大部分人寫的文章結(jié)構(gòu)很相近,大家朝著這個(gè)方向努力可能相對(duì)容易些。開頭還是先開門見山指出題目是有問題的,然后簡單指出題目的問題出在作者忽略了其他可能的原因,然后再用簡單的語言分別概括了三個(gè)他因。
以上就是小編為大家介紹的GRE寫作ARGUMENT開頭段的寫法和范文實(shí)例點(diǎn)評(píng),如果考生覺得自己寫不好ARGUMENT開頭段缺乏寫作思路靈感,那么看過本文后大家應(yīng)該會(huì)有所收獲,最后祝各位同學(xué)都能寫好GRE ARGUMENT作文拿到好成績。