GRE issue寫(xiě)作：首段寫(xiě)作技巧
GRE寫(xiě)作的開(kāi)頭怎樣寫(xiě)呢?怎樣避免出現(xiàn)空泛的背景，能精確發(fā)揮作用，能突出個(gè)性呢?。下面為大家搜集整理的有關(guān)GRE issue寫(xiě)作開(kāi)頭策略。
厭倦了開(kāi)頭反問(wèn)、重復(fù)題目的陳腐?致力于在ISSUE寫(xiě)作中取得更好的成績(jī)?頭疼于無(wú)從起筆、草草了事?相信在經(jīng)歷了入門(mén)階段后，不少同學(xué)在寫(xiě)作ISSUE時(shí)都會(huì)遇到這種問(wèn)題。由于語(yǔ)言背景差異，更接近于平常寫(xiě)作的ISSUE缺乏一個(gè)套路化的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)，不能象ARGUMENT那樣在寫(xiě)作中標(biāo)準(zhǔn)化，因此長(zhǎng)久以來(lái)一直是習(xí)慣了根據(jù)已知條件列方程擅長(zhǎng)數(shù)學(xué)的中國(guó)GRE考生的大難題，加之的特訓(xùn)，將這種不能量化的文章量化，導(dǎo)致文章缺乏新意，甚至因?yàn)楣潭ㄌ茁凡荒軐?duì)題而離題甚遠(yuǎn)，或者一時(shí)偷懶而被判雷同，血的教訓(xùn)告訴我們，ISSUE的寫(xiě)作不能局限于模版、經(jīng)典結(jié)構(gòu)、經(jīng)典例證。而作為讀者對(duì)全文第一印象的基石，開(kāi)頭則在這其中起到了重要的作用，俗話說(shuō)的好，好的開(kāi)始是成功的一半，一個(gè)精確的開(kāi)頭可以讓你避免寫(xiě)作中出現(xiàn)跑題、幫助你整理思路，而一個(gè)個(gè)性的開(kāi)頭則能讓你的文章使人眼前一亮，提前賺個(gè)印象分。用戴云教主的話說(shuō)，你一出現(xiàn)，一切改變，他爽，你也爽?；谝陨显?，我才想把這個(gè)帖子寫(xiě)出來(lái)，希望此文能引起大家對(duì)ISSUE套路寫(xiě)作的思考，在寫(xiě)作中更多的獨(dú)立思考，訓(xùn)練自己的思維能力，從而寫(xiě)出更為個(gè)性、有力的文章。
首先說(shuō)精確的ISSUE開(kāi)頭，最精確的ISSUE開(kāi)頭是什么?恩，I agree with the speaker that ，這個(gè)開(kāi)頭絕對(duì)不跑題。問(wèn)題是，除了I agree，這個(gè)開(kāi)頭還有什么信息量么?
類似的開(kāi)頭還有Is ? I agree.Who ? I think its The has been widely discussed. I think its 題目一部分等等
此類開(kāi)頭在我改過(guò)的作文里大概占20%左右，是最簡(jiǎn)單的開(kāi)頭方式，因?yàn)榇艘咨鲜智覜](méi)難度所以廣受歡迎。
另外還有30%左右的ISSUE是這種開(kāi)頭的發(fā)展型，通常會(huì)在后面接個(gè)However, under certain conditions...于是成了經(jīng)典的讓步結(jié)構(gòu)，或者直接否定題目觀點(diǎn)，以However為轉(zhuǎn)接后面討論特別情況，這種用在題目敘述比較絕對(duì)的題中比較多，比如Only xxx can make xxx這種。
第一類開(kāi)頭的缺點(diǎn)很明顯--沒(méi)有信息量，其實(shí)寫(xiě)成I dont agree with the speaker.就行了，這種開(kāi)頭對(duì)于題目?jī)?nèi)容比較簡(jiǎn)單的ISSUE用起來(lái)很合適，省下的時(shí)間可以用到BODY中去。然而由于信息量不足，它容易造成的影響是作者在之后的論點(diǎn)發(fā)展中缺乏方向，經(jīng)常出現(xiàn)分論點(diǎn)重疊、車轱轆話來(lái)回說(shuō)的問(wèn)題。
第二類開(kāi)頭比第一類略好，至少讓步段和主觀點(diǎn)段不會(huì)觀點(diǎn)重疊，但第一,certain conditions/specific situation/...這種分情況討論的前提沒(méi)有信息量，說(shuō)到底還是廢話，第二，由于讓步條件不明，這樣的文章寫(xiě)出來(lái)經(jīng)常前后自相矛盾或者跑題。
這兩種開(kāi)頭起碼還能保證觀點(diǎn)明確，如果BODY寫(xiě)的好也能拿到4.5甚至5分，但是可能是嫌這開(kāi)頭太模式化，或者不滿意這種開(kāi)頭，自己寫(xiě)了些變體，結(jié)果使這種開(kāi)頭本來(lái)僅存的優(yōu)勢(shì)也失去了--即觀點(diǎn)明確。請(qǐng)記住，ISSUE為立論，必有主論點(diǎn)，這個(gè)主論點(diǎn)可以立場(chǎng)中立，但一定要立場(chǎng)鮮明，這樣才能使之后的BODY有效為論點(diǎn)服務(wù)。
來(lái)看個(gè)板油的習(xí)作
TOPIC: ISSUE88 - Technologies not only influence but actually determine social customs and ethics.
The issue that the technologies effects on our society has been widely discussed. Somebody assert that technologies not only influence but actually determine social customs and ethics while others argue that technologies can not determine our custom and ethics. However, I have my special opinion that technologies indeed have great affected all aspect of our lives even traditional customs and ethics, but in contract, it is determined by our customs and ethics.
To begin with, as the developing of the technologies, the conditions of our lives have changed grandly from the old days.
Moreover, the change of our daily lives bring by technologies exert a subtle influence on social customs and ethics.
However, technologies cannot determine social customs and ethics all the time, and in contrary, it is determined by the social customs and ethics.
這里我截選了開(kāi)頭和各段主題句，從結(jié)構(gòu)上來(lái)講這個(gè)開(kāi)頭是屬于第二種，但是內(nèi)容卻是第一種，However之前的內(nèi)容并不是作者的觀點(diǎn)，只是重復(fù)了題目的觀點(diǎn)，However之后是作者觀點(diǎn)。本質(zhì)上講這個(gè)開(kāi)頭跟I dont agree with the speaker說(shuō)的內(nèi)容是一樣的。
接下來(lái)看三個(gè)主題句，有什么問(wèn)題么?第一、二個(gè)都是在說(shuō)Somebody，第三個(gè)轉(zhuǎn)到I have的內(nèi)容--作者把第一種觀點(diǎn)的內(nèi)容按第二種觀點(diǎn)來(lái)展開(kāi)了，他并沒(méi)有說(shuō)自己同意somebody的說(shuō)法，卻花了兩段去論證somebody的說(shuō)法。這時(shí)開(kāi)頭的定位不明確導(dǎo)致了文章的方向不明確。
再看一個(gè)比較標(biāo)準(zhǔn)的第二類開(kāi)頭
TOPIC: ISSUE12 - Peoples attitudes are determined more by their immediate situation or surroundings than by any internal characteristic.
According to some common experiences, some people assert that peoples attitudes are determined more by their immediate situation or surroundings than by any internal characteristic. I think this kind of statement is rather assertive and lack of comprehensive understanding about the relationship between peoples attitudes and its causing factors. Merely from its literal statement, I think the most majority of people probably can hardly accept this kind of opinion as well as mine. Certainly, immediate situation or surroundings shall make a great influences on peoples attitudes , but internal characteristic of people can also make a difference. We get to have all-round and insightful thoughts to think it over.
On one hand , undeniably, peoples attitudes are sometimes greatly influenced by outside surroundings.
On another hand, to some extent, sometimes our attitudes are also affected by internal characteristic.
這是個(gè)典型的由第二類開(kāi)頭模式造成的跑題，在討論個(gè)別情況的限定條件時(shí)作者沒(méi)有給出具體的限定條件，于是造成在論證過(guò)程中兩面沒(méi)有比較性，這個(gè)方面，如何如何，那個(gè)方面，如何如何，最后，兩個(gè)方面，怎樣怎樣。注意題目的敘述是more，就是說(shuō)作者沒(méi)說(shuō)一定哪個(gè)方面有哪個(gè)方面沒(méi)有，而是一個(gè)比較型的題目，因此要對(duì)這兩種情況的條件進(jìn)行比較，因此在開(kāi)頭需要表明態(tài)度，至少說(shuō)一句Since the situations vary so diversely, we cannot make an absolute conclusion that ... is more than .... 不然文章論證內(nèi)容跟題目就沒(méi)有了契合點(diǎn)。
這個(gè)錯(cuò)誤就引出了讓步式開(kāi)頭的解決方案--怎樣的讓步式開(kāi)頭可以避免跑題/觀點(diǎn)不明確?
首先說(shuō)下讓步觀點(diǎn)的出發(fā)點(diǎn)，即辯證法，凡事都是雙刃劍，其影響存在對(duì)立統(tǒng)一的兩面，提出讓步觀點(diǎn)一是可以讓自己的觀點(diǎn)全面，從而封上被攻擊的漏洞，二也可以在對(duì)付有些難題的時(shí)候不至于無(wú)話可說(shuō)。也因此由于對(duì)立比統(tǒng)一更直觀，所以很多人在寫(xiě)作時(shí)容易忽視了統(tǒng)一，于是自相矛盾。
其實(shí)達(dá)成統(tǒng)一并不難，只要在觀點(diǎn)中有一個(gè)明確的態(tài)度，給出一個(gè)不含糊的解決方案就可以了。我們看看范文是怎么做的：
題目：
In our time, specialists of all kinds are highly overrated. We need more generalists -- people who can provide broad perspectives.
In this era of rapid social and technological change leading to increasing life complexity and psychological displacement, both positive and negative effects among persons in Western society call for a balance in which there are both specialists and generalists.
非常簡(jiǎn)短的開(kāi)頭，一個(gè)分句給出背景，然后給出觀點(diǎn)：call for a balance。同樣是題目說(shuō)到more，作者用了非常直接的手段點(diǎn)明立場(chǎng)，平衡，沒(méi)有什么more不more的，誰(shuí)也不more，然后后文就從兩個(gè)方面來(lái)闡述這個(gè)問(wèn)題。有人可能說(shuō)，這不是還是沒(méi)有重點(diǎn)么?沒(méi)錯(cuò)，作者在二選一的選擇中沒(méi)有做出選擇，但是他的立場(chǎng)很明確：我就是不選擇，因?yàn)槲矣羞@些理由
同樣道理，在遇到題目絕對(duì)敘述的時(shí)候，我們可以用平衡觀點(diǎn)來(lái)說(shuō)，Admittedly....However, we cannot neglect....或者I dont agree...since in some aspects...這種時(shí)候開(kāi)頭在兩個(gè)不同情況存在的前提下為二者達(dá)成共識(shí)形成一個(gè)中心句，就能有效統(tǒng)領(lǐng)全文了。
以上兩種開(kāi)頭可以說(shuō)是最簡(jiǎn)潔有效的，通常不超過(guò)半分鐘就能搞定，對(duì)于時(shí)間有限的同學(xué)而言很實(shí)用。但需要注意的是，這種開(kāi)頭不僅僅千篇一律破壞閱卷官對(duì)你的印象，而且由于缺乏對(duì)后文內(nèi)容的暗示而使文章不能有效組織。我們知道寫(xiě)PAPER的時(shí)候前面會(huì)出現(xiàn)KEY WORDS和ABSTRACT兩個(gè)部分，用以向讀者介紹本文的結(jié)構(gòu)和內(nèi)容。GRE AW當(dāng)然做不到這一點(diǎn)，但是開(kāi)頭卻能起到同樣的作用。有了對(duì)后文的暗示，讀者會(huì)在過(guò)程中更有效的follow your ideas, 同時(shí)這種寫(xiě)法也強(qiáng)迫作者在文章開(kāi)始之初就規(guī)劃好全文，避免了一邊想一邊寫(xiě)搞得分論點(diǎn)混亂的問(wèn)題。
還是看下范文：
題目
It is unfortunate that todays educators place so much emphasis on finding out what students want to include in the curriculum and then giving it to them. It is the educators duty to determine the curriculum and the students duty to study what is presented to them.
As an elementary educator, I believe this stance is extremist. Educators and the public must come to a middle road. The high road and the low road are intimated in this statement. I believe the high road on this topic represents a nouveau approach. Ask the students what they want to learn and study for the year; then meander, research and branch off of their interests. The low road on this topic is old fashioned and outdated. The assumptions behind this view include a magical ability by teachers to infuse reams of information, data and knowledge into students brains that then become internalized and applied by the students.
這里作者的開(kāi)頭有些長(zhǎng)，不推薦，不過(guò)他很有效的把全文的觀點(diǎn)歸納為兩個(gè)方面，即一邊不好，另一邊也不好，從本質(zhì)上講這個(gè)開(kāi)頭和上一篇范文的開(kāi)頭很象，但提出了分論點(diǎn)并說(shuō)明了理由，這樣后文再寫(xiě)就能很好的照應(yīng)。當(dāng)然這個(gè)開(kāi)頭確實(shí)有些沉冗了，建議大家寫(xiě)的時(shí)候能再概括些，只是用一兩個(gè)關(guān)鍵詞表明自己分論點(diǎn)的出發(fā)點(diǎn)即可。
再來(lái)看篇5分范文：
題目：
The best ideas arise from a passionate interest in commonplace things.
I can agree with the statement above that, The best ideas arise from a passionate interest in commonplace things. The statement is an accurate description of how many people form great ideas from ordinary things in life. Sports are all great ideas that are made from commonplace things. What makes sports some of the best ideas is not what they began as but what they evolved into.
非常眼熟的開(kāi)頭呵呵，I can agree with...抄題, 但之后作者用三句話把文章的大體意思介紹了下，說(shuō)體育如何能證明這個(gè)觀點(diǎn)，從而把一個(gè)很大的話題細(xì)化，方便了后文的展開(kāi)。當(dāng)然這篇的出發(fā)點(diǎn)不太好，只局限于一個(gè)領(lǐng)域，在評(píng)論中也認(rèn)為這是此文無(wú)法拿到滿分的原因。
總之，簡(jiǎn)單開(kāi)頭的結(jié)構(gòu)比較單純，相應(yīng)的也比較好掌握，缺點(diǎn)也很明顯，可以通過(guò)增加信息量的方式來(lái)進(jìn)行彌補(bǔ)，希望大家根據(jù)自己的情況取舍。
OK接下來(lái)討論我們更為常用，特別是寫(xiě)作文經(jīng)過(guò)一定訓(xùn)練的老手比較喜歡的開(kāi)頭，背景引出話題式開(kāi)頭，或者叫復(fù)雜開(kāi)頭。
通常學(xué)術(shù)論文都會(huì)在開(kāi)篇就自己提出的論題介紹相關(guān)背景，從而引出自己的論題，這種開(kāi)頭顯得有來(lái)源有知識(shí)，而且在后文的論證中也可以用到背景，因此在時(shí)間允許的情況下進(jìn)行ISSUE寫(xiě)作用這樣的開(kāi)頭是個(gè)不錯(cuò)的選擇。但由于結(jié)構(gòu)相對(duì)比較復(fù)雜，有時(shí)候會(huì)出現(xiàn)介紹背景與文章無(wú)關(guān)、句子結(jié)構(gòu)散漫的問(wèn)題，如何讓背景介紹發(fā)揮最大的作用就成了必須討論的問(wèn)題。
背景介紹也分成幾種，比較常見(jiàn)的是社會(huì)背景介紹，即With the development of society/technology/informationModern world is becoming so...這種內(nèi)容比較泛而且比較好寫(xiě)，一般遇到大部分題倒都能套上。但由于這個(gè)概念非常泛化，所以很容易就跟觀點(diǎn)脫節(jié)，從而導(dǎo)致文章的開(kāi)頭邏輯不明確，背景介紹成為廢話。
還是來(lái)看板油的習(xí)作
150Because of television and worldwide computer connections, people can now become familiar with a great many places that they have never visited. As a result, tourism will soon become obsolete.
Evolving with the development of technology, television and computer on internet supply human beings more and more information of the great world, such as pictures and literal introductions of many places. Should the information on television and computer take place of tourism? I do not think so. Even our visions are broadened by the information, television and computer would not prevent people from traveling, but stimulate people to do so.
紅色為背景介紹，藍(lán)色為主題句。
第一句能不能聯(lián)系到第二句?可以，但并不直接。supply more information跟取代旅游有什么必然聯(lián)系么?紅字部分和藍(lán)字部分的轉(zhuǎn)折缺乏聯(lián)系，這期間缺掉了一個(gè)環(huán)節(jié)，即問(wèn)題的產(chǎn)生：由于電腦電視帶來(lái)的信息越來(lái)越多，很多地方不去都可以知道，于是乎，有的人認(rèn)為旅游過(guò)時(shí)了。然后再提問(wèn)，水到渠成。
因此，背景式開(kāi)頭很重要的一點(diǎn)就是提供的背景與提出的觀點(diǎn)光滑過(guò)度，存在必然邏輯聯(lián)系，這樣一來(lái)文章的開(kāi)頭就會(huì)顯得比較有力度，而后文也可以有效利用介紹的背景來(lái)作為論證依據(jù)。在寫(xiě)作背景式開(kāi)頭的時(shí)候，考慮起始句如何引出觀點(diǎn)，如何利用背景是關(guān)鍵，不要為了背景而寫(xiě)背景。
下面介紹幾種其它的背景寫(xiě)作模式，希望能幫大家開(kāi)拓思路。
引用式。開(kāi)頭引用名人名句，最俗的就是翟少成老罵的那個(gè)a coin has two sides，這種開(kāi)頭難度很高，想用好也很難，在不知道題目的情況下誰(shuí)也不能直接找出一句跟題目對(duì)應(yīng)很好能用于引出觀點(diǎn)句子，所以只適用于寫(xiě)過(guò)的文章。如果撞大運(yùn)撞上了自己找過(guò)句子的題目，那么無(wú)疑用這種開(kāi)頭會(huì)比較占便宜。
疑問(wèn)式。這里說(shuō)的疑問(wèn)式不是把題目用問(wèn)句寫(xiě)一遍然后自答，而是提出一些與題目相關(guān)的問(wèn)題引起思考，從而引出文章觀點(diǎn)，從某種意義上說(shuō)，是間接復(fù)述題目，然后將中間的邏輯點(diǎn)用敘述方式加以連接，從而引出主題。比如上面說(shuō)到的Issue150，開(kāi)頭說(shuō)Ever wanted to go somewhere far in universe? Ever complained about insufficience of money which keeps you from dream place? Now with the development of internet and television, such problems can be easily solved.
敘事式。這種開(kāi)頭在長(zhǎng)文章資訊中非常常見(jiàn)，似乎也是老美比較喜歡的一種開(kāi)頭，我看過(guò)的雜志里至少有一半文章是這么寫(xiě)的。但由于敘事對(duì)篇幅要求比較多而且不易掌握，所以在ISSUE實(shí)戰(zhàn)中不是很常用。還是Issue150舉個(gè)例子。I sit down in front of my PC, turn on internet and login in a cyber world. Myriad images appear, as if I have got into the opposite side of the earth. How convenient it is! So you may wonder, is tourism in need any more? 有時(shí)間的同學(xué)不妨嘗試下。
無(wú)論什么形式的開(kāi)頭，為論點(diǎn)提供支持是最重要的，這種背景可以是對(duì)反面觀點(diǎn)有利的，用于引出轉(zhuǎn)折，也可以是對(duì)正面觀點(diǎn)有利的，直接引出觀點(diǎn)，或者是介紹題目背景，從而剖析題目的側(cè)重點(diǎn)。
看下官方范文對(duì)開(kāi)頭背景的應(yīng)用：
題目
The best ideas arise from a passionate interest in commonplace things.首先要說(shuō)這是一個(gè)非常龐大的開(kāi)頭，對(duì)于非瘋牛級(jí)人物不推薦。
盡管很長(zhǎng)，但這段的內(nèi)容非常精練，每句話都是必不可少的，和其它內(nèi)容融為一體。具體見(jiàn)點(diǎn)評(píng)
Even the most brilliant thinkers, from Socrates to Satre, live lives in time. A childhood, an adolescence, an adulthood; these are common to me and you as well as the greatest writers. Furthermore, many of the great thinkers we esteem in our Western culture lived somewhat unevetful lives. What distinguished their life from say a common laborer was their work. Therefore, what provided the grist for their work? One might say that they were brilliant and this alone was sufficient to distinguish their lives from the masses. Intellect alone can not devise situations or thoughts from no where; there must be a basis and that basis is most common, if not always, observation of the common, of the quotidian. Critics of this idea may argue that these thinkers were products of fine educations and were well schooled in the classics. This, they may point to, is the real basis for their knowledge. I would agrue that although it may be a benefit to study classics and be well schooled in diverse disciplines, these pursuits merely refine and hone an ability each and every person has, the ability to study human nature. Where best to study human nature than in the day to day routine each one of us can witness in him or herself or those around us.
