设为首页 - 加入收藏 - 网站地图 考研视频网(www.vvkaoyan.com),提供各大辅导机构考研视频下载!
 
  纵观2014年的考研英语大作文题目,笔者有一种感受,那就是命题者允许考生在写作时有限度地“自由写作”,这种出题思路日趋明显,值得引起广大考生的注意。本文将以此为出发点,探讨“自由写作”在2014年考研英语写作真题中的体现,以及考生在复习中应采取何种对策。 
  什么是“自由写作” 
  广义上来说,自由写作是一种写作构思技巧。一个人连续书写一段文字,而不在乎拼写、文法或者主题,就称为自由写作。就考试作文来说,“自由写作”不能像定义中描述的那么自由,它受考试要求的限制和约束,但也在某种程度上为考生提供了自由发挥的空间。在考研英语大作文中,适合这种写作方法的作文题目往往具有以下特点:①作文题目的设定范围较为宽泛,无太强的知识背景;②从解析角度而言,命题者给予考生一定的自由,考生对于题目可以有自己的理解,提出不同的主题;③允许考生对同一个主题从不同的角度发表看法。 
  有些读者可能会产生疑问:无知识背景并允许考生畅所欲言,难道不是所有应试作文题目的出题特点吗?这种提问有一定道理,毕竟命题者在设置作文题目时需考虑到考生的知识结构,并让考生做到有话可说。但是具体到考研英语写作中,在其独特的图画命题设定中,考生有时就未必可以畅所欲言。请看下面两幅图画。 
  左图为2005年考研英语写作考题“养老‘足球赛’”,图画情景为四个成年子女围着一个老人,将其踢来踢去。文章从批评儿女不孝顺、不尊敬老人、不履行家庭职责等方面论述较为合理,如果从爱心角度写就很牵强。右图为2014年考研英语写作考题“相携”,图画为母亲和女儿彼此扶携,这道题目既可以从子女的角度来论述,写孝顺老人、尊敬老人、履行职责,也可以从爱心的角度写母女的彼此关爱。由此,我们可以得出结论,同样涉及养老话题,2014年考研英语作文题目的自由度略大于2005年。 
  “自由写作”对考生的影响 
  笔者认为,允许考生在写作时“自由写作”的出题思路对考生有以下影响。 
  增加了考生的写作自由度。因为作文题目的主题简单明了,考生看到作文题目后,既不会有陌生感,也不会觉得无话可说。在这种情况下,基础好一些的考生能充分展示自己的写作水平,而基础相对薄弱的考生也能依据题目要求有所发挥。 
  增加了考生的出错率。命题者这么出题也有其“阴险”的一面。题目看似简单,因此很多考生就会越写越多、越写越乱。最终结果是,写得越多,错误越多;控制不住自己的思想,导致论证层次混乱。这方面需要引起考生的高度重视。 
  “自由写作”在大作文中的体现 
  接下来,笔者就以2014年考研英语(一)大作文真题“相携”为例,为考生讲解“自由写作”在写作中的体现。 
  真题回放 
  Directions: Write an essay of 160~200 words based on the following drawing. In your essay, you should 1) describe the drawing briefly, 2) interpret its intended meaning, and 3) give your comments. You should write neatly on the ANSWER SHEET. (20 points) 
  题目图画参13页右栏的右图。 
  按照“自由写作”的方式来写,“相携”这道题可以有四种不同的写作模式。 
  写作模式一 
  考生在首段对图画内容进行描述之后,可以在叙述段从孝心、责任的角度展开论述,指出孝心带给老年人的不仅仅是物质上的支持,实际上它还象征着情感抚慰和精神支撑。比如考生可以这样写:“Filial fidelity endows elders with more than material support. In fact, it also symbolizes mental comfort and spiritual backup.”然后从责任角度强调照顾父母是孩子的义务:“When a child is young, his parents provide him with daily necessities such as food and clothes, guaranteeing him a happy childhood. Eventually, his parents get old, and may suffer from loneliness, depression, and anxiety. So it is the children’s responsibility to extend a helping hand and show their abiding love and genuine sincerity.” 
  写作模式二 
  文章的题目为“相携”,考生可以从爱心和关注的角度入手,写两代人彼此的关爱。考生可以在叙述段先强调父母对孩子的爱心和关注,例如可以写成:“Abiding love and intense devotion are mutual and lasting. Because of these feelings, children receive material support and mental security until they grow into their adulthood.”然后转而强调爱心和关注对老人情感世界的积极意义,可以写成:“As they step into maturity, their parents are entering their sunset years. In this situation, the children’s sincere love and deep devotion are like bright sunshine that dispels old people’s solitude, depression, and anxiety.”
  值得注意的是,如果从爱心和关注的角度写,一些文学素养较高的考生可以写得“煽情”一些,“唯美”一点,例如可以这样写:“With love and devotion, old people walk through their final years until that inevitable hour comes, and their souls are not in torment in the kingdom of heaven.”考生甚至可以写得诗意一点,比如可以在结尾段这样总结关爱的意义:“The price of love is above rubies, and it is the mightiest of the mighty. For an elder, it is a gentle rain from heaven, blessing those who receive it.” 
  写作模式三 
  如果考生的词汇储备有限,是不是就无法写好“相携”这道作文题呢?笔者认为,考生大可不必为此担忧,在“自由写作”的前提下,即使考生拥有的词汇量有限,同样可以用通俗易懂的词汇,以较少的字数完成文章。如下文所示: 
  In the picture on the left there stands a child and her mother. In the other picture, the child has grown up to be a young woman, taking hold of her mother’s arm. Clearly, she is ready to carry out her duty of taking care of her parents. 
  True love between parents and children is deep and great. The major reason is that parents pay for their children and raise them. Meanwhile, in this process, the parents give much of their time and energy, so when they are getting old, their children should fully shoulder their family and moral obligation, improve the living standards of the elderly, and give them a happy retirement. 
  Therefore, it is advised that grown-up children raise their awareness of taking care of their parents. It is important that they pay attention to the mental status of the elderly. By doing this, these children can truly take their responsibility and give their parents a happy life. 
  写作模式四 
  考生还可以从批判的角度来写,探讨“相携”在当今社会的可行性,从国家养老和社会养老的角度展开论述。尽管有些考生可能觉得这样写有些“跑题”,但由于图画作文的题目要求为“描述”“阐述”“表达看法”,所以如果考生处理得当,同样可以写出一篇观点新颖的短文,只不过很少有考生敢于冒这样的风险。 
  考生可以在开篇就指出“相携”在当今社会的不现实性,例如可以这样写:“Behind the seemingly romantic picture, the cartoonist tends to ignore the other side of a social problem; that is, it is unrealistic to leave the health and happiness of the elderly entirely to their children.”然后从子女压力大、无法顾及养老问题展开论述,例如写成:“After all, their sons and daughters take up much of their time and energy on their own work. They also have to cope with intense social competition or support their families.”考生还可以从社会现实入手,从房价飞涨的社会现象展开论述,如:“Or suppose that two generations live under the same roof. In an era of soaring house prices, how could it be possible for the elderly to be better-off than in their youth, especially when people of different ages share a shabby apartment of less than 60 square meters?”在文章结尾处,考生可以表现得“愤青”一点,如可以写成:“In this pleasant and romantic ambience, where is the duty of the government? Isn’t it the role of that government to provide senior citizens with a social security system, medical insurance, and nursing homes?”
  给2015年考生的建议 
  审题和背诵一样重要。“自由写作”对于考生的有利之处在于,无论考生的英文水平高低,在拿到写作题目后,大都能根据题目暗示写出一些内容。但是对于不爱审题、只爱生搬硬套的考生来说,就很容易出问题。例如题目要求写孝心、责任、关爱,而考生却写“我们社会上就有一些人虐待老人,属于违法现象”,并由此得出结论:“应该对此种现象进行曝光和严惩。”这样的写法看似与话题相关,但和“相携”的主题立意相反、与图画内涵不符,因此会被判定为跑题。从表面上看,似乎是考生范文背得不够,但其实是因为考生背得多,没有仔细看题目的要求就想当然地将背过的内容生搬过来,导致在内容上跑题。其实,考生只要仔细审题,先确认一下主题方向,再确定论述角度和层次,就能选择合理的内容来写。 
  避重就轻。虽然目前的作文题目有一定的限定范围,不能给予考生完全的写作自由,但依然为考生留出了不少发挥空间。考生如果善于发现这些空间,就可能将自己会写的内容发挥到极致,同时又能避免写自己不擅长的方面。如上述的写作方式所示,如果考生觉得从孝心、责任的角度写有一定难度,那么就可以从关爱的角度写。考生可以在一个设定的范围内,用自己较为熟悉的论证方法展开论述,只要完成题目要求即可。 
  注意归纳总结。在复习过程中,考生最好将范文中的好词好句摘录下来,进行归纳总结和背诵。例如,在上文的写作模式二中就有以下常用词句可选:lend a helping hand towards other people (向他人伸出援助之手)、provide people with emotional support and spiritual comfort (为人们提供情感支持和精神抚慰)、relieve them in a difficult situation (帮助他们脱离困境)、endow people with optimism, courage, and faith (赋予人们乐观、勇气和信念)、strengthen mutual support among different social groups (增强不同社会团体的互助)、consolidate social stability (增强社会稳定)。考生常做归纳总结有两个好处:其一,平时多多积累各种题材的常用表达,考试时就可以从容应对;其二,复习的重点从背诵模板句变为总结有效表达,这样能保证语言表达的准确性。语言的准确性恰恰是作文评分的重要依据之一,如果考生在备考阶段多积累有效表达,出现错误的可能性就小,也就更容易得到高分。