2013年托福写作提高技巧：议论文（7）

　　写出论点句

　　一篇好的议论文开头段要有明确的论点。论点句(thesis statement)就是推出论点的句子。论点句的作用是将文章集中在一个中心焦点，使读者明确了解文章的目的。在托福写作中，评判一篇文章的好坏，并不在于论点的正确与否。关键在于论点是否明确，论证是否有利。

　　论点句(thesis statement): studying at school is best for me.

　　同一个命题会有不同的论点句。例1：

　　You have been told that dormitory rooms at your university must be shared by two students. Would you rather have the university assign a student to share a room with you, or would you rather choose your own roommate? Use specific reasons and details to explain your answer.

　　论点句1： Since I don’t get along well with many people, I prefer to choose my own roommate.

　　从这个论点句中我们可以看出作者将围绕说明他/她不善于与人交往，因此偏好自己选室友。

　　论点句2：The opportunity to meet new people is an important benefit of a university education, so I believe it is better to let the university choose my roommate for me.

　　从这个论点句中我们可以看出作者将围绕说明与人交往的好处，因此偏好学校安排室友。

　　例2：Some people think governments should spend as much money as possible exploring outer space (for example, traveling to the moon and to other planets). Other people disagree and think governments should spend this money for our basic needs on Earth. Which of these two opinions do you agree with? Use specific reasons and details to support your answer.

　　论点句：The moon is a better place to explore because it is nearer than the planets.

　　这个论点句不符合命题要求。命题要求讨论“钱花在外空探测上好，还是地球上解决现实问题好”。 而不是问考生“探测外空的哪个星球好”。

　　这是考试写作时学员一定要重视的一个问题。一定要认真分析命题。如果你像前面举例那样选错了论点，即使是你写的再好，也可能一分得不到。有些平时英语相当不错的学员，考试时写作得低分的一个重要原因就在于次。没有认真分析命题，在一种似懂非懂的状态下就开始下笔写作，结果写走题，或部分走题。有时对命题中一个关键词的理解的偏差，就会导致整篇文章走题。

　　例3：To what extent is nuclear technology a danger to life on earth? What are the benefits and risks associated with its use?

　　这个命题要求讨论“核技术对地球上生命构成多大威胁”。 在写这道题时许多学员都不约而同的站在核技术的对立面，说核技术不好，对人类构成毁灭性威胁。 后来经与一些学生沟通，了解到核技术这个词许多学员片面理解为核武器。如果这样，写出的文章肯定会部分走题，因为核技术不仅可用于制造核武器，还可用于建造核发电站，用于医学等。

　　从以上举例中我们可以看到认真分析命题的重要性。

　　有关“钱花在外空探测上好，还是地球上解决现实问题好”的命题有二个可行的论点：

　　论点句1：While there is still hunger, poverty, and illiteracy on earth, our resources should be focused here and not in outer space.

　　从这个论点句中我们可以看出作者认为钱花在地球上解决饥饿、贫穷、文盲问题，比花在外空探测上更有价值。

　　论点句2：Gaining psychological and scientific knowledge through space exploration will benefit us more than trying to solve problems on earth. vision

　　MDS=missile defense system

　　从这个论点句中我们可以看出作者认为钱花在外空探测上更有价值。