夫英明者,卓越而明智也。一試何以顯英明?當是萬全準備,方能才華盡顯。能力與技巧之珠聯璧合,便能所向披靡。文從口語第一題,窺一斑以見托福全貌。
托福口語第一題:準備時間15秒,回答時間45秒,需讓考生基於個人經驗談論諸如最喜歡的人、地點、電影、書籍等等。經過大量的學生回答,總結髮現考生的困難是:
一、考試準備時間短,無話可說;
二、範圍太廣,平時無從準備;
三、表達上邏輯混亂;
四、用語平平,大量的語法錯誤和中式表達。
一、考試準備時間短,無話可說
由於準備時間太短,耍帥和結巴者甚也。耍帥者的基本表現是well, you know, as far as I am concerned, actually, let's say, so to speak…等過渡詞的瘋狂疊用,基本佔去二十秒左右的時間,還沒有奔向主題的意向(注:用過渡詞會顯得口語自然、流暢,但反對瘋狂疊用);而結巴者在斷續蹦出的單詞間出現很長時間的黑暗停頓,偶爾加上uh強調其停頓。歸根結底,原因不過是無話可說。
解決方案:
既然無話可說,那就依靠平時的積累和準備,分類準備。把已考過的題(2005年12月03日至2009年09月26日)進行一個簡單的統計,得出如下表格
我們既然知道ETS的出題方向,就按照這些細分的大類,好好準備一些段子,不管考到什麼樣的題目,瞬間搜索出準備好的內容,短時間內做出答案,不成問題。準備好這些問題還有附帶的好處,參加國外大學面試,外企面試,困難也會迎刃而解。
二、範圍太廣,平時無從準備
既然已經知道了大類,準備好了分類的段子,接下來的工作就是嘗試回答已考過的題嘍。但突然發現,用心凝視已考過的這幾百個題目,眼神糾結,夜難成寐。幾百個題目要都回答下來還真不是一件容易的事情。
解決方案:
活版印刷法。
什麼意思?不管什麼樣的題,我們口語答案的結構應該是一個主題句,兩個分論點以及細節。我們準備好的分類段子,就像活版印刷里活動的漢字,而想組織成不同題的答案,就像移動漢字組成不同文章一樣。把相同的段子,分別用在不同的題裡,成為不可缺少的部分。比如,回答喜愛的地點:
The place that impresses me most is my hometown.
Firstly, I like my hometown because it has a splendid landscape. In the North of my hometown, there lies a park with a beautiful lake and wonderful grassland. When the breeze is blowing, you can get a pleasant feeling and see the grass dancing. Listening to the birds singing beside the lake is really an enjoyment.
I like it also because the precious memories it has given to me. You know, I spent the Mid-Autumn Day in my hometown with my friend Nancy. We talked about our hobbies and we were surprised to find out we were both interested in being a musician. On leaving, she even gave me a book called the old man and the sea. That's really amazing!
那回答印象深刻的事件,我們只需要稍微移動一下,主題句變成中秋節難忘,另外的兩個分論點,可以是:一、因為這個中秋節在家過;二、因為這個中秋節有很多回憶。
回答遠離家鄉時最懷念什麼,同理,主題句可以是懷念家鄉,可以是懷念家鄉的中秋節,可以是懷念家鄉的朋友Nancy, 可以懷念家裡的一本書,老人與海。而分論點,當然又可以是段子的反复移動嘍。
這樣看來,準備的題量會從幾百個變為十幾個。
三、表達上邏輯混亂
很多同學不習慣先說主題,再說分點和細節,導致在這回答的45秒的時間內是說了些東西,但是ETS愣是不知道您到底要表達什麼。
解決方案:
本身的思路要清晰,再用上過渡詞和過渡句,如:
Firstly, I like it because;On the other hand;In addition;What's more;however;but;in spite of;nevertheless;on the contrary;for example…;such as…; for instance;in fact;important to note; most above all;especially valuable;
accordingly;for this reason;hence;So;then;thus;therefore;since;consequently…
四、用語平平,大量的語法錯誤和中式表達
口語反應時間短,平時練習又不夠,所以導致答案用語平平,大量語法錯誤和中式表達。經常出現he/she亂用,過去事情用現在時態,動詞亂用,形容詞匱乏的情況。
解決方案:
每天翻譯三個較複雜的句子,中翻英(材料帶英文原文)。這樣的練習可以真正提高語言能力,對比中英文差異,體會地道的表達法,勝似多一個外教在身邊。再者,多留意生活和體會生活的細節感觸。
比如,這樣的描述:
Also, there is another reason I like this bar. They provide various kinds of drink that I never know. I would like to try one of them each time.
如果改成:Well, the place that impresses me most is an awesome coffee bar located in our community. I like this bar because it's a fantastic place. The atmosphere is so fun. The building is amazing, and the food there is so nice . Stopping in after the meal at that coffee bar, you will be surprised to find the place fully packed with people. I decided to try their drip coffee instead of the latte. It was excellent, strong without being bitter. The chocolate chip cookie was good too.要生動具體很多。
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