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英语四级作文看图写作【精品20篇】

在新的一年里,我们必须有很多愿望,因为新年意味着事情结束,另一个开始,下面请跟随小编一起来看看庆祝元旦的英语作文。

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初中英语作文写作技巧精选

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要点:实际上中考英语写作就等于两个字,翻译!因为中考英语写作一般会给出几个要点,要求必须在文章中有所体现。文章写的再好,只要缺少要点就会扣分。所以要点,也就是文章的第二段内容,要做到全,围绕中心。

结构:中考最流行的结构就是三段式,深受各地区中考英语写作阅卷老师的喜爱。为什么尼?因为这种结构十分清晰。“观点——要点——总结”让人一目了然。三段式的第一段:简单明了,开门见山,不超过2句话,如,我们想表达小强很强壮,第一段直接说XQis extremely strong。观点明确,这一句足矣。

第二段:分2-3点说为什么他强壮。1. 每天吃10顿饭,He has ten mealseveryday!详举吃的是什么。2. 每天运动2小时,He does exercise 2 hours a day!详举做了什么运动。

第三段:经过第二段的论证,可以得出结论。但请注意,不能完全照抄第一段,要有升华。也可以提出希望和建议等。如,Howstrong and robust XQ is!I hope to be him one day!

逻辑:这里的逻辑实际指的就是逻辑词。最常用的就是表示递进的,转折的,总结的逻辑词等。递进:除了first,second,third,finally等还可以使用高级点的,如first of all(首先),in addition,whatsmore,moreover(都是另外的意思),in a word,all inall(表示总结的)。转折:but,yet,however等。真正有经验的阅卷老师会很注意这些逻辑连接词,因为这些词体现了这个文章的思路。

语法:其他几点都不是硬性的要求,不那样做不能说是错,只能说是不好,但是语法却是硬性的。如,单词的使用,时态等。

亮点:当我们将前八个字都做得很完美的时候也只能得到一个二等文的上。要想得到一等文,最后两个字,亮点至关重要。大家设想如果我们是阅卷老师。有两篇写人美丽的作文摆在我们面前,都是结构清晰的三段式,要点都很全,都用了一些逻辑词,都没有语法错误,但是A篇只用了beautiful,good-looking,B篇却用到了attractive,charming,catching等,我坚信正常人都会给B篇高分的。这些高级一点的词汇,词组,句型便是我们得到一等文的最有力的绝招。所以,以后写英语作文要养成一般词汇限量用的好习惯。

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篇1:英语写作高频名言36个

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写作的过程中我们偶尔会引用一些名言,下面是语文迷网整理的36个常用的名言,供大家阅读。

1、 More hasty,less speed. 欲速则不达。

2、 Its never too old to learn. 活到老,学到老。

3、 All that glitters is not gold. 闪光的未必都是金子。

4、 A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.千里之行始于足下。

5、 Look before you leap. 三思而后行。

6、 Rome was not built in a day. 伟业非一日之功。

7、 Great minds think alike. 英雄所见略同。

8、 well begun,half done. 好的开始等于成功的一半。

9、 It is hard to please all. 众口难调。

10、 Out of sight,out of mind. 眼不见,心不念。

11、 Facts speak plainer than words. 事实胜于雄辩。

12、 Call back white and white back. 颠倒黑白。

13、 Practice makes perfect. 熟能生巧。

14、 God helps those who help themselves. 天助自助者。

15、 Easier said than done. 说起来容易做起来难。

16、 First things first. 凡事有轻重缓急。

17、 Ill news travels fast. 坏事传千里。

18、 A friend in need is a friend indeed. 患难见真情。

19、 live not to eat,but eat to live. 活着不是为了吃饭,吃饭为了活着。

20、 Action speaks louder than words. 行动胜过语言。

21、 East or west,home is the best. 金窝银窝不如自家草窝。

22、 Its not the gay coat that makes the gentleman. 君子在德不在衣。

23、 Beauty will buy no beef. 漂亮不能当饭吃。

24、 Like and like make good friends. 趣味相投。

25、 The older, the wiser. 姜是老的辣。

26、 Do as Romans do in Rome. 入乡随俗。

27、 An idle youth,a needy age. 少壮不努力,老大徒伤悲。

28、 As the tree,so the fruit. 种瓜得瓜,种豆得豆。

29、 Where there is a will,there is a way. 有志者事竟成。

30、 One false step will make a great difference. 失之毫厘,谬之千里。

31、 Slow and steady wins the race. 稳扎稳打无往而不胜。

32、 A fall into the pit,a gain in your wit. 吃一堑,长一智。

33、 Experience is the mother of wisdom. 实践出真知。

34、 All work and no play makes jack a dull boy. 只工作不玩耍,聪明孩子也变傻。

35、 Beauty without virtue is a rose without fragrance.无德之美犹如没有香味的玫瑰,徒有其表。

36、 To live is to learn,to learnistobetterlive.活着为了学习,学习为了更好的活着。

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篇2:英语写作技巧及要领介绍

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下面是语文迷小编为大家整理提供的英语写作技巧以及关联词,供大家阅读参考。

英语写作技巧之一:用介词短语替代从句,例:

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.

英语写作技巧之二:删除诸如"who is”或"that is"之类的关系代词,变从句为短语,例:

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。

英语写作技巧之三:剔除你不需要的单词,例:

Two joint partners will present their views over a long-distance telephone call.

写完这样的句子后,你自己再读一遍,挑出单词"joint"和"telephone",注意删去不必要的词。

关联词的积累

1.提出观点不要只用I think,要学会用:

As far as I am concerned

In my opinion

From my point of view

From my perspective

The way I see it

2.转折不要只用but, 要多用:

However,

nevertheless, nonetheless,

Whereas

Some people like fat meat, whereas other people hate it.

转折也可用比喻:as a coin has two sides(就象硬币有两面一样), …(陈述转折内容)

3.表递进的:

In addition, in addition to, additionally,

what is more, moreover, furthermore,

more importantly,

what is worse (更槽糕的是)

4.表示“事实上”:

In fact,

as a matter of fact,

actually

5.表总结:

in conclusion, as a result,

all in all 总而言之

In short,

In a word, 一句话讲

Taking into consideration,

Taking into account all the factors that I have mentioned above, it is safe to draw a conclusion that …

6.表示因此:

Consequently,

Hence,

Therefore,

Thus,

as a result,

resultingly

7.表因为:

because of

due to,

owing to,

thanks to,

as a result of,

8.虽然

Although, even though, even if, though

Proud as these nobles are, …

As flattered as I am, I would say no.

In spite of, despite

I love you in spite of that.

9.比较:

In comparison with,

compared to,

compared with

She’s nothing compared to you.

10.表最后:

Finally,

eventually,

in the end,

at last,

ultimately,

11.表示程度的副词词组亦非常重要,会使文章看起来比较成熟、辨证:

To some extent 在某种程度上讲

To some degree 在某种程度上讲

To a large part 在很大程度上说

In a sense 在某种意义上讲

In general, generally 大体上说

Generally speaking 一般地讲

In some cases 在有些情况下

Basically 基本上

Broadly speaking 宽泛地讲

12.其他(要尽可能多用在文章中。始终牢记内容次要,而语言形式第一位。内容服务于形式):

Not only, but also

Neither nor, either or

Instead of, instead

For example, for instance (替换使用), take … for example

Be likely to

Be able to

Speaking of, when it comes to …

When it comes to food, he is really picky.

In terms of 根据

First of all, second of all

Above all,

Significantly,

The more, the more

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篇3:英语写作小技巧

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一、代入法

这是进行英语写作时最常用的方法。同学们在掌握一定的词汇和短语之后,结合一定的语法知识,按照句子的结构特点,直接用英语代人相应的句式即可。如:

1. 他从不承认自己的失败。

He never admits his failure.

2. 那项比赛吸引了大批观众。

The match attracted a large crowd.

3. 他把蛋糕分成4块。

He divided the cake into four pieces.

二、还原法

即把疑问句、强调句、倒装句等还原成基本结构。这是避免写错句子的一种有效的办法。如:

1. 这是开往格拉斯哥的火车吗?

Is this the train for Glasgow?

还原为陈述句:This is the train for Glasgow.

2. 他是因为爱我的钱才同我结了婚。

It was because he loved my money that he married me.

还原为非强调句:Because he loved my money, he married me.

3. 光速很快,我们几乎没法想像它的速度。

So fast does light travel that we can hardly imagine its speed.

还原为正常语序:Light travels so fast that we can hardly imagine its speed.

三、分解法

把一个句子分成两个或两个以上的句子。这样既能把意思表达得更明了,又能减少写错句子的几率。如:

1. 我们要干就要干好。

If we do a thing, we should do it well.

2. 从各地来的学生中有许多是北方人。

There are students here from all over the country. Many of them are from the North.

四、合并法

就是把两个或两个以上的简单句用一个复合句或较复杂的简单句表达出来。这种方法最能体现学生的英语表达能力,同时也最能提高文章的可读性。如:

1. 我们迷路了,这使我们的旅行变成了一次冒险。

Our trip turned into an adventure when we got lost.

2. 天气转晴了,这是我们没有想到的。

The weather turned out to be very good, which was more than we could expect.

3. 狼是高度群体化的动物,它们的成功依赖于合作。

Wolves are highly social animals whose success depends upon their cooperation.

五、删减法

就是在写英语句子时,把相应汉语句子里的某些词、短语或重复的成分删掉或省略。如:

1. 这部打字机真是价廉物美。

This typewriter is very cheap and fine indeed.

注:汉语表达中的“价”和“物”在英语中均无需译出。

2. 个子不高不是人生中的严重缺陷。

Not being tall is not a serious disadvantage in life.

注:汉语说“个子不高”,其实就是“不高”。也就是说,其中的“个子”在英语中无需译出。

六、移位法

由于英语和汉语在表达习惯上存在差异,根据表达的需要,某些成分需要前置或后移。如:

1. 他发现赚点外快很容易。

He found it easy to earn extra money.

注:it在此为形式宾语,真正的宾语是句末的不定式to earn extra money。

2. 告诉我这事的人不肯告诉我他的名字。

The man who told me this refused to tell me his name.

注:who told me this为修饰the man的定语从句,应置于其后。

3. 直到我遇到你以后,我才真正体会到幸福。

It was not until I met you that I knew real happiness.

注:not...until...为英语中的固定句式,其意为“直到……才……”。

七、分析法

指根据要表示的汉语意思,通过进行语法分析和句式判断,然后写出准确地道的英语句子。如:

1. 从这个角度看,问题并不像人们一般料想的那样严重。

Seen in this light, the matter is not as serious as people generally suppose.

注:分词短语作状语时,其逻辑主语应与句子主语一致,由于the matter与see之间为被动关系,故see要用过去分词seen。

2. 我没有见过他,所以说不出他的模样。

Not having met him, I cannot tell you what he is like.

注:如果分词的动作发生在谓语动作之前,且与逻辑主语是主动关系,则用现在分词的完成式。

八、意译法

有的同学在写句子时,一遇见生词或不熟悉的表达,就以为是“山穷水尽”了。其实,此时我们可以设法绕开难点,在保持原意的基础上,用不同的表达方式写出来。如:

1. 汤姆一直在扰乱别的孩子,我就把他撵了出去。

Tom was upsetting the other children, so I showed him the door.

2. 有志者事竟成。

Where there is a will, there is a way.

3. 你可以同我们一起去或是呆在家中,悉听尊便。

You can go with us or stay at home, whichever you choose.

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篇4:英语看图作文去野餐

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It was a sunny day. We decided to have a picnic outside the city. In the morning, we took an early bus to Nanhui. It was quite a colorful world. there were GREen trees, orange leaves,red peach blossoms.

At noon, we reached the place, we sat by the river bank and took out a lot of things, such as bread, orange juice, apples, cakes, eggs and so on.But all of a sudden, it began to rain. Unluckily there was no shelter nearby. We had to take a bus to go back home in a hurry.

What an unforgettable picnic it was!

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篇5:关于提高英语写作能力的方法

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英语教学中,培养学生听、说、读、写的能力是相辅相成的。经常练习写作,可以巩固和发展听说能力 ,还可以促进阅读能力的提高。写作能促使学生勤复习、多思考。通过对一词一句反复推敲,有助于提高使用 语言的准确性。学习用英语写作是培养英语思维能力的重要途径之一,有了一定的英语思维能力,英语学习就 能产生一个相应的飞跃。因此,在高中阶段指导、培养学生写英语作文是不容等闲视之的。

用英语解释生词,为学生打好写作基础。教师应创造语言环境,通过耳濡目染、潜移默化,培养用英语思 维的习惯。在教每课的单词和词组时,要尽量用学生学过的单词、词组进行解释。刚开始时,可由教师用英语 解释生词,后来可让学生根据汉语释意,用自己学过的单词、词组解释。这样,经过一段时间的训练,学生的 英语思维能力就会有所提高,为英语写作打下较好的基础。在作文时,如果不知道某个东西的英语表达方式而 又无词典可查,这时学生就会用其释义来代替,如用“a person who nakes clothes”来代替“atailor”, 这虽不完全符合英语语言习惯,但对初学写作的高中生来说还是值得鼓励的。

通过缩写和改写课文,培养学生的英语概括能力。缩写课文会激励学生去认真钻研课文内容,有助于加深 学生对课文的理解,提高学生归纳总结和进行简要表达的能力。缩写课文允许改动原意,不允许删去主要内容 。缩写课文一般应该用自己的话来写,不能只停留在拼凑原文的词句上,也不要逐句、逐段照原文去改写。这 些均通过示例让学生明白和掌握,并在实践中让他们仔细加以体会。改写课文可以培养学生举一反三的语言表 达能力,熟练掌握英语表达方法,促使学生去钻研、去思考,调动学习的积极性,学生把学过的知识运用到实 际中去,这对于提高英语水平大有裨益。改写,除了我们通常所说的句子、段落的释义之外,还包括用其他体 裁改写整篇课文。如高中英语第一册第三课短剧“The Lost Necklace”可改写为记叙文。有的课文,如高中英 语第一册“The Blind Men And The Elephant”和第十课“At A Tailors Shop”等,就可以让学生改写成短 剧,并让他们在班上表演。有的课文故事是第三人称叙述的,如“The Footprint”,就可以让学生用第一人称 加以改写,使他们身临其境,自由发挥。这样可创造情景,促使他们“下笔如有神”。

以多题材、多形式的自由作文训练,加强意念功能的培养。经过一段时间的缩写和改写的笔头训练之后, 学生对写作有了一定的基础和兴趣,就可以放手让他们进行多种题材的自由作文训练,使学生在自由表达思想 和内心感受中,加强意念功能培养。(1) 练习写周记日记是培养学生英语自由写作能力的第一步。写周记日记 ,学生不受内容和经验的限制,可就熟悉的题材,充分发挥自己的想象力,自由表达。(2) 看图作文新颖活泼 ,能激发学生英语写作的积极性。可以用流传较广的传说、故事作图,让学生写记叙文。比如画几幅老鼠商议 给猫挂铃铛的图,让学生以“The cat and the bell”作文。也可画一幅漫画,让学生写简易议论文。如画一 幅之人向三个方向划一条小船,让学生写出情景加以评论,并命题。(3) 作文可由教师统一命题,也可由学生 自由命题。命题作文要注意先易后难,开始让学生写一些自己熟悉、易于表达的题材。如:“Our School”、 “My Family”、“A Letter To Somebody”、“ARepectable Teacher”、“Life In Summer Vacation”等。 在此基础上,提高一步,写一些较难的题目。如:My Idea, Money And Happiness等。刚开始练习命题作文写作 时,可让学生课外完成,规定交作文日期即可。经过一段时间后,可要求他们在课堂上完成,借以培养他们的 思考能力,提高快速写作的能力。

通过讲评帮助学生逐步掌握写作要领。作文批阅应与课堂讲评相结合,一方面在班上朗诵优秀作文,说明 其好在哪里。另一方面要分析各种典型错误,尤其是汉式英语,务必通过讲译,使学生进一步了解错误产生的 原因,以及如何纠正。为了加深印象,避免讲评中烦琐指点,最好对各种错误进行分类整理,教师应注意分类 的合理性和系统性。

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篇6:高考英语写作必背句式90个

全文共 14441 字

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一个句子必须按照一定的模式来组织,这个模式称为句式。下面是语文迷为大家提供的高考英语写作优秀句式,供大家参考。

1) on the other hand, the contribution of day schools cant be ignored.

2) due to high tuition fee, most of ordinary families cannot afford to send their children to boarding schools.

3) since it is unnecessary to consider students routinelife, day school can lay stress on teaching instead of other aspects, such as management of dormitory and cafeteria.

4) furthermore, students living in their own home would have access to a comfortable life and have more opportunities to communicate with their parents, which have beneficial impact on development of their personal character.

5) from what has been discussed above, we may safely draw the conclusion that both of day schools and boarding schools are important to train young students for our society.

6) there is much discussion over science and technology. one of the questions under debate is whether traditional technology and methods are bound to die out when a country begins to develop modern science and technology.

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

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

9) No invention has received more praise and abuse than Internet.

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

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

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

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

14) 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

15) 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.

16) 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.

17) There is no denying the fact that air pollution is an extremely serious problem: the city authorities should take strong measures to deal with it.

18) An investigation shows that female workers tend to have a favorable attitude toward retirement.

19) A proper part-time job does not occupy students too much time. In fact, it is unhealthy for them to spend all of time on their study. As an old saying goes: All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

20) Any government, which is blind to this point, may pay a heavy price.

21) Nowadays, many students always go into raptures at the mere mention of the coming life of high school or college they will begin. Unfortunately, for most young people, it is not pleasant experience on their first day on campus.

22) In view of the seriousness of this problem, effective measures should be taken before things get worse.

23) The majority of students believe that part-time job will provide them with more opportunities to develop their interpersonal skills, which may put them in a favorable position in the future job markets.

24) It is indisputable that there are millions of people who still have a miserable life and have to face the dangers of starvation and exposure.

25) Although this view is wildly held, this is little evidence that education can be obtained at any age and at any place.

26) No one can deny the fact that a persons education is the most important aspect of his life.

27) People equate success in life with the ability of operating computer.

28) In the last decades, advances in medical technology have made it possible for people to live longer than in the past.

29) In fact, we have to admit the fact that the quality of life is as important as life itself.

30) We should spare no effort to beautify our environment.

31) People believe that computer skills will enhance their job opportunities or promotion opportunities.

32) The information Ive collected over last few years leads me to believe that this knowledge may be less useful than most people think.

33) Now, it is generally accepted that no college or university can educate its students by the time they graduation.

34) This is a matter of life and death--a matter no country can afford to ignore.

35) For my part, I agree with the latter opinion for the following reasons:

36) Before giving my opinion, I think it is important to look at the arguments on both sides.

37) This view is now being questioned by more and more people.

38) Although many people claim that, along with the rapidly economic development, the number of people who use bicycle are decreasing and bicycle is bound to die out. The information Ive collected over the recent years leads me to believe that bicycle will continue to play extremely important roles in modern society.

39) Environmental experts point out that increasing pollution not only causes serious problems such as global warming but also could threaten to end human life on our planet.

40) In view of such serious situation, environmental tools of transportation like bicycle are more important than any time before.

41) Using bicycle contributes greatly to peoples physical fitness as well as easing traffic jams.

42) Despite many obvious advantages of bicycle, it is not without its problem.

43) Bicycle cant be compared with other means of transportation like car and train for speed and comfort.

44) From what has been discussed above, we may safely draw the conclusion that advantages of bicycle far outweigh its disadvantages and it will still play essential roles in modern society.

45) There is a general discussion these days over education in many colleges and institutes. One of the questions under debate is whether education is a lifetime study.

46) This issue has caused wide public concern.

47) It must be noted that learning must be done by a person himself.

48) A large number of people tend to live under the illusion that they had completed their education when they finished their schooling. Obviously, they seem to fail to take into account the basic fact that a persons education is a most important aspect of his life.

49) As for me, Im in favor of the opinion that education is not complete with graduation, for the following reasons:

50) It is commonly accepted that no college or university can educate its students by the time they graduate.

51) Even the best possible graduate needs to continue learning before she or he becomes an educated person.

52) It is commonly thought that our society had dramatically changed by modern science and technology, and human had made extraordinary progress in knowledge and technology over the recent decades.

53) For lack of distinct culture, some places will not attract tourists any more. Consequently, the fast rise in number of foreign tourists may eventually lead to the decline of local tourism.

54) There is a growing tendency for parents to ask their children to accept extra educational programs over the recent years.

55) This phenomenon has caused wide public concern in many places of world.

56) Many parents believe that additional educational activities enjoy obvious advantage. By extra studies, they maintain, their children are able to obtain many kinds of practical skills and useful knowledge, which will put them in a beneficial position in the future job markets when they grow up.

57) In the first place, extra studies bring about unhealthy impacts on physical growth of children. Educational experts point out that, it is equally important to take some sport activities instead of extra studies when children have spent the whole day in a boring classroom.

58) Children are undergoing fast physical development; lack of physical exercise may produce disastrous influence on their later life.

59) In the second place, from psychological aspect, the majority of children seem to tend to have an unfavorable attitude toward additional educational activities.

60) It is hard to imagine a student focusing their energy on textbook while other children are playing.

61) Moreover, children will have less time to play and communicate with their peers due to extra studies, consequently, it is difficult to develop and cultivate their character and interpersonal skills. They may become more solitary and even suffer from certain mental illness.

62) From what has been discussed above, we may safely draw the conclusion that, although extra studies indeed enjoy many obvious advantages, its disadvantages shouldnt be ignored and far outweigh its advantages. It is absurd to force children to take extra studies after school.

63) Any parents should place considerable emphasis on their children to keep the balance between play and study. As an old saying goes: All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

64) There is a growing tendency for parent these days to stay at home to look after their children instead of returning to work earlier.

65) Parents are firmly convinced that, to send their child to kindergartens or nursery schools will have an unfavorable influence on the growth of children.

66) However, this idea is now being questioned by more and more experts, who point out that it is unhealthy for children who always stay with their parents at home.

67) Although parent would be able to devote much more time and energy to their children, it must be admitted that, parent has less experience and knowledge about how to educate and supervise children, when compared with professional teachers working in kindergartens or nursery schools.

68) From what has been discussed above, we may safely draw a conclusion that, although the parents desire to look after children by themselves is understandable, its disadvantages far outweigh the advantages.

69) Parents should be encouraged to send their children to nursery schools, which will bring about profound impacts on children and families, and even the society as a whole.

70) Many leaders of government always go into raptures at the mere mention of artistic and cultural projects. They are forever talking about the nice parks, the smart sculptures in central city and the art galleries with various valuable rarities. Nothing, they maintain, is more essential than such projects in the economic growth.

71) But is it really the case? The information Ive collected over last few years leads me to believe that artistic and cultural projects may be less useful than many governments think. In fact, basic infrastructure projects are playing extremely important role and should be given priority.

72) Those who are in favor of artistic and cultural projects advocate that cultural environment will attract more tourists, which will bring huge profits to local residents. Some people even equate the build of such projects with the improving of economic construction.

73) Unfortunately, there is very few evidence that big companies are willing to invest a huge sums of money in a place without sufficient basic projects, such as supplies of electricity and water.

74) From what has been discussed above, it would be reasonable to believe that basic projects play far more important role than artistic and cultural projects in peoples life and economic growth.

75) Those urban planners who are blind to this point will pay a heavy price, which they cannot afford it.

76) There is a growing tendency these days for many people who live in rural areas to come into and work in city. This problem has caused wide public concern in most cities all over the world.

77) An investigation shows that many emigrants think that working at city provide them with not only a higher salary but also the opportunity of learning new skills.

78) It must be noted that improvement in agriculture seems to not be able to catch up with the increase in population of rural areas and there are millions of peasants who still live a miserable life and have to face the dangers of exposure and starvation.

79) Although rural emigrants contribute greatly to the economic growth of the cities, they may inevitably bring about many negative impacts.

80) Many sociologists point out that rural emigrants are putting pressure on population control and social order; that they are threatening to take already scarce city jobs; and that they have worsened traffic and public health problems.

81) Now people in growing numbers are beginning to believe that learning new skills and knowledge contributes directly to enhancing their job opportunities or promotion opportunities.

82) An investigation shows that many older people express a strong desire to continue studying in university or college.

83) For the majority of people, reading or learning a new skill has become the focus of their lives and the source of their happiness and contentment after their retirement.

84) For people who want to adopt a healthy and meaningful life style, it is important to find time to learn certain new knowledge. Just as an old saying goes: it is never too late to learn.

85) There is a general debate on the campus today over the phenomenon of college or high school students doing a part-time job.

86) By taking a major-related part-job, students can not only improve their academic studies, but gain much experience, experience they will never be able to get from the textbooks.

87) Although peoples lives have been dramatically changed over the last decades, it must be admitted that, shortage of funds is still the one of the biggest questions that students nowadays have to face because that tuition fees and prices of books are soaring by the day

88) Consequently, the extra money obtained from part-time job will strongly support students to continue to their study life.

89) From what has been discussed above, we may safely draw a conclusion that part-time job can produce a far-reaching impact on students and they should be encouraged to take part-time job, which will benefit students and their family, even the society as a whole.

90) These days, people in growing numbers are beginning to complain that work is more stressful and less leisurely than in past. Many experts point out that, along with the development of modern society, it is an inevitable result and there is no way to avoid it.

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篇7:关于英语论文的写作格式和规范

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规范英语论文的格式,使之与国际学术惯例接轨,对从事英语教学,英语论文写作,促进国际学术交流都具有重要意义。下面是小编为你带来的关于英语论文的写作格式和规范,希望对你有帮助。

一、英语论文的标题

一篇较长的英语论文(如英语毕业论文)一般都需要标题页,其书写格式如下:第一行标题与打印纸顶端的距离约为打印纸全长的三分之一,与下行(通常为by,居中)的距离则为5cm,第三、第四行分别为作者姓名及日期(均居中)。如果该篇英语论文是学生针对某门课程而写,则在作者姓名与日期之间还需分别打上教师学衔及其姓名(如:Dr./Prof.C.Prager)及本门课程的编号或名称(如:English 734或British Novel)。打印时,如无特殊要求,每一行均需double space,即隔行打印,行距约为0.6cm(论文其他部分行距同此)。

就学生而言,如果英语论文篇幅较短,亦可不做标题页(及提纲页),而将标题页的内容打在正文第一页的左上方。第一行为作者姓名,与打印纸顶端距离约为2.5cm,以下各行依次为教师学衔和姓、课程编号(或名称)及日期;各行左边上下对齐,并留出2.5cm左右的页边空白(下同)。接下来便是论文标题及正文(日期与标题之间及标题与正文第一行之间只需隔行打印,不必留出更多空白)。

二、英语论文提纲

英语论文提纲页包括论题句及提纲本身,其规范格式如下:先在第一行(与打印纸顶端的距离仍为2.5cm左右)的始端打上 Thesis 一词及冒号,空一格后再打论题句,回行时左边须与论题句的第一个字母上下对齐。主要纲目以大写罗马数字标出,次要纲目则依次用大写英文字母、阿拉伯数字和小写英文字母标出。各数字或字母后均为一句点,空出一格后再打该项内容的第一个字母;处于同一等级的纲目,其上下行左边必须对齐。需要注意的是,同等重要的纲目必须是两个以上,即:有Ⅰ应有Ⅱ,有A应有B,以此类推。如果英文论文提纲较长,需两页纸,则第二页须在右上角用小写罗马数字标出页码,即ii(第一页无需标页码)。

三、英语论文正文

有标题页和提纲页的英语论文,其正文第一页的规范格式为:论文标题居中,其位置距打印纸顶端约5cm,距正文第一行约1.5cm。段首字母须缩进五格,即从第六格打起。正文第一页不必标页码(但应计算其页数),自第二页起,必须在每页的右上角(即空出第一行,在其后部)打上论文作者的姓,空一格后再用阿拉伯数字标出页码;阿拉伯数字(或其最后一位)应为该行的最后一个空格。在打印正文时尚需注意标点符号的打印格式,即:句末号(句号、问号及感叹号)后应空两格,其他标点符号后则空一格。

四、英语论文的文中引述

正确引用作品原文或专家、学者的论述是写好英语论文的重要环节;既要注意引述与论文的有机统一,即其逻辑性,又要注意引述格式 (即英语论文参考文献)的规范性。引述别人的观点,可以直接引用,也可以间接引用。无论采用何种方式,论文作者必须注明所引文字的作者和出处。目前美国学术界通行的做法是在引文后以圆括弧形式注明引文作者及出处。现针对文中引述的不同情况,将部分规范格式分述如下。

1.若引文不足三行,则可将引文有机地融合在论文中。如:

The divorce of Arnolds personal desire from his inheritance results in “the familiar picture of Victorian man alone in an alien universe”(Roper9).

这里,圆括弧中的Roper为引文作者的姓(不必注出全名);阿拉伯数字为引文出处的页码(不要写成p.9);作者姓与页码之间需空一格,但不需任何标点符号;句号应置于第二个圆括弧后。

2.被引述的文字如果超过三行,则应将引文与论文文字分开,如下例所示:

Whitman has proved himself an eminent democratic representative and precursor, and his “Democratic Vistas”

is an admirable and characteristic

diatribe. And if one is sorry that in it

Whitman is unable to conceive the

extreme crises of society, one is certain

that no society would be tolerable whoses

citizens could not find refreshment in its

buoyant democratic idealism.(Chase 165)

这里的格式有两点要加以注意。一是引文各行距英语论文的左边第一个字母十个空格,即应从第十一格打起;二是引文不需加引号,末尾的句号应标在最后一个词后。

3.如需在引文中插注,对某些词语加以解释,则要使用方括号(不可用圆括弧)。如:

Dr.Beaman points out that“he [Charles Darw in] has been an important factor in the debate between evolutionary theory and biblical creationism”(9).

值得注意的是,本例中引文作者的姓已出现在引导句中,故圆括弧中只需注明引文出处的页码即可。

4.如果拟引用的文字中有与论文无关的词语需要删除,则需用省略号。如果省略号出现在引文中则用三个点,如出现在引文末,则用四个点,最后一点表示句号,置于第二个圆括弧后(一般说来,应避免在引文开头使用省略号);点与字母之间,或点与点之间都需空一格。如:

Mary Shelley hated tyranny and“looked upon the poor as pathetic victims of the social system and upon the rich and highborn...with undisguised scorn and contempt...(Nitchie 43).

5.若引文出自一部多卷书,除注明作者姓和页码外,还需注明卷号。如:

Professor Chen Jias A History of English Literature aimed to give Chinese readers“a historical survey of English literature from its earliest beginnings down to the 20thcentury”(Chen,1:i).

圆括弧里的1为卷号,小写罗马数字i为页码,说明引文出自第1卷序言(引言、序言、导言等多使用小写的罗马数字标明页码)。此外,书名A History of English Literature 下划了线;规范的格式是:书名,包括以成书形式出版的作品名(如《失乐园》)均需划线,或用斜体字;其他作品,如诗歌、散文、短篇小说等的标题则以双引号标出,如“To Autumn”及前面出现的“Democratic Vistas”等。

6.如果英语论文中引用了同一作者的两篇或两篇以上的作品,除注明引文作者及页码外,还要注明作品名。如:

Bacon condemned Platoas“an obstacle to science”(Farrington, Philosophy 35).

Farrington points out that Aristotles father Nicomachus, a physician, probably trained his son in medicine(Aristotle15).

这两个例子分别引用了Farrington的两部著作,故在各自的圆括弧中分别注出所引用的书名,以免混淆。两部作品名均为缩写形式(如书名太长,在圆括弧中加以注明时均需使用缩写形式),其全名分别为Founder of Scientific Philosophy 及 The Philosophy of Francis Baconand Aristotle。

7.评析诗歌常需引用原诗句,其引用格式如下例所示。

When Beowulf dives upwards through the water and reaches the surface,“The surging waves, great tracts of water, / were all cleansed...”(1.1620-21).

这里,被引用的诗句以斜线号隔开,斜线号与前后字母及标点符号间均需空一格;圆括弧中小写的1是line的缩写;21不必写成1621。如果引用的诗句超过三行,仍需将引用的诗句与论文文字分开(参见第四项第2点内容)。

五、英语论文的文献目录

论文作者在正文之后必须提供论文中全部引文的详细出版情况,即文献目录页。美国高校一般称此页为 Works Cited, 其格式须注意下列几点:

1.目录页应与正文分开,另页打印,置于正文之后。

2.目录页应视为英语论文的一页,按论文页码的顺序在其右上角标明论文作者的姓和页码;如果条目较多,不止一页,则第一页不必标出作者姓和页码(但必须计算页数),其余各页仍按顺序标明作者姓和页码。标题Works Cited与打印纸顶端的距离约为2.5cm,与第一条目中第一行的距离仍为0.6cm;各条目之间及各行之间的距离亦为0.6cm,不必留出更多空白。

3.各条目内容顺序分别为作者姓、名、作品名、出版社名称、出版地、出版年份及起止页码等;各条目应严格按各作者姓的首字母顺序排列,但不要给各条目编码,也不必将书条与杂志、期刊等条目分列。

4.各条目第一行需顶格打印,回行时均需缩进五格,以将该条目与其他条目区分开来。

现将部分较为特殊的条目分列如下,并略加说明,供读者参考。

Two or More Books by the Same Author

Brooks, Cleanth. Fundamentals of Good Writing: A

Handbook of Modern Rhetoric. NewYork: Harcourt, 1950.

---The Hidden God: Studies in Hemingway, Faulkner, Yeats,

Eliot, and Warren. New Haven: Yale UP,1963.

引用同一作者的多部著作,只需在第一条目中注明该作者姓名,余下各条目则以三条连字符及一句点代替该作者姓名;各条目须按书名的第一个词(冠词除外)的字母顺序排列。

An Author with an Editor

Shake speare, William. The Tragedy of Macbeth. Ed. Louis B.

Wright. New York: Washington Square, 1959.

本条目将作者 Shakespeare 的姓名排在前面,而将编者姓名(不颠倒)放在后面,表明引文出自 The Tragedy of Macbeth;如果引文出自编者写的序言、导言等,则需将编者姓名置前,如:

Blackmur, Richard P.Introduction. The Art of the Novel:

Critical Prefaces. By Henry James. New York: Scribners,

1962.vii-xxxix.

如果引言与著作为同一人所写,则其格式如下例所示(By后只需注明作者姓即可):

Emery, Donald. Preface. English Fundamentals. By Emery.

London: Macmillan, 1972.v-vi.

A Multivolume Work

Browne, Thomas. The Works of Sir Thomas Browne. Ed.

Geoffrey Keynes. 4 vols. London: Faber, 1928.

Browne, Thomas. The Works of Sir Thomas Browne. Ed.

Geoffrey Keynes. Vol.2. London: Faber, 1928. 4 vols.

第一条目表明该著作共4卷,而论文作者使用了各卷内容;第二条目则表明论文作者只使用了第2卷中的内容。

A Selection from an Anthology

Abram, M. H.“English Romanticism: The Spirit of the Age.”

Romanticism Reconsidered. Ed. Northrop Frye. New

York: Columbia UP,1963.63-88.

被引用的英语论文名须用引号标出,并注意将英语论文名后的句点置于引号内。条目末尾必须注明该文在选集中的起止页码。

Articles in Journals, Magazines, and Newspapers

Otto, Mary L.“Child Abuse: Group Treatment for Parents.”

Personnel and Guidance Journal 62(1984): 336-48.

报刊杂志名需划线,但其后不需任何标点符号。62为卷号或期号,如既有卷号,又有期号,则要将二者以句号分开。如:(3.3);1984为出版年份,应置于圆括弧中。

Arnold, Marilgn.“Willa Cathers Nostalgia: A Study in

Ambivalance.”Research Studies Mar.1981:23-24,28.

月刊或双月刊须同时注明出版年月;23-24,28表示该文的前一部分刊于第23和24两页,后一部分则转至第28页。

Gorney, Cynthia.“When the Gorilla Speaks.”Washington Post

31 July,1985:B1.

引用日报上的英语论文必须同时注明报纸出版的年、月、日。B1为该文在报纸中的版面及页码。参考文献(略)(摘自《外语与外语教学》1999年第8期,原文:“英语论文写作规范”作者 刘新民)

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篇8:英语写作基础考试技巧

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写作是考研英语的第二大重头戏,仅次于阅读。但是这部分又经常被考生忽略,考前不动手,依赖临考模板,很难写出高分作文。那么,如何准备2018考研英语写作呢?一起来看下。

对于考研英语写作,最基本的要求是考前必须动笔写出35篇文章,其中十篇应用文,二十五篇图画作文。注意:动笔写的文章最好是有范文的题目。写作应分为五步:

NO.1 写作

写作写作,第一步首先是写!一定要动手写,你看多少,背多少,都没有动手写来得实在,建议同学们拿考题多加练习。

NO.2 仔细对比

第二个就是仔细对比,写完后对照范文从三个方面去研究:第一个是内容,也就是构思和原文有何区别;第二个是语言,也就是用词、用句和原文有何区别?第三个是结构,就是你的行文思路和原文有什么区别?这是第二个步骤,写作的区别其实就是写作的弱点。

NO.3 背诵

第三步骤就是背诵:也就是可以去背诵一些范文。有的同学说了,范文我背过了,但是写作的时候还是不会写。有两个原因,第一个原因是你背得不熟,背得结结巴巴,还不如不背;第二个原因是没有练过,只是死记硬背。

所以为什么背了还不会用,有两个原因,第一背不熟,第二没有练过。背到什么程度,有12个字“滚瓜烂熟、脱口而出、多多益善。”要背到不需要去想,不需要去动脑子!如果背一篇文章还需要去想,那就证明还背得不熟。大家上考场,如果能想起平时的70%,那已经是相当不错了。所以一定要背熟,这就是第三个步骤。

NO.4 默写

第四个步骤就是默写:背熟后把书合上,把这篇文章默写下来。默写后,做一个工作:仔细对比原文发现写作弱点,你会发现你默写的文章和原文会有一些出入,包括拼写、语法、标点等,这种错误就是你写作的弱点,最好能够把这些错误用红笔标出来。大家为什么写作拿不到高分,根源只有一个——错误太多。很多错误自己都不知道。

NO.5 仿写

第五个步骤就是仿写:什么叫仿写?就是模仿你背过的文章再写出一篇新文章。在背完一篇文章后,要想想这篇文章有什么精彩的词组、词汇和句型可以使用。然后换一个话题,把这篇作文用一下,用里面词汇、词组和句型去构思另一篇文章。

写作的注意点和技巧:写作首要的是,一、不跑题;二、字数达到要求;三、字迹整洁工整;四、少有语病。

这些是很基本的要求,考试的时候就要好好落实。比如,拿到作文题目后要审题。在写的过程中注意字数的限制,不要写太多,会扣分的,字数不够也会扣分。所以实在不行就写完一段话,停下来数一数字数。字迹工整可能短期内提高不了。只要你比平时稍慢一点写字母,就会写得比较整洁。要知道老师的印象分是很重要的。病句的避免技巧就是,凡是你想的过程中感觉别扭的句子,多半就是病句。干脆不要写出来,换一种形式去表达。不要追求好词,要追求准确性。

在考前,小作文的提高是非常快的。方法就是分析小作文的类型。应用文写作部分(小作文)考查内容包括投诉信、咨询信、道歉信、求职信等信函类应用文,而且涵盖报告、通知、海报等告示类应用文。不同类型的作文,要自己总结模版。小作文是完全可以准备模版的,其作用也是常明显。一定要注意:总结出自己的模板。

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篇9:英语写作素材之常用经典名言

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1. What is language for? Some people seem to think its for practicing grammar rules and learning lists of words--- the longer the words the better. Thats wrong. Language is for the exchange of ideas, for communication。

语言到底是用来干什么的呢?一些人认为它是用来操练语法规则和学习一大堆单词--而且单词越长越好。这个想法是错误的。语言是用来交换思想,进行交流沟通的!

2. The way to learn a language is to practice speaking it as often as possible。

学习一门语言的方法就是要尽量多地练习说。

3. A great man once said it is necessary to drill as much as possible, and the more you apply it in real situations, the more natural it will become。

一位伟人曾说,反复操练是非常必要的,你越多的将所学到的东西运用到实际生活中,他们就变的越自然。

4. Learning any language takes a lot of effort. But dont give up。

学习任何语言都是需要花费很多努力,但不要放弃。

5. Relax! Be patient and enjoy yourself. Learning foreign languages should be fun。

放松点!要有耐性,并让自己快乐!学习外语应该是乐趣无穷的。

6. Rome wasnt built in a day. Work harder and practice more. Your hard- work will be rewarded by god one day. God is equal to everyone!

冰冻三尺,非一日之寒。更加努力的学习,更加勤奋的操练,你所付出的一切将会得到上帝的报答,上帝是公平的。

7. Use a dictionary and grammar guide constantly. Keep a small English dictionary with you at all time. When you see a new word, look it up. Think about the word-- use it, in your mind, in a sentence。

经常使用字典和语法指南。随身携带一本小英文字典,当你看到一个新字时就去查阅它,想想这个字---然后去用它,在你的心中,在一个句子里。

8. Try to think in English whenever possible. When you see something think of the English word of it; then think about the word in a sentence。

一有机会就努力去用英文来思考。看到某事时,想想它的英文单词;然后把它用到一个句子中去。

9. Practice tenses as much as possible. When you learn a new verb, learn its various forms。

尽可能多的操练时态。学习一个动词的时候,要学习它的各种形态。

10. I would also like to learn more about the culture behind the language. When you understand the cultural background, you can better use the language。

我想学习和了解更多关于语言背后的文化知识,当你理解了文化背景,你就能更好地运用语言。

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篇10:高考英语写作四大流程介绍

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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。

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篇11:2024年6月英语四级作文预测:低碳生活

全文共 914 字

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How to Live a Low-carbon Life

越来越多的人提倡低碳生活

现代人倡导低碳生活与日趋恶化的环境问题的关系

提出你认为有效的低碳生活方式

An increasing number of people are asking for a low-carbon lifestyle. They long for a cleaner and more environmental-friendly world.

People’s lifestyle is closed related to our living environment. However, the excessive carbon dioxide emitted into the air has seriously damaged our living environment. The tsunamis, floods and severe droughts caused by the global warming are the biggest threat to people all over the world. The earth seems to be angry with human beings.

The only way to solve the problem is to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide sent into the air. Many measures can be taken. First, people can ride bicycles or walk instead of driving cars to work. Second, less plastic shopping bags should be used. Most important of all, people should be fully aware that we should start now to protect our world before it is too late.

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篇12:如何提高商务英语写作

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一、培养基础英语写作能力

转变英语学习观念,培养基础英语写作能力是提高商务英语写作能力的基础和关键。为此,必须抓好以下三个环节:

1.不断通过写作练习培养英语语法的应用能力,重视掌握有关词汇的用法,以便能运切实用有关语法和词汇去写作。这是英语写作的基础。

不仅要记住语法规则,更重要的是要通过做各种各样的写作练习,以达到在写作中能正确运用有关语法规则。要记住英语单词的汉语意思,更重要的是要通过阅读在上下文中准确掌握英语单词的用法。单词的用法(主要是实词的用法)主要包括:单词的确切意思-包括其情感意义、文体色彩等;它与有关同义词或近义词的区别;它的习惯性搭配。这样,学习者才能在写作中避免那些尽管语法上没有什么错误、用词却有明显错误的现象。

2.通过大量阅读逐渐培养英语思维,并掌握一些写好句子的技巧,以便在把句子写正确的同时,不断培养用地道的英语把句子写好的能力。

结合提高阅读能力,大量阅读各类题材的英语文章,有意识地逐渐培养英语思维,并把它用于写作。在阅读过程中要注意:不要死扣每句英语的汉语意思,而应着重获取作者所要传递的信息;对于相对简易的、与日常生活或所学专业有关的文章,应注意某些意思的英语表达方式,尤其要注意与汉语有明显不同的表达方式,注意其用词、词序、搭配等,以便将来写作时有效地模仿,使写出的句子地道化。掌握英语句子的写作技巧,恰当运用各种类型的句子。

3.了解一些英语段落、篇章的组织和写作知识。所写段落与篇章均要力求连贯(coherence)和衔接(cohesion)。篇章的用词和句式在文体上一般要保持一致(unity)。

二、商务英语文体特点

要提高商务英语写作水平,除了要有扎实的英语基本功,还要对商务英语文体特点有充分的认识,准确的区别不同体裁商务英语的风格特点,从而写出满足不同商务目的的要求的商务文件。不同的商务环境相对应的不同的商务活动也是不相同的,了解商务英语语言的共同特点、风格、语篇结构而且清楚认识在不同商务活动中商务英语写作的具体特点和要求。它包括构思、起草、修改3个阶段。

1.构思阶段

商务英语写作在此切断必须考虑三个文体:(1)写作目的-通知、请求、说服、存档;(2)写给谁-客户、上级、同事、下属;(3)字数要求;(4)形式结构-计划或建议报告、商务函件、备忘录、电子邮件。明确这些要求后,需要考虑语篇结构,采用那种陈述顺序-直接顺序、间接顺序、直接于间接混合顺序。

2.起草阶段

起草阶段,是将构思阶段在头脑中形成的想法以书面文字的形式呈现出来。商务英语写作的最终目的是为了获的读者的支持、信任和好感。而且还要注意礼貌用词,例如使用褒义词、适当的头衔、不带任何性别、种族和年龄偏见的词等。

作为专门用途英语的商务英语,因其特殊目的,希望通过最有效的沟通提供给合作者更容易理解的清楚具体的信息。其信函在词汇选择上,遵循3c原则:

(1)conciseness(精简)。在复合词与简单词之间、长词与短词之间,应选择简单词或短词;在词组与单词之间,选择单词,尽量不使用不必要的介词词组;

(2)clarity(明白)。要准确传达商务交流的内容,必须避免使用模棱两可的词语或表达方式,这样才能使信函意义明确,不被误解,表达思想才能够更突出。避免在同一信函或其他写作中使用同一词。避免使用“if”,“hope”,“but”等表示疑问的词。在日期表达上,涉及到具体某月,均使用那个月的具体名词,如“January,February,…”。避免用“instant, ultimo,approx”等不确定词语。另外避免将日期写成如“5/4/1995”类似的形式,因为对于英国习惯是4月5日,而美国习惯是5月4日。

(3)Courtesy(礼貌)。尽量使用表示肯定的词汇,少用否定词,因为否定词给人一种否定的印象,或者还有指责对方的意思肯定对方时用词多用“you”,“your”,少用“I”,“we”,“us”,“our”,此种方式即“以客户为中心的‘You—attitude’”表达形式,因为不管你的目的是提供信息、说服别人还是增进友谊,最能打动人。

3.修改阶段

商务英语写作在修改阶段,力求句子简洁明了,段落清晰完整如上文所述。

完成商务英语写作过程在商务写作中,还应注意所选词语的礼貌性,讲话要婉转客气。的第一阶段是写出高水平商务英语的前提。提高商务英语写作能力的关键是把握商务英语写作的三个基本原则-简洁、准确、完整以及商务活动应遵循的语用策略-礼貌、合作。总之,商务英语的文体决定了商务英语写作的基本原则;简洁-才能提高效益;准确-才能避免延误;完整-才能显示逻辑思考能力。

由于教育背景和工作经历的不同而写作风格各异,但他共同遵循的写作宗旨是明晰扼要,其商务文稿要力求开门见山,扣住主题,思路清楚,层次分明,内容具体而完整。现代商业写作做到这些还远远不够。要走出写作风格的误区:一是避免使用套话。二是少用大词多用小词。用简单的言词交流思想,使人感到亲切,书面语向口语化过渡。然而写作的口语化并不意味着要用俚语或行话,因为它们的用法是有局限性的,很难用得恰到好处,弄不好让人感觉随意无礼,容易产生费解和误解。时代的发展变化促使语言更新由繁到简,这不免引起一些人的抱怨,他们认为这是“稀释”了英语。竞争如此激烈的社会,人们惜时如金,那个人会愿意听您咬文嚼字,仔细去揣模字里行间的文学色彩,欣赏书面语措词如何地道。

由上可见,不同文体的英语语言有不同的使用标准、礼貌标准以及传达含义的约束化表达方式,只有了解和掌握现代商务英语词汇的文体特征和应遵循的要求,才能处理好对外业务往来中的各类商务写作,使相关业务顺利开展下去。

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篇13:2024考研英语写作素材:常用英语短语

全文共 1311 字

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all the same 仍然,照样的

as regards 关于,至于

anything but 根本不

as a matter of fact 实际上

apart from 除...外(有/无)

as a rule 通常,照例

as a result(of) 因此,由于

as far as ...be concerned 就...而言

as far as 远至,到...程度

as for 至于,关于

as follows 如下

as if 好像,仿怫

as good as 和...几乎一样

as usual 像平常一样,照例

as to 至于,关于

all right 令人满意的;可以

as well 同样,也,还

as well as 除...外(也),即...又

aside from 除...外(还有)

at a loss 茫然,不知所措

at a time 一次,每次

at all 丝毫(不),一点也不

at all costs 不惜一切代价

at all events 不管怎样,无论如何

at all times 随时,总是

at any rate 无论如何,至少

at best 充其量,至多

at first 最初,起先

at first sight 乍一看,初看起来

at hand 在手边,在附近

at heart 内心里,本质上

at home 在家,在国内

at intervals 不时,每隔...

at large 大多数,未被捕获的

at least 至少

at last 终于

at length 最终,终于

at most 至多,不超过

at no time 从不,决不

by accident 偶然

at one time 曾经,一度;同时

at present 目前,现在

at sbs disposal 任...处理

at the cost of 以...为代价

at the mercy of 任凭...摆布

at the moment 此刻,目前

at this rate 照此速度

at times 有时,间或

back and forth 来回地,反复地

back of 在...后面

before long 不久以后

beside point 离题的,不相干的

beyond question 毫无疑问

by air 通过航空途径

by all means 尽一切办法,务必

by and by 不久,迟早

by chance 偶然,碰巧

by far 最,...得多

by hand 用手,用体力

by itself 自动地,独自地

by means of 用,依靠

by mistake 错误地,无意地

by no means 决不,并没有

by oneself 单独地,独自地

by reason of 由于

by the way 顺便说说

by virtue of 借助,由于

by way of 经由,通过...方法

due to 由于,因为

each other 互相

even if/though 即使,虽然

ever so 非常,极其

every now and then 时而,偶尔

every other 每隔一个的

except for 除了...外

face to face 面对面地

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篇14:最新高考英语写作必备句式

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下面是语文迷小编整理提供的100个英语写作句式,欢迎大家阅读参考。

1. 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。

2. 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。

3. 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。

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。

11. There is no denying the fact that air pollution is an extremely serious problem: the city authorities should take strong measures to deal with it.

无可否认,空气污染是一个极其严重的问题:城市当局应该采取有力措施来解决它。

12. An investigation shows that female workers tend to have a favorable attitude toward retirement.

一项调查显示妇女欢迎退休。

13. A proper part-time job does not occupy students too much time. In fact, it is unhealthy for them to spend all of time on their study. As an old saying goes: All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

一份适当的业余工作并不会占用学生太多的时间,事实上,把全部的时间都用到学习上并不健康,正如那句老话:只工作,不玩耍,聪明的孩子会变傻。

14. Any government, which is blind to this point, may pay a heavy price.

任何政府忽视这一点都将付出巨大的代价。

15.Nowadays, many students always go into raptures at the mere mention of the coming life of high school or college they will begin. Unfortunately, for most young people, it is not pleasant experience on their first day on campus.

当前,一提到即将开始的学校生活,许多学生都会兴高采烈。然而,对多数年轻人来说,校园刚开始的日子并不是什么愉快的经历。

16. In view of the seriousness of this problem, effective measures should be taken before things get worse.

考虑到问题的严重性,在事态进一步恶化之前,必须采取有效的措施。

17. The majority of students believe that part-time job will provide them with more opportunities to develop their interpersonal skills, which may put them in a favorable position in the future job markets.

大部分学生相信业余工作会使他们有更多机会发展人际交往能力,而这对他们未来找工作是非常有好处的。

18. It is indisputable that there are millions of people who still have a miserable life and have to face the dangers of starvation and exposure.

无可争辩,现在有成千上万的人仍过着挨饿受冻的痛苦生活。

19. Although this view is wildly held, this is little evidence that education can be obtained at any age and at any place.

尽管这一观点被广泛接受,很少有证据表明教育能够在任何地点、任何年龄进行。

20. No one can deny the fact that a persons education is the most important aspect of his life.

没有人能否认:教育是人生最重要的一方面。

21. People equate success in life with the ability of operating computer.

人们把会使用计算机与人生成功相提并论。

22. In the last decades, advances in medical technology have made it possible for people to live longer than in the past.

在过去的几十年,先进的医疗技术已经使得人们比过去活的时间更长成为可能。

23. In fact, we have to admit the fact that the quality of life is as important as life itself.

事实上,我们必须承认生命的质量和生命本身一样重要。

24. We should spare no effort to beautify our environment.

我们应该不遗余力地美化我们的环境。

25. People believe that computer skills will enhance their job opportunities or promotion opportunities.

人们相信拥有计算机技术可以获得更多工作或提升的机会。

26. The information Ive collected over last few years leads me to believe that this knowledge may be less useful than most people think.

从这几年我搜集的信息来看,这些知识并没有人们想象的那么有用。

27. Now, it is generally accepted that no college or university can educate its students by the time they graduation.

现在,人们普遍认为没有一所大学能够在毕业时候教给学生所有的知识。

28. This is a matter of life and death--a matter no country can afford to ignore.

这是一个关系到生死的问题,任何国家都不能忽视。

29. For my part, I agree with the latter opinion for the following reasons:

我同意后者,有如下理由:

30. Before giving my opinion, I think it is important to look at the arguments on both sides.

在给出我的观点之前,我想看看双方的观点是重要的。

31. This view is now being questioned by more and more people.

这一观点正受到越来越多人的质疑。

32. Although many people claim that, along with the rapidly economic development, the number of people who use bicycle are decreasing and bicycle is bound to die out. The information Ive collected over the recent years leads me to believe that bicycle will continue to play extremely important roles in modern society.

尽管许多人认为随着经济的高速发展,用自行车的人数会减少,自行车可能会消亡, 然而,这几年我收集的一些信息让我相信自行车仍然会继续在现代社会发挥极其重要的作用。

33. Environmental experts point out that increasing pollution not only causes serious problems such as global warming but also could threaten to end human life on our planet.

环境学家指出:持续增加的污染不仅会导致像全球变暖这样严重的问题,而且还将威胁到人类在这个星球的生存。

34. In view of such serious situation, environmental tools of transportation like bicycle are more important than any time before.

考虑到这些严重的状况,我们比以往任何时候更需要像自行车这样的环保型交通工具。

35. Using bicycle contributes greatly to peoples physical fitness as well as easing traffic jams.

使用自行车有助于人们的身体健康,并极大地缓解了交通阻塞。

36. Despite many obvious advantages of bicycle, it is not without its problem.

尽管自行车有许多明显的优点,但是它也存在它的问题。

37. Bicycle cant be compared with other means of transportation like car and train for speed and comfort.

在速度和舒适度方面,自行车是无法和汽车、火车这样的交通工具相比的。

38. From what has been discussed above, we may safely draw the conclusion that advantages of bicycle far outweigh its disadvantages and it will still play essential roles in modern society.

通过以上讨论,我们可以得出结论:自行车的优点远大于缺点,并且在现代社会它仍将发挥重要作用。

39. There is a general discussion these days over education in many colleges and institutes. One of the questions under debate is whether education is a lifetime study.

当前在高校和研究机构对教育存在着大量争论,其中一个问题就是教育是否是个终身学习的过程。

40. This issue has caused wide public concern.

这个问题已经引起了广泛关注。

41. It must be noted that learning must be done by a person himself.

必须指出学习只能靠自己。

42. A large number of people tend to live under the illusion that they had completed their education when they finished their schooling. Obviously, they seem to fail to take into account the basic fact that a persons education is a most important aspect of his life.

许多人存在这样的误解,认为离开学校就意味着结束了他们的教育。显然,他们忽视了教育是人生重要部分这一基本事实。

43. As for me, Im in favor of the opinion that education is not complete with graduation, for the following reasons:

就我而言,我同意教育不应该随着毕业而结束的观点,有以下原因:

44. It is commonly accepted that no college or university can educate its students by the time they graduate.

人们普遍认为高校是不可能在毕业的时候教会他们的学生所有知识的。

45. Even the best possible graduate needs to continue learning before she or he becomes an educated person.

即使最优秀的毕业生,要想成为一个博学的人也要不断地学习。

46. It is commonly thought that our society had dramatically changed by modern science and technology, and human had made extraordinary progress in knowledge and technology over the recent decades.

人们普遍认为我们的现代科技使我们的社会发生了巨大的变化,近几十年人类在科技方面取得了惊人的进步。

47. Now people in growing numbers are beginning to believe that learning new skills and knowledge contributes directly to enhancing their job opportunities or promotion opportunities.

现在越来越多的人开始相信学习新的技术和知识能直接帮助他们获得工作就会或提升的机会。

48. An investigation shows that many older people express a strong desire to continue studying in university or college.

一项调查显示许多老人都有到大学继续学习的愿望。

49. For the majority of people, reading or learning a new skill has become the focus of their lives and the source of their happiness and contentment after their retirement.

对大多数人来讲,退休以后,阅读或学习一项新技术已成为他们生活的中心和快乐的来源。

50. For people who want to adopt a healthy and meaningful life style, it is important to find time to learn certain new knowledge. Just as an old saying goes: it is never too late to learn.

对于那些想过上健康而有意义的生活的人们来说,找时间学习一些新知识是很重要的,正如那句老话:活到老,学到老。

51. There is a general debate on the campus today over the phenomenon of college or high school students doing a part-time job.

对于大学或高中生打工这一现象,校园里进行着广泛的争论。

52. By taking a major-related part-job, students can not only improve their academic studies, but gain much experience, experience they will never be able to get from the textbooks.

通过做一份和专业相关的工作,学生不仅能够提高他们的专业能力,而且能获得从课本上得不到的经验。

53. Although peoples lives have been dramatically changed over the last decades, it must be admitted that, shortage of funds is still the one of the biggest questions that students nowadays have to face because that tuition fees and prices of books are soaring by the day

近几十年,尽管人们的生活有了惊人的改变,但必须承认,由于学费和书费日益飞涨,资金短缺仍然是学生们面临的最大问题之一。

54. Consequently, the extra money obtained from part-time job will strongly support students to continue to their study life.

因此,业余工作挣来的钱将强有力地支持学生们继续他们的求学生活。

55. From what has been discussed above, we may safely draw a conclusion that part-time job can produce a far-reaching impact on students and they should be encouraged to take part-time job, which will benefit students and their family, even the society as a whole.

通过上面的讨论,我们不难得出结论:业余工作对学生们会产生深远的影响,我们应鼓励学生从事业余工作,这将有利于学生和他们的家庭,甚至整个社会。

56. These days, people in growing numbers are beginning to complain that work is more stressful and less leisurely than in past. Many experts point out that, along with the development of modern society, it is an inevitable result and there is no way to avoid it.

现在,越来越多的人们开始抱怨工作比以前更有压力。许多专家指出这是现代社会发展必然的结果,无法避免。

57. It is widely acknowledged that computer and other machines have become an indispensable part of our society, which make our life and work more comfortable and less laborious.

人们普遍认为计算机和其他机器已经成为我们社会必不可少的一部分。 它们使我们的生活更舒适,减少了大量劳动。

58. At the same time, along with the benefits of such machines, employees must study knowledge involved in such machines so that they are able to control them.

同时,随着这些机器带给我们的好处,员工们也必须要学习与之相关的知识以便使用它们。

59. No one can deny the basic fact that it is impossible for average workers to master those high-technology skills easily.

没有人能否认这一基本事实:对于一般工人来讲,轻松掌握这些技术是不可能的。

60. In the second place, there seem to be too many people without job and not enough job position.

第二方面,失业的人似乎太多而又没有足够的工作岗位。

61. Millions of people have to spend more time and energy on studying new skills and technology so that they can keep a favorable position in job market.

成千上万的人们不得不花费更多的精力和时间学习新的技术和知识,使得他们在就业市场能保持优势。

62. According to a recent survey, a growing number of people express a strong desire to take another job or spend more time on their job in order to get more money to support their family.

根据最近的一项调查,越来越多的人表达了想从事另外的工作或加班以赚取更多的钱来补贴家用的强烈愿望。

63. From what has been discussed above, I am fully convinced that the leisure life-style is undergoing a decline with the progress of modern society, it is not necessary a bad thing.

通过以上讨论,我完全相信,随着现代社会的进步,幽闲的生活方式正在消失并不是件坏事。

64. The problem of international tourism has caused wide public concern over the recent years.

近些年,国际旅游的问题引起了广泛关注。

65. Many people believe that international tourism produce positive effects on economic growth and local government should be encouraged to promote international tourism.

许多人认为国际旅游对经济发展有积极作用,应鼓励地方政府发展国际旅游。

66. But what these people fail to see is that international tourism may bring about a disastrous impact on our environment and local history.

但是这些人忽视了国际旅游可能会给当地环境和历史造成的灾难性的影响。

67. As for me, Im firmly convinced that the number of foreign tourists should be limited, for the following reasons:

就我而言,我坚定地认为国外旅游者的数量应得到限制,理由如下:

68. In addition, in order to attract tourists, a lot of artificial facilities have been built, which have certain unfavorable effects on the environment.

另外,为了吸引旅游者,大量人工设施被修建,这对环境是不利的。

69. For lack of distinct culture, some places will not attract tourists any more. Consequently, the fast rise in number of foreign tourists may eventually lead to the decline of local tourism.

由于缺乏独特的文化,一些地方不再吸引旅游者。因此,国外旅游者数量的快速增加可能最终会导致当地旅游业的衰败。

70. There is a growing tendency for parents to ask their children to accept extra educational programs over the recent years.

近些年,父母要求他们的孩子接受额外的教育呈增长的势头。

71. This phenomenon has caused wide public concern in many places of world.

这一现象在全世界许多地方已引起了广泛关注。

72. Many parents believe that additional educational activities enjoy obvious advantage. By extra studies, they maintain, their children are able to obtain many kinds of practical skills and useful knowledge, which will put them in a beneficial position in the future job markets when they grow up.

许多家长相信额外的教育活动有许多优点,通过学习,他们的孩子可以获得很多实践技能和有用的知识,当他们长大后,这些对他们就业是大有好处的。

73. In the first place, extra studies bring about unhealthy impacts on physical growth of children. Educational experts point out that, it is equally important to take some sport activities instead of extra studies when children have spent the whole day in a boring classroom.

首先,额外的学习对孩子们的身体发育是不利的。教育专家指出,孩子们在枯燥的教室里呆了一整天后,从事一些体育活动,而不是额外的学习,是非常重要的。

74. Children are undergoing fast physical development; lack of physical exercise may produce disastrous influence on their later life.

孩子们正处于身体快速发育时期,缺乏体育锻炼可能会对他们未来的生活造成严重的影响。

75. In the second place, from psychological aspect, the majority of children seem to tend to have an unfavorable attitude toward additional educational activities.

第二,从心理上讲,大部分孩子似乎对额外的学习没有什么好感。

76. It is hard to imagine a student focusing their energy on textbook while other children are playing.

当别的孩子在玩耍的时候,很难想象一个学生能集中精力在课本上。

77. Moreover, children will have less time to play and communicate with their peers due to extra studies, consequently, it is difficult to develop and cultivate their character and interpersonal skills. They may become more solitary and even suffer from certain mental illness.

而且,由于要额外地学习,孩子们没有多少时间和同龄的孩子玩耍和交流,很难培养他们的个性和交际能力。他们可能变得孤僻甚至产生某些心理疾病。

78. From what has been discussed above, we may safely draw the conclusion that, although extra studies indeed enjoy many obvious advantages, its disadvantages shouldnt be ignored and far outweigh its advantages. It is absurd to force children to take extra studies after school.

通过以上讨论,我们可以得出结论:尽管额外学习的确有很多优点,但它的缺点不可忽视,且远大于它的优点。因此,放学后强迫孩子额外学习是不明智的。

79. Any parents should place considerable emphasis on their children to keep the balance between play and study. As an old saying goes: All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

任何家长都应非常重视保持孩子在学习与玩耍的平衡,正如那句老话:只工作,不玩耍,聪明的孩子会变傻。

80. There is a growing tendency for parent these days to stay at home to look after their children instead of returning to work earlier.

现在,父亲或母亲留在家里照顾他们的孩子而不愿过早返回工作岗位正成为增加的趋势。

81. Parents are firmly convinced that, to send their child to kindergartens or nursery schools will have an unfavorable influence on the growth of children.

父母们坚定地相信把孩子送到幼儿园对他们的成长不利。

82. However, this idea is now being questioned by more and more experts, who point out that it is unhealthy for children who always stay with their parents at home.

然而,这一想法正遭受越来越多的专家的质疑,他们指出,孩子总是呆在家里,和父母在一起,是不健康的。

83. Although parent would be able to devote much more time and energy to their children, it must be admitted that, parent has less experience and knowledge about how to educate and supervise children, when compared with professional teachers working in kindergartens or nursery schools.

尽管父母能在他们孩子身上投入更多时间和精力,但是必须承认,与工作在幼儿园的专职教师相比,他们在如何管理教育孩子方面缺乏知识和经验。

84. From what has been discussed above, we may safely draw a conclusion that, although the parents desire to look after children by themselves is understandable, its disadvantages far outweigh the advantages.

通过以上讨论,我们可以得出如下结论:尽管家长想亲自照看孩子的愿望是可以理解的,但是这样做的缺点远大于优点。

85. Parents should be encouraged to send their children to nursery schools, which will bring about profound impacts on children and families, and even the society as a whole.

应该鼓励父母将他们的孩子送到幼儿园,这将对孩子,家庭,甚至整个社会产生深远的影响。

86. Many leaders of government always go into raptures at the mere mention of artistic and cultural projects. They are forever talking about the nice parks, the smart sculptures in central city and the art galleries with various valuable rarities. Nothing, they maintain, is more essential than such projects in the economic growth.

只要一提起艺术和文化项目,一些政府领导就会兴奋不已,他们滔滔不绝地说着美丽的公园,城市中心漂亮的雕塑,还有满是稀世珍宝的艺术展览馆。他们认为在经济发展中,没有什么比这些艺术项目更重要了。

87. But is it really the case? The information Ive collected over last few years leads me to believe that artistic and cultural projects may be less useful than many governments think. In fact, basic infrastructure projects are playing extremely important role and should be given priority.

这是真的吗?这些年我收集的信息让我相信这些文化、艺术项目并没有许多政府想象的那么重要。事实上,基础设施建设非常重要,应该放在首位。

88. Those who are in favor of artistic and cultural projects advocate that cultural environment will attract more tourists, which will bring huge profits to local residents. Some people even equate the build of such projects with the improving of economic construction.

那些赞成建设文化艺术项目的人认为文化环境会吸引更多的游客,这将给当地居民带来巨大的利益。一些人甚至把建设文化艺术项目与发展经济建设等同起来。

89. Unfortunately, there is very few evidence that big companies are willing to invest a huge sums of money in a place without sufficient basic projects, such as supplies of electricity and water.

然而,很少有证据表明大公司愿意把巨额的资金投到一个连水电这些基础设施都不完善的地方去。

90. From what has been discussed above, it would be reasonable to believe that basic projects play far more important role than artistic and cultural projects in peoples life and economic growth.

通过以上讨论,我们有理由相信在人们的生活和经济发展方面,基础建设比艺术文化项目发挥更大的作用。

91. Those urban planners who are blind to this point will pay a heavy price, which they cannot afford it.

那些城市的规划者们如果忽视这一点,将会付出他们无法承受的代价。

92. There is a growing tendency these days for many people who live in rural areas to come into and work in city. This problem has caused wide public concern in most cities all over the world.

农民进城打工正成为增长的趋势,这一问题在世界上大部分城市已引起普遍关注。

93. An investigation shows that many emigrants think that working at city provide them with not only a higher salary but also the opportunity of learning new skills.

一项调查显示许多民工认为在城市打工不仅有较高的收入,而且能学到一些新技术。

94. It must be noted that improvement in agriculture seems to not be able to catch up with the increase in population of rural areas and there are millions of peasants who still live a miserable life and have to face the dangers of exposure and starvation.

必须指出,农业的发展似乎赶不上农村人口的增加,并且仍有成千上万的农民过着缺衣挨饿的贫寒生活。

95. Although rural emigrants contribute greatly to the economic growth of the cities, they may inevitably bring about many negative impacts.

尽管民工对城市的经济发展做出了巨大贡献,然而他们也不可避免的带来了一些负面影响。

96. Many sociologists point out that rural emigrants are putting pressure on population control and social order; that they are threatening to take already scarce city jobs; and that they have worsened traffic and public health problems.

许多社会学家指出民工正给人口控制和社会治安带来压力。他们正在威胁着本已萧条的工作市场,他们恶化了交通和公共卫生状况。

97. It is suggested that governments ought to make efforts to reduce the increasing gap between cities and countryside. They ought to set aside an appropriate fund for improvement of the standard of peasants lives. They ought to invite some experts in agriculture to share their experiences, information and knowledge with peasants, which will contribute directly to the economic growth of rural areas.

建议政府应该努力减少正在拉大的城乡差距。应该划拨适当的资金提高农民的生活水平;应该邀请农业专家向农民介绍他们的经验,知识和信息,这些将有助于发展农村经济。

98. In conclusion, we must take into account this problem rationally and place more emphases on peasants lives. Any government that is blind to this point will pay a heavy price.

总之,我们应理智考虑这一问题,重视农民的生活。任何政府忽视这一点都将付出巨大的代价。

99. Although many experts from universities and institutes consistently maintain that it is an inevitable part of an independent life, parents in growing numbers are starting to realize that people, including teachers and experts in education, should pay considerable attention to this problem.

尽管来自高校和研究院的许多专家坚持认为这是独立生活不可避免的一部分,然而越来越多的家长开始意识到包括教师和教育专家在内的人们应该认真对待这一问题。

100. As for me, it is essential to know, at first, what kind of problems young students possible would encounter on campus.

我认为,首先应看看学生们在校园可能遇到哪些问题。

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篇15:英语四级口语必背谚语

全文共 2024 字

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1.The water that bears the boat is the same that swallows it up.水能载舟,亦能覆舟。

2.Observation is the best teacher.观察是最好的老师。

3.Offense is the best defense.进攻是最好的防御。

4.Old friends and old wines are best.陈酒味醇,老友情深。

5.Old sin makes new shame.一失足成千古恨。

6.Once a man and twice a child.一次老,两次小。

7.Once a thief, always a thief.偷盗一次,做贼一世。

8.Once bitten, twice shy.一朝被蛇咬,十年怕井绳。

9.One boy is a boy, two boys half a boy, three boys no boy.一个和尚挑水喝,两个和尚抬水喝,三个和尚没水喝。

10.Wet behind the ears.乳臭未干。

11.One cannot put back the clock.时钟不能倒转。

12.One eyewitness is better than ten hearsays.百闻不如一见。

13.One false move may lose the game.一着不慎,满盘皆输。

14.One good turn deserves another.行善积德。

15.One hour today is worth two tomorrow.争分夺秒效率高。

16.One man‘s fault is other man’s lesson.前车之鉴。

17.One never loses anything by politeness.讲礼貌不吃亏。

18.One swallow does not make a summ一燕不成夏。

19.One‘s words reflect one’s thinking.言为心声。

20.Out of debt, out of danger.无债一身轻。

21.Out of office, out of danger.无官一身轻。

22.Out of sight, out of mind.眼不见,心为静。

23.Patience is the best remedy.忍耐是良药。

24.Penny wise, pound foolish.贪小便宜吃大亏。

25.Plain dealing is praised more than practiced. 26.正大光明者,说到的多,做到的少。

27.Please the eye and plague the heart. 贪图一时快活,必然留下隐祸。

28.Pleasure comes through toil.苦尽甘来。

29.Pour water into a sieve.竹篮子打水一场空。

30.Practice makes perfect.熟能生巧。

31.Praise is not pudding.恭维话不能当饭吃。

32.Praise makes good men better, and bad men worse. 33.好人越夸越好,坏人越夸越糟。

34.Prefer loss to unjust gain.宁可吃亏,不贪便宜。

35.Prevention is better than cure.预防胜于治疗。

36.Pride goes before, and shame comes after.骄傲使人落后。

37.Promise is debt.一诺千金。

38.Proverbs are the daughters of daily experience.谚语是日常经验的结晶。

39.Pull the chestnut out of fire.火中取栗。

40.Put the cart before the horse.本末倒置。

41.Put your shoulder to the wheel.鼎力相助。

42.Reading enriches the mind.开卷有益。

43.Reading is to the mind while exercise to the body.读书健脑,运动强身。

44.Respect yourself, or no one else will respect you.要人尊敬,必须自重。

45.Rome is not built in a day冰冻三尺,非一日之寒。

46.Saying is one thing and doing another.言行不一。

47.Seeing is believing.眼见为实。

48. Seek the truth from facts.实事求是。

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篇16:高一英语写作练习

全文共 1997 字

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写作练习:旅游活动(中段考范文)

【单元财富运用】

假定你是李华,上周末和家人开车去大角湾度假。请你根据以下要点,给你的美国朋友Tom介绍你的旅游经历。

1. 出发时间:周六早上7点;

2. 准备物品:零食、衣服、相机等;

3. 旅游活动:游泳,欣赏海水、海滩、日出和日落等美景,吃海鲜,买纪念品;

4. 你的感受。

【注意】:1. 词数100;

2. 开头已给出,但不计入总词数;

3. 可以适当增加节,以使行文连贯。

Last weekend my family and I went to Dajiaowan Gulf for a holiday.______________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________

步骤1:认真审题,提炼要点。

一定体裁:记叙文,记叙一次旅游活动

二定时态:旅游发生在过去,因此描述旅游前的准备和过程都应该采用一般过去

时;而感想则可以用一般现在时或现在完成时。

三定要点:结合写作内容,整理和罗列要点。

表达旅游活动的常用词汇:

步骤2:整合信息,连词成句。

1. 星期六早上7点开车出发。

_____________________________________________________________________

2. 准备好零食、衣服、相机等。

__________________________________________________________________

3. 在海滩游泳,欣赏海水日出和日落等美景。

__________________________________________________________________

4. 吃海鲜,买纪念品;

___________________________________________________________________

5. 谈感受。

___________________________________________________________________

步骤3:连句成段,用上适当的关联词。

not only…but also…, where, what’s more /besides / in addition, then, because…..

【我的作文】

Last weekend my family and I went to Dajiaowan Gulf for a holiday.______________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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篇17:高考英语作文写作攻略介绍

全文共 3407 字

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下面是由语文网为大家整理的高分英语写作九大攻略,希望对你有帮助。

一、文章及段落起始常用的过渡词语

to begin with 首先

【例】To begin with, smoking should be banned in public areas. 首先,在公共场合应该禁烟。

first of all 第一,首先

【例】First of all, many people in remote areas still live in poverty. 第一,在偏远地区许多人还生活在贫困中。

in the first place 首先

【例】In the first place, she can read at the rate of 100 words a minute. 首先,她能每分钟阅读100字。

generally speaking 总体上讲

【例】Generally speaking, the more you practice, the more skillfully you can write in English. 总体上讲,练习地越多,你用英文写作就越熟练。

二、文章及段落结尾常用的过渡词语

therefore, thus 因此

【例】Taking exercise helps us build up our body and keep a clear mind. Therefore, we can work more efficiently.

锻炼可以帮助我们增强体质及保持清醒的头脑。因此,我们能够更有效率地工作。

in conclusion 总之,最后

【例】In conclusion, people around the world should be aware of the real situation of water shortage, protect the present water resources and explore potential ones scientifically.

最后,全世界人民都应该意识到水资源短缺的现状,保护现有水资源并科学地开发潜在资源。

in brief 简言之

【例】In brief, birth control is of vital importance in China.

简言之,计划生育对中国来说是十分重要的。

to sum up 总而言之

【例】To sum up, out of sight, out of mind.

总而言之,眼不见,心不烦。

in a word 总之

【例】In a word, to read the original work is better than to see the film adapted from it.

总之,读原著胜过看基于它改编的电影。

三、常用表示先后次序的过渡词语

first 第一;second 第二;next 其次,然后;eventually 最后,最终;since then 自此以后;afterward 以后,随后;meanwhile 同时;therefore 因而;immediately 立刻;finally 最后,最终

四、常用表示因果关系的过渡词语

accordingly 于是;for this reason 由于这个原因;as a result of 作为……结果;in this way 这样;consequently 结果,因此;due to 由于……; therefore 因而;because of 因为;thus因为;thanks to 由于

【例】When playing sports, you need to judge your competitor’s strategy and revise yours accordingly. 参加体育活动时,你需要判断对手的策略并相应调整你的策略。

五、常用表示比较和对比的过渡词语

in contrast with 和……成对照;similarly 同样;whereas 然而;on the contrary 相反; different from与……不同;likewise同样; equally important 同样重要; on the other hand 另一方面;however 然而

【例】On the one hand, tonics will make us put on weight, which does harm to our health, but on the other hand, they can help refresh us.

一方面,补品会使我们变胖,这对我们健康不利。但另一方面,补品又能使我们有精神。

六、常用表示举例的过渡词语

a case in point 恰当的例子;for example 举例;namely( that is ) 即,这就是说;for instance 举例

【例】A case in point is the water control project along the Yangtze River.

一个恰当的例子就是长江沿线的水控项目。

七、有关描写图表的过渡词语

during this time 在此期间

【例】During this time, more women took various jobs. 在此期间,更多的妇女找到了各种各样的工作。

apart from 除了……之外

【例】Apart from the figures, the information below the table also suggests the growth of production. 除了数据之外,表格下面的信息同样也反应了生产量的增长。

compared with 与……相比较

【例】Compared with the percentage of the base year, it jumped by 15 percent. 与基准年相比,上升了百分之十五。

from the above table/ chart/ graph 根据上图 (表) 所示

【例】From the above chart, it can be seen that changes do occur in society. 从上面的图表来看社会确实发生了变化。

八、常用表示强调的过渡词语

furthermore 此外;moreover 而且;besides 此外;in fact 实际上;also 而且,也;indeed 的确;again 另外,还;in particular 尤其,特别;naturally 当然,自然,必然

【例】Naturally, he denied that he had committed the crime. 他必然不承认自己犯罪了。

九、逻辑连接词语

先后次序关系:second; last but not the least; seeing …

原因、结果关系:so …; as a result of this; consequently; in consequence

转折关系:even though; though; regardless of

并列关系:also; as well as; either…or…

递进关系:not only…but also…; in order to do it …; accordingly

比较关系:when in fact …; similarly; compared with

对比关系:on the contrary; contrary to; conversely

举例关系:as he explains; like; put it simply; for one thing … for another …

强调关系:particularly; to be true; other things being equal

条件关系:if so; if possible; provide that

归纳总结关系:in brief; in short; the conclusion can be drawn that …

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篇18:高中英语写作指导:高中英语写作教学的体会

全文共 1809 字

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一、勤读、多背词汇,好精句

要想写好一篇文章,没有充足的词汇量是不行的。课文中的俗语和谚语的识记是通过背诵来完成。背诵是语言学习的重要手段,也是语言学习的必经之路。

1.背词句,背诵课文中的重点句型和短语尤其是课文中的俗语、谚语和经典句子。

2.背范文,将近几年高考中的作文和课文中好的段落以及报刊上的各种各样的体裁和优秀文章让学生多背,这样学生才能在自己的脑子中形成一定的写作框架,做到心中有数。

3.多读书,用英语进行思维。为了培养学生用英语思维的定势,增加对英语国家文化、社会风俗、风土人情、思维方式的了解,扩大视野,选择课外阅读,提高学生分析、判断、猜测、推理和领悟的能力。部分学生在写作时习惯用汉语思维,然后再逐句译成英语,结果写出来的文章是汉语式的英语。要想学会用英语进行思维,就要有计划、有目的地培养学生的语感。一个重要的方法就是大量阅读,选择精彩的词句、文章和佳句,引导学生阅读,摘抄或背诵来培养语感。

二、亲自动手,自己写作

教师应注重基本功训练,严格要求学生正确,工整,熟练地书写字母,单词和句子,同时注意大小写和标点符号。进行组词造句,组句成段练习时,要学生写出最简单的短句,为以后英语作文打好扎实的基础。这种练习可以安排在刚开始的训练中,要求学生能够用最基本的时态去完成写作。另外结合高中英语基础知识的复习,对学生提出较高写作能力的要求。

1.范例引路

学生在进行短文写作训练时,教师应提供各种文体的范文,讲明各种文体的写作要求和注意事项,如日记,便条,书信,通知的格式等,并给予必要的提示,并掌握各种体裁文章的格式。在平时的教学中,教师应该指导学生应对高考中各种体裁文章。

2.限时训练

教师当场发题,限时交卷。这样能促使学生瞬间接受信息,快速理解信息,迅速表达信息,提高实际应用和应试能力。这一步是关键,也是学生的的难关。必须要求学生在写作过程中牢牢记住以下口诀:“先读提示,要点与格式要弄清;时态语态要当心,前后呼应要一致;结构搭配,莫违背;文章写好细检查,点滴小错别忽视”。学生明确目的,并掌握要领后,要严格在规定时间内完成作业。

3.多想精炼

在平时的教学中,教师要求学生多看、多听、多想,用心体验和感悟身边的人和事,然后将自己的体验和感受用英语写出来。教师可要求学生每周写两篇,有话则长,无话可短。对不同水平的学生作不同的要求。鼓励表达自己的看法和体会

此外,有时根据所学单元知识布置一篇作文,或给学生提供一些与时事或与学生学习活动和生活有关的材料。此类话题的现实性能诱发学生的写作兴趣,使其有话可写,有感而发;还能增强其信心,使其写作能力、技巧得到充分的锻炼和提高。对于有待进步的学生要及时励,激发其写作热情,增强其自信心。

4.自改互改

对照范文,学生先对已查出的表达有误的地方进行初改。范文不可能把各种表达方式都包括进去,况且学生作业中的错误也不尽相同,因此,还可安排学生互改。以同桌两人为宜,这样同时进行了改错训练。

三、培养学生良好的写作习惯

写作教学是一项“由简单到复杂,循环往复不断上升的”过程。不是一蹴而就的,需要教师在教学中由浅入深、由简入繁、由易到难、循序渐进。起始阶段,培养学生良好的写作习惯是非常重要的。要求学生做到以下几点:

1.认真审题。要求学生认真审读图表或提纲,领会意图,捕捉信息,确定文章时态及体裁。

2.写提纲。教师引导学生构思文章要点,写出每个段落主题句、关键词,然后确定细节和内容要点。

3.写初稿。经过审题和列提纲后,学生开始写作,教师指导学有意识地使用固定句型,使用关联词,把段落按逻辑顺序连成一体,形成基本连贯的初稿。

4.检查错误。检查是书面表达不可缺少的环节,学生完成初稿后,老师指导学生从以下六个方面进行修改和查错:(1)看要点是否齐全,有无遗漏;(2)体裁是否恰当,有无偏题;(3)内容是否连贯,有无缺词;(4)语法是否正确,人称、时态、语态、冠词及名词单复数等有无错误;(5)用词是否得当,有无习语及固定搭配等方面的错误(6)最后注意句与句、段与段之间有无合适的连接及过渡,经过有效的训练,学生犯的错误会逐渐减少,同时学生的书面表达能力会逐步提高。

总之,教学有法,教无定法。教师面对的教育对象是多样化的,因此在教学中一定要关注学生的个体差异,采取相应的措施,激发学生写作的兴趣。让学生参与实践,体验成功的快乐,循序引导,学生点滴积累,不断磨练,这样能达到理想的效果。

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篇19:看图写话写作要求

全文共 214 字

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1、开头空两格。有几幅图就写几个自然段。

2、第一句要明确写清:什么时间、谁、在哪儿、干什么。

3、通过仔细观察,展开想象,能够写出每幅图“最重要的情节”,必须详细写。所谓“详细写”,就是能写出人物间的对话,图中的人物具体是怎么做的,并能够用上恰当的动词。别人一看就知道这句话写得就是这幅图的内容,而不是其他图的内容。

4、能正确使用“,”“。”“?”“!”。能写通顺的句子,不丢字,不多字。学过的字必须写字,没有学过的字可以写拼音。

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篇20:英语作文写作的需要背诵的部分

全文共 45713 字

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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”.

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