托福写作抽象类话题.docx

【朗阁托福培训】托福写作抽象类话题朗阁托福培训中心 黄蓉大家都知道，托福写作考试中独立作文题目有许多都是非常抽象的话题，如：幸福感（happiness），成功（success），金钱（money），社会地位（social status），公共认同（public recognition），乐观精神（optimism），计划和整理（plan and organize），创新（creativity），充满野心的梦想和实际的目标（ambitious dreams and realistic goals），美丽的事物（beautiful things）等等。此时考生们很想知道考官是不是有偏向性的观点，并且如何使用语言来表述自己的观点。下面笔者就给大家通过老外的范文分析一下对于抽象类话题如何有效的去破解。一、关于成功的话题（success）1. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? In order to succeed, we should be more like others than be different from others.（抽象类，成功的因素） 2008.10.12（翻译：为了获得成功，我们是和别人不一样还是和别人一样。）2. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? People holding different views cannot achieve success as a team.（抽象类，成功的因素） 2010.2.13（翻译：持有不同观点的人作为一组不能获得成功。）3. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Its impossible to succeed if one cannot accept criticism in teamwork.（抽象类，成功的因素） 2012（翻译：如果一个人在团队中不能接受别人的批评就不可能成功。）4. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? It is more likely for people with more skills to succeed.（People who try to acquire more than one skills are more likely to become successful than people who just focus on one skill.（抽象类，成功的因素） 2011.8.27（翻译：有更多技能的人容易获得成功。）5. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? It is much easier for people to achieve success without their family members help now than in the past.（抽象类，成功的因素） 2011.10.29（翻译：没有家人的帮助是前提，现在比过去更容易获得成功。）6. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Communication skill is the most important characteristic of successful leadership.（抽象类，领导才能因素） 2011.11.20（翻译：沟通技能是成功领导的最重要的标志。）7. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? In order to succeed in doing a new job, the ability to adapt oneself to the new environment is more important than the excellent knowledge of this job.（翻译：在新工作岗位上的成功来源于适应新环境还是拥有更好的知识。）从这几道题目就可以看出，老外对于成功看重的点包括：与众不同（也可以理解为创新），团队的重要性，有更多的技能，勇于承认问题错误，有无家长的帮助，懂得沟通交流，适应环境，知识储备等。并且提出的问题基本上是针对如何成功，成功需要具备的素质，品质（成功的方法论）展开的，下面我们看看老外用了怎样地道的语言对于成功总结出了哪些方法论：1. teamwork 团队You are the sum of the five people you spend the most time with. My mom always used say, “Tell me who your friends are and Ill tell you who you are.” And she was right onbecause millionaires surround themselves with other millionaires.If we really are the sum of the people we surround ourselves with, its so important to surround yourself with the right ones. Successful people are always networking with each other at events, conferences and mastermind groups.这个点论证了我们托福写作成功的第一个要素：团队对于成功的重要性，聪明的人不是一个人聪明，而是周围一个团队都聪明最终成果才会更远大，这样他们才能分享更好的资源，人脉，思想和创新，一个人的力量是远远不及众人合起来的力量的。此外这一段中还使用了一些非常好用的短语和句子，如：You are the sum of the five people you spend the most time with. 这个句子传达的意思是the outcome of team work is far more reaching than the outcome of personal efforts. 但是显然这个句子要地道很多。because millionaires surround themselves with other millionaires这个句子告诉我们重复并不算是一种累赘，而是起着一种更好的强调作用。Successful people are always networking with each other at events, conferences and mastermind groups. “network”这个词名转动更加出彩。2. Like to learn. 学无止境Every entrepreneur and successful person Ive met is a lifelong learner. They understand the importance of constantly improving, constantly growing.Driven people self-educate through books, audiotapes, online courses, seminars. Theyre determined to always learn new skills, to keep developing as a personto never become stagnant. They never stop.You have a desire to improveNot everyone has a lot of ambition. They might be held back by fears that they cant effectively deal with; they might not be creative enough or they might be lazy and used to settling for less if it means they dont have to work too hard.Then there are those that have a burning desire to constantly improve, learn new things, pick up new skills and sacrifice some fun and enjoyment now, so that they can be happier in the future.The latter group is the one that keeps improving year after year, getting things done one step at a time.这一小段回答了托福写作成功话题的第二个问题，需要更多的技能野心和梦想。作为一个优秀的创业者，不断学习新的技能提升自己，才不会被淘汰，大部分的学习必须靠自己完成，可以通过书本，有声读物影像，在线课程，以及研讨会，这里面许多词使用得也是非常漂亮的，比如说“entrepreneur（企业家）”, “lifelong（终生）”, “audiotapes, online courses, seminars（有声书，在线课程，研讨会）”, “stagnant（停滞不前）”, “hold back（阻挡）”, “settle for less（追求少）”, “burning desire（强烈追求）”。3. being different makes different 与众不同，获得成功You arent afraid to express yourself: being yourself and being creative.Many people dont feel comfortable showing their feelings to the world revealing their true self to the world just makes them feel too vulnerable.However, if we look at some of the most successful and widely recognized modern artists, we see that they arent afraid to follow their vision, and they keep creatively expressing their inner self through their work. Film directors like Wes Anderson are considered auteurs because of their unique artistic style. In the same vein, the billionaire entrepreneurs of today have always been outspoken about their vision, even if it went against the grain.这一段很清晰地表达出了托福写作关于成功的一个品质：要做自己，不一定要和别人一样，要创新，要勇于说出自己的想法，远见。不要觉得自己不一样就把自己封闭起来，太害怕太脆弱而不敢展现自己（revealing their true self to the world just makes them feel too vulnerable），其中还举了两个例子，一个是当代画家，另一个是电影导演。其中语言值得学习的是：vision（远见）, unique（独一无二）, in the same vein（相似的是，用于类比）, outspoken（过去分词作形容词用）, it goes against the grain（与大众观点不一样）。4. You dont expect others to do things for you 靠自己There are men and women out there who simply cant get their act together, so they sit around waiting for the world to sort out their problems. They will call on their friends, family and even coworkers for support way too often, and they always complain about the myriad of trivial problems that keep them from reaching their goals.On the other hand, truly successful people like to take things into their own hands, and they take responsibility for their own actions or inaction.对于要不要寻求家长朋友的帮助才能获得成功这个问题老外给出了不同的答案，他们认为对于成功的方法最好不要太依赖父母，家人，朋友和同事，可以寻求建议然后依靠自己奋斗并且承担责任，但是不要自己无法做主完全依赖他人。其中使用的一些短语如：”get ones act together（振作起来）”, “sit around waiting for the world to sort out their problems（坐在那里等待世界帮他们解决问题）”, ”call on（请求）”, “way too often（太经常）”, “myriad（无数）”, “take things into their own hands（自己解决处理）”, “take responsibility for their own actions or inaction（对自己的作为和不作为负责任）”5. You see failure as a teaching tool and source of motivation 承认错误作为动力The problem most people fall into is that they allow themselves to be easily defeated. Of course, we all screw up from time to time, and even fail miserably when attempting new things, but thats no reason to start shouting obscenities while waving your fist at the sky and then give up all hope.Those who use failure to fuel their desire to become better, and manage to learn from all the mistakes they make along the way, these are the people who go on to achieve greatness.这一小段对于托福写作成功话题的勇于承认错误，问题，并且失败之后不气馁，从失败中总结经验教训，继续努力非常适用。其中一些地道有用的词组如：“Of course, we all screw up from time to time, and even fail miserably（当然我们都会时不时的犯错，甚至经历痛苦的失败）”中的时不时用了“from time to time”, 犯错“screw up”, “but thats no reason to start shouting obscenities while waving your fist at the sky and then give up all hope（没有理由开始谩骂发并且挥舞着拳头丢掉所希望）”. 在此，老外使用了非常形象的表达，表现出了失败和犯了错误之后的沮丧行为，比如使用了“shouting obscenities”, “waving your fist at the sky”等。此外，“fuel their desire to become better（加速fuel他们变得更好的欲望）”, “ manage to learn from all the mistakes they make along the way（成功的manage to do. 从他们一路上犯的错误中学习到东西）”, “achieve greatness（成就更多）”.6. adapt into a new environment 适应环境对于中国学生比较难理解的一个点，适应新环境才能成功这个托福比较抽象的作文话题，老外也给出了一些建议，下面我们看看什么叫做新环境以及如何去适应它并且获得成功。Have you ever been in a situation where your family decides to move to another city and you were forced to change schools? Changing to a new job can have some the same feelings. If you are going to have a new position and you dont know the kind of boss or colleagues you might face or the kind of environment you might have to work in. Some companies may interview candidates to brief them about their corporate conduct, their policies and their work environment for employees. But, you will not have the ability to have a deep understanding of the whole picture until you are actually put in that company. The hardest thing when you are going to get a new job is the stress you might suffer when a result of finding a new support system within the new company while attempting to understand fully the new rules and regulations.这一段解释了我们大家都有可能遇到这种需要适应新环境的情况，比如说搬家，进入新的公司等，其中一些地道的词汇如：“brief（形容词作动词意思为简单介绍，也可以使用名词短语如：give a briefing to）”, “the whole picture（全景，往往指代比较抽象的环境，在这里指的是公司的全部情况）”, “put in（步入，本意为放进）”。It is very important to remember that it takes time to adjust to your new surroundings. The time span depends mostly on the people who comprise the organization; they might actually help you get accustomed to the new environment or may try to make it hard for you to cope. Here are a number of helpful tips to help you adapt to your new environment.这一段强调了需要适应新环境的重要性。其中“adjust to调整到”, “new surroundings新环境”, “time span时间跨度”, “comprise组成”, “get accustomed to习惯做某事”都是非常好用的短语。下面我们具体看看如何适应新环境，其中第四点中阐述到应该对自己工作的领域的知识和技能做到完全的掌握：l Prepare Yourself for Your First Day（为第一天准备好自己）l Listen and Observe（学会倾听和察言观色）l Stay Away from Gossip（远离闲聊八卦）l Concentrate on Your Work（关注你的工作）A great way to adapt to your new environment is by doing what you do best; Your colleagues will come to respect and admire you when they acknowledge that you are a well experienced, skillful person, they may even come to you for help in some areas where you are more knowledgeable than they are.这一段很好地阐述了个人在工作方面知识和能力的重要性，这也是适应环境的前提之一，如果你本身就是一个很有能力，专业知识很强的人，自然会获得人们的关注和认可，不需要过于谄媚或者逢迎拍马，但是有知识能力的人也应该注意满足其他几点，如对人友善，谦逊，远离八卦等等，这样才能更好的适应环境融入大集体。l Make FriendsMaking friends might not always be easy; it actually depends on the culture of the organization and on your own personality. If you have a shy personality, then you need to sharpen your people skills to actually get along. Be friendly, smile as much as you can even to people who you dont know and initiate discussions about interesting topics. If you find resistance then stop trying too hard. Give it a break and mind your own business until your colleagues approach you.这段把如何与别人沟通讲解得比较详细，还举了细节的例子，如“a shy personality”的人如何与别人相处，如何做到自然沟通，不是刻意与别人交流等等，这些都是成功的素质。总结：关于成功其实有更多值得讨论的问题，如成功与幽默的关系，成功与生活习惯的关系，成功与梦想的关系，成功与机遇的关系等等，托福的话题会一直更新一直细化，所以大家也不妨积累些有关话题的论述。二、关于社会地位的话题（social status）关于社会地位的话题托福写作并不是太多，所以在这里讲解一个典型例题：Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?The main purpose for people who have jobs is for money rather than social status.（抽象类，钱与地位） 2012.5.26（翻译：人们工作的主要目的是为了钱，而不是为了社会地位）对于这题考官希望考生在钱和社会地位上做一个选择，并且给了一个前提就是工作的目的，对于考生来说钱他们是相对来说比较熟悉的，并且他们知道钱可以带来什么，但是他们并不是很了解什么叫做社会地位，特别是美国和中国还产生着文化差异，他们就更说不清楚在美国所谓的社会地位指的是什么，并且能带来什么好处，工作和这两者的关系又是如何确立的，下面我们就来看看老外眼中的钱和社会地位，并且关于他们之间的选择问题。首先关于钱，正如上篇抽象类话题讨论到幸福感的时候说到过钱带来的好处：一般指的是external and momentary pleasure (tasty food, warm baths, etc.) People with enough money to make ends meet are happier than people who are poor, but beyond that more money doesnt make much difference.但是关于社会地位（social status），在中国孩子的心中主要指的是很高的地位，如名人，大boss, 政客等等，但其实老外的定义一般分为两种，一种其实就是指比较普通的社会中的角色，也就是社会地位。Social status:Status refers to the relative rank that an individual holds; this includes attendant rights, duties, and lifestyle, in a social hierarchy based upon honor or prestige. Status has two different types that come along with it: achieved, and ascribed. The word status refers to social stratification on a vertical scale.Its more than just something you get or dont get, have or dont have. Lots of people dont see it that way, though; they tend to think of social status as simply a dividing line between the people who are in and the people who are out.老美认为社会地位就是你在社会中有没有一个稳定的定位，比如你是一个长期的职员，还是一个管理层领导，或者从职业上看，你是一个医生还是老师，还是学生，也就是你在社会中的位置是什么。第二种确实也是大家普遍认为的知名人士。People in Possession of Status: Being well-known socially is such a headache. So many people resent you and try to take from you or backstab you. I almost wish I was an unknown sometimes. I need to maintain my status. I must make sure that no one impugns my honor and everyone respects me and no one gains in status over me, meanwhile I need to be surpassing those above me. Ive got to make it to the top.当然这两种社会地位的含义是有所区别的，但是相比于比较shallow的金钱，社会地位的含义和带来的优点要明显很多，如：Here are the benefits of social status youll want to maximize: It allows you to more easily get what you want in social situations It allows you to make friends and build alliances with a greater number of driven, successful, high quality individuals than youd otherwise be able to It allows you to retain the attraction and loyalty of women in difficult situations even when not present.它能带来朋友，动力，成就感，还有爱情等等，比金钱的概念要广很多。本文中，朗阁托福培训中心的专家主要为大家分析了成功和社会地位这两个点，在今后的文章中还会给大家分析更多的抽象话题。（本文来自朗阁教育托福培训考试教研组，供广大考生学习使用，转载请注明出处）