高考英语写作模拟题【优秀20篇】

第一段：考生需要简明扼要地阐述图片内容，并点出该图画的主题。第一句话引出话题：例如:Nothing gets people talking like the topic that parents ‘role in family education(图画反映出的话题);第二句话开始正式描述图画，包含两部分：中心人或物正在干什么，以及重要细节是什么，因为是两幅图，就分别描写即可。Just as we can see from the first picture,... But when glance at the second, we know tht…第三句可以简单翻译中文标题或是描述，或者直接引出主题And below the drawing, a title which says that…。

中间段为阐释段。首句一般点出图片的象征寓意，也就是明确指出图片反映的社会问题，也就是该篇作文的中心思想。这篇文章的主题是父母应该通过行动来做好孩子的榜样,我们可以这样引出：What the cartoon really intend to extend is that parents should not only educate their children in words but also in deeds。具体的论证方法：原因，举例，对比、在这里，我们可以使用原因。这里有一些原因句型,可供大家参考：

1. Owning to /considering /given the fact that +原因

2.The major determinant lies in…

3. It is well known that/as we all know,… therefore, …

4. There is no doubt that… consequently, …

最后一段，给出评论或总结提建议。可以从怎样在行动上起到表率作用为切入口进行描述。

热点话题：

1、人口问题

2、 西部大开发

3、 网络和双刃剑(金钱，阳光)

4、成功，梦想和现实

5、职业选择和规划/高分低能

6、洋节和传统节日

7、神七上天和嫦娥奔月

8、地震与爱心

9、 奥运举办

10、 抄袭与诚信

11、伪劣商品

12、食品安全

13、抄袭与诚信

14、乱收费(因果：因：法律制度不完善，部分人只顾自己利益，忽视学生利益; 果：为社会，个人带来不良后果和巨大压力)

15、节俭与压力

16、心理问题

17、交通阻塞

18、创新创业

1. 内容切题

内容切题是命题作文的基本要求，考生可从以下几个方面入手：

第一要认真审题。根据题目类别，弄清文体的要求，并判明文章的种类(议论文、说明文、记叙文)，同时确定文章要阐明的主题或要表达的中心思想，若题目已经提供了提纲，还要注意弄清各提纲要点之间的逻辑关系。考生在拿到作文题后，切勿惟恐时间不够，提笔就写。一旦跑题，发现了再改就来不及了，常言道：“磨刀不误砍柴工”。

第二要注意设计安排段落。根据文章的中心思想，确定各个段落的主题内容和主题句。如果是议论文，一般要从论点的正反两个方面来考虑，首先是某观点的合理成分或某物的长处，然后是该观点的不合理成分或该物的短处，最后阐明自己的观点。如果题目提供了提纲，只要把提纲扩展成主题句即可。

第三要避免将记忆里较熟悉的句子生拉硬扯地搬进作文，使作文结构松散，意思不明确，甚至会偏离主题。

2. 表达清楚，文字连贯

文章要做到表达清楚，文字连贯，文章各段落就必须根据提纲所确立的不同主题来展开，而且各段落的主题句要将段落的各个部分凝聚在一起，流利地表达段落大意，使段落中各部分以及段落之间的联系一目了然。

3. 句式有变化

有些考生对写作没信心，不敢大胆地使用所掌握的语言基础知识，包括英语句法知识，结果整篇文章都是以主、谓、宾句式为主的简单句子，文章显得刻板无生气。实际上，

第一：题目要有文化，画龙点睛

高考作文的题目，一定要押韵，采用古文、古诗、诗歌、对联、成语的形式，最好是分成上下两句。

第二：文章要运用议论文常见的写作方法

其实写高考作文，和过去写八股文一样，一定要讲究方法，按照议论文固有的写作方法谋篇布局，不能自己想怎么写就怎么写，你是高兴了，你想过老师怎么判卷吗!平常要磨练一套议论文的常规的布局方法，考试就依葫芦画瓢。

第三：写来写去必须要“立德树人”

考题千千万万，其实就一个“德”?如何立德?而我们的回答，无非就是爱自己、爱亲人、爱社会、爱国家、爱我党，步步递进，层层向上，不管你怎么写，记住一点，落脚点一定是“高大上”，把自己和自己的思想，往圣人上写就行了。

第四：传统文化一点不能少，树立民族自信心

教育改革，传统文化占去了一大半的语文内容，所以，高考作文必须有要有大量的传统文化，不管是论点，还是论据，又或者是主要内容，反正传统文化的东西，一定不能少，而且要量大。

第五：社会主义好，吃水不忘挖井人

想想是谁组织的高考?是谁建立的新中国?饮水思源，你的文章中最终没有涉及到我们的党，能得高分吗?更别说那种吃奶骂娘的人了，所以，无论怎么写，这方面的一定不能不写。

第六：今天一定是个“好日子”

此生入华夏，不悔人生路，我们现在国富民强，吃得好喝得好，就应该大家赞赏，多多描写社会各个方面的富强民主，对比那些资本主义国家的自私，我们实现共同富裕，万众一心抗击非典，对于那些落后国家的贫弱，我们吃喝不愁、生活多姿多彩。

第七：科技是第一生产力

科技是第一生产力，现在我国正在进行产业升级，不亚于一场大型的战争，将会影响今后我国一百年的发展，所以什么飞船上天，什么蛟龙下海，什么基建狂魔，什么杂交水稻，什么光伏，什么是特高压等等，一定要知道内容、意义。

第八：人与自然

今后几年，碳达峰、碳中和、碳积分等等涉及到节能减排、绿色发展、垃圾分类等考题不会少，所以要尽量了解现在国家在这方面的政策、取得成绩等，有时间研究一下相关的主题书籍。

一、话题作文的表述篇——记叙经历

记叙经历，除非命题中有特殊的规定，在一般情况下，既可以写自己的经历，也可以写别人的经历;既可也写自己的亲身体验，也可以写自己的所见所闻，甚至可以编述故事。如果没有特殊规定，选材时就不要自己束缚自己的手脚，把思路仅仅局限在“我”上，而一旦突破“我”的限制，选材的天地就广阔的多了。

首先，要学会描写。①学会观察对象。描写是把事物的状态描绘出来，再现给读者，所以描写之前必须细致观察对象。②学会选择细节。描写再现事物的状态，不是把一切感受到的东西都写出来，而是要有选择地描写，作者要有明确的目的，选择最具表现力的细节，以此再现事物特征。③学会安排结构。写作时要按照一定的步骤，合理地、有序地安排文字，一层层写来，最终形成一个整体形象。④学会修饰语言。讲究修饰的最好手段是多用修辞手法，如比喻、象征、拟人、夸张、对比等。

其次，避平铺直叙。①在材料组合上：可以用三处地点，或三个时段，或三个镜头，或三张照片，或三件物品，或三段经历……来组织全文，并配上小标题，如“童年”“少年”“青年”、“镜头一”“镜头二”“镜头三”等等，以避免平铺直叙;②在结构安排上，可用设置悬念或运用倒叙来增加曲折;③在人称使用上，可以第一人称为主、兼用第二人称;④在表达方式上，可用日记或书信去代替一般化的记叙。

再次，要合理虚构。在记叙经历过程中为了更好地反映生活本质，更好地表现主题，在经得起推敲的前提下，应该进行合理虚构。①移花接木法。在真人真事的基础上改造、拼接、更换，将几个人的特点融于一个人，或将几件事的情节剪辑组合为一件事，或将发生在不同时段性质相同甚至相反的事剪辑到一个相对集中的时间内，使人物与事件更具典型性。②添枝加叶法。真实的事件本身简单、平淡，或只是一个轮廓、梗概，可以此为基本框架，展开想象，补充细节，使人物形象血肉丰满，使事情具体、曲折、生动。

二、话题作文的创新篇——语言求美

作文语言首先要通顺。“语言通顺”就是要用规范的现代汉语，不能用文言或半文半白的语言行文;遣词造句时，句式选用要贴切，努力克服用词不当，修辞不妥，不合语法、逻辑等毛病;词与词之间、句与句之间要上下衔接，一脉贯通，不要尚未理清思路就急于动笔，信口开河，凑字凑句，信手写来;要注意语言表达的方式、目的和交际的场合、对象的差异，把语言表达得准确、清晰、连贯、得体。

在语言通顺的基础上要让高考(课程)作文的语言亮起来，语言鲜活有文采，是每个考生都十分渴求的。那么，语言鲜活从何而来?有的是顺手拈来，有的是冥思苦索，但是，最根本的在于自己的文化积淀和语言修养。不读书，不看报，不实践，不思考，不研究新事物，不学习新鲜语言，不锻炼思维的敏锐，腹内空空，思想僵化，那么只能人云亦云，毫无鲜活可言。平日坚持学习积累，不断充实自己的语言仓库，不断进行语言的操练，才能厚积薄发，才能在关键时刻得心应手，写出鲜活的语言来。为此，要在四个方面下功夫：①在词语上下功夫。高考作文要力求词汇丰富，特别要恰当选用最有表现力的定语、状语、补语等修饰语。②在句式上下功夫。要在文中善于变换多种句式，主要包括长短结合、整散结合、恰当使用变式句等。③在修辞上下功夫。充分运用各种修辞手法，是增加文采、提高文章品位的重要手段。④在引用上下功夫。在高考作文中要注意适当引用一些名言警句、口语俗语、优美的诗句、歌词、广告语等，就更加能够增加文采。当然，鲜活语言总是以不同形式显示出力量，这种力量主要来自情感(作者的情感或人物的情感)的力量。

三、话题作文的立意篇——化大为小

话题作文“立意自定、文体自选、题目自拟”的宽泛政策，使有的学生“天马行空”，有的学生有“无从下手”。前者在一个话题中信手走笔，穿梭于几个话题中，什么都写了，什么都不可能写好、写细;后者却只能望话题兴叹。因此，要写好话题作文，在理解话题的基础上还要树立“化大为小”的观念。

化大为小，就是作者通过对话题的整体思考，从宽泛的话题中演绎成一个小角度，从一人一事，一斑一点，一枝一叶，片言只语落笔，联想生发，洞隐烛幽，深入发掘，大题小做，以细小的局部显示宏大的整体，透过平凡的现象挖出不平凡的本质，在叙事写景中透视深刻的人生哲理。话题作文的写作范围非常宽泛，如果仅把话题当作一个僵死的概念，笼而统之去写文章，势必出现内容空泛、文意散漫。所以，要善于在一个宽泛的范围内，“择其一点，不及其余”，也就是只写“大范围”中的“某一方面”，给自己选择一个充分发挥、具体表现的好舞台，这样才能在800字左右的篇幅内写出立意鲜明集中、内容具体充实的好文章。如2000年全国高考作文，要把“答案是丰富多彩的”这样一个大范围“化大为小”，变为一个具体的小范围，如生活态度、辨明是非、意识转变、思维方式、教育改革、道德教养、人物评价、历史反思、职业选择、个性发展等等方面的都可以写。再如，请以“压力”为话题，自拟题目，写一篇不少于800字的作文。要善于“以问领写”：“什么可以构成压力?”“有没有压力?”“压力来自何方?”“压力带来什么?”“怎样对待压力?”等等，然后自己回答这些问题，从这些回答中选择一二来写文章，达到“化大为小”的目的。可以写压力来自过重负担，也可以写压力来自责任感;可以写压力从无到有，也可以写压力从有到无;可以写压力来自外界，也可以写压力来自自身;可以写在重压下喘不过气来，也可以写变压力为动力;可以写要善于自我减压，也可以写“把压力放在肩上，不要放在心上”等等。要选择其中一个来写，不要贪多，否则会造成东拉西扯，空谈漫议。这样“化大为小”，文章才会“出彩”。

总之，写话题作文不求“面面俱到”但求“一针见血”。笼统而缺乏具体内容，那就只会大而化之，不能给人留下深刻的印象。这种写法只能列入“基本符合题意”的一档，最高得42分;如果大话、套话太多，文句也不够通顺，则很可能只拿个及格分(即36分)，甚至更低。

四、话题作文的思路篇——时空联想

世间万事万物都是在一定的时间内变化、发展着，在一定的空间存在、运动着。而反映客观现实的作文当然也离不开时间和空间范畴。要拓展话题作文的思路也可以从时间和空间这两个角度进行联想。

时间，即过去、现在和未来。可以在特定的时间背景中叙事，也可以将过去和现在进行比较。如2000年全国高考话题作文“答案是丰富多彩的”可以将计划经济的一元化时代与市场经济的多元化时代相比较，也可以将封建时代的一人独尊与现在的民主政治比较，等等。

空间，包括领域、地点、场合等，往往不同的空间背景会赋予话题不同的内容。如“答案是丰富多彩的”可以从领域方面进行拓展：在文学创作上，要提倡百花齐放;在科学探索上，要寻求多种可能性;在哲学界，百家争鸣;在艺术界，流行着各种风格;在教育界，要培养各种各样的人才，等等。

五、话题作文的创新篇——构思求巧

构思是一个比较复杂的过程，所以要善于动脑筋。同时构思并没有一个死的条条框框，它所涉及的种种问题，都是灵活多变，因而构思过程是一个充满创造性的思维过程，是一种创造性的劳动。不同体裁不同类型的文章各有常见的思路模式，在结构安排上往往有明显的轨迹可循，如记叙文的“总—分—总”式，议论文的“并列式”“对照式”“层进式”“总分式”，一般材料议论文和读(观)后感的“引—议—联—结”式等等。构思的意义在于能合理利用材料，充分表现中心思想，构思创新就必须打破常规思维模式，适当变通，制造波澜。

记叙类文章的构思创新。①角度求巧。如果大家都从正面切入，你不妨从反面或侧面切入;大家都着眼整体，你不妨着眼局部;大家都从大处落笔，你不妨来个以小见大，等等。由于立意的独到新颖，常常会产生意想不到的强烈的感染力和振聋发聩的作用，从而读者留下深刻的印象。②顺序求变。如果大家都按事情的发生、发展的顺序组材，你不妨采用倒叙或插叙;大家都先写主后写宾，以突出主的地位，你不妨先宾后主，这同样突出主的地位，等等。③方式求异。如果大家都用第三人称叙述，你不妨用第一人称甚至第二人称;大家以叙述性语言为主，你不妨以描述性语言为主，等等。④结构求活。记叙文结构要灵活多变，一波三折，曲径通幽。激起文章波澜的技法常见的有：一是抑扬法。是指对写作对象或欲扬先抑，或欲抑先扬，然后陡然一转，出乎读者意料，从而使文章产生峰回路转、跌宕起伏的效果。二是悬念法。构成文章悬念的技巧一般为“起悬——垫悬——释悬”。可以用三处地点，或三个时段，或三个镜头，或三张照片，或三件物品，或三段经历……来组织全文，并配上小标题，如“童年”“少年”“青年”、“镜头一”“镜头二”“镜头三”等等，以避免平铺直叙。此外，还可以运用“误会法”“巧合法”等，以引起矛盾，增加波澜，从而深化主题。

议论类文章要特别注意论证求新。比较容易做到的方法：(1)举例新。举例的来源：①身边的新鲜事。②“焦点访谈”、“东方时空”、“实话实说”和各地电视专栏节目中所谈的内容。③《报刊文摘》每期第3版上的小故事。(2)引文新。引文来源：①新颁布的有关法律、法规。②报刊上的最新数据、资料。

导语：上网对孩子好还是不好，好在哪里，不好在哪里，并谈谈自己对这个问题的看法，下面是yuwenmi小编为大家整理的相关优秀英语作文，欢迎阅读与借鉴，谢谢!

We should say that every coin has its two sides. So it is with surfing on line.

Generally speaking, students will benefit a lot from Internet. People can get lots of useful information through the Internet quickly ,no matter it is national or throughout the world. We can also listen to the music and chat with the friends far away.The most important of all is that we can search many foreigners who speak English as their native languge, which can help us improve our Enlish rapidly.We can send Email to our good friends in a few seconds---with the internet your friend dont need to wait for so long time as receiving a letter as before.

But it also can spread many side effects.for example ,there are some sexy news and pictures on web which will not do good to teenagers. And there are some games that can easily attract the students and even make you addict to the games so you can waste a lot of valuable time.

On the whole it will give you both good and bad things, the thing matters much is how do you make use of it.

【参考翻译】

我们应该说，每个硬币都有两面。所以这是与网上冲浪。

一般而言，学生会受益很多，从互联网。人们可以通过互联网获得大量有用的信息，不管是国家还是世界。我们也可以听音乐和外地的朋友聊天。最重要的是，我们可以寻找许多外国人讲英语作为他们的母语，这可以帮助我们快速提高我们的英语水平。我们可以在一个网上朋友不要几秒钟---我们的好朋友发电子邮件需要等待很长时间才收到一封信。

但它也可以传播许多副作用的例子，网络上有将不利于青少年的一些性感的新闻和图片。还有一些游戏，可以很容易地吸引学生，甚至让你沉迷于游戏，这样你可以浪费很多宝贵的时间。

总的来说，它会给你既好又坏的东西，这件事很重要的是你如何利用它。

积累一定的素材能够提高自己的文章水平。以下是小编给大家整理的高考写作素材十则的内容，欢迎大家阅读。

一、《世说新语》中讲述了这样一个故事：荀巨伯远道探视重病的朋友，正碰上胡兵马上就要来攻城。朋友劝荀巨伯赶紧离开，说：“我是死定了，不想连累了你!快快离开这里!” 荀巨伯说：“我从很远的地方来看朋友，你却叫我离开躲祸。在你，固然是好心，但是于我，这种以败坏道义来求得生存的行为，岂能是我荀巨伯的做法!”很快胡兵进城，涌进荀巨伯所在的屋子，看到居然还有人在，就问他们为什么不逃跑。荀巨伯正色道：“我是来看朋友的，朋友病了，我不能丢下他独自逃命!要杀就杀我好了!我愿意以我的命代替朋友去死!” 胡兵面面相觑，然后说：“我们这样不讲道义的人，却在侵犯有如此高义之士的国家!”于是班师回返，从而一郡百姓都获保全。

二、一天，某珠宝店。一个蓝眼睛小姑娘对店主说，想买一条项链给姐姐，因为姐姐在她们的妈妈去世后，无微不至地照顾她们。今天是姐姐的生日，她要让姐姐高兴高兴。小姑娘看上了一条蓝宝石项链。店主问她带了多少钱来，她拿出一个小手绢包，打开来一看，里面只有几枚硬币。店主惊讶之余，很专业地把项链取了出来，配上漂亮的包装盒包好，微笑着收了硬币，把项链递给了小姑娘。傍晚，一个姑娘找上门来，她把已经打开的礼品盒放在柜台上，问道：这条项链是在这里买的吗?多少钱?店主说，本店商品的价格是买主和卖主之间的秘密。姑娘说，我妹妹只有几枚硬币，而这条宝石

项链货真价实，她买不起，是不是你们搞错了!店主接过盒子，精心将包装重新包好，递给了姑娘，并耐人寻味地说，她给出了比任何人都高的价格，她付出了她的一切。

三、康熙是我国清朝时期著名的皇帝。他在位时，清朝的政治逐渐稳定，国力逐渐强大。公元1661年，年仅8岁的爱新觉罗·玄烨被推上龙座，成为康熙皇帝。玄烨幼年登基，虽经祖母悉心培养少小持重，但担负国家的重任还为时过早。尤其，当时以鳌拜为首的辅政大臣，利用玄烨年幼、孝庄太后一介女流之便掌握朝政大权。在朝中，他们结党营私，玩弄权术，骄横跋扈，不把小康熙放在眼里，

连孝庄太后也只好隐忍。年轻气盛的康熙几次想将鳌拜惩治法办，但是实力相差悬殊，如果时机不成熟，只能是以卵击石。因此，康熙把怨气与怒气埋在心里，一直积蓄力量。

终于，1669年，年满16岁的康熙羽翼丰满，发动攻势，一举剿灭了鳌拜一伙。之后，他又平定“三藩”，收复台湾，击退沙皇俄国的入侵，开创了一代盛世。

而康熙如果不是用理智战胜了愤怒，把怨气压了八年，恐怕早就被鳌拜害死了，哪里还有后来的“康乾盛世”。

四、在火车上，一位孕妇临盆，列车员放手通知，紧急寻找妇产科医生。这时，一位妇女站出来 ，说她是妇产科的。女列车长赶紧将她带进用床单隔开的病房。毛巾、热水、剪刀、钳子什么都到位了，只等最关键时刻的到来。产妇由于难产而非常痛苦的尖叫着。那位自称妇产科 的女子非常着急，将列车长拉到产房外，告诉列车长她其实只是妇产科的护士，并且由于一 次医疗事故已被医院开除。今天这个产妇情况不好，人命关天，她自知没有能力处理，建议 立即送往医院抢救。

列车行驶在京广线上，距最近的一站还要行驶一个多小时。列车长郑重地对她说：“你虽然 只是护士，但在这趟列车上，你就是医生，你就是专家，我们相信你。”

列车长的话感染了护士，她准备了一下，走进产房时又问：“如果万不得已，是保小孩还是保大人?”

“我们相信你。”

护士明白了。她坚定地走进产房。列

车长轻轻地安慰产妇，说现在正由一名专家在给她助产 ，请产妇安静下来好好配合。

出乎意料，那名护士几乎单独完成了她有生以来最为成功的手术，婴儿的啼声宣告了母子平安。

五、东汉年间，有一个清官，名叫杨震。他在荆州做官时，发现王密

才华出众，便向朝廷举荐让王密做了昌邑县令。数年后，他调任途中路过昌邑。王密听说了，亲赴郊外迎接恩师，并无微不至地照顾。

晚上，王密悄悄来到杨震住处，乘室中无人，从怀中掏出黄金10两，捧送给杨震，以报栽培之恩。“不可，不可!”杨震连忙摆手拒绝，并郑重地说，“以前是因我了解你有真才实学，所以推荐你;现在你这样做，是太不了解我的为人了。”王密又走近轻声说：“现在是夜里，无人知道。”杨震生气地说：“天知，地知，你知，我知，怎么说无人知道?认为无人知道就宽容自己，是要不得的。”王密听了，羞愧地带着金子退了出去。

六、刚到德国时，站在斑马线前等待疾驶的车辆通过，但汽车却主动停下来，开车人打手势示意让我先行，我便特意摆手致谢!当我到驾校学车时才知道，这是行人的权利，无需致谢。驾校学车路考时，哪怕考生在斑马线前稍微有一点和行人抢行的意识，考官便立即终止考试，绝不原谅!因为驾校的教科书上明确写着：当发现人行道上的行人有要横过马路的意识时，汽车必须减速示意，只要行人迈向斑马线，汽车就必须在斑马线以外停下，以免使行人心理上产生不安全感。

在斑马线前，德国人是否人人都能自觉遵守交通规则呢?一次，我曾专门在车水马龙的旅游景区路口观察。斑马线上人群川流不息，20多分钟过去了，没有发现一辆车在斑马线上与行人抢行。还有一次，夜里10点多，我见人行横道的信号灯是红的，马路

上一辆车也没有，而站在马路边上的德国老太太就是不过马路。我问她为什么不过马路，她说：“楼上窗里有人正看着这里呢。”德国人的自觉性，折射出这个民族的文明水平。

七、徐洪刚是济南军区某部的一名班长。在探亲归队途经四川筠连县时，有歹徒在车上抢劫和调戏妇女，他为保护人民群众的生命财产，挺身而出，同4名歹徒殊死搏斗，身上连中14刀，肠子从刀口中流出，但仍用双手死抑着一名歹徒的腿。他热爱人民，不顾个人安危，用他的青春和热血谱写了一曲人民子弟兵热爱人民的英雄颂歌。

八、威廉.萨克雷，是英国19世纪杰出作家。他同情穷人，真诚助人。每当听到或看到别人有困难时，便把钱装在用过的丸药盒里，写明：“每服一粒，以应急需”的服法，并附上一封化名、假名或没有寄信人姓名地址的信，叫人送去。这样，他就感到很高兴。

九、李嘉诚坚守原则(李嘉诚投资巴哈马——马政府以赌场牌照作为酬谢——委婉拒绝——在酒店外另建独立的房子给第三者经营，和黄只赚取租金)李嘉诚讲了一个有关坚守原则、有所为有所不为的故事。不久前，他在加勒比海巴哈马国投资，拥有货柜码头、飞机场、酒店、高尔夫球场及大片土地，成为当地最大的海外投资商。巴哈马政府拿出很多商人求之不得、一定赚大钱的赌场牌照，作为酬谢李嘉诚的礼物。面对送来的钱财，李婉转地拒绝了。他说：“我对自己有个约束，并非所有赚钱的生意都做。”巴哈马总理找到李嘉诚说：“一大堆商人追着要这个牌照，我们都没给，你这么大的投资，我一定要给你，你有三家酒店，随便放那家都可以。”盛情难却之下，李作了“妥协”，决定不接受赌场牌照，但在酒店外面另盖独立的房子给第三者经营，并由经营者直接与政府洽谈条件，和黄只赚取租金。“酒店客人要去那儿我不管，但我的酒店决不设赌场”。李说，或许，用现代的生意眼光来考量，会有各种不同的说法，但“这是我的原则，原则必须坚持”。

十、《庄子》记载了一个耐人寻味的故事。子舆天生浑身缺陷：驼背，隆肩，颈脖超天。有人不恻隐地问：“你一定为你的形象很头疼，很苦恼吧?” 子舆昂然回答说：“我为什么要苦恼呢?如果老天把我的作臂变成一只公鸡，我就让它高亢地鸣叫为人们报晓;如果老天把我的右臂变成一只弹弓，我就用这打下斑鸠烧着吃;如果老天把我的脊椎变成一辆马车，我就用精神的骏马拉起它驰骋天下。我为什么要埋怨、讨厌、苦恼呢?”

“追求真理，享受过程”这是央视名嘴白岩松的人生处事哲学，“教会孩子们如何体面并且有尊严的输”这是伦敦举办奥运会的目的之一，系列成功的案例也都告诉我们，成功都是输来的。没有输，哪有赢呢?一输一赢之间，教会了我们做人的真谛。

输得清楚，是谨防下一次失败。面对失败，我们应找到那些那些导致自己失败的因素，这也就是大家所说的在失败中摸索。且不说大家都知道爱迪生多少次次失败后才发明了电灯，也不说诺贝尔多少次失败后制成了炸药，更不说有多少人成功只因失败始。欧什为上世纪最伟大的物理学家之一，在费尽周折争取到研究经费之后，他还是一次次失败，除了那次――学校正准备撤走这笔经费，用于其它研究课题并打算驱逐欧什出实验室的时候，欧什成功了――他发现了氦三的超流体性质。据回忆，欧什在学校所给期限的最后一天也没有放弃正常的研究工作，在最后关头总结了自己失败的原因而一举成功。由此可见，在面临失败的时候，我们不必有更多的恐惧，要弄清原因，打破设定的界限，才能从失败中走出来。

输得体面，保持健康竞争心态。常言道：胜败乃兵家常事。不论多么强大的人都有失败的时候。乔治.索罗斯在国破家亡之际，十七岁的他离家留学，曲折的生活经历给了他直面失败的能力。在华尔街大崩溃中他沦为最大的失败者。他输了，但他输得很体面，很刚直，然后以健康的心态扭转了自己的命运，后来发展到富可敌国。当今社会充满了竞争，有竞争必然有输赢，纠结输赢之际，我们更应该培养自己有利于竞争的健康心态，这样才能形成良性竞争，实现失败者与竞争者的双赢结果。由此说来，体面的失败胜过侥幸的成功。

摆脱失败阴影，积蓄逆袭力量。要以一种独特的角度看问题，十六世纪时，鲱鱼的销售是欧洲地区最主要的经济来源，几乎所有沿海国家都有丰富的鲱鱼储备，所以他们也经常因为市场矛盾发起战争。水深火热之中的荷兰，出现了一个威廉姆，他看到鲱鱼因囤积而腐烂，又经过一番观察，发现没有内脏的鱼储存时间较原来长了数百倍。就是靠这个小小的发现，荷兰胜出于其他国家，摆脱了荷兰的长期贫穷，并成为之后的海上强国。而对这一点，马云做得更好。当初在创业时并不被看好，三万美元都借不到的马云，终于遇到了伯乐兼理财大家孙正义，从此一步步走向成功。可见，独特的眼光，可以帮助我们发现失败的真正原因，摆脱失败，走向成功。冷静理性的面对失败，才是开启走向成功之门的一把金钥匙。

马云曾说：“今天你对我爱答不理，明天我会让你高攀不起”。是啊，今天即使是输，我们也要在输中成长;即使是输，我们也要在输中积淀;即使是输，我们也要在明天逆袭，创造属于自己的历史。因而我说：成功，也可以是输来的，因为输来的成功更辉煌。

internet slang be prohibited (互联网俚语应该被禁止……)

目前，一些诸如gg, mm, xia mi 等网络语言在青少年中极为盛行，并且出现在家庭作业报告，甚至全国入学考试的作文中。请你以 “should internet slang be prohibited (禁止)?”为题，根据下表内容用英语写一篇短文，并谈谈你自己的看法。

一些同学认为网络语言生动、时尚，网络语言充满幽默与智慧，使网上聊天更快捷。

另一些同学认为，网络语言缺乏思想性，没有被大部分人理解、接受，过多使用使人不解，甚至误解。

你的看法?

注意：

1. 短文开头已经给出，不计入总词数;

2. 词数：100左右

3. 参考词汇：生动的vivid;智慧intelligence

should internet slang be prohibited?

at present, internet slang, such as “gg, mm, xia mi”， has become popular among the teenagers.

there are different opinions on internet slang. some students think internet slang is vivid, fashionable and full of humor and intelligence. besides, it makes chatting on the internet quicker.

however, some other students think internet slang lacks depth of thought and is too simple. also, it is hard to understand and not accepted by most people. the words sometimes might make people confused, even resulting in misunderstanding.

every coin has two sides. in my opinion, living in the information age, if we don’t know the internet slang, we seem to fall behind the times. it will be ok as long as these terms are used correctly in proper situations.

以下是由语文迷为大家整理的高考英语中经常出现的词汇，希望对你有帮助。

continuousa继续的,连续(不断)的

continuala不断地,频繁的

explodev爆炸;爆发;激增

exploitv剥削;利用,开采

explorev勘探

explosionn爆炸;爆发;激增

explosivea爆炸的;极易引起争论的

remotea遥远的,偏僻的

removaln除去,消除

rendervt使得,致使

rendervt呈递,归还,着色,汇报,致使,放弃,表演,实施vi给予补偿n交纳,粉刷,打底

precautionn预防,防备,警惕

idlea懒散的,无所事事的

identifyvt认出,鉴定

identifyn身份;个性,特性

povertyn贫穷

resistanta(to)抵抗的,抗的,耐的

resolvevt解决;决定,决意

barreln桶

bargainn便宜货vi讨价还价

subsequenta随后的,后来的

virtuen美德,优点

virtuala实际上的,事实上的

orientvt使适应,(to,toward)使朝向n东方

portionn一部分

targetn目标,靶子vt瞄准

portablea手提式的

declinev拒绝,谢绝;下降

illusionn错觉

likelihoodn可能,可能性

stripen条纹

emphasizevt强调,着重

emotionn情感,感情

emotionala感情的,情绪(上)的

awfula极坏的,威严的,可怕的

awkwarda笨拙的,棘手的

cluen线索,提示

collisionn碰撞,冲突

devicen装置,设备

devisevt发明,策划,想出

高频词组

give out①分发 ②用尽

go over①复习 ②仔细考虑

hang up①挂起 ②挂断(电话)

hold on①等一等 ②别挂电话 ③紧紧抓住 ④坚持

keep up坚持，继续

leave out①省去 ②遗漏

live up to①符合 ②履行(诺言)

live with①与……住在一起 ②容忍

look for寻找

look into调查

look through快速查看，浏览

look up查找，查阅

look up from从……抬起头

look up to尊敬，钦佩

make the best of充分利用

make up①编造 ②组成，构成 ③化妆

make up for弥补，补偿

pay back偿还

pay for①支付 ②为……付出代价

pay off①还清债务 ②取得成功

pick up①拾起 ②搭载 ③获得 ④学会

put away把……收起来

put down①记下，写下 ②放下

put in①安装 ②把……写进

put up①张贴 ②在某地投宿 ③举起 ④建造

put up with容忍，忍受

rule out排除

run away from逃避，回避

run out (of)用完，耗尽

see to①照顾 ②处理

set about着手做

set aside①把……搁到一边 ②留出，省出(钱或时间) ③驳回 ④暂不考虑

set off①出发，动身 ②使爆炸 ③引起(突然行动)

set out①出发 ②开始着手

speed up(使)加快速度

take apart拆开，拆卸

take on①呈现 ②开始雇用

take over接任，接管

take up①开始从事 ②占据 ③采纳

turn down①关小，调低 ②拒绝

turn out①结果是，证明是 ②出席，参加

turn over①把……翻过来 ②翻阅

wear out磨损，穿破

work out①制订出 ②锻炼 ③弄懂 ④计算出

高考作文(College Admission Essay)即普通高等学校招生全国统一考试(全国高考)语文卷最后一题或几题(包括小作文)，一般要求立意自定、文体自选(或除诗歌外)、题目自拟、不要抄袭、不少于800字，一般满分为60分。如何准确地界定与把握命题者的正确意图和话题本身的意义指向，又如何在文章中准确地呈现出来，将大体决定全文的成败。下面是小编为你带来的高考半命题作文的写作技巧，希望对你有帮助。

半命题作文是指命题人限定了作文题目的一部分内容，然后留出一部分内容由作者按要求自己填写完整，再进行写作的作文命题形式。这种作文形式的主要标志是作文题目中留有空缺。其特点是有较大的开放度、灵活性，给人留下广阔的创作空间，又有一定的限制性。这两年中考全国有不少的省市采用了半命题作文的形式。半命题作文根据有无提示语可分为有提示语和没有提示语两种形式;根据题目空缺的位置可分为前空式、中空式和后空式。

写这类作文的前提是要按要求补全题目。需要注意的问题是：

1.斟酌已给出的半个题目信息，再结合自己的生活经历、写作特长、写作内容等将其补全，成为全命题作文，巧妙地让陌生的新题变成自己熟悉的旧题，从容地完成一篇熟悉的作文。例如有关“读书”“亲情”“学校生活”之类的作文相信同学们已经写过不计其数的文章，我们可以将2005年重庆中考作文题“那是一首歌”写成“读书经历是一首歌”“母爱是一首歌”“学习生活是一首歌”。也可以将2005年江苏省无锡市中考作文题“精彩”演变成相类似的形式。

2.注意审清题面要求，明确选材范围。如2003年湛江中考作文题要分清“生活”与“生命”的不同。

3.标题切忌大而空，要力求展示个性风采。标题是一篇文章的“眉目”，它关系到一篇文章的格调、精神和色彩，好的标题能使人产生强烈的阅读愿望。

4.立意要鲜明，集中，新颖。

例如：“生活因__更精彩”和“生命因__更精彩”都是半命题作文，限制较少。空缺处可以填名词、动词、形容词，如音乐、读书、挫折、爱等，也可以填短语，如得到关注、奋力拼搏、遭遇苦难等。题目一旦确立，就要善于从平凡的生活彩链中挖掘出最耀眼、最闪光的那一节来写，要写出精彩的一瞬、精彩的场面、精彩的心灵感悟。总之，要突出精彩，突出填写的词语，突出主题。

其次，表达的角度要巧。在突出主旨的前提下可以有选择地使用悬念、插叙、呼应、对比等技巧，要设计好文章的开头和结尾，适当穿插议论和抒情，行文中要注意反复点题。

另外，选材要新。要善于调动多种描写手段打动人，以此引起读者情感上的共鸣。

中学英语教学大纲中明确指出：“写是书面表达和传递信息的交际能力。培养初步写的能力，是英语教学的目的之一。”在近年的高考中英语写作也占有相当比重。因此，在高中阶段教师应在指导和组织学生进行英语写作上下功夫，在平时教学中应有计划有目的地去训练和提高学生的写作能力。

一、学生能充分认识英语写作的重要性是写作能力提高的必要条件。

英语写作能力的提高需要持之以恒的长期训练。如果学生对写作重要性认识不够，他们就不能积极主动地去配合老师搞好写作训练，甚至产生逆反心理，产生对立情绪，英语写作就会半途而废，达不到预期目的。

在平时教学中，老师要经常性地有意识地对学生进行写作重要性的教育。学生一进入高中就要让他们了解初中和高中英语教学要求的异同。

我给学生找几份中考和高考题，帮助他们了解中考和高考英语试题对基础知识和基本技能要求的相同之处和不同之处，引导他们转变观念，更新和完善学习方法，要让他们了解到英语写作在高考中、实际运用中以及对将来继续学习英语的重要性。

我还联系在过去高考中英语取得优异成绩的毕业生，用书信介绍学好英语的方法，特别是在英语写作方面的成功经验和英语写作对他们当时及后来英语学习的重要性。这些毕业生有很大的感召力，很有说服性，尤其对那些有逆反心理的学生。

二、指导写作应注意的几个问题：

1．教师要有明确合理的教学计划和教学程序，组织系统规范的有序训练。

2．帮助和要求学生养成积极主动地坚持英语写作的良好习惯。

3．坚持循序渐进的训练原则。写作要先易后难，先短后长，先学会运用简单句、并列句，后学会用复合句表达，先写正确句子逐步过渡到围绕一个人、一件事、一个观点去写有中心的文章，由不限定时间到限定时间，由限定时间长到限定时间短，由限定字数少到多……

4．分程度要求。对学生的要求不能一刀切，对学习好的要求要高，对学习差的要求要适当低一些。要避免有些学生轻而易举垂手可得，而有些学生又可望而不可及的情况发生。

5．注意讲评。要经常指出优点，以利模仿，指出缺点，警示避免。

6．鼓励优秀，耐心帮助差生。充分利用板报、专栏进行优秀作文展览，或者也可采用传阅方式进行。但不能放弃或岐视差生，要经常帮助他们树立信心，掌握写作方法和技巧。

7．基础知识和能力并重，听说读和写并举。教师在平时教学中应充分利用一切可以利用的机会启发引导学生提高自己的写作水平。如遇到优秀的句、段或篇提示学生注意欣赏作者的表达法，把它们作为范例，在自己写作中加以模仿和运用。又如遇到英汉表达方法不同之处，提示学生注意英语的正确表达法，切忌出现汉语式的英语。要帮助学生养成正确运用标点符号的好习惯，切忌一点到底的错误方法。

8．要求学生在写作中宁简勿误，不能养成随随便便的习惯，要养成严谨推敲的风气。

三、训练写作的常用方法。

写作训练应考虑循序渐进的原则，采取逐步提高的形式进行。

1．用学过的词、短语或句式，模仿课文中的表达法造句。2．换课文中的人物、时态、语态或体裁等改写课文。3．看图作文。4．填补式作文。5．写课文复述材料或写心得体会。6．将打乱顺序的句子按事件发展的时间顺序或逻辑关系等整理成一篇完整的短文。7．教师给出题目和提纲让学生写作。8．写日记或周记。9．材料作文。教师给出汉语提示让学生用英语表达。

四、注意纠正学生英语作写中容易出现的错误。

学生最初写作时，教师要给予必要的指导，使他们少犯错误。教师还要经常性地例举错误的表达法，提醒学生注意避免。在批阅作文时教师要随时标出学生错误之处，还要随时记录学生所犯错误，把学生的错误加以归类总结，把普遍性的错误提出来，让学生集体改错，使他们的语言表达尽可能地规范正确。

总之，学生英语写作能力在老师有计划的组织和耐心帮助、正确引导下，在学生长期积极密切的配合下是能够得以逐步提高的。

在平时的作文练习中，很多同学就对材料作文的审题立意感到十分苦恼，因为一不小心就容易走偏。下面是小编整理的高考作文写作立意的方法，欢迎阅读。

一、主旨领悟法

这是材料作文最为常用且最为稳妥的审题立意方法。如果能准确地领悟材料的中心，并以之为文章的主旨，那么，所写文章定能既切题又有深度。

示例

《华尔街日报》报道：海湾战争前夕，该报记者到驻沙特的美国陆战队采访时，惊奇地发现，在沙漠的帐篷里，待命的军舰上，美国的官兵正在争相研读中国的《孙子兵法》。陆战队司令格雷将军指令：《孙子兵法》为陆战队官兵必读书。

综观材料，我们不难发现，美国官兵之所以学习中国的《孙子兵法》，是用以指导他们的战术，材料的主旨十分清晰，据此，可提炼“他山之石可以攻玉”之类的观点。当然，这是显性的;从隐性看，外国人尚且如此重视对我国文化遗产的学习，那么作为中国人的我们，则更应“重视祖国文化遗产的传承”，而这在某种意义上更具深意。

二、关键把握法

关键词句往往是“文眼”，蕴含着材料的主旨。因此，可将其作把握材料、选择立意角度的突破口。在材料作文的材料中，关键词句常常是命题者或材料中的人物的评议性语句。

示例

巴西足球名将贝利在足坛上初露锋芒时，一个记者问他：“你哪一个球踢得最好?”他回答说：“下一个!”而当他在足坛崭露头角，已成为世界著名球王，并踢进一千多个球后，记者又问道：“你哪一个球踢得最好?”他仍然回答：“下一个! ”

这“下一个”三个字，既体现出永不满足的进取精神，又蕴含着艺无止境、不断创新的哲理，闪耀着人格、智慧、精神的光芒。抓住了这个关键词，便抓住了材料的灵魂实质。

三、由果溯因法

事物都是互相联系的。比如，有很多事物就是以因果关系的联系形式存在的。写材料作文，审题时如果能由材料中列举的现象或结果推究出造成所列现象或结果的本质原因，往往能找到最佳的立意。

示例

某胶粘剂公司研制成强力万能胶水，在推向市场之前，别出心裁地将一枚价值可观的大金币，用该胶水粘在该公司的大理石柱上，并称谁能将其取下而不损坏门柱，金币归谁。一时间，门前人头攒动，不少人纷纷一试身手，结果力气耗尽，金币却岿然不动。人群中爆发出热烈掌声，各色人等称赞有加，消息不胫而走。新产品一上市，厂家即获得巨大效益。

材料中新产品一上市，之所以“获得巨大效益”，一是因为该强力万能胶水粘后能“岿然不动”的有目共睹的过硬质量，二是由于公司采用了非同寻常的营销宣传策略，于是，我们便能顺理成章地分别得出 “事实胜于雄辩”、“酒香还需巧吆喝”的结论。相比之下，后者更富有时代气息。

四、寓意揭示法

对于一些寄寓性材料，如寓言、童话、漫画等，须透过材料的表象，进行“由物及人”、“由物及事”的联想，即由材料中的物联想到人，进而联想到与材料内容相类似的人生哲理、社会现象等，挖掘其真正的内涵，从而确立论点。

示例

驴子驮盐渡河，它滑了一下，跌进水里，盐溶化了，它站起来时轻了许多。这件事使它很高兴。又有一天，它驮了海绵走到河边，故意一滑，跌进水里，那海绵吸了水，驴子站不起来，终于淹死了。

这则寓言告诉我们，一切应从实际出发，情况变化了，我们的思想和工作方法也应随之变化，如果墨守成规，或盲目套用，必将招致失败。写作时要透过驴子驮盐和海绵的表象，把握并取其寓意作为文章的论点。

五、细节切入法

示例

郑板桥的书法，用隶书参以行楷，非隶非楷，非古非今，俗称“板桥体”。他的作品单个字体看似歪歪斜斜，但总体感觉错落有致，别有韵味，有人说“这种作品不可无一，不可有二”。

从局部细节来看，大致有以下思路：

郑板桥书法，“用隶书参以行楷，非隶非楷，非古非今”，启示人们要“善于借鉴”，学会融合;“作品单个字体看似歪歪斜斜，但总体感觉错落有致，别有韵味”，提示我们要注重个体与总体、局部与整体关系的和谐，即“和谐就是美”;而“这种作品不可无一，不可有二”，则揭示出任何事物唯有 “彰显个性”，具有鲜明的个性特色，方能体现其价值、立于不败之地的真理。

六、倾向揣摩法

面对材料作文，不少考生因未能真正吃透材料，熟练掌握审题立意、观点提炼的方法，时常造成所提炼的观点与材料若即若离，甚至南辕北辙，即使你的文章结构再严谨、论证再充分、事例再丰富、语言再优美，也只能是“瞎子点灯白费蜡”了。可见，材料作文的观点提炼，至关重要。

那么，如何才能吃透材料，紧扣材料，选好角度，确立一个具有相当新意、深意的观点呢?

七、多向发散法

有些材料作文的材料比较散。对于这样的材料，审题时可以采用多向发散的思维方法，围绕材料展开多角度立意。

示例

薛潭学讴于秦青，未尽秦青之技，自谓尽之。遂辞归。秦青弗止，饯于郊衢。抚节悲歌，声振林木，响遏行云。薛潭乃谢求反，终身不敢言归。

从薛潭角度，我们可抓住他 “学讴”、“未尽秦青之技”就“辞归”，得出“要谦虚”的启示;也可从他意识到自己远未学到老师的本事而 “谢求反”，总结出“要知错即改”的道理。从老师秦青的角度，我们可从他面对学生的自以为是，并未发怒，而是“弗止，饯于郊衢”，且“抚节悲歌，声振林木，响遏行云”的不一般的举动中，受到启发：“教育要讲究方法”。

然而薛潭 “终身不敢言归”的做法值得商榷。倘若学生真的将老师的本事全部学到家的话，那又何必 “终身不敢言归”呢?我们完全可以理直气壮地另行拜师，博采众长。当然，提炼出多个观点后，应择优而作。

八、舍次求主法

有些材料作文的材料往往会牵涉许多人和事。因此，审题时要明确哪些是材料的主要人物或事件，哪些是次要人物或事件，并舍弃次要人物或事件，从主要人物或事件的角度审题立意。

示例

公交车靠站停稳后，车站上一位妇女为抓紧时间，抱起原先站着等车的小孩上车。车上一青年乘客主动起身让座。抱小孩妇女谢过对方，放下小孩，笑笑说：“小家伙刚会走路，还是让他自己站吧。”此刻，见两人互相谦让，无人入座，一旁的时髦少妇眼明手快，一屁股坐下，并大声招呼道：“囡囡，妈妈帮侬抢到座位了。 ”

材料中共出现了三个“人物”。无论从让座青年角度提倡 “要助人为乐”，还是从抢座位的时髦少妇方面提出“要文明礼让”，似乎均无不可。然而从整个材料的重心、指向来看，应舍弃后两个次要人物，着眼点放在主角抱小孩的妇女身上，宜立意“尽早让孩子自立”。

九、求同存异法

此法对组合性材料作文尤为适宜。如果提供的组合性材料内涵是一致的，可以抽取其共同的、本质的内容，提炼出一个论点;如果提供的材料之间内涵不一致，甚至相差很远，那么应摒弃相异的面，寻找交叉、重合的点。

示例

丹麦人去钓鱼会随身带一把尺子，钓到鱼，常常用尺子量一量，将不够尺寸的小鱼放回河里。他们说：“让小鱼长大不更好吗? ”两千多年前，我国孟子曾说过：“数罟不入洿池，鱼鳖不可胜食也。 ”

一中一外、一古一今的两材料，告诉我们的是同一个道理：在急功近利、异常浮躁的当今社会，务必“要有远见卓识 ”。

十、互补完善法

示例

①佛罗伦萨诗人但丁的名言：“走自己的路，让别人去说吧! ”

②波兰谚语：“常问路的人不会迷失方向。 ”

材料①“走自己的路”强调要有坚定的信念;材料②“常问路的人不会迷失方向”是讲走路时要有虚心求教的精神，要听从他人指导。两者孰是孰非?两者具有很强的互补性，若将两者结合起来，就既全面又合理。因此，可以提炼这样的观点：只有既有“走自己的路”的坚定信念，又有“常问路”的虚心精神，才能走好自己的人生之路。

当然，材料作文审题立意的方法还有很多，而各种方法也并非孤立的，可能互有交叉。若在具体的审题立意过程中能灵活地综合运用，效果则更佳。

一、开头句型

1.As far as ...is concerned

2.It goes without saying that...

3.It can be said with certainty that...

4.As the proverb says，

5.It has to be noticed that...

6.It`s generally recognized that...

7.It`s likely that ...

8.It`s hardly that...

9.It’s hardly too much to say that...

10.What calls for special attention is that...需要特别注意的是

11.There’s no denying the fact that...毫无疑问，无可否认

12.Nothing is more important than the fact that...

13.what’s far more important is that...

二、衔接句型

A case in point is ...

As is often the case...

As stated in the previous paragraph 如前段所述

But the problem is not so simple. Therefore 然而问题并非如此简单，所以……

But it’s a pity that...

For all that...In spite of the fact that...

Further, we hold opinion that...

However , the difficulty lies in...

Similarly, we should pay attention to...

not(that)...but(that)...不是，而是

In view of the present station.鉴于目前形势

As has been mentioned above...

In this respect, we may as well (say) 从这个角度上我们可以说

However, we have to look at the other side of the coin, that is... 然而我们还得看到事物的另一方面，即 …

三、结尾句型

I will conclude by saying...

Therefore, we have the reason to believe that...

All things considered,总而言之

It may be safely said that...

Therefore, in my opinion, it’s more advisable...

From what has been discussed above, we may safely draw the conclusion that….

The data/statistics/figures lead us to the conclusion that….

It can be concluded from the discussion that...从中我们可以得出这样的结论

From my point of view, it would be better if...在我看来……也许更好

四、举例句型

Let’s take...to illustrate this.试举例以兹证明

let’s take the above chart as an example to illustrate this.

Here is one more example.

Take … for example.

The same is true of….

This offers a typical instance of….

We may quote a common example of….

Just think of….

五、常用于引言段的句型

1. Some people think that …. To be frank, I can not agree with their opinion for the reasons below.

2. For years, … has been seen as …, but things are quite different now.

3. I believe the title statement is valid because….

4. I cannot entirely agree with the idea that …. I believe….

5. My argument for this view goes as follows.

6. Along with the development of…, more and more….

7. There is a long-running debate as to whether….

8. It is commonly/generally/widely/ believed /held/accepted/recognized that….

9. As far as I am concerned, I completely agree with the former/ the latter.

10. Before giving my opinion, I think it is essential to look at the argument of both sides.

六、表示比较和对比的常用句型和表达法

1. A is completely / totally / entirely different from B.

2. A and B are different in some/every way / respect / aspect.

3. A and B differ in….

4. A differs from B in….

5. The difference between A and B is/lies in/exists in….

6. Compared with/In contrast to/Unlike A, B….

7. A…, on the other hand,/in contrast,/while/whereas B….

8. While it is generally believed that A …, I believe B….

9. Despite their similarities, A and B are also different.

10. Both A and B …. However, A…; on the other hand, B….

11. The most striking difference is that A…, while B….

七、演绎法常用的句型

1. There are several reasons for…, but in general, they come down to three major ones.

2. There are many factors that may account for…, but the following are the most typical ones.

3. Many ways can contribute to solving this problem, but the following ones may be most effective.

4. Generally, the advantages can be listed as follows.

5. The reasons are as follows.

八、因果推理法常用句型

1. Because/Since we read the book, we have learned a lot.

2. If we read the book, we would learn a lot.

3. We read the book; as a result / therefore / thus / hence / consequently / for this reason / because of this, we’ve learned a lot.

4. As a result of /Because of/Due to/Owing to reading the book, we’ve learned a lot.

5. The cause of/reason for/overweight is eating too much.

6. Overweight is caused by/due to/because of eating too much.

7. The effect/consequence/result of eating too much is overweight.

8. Eating too much causes/results in/leads to overweight.

导语：流行性感冒(简称流感)是流感病毒引起的急性呼吸道感染，也是一种传染性强、传播速度快的疾病。下面是yuwenmi小编为大家整理的优秀英语作文，欢迎阅读与借鉴，谢谢!

As we know, a growing outbreak of H1N1 flu has been sparked in many countries. An increasing number of cases are being reported every day。

It’s thought that H1N1 flu spreads in the same way that regular seasonal influenza viruses do, that is, spreading from person-to-person, mainly through the coughs and sneezes of people who are sick with the virus。

Faced with this severe disease, here are some everyday measures we should take to stay healthy. First, cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way. If you get sick, stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them。

Finally, H1N1 flu is not a terribly deadly disease, which is curable. So, don’t be nervous and just keep calm as usual。

【参考翻译】

正如我们所知，在许多国家已经爆发了H1N1流感的爆发。每天都有越来越多的病例被报告。

人们认为甲型H1N1流感的传播方式和常规的季节性流感病毒一样，也就是说，人与人之间的传播，主要是通过病毒感染者的咳嗽和打喷嚏。

面对这种严重的疾病，这里有一些日常的措施，我们应该保持健康。首先，在咳嗽或打喷嚏时用纸巾捂住鼻子和嘴巴。经常用肥皂和水洗手，尤其是在你咳嗽或打喷嚏之后。避免接触眼睛、鼻子或嘴巴。细菌传播的方式。如果你生病了，留在家里工作或学校，并限制与他人接触，以防止感染他们。

最后，甲型H1N1流感不是一种致命的疾病，可以治愈。所以，不要紧张，像往常一样保持镇静。

假定你是李华，从小喜爱大熊猫(panda),一直通过有关网站(website)关注三年前在美国圣迭哥动物园出生的大熊猫“苏琳”和她的母亲“白云”。现在苏琳即将三岁。请根据以下要点给动物园工作人员写一封信：

1、 自我介绍;2、 祝贺苏琳生日;3、 感谢工作人员;4、 索取苏琳三岁生日照。

注意：

1、词数100左右;2、可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯;3、开头语已为你写好。

例文：

Dear Sir/Madam,

Greetings from China!

I’m Li Hua, a student in Sichuan. I’ve been a panda lover since I was a child. About three years ago I was delighted to learn that Baiyun gave birth to her daughter Sulin and I’ve been watching her grow on your website,. Now she’s going to be three. I’d like to wish her a happy birthday and to express my thanks to you for your hard work, because of which Sulin and her parents are living a happy and healthy life in the US.

By the way, could I have a photo of Sulin taken on her third birthday? Thank you very much in advance.

Yours truly,

Li Hua

好词

1.delighted adj.欣喜的，快乐的 2.express v.表达 3.give birth to v.产生，生育

好句

I’d like to wish her a happy birthday and to express my thanks to you for your hard work, because of which Sulin and her parents are living a happy and healthy life in the US.

我祝福它生日快乐并且对你们的辛勤工作表达我的感激之情，正是你们的努力工作让苏琳和它的父母在美国过着幸福和健康的生活。

写作能力的提高，不是短期内所能凑效的，而要经过长期的勤写苦练。下面是小编为你带来的高考语文议论文作文写作技巧，欢迎阅读。

一、小处着手。

现在话题作文一统江湖，本身范围比较大。一些学生在拟题时不切实际，所拟之题十分空泛，如“论人生”“论教育”，结果文章内容空洞，毫无真情实感，与近两年来高考作文强调自我、学做真人、张扬个性的主题格格不入。近年来的话题作文无不要求学生写真情实感。要为人而文，以人为本，不要矫情做作。考生应从自己身边的生活，与社会密切相关的事件入手，才能做到情真意切，切忌说大话，空话和废话。我想明年的高考作文，应给考生留下更为广泛的想象空间，应更注意以人为本、强调张扬个性，这有可能借鉴外国的高考作文。

二、善于联想。

写作离不开联想与想象，但却讲究想象得法，不要凭空想象。作文题目总有一定的限制条件，所以想象不是天马行空、不着边际，而是在作文命题范围内进行想象。联想在写作中也有着重要的作用。联想可托物运思，由此及彼，思接千载，视通万里，开拓意境。写作时通过联想，才能打开思路，行笔千言，通过类比，比喻、形似等各种联想使平时积累的材料，源源不断地涌现出来。生活中有无穷无尽的新鲜材料可供积累，无论是街谈巷议，还是小说、新闻、歌曲都可成为积累的素材和联想的对象。课堂中的学习材料就更可被用于唤起你的联想了。如学习杜甫的《闻官军收河南河北》可联想陆游“死去原知万事空，但悲不见九州同”的悲怆，岳飞“踏破贺兰山缺”的豪迈，文天祥“人生知古谁无死，留取丹心照汗青”的壮怀，屈原“吾将上下而求索”的品格，平时在学习过程中多进行这样的联想，对作文材料的积累是大有裨益的。

三、行文点面结合。

议论文的写作不仅要注意面，更重要的是要突出“我”的看法，即“点”。把“我”摆进去，说自己的思想，不要人云亦云，丧失自己的观点。在倡导张扬个性的今天，写出属于“我”自己的文章才是好的文章，如果安于一种模式，那是很可悲的。

四、勤写苦练，知已知彼

写作能力的提高，不是短期内所能凑效的，而要经过长期的勤写苦练。但高三时间有限，又如何在短期内提高写作能力呢?除了前文所述的强化训练外，我想还应对自己的文章加以比较分析，寻找自己满意的地方和欠缺之处，了解自己的作文毛病在哪里、弱在何处。你可以以自己的一篇作文为例，分析审题、选材、结构、语言等方面尚存在的问题与不足。如在短期内无法克服一些固疾，那便应学会扬长避短。

五、研究性学习

如了解自己对各知识点掌握的程度、确定自己感觉较难的专题(如诗歌鉴赏、文言翻译、语言的综合运用等)并进行强化训练

1、我同意这个计划。

Iagreeto/aminfavor of the plan.

2、首先，建工厂会给人们提供不同的工作。

First, the building of the factory will provide people with different jobs.

3、其次，它可以省许多钱。

Second,it can save a lot of money.

4、最后，它不会太危害环境。

Last,but not least, it won’t do much harm to the environment.

5、我反对这个计划。

I don’t agree to the plan.

6、一方面，它会占去学校太多的空间。

On one hand, it will take too much space of our school.

7、另一方面，机器的噪音会影响我们的教学工作。

On the other hand, the noise of the machines will have bad effect on our teaching work.

8、总之，我认为这不是个好计划。

In a word, we don’t think it a good plan.

9、一般来说，我们必须特别注意这个问题。

Generally speaking, we must pay much attention to this problem.

10、在我看来，它不值得做。

In my opinion, it is not worth doing.

议论要切中要害，始终紧扣论点，不游离于论点之外，不偷换论题。离开论点的论述，是无从谈及论证深刻的。小编收集了议论文的论证写作技巧，欢迎阅读。

一、透过现象看本质

钱钟书先生在《论快乐》一文中是这样论述的：先引述《西游记》里小猴子对孙行者说“天上一日，下界一年”，借天上比人间活得舒服快乐，来说明快乐是人的一种心理。然后宕开一笔，“永远快乐”不但渺茫得不能实现，并且荒谬得不能成立。继而论述“快乐”在人生里好比引诱小孩子吃药的方糖，更像跑狗场里引诱狗赛跑的电兔子”，生动形象地说明了快乐在人生中的作用。接着指出：“把快乐分成肉体和精神两种是最糊涂的分析”，一切快乐的享受都属于精神的。最后归纳指出，发现快乐是由精神来决定的，它是人类史的又进一步。假如，我们来谈快乐，你会怎样论证呢?你能透过生活现象挖掘出“快乐这一习见现象的本质吗?

二、揭示问题找诱因

世界是由互相联系的事物构成的，生活中发生的事存在着某种因果联系，在进行分论证时要揭示隐藏在事件背后的深层原因。

2005年高考优秀作文《出入红楼》有这样一段精彩的议论揭示出一部《红楼梦》倾倒几多后人，让众多专家学者倾其毕生精力，还不能尽得其珍的原因：

《红楼梦》，打开了大观园的大门，让好奇的后人一窥当年封建王朝奢华辉煌的殿堂;曹公才华横溢，诗词歌赋信手拈来，如粒粒明珠嵌入其中;建筑设计侃侃而出，几笔勾出一个金碧辉煌的大观园，饮食医理无一不通，衣饰礼仪无一不全，洋洋洒洒如数家珍。曹公秉世之才，堪称语言大师。披阅十载，呕心沥血，字字看来皆是血泪，达到刘勰所说“句有可削，足见其疏;字不得减，乃知其密”中真正的惜墨如金的境界。

现实生活中会有诸多的现象发生，如少男少女染发烫发，追逐明星，超现实消费，你能透过这些现象揭示出产生这些现象的心理诱因吗?

三、抓住要害开药方

议论要切中要害，始终紧扣论点，不游离于论点之外，不偷换论题。例如，以“跨越性格的障碍”为话题，就要紧扣“性格障碍”——不健全的性格(自我封闭，不善交流沟通，缺乏团队协作精神，孤芳自赏等性格缺陷)会影响我们的终生发展。有的同学大谈挑战逆境如何超越自我的问题，没有抓住论点。因此，离开论点的论述，是无从谈及论证深刻的。

抓住要害还要从若干现象的分析中，总结出一般规律，并指出解决问题的办法。司马光在《训俭示康》中，以父亲的身份，向儿子进行节俭教育。文中有道理分析，更有大量的出国留学网具体事例，摆事实，讲道理。正反论述，有很强的说服力。文中批判“走卒类士服，夫蹑丝履”虽有封建等级的观念和鄙视劳动人民的思想局限，但他总结出的“由俭入奢易，由奢入俭难”的规律是何其深刻!

四、运用辩证明事理

辩证法告诉我们要客观地全面发展地看问题，不要主观地孤立地静止地看问题;要两点论，不要一点论;要抓住矛盾的主要方面，分清主次，不要一叶障目、不见泰山。在议论文的写作中运用辩证法认识问颢、分析问题就会有深度。又如，就“平凡与自豪”这个话题，写一篇文章。这是典型的关系型作文题，这一话题能正确引导考生认识世界，认识自我，世界是多姿多彩的;“每一滴露珠，都能反射一轮太阳”。每一个体都有其存在的意义和价值，世界不独是名人与胜者的天下。

很明显，这个作文导向是正确对待平凡，在人们的认识中，伟大与平凡是两极，平凡与平庸相等，鄙弃平凡是应该的，但只赞颂伟大而不甘于平凡，轻视平凡却是错误的。忠于职守辛勤耕耘的人，不管是名人还是农夫都是自豪的。

导语：“生命是上帝赋予的，我们唯有献出它时，才真正拥有它。”下面是yuwenmi小编为大家整理的作文素材，欢迎阅读与借鉴，谢谢!

“你是谁，读者，百年之后读着我的诗?”一个头缠白布、身着素衣的老者向我走来，默默微笑着，“我无法从春天的财富里为你送来一朵鲜花，无法从远方的云彩里为你送来一缕金霞，打开门向四周看看，从繁花盛开的园里采撷百年前消失的鲜花的芬芳记忆，让欢愉的声音穿越百年时光……”

泰戈尔就这样一步一步向我走近，在我的耳边低语，告诉我奉献的美丽——它如一抹春日的阳光，亲吻着每一个生灵。

在熹微的晨光里，叶儿轻轻晃动，飘摇在秋风里。“落叶在泥土里迷失自己的时候，才融入到森林的生命里去了。”你说着，用手托住一片黄叶。叶儿一生的意义便在于此，在深秋的晚风中，用一种辉煌的告别方式来终结自己的生命，为大地奉献自己微薄的力量。零落成泥，不奢求什么回报，它只是记住了大地对它的哺育之恩，也渴望用自己的生命予以报答。正因为如此，叶子才得到了永生，飘散在诗人缠绵的笔墨里，一幅幅书卷里……

秋日的凄凉过去，是春日的繁花似锦。那枝头含苞的花蕾，抑或层层叶片之间的花蕊，一团团一簇簇，竞相争艳着。“泥土饱受污辱，却以花朵作为回报。”你让我捧一坯土，我闻到了泥土里散发的阵阵幽香。

土壤虽忍受着人们的摒弃，却毫无怨言，经历雨滴的拍打，冷风的肆虐，终于在和煦的春风里，吐纳一地的芬芳，在人们的心头弹奏着潺潺的乐章。也许，世间某些外表丑陋不堪的事物，它们也一直在默默奉献着，一直在为世间的美好而努力着。

“生命是上帝赋予的，我们唯有献出它时，才真正拥有它。”你依旧微笑着，向我讲述永恒的真谛。是不是世间万物亦如此?我们来到这个世界上，一无所有，只有在学会付出之后，才能够得到回报;予人方便之后，才能够予己方便。只有以一颗真诚的心为他人奉献的时候，我们才会收获——收获喜悦与幸福，也收获他人的付出。此时，我们才能拥有一份厚重的生命，才真正拥有了它，不是吗?

流连在繁花盛开的院落里，我采撷了一朵在奉献的雨露滋润下盛开的花朵，娇艳异常，我轻轻一嗅，闻到了鲜花的芬芳记忆，在一位老者的笑容里，穿越百年时光……

实现有效的沟通，建立良好的人际关系，不仅要善于言表，更要学会倾听。请你根据下表中所提供的信息，写一篇题为 “Being a Good Listener” 的英文演讲稿。

注意：

1、 对所给要点，逐一陈述，适当发挥，不要简单翻译。

2、 词数150左右。开头和结尾已经写好，不计入总词数。

3、 演讲稿中不得提及考生所在学校及本人姓名。

Good afternoon, everyone.

大家下午好。

The topic of my speech today is “Being a Good Listener”.

今天我演讲的题目是“做一个好听众”。

Good listening can always show respect, promote understanding, and improve interpersonal relationship.

善于倾听，能表现出尊重，增进理解，增进人际关系。

Many people suggest that parents should listen more to their children, so they will understand them better, and find it easy to narrow the generation gap; teachers should listen more to their students, then they can meet their needs better, and place themselves in a good relationship with their students; students should listen more to their classmates, thus they will help and learn from each other, and a friendship is likely to be formed.

许多人认为父母应该多听他们的孩子，这样他们就会更好地理解他们，并发现很容易缩小代沟；教师应该多听他们的学生，然后他们可以满足他们的需要更好，并把自己在一个良好的关系，学生，学生应该多听他们的同学，从而他们将帮助和相互学习，和友谊可能会形成。

What I want to stress is that each of us should listen to others. Show your respect and never stop others till they finish their talk; show you are interested by a supportive silence or a knowing smile; be open-minded to different opinions even though you don’t like them. In a word, good listening can really enable us to get closer to each other.

我想强调的是，我们每个人都应该听从别人的要求。表现出你的尊重，从不停止别人的谈话，表明你对一个支持性的沉默或是一个微笑的微笑很感兴趣；对不同意见的人持开放态度，即使你不喜欢他们。用一个词，好的听力可以使我们彼此接近。

Thank you for your listening!

谢谢你的聆听！

这是一篇感情真挚、热情洋溢的演讲稿，文中大量运用排比句型，不但准确流畅地表达出题目中所提供的信息，而且体现出作者熟练运用英语的能力以及不俗的文采。第三段中所使用的相同结构的复合句式，将倾听的对象及其作用阐述得淋漓尽致;而第四段中用一系列的祈使句议论应如何倾听，则更进一步地增强了这篇演说稿的说服力。

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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