第四單元 如何寫推展句
4.1段落的推展
在前幾單元中,我們談到寫段落的第一個步驟是寫主題句。作者要對主題句在某些方面加以限制。第二個步驟將是寫推展句。例如你要陳述你選擇某院校的理由,第一步,寫出主題句:
There are two main reasons why I have decided to attend Bingston University next year.
第二步,以數(shù)個理由推展你的主題:
示范段落4-1
① There are two main reasons why I have decided to attend Bingston University next year.② First of all, there is the question of money:Bingstonv's tuition is reasonable and I don’t even have to pay it all at once.③ This is very important, since my father is not a rich man.④ With Bingston's “deferred payment plan,” my father will be able to pay my tuition without too much difficulty.⑤The second resaon is the fine education which I feed will receive there in agriculture, my chosen field.⑥ It is a well-known fact that Bingston hires only the finest professors in its Agriculture Department.⑦ Moreover, the university reqires all agricultural students to get practical experience by working on farms in the areawhile they are still going to school.
4.2示范段落分析
細(xì)節(jié): two main reasons:
理由 1—financial consideration②
a. reasonable tuition③
b. deferred payment plan④
理由 2—quality of education⑤
a. fine teachers③
b. practical experience⑦
在兩個主要理由之下,作者用更小的細(xì)節(jié)支持它們。
由此可見,段落的推展依賴于支持主題句的細(xì)節(jié)(details)。推展段落的方法很多。通常每個段落以一種方法為“支配方法”( the dominant method),必要時,可運用其它一種或數(shù)種方法作為“輔助方法”( the supporting method)。上面的示范段落使用因果法(cause-and-effect)作為支配方法,分類法(division and classification)作為輔助方法。作者還運用了“重要性排列順序”(the order of importance)作為安排細(xì)節(jié)、組織段落的手段。我們將在以下各單元逐個討論這些方法。
Exercise4-1
Directions: Read the following paragraphs and find out what details the authors use to support their topic sentences.
(1)
Warm water freezes more quickly than cold. Sir Francis Bacon stated that almost four hundred years ago. But few people believedhim—till 1970. In that year, Canadian scientist George Kell proved the English scholar right. Dr. Kell filled an open pail with cold water. He filled another with warm water. He exposed both to the same low temperature. The warm water froze first.
Topic Sentence:____________________________________________
Details:1.________________________________________________
2.________________________________________________
(2)
There is a relationship between your blood type and your nationality. Among Europeans and people of European ancestry,about 42 percent have type A while 45 percent have type O.The rarest is type B. Other races have different percentages.For example, some American Indian groups have nearly 100 percent type O.
Topic Sentence:____________________________________________
Details:1.________________________________________________
2.________________________________________________
(3)
Although thousands of people have been killed by sudden eruptions, volcanoes also benefit man, Tin, tungsten, gold and other metals have been brought closer to the earth’s surface.Chemicals in the ash have enriched farmland. When solid, lava is agood building material. And in Italy, steam from active volcanoes supplies heat and power to surrounding areas.
Topic Sentence:____________________________________________
Details:1._______________________________________________
2._______________________________________________
3._______________________________________________
4._______________________________________________
(4)
The Women’s Movement has had several effects on the English language. It has created Ms, a title for women comparable to the title Mr. for men. The creator of the new title objected to the title Miss and Mrs. once given to women because these titles violated a woman's privacy by indicating her marital status. The use of Ms.now permits women to enjoy the same privacy that men have enjoyed with the use of Mr. Second, the Movement has changed the ending of many compound words from-man to-person.For instance, the word “chairman” has been replaced in many organization with the word “chairperson”, and the word“salesman”has become salesperson. Feminists insist that the substitution of-person for-man makes the position more suitable for members of either sex. Third, the Movement is responsible for new terms.One example is male chauvinist pig, a term applied to a man who refuses to recognize the equality of women. Another example is female chauvinist sow, a phrase used to describe a female who believes that she is superior to males. The most profound effect the Movementhas had on the language is on the third person singular pronoun.Thirty years ago most English instructors forced their students to se he, him, and his for the third person singular when the sex of the person was not known. Thus, students were taught to say,“Everyone has his books”.Today many English teachers permit students to follow the feminist lead and use the masculine and feminine pronouns together. Therefore, constructions such as his or her books are common. Although the Women's Movement may not have yet achieved all of its goals, it has made a mark on the English language.
Topic Sentence:___________________________________________
Details:1.______________________________________________
2.______________________________________________
3.______________________________________________
4.______________________________________________
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