中考英语写作之看图作文(汇集20篇)

状物写景要富有活力，运用传说也是一个重要途径。小编收集了2017年中考写景作文写作指导，欢迎阅读。

一、要观察景物变化的全过程。从开始到最后，凡有变化的都要细致观察。比如植物，它的发芽、开花、结果等各个生长期都有不同的特点，如果细致观察了全过程，就容易抓住它的特征进行描述。

二、捕捉景物的颜色和姿态。自然界的颜色是七彩的，自然界的万物是各具形态的。我们在观察时，就要善于捕捉到景物的颜色和姿态。

三、调动各种感觉器官来观察。有一则寓言：一天，五种器官相互争吵起来。“眼睛”瞪得圆圆地说：“没有我，你们什么也看不见!”“耳朵”不服气地说：“少了我，你们啥也听不见!”“鼻子”哼了一声：“要是没了我，你们能闻见花的芳香?”“舌头”伸得长长地说：“嘻!如果不是我，你们能尝到美味佳肴?”“身体”在一旁发起抖来。“眼睛”好奇地问：“你怎么啦?”“身体”说：“听你们这样争吵，我浑身冷飕飕的，――不知你们想过没有，要是我们互不相让，各自离散，那我们还有什么存在的价值呢?”这个寓言形象地表明一个道理：当人们观察景或物时，需要多种器官的配合。借助“五官”，往往能描绘出景物的特点。

世界上的景和物是丰富多采的，如果“眉毛胡子一把抓”，将它们都写进文章里，那样的文章肯定是繁杂冗长，不知所云。正确的做法应该是：根据中心思想的需要，有选择、有重点地状物绘景，这样笔力集中，便于写得细腻，写得丰满。围绕中心，状物写景，不是说和中心思想关系密切的就写，和中心思想关系间接的就不写。对于那些与中心思想关系密切的景或物要重点写，和中心思想关系间接的也要写，只是笔墨轻一点罢了。当然，对于那些和中心思想毫无关系的景或物，应当一律舍弃。

游踪，就是游览一个地方所经过的路线、踪迹。浏览一个地方，往往要经过许多地方，看到许多景物。行文的时候必须按照游览先后顺序记叙，清楚地交代先到了什么地方，后到了什么地方。准确地把游踪写清楚，才能够具体描述景物所处的地点、方位、特征。写清楚游踪的主要途径是“移步换景”，即随着游览、参观者的立足点不断转移，相应描述不同地点所见的景物。通过“移步换景”，游览、参观的游踪，景物的位置，景物和景物之间的空间关系，都容易描述清楚。作者如同一名导游，领着读者一个点、一个点地游览、参观。为了使状物绘景更生动、更具体、更形象，我们还可以采用多种表现手段来丰富描写，从而增添文章的情趣。常见的表现手段主要是：

一、用比喻等手法状物绘景。

着名作家老舍先生说过：“在描写时，不能不设喻。”确实这样，只有通过比喻，才能把简单的东西具体化，抽象的东西形象化。比如作者把稻穗的颜色比作“黄金般”，就生动形象地写出丰收的景象。又如作者把耶诞红比作淑女，也生动形象地写出耶诞红的美丽。不过话要说回来，比喻也要创新。如果总把某种景物的比喻固定化，那是不会增添文章的情趣的。有个伟人说过，第一个把姑娘比作鲜花的是天才，第二个把姑娘比作鲜花的是庸才，第三个则是蠢才。恐怕他说的也是这个道理。

拟人，是把没有思想感情的生物当作有思想感情的人来写，它也往往能使语言富有魅力。例如“原野上的青草，换上青翠的衣服”，作者这样一比拟，就把春去夏来的意思委婉地表达出来。把春天人格化为“春天是个插花的能手”，“春天是个美丽活泼的仙子”，“春天是个慈祥的守护神”，“春天是一位伟大的画家”。这样状物写景，文章就更富有感染力。

二、用动静结合的手法状物绘景。

有这样一则幽默故事：“动”与“静”是一对冤家。一见面总爱吵个没完。一次，“静”对“动”说：“你怎么老跟着我?让我独自呆一会不行吗?”“动”回答：“那怎么行!没有我，人家怎么能认出你来?”“静”不服气地说：“你举例说说。”“古人笔下有这么两句诗：‘蝉噪林愈静，鸟鸣山更幽。’如果不写‘蝉噪’、‘鸟鸣’的动态，怎么能知道‘林静’‘山更幽’呢?还有……”“得了，得了!这么说，我俩是形影不离呀!”“对，互相依存，共同体现”。这个故事说明：以动写静，动静结合，这是状物绘景中高妙的一着，它能使文章情趣盎然。

三、运用传说，状物绘景。

状物写景要富有活力，运用传说也是一个重要途径。我们在描写景物时，插入一些故事逸闻、神话传说、典故名言、文史资料、民俗谚语，使景和物蒙上一层神奇的色彩，不仅能使文章内容丰富，而且能使文章情趣横生。

Nowadays, there are a considerable number of individuals who prefer to lead a low-carbon lifestyle which find expression in the fact that more and more commuters are using public transportation system in their daily life.

Low carbon lifestyle can endow us and our society with numerous benefits. Firstly, it goes beyond doubt that low carbon lifestyle contributes a lot to the environmental protection and it is a favorable way to slow down the rate of climate change of our earth, which also means a lot to our health.

We are supposed to undertake the responsibility to lead a low-carbon lifestyle, which is of great significance. And there is a diversity of measures we can take so as to lead such an environmental-friendly life. For one thing, we are expected to minimize the use of private cars, which emit a large amount of greenhouse gases. For another, we are supposed to cultivate the public awareness of energy conservation for energy in the world today is decreasing rapidly. For instance, we can turn off electrical appliances if not necessary as well as using renewable materials. Furthermore, at our leisure, we can seek opportunities to plant more trees which can absorb carbon-dioxide.

In brief, low-carbon lifestyle is nothing but the best choice for us and only in this way can we form a harmonious relationship with the environment.

如今,有相当数量的个体们喜欢领导一个低碳生活方式的表现,越来越多的通勤者使用公共交通系统在他们的日常生活。

低碳生活方式可以使我们和我们的社会有诸多益处。首先,它超越怀疑低碳生活方式很多有助于环境保护和它是一个有利的方式来减缓气候变化的速度,我们的地球,这也意味着很多我们的健康。

我们应该承担责任领导一个低碳生活方式,具有重要意义。和有一个多样性的措施,我们可以采取这样一个环保的生活。一方面,我们预计会减少私家车的使用,排放大量的温室气体。另一方面,我们应该培养公众对能源的节能意识是当今世界上迅速减少。例如,我们可以关掉电器如果没有必要使用可再生材料。此外,在我们的闲暇,我们可以寻找机会种植更多的树木可以吸收二氧化碳。

总之,低碳生活方式不过是我们的最佳选择,只有用这种方法我们才能形成一个和谐的关系与环境。

Dogs

Nowadays many people like to have dogs as their pets. Dogs are friends of man not only because they are lovely but also because they are faithful to their masters.

Dogs can do a lot of work for man. They play with us. They hunt with us. They keep door for us. But long ago, dogs all over the world were wild.

Dogs can date back to the Stone Age. All dogs have the same ancestor. It is believed that their ancestor was much like a wolf. Other animals, such as the fox, came from this ancestor, too. Hundreds of thousands of years ago, man began to tame wild dogs. After the dogs were tamed, they were trained. The strong dogs became working animals. They were trained to pull heavy loads. They learned to keep an eye on the sheep and other animals. Working dogs had other jobs, too.

Some dogs were not strong. But they could help man hunt for game. Other dogs were best as pets.

Today, there are more than 100 kinds of dogs in the world.

狗

现在许多人都把狗当作他们的宠物。狗是人类的朋友，不仅因为它们可爱，而且因为它们对主人忠诚。

狗能为人类做很多工作。它们可以和我们玩，它们可以跟我们一起打猎，它们可以给我们看家。但是以前世界上的狗都是野生的。

狗可以追溯到石器时代。所有的狗都是同一个祖先，人们相信狗的祖先很像狼。其他动物，如狐狸，也是来自这个祖先。几千年前人类就开始驯服野狗，狗被驯服后，人们就训练它们。强壮的狗成为人类工作的帮手，人们训练它们拉重的货物。它们学会了帮人们照看绵羊和其它的动物。

有些狗不够强壮，但它们能帮人们寻找猎物。还有些狗成了人们的宠物。

目前世界上狗的种类已经达到100多种。

[关于狗的英语中考作文

一.概念

记叙文也称叙述文，是一种以记叙/叙述的手法来表述人物、事件的文体。常见的属于记叙文文体的作品有：故事、游记、通讯、新闻报道、历史、 人物传记、日记和回忆录等。记叙文大致可以分为两大类：以记人为主的记叙文和以叙事为主的记叙文。前者主要是对人物的经历、活动或者性格特征进行叙述;后者则是对某一事件的发生、发展过程和结果进行叙述。前者重在描述人物的活动，而后者则重在表述事件的发生发展过程。

二.六大要素

记叙文的写作要注意交待清楚六大要素，即时间(time)、地点(place)、 人物( character)、事件的原因(cause)、经过(process)和结果( effect)。

由于记叙文中所涉及的要素比其他文体相对要多、要复杂，所以整篇文章的结构安排就显得尤其重要，安排不合理就会使读者产生混乱的感觉。

记叙文的展开一般都是以时间为主线来组织所要叙述的内容，使读者对文章中的人物或事件有一个比较清晰的了解。记叙文的结构安排通常有三种形式:正叙、倒叙和插叙。正叙是英语叙述文中最常用的一种结构，即以人物出现、活动或事件开始发生的时间点作为记叙的起点，然后按照人物活动的展开、事件发生发展的自然顺序进行叙述。倒叙则是在文章的开头就交待人物活动或事件发展的结果。插叙这一结构在我们的英文写作中很少用到。

三.时态

记叙文讲述的大多是过去已经发生的活动或事件，因此用过去时态(一般过去时、过去进行时、过去将来时、过去完成时)的作品比较多。但有时为了使文章显得更加真实、亲切和生动，也可以使用现在时态(一般现在时、 现在进行时、现在将来时、现在完成时)。

四.人称

记叙某个人物的经历、活动或某件事情的经过离不开叙述的主体，即 “人称”。记叙文中的人称大多采用第一人称或第三人称的形式。第一人称的叙述主观色彩较浓，可以增强文章的真实感，有利于表述细腻的情感和细节的过程;第三人称的叙述可以超越时空的限制，更加真实、客观地表述某一人物活动或事件的全过程。

无论采用第一人称，还是采用第二人称，都要保持全文叙述主体的人称的一致性。注意：句式尽量要多变，不要通篇文章的句子都以人称代词开头，否则文章会显得单调沉闷。例如: I loved the book first because of its beautiful heroine. Then I found it a romantic love story which greatly moved me. I now find that it is better taken as the growth story of a naive girl into a strong-willed woman. I realize that it is the essence of the book that attracts such big number of faithful readers.

这一段描述在用词、内容、逻辑上都不错，但过多地使用了以“I”开头的句子，使文章略显单调乏昧，给读者的印象大打折扣。

五.措辞与表达

在全国大学英语四级考试的各种作文体裁中，记叙文需要应试者具有更全面的语言技能与篇章组织能力。四级考试中常见的议论文和说明文分别要求语言的准确性和论证的合理性、可信性;而记叙文的语言则以生动、真实、 贴切为准则。同一个记叙文题目，不同的人会描述不同的人物经历或事件，又很少有固定的表达或句式可供参考，这时作者的综合语言水平就会表现出来，对能否取得高分起到了相当重要的作用。 这就要求考生平时要多注意语言的磨练和积累。

六.记叙文写作技巧

1. 仔细审题，明确主题，选准素材，罗列提纲。

2. 写好第一段

最好能采用一个复句并且用上几个四级水平的单词或词组。这样的文章开篇方式会使读者或阅卷人确信接下来的文章也一样精彩。

我们来看这样一段文章的开头:

The results of the college entrance examination came. I tore open the envelope. As soon as I saw the score，tears streamed down my face. I fell into my bed and did not get up the whole day. All was over. What is the meaning to live on earth? For the first time， I thought of death， of being a vagrant and of being single all my life. I was only seventeen. Wasn’t it cruel to me? My father was hurt and he could not stand it that his son was a disgrace. He was angry beyond words. My mother kept silent，and often I saw her in tears. Horror filled the house.

怎么样，你自己是否也被一种失落与绝望的气氛所笼罩，并且期待着看到作者接下来会做些什么呢?

3. 结构要清晰

下笔之前一定要对整篇文章的结构有一个完整的构想，作文的框架、主题和脉络是最重要的采分点。要清楚每一段要陈述哪些内容，这样不仅可以增强文章的逻辑性和可接受性，还可以使整篇作文的行文水到渠成，不会有凑字数的烦恼。

4. 尽量多使用表示转折、顺接、因果和时间的连接词

如first、second、moreover、for one thing…for another、on the one hand…on the other hand等。这样既可以显示语言功底，又增强了记叙内容的连贯性和生动性。

5. 文章不要写得太长

有的考生遇到触动自己内心情感的记叙文题目时就“一发不可收拾”，但由于时间有限，结果草草收尾，甚至没有结尾。四级作文毕竟是应试作文， 只要充分发挥出自己的英语语言水平，表述出所规定的内容就可以了。

6. 要多用四级词汇，要使句式多样化

没有语言错误并不是高分作文的保障(基本没有语言错误只是8分的基本要求) ;作文想达到11分以上，四级词汇和句型必须达到一定的比例。如，表示“重视”的词汇有stress，emphasize等，但选用短语attach importance to更能吸引阅卷人的注意;disagree和frown on sth. 都表示反对或不赞成，前者就平淡，后者表达意思很生动，更能引起阅卷老师的注意。

简单句和复合句合理搭配，长短句交替使用，会增强文章的节奏感，使描写更生动，给阅卷老师留下深刻印象。如：

(1) 名词化手段：用名词或名词词组替换一个句子或句子的主要部分，然后使这个名词或名词短语成为另外一个句子的组成部分，以达到合并句子的目的。如：

We were very much surprised. Mary refused the invitation.

We were very much surprised at/by Mary’s refusal of the invitation.

(2) 定语化手段：根据语义关系，可以把其中一句转换成形容词或形容词性成分、分词短语、定语从句等，如：

The winnerwas in no mood for speeches. The winner was hot and tired.

Thewinner，hot and tired，was in no mood for speeches.(转换成形容词短语) 7. 字迹清楚，卷面整洁。尽量不涂抹。 8. 最后的2—3分钟，进行修改检查。

检查的内容不是“大处着眼”，而是“小处着手”;不是考虑作文的框架结构，而是留心细枝末节。

拿到英语试题不知道从哪里下手吗?那么下面这套英语写作流程对你会有一定的帮助。

一.审题。

拿到题目后，手中拿铅笔，手脑眼嘴并用，开始审题。看题目的要求是什么，要点是什么，特殊要求是什么。譬如你是叫李华，还是随便一个名字? 要议论文还是记叙文?对分几段写有无要求?等等。诸如此类的硬性要求信息，都最好用铅笔划下来，以免出错，也许你一开始会记得，可随着时间的流逝，你会不会因紧张而遗忘这些信息呢?还是小心为妙。边看最好边张嘴默读，这样就不会遗漏或忽略任何一个字了。

二.草稿。

有的同学怕出错，全文都打草稿再誊写，我姑且认为不太可取，毕竟考场时间宝贵，即使我有四十分钟时间写作文也不敢贸然这么做，更何况考场时我们留给作文的时间往往一再被压缩。有的同学不打草稿，我认为更不太可取。一来容易出错，二来边写边想思维不连贯，即使思维连贯也无法审词酌句，展现自己最好的一面，容易后悔。

草稿怎么打?

1.结构就是你打算分几段写，每段都写什么?哪段转哪段承哪段起合?心里都要是有谱的。

2.关键词：结构拟定后，迅速在草稿纸上写下自己这篇作文可能用到的一些关键词。包括一些漂亮的词和自己可能会忘记的词。主要是动词和名词。

譬如一省作文题： 假设你的名字是李华，亚洲冬季运动会将在你居住的地方举办，现招募志愿者。你希望成为志愿者。申请信的格式已经写好了，你直接写内容就可以。你的个人情况：年龄性别学历，个人条件。英语好，爱好体育，擅长交际，乐于助人。承诺提供最佳服务。

关键词就是学历、爱好、擅长、乐于、承诺，和你对这篇作文初步构思时想到的一些词。先把这些词(指词的英文表达)写在纸上。有一些词的拼写，譬如学历，可能你本身就记得不是特别清楚，这时一定要在开始写作文前先把它写下来，以免一会因干扰而遗忘。

可能看到聪明这个关键词时，你最初写下的往往是clever，再仔细想想，你是不是又想到了smart,deligient好多词，挑个漂亮和合适的用吧。再比如转折，你写了but，这会再想想，是不是又有一堆表示转折的词在你脑里打转呢?挑一个吧。千万别用but.

3.句式：词写下来了，其实你构建这篇作文的建筑材料就到位了，下步就是要把它们盖成漂亮的作文。先用最普通的陈述句把它们在头脑中过一遍，然后看看都能改成什么句式。能不能把一句陈述句改成问句?能不能用上一个双重否定句?能不能用一个主语从句套定语从句的长句?能不能用一个插入语?等等。把你高中三年的英语积累展示出来。在草稿纸上同样标注。

三.正式写。

这样的草稿打完后，就要快快写了。注意，英语作文的卷面简直太重要了，一定要把字写整齐，写大。没有把握的词和句子不用。别忘了遵守你最初用铅笔划下的题目的规定。

四.检查。

注意，最最重要的一步来了。尽管很小心，可是我们写英语作文还是会犯下很多错误。单词拼写的，大小写的，等等。这些错误会极大破坏我们在阅卷老师心目中的形象，一定要坚决誓死消灭。即使时间再紧，请务必留下1——2分钟检查作文的时间，消除隐性错误。

需要说明的是，英语的开头和结尾是最关键的，尤其是开头。基本上，不跑题，遵守题目要求，一个漂亮的开头，一个还过得去的结尾，2-3个高级词汇，1-2个漂亮的句子，加上整齐的字迹，作文的分就不会低了哦。所以，精心为你的作文想个漂亮的开头吧。

导语：2016年中考很快就会到了，英语作文是重要的拿分点。词汇量当然是必备的。下面是yjbs作文网小编为您收集整理的英语词汇，希望对您有所帮助。

一、表示递进关系的关键词语

Additionally 加之;又

besides 此外;除……之外

equally important 同样重要的是

furthermore 此外;而且

in addition 另外

in other words 换句话说

last but not least 最后但同样重要的是

moreover 而且;此外

that is say 即;就是;换句话说

二、表示转折关系的关键词语

although 虽然;尽管

at the same time 同时;但是

despite 不管;尽管;不论

even if 即使

even though 即使

however 然而;可是

in spite of 不管

instead 代替;而不是

nevertheless 然而;不过

on the contrary 正相反

otherwise 另外;不同地

regardless of 不管;不顾

still 依然;仍然

though 虽然;可是

while 而

yet 然而;但是;仍

三、表示选择关系的关键词语

either…or… ……或……

instead of… ……，而不是……

neither…nor… ……和……都不……

not…but… 不是……而是……

rather than… 宁可;胜过

whether…or not 是否

四、表示比较关系的关键词语

compare with / to 与……比较

equally 相等地;平等地

in comparison with 与……比较

in contrast 相反;大不相同

in contrast to 和……对比

in the same way 同样地

instead 代替;改为

on the contrary 正相反

while 而

五、表示因果关系的关键词语

accordingly 因此;从而

as a result of 作为结果

because (of) 因为

consequently 从而;因此

due to 由于;应归于

hence 因此;从此

in that 由于;因为;既然

now that 因为;既然

on account of 由于

owing to 由于;因……的缘故

so 所以

so that 所以

thanks to 由于

therefore 因此;所以

thus 因此

六、用于表示总结的关键词语

above all 最重要的是

accordingly 于是

as a consequence 因此

as a result 结果

as has been noted 如前所述

as I have said 如我所述

at last 最后

briefly 简单扼要地

by doing so 如此

certainly 当然地;无疑地

consequently 因此

eventually 最后

hence 因此

in a word 总之

in brief 简言之

in conclusion 总;最后

in short 简而言之

in summary 简要地说

in sum 总之;简而言之

obviously 显然

on the whole 总体来说;整个看来

to conclude 总而言之

to speak frankly 坦白地说

to sum up 总而言之

to summarize 总而言之

从每年的考试情况来看，很多同学能完整地按照要求把文章写出来，但得分却较低。实际上，高考英语书面表达是一个分值颇高且易得分的题型，只是很多同学没有掌握得分技巧。下面我们一起看看怎样才能让高考作文拽起来。

一、几点重要原则

1.智者利用押题，傻子依赖押题!

2.书面表达整篇背诵绝无必要，可以以看读为主，关键是从中汲取一些常用的词汇和表达，并能得体熟练地运用。考场上应变能力很重要!

3.英文写作模仿很重要。有时也很有效。但不能过于牵强，尤其是对一些长难句的刻意模仿使用。

4.文似看山不喜平，起承转合一定要有!

5.见微知著，一叶知秋，几个亮点足矣：有道是：浓妆淡抹总相宜，作文写得简洁到位要比长篇大论更显功力。

6.心不为形役。不要身陷逐字逐句英汉对号式的字面翻译，要把表达的主动权始终握在自己手里。

二、善用万能句以不变应万变

历届高考，书面表达考得最多是提示作文，即提供一定的情景内容，要求考生完成100词左右的短文。

从命题方式看，有短文提示、要点提示、图画提示、情景提示以及图表提示等；体裁以应用文为主，记叙文为辅：题材为广大中学生所熟悉的日常生活。从提供要点的情景方面看，历届高考书面表达题均属供料小作文，采用文字供料或文字说明加图画(图表)的方式供料。

备考时，同学们要利用有限的时间把以前背的范文整理一下，从中选出不同体裁、不同题材的范文各一篇(范文以高考真题的高分作文为佳)，把它们重新记忆，一定记牢。这样，高考时不管什么样的文章都可套用背诵好的格式。避免考场上因紧张而无章可循。

最后阶段，还要总结一下写作时常用且能出彩的固定句型、句式，比如强调句型、定语从句、名诃性从句等，牢记英语的五个基本句式，背诵平时老师总结的万能句。以不变应万变。

考场答题前，应仔细审题，研究所提供的文字和图画(图表)材料和作文要求。分析、提炼要点，理顺要点，确立基本的写作思路，不要忽略任何一个词。关键的词更不能遗漏，构思好写几个方面，缺一不可。

写作时，尽量用学过的英语句型和词组。少写长句和复杂句以免弄巧成拙、漏洞百出。但目前高考有关书面表达的评分标准要求作文中应有较多的语法结构和词汇，因此同学们在书面表达中不能都写小句、短句和单句，还要正确运用高级词汇和复杂结构。恰当运用过渡词，使写出来的文章含金量更高，更具可读性。

三、高分作文六大特性

1.条理性。指的是合理安排文章结构。首先，在文章思路、组织材料、叙述顺序等方面要有一定的条理性。其次。根据需要，安排好段落，各段之间要层次分明，也要重视每一段的开头和结尾，开头语往往是总起句，结尾语往往是总结句。

2.准确性。指要求写出语法正确的句子，包括时态、语态、用词和句法等，要准确、地道地表达。必须要牢牢掌握一些常用句型或习惯表达，避免中式英语，在实践中不断总结中英用法的差异，养成用英语思维写作的习惯。

3.流畅性。指根据整篇文章思想的需要，有效采用不同的连接手段，使文章层次清楚、行文连贯。

4.简洁多样性。简洁性就是语言简洁，不重复。多样性就是能随情景内容的变化写出句式多样的语句。这也是新课程标准对写作的评价标准。

5.思想性。新标准对写作的要求，增加了情感因素，在准确流畅表达写作要点的同时，适当增加句子的感情色彩，增加一些人情味，使文章读起来更亲切，完全达到与读者进行交流的目的。

6.美观性。指的是卷面书写规范、清楚、干净、整洁。

四、怎样才能有拽的感觉

1.高考写作的实质变相考查句型与词汇的灵活应用

英语写作不同于语文作文的写作，如果说语文作文是一个自由发挥的舞蹈，那么高考英语写作就是带着枷锁在跳舞。我之所以这样来形容，是因为高考英语写作的内容都已经通过文字、表格、图片这三种形式给定，内容方面，不需要学生进行发挥，大家所需要发挥的就是不要老去给这个不变的内容穿毫无变化的校服(简单句)，而要去穿一些不一样的衣服，让它显得不那么单调，让阅卷老师能看到不同，而那些所谓的衣服也就是多变句型与词汇。

2.写作的评分标准怎么去迎合评卷老师的胃口

我了解到目前很大一部分学生的作文都处在15分左右，写作满分25分，15分也就是个及格分，那么15分和20多分的作文到底差在哪里?这个问题很容易回答。15分的作文中规中矩，该对的都对，包括内容要点的完整，语法与词形的正确，但是全都是简单句子的堆砌，没有任何亮点。而20多分的作文在句型词汇方面就做了很好的包装，它的句子穿的衣服已经不是校服，而是李宁、耐克，或者是阿迪，所以让人觉得很拽，而高考英语写作要的就是这种很拽的感觉。

3.写作提分的三要素句型。连词。高级词汇

句子是我们写作文最大的单位。有了漂亮的句子。用好的连词将其连句成段，再加上一些如星星般亮点词汇的点缀，一篇好的高考英语作文就诞生了。而这三个因素中最容易把握的是句子，最难的是高级词汇，限于大家的词汇还比较有限。一篇文章中出现那么一两个就够了。我们应该把重心放在句型上，因为这个最容易把握。

但是大家又有这样的困惑，学校里老师也给了我们很多的句型啊，动辄成五十上百句的，大家背得挺多，但是面对考试的时候，发现背的那些怎么也用不上。其实不是那些东西没有用，而是它们太干了，就好比一根干骨头，大家嚼起来很没有味。也不知道该把它们往哪里放。

在这里我给大家提供一种比较切实可行、迅速提高的练习方法，在接下来的时间里只要大家按照这个方法来，就一定会有收获。

找出历年真题，一周只需要写两篇。但是要这么来写。

1.把你要写的内容要点用九到十句的汉语表达出来。

2.逐一地进行翻译，不是用简单句。而是要刻意地去想：

(1)可以用什么样的复杂句；

(2)怎样去避开不会的表达，转义。

例如：

这本书是如此的有趣，以至于我读了一遍又一遍。

1.This book was so interest，ing that l read it again and again，

2.This was such an interest，ing book that l read it again andagain，

3.This was s0 jnteresting abook that l read it again and again

4.So interesting was thisbook that l read it again and again

这四句译文当中无疑评卷老师最欣赏的是第四句，因为它用了倒装。

4.如何备考

其实这种思维大家都有。但是没有成为一种思路，让它能在考试中起到作用，那是因为大家练得少。英语写作处在一种很尴尬的境地，一方面大家要分数。但另外一方面大家一个学期里写的作文也就是期中期末的两篇。毫不夸张地说，有的学生上了三年的高中可能只写了六篇作文，所以练习是很重要的，要是现在不练而把高考当练习。那么作文只拿14、15分也合情合理了，到那时你不要骂评卷老师不公平，而应该问问自己备考的时候为什么不多练几篇。时间都是挤出来的，希望大家可以挤出时间来练写作。

最近几年的中考英语当中，很多省市已经摆脱了单一作文模式，采用一大一小两个作文相结合的模式。例如，去年辽宁沈阳中考英语作文就是一个小作文，应用文-写假条，加上一个大作文，汉语提示作文构成。今年，北京中考英语作文也将是两个，一个看图作文在加上一个提示作文构成。这一讲，我们先来学习一下看图作文的写法。

看图作文要求考生按照所给图画，通过合理的联想将一组画面的内容正确地表达出来。看图作文与其他类型作文的不同之处在于，它除了要求考生有英语语言表达能力，还要求考生有观察能力、分析能力和想象能力。

写好看图作文应注意的事项1、结合文字提示，正确理解图意。一般情况下，看图作文在提供图画的同时也附带有简要的文字提示，我们可以利用文字提示去正确地理解图意，得到要点。切忌孤立地看图而忽视文字提示。

写作从图画的细节出发。所谓细节，就是指图画中的人物、事件、地点、环境、时间、动作等。依据图画细节，就可以把图画的内容用英语具体而生动地表达出来了。

(三)例题分析(例题)

同学们，看到下面的四幅图片及相应的报道后，你感到最担忧的是哪两种情形?请简述你担忧的理由并提出建议或希望。

要求：

⒈ 从所给素材中任选两种情形进行阐述，不可多选或少选。

⒉ 条理清楚，意思连贯，语句通顺，标点正确;

⒊ 词数 80 ～ 100。

参考词汇： 建议 suggest v. suggestion n.

气体 gas n. 污染 pollution n.

THE POLLUTIONS

① One third of the worlds people dont have enough clean water.

② More and more diseases are caused by polluted air.

③ People are disturbed quite often by kinds of noises.

④ Every person in our city makes about 1.8 kilos of rubbish every day.

这道看图作文题，主题和图片连接得不是很紧密。从考查的形式上来说，虽是看图，实质上却属于提示性的作文。这个作文应该结合个人的观点，选择的余地还是很大的。做这个题应该注意几个方面：

1、认真读题。注意，题目虽然给了四幅图，但是却只要求写其中的两个就行。

2、题意要求的是阐述个人的观点-最担忧的两种情形。而不是对图片进行描述。

3、结合所给的提示。提示中，对每种污染都进行了阐述，考生可以这些描述进行写作。

4、注意字数，语法，拼写等，避免错误。

下面是两个例文，大家可以参考一下。

One possible version:

The environment is becoming worse and worse. There are many kinds of pollution I worry about. The most serious two are water pollution and air pollution, because people cant live healthily with dirty water and polluted air, nor can animals. More and more diseases are caused by polluted air.

I think factories should not pour dirty water into the river directly or produce more waste gas. Wed better go on foot or by like instead of by car, because more cars mean more waste gas. We should make our world more and more beautiful.

Another possible version:

The first fact I worry about is noise pollution. People cant sleep well if there is too much noise. Thats why so many people prefer to live in the countryside rather than live in the noisy city. I suggest all the factories and cars shouldnt make terrible noises. If they make terrible noise that isnt allowed, they will be fined, and we can also produce the cars which cant make terrible noise.

The other pollution is rubbish pollution. If everyone makes so much rubbish, one day we may live in a world filled with rubbish. Some people throw the waste paper about. I suggest rubbish should be put into different kinds of dustbins or paper bags.

下面，我们来看看这道题的评分标准。一般来说，各地的评分标准都和下面的这个标准差不多。这个最高的标准，实际上也就是我们写作的目标。

评分标准：

1. 内容完整，语句流畅，无语法错误，书写规范，给9-10分;

2. 内容较完整，语句较流畅，基本无语法错误，书写较规范，给6-8分;

3. 内容不完整，语句欠流畅，语法错误较多，书写较规范，给3-5分;

4. 只写出个别要点，语法错误较多，书写欠规范，只有个别句子可读或不知所云，给0-2分。

看图作文不可小视。希望大家掌握答好这种题型的要点，并积累词汇。

小学一年级的语文课程开始有了看图写话，看图写话是作文最初步的训练，一二年级的看图写话是为三年级的作文打基础的。也是培养孩子认知能力、形象思维能力、想象能力和表达能力的良好途径。可是，怎样才能做到使孩子对感困难的看图写话产生浓厚的兴趣并增强孩子看图写话的能力呢?在教学过程中我是这样做的：

1、要学会说话

2、要注意格式和标点符号

写作时格式和标点符号是必须规范的一个重要因素，一定要让孩子从开始就养成一个好习惯。对于一年级的孩子需要注意的是：标题写在第一行中间、每个段落的第一行空两格，第二行顶格写、正确的使用“?”、“。”、“!”，知道标点符号占一格。如，写完了“时间”要打逗号“,”;写完了“在什么地方”要打逗号，写完了 “谁干什么”要打句号“。”。如果有的孩子要写 图中人物说话，那么，说出的话前面要打冒号 “:”，说的话要用引号(“ ”)引起来，表示这里面是说的话。

3、首先要学会看图 培养孩子的观察力

看图写话，看图是基础，但是一年级学生还缺乏观察能力，特别是刚入学的孩子，观察事物无目的、无顺序。这就要求我们要在指导看图上下功夫，让学生掌握看图的方法，通过仔细看图，判断事物发生的时间、地点、了解画面所反映的主要内容。指导学生看图时先从整体入手，要掌握一个顺序，可以从先上后下、或先左后由、或由远到近、或从中间到四周的顺序，初步感知图画的主要内容，即弄清时间、地点、什么人在干什么，及找出图画所描述的重点，也是这幅图所要写的重点，也就是通常所说的“故事情节”。

4、让孩子充分发挥想象力

看图写话的画面是一个个静止的人或物，而且比较单调，我们在引导孩子仔细观察画面的同时，可以通过向孩子提问问题，让孩子充分发挥自己的想象力，让画面变得生动鲜活起来。比如：画面上看到的是小女孩在摘花。老师可以问：“她为什么要摘呢?”孩子们就会通过小孩的表情，想象小女孩看到花的高兴，整个画面立马就丰富了起来。

这儿需要强调的是，孩子的想象力最丰富，并且也充满了他这个年龄段的童趣，我们不要凭着自的认知禁锢孩子想象的翅膀。

5、注意书面整洁和错别字

良好的习惯都是从起步开始培养的。在书写过程中不要胡乱涂改，如有写错可用橡皮擦干净后重新书写，不要直接在原字(句)上涂改，使整体的书面看起来干净整洁。因一年级的孩子识字数量有限，我们要注意纠正孩子的错别字，特别注意的是容易混淆的同音字.

看图写话是培养、提高儿童认识能力、形象思维能力和表达能力的良好途径。然而，看图写话的过程又是一件十分困难的工作，所以我们要激发孩子写话兴趣，教给孩子写话的方法，培养孩子写话的能力。因为孩子只有经历了才会有记性的。

写作词汇提升是把“阅读词汇”转化为“写作词汇”的过程。举个例子，当我在课堂上问及大家“害怕”这个词英文表达的时候，很多同学不加思维的就告诉我是“afraid”，我再问大家这个词是什么时候学的时候，很多人恍然大悟，原来词汇早在初中甚至是小学的时候就学过了。那么，考研阅卷的老师如何以“afraid”这个词判断你到底是一个合格的大学毕业生还是一个仅仅上过初中的同学呢，现在我们就不难理解为什么考研写作的平均分只有满分的一半了。

当我们翻开大学的英语课本我们会发现，在大学的四年中(甚至只是大一大二的两年中)我们就学过很多表示“害怕”但却比“afraid”要高级的多的词汇，比如：horror，scared，astonished 等等。这当中的任何一个词都会比afraid得的分数要高，这就是所谓的高级词汇取代低级词汇的过程。

现在，我们就要树立一个思想，写作的最小组成单位是词汇，词汇有低级的(baby words)也有高级的(advanced words)，想要得到考研写作高分的第一步就是要有意识的在写作中用高级词汇去取代相对低级的词汇，从而反映出自己的词汇表现能力(lexical resource)。

英语写作技巧二、句型 —— 学会自创简单句

考研写作最基本的句式称之为“自创句”。“自创句”是根据所要表达的含义完全自主创作的英文句子，其基础是语法知识。阅读时不理解某些语法现象仍然能理解文章，而写作要求精确，是和语法联系最为紧密的语言功能。其中，简单句是一切句子的基础，简单句的创作可三步走：

1. 根据句义确定唯一的谓语动词。

2. 根据动词种类(无宾、单宾、双宾、宾补或系动词)补全句子成分，如主语、宾语、宾语补足语和表语等。

3. 注意谓语动词和主语在人称和数上的一致。

英语写作技巧三、构思 —— 学习英文独特的思想表达方式

当我们有了高级的词汇和复杂的句型之后，是不是就一定能写出高分的作文了呢?不一定。写作是一个人思维的理性表达，因此，对于写作来说，思维方式的优劣更是一篇文章好与坏的根本性的指向标。

英文有自己独特的思想表达模式，要学会用英文的表达模式写作。所以建议大家在夯实词汇、句型之后多读多背多写，练习地道的英文写作思维方式。阅读和背诵是积累语言素材的关键，《新概念》序言中甚至提到“只写读过的语言”。在此基础之上，“纸上得来终觉浅，绝知此事要躬行”，阅读背诵素材之后，写作提高需要大量的实战演习

在今日全球化的经济环境下，有效地用英语(精品课)交流已经变得至关重要。

然而如何清晰地表达你的想法却是门大学问。太多时候人们只是简单地照抄他们眼中同事，尤其是上级写出来的“漂亮英语”。你每天都能在收件箱里看到很多例子——那些难懂的需要你读好多遍才能理解的邮件。

一个巨大的错误就是用一些不必要的单词和词组让你的文章变得冗长。你要牢记你写作的目的是为了更清晰地交流你的想法。

总是尽可能减少你句子中使用的字数，避免使用可以用更短的词代替的长词。以下是一些例子：

Instead of "prior to" use *before*

用“before”代替“prior to”

Instead of "subsequent" use *after*

用“after”代替“subsequent”

Instead of "in order to" use *to*

用“to”代替“in order to”

Instead of "in the event that" use *if*

用“if”代替“in the event that”

Instead of "with reference to" use *about*

用“about”代替“with the reference to”

Instead of "state of the art" use *latest*

用“latest”代替“state of the art”

Instead of "due to the fact that" use *since*

用“since”代替“due to the fact that”

Instead of "not later than 2pm" use *by 2pm*

用“by 2pm”代替“not later than 2pm”

Instead of "at the present time" use *now*

用“now”代替“at the present time”

同时也要记得文章有组织性。第一句话就要开门见山地点出你每一段要讲什么。除此之外，要控制你邮件的长度。没人想读一条长达10段的邮件。

通过使用简单的单词和易懂的词组，你就能最终提高你信息的清晰度。

春天到了，青蛙又开始“呱呱”地唱歌了，我发现又有人在田野里开始捕捉青蛙了，使青蛙成为那些人的“盘餐中”，我感到非常痛心。

Spring has come, the frog began to "Gua Gua" to sing, I found someone in the field began to catch frogs, the frog became those who "tray", I feel very sad.

青蛙是动物世界中最出色的“庄稼的保护神”。它头上那两只圆而突出的眼睛，能让它看清庄稼天敌，但捉害虫全靠它又长又宽的舌头，舌根长口腔的前面，舌尖向那么一伸，快速地伸长长的舌头，一下子把害虫粘住，然后吃掉。青蛙的背上有绿色的深色花纹，腹部是白色，能帮它逃脱天敌血盆大口。身体下面有四条腿，前腿短，后腿长。青蛙是两栖动物，不仅能在地上跳，而且也能在水里游。

The frog is the best protection of God in the animal world "crops". Its head the two round and protruding eyes, can let it see the crops of natural enemies, but to catch insects depend on it long and wide front long tongue, tongue in oral cavity, the tip of the tongue to then extend, rapid elongation of long tongue, all of a sudden the vermin stick, and then eat. The frog is green dark pattern on the back, abdomen is white, can help it escape predators jaws. Has four legs, the body below the forelegs are short, long hind legs. Frogs are amphibious animal, not only on the ground to jump, but also can swim in the water.

青蛙吃苍蝇，蚊子，蝗虫，小飞娥等害虫，一天大约能吃掉120只，半年下来就能吃掉15000只，这是多么大的功劳哇!就连青蛙的幼虫 ------ 蝌蚪也能消灭许多害虫哩!真不愧“庄稼的保护神”，农民伯伯的好助手呀!

Frogs eat mosquitoes, flies, moths and other insects, locusts, a day can eat only about 120, six months down can eat only 15000, this is how big a contribution wow! Even the frogs, tadpoles can also destroy larvae of many of the pests miles! Really deserves to be called "the crops the protection of God", farmers uncle a good assistant!

从现在开始，我们一起保护“庄稼的保护神”------ 青蛙吧!让我们共同保护[动物]生态平衡!

From now on, we work together to protect the "protection of God" crops - frog! Let us work together to protect the ecological balance [animal]!

导语：杨澜，被福布斯评为全球最具影响力的100位女性之一。关于她有什么励志故事呢?下面是yuwenmi小编为大家整理的中考写作素材，欢迎阅读与借鉴，谢谢!

前不久厦门大学新闻传播学院成立时，邀请了原著名央视主持人杨澜给厦大学子开了一场精彩的讲座。当有人问她选择在事业的顶峰毅然去外国读书是不是一种心计时，杨澜讲了她所经历的一件事。

一年春节晚会，共有六名主持，多遍彩排之后，有一位主持的大姐，导演组突然决定不用了。但又没人去通知她。第二天，当那位大姐兴冲冲地拿着礼服来到化妆间时，化妆师告诉她名单上没有她的名字，结果那位大姐黯然神伤地走了。当时杨澜就坐在一旁，这件事对她的触动很大。她通过这个主持大姐所遭遇的"命运"似乎看到了自己的未来。

从那以后，那位主持大姐黯然神伤地离开春晚会场的那一幕深深地印在了杨澜的脑海里，她同情那位大姐。为台里那位导演不近人情的做法反感，因为她认为如果你觉得这位主持大姐不适合做主持，你可以通知到她并做好她的安慰工作，就不会出现这样尴尬的局面。这位主持大姐为台里作出了很大的贡献，也曾主持过很多重要的节目，然而这么深重的伤害仍然降临到了她的身上，杨澜怎么也想不通。她开始感到了世事无常，开始感到了来自生活的恐惧。她曾经历了好几个不眠之夜。她想，现在我正红时，人人都争着要我上栏目;如果有一天我走到才枯气竭的时候，我不是照样地任人挑来挑去难逃这样的命运吗?于是杨澜开始为自己躲避遭受那位大姐那样的伤害而积极地准备着一条退路。

选择放弃也不是一件容易的事，特别是她正处在事业蒸蒸日上的时候。杨澜在这之前工作是很顺利的，她1990年北京外国语学院毕业后就直接进了中央电视台，担任《正大综艺》节目主持人，这个节目她从1990年一直做到1994年。在这个节目中，杨澜那种充满睿智清新的主持风格给观众留下了深刻的印象。她于1994年获中国第一届主持人"金话筒奖"。这对于一个刚刚参加工作的主持人来说，在这么短的时间内取得如此骄人的成绩，实在是难能可贵，同行都向她投来了羡慕的眼光。然而在这个时候选择离开就算自己能说服自己，可是父母会同意吗?朋友会理解吗?这一系列的问题让她内心一度十分矛盾和痛苦。经过一段时间的深思熟虑，杨澜终于下定了决心要急流勇退。因为她深深明白：人要更好地生存就得牢牢地站稳脚跟，不能沉迷在鲜花和掌声中，要不断地去寻找新的成长方向。于是她毅然地在自己最红的时候选择了离开央视去美国哥伦比亚大学国际及公共事务学院攻读国际事务硕士学位。

杨澜三年留学回来后，加盟香港凤凰卫视中文台，开创名人访谈类节目《杨澜工作室》，并担任制片人和主持人。2000年，她创办了大中华区第一个以历史文化为主题的"阳光卫视"卫星频道，出任阳光媒体投资控股有限公司主席。2001年，杨澜应邀出任北京申办2008年奥运会的形象大使;同年7月，在莫斯科国际奥委会会议上代表北京作申奥的文化主题陈述，她的精彩表现赢得了与会专家的高度评价，为我国赢得2008年的奥运主办权立下了汗马功劳。

从杨澜的发展来看，她选择在当红的时候离开央视是明智的，也正因为她勇敢地选择了放弃，她才有时间去苦练内功，才有了后来她发展的更大空间，才取得了现在骄人的成绩。其实放弃并不是简单地扔掉，而是为下一次出发积蓄更大的能量，为新的目标找准方向。

我们都知道，想在小升初英语写作拿高分，就要摸透老师的喜好，引起“读者”的注意。而在写作中句子偏长恰恰会适得其反，很容易让人漏听一、两个单词，影响对整个句子的理解，所以我们要教大家一些化繁为简的技巧——

1、巧用单个词：即用一个单词代替一组意义相同的单词。比如：

用forget(忘记)代替do not remember(没有记住)

用ignore(忽视)代替do not pay attention to(不注意)

用now(现在)代替at this point in time(此时此刻)

用because(由于)代替due to the fact that(鉴于下列事实)

2、省略同义词或近义词。比如在下面例句中，形容词important(重要的)和significant(有重要意义的)，就是两个同义词(也可以说是近义词)，我们可以省略important，只保留significant。

The government project is important and significant.(这项政府计划是重要的，有重要意义。)

The government project is significant.(这项政府计划有重要意义。)

3、在不改变句子含义的前提下，省略所有可以省略的单词。比如在下面例句中，the cover of the book(书的封面)可以省略成the book cover，is red in color(是红色的)可以省略成is red。

The cover of the book is red in color.(书的封面是红色的)

The book cover is red.(书的封面是红色的)

现在我们把这三种方法结合起来，将一个冗长、绕嘴的句子，改写成一个简短、易懂的句子。

University malls must be accessible and free from congestion in order that students, faculty and employees may have unobstructed passage through those areas of the campus.(校内道路必须是便于通行的，不拥堵的，以便让学生、教师和职员能够无阻碍地通过，到达校园的各处。)

University malls must be free enough from congestion to allow people to walk through easily.(校内道路不应当拥堵，以便人们顺利通行。)

4、用介词短语替代从句。比如：

原句：While they were playing tennis, she started an argument that lasted all morning.

修改后：During tennis she started an argument that lasted all morning.

原句：When you come to the second traffic light, turn right.

修改后：At the second traffic light turn left.

5、删除诸如"who is”或"that is"之类的关系代词，变从句为短语。比如：

原句：The novel, which is written in three parts, told a story that took place in the Middle Ages.

修改后：The three-part novel told a story set in the Middle Ages.

注：把句中的"three parts"改用形容词来表达，节省了四个不必要的单词"which is written in"。我们经常可以将关系代词如"that"去掉，这只会引起最少的变动。

下面的材料旨在丰富学生在是非问题写作方面的思想和语言，考生在复习时可以先分类阅读这些篇章，然后尝试写相关方面的作文题。

对于素材中用黑体字的部分，特别建议你熟读，背诵，因为它们在语言和观点上都值得吸收。学习语言的人应该明白，表达能力和思想深度都靠日积月累，潜移默化。从某种意义上说，提高英语写作能力无捷径可走，你必须大段背诵英语文章才能逐渐形成语感和用英语进行表达的能力。这一关，没有任何人能代替你过。

因此，建议你下点苦功夫，把背单词的精神拿出来背诵文章。何况，并不是要求你背了之后永远牢记在心：你可以这个星期背，下个星期忘。这没有关系，相信你的大脑具有神奇的能力。背了工具箱里的文章后，你会惊讶的发现：I can think in English now！

1.?????? Proverbs

1. A graduation ceremony is an event where the commencement speaker tells thousands of students dressed in identical caps and gowns that individuality is the key to success.

2. The primary purpose of a liberal education is to make one’s mind a pleasant place in which to spend one’s time.

3. Next in importance to freedom and justice is popular education, without which neither freedom nor justice can be permanently maintained.

4. The classroom--not the trench--is the frontier of freedom now and forevermore.

5. Education’s purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one.

6. It is the purpose of education to help us become autonomous, creative, inquiring people who have the will and intelligence to create our own destiny.

7. You see, real ongoing, lifelong education doesn’t answer questions; it provokes them.

8. People will pay more to be entertained than educated.

9.the most important function of education at any level is to develop the personality of the individual and the significance of his life to himself and to others. This is the basic architecture of a life; the rest is ornamentation and decoration of the structure.

10. The essence of our efforts to see that every child has a chance must be to assure each as equal opportunity, not to become equal, but to become different-to realize whatever unique potential of body, mind, and spirit he or she possesses.

11. A great teacher never strives to explain his vision-he simply invites you to stand beside him and see for yourself.

12. If you can read and don’, you are an illiterate by choice.

2. Damaging Research

A study by National Parent-Teacher Organization revealed that in the average American school, eighteen negatives are identified for every positive that is pointed out. The Wisconsin study revealed that when children enter the first grade, 80 percent of them feel pretty good themselves, but by the time they get to the sixth grade, only 10 percent of them have good self-images.

3. Education and Citizenship

An important aspect of education in the United States is the relationship between education and citizenship. Throughout its history this nation has emphasized public education as a means of transmitting democratic values, creating equality of opportunity, and preparing new generations of citizens to function in society. In addition, the schools have been expected to help shape society itself. During the 1950s, for example, efforts to combat racial segregation focused on the schools. Later, when the Soviet Union launched the first orbiting satellite, American schools and colleges came under intense pressure and were offered many incentives to improve their science and mathematics programs so that the nations would not fall behind the Soviet Union in scientific and technological capabilities.

Education is often viewed as a tool for solving social problems, especially social inequality. The schools, t is thought, can transform young people from vastly different backgrounds into competent, upwardly mobile adults. Yet these goals seem almost impossible to attain. In recent years, in fact, public education has been at the center of numerous controversies arising from the gap between the ideal and the reality. Part of the problem is that different groups in society have different have different expectations. Some feel that children should be taught basic job-related skills; still others believe education should not only prepare children to compete in society but also help them maintain their cultural identity (and, in the case of Hispanic children, their language). On the other hand, policymakers concerned with education emphasize the need to increase the level of student achievement and to improve parents in their children’s education.

Some reformers and critics have called attention to the need to link formal schooling with programs designed to address social problems. Sociologist Charles Moscos, for example, is a leader in the movement to expand programs like the Peace Corps, Vista, and Outward Bound into a system of voluntary national service. National service, as Moscos defines it, would entail “the full-time undertaking of public duties by young people whether as citizen soldiers or civilian servers-who are paid subsistence wages” and serve for at least one year. In return for this period of service, the volunteers would receive assistance in paying for college or other educational expenses.

Advocates of national service and school-to-work programs believe that education does not have to be confined to formal schooling. In devising strategies to provide opportunities for young people to serve their society, they emphasize the educational value of citizenship experiences gained outside the classroom. At this writing there is little indication that national service will become a new educational institution in the United States, although the concept is steadily gaining support among educators and social critics.

4. The Teacher’s Role

Given the undeniable importance of classroom experience, sociologists have done a considerable amount of research on what goes on in the classroom. Often they start from the premise that, along with the influence of peers, students’ experiences in the classroom are of central importance to their later development. One study examined the impact of a single first-grade teacher on her students’ subsequent adult status. The surprising results of this study have important implications. It is evident that good teachers can make a big difference in children’s lives, a fact that gives increased urgency to the need to improve the quality of primary-school teaching. The reforms carried out by educational leaders like James Comer suggest that when good teaching is combined with high levels of parental involvement the results can be even more dramatic.

Because the role of the teacher is to change the learner in some way, the teacher-student relationship is an important part of education. Sociologists have pointed out that this relationship is asymmetrical or unbalanced, with the teacher being in a position of authority and the student having little choice but to passively absorb the information provided by the teacher. In other words, in conventional classrooms there is little opportunity for the students to become actively involved in the learning process. On the other hand, students often develop strategies for undercutting the teacher’s authority: mentally withdrawing, interrupting, and the like. Hence, much current research assumes that students and teachers influence each other instead of assuming that the influence is always in a single direction.

5. Education Philosophy

For the past fifty years our schools have operated on the theories of John Dewey (1859-1953), an American educator and writer. Dewey believed hat the school’s job was to enhance the natural development of the growing child, rather than to pour information, for which the child had no context, into him or her. In the Dewey system, the child becomes the active agent in his own education, rather than a passive receptacle for facts.

Consequently, American schools are very enthusiastic about teaching “life skills” –logical thinking, analysis, creative problem--solving. The actual content of the lessons is secondary to the process, which is supposed to train the child to be able to handle whatever life may present, including all the unknowns of the future. Students and teachers both regard pure memorization as an uncreative and somewhat vulgar.

In addition to “life skills”, schools are assigned to solve the ever growing stoke of social problems. Racism, teenage pregnancy, alcoholism, drug use, reckless driving, and are just a few of the modern problems that have appeared on the school curriculum.

This all contributes to a high degree of social awareness in American youngsters.

6. Student Life

To the students, the most notable difference between elementary school and the higher levels is that in junior high they start “changing classes”. This means that rather than spending the day in one classroom, they switch classrooms to meet their different teachers. This gives them three or four minutes between classes in the hallways, where a great deal of the important social action of high school traditionally takes place. Students have lockers in these hallways, around which thy congregate.

Society in general does not take the business of studying very seriously. Schoolchildren have a great deal of free time, which they are encouraged to fill with extracurricular activities—sports, clubs, cheerleading, scouts—supposed to inculcate such qualities as leadership, sportsmanship, ability to organize, etc. those who don’t become engaged in such activities or have afterschool jobs have plenty of opportunity to “hang out”, listen to teenager music, and watch television.

Compared to other nations, American students do not have much homework. Studies also show that American parents have lower expectations for their children’s success in school than other nationalities do. (Historically, there has not been much correlation between American school success and success in later life.) “He’s just not a scholar”, the American parents might say, content that their son is on the swim team and doesn’t take drugs. (Some of the young do choose to study hard, for reason of their own, such as determining that the road to riches lies through Harvard Business School.)

What American schools do effectively teach is the competitive method. In innumerable ways children are pitted against each other—whether in classroom discussion, spelling bees, reading groups, or tests. Every classroom is expected to produce a scattering of A’s and F’s (teachers often grade A=excellent; B=good; C=average; D=poor; and F=failed). A teacher who gives all A’s looks too soft—so students are aware that they are competing for the limited number of top marks.

Foreign students sometimes don’t understand that copying from other people’s papers or from books is considered wrong and taken seriously. Here, it is important to show that you have done your own work and are displaying your own knowledge. It is more important than helping your friends to pass, whom we think do not deserve to pass unless they can provide their own answers. Group effort goes against the competitive grain, and American students do not study together as many Asians do. Many Asians in this country consider their group study habits a large contributor to their school success.

7. Adult Education

After complaining about many aspects of American life, a 40-year-old woman from Hong Kong concluded, “But where else could someone my age go back to school and get a degree in social work? Here you can change your whole life, start a new business, do what you really want to do.”

So at least to this person, school requirements weren’t inhibiting. And to millions of others, adult education is the path to a new career, or if not to a new career, to a new outlook. Schools generally encourage the older person who wants to start anew, and besides regular classes, schedule evening classes in special programs. Today there are so many people of retirement age in college that it is no longer remarkable.

8. Moral Relativism in American

Improving American education requires not doing new things but doing (and remembering) some good old things. At the time of our nation’s founding, Thomas Jefferson listed the requirements for a sound education in the Report of the Commissioners for the University of Virginia. In this landmark statement on American education, Jefferson wrote of the importance of education and writing, and of reading history, and geography. But he also emphasized the need “to instruct the mass of our citizens in these, their rights, interests, and duties, as men and citizens.” Jefferson believed education should aim at the improvement of both one’s “morals” and “faculties”. That has been the dominant view of the aims of American education for over two centuries. But a number of changes, most of them unsound, have diverted schools from these great pursuits. And the story of the loss of the school’s original moral mission explains a great deal.

Starting in the early seventies, “values clarification” programs started turning up in schools all over America. According to this philosophy, the schools were not to take part in their time-honored task of transmitting sound moral values; rather, they were to allow the child to “clarify” his own values (which adults, including parents, had no “rights” to criticize). The “values clarification” movement didn’t clarify values; it clarified wants and desires. This form of moral relativism said, in effect, that no set of values was right or wrong; everybody had an equal right to his own values; and all values were subjective, relative, and personal. This destructive view took hold with a vengeance.

In 1985 The York Times published an article quoting New York area educators, in slavish devotion to this new view, proclaiming, “They deliberately avoid trying to tell students what is ethically right and wrong.” The article told of one counseling session involving fifteen high school juniors and seniors. In the course of that session a student concluded that a fellow student had been foolish to return one thousand dollars she found in a purse at school. According to the article, when the youngsters asked the counselor’s opinion, “He told them he believed the girl had done the right thing, but that, of course, he would not try to force his values on them. ‘If I come from the position of what is wrong,’ he explained, ‘then I’m not their counselor.’”

Once upon a time, a counselor offered counselor, and he knew that an adult does not form character in the young by taking a stance of neutrality toward questions of right and wrong or by merely offering “choices” or “options”.

In response to the belief that adults and educators should teach children sound morals, one can expect from some quarters indignant objections (I’ve heard one version of it expressed countless times over the years): “Who are you to say what’s important?” or “Whose standards and judgments do we use?”

The correct response, it seems to me, is, is we ready to do away with standards and judgments? Is anyone going to argue seriously that a life of cheating and swindling is as worthy as a life of honest, hard work? Is anyone (with the exception of some literature professors at our elite universities) going to argue seriously the intellectual corollary, that a Marvel comic book is as good as Macbeth? Unless we are willing to embrace some pretty silly position, we’ve got to admit the need for moral and intellectual standards. The problem is that some people tend to regard anyone who would pronounce a definitive judgment as an unsophisticated Philistine or a closed-minded “elitist” trying to impose his view on everybody else.

The truth of the real world is that without standards and judgments, there can be no progress. Unless we are prepared to say irrational things—that nothing can be proven more valuable than anything else or that everything is equally worthless—we must ask the normative question. It may come, as a surprise to those who fell that to be “progressive” is to be value-neutral. But as Matthew Amold said, “the world is forwarded by having its attention fixed on the best things” and if the world can’t decide what the best things are, at least to some degree, then it follows that progress, and character, is in trouble. We shouldn’t be reluctant to declare that some things, some lives, books, ideas, and values are better than others. It is the responsibility of the schools to teach these better things.

At one time, we weren’t so reluctant to teach them. In the mid-nineteenth century, a diverse, widespread group of crusaders began to work for the public support of what was then called the “common school”, the forerunner of the public school. They were to be charged with the mission of school felt that the nation could fulfill its destiny only if every new generation was taught these values together in a common institution.

The leaders of the common school movement were mainly citizens who were prominent in their communities—businessmen, ministers, local civic and government officials. These people saw the schools as upholders of standards of individual morality and small incubators of civic and personal virtue; the founders of the public schools had faith that public education could teach good moral and civic character from a common ground of American values.

But in the past quarter century or so, some of the so-called experts became experts of value neutrality, and moral education was increasingly left in their hands. The commonsense view of parents and the publicthat schools should reinforce rather than undermine the values of home, family, and country, was increasingly rejected.

There are those today still that claim we are now too diverse a nation, that we consist of too many competing convictions and interests to instill common values. They are wrong. Of course we are a diverse people. We have always been a diverse people. And as Madison wrote in FederalistNo.10, the competing, balancing interests of a diverse people can help ensure the survival of liberty. But there are values that all American citizens share and that we should want all American students to know and to make their own: honesty, fairness, self-discipline, fidelity to task, friends, and family, personal responsibility, love of country, and belief in the principles of liberty, equality, and the freedom to practice one’s faith. The explicit teaching of these values is the legacy of the common schools, and it is a legacy to which we must return.

9. Schools Should Teach Values

People often said, “Yes, we should teach these values, but how do we teach them?” this question deserves a candid response, one that isn’t given often enough. It is by exposing our children to good character and inviting its imitation that we will transmit to them a moral foundation. This happens when teachers and principals, by their words and actions, embody sound convictions. As Oxford’s Mary Warnock has written, “You cannot teach morality without being committed to morality yourself; and you cannot be committed to morality yourself without holding that some things are right and others wrong.” The theologian Martin Buber wrote that the educator is distinguished from all other influences “by his will to take part in the stamping of character and by his consciousness that he represents in the eyes of the growing person a certain selection of what is, the selection of what is ‘right’, of what should be.” It is in this will, Buber says, in this clear standing for something, that the “vocation as an educator finds its fundamental expression.”

There is no escaping the fact that young people need as example principals and teachers who know the difference between right and wrong, good and bad, and who themselves exemplify high moral purpose.

As Education Secretary, I visited a class at Waterbury Elementary School in Waterbury, Vermont, and asked the students, “Is this a good school?” They answered, “Yes, this is a good school.” I asked them, “Why?” Among other things, one eight-year-old said, “The principal Mr. Riegel, makes good rules and everybody obeys them.” So I said, “Give me an example.” And another answered, “You can’t climb on the pipes in the bathroom. We don’t climb on the pipes and the principal doesn’t either.”

This example is probably too simple to please a lot of people who want to make the topic of moral education difficult, but there is something profound in the answer of those children, something education should pay more attention to. You can’t expect children to take messages about rules or morality seriously unless they see adults taking those rules seriously in their day-to-day affairs. Certain must be said, certain limits lay down, and certain examples set. There is no other way.

We should also do a better job at curriculum selection. The research shows that most “values education” exercises and separate courses in “moral reasoning” tend not to affect children’s behavior; if anything, they may leave children morally adrift. Where to turn? I believe our literature and our history are a rich quarry of moral literacy. We should mine that quarry. Children should have at their disposal a stock of examples illustrating what we believe to be right and wrong, good and bad—examples illustrating what are morally right and wrong can indeed be known and that there is a difference.

What kind of stories, historical events, and famous lives am I talking about? If we want our children to know about honesty, we should teach them about Abe Lincoln walking three miles to return six cents and conversely, about Aesop’s shepherd boy who cried wolf if we want them to know about courage, we should teach them about Joan of Arc, Horatius at the bridge, and Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad. If we want them to know about persistence in the face of adversity, they should know about the voyages of Columbus and the character of Washington during the Civil War. And our youngest should be told about the Little Engine That Could. If we want them to know about respect for the law, they should understand why Socrates told Crito: “No, I must submit to the decree of Athens.” If we want our children to respect the rights of others, they should read the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, the Gettysburg Address, and Martin Luther King, Jr.’ “Letter from Birmingham jail.” From the Bible they should know about Ruth’s loyalty to Naomi, Joseph’s forgiveness of his brothers, Jonathan’s friendship with David, the Good Samaritan’s kindness toward a stranger, and David’s cleverness and courage in facing Goliath.

These are only a few of the hundreds of examples we can call on. And we need not get into issues like nuclear war, abortion, creationism, or euthanasia. This may come as a disappointment to some people, but the fact is that the formation of character in young people is educationally a task different from, and prior to, the discussion of the great, difficult controversies of the day. First things come first. We should teach values the same way we teach other things: one step at a time. We should not use the fact that there are many difficult and controversial moral questions as an argument against basic instruction in the subject.

After all, we do not argue against teaching physics because laser physics is difficult, against teaching American history because there are heated disputes about the Founders’ intent. Every field has its complexities and its controversies. And every field has its basics, its fundamentals. So they are too with forming character and achieving moral literacy. As any parent knows, teaching character is a difficult task. But it is a crucial task, because we want our children to be healthy, happy, and successful but decent, strong, and good. None of this happens automatically; there is no genetic transmission of virtue. It takes the conscious, committed efforts of adults. It takes careful attention.

10. College Pressures

Mainly I try to remind that the road ahead is a long one and that it will have more unexpected turns than they think. There will be plenty of time to change jobs, change careers, change whole attitudes and approaches. They don not want to hear such liberating news. They want a map—right now – that they can follow unswervingly to career security, financial security, Social Security and, presumably, a prepaid grave.

What I wish for all students is some release from the clammy grip of the future. I wish them a chance to savor each segment of their education as an experience in itself and not as a grim preparation for the next step. I wish them the right to experiment, to trip and fall, to learn that defeat is as instructive as victory and is not the end of the world.

My wish, of course, is na?ve. One of the national gods venerated in our media—the million-dollar athlete, the wealthy executive—and glorified in our praise of possessions. In the presence of such a potent state religion, the young are growing up old.

I see four kinds of pressure working on college students today: economic pressure, parental pressure, peer pressure, and self-induced pressure. It is easy to look around for villains—to blame the colleges for charging too much money, the professors for assigning too much work, the parents for pushing their children too far, and the students for driving themselves too hard. But there are no villains: only victims.

“In the late 1960s.” one dean told me. “The typical question that I got from students was ‘Why is there so much suffering in the world’ or ‘how I can make a contribution?’ Today it’s ‘Do you think it would look better for getting into law school if I did a double major in history and political science, or just majored in one of them?’” many other deans confirmed this pattern. One said: “They are trying to find an edge—the intangible something that will look better on paper if two students are about equal.”

Note the emphasis on looking better. The transcript has become a sacred document, the passport to security. How one appears on paper is more important than how one appears in person. A is for Admirable and B is for Borderline, even though, in Yale’s official system of grading, A means “excellent” and B means “very good.” Today, looking very good is no longer good enough, especially for students who hope to go on to law school or medical school. They know that entrance into the better schools will be an entrance into the better law firms and better medical practices where they will make a lot of money. They also know that the odds are harsh. Yale Law School, for instance, matriculates 170students from an applicant pool of 3,700; Harvard enrolls 550 from a pool of 7,000.

It’s all very well for those of us who write letters of recommendation for our students to stress the qualities of humanity that will make them good lawyers or doctors. And it’s nice to think that admission officers are ready reading our letters and looking for the extra dimension of commitment or concern. Still, it would be hard for a student not to visualize these officers shuffling so many transcripts studded with As that they regard a B as positively shameful.

The pressure is almost as heavy on students who just want to graduate and get a job. Long gone are the days of the “gentleman’s C.” when students journeyed through college with a certain relaxation, sampling a wide variety of courses-music, art, philosophy, classics, anthropology, poetry, religion—that would send them out as liberally educated men and women. If I were an employer I would rather employ graduates who have this range and curiosity than those who narrowly pursued safe subjects and high grades. I know countless students whose inquiring minds exhilarate me. I like to hear the play of their ideas. I do not know if they are getting As or Cs, and I do not care. I also like them as people. The country needs them, and they will find satisfying jobs. I tell them to relax. They cannot.

Nor can I blame them. They live in a brutal economy. Tuition, room, and board at most private colleges now come to at least $7,000, not counting books and fees. This might seem to suggest that the colleges are getting rich. But they are equally battered by inflation. Tuition covers only 60 percent of what it costs to educate a student, and ordinarily the remainder comes from what college receives in endowments, grants, and gifts. Now, the remainder keeps being swallowed by the cruel costs—higher every year—of just opening the doors. Heating oil is up. Insurance is up. Postage is up. Health-premium costs are up. Everything is up. Deficits are up. We are witnessing in American the creation of a brotherhood of paupers—colleges, parents, and students, joined by the common bond of debt.

Today it is not unusual for a student, even if he works part time at college and full time during the summer, to accrue $5,000 in loans after four years—loans that he must start to repay within one year after graduation. Exhorted at commencement to go forth into the world, he is already behind as he goes forth. How could he not feel under pressure throughout college to prepare for this day of reckoning? I have used “he,” incidentally, only for brevity. Women at Yale are under no less pressure to justify their expensive education to themselves, their parents, and society. In fact, they are probably under more pressure. For although they leave college superbly equipped to bring fresh leadership to traditionally male jobs, society has not yet caught up with this fact.

Along with economic pressure goes parental pressure. Inevitably, the two are deeply intertwined.

I see many students taking pre-medical courses with joyless tenacity. They go off to their labs as if they were going to the dentist. It saddens me because I know tem in other corners of their life as cheerful people.

“Do you want to medical school?” I asked them.

“I guess so,” they say, without conviction, or “Not really.”

“Then why are you going?”

“Well, my parents want me to be a doctor. They are paying all this money and …”

Poor students, poor parents, they are caught in one of the oldest webs of love and duty and guilt. The parents mean will; they are trying to steer their sons and draughts toward a secure future. But the sons and daughter want to major in history or classics or philosophy—subjects with no “practical” value. Where’s the payoff on the humanities? It’s not easy to persuade such loving parents that the humanities do indeed pay off. The intellectual faculties developed by studying subjects like history and classics—an ability to synthesize and relate, to weigh cause and effect, to see events in perspective—are just the faculties that make creative leaders in business or almost any general field. Still, many fathers would rather put their money on courses that point toward specific profession—courses that are pre-law, pre-medical, pre-business, or, as I sometimes heard it put, “pre-rich.”

But the pressure on students is severe. They are truly torn. One part of them feels obliged to fulfill their parents’ expectations; after all, their parents are older and presumably wiser. Another part tells them that the expectations that are right for their parents are not right for them.

I know a student who wants to be an artist. She is very obviously an artist and will be a good one—she has already had several modest local exhibits. Meanwhile she is growing as a well-round person and taking humanistic subjects that will enrich the inner resources out of which her art will grow. But her father is strongly opposed. He thinks that an artist is a “dumb” thing to be. The student vacillates and tries to please everybody. She keeps up with her art somewhat furtively and takes some of the “dumb” courses her father wants her to take—at least they are dumb courses for her. She is a free spirit on a campus of tense students—no small achievement in it—and she deserves to follow her muse.

Peer pressure and self-induced pressure are also intertwined, and they begin almost at the beginning of freshman year.

“I had a freshman student I’ll call Linda,” one dean told me, “who came in and said she was under terrible pressure because her roommate, Barbara, was much brighter and studied all the time. I could not tell her that Barbara had come in two hours earlier to say the same thing about Linda.”

The story is almost funny—except that it is not. It is symptomatic of all the pressure put together. When every student thinks every other student is working harder and doing better, the only solution is to study harder still. I see students going off to the library every night after dinner and coming back when it closes at midnight. I wish they would sometimes forget about their peers and go to a movie. I hear the clacking of typewriters in the hours before dawn. I see the tension in their eyes when exams are approaching and papers are due: “Will I get everything done?”

Probably they won’t. They will get blocked. They will sleep. They will oversleep. They will bug out.

Part of the problem is that they are expected to do. A professor will assign five page papers. Several students will start writing ten page papers to impress him. Then more students will write ten page papers, and a few will raise the ante to fifteen. Pity the poor student who is still just doing the assignment.

“Once you have twenty or thirty percent of the student population deliberately overexerting,” one dean points out, “It’s bad for everybody. When a teacher gets more and more effort from his class, the student who is doing normal work can be perceived as not doing well. The tactic work, psychologically.”

Why cannot the professor just cut back and not accept longer papers? He can, and he probably will. But by then the term will be half over and the damage done. Grade fever is highly contagious and not easily reversed. Besides, the professor’s main concern is with his course. He knows his students only in relation to the course and does not know that they are also overexerting in their other courses. Nor is it really his business. He did not sign up for dealing with the student as a whole person and with all the emotional baggage the student brought along from home. That’s what deans, masters, chaplains, and psychiatrists are for.

To some extent this is nothing new: a certain number of professors have always been self-contained islands of scholarship and shyness, more comfortable with books than with people. But the new pauperism has widened the gap still further, for professors who actually like to spend time with students do not have as much time to spend. They are also overexerting. If they are young, they are busy trying to publish in order not to perish, hanging by their figure nails onto a shrinking profession.

If they are old and tenured, they are buried under the duties of administering departments—as departmental chairmen or members of committees—that have been thinned out by the budgetary axe.

Ultimately it will be the students’ own business to break the circles in which they are trapped. They are too young to be prisoners of their parents’ dreams and their classmates’ fears. They must be jolted into believing into themselves as unique men and women who have the power to shape their own future.

“Violence is being done to the undergraduate experience,” says Carlos Hortas. “College should be open-ended: at the end it should open many, many roads. Instead, students are choosing their goal in advance, and their choices narrow as they go along. It’s almost as if they think that the country has been codified in the type of jobs that exist-that they’ve got to fit into certain slots. Therefore, fit into the best paying slot.”

“They ought to take chances. Not taking chances will lead to life of colorless mediocrity. They’ll be comfortable. But something in the spirit will be missing.”

I have painted too drab a portrait of today’s students, making them seem a solemn lot. That is only half of their story; if they were so dreary I wouldn’t so thoroughly enjoy their company. The other half is that they are easy to like. They are quick to laugh and to offer friendship. They are not introverts. They are usually kind and are more considerate of one another than any student generation I have known.

Nor are they so obsessed with their studies that they avoid sports and extracurricular activities. On the contrary, they juggle their crowded hours to play on a variety of teams, perform with musical and dramatic groups, and write for campus publications. But this in turn is one more cause of anxiety. There are too many choices. Academically, they have 1,300 courses to select from; outside class they have to decide how much spare time they can spare and how to spend it.

This means that they engage in fewer extracurricular pursuits than their predecessors did. If they want to row on the crew and play in the symphony they will eliminate one; in the ‘60s they would have done both. They also tend to choose activities that are self-limiting. Drama, for instance, is flourishing in all twelve of Yale’s residential colleges, as it never has before. Students hurl themselves into these productions—as actors, directors, carpenters, and technicians—with a dedication to create the best possible play, knowing that the day will come when the run will end and they can get back to their studies.

They also cannot afford to be the willing slave of organizations like the Yale Daily News. Last spring at the one-hundredth anniversary banquet of that paper—who’s past chairmen include such once and future kings as Potter Stewart, Kingman Brewster, and William F. Buckley, Jr.—much was made of the fact that the editorial staff used to be small and totally committed and that “newsies” routinely worked fifty hours a week. In effect they belonged to a club; Newsies is how they defined themselves at Yale. Today’s students will one or two articles a week, when he can, and he defines himself as a student. I’ve never heard the word Newsie except at the banquet.

If I have described the modern undergraduate primarily as a driven creature who is largely ignoring the blithe spirit inside who keeps trying to come out and play, it’s because that’s where the crunch is, not only at Yale but throughout American education. It’s why I think we should all be worried about the values that are nurturing a generation so fearful of risk and so goal-obsessed at such an early age.

I tell students that there is no one “right” way to get ahead—that each of them is a different person, starting from a different point and bound for a different destination. I tell neither them that change is a tonic and that all the slots are not codified nor the frontiers closed. One of my ways of telling them is to invite men and women who have achieved success outside the academic world to come and talk informally with my students during the year. They are heads of companies or ad agencies, editors of magazines, politicians, public officials, television magnates, labor leaders, business executives, Broadway products, artists, writers, economists, photographers, scientists, historians—a mixed bag of achievers.

I asked them to say a few words about how they got started. The students assume that they started in their present profession and knew all along that it was what they wanted to do. Luckily for me, most of them got into their field by a circuitous route, to their surprise, after many detours. The students are startled. They can hardly conceive of a career that was not pre-planned. They can hardly imagine allowing the hand of God or chance to nudge them down some unforeseen trail.

11. To Err Is Wrong

In the summer of 1979, Boston Red Sox first baseman Carl Yastrzemski became the fifteenth player in baseball history to reach the three thousand hit plateaus. This event drew a lot of media attention, and for about a week prior to the attainment of this goal, hundreds of reports covered Yaz’s every more. Finally, one reporter asked, “Hey Yaz, aren’t you afraid all of this attention will go to your head?” Yastrzemski replied, “I look at this way: in my career I’ve been up to bat over ten thousand times. That means I’ve been unsuccessful at the plate over seven thousand times. That fact alone keeps me from getting a swollen head.”?

Most people consider success and failure as opposites, but they are actually both products of the same process. As Yaz suggest, an activity that produces a hit may also produce a miss. It is the same with creative thinking; the same energy that generates good creative ideas also produces errors.

Many people, however, are not comfortable with errors. Our educational system, based on “the right answer” belief, cultivates our thinking in another, more conservative way. From an early age, we are taught that right answers are good and incorrect answers are bad. This value is deeply embedded in the incentive system used in most schools:

Right over 90% of the time = “A”

Right over 80% of the time = “B~”

Right over 70% of the time = “C~” Right over 60% of the time = “D~” Less than 60% correct, you fail.

From this we learn to be right as often as possible and to keep our mistakes to a minimum. We learn, in other words, that “to err is wrong.

Playing It Safe

With this kind of attitude, you aren’t going to be taking too many chances. If you learn that failing even a litter penalizes you (e.g., being wrong only 15% of the time garners you only a “B” performance), you learn not to make mistakes. And more important, you learn not to put yourself to situation where you might fall. This leads to conservative thought pattern designed to avoid the stigma our society puts on “failure”.

I have a friend who recently graduated from college with a Master’s degree in Journalism. For the last six month, she has been trying to find a job, but to no avail. I talked with her about situation, and realized that her problem is that she doesn’t know how to fail. She went through eighteen years of schooling to try any approaches where she might fail. She has been conditioned to believe that failure is bad in and of itself, rather than a potential stepping-stone to new ideas.

Look around. How many middle managers, housewives, administrators, teachers, and other people do you see who are to try anything new because of this failure? Most of us have learned not to make mistakes in public. As a result, we remove ourselves from many learning experience except for those occurring in the most private of circumstances.

Different Logic

From a practical point of view, “to err is wrong” makes sense. Our survival in the everyday world requires us to perform thousand of small tasks without failure. Think about it: you wouldn’t last very long if you were to step out in front of traffic or stick your hand a pot of boiling water. In addition, engineers whose bridges collapse, stock brokers who lose money for their clients, and copywriters whose ad campaigns decrease sales won’t keep their jobs very long.

Nevertheless, too great an adherence to the belief “to err is wrong” can greatly undermine your attempts to generate new ideas. If you are more concerned with producing right answers than generating original ideas, you’ll probably make uncritical use of the rules, formulae, and procedures used to obtain these right answers. By doing this, you’ll by-pass the germinal phase of the creative process, and thus spend litter time testing assumptions, challenging the rules, asking what-if questions, or just playing around with the problem. All of these techniques will produce some incorrect answers, but in the germinal phase errors are viewed as a necessary by-product of creative thinking. As Yaz would put it, “if you want the hits, be prepared for the misses.” That’s the way the game of life goes.

Errors as Stepping Stones

Whenever an error pops up, the usual response is “Jeez, another screw up, what went wrong this time?” the creative thinker, on the other hand, will realize the potential value of errors, and perhaps say something like, “Would you look at that! Where can it lead our thinking?” and then he or she will go on to use the error as a stepping stone to a new idea. As a matter of fact, the whole history of discovery is filed with people who used erroneous assumptions and failed ideas as stepping-stones to new ideas. Columbus thought he was finding a shorter route to India. Johannes Kepler stumbled on to the idea of interplanetary gravity because of assumptions that were right for the wrong reasons. And, Thomas Edison knew 1800 ways not to build a light bulb.

The following story about the automotive genius Charles Kettering exemplifies the spirit of working through erroneous assumptions to good ideas. In 1912, when the automobile industry was just beginning to grow, Kettering was interested in improving gasoline engine efficiency. The problem he faced was“knockthe phenomenon in which gasoline takes too long to burn in the cylinder-thereby reducing efficiency.

Kettering began searching for ways to eliminate the “knock.” He thought to him, “How can I get the gasoline to combust in the cylinder at an earlier time?” the key concept here is “early”. Searching for analogous situations, he looked around for models of “things that happen early.” He thought of historical models, physical models, and biological models. Finally, he remembered a particular plant, the trailing arbutus, which “happens early,” i.e., it blooms in the snow (“earlier” than other plants). One of this plant’s chief characteristics is its’ red leaves, which help the plant retain light at certain wavelengths. Kettering figured that it must be the red color, which made the trailing arbutus bloom earlier.

Now came the critical step in Kettering’s chain of thought. He asked himself, “How can I make the gasoline red?” perhaps I’ll put red dye in the gasoline—maybe that’ll make it combust earlier.” He looked around his workshop, and found that he didn’t have any red dye. But he did happen to have some iodine—perhaps that would do. He added the iodine to the gasoline and, lo and behold, the engine didn’t “knock”.

[英语作文写作的需要背诵的部分

导语：感恩是有教养的一种标志，也是一种风度，一种美德。只要人人都学会感恩，世界就会充满阳光!下面是yuwenmi小编为大家整理的感恩是一种美德中考素材，欢迎阅读与借鉴，谢谢!

我们向父母感恩，感恩他们给了我们躯体与灵魂;我们向师友感恩，感恩他们给了我们知识与友谊;我们向天地感恩，感恩它们给了我们空气与土地……

古人云：滴水之恩，当涌泉相报。我们是这个社会的一员，随时接受着别人的帮助与鼓励，人与人之间有一张大网，她将在世界各地的人们紧密地结合起来。

相比之下，现在有的人往往以自己为中心，作为支配自己行为的内在动力。他们一意孤行，所有的成就自己享。我们不得不佩服这种“好汉”精神。要知道，一个篱笆三个桩，一个好汉三个帮。《水浒传》中有三十六天罡，七十二地煞，才有梁山泊“替天行道”的忠义大旗;杨丽萍的《雀之灵》有几百个动作，可是幕后又有多少无名英雄呢?如果大家只逞个人英雄主义，不互相感谢，互相鼓励，那么整个社会不就成了一摊散沙了吗?

感恩是一束阳光，可消融彼此间的猜疑积怨;感恩是一座桥梁，可将彼此的心灵沟通;感恩是一种镇静剂，可使人在众多的纷扰中恪守平静;感恩是一种润滑剂，可消除人与人之间的摩擦……

感恩是有教养的一种标志，也是一种风度，一种美德。只要人人都学会感恩，世界就会充满阳光!

​

1. The latest surveys show that quite a few children have unpleasant associations with homework.

最近的调查显示相当多的孩子对家庭作业没什么好感。

2. No invention has received more praise and abuse than Internet.

没有一项发明像互联网一样同时受到如此多的赞扬和批评。

3. According to a recent survey, four million people die each year from diseases linked to smoking.

依照最近的一项调查，每年有4，000，000人死于与吸烟有关的疾病。

4. People seem to fail to take into account the fact that education does not end with graduation.

人们似乎忽视了教育不应该随着毕业而结束这一事实。

5. An increasing number of people are beginning to realize that education is not complete with graduation.

越来越多的人开始意识到教育不能随着毕业而结束。

6. When it comes to education, the majority of people believe that education is a lifetime study.

说到教育，大部分人认为其是一个终生的学习。

7. Many experts point out that physical exercise contributes directly to a persons physical fitness.

许多专家指出体育锻炼直接有助于身体健康。

8. Proper measures must be taken to limit the number of foreign tourists and the great efforts should be made to protect local environment and history from the harmful effects of international tourism.

应该采取适当的措施限制外国旅游者的数量，努力保护当地环境和历史不受国际旅游业的不利影响。

9. An increasing number of experts believe that migrants will exert positive effects on construction of city. However, this opinion is now being questioned by more and more city residents, who complain that the migrants have brought many serious problems like crime and prostitution.

越来越多的专家相信移民对城市的建设起到积极作用。然而，越来越多的城市居民却怀疑这种说法，他们抱怨民工给城市带来了许多严重的问题，像犯罪和卖淫。

10. Many city residents complain that it is so few buses in their city that they have to spend much more time waiting for a bus, which is usually crowded with a large number of passengers.

许多市民抱怨城市的公交车太少，以至于他们要花很长时间等一辆公交车，而车上可能已满载乘客。

近日，多家饭店启动"光盘行动，从我做起"活动，鼓励顾客"减少舌尖上的浪费"。同时，餐后晒空盘在网络上也悄然流行，不少人以身为"光盘族"骄傲。作为一名中学生，请你以"How to build an economized society"为题向《2l世纪报》投稿，号召大家在日常生活中勤俭节约，共同建设"节约型社会"。

要点包括： 1。不浪费粮食 2。日常生活中的节水、节电等 3。呼吁和号召

注意：1。词数：100左右。短文标题、开头已为你写好，但不计入总数; 2。内容可适当发挥，注意行文连贯。

参考词汇：光盘行动 "clear your plate" campaign

Our government is aiming to build an "economized society"。 I think it is every citizens duty to work hard to achieve this goal。

Firstly, we know that many restaurants have joined the "clear your plate" campaign against wasting food。 We students should do the same in our daily life especially when having dinner with our friends and relatives。 It is a good virtue for us to do so。 Secondly, make sure that the lights and all the other electric facilities are turned off when we finish our work and leave the room。 Also it is important to form the habit of turning off the tap after it is used。 Saving energy isalso saving ourselves。

In a word,if we pay much attention to our everyday behavior and take actions to reduce waste, we can make contributions to an economized society.Lets work together from now on!

1. It rained cats and dogs last night. 昨晚雨下得很大。

Rain cats and dogs是一句非常受欢迎的俚语，几乎每个学英语的学生都懂得用 rain cats and dogs 来形容雨下得很大。

当然如果你不想用俚语的讲法，你可以说："Its raining really hard.(雨下得很大)"或是"Were having a heavy rain."同样也是“雨下得很大”。

那“雨下得很大，我被淋成了落汤鸡”这整句话要怎么讲?“落汤鸡”在英文里常用"I am soaked."(我湿透了)来形容。因此，我们可以说：Its raining cats and dogs out there so Im soaked.

2. We had a downpour. 我们刚遇到了一场倾盆大雨。

中文里常形容下雨像是用“倒”的一样，这在英文里也有同样对等的字眼喔!英文里用的是 downpour 这个词。所以“下雨像是用倒的”我们可以说："We had a downpour."

另外有一个十分口语的讲法就是"Its really coming down out there."，也是形容雨下得很大，像是用“倒”的一样。

3. Its just sprinkling. 只是在下毛毛雨而已。

在英文里不管下“毛毛雨”或是“毛毛雪”我们都可以用 drizzle 和 sprinkle 这两个动词来表示。

Drizzle 这个词就是气象术语“下毛毛雨”的意思，而sprinkle 则是一个动词表示“撒”，但也常被用来形容毛毛雨。

常听到的用法就是："Its drizzling." 或是 "Its sprinkling."另外还有一个词叫 scattered rain，指的则是“零零星星地降雨”。

例如：We have to cancel the track and field contest because of the scattered rain.因为零星的降雨所以我们必须取消田径赛。

英语写作中有不少短语和表达大家会经常用到，下面我们就总结了100条常用的短语和表达句子，希望能给大家一些参考。

1. 经济的快速发展 the rapiddevelopment of economy

2.人民生活水平的显著提高/稳步增长theremarkableimprovement/ steady growth ofpeople’s livingstandard

3.先进的科学技术advanced science and technology

4.面临新的机遇和挑战 be faced with new opportunities and challenges

5.人们普遍认为 It is commonly believed/ recognized that…

6.社会发展的必然结果 the inevitable result of social development

7.引起了广泛的公众关注 arouse wide public concern/ draw publicattention

8.不可否认 Itis undeniable that…/ There is no denying that…

9.热烈的讨论/争论 a heated discussion/ debate

10.有争议性的问题 a controversialissue

11.完全不同的观点 a totally different argument

12.一些人 …而另外一些人 … Some people… while others…

13. 就我而言/ 就个人而言 As far as I am concerned, / Personally,

14.就…达到绝对的一致 reach an absolute consensus on…

15.有充分的理由支持 be supported by sound reasons

16.双方的论点 argument on both sides

17.发挥着日益重要的作用 play an increasingly important role in…

18.对…必不可少 be indispensableto …

19.正如谚语所说 As the proverb goes:

20.…也不例外 …be no exception

21.对…产生有利/不利的影响 exert positive/ negative effects on…

22.利远远大于弊 the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages。

23.导致，引起 lead to/ give rise to/ contribute to/ result in

24.复杂的社会现象 a complicated social phenomenon

25.责任感 / 成就感 sense of responsibility/ sense of achievement

26. 竞争与合作精神 sense of competition and cooperation

27. 开阔眼界 widen one’s horizon/ broaden one’s vision

28.学习知识和技能 acquire knowledge and skills

29.经济/心理负担 financial burden / psychologicalburden

30.考虑到诸多因素 take many factors into account/ consideration

31. 从另一个角度 from another perspective

32.做出共同努力 make joint efforts

33. 对…有益 be beneficial / conducive to…

34.为社会做贡献 make contributions to the society

35.打下坚实的基础 lay a solid foundation for…

36.综合素质 comprehensivequality

37.无可非议 blameless / beyond reproach

38.加大了…的可能性 increase the chances of

39.致力于/ 投身于 be committed / devoted to…

40. 应当承认 Admittedly

41.不可推卸的义务 unshakable duty

42. 满足需求 satisfy/ meet the needs of…

43.可靠的信息源 a reliablesource of information

44.宝贵的自然资源 valuable natural resources

45.因特网 the Internet (一定要由冠词，字母I

46.方便快捷 convenient andefficient

47.在人类生活的方方面面 in all aspects of human life

48.环保(的) environmental protection /environmentallyfriendly

49.社会进步的体现 a symbol of society progress

50.科技的飞速更新 the ever-accelerated updating of scienceandtechnology

51.对这一问题持有不同态度 hold different attitudes towards this issue

52.支持前/后种观点的人 people / those in favor of theformer/latteropinion

53.有/ 提供如下理由/ 证据 have/ provide the followingreasons/evidence

54.在一定程度上 to some extent/ degree / in some way

55. 理论和实践相结合 integratetheory with practice

56. …必然趋势 an irresistible trend of…

57.日益激烈的社会竞争 the increasingly fierce social competition

58.眼前利益 immediate interest/ short-term interest

59.长远利益. interest in the long run

60.…有其自身的优缺点 … has its merits and demerits/ advantagesanddisadvantages

61.扬长避短 Exploit to the full one’s favorableconditions andavoidunfavorable ones

62.取其精髓，去其糟粕 Take the essence and discard the dregs。

63.对…有害 do harm to / be harmful to/ be detrimental to

64.交流思想/ 情感/ 信息 exchange ideas/ emotions/ information

65.跟上…的最新发展 keep pace with / catch up with/ keep abreastwiththe latest development of …

66.采取有效措施来… take effective measures to do sth。

67.…的健康发展 the healthy development of …

68.有利有弊 Every coin has its two sides。(不推荐用。。。) No gardenwithout weeds。

69.对…观点因人而异 Views on …vary from person to person。

70.重视 attach great importance to…

71.社会地位 social status

72.把时间和精力放在…上 focus time and energy on…

73.扩大知识面 expand one’s scopeof knowledge

74.身心两方面 both physically and mentally

75.有直接/间接关系 be directly / indirectly related to…

76. 提出折中提议 set forth a compromise proposal

77. 可以取代 “think”的词 believe, claim, hold the opinion/beliefthat

78.缓解压力/ 减轻负担 relievestress/ burden

79.优先考虑/发展… give (top) priority to sth。

80.与…比较 compared with…/ in comparison with

81. 相反 in contrast / on the contrary。

82.代替 replace/ substitute / take the place of 大写)

83.经不起推敲 cannot bear closer analysis / cannot hold water

84.提供就业机会 offer job opportunities

85. 社会进步的反映 mirror of social progress

86.毫无疑问 Undoubtedly, / There is no doubt that…

87.增进相互了解 enhance/ promote mutualunderstanding

88.充分利用 make full use of / take advantage of

89.承受更大的工作压力 suffer from heavier work pressure

90.保障社会的稳定和繁荣 guarantee the stability and prosperity ofoursociety

91.更多地强调 put more emphasis on…

92.适应社会发展 adapt oneself to the development of society

93.实现梦想 realize one’s dream/ make one’s dream come true

94. 主要理由列举如下 The main reasons are listed as follows:

95. 首先 First， Firstly， In the first place, To begin with

96.其次 Second, Secondly, In the second place

97. 再次 Besides，In addition, Additionally,Moreover,Furthermore

98. 最后 Finally, Last but not the least, Above all, Lastly,

99. 总而言之 All in all, To sum up, In summary, In a word,

100.我们还有很长的路要走 We still have a long way to go

以下是短文写作中使用率最高、覆盖面最广的基本句式，每组句式的功能相同或相似，考可根据自己的情况选择其中的个，做到能够熟练正确地仿写或套用。

1．表示原因

1）There are three reasons for this

2）The reasons for this are as follows

3）The reason for this is obvious

4）The reason for this is not far to seek

5）The reason for this is that

6）We have good reason to believe that

例如：

There are three reasons for the changes that have taken place in our life

．Firstly，people’s living standard has been greatly improved．Secondly，most people are well paid，and they can afford what they need or like．Last but not least，more and more people prefer to enjoy modern life．

注：

如考生写第一个句子没有把握，

可将其改写成两个句子。

如：

Great changes have taken place in our life．

There are three reasons for this．这样写可以避免套用中的表达失误。

2．表示好处

1）It has the following advantages

2）It does us a lot of good

3）It benefits us quite a lot

4）It is beneficial to us

5）It is of great benefit to us

例如：

Books are like friends．

They can help us know the world better，and they can open our minds

and widen our horizons．Therefore reading extensively is of great benefit to us

3．表示坏处

1）It has more disadvantages than advantages

2）It does us much harm

3）It is harmful to us

例如：

However，everything divides into two．

Television can also be harmful to us．It can do harm to our health and make us lazy if we spend too much time watching television.

4．表示重要、必要、困难、方便、可能

1）It is important（necessary，difficult，convenient, possible）for sb．to do sth．

2）We think it necessary to do sth．

3）It plays an important role in our life．

例如：

Computers are now being used everywhere，whether in the government，in schools or in business．

Soon, computers will be found in every home，too．

We have good reason to say that computers are playing an increasingly important role in our life and we have stepped into the Computer Age．

5．表示措施

1)We should take some effective measures．

2）We should try our best to overcome（conquer）the difficulties．

3）We should do our utmost in doing sth．

4）We should solve the problems that we are confronted（faced）with．

例如：

The housing problem that we are confronted with Is becoming more and more serious．Therefore，we must take some effective measures to solve it．

6 ．表示变化

1）Some changes have taken place in the past five years．

2)A great change will certainly be produced in the world’s communications．

3）The computer has brought about many changes in education．

例如：

Some changes have taken place in people’s diet in the past five years．The major reasons for these changes are not far to seek．Nowadays，more and more people are switching from grain to

meat for protein，and from fruit and vegetable to milk for vitamins．

7．表示事实、现状

1）We cannot ignore the fact that．．．

2）No one can deny the fact that．．．

3）There is no denying the fact that．．．

4）This is a phenomenon that many people are interested in．

5）However，that’s not the case．

例如：

We cannot ignore the fact that industrialization brings with it the problems of pollution．To solve these problems，

we can start by educating the public about the hazards of pollution．

The government on its part should also design stricter laws to promote a cleaner environment．

8．表示比较

1）Compared with A，B．．．

2）I prefer to read rather than watch TV．

3）There is a striking contrast between them．

例如：

Compared with cars ,bicycles have several advantages besides being affordable．Firstly，they do not consume natural resources of petroleum．Secondly，they do not cause the pollution problem．Last but not least，they contribute to people’s health by giving them due physical exercise．

9．表示数量

1）It has increased（decreased）from．．．to．．．

2）The population in this city has now increased （decreased）to 800，000．

3）The output of July in this factory increased by 15％compared with that of January．

例如：

With the improvement of the living standard,the proportion of people’s in some spent on food has decreased while that spent on education has increased．

再如：From the graph listed above,it can be seen that student use of computers has increased from an average of less than two hours per week in 1990 to 20 hours in 2000．

10．表示看法

1）People have（take，adopt，assume)different attitudes towards sth．

2）People have different opinions on this problem．

3）People take different views of（on）the question．

4）Some people believe that．．．

Others argue that．．．

例如：

People have different attitudes towards failure．Some believe that failure leads to success．

Every failure they experience translates into a greater chance of success at their renewed endeavor．However ,others are easily discouraged by failures and put themselves into the category of losers．

再如：

Do“lucky numbers really bring good luck？

Different people have different views on it（注：

一个段落有时很适宜以问句开始，考生应掌握这一写作方法。）

11．表示结论

1）In short，it can be said that ．．．

2）It may be briefly summed up as follows．

3）From what has been mentioned above,we can come to the conclusion that ．．

例如：

From what has been mentioned above，we can come to the conclusion that examination is necessary，however，its method should be improved．

12．套语

1）It’s well known to us that ．．．

2）As is known to us．．．

3）This is a topic that is being widely talked about．

4）From the graph

（table，chart）listed above，it can be seen that ．．．

5）As a proverb says，“Where there is a will，there is a way．

例如：

As is well known to us，it is important for the students to know the world outside campus．

The reason for this is obvious．Nowadays,the society is changing and developing rapidly，and

the campus is no longer an“ivory tower.As college students，

we must get in touch with the world outside the campus．

Only in this way can we adapt ourselves to the society quickly after

we graduate.