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写作是人们表达思想的一种重要手段，在专八中我们称之为综合测试，体现的是学生综合运用语言的能力。它不仅考核考生对词汇的掌握以及对语法的应用，同时也考查学生的表达能力、思维的逻辑性和条理性。
2000年教育部出台的《高等学校英语专业英语教学大纲》规定：
英语专业本科毕业生要能写各类体裁的文章，做到内容充实，语言通顺，用词恰当，表达得体。写作速度为30分钟300～400个单词。能撰写长度为3000～5000个单词的毕业论文，要求思路清晰、内容充实、语言通顺。
根据教育部的教学大纲要求制定了英语专业八级考试大纲，要求考生做到能根据所给题目及要求撰写各类体裁的文章，文章长度约400个单词；能做到内容充实、结构完整、语言通顺、用词恰当、表达得体。
出题人设计一定的修辞框架，为考生提供相应参照，帮助考生尽快理清思路，组织语言，以期获得有效写作。考虑到学生平时练习的主要体裁类别以及学生学习生活背景的多样性，TEM8写作出题有如下特点：
（1）修辞框架和情景框架
考虑到考试的特殊性，给出特定的修辞框架和情景框架，帮助考生在有限的考试时间内集中精力，把握写作的内容和体裁等相关信息，并且体裁多为expository和argumentative类。
（2）给出的情景和主题一般便于学生发挥
考虑到考生多样的学习生活背景，考生在不同类型院校的学习，来自全国各个地区，以及考生之间文化背景的差异，出题人尽量考虑到关注问题的普遍性和学生客观的接受度，给出清楚明晰的写作主题，考生熟悉的写作情景以便于发挥，如dormitory policy。
（1）内容（content）
要求内容切题、完整。写作时，文章的主题一定要明确，内容切题、完整。具体包括以下三个方面要求：
一是观点要明确，符合题目要求和主题。例如在支持或反对某种看法时，一定要清楚地表达自己的立场观点，或支持或反对，不能模棱两可，左右不定。例如：
①Many people have different opinions on whether people under twenty-one should be permitted to drink alcohol，and I agree with some of them．
②The question of whether we need a national law governing the minimum age of drinking alcohol is a controversial issue in many states．
③I want to give my opinion on the national law that sets twenty-one as the legal age to drink alcohol and the reasons I feel this way．
④To reduce the number of highway fatalities，our country needs to enforce the national law that designates twenty-one as the legal minimum age to purchase and consume alcohol．
⑤The legal minimum age for purchasing alcohol should be eighteen rather than twenty-one．
以上的①②③这三句话只是对文章主题的陈述，作者没有明确地表明自己的立场观点。而④⑤这两句话，作者鲜明地表达了自己的态度，并且引出了下文对这一观点的具体论述。
二是主题句的位置要明确。一般位于首段的末尾，或开篇直接提出自己的观点，做到切合题意，简洁明了。例如：
American English and British English differ from each other．Firstly，there are differences between the two in the phonetic values of certain vowels．Moreover，vocabulary differs between American and British English as a result of certain cultural differences and the parallel development of certain inventions．In addition，the most subtle difference of all is the syntactic ones．
以上这段话主要谈论了“英国英语和美国英语存在差别”的问题，作者针对这个问题，就英国英语和美国英语在语音、词汇、句法三个方面进行了比较。本段的主题句“American English and British English differ from each other．”简洁明了，概括性强，读者读完这句话就可以知道整段的主要内容，也会更加轻松地抓住本段的重点。
三是全文内容统一，符合题目要求，无不相关的内容。例如：
Traffic is an essential element in daily life for people in big cities．Each day，by various means of transportation，heavy loads of goods and a great number of passengers are conveyed to and from every corner of the city． Some passengers carry breakfast with them to eat during the trip and some leave home so late that it is not possible for them to reach the offce on time． Therefore，they look very awkward and embarrassed when they arrive．
以上这段文字中，黑体部分显然与“Traffc is an essential element in daily life for people in big cities．”这个主题句无关，未能体现全文的主题思想，因此可以删去。
（2）结构（organization）
要求结构严谨，条理清楚。结构严谨要求文章能够做到条理清楚，语义连贯。一般而言，专八作文总体上分为三段，三段之间的相互关系可以概括为以下三句话，即：Tell you what I will tell you in the introductory paragraph．Tell you in the supporting paragraphs．Tell you what I have told you in the concluding paragraph．因此，考生在构思时，最好能简单地列出提纲，明确每部分的具体内容，分析出各个部分之间的逻辑关系，以确保文章条理的清晰。
另外，值得一提的是，善于使用衔接语可以增强文章的逻辑性。例如：
①Lasers have found widespread application in medicine．Lasers play an important role in the treatment of eye disease and the prevention of blindness．The eye is ideally suited for laser surgery．Most of the eye tissue is transparent．The frequency and focus of the laser beam can be adjusted accordingly so that the beam“cuts”inside the eye with minimal damage to the surrounding tissues．Lasers are effective in treating some causes of blindness．The interaction between laser light and eye tissue is not fully understood．
②Lasers have found widespread application in medicine． For example ，they play an important role in the treatment of eye disease and the prevention of blindness．The eye is ideally suited for laser surgery because most of the eye tissue is transparent． Because of this transparency ，the frequency and focus of the laser beam can be adjusted accordingly so that the beam“cuts”inside the eye with minimal damage to the surrounding tissue．Lasers are also more effective than other methods in treating some causes of blindness． However ，the interaction between laser light and eye tissue is not fully understood．
在以上的两段文字中，①段堆积了很多独立的句子，相互间缺乏逻辑照应关系，使得整体上显得支离破碎，没有条理；②段通过使用衔接语（黑体部分的文字）使得整段内容条理分明，流畅和谐。
文章结构富有逻辑性，会让读者很轻松地理解作者所要表达的思想内容。这种逻辑性可以通过多种方式来体现。例如，从一般到具体、从全景到细节、从问题的定义到分析再到提出解决方案等。
（3）语法（grammar）
要求语法正确。语法正确是熟练运用英语进行表达的最基本要求，也是最能体现语言功底的方面，它要求文章的语句应合乎英语的语法规则和表达习惯。一般而言，考生在写作过程中常出现的语法小错误包括：修饰语位置不当（misplaced modifers）、悬垂修饰语（dangling modifers）、主谓不一致（agreement errors）、连写句（run-ons）、片段句（sentence fragments）、句意混乱（awkward or confusing sentences）等。例如：
If I became famous，I needn't to worry about my life problems，I may have a lot of money，so I can buy a car and give my father and my mother，I also can do what I like，I may run a little company，and come up with some money to help the left-behind children in rural areas，and establishment of some Hope Primary Schools．
在以上这句话中，最明显的错误就是考生使用了连写句。这类句子常常会省去在几个主句之间的连接词或往往错用了标点。它使得作者在表达上逻辑混乱，内容表述与作者的本意出现偏差，应改为：
If I become famous（可能实现的条件句不用虚拟语气），I needn't to worry（改为：needn't to worry或者don't need to worry，前者是情态动词，后者是实意动词）about my life problems．I may have a lot of money，so I can buy a car and give it to my father and mother．I can also do what I like：I may run a small company（有生命的用little，无生命的用small），and set aside some money to help the children left-behind in rural areas，and to establish some Hope Primary Schools．
由此可见，一篇充斥着语法错误的习作是让人难以卒读的，它会直接影响考生正确地表达自己的思想，给评卷老师留下不好的印象，也是不可能获得高分的。
（4）语言（appropriateness）
要求语言通顺，表达得体。考生要综合运用所学的英语语言知识，就所给的主题写出内容切题、表达清楚、行文通顺流畅的文字。因此，在行文中，考生要尽可能地避免不必要的修饰词（unnecessary modifers）、赘词重复（redundant twins）、语体混乱（mixed stylistics）等不得体的语言表达。例如：
What is life？If you ask me，I would say that people vary in their ideas about it．As far as I am concerned，I believe some regard much of life as a race for success and everyone enjoys an equal chance to take part in the race and win．Nevertheless，there are only somewho can become winners and many become losers．This is because of the fact that the former like to compete and the latter do not．I think people generally share the philosophy“winning is the only thing”as they frmly believe that on the one hand，it can help them make great contributions to society and on the other hand，it is better to aim high than to aim low．
在这段话中，类似if you ask me，I would say，as far as I am concerned，I believe，I think等语言都属于口语体的表达方式，把它们用在论说性的议论文、说明文中是不合适的。this is；the fact that；as frmly；on the one hand，on the other hand则是累赘多余的表达。实际上，为了增强表达的效果，在遣词造句方面，本段话可以更加简洁准确，例如：
What is life？Some say much of it as a race for success and everyone has an equal chance to enter the race and win．And yet，only some have become winners and many have become losers because the former like to compete and the latter do not．People generally share the philosophy“winning is the only thing”because they believe it can help them get ahead，and that it is better to aim high than to aim low．
修改后的这段话，既没有堆砌华丽的辞藻，也没有罗列复杂的句型，更没有口语体和书面语体的混杂使用。但总体上看来，整段话用词准确，表达得体，简明扼要，行文流畅。由此可见，能否完成一篇优秀的英语作文，在很大程度上取决于作者能否用正确、通俗的语言表达具有意义的概念或观点。
作文应该紧扣大纲要求进行写作，做到以下几点：
（1）内容充实（adequate content），紧扣主题（addressing thesis statement）
审题首先要仔细，一定要阅读写作题目及相关信息要求，然后正确领会题目含义，进而了解题目要求，由此为下一步构思符合具体要求的文章思路及框架奠定基础。审题的过程中，要通盘考虑以下三个部分的内容：
第一，提纲（outline）。近年来的出题方式往往是给出一段描述，创造出一个特定情景或阐述某一具体观点，我们将此称为提纲，是写作的依据。
第二，题目（title）。出题人给出或长或短的标题，有些年份也出现了要求考生根据提纲自命题的情况。
第三，标准化的写作要求（directions）。这部分自从2000年来就未出现过变化。
写作时要综合考虑三部分内容，不得偏颇。切勿出现只抓标题而抛开提纲，不顾写作要求而天马行空地自我创作；也不可以只顾提纲，不问题目，单纯进行就事论事的盲目写作；很多考生对写作要求的理解有偏差，写作要求中虽有三部分，但并不意味着全篇文章只写三段，而是考生应当从实际出发，将中间的推展部分依照结构严谨、层次分明、合乎逻辑的原则来进行写作，一般情况下可分为三个层次，即三段。
做到以上三点要求，可基本保证文章不偏离主题。但是仅此是不够的，一篇优秀的文章还应该具备充实的内容，要有一定的思想性和较翔实的素材。
（2）语言通顺（fuency）
语言通顺，即要求语言要规范、准确、连贯，用词准确，造句正确，句子内部组合得当，句子与句子之间上下衔接，顺畅合理，语意通畅。
（3）用词恰当（diction）
用词恰当，即选词造句贴切，符合实际，能正确使用词语，准确表达作者的思想或文章人物的感情。没有语序不当、搭配不当、成分残缺或赘余、表意不明、不合逻辑等语病。
（4）表达得体（appropriateness）
表达得体，即语言要符合人物的身份，符合对象的需要；语言符合特定环境的需要，符合特定地域风俗习惯的特点；语言要符合文体的需要；语言符合作者表达感情的需要。因为写文章的目的就是给人看的，要收到预期的效果，就必须考虑接受对象。对象不同，写文章的语言也应该不同。只有根据不同的场合、不同的对象，运用不同语言，才能收到最佳效果。
通过以上对大纲要求的分析，我们可以得出一篇好作文应该满足如下要求：
（1）从思想性来讲，好的作文应当观点新颖，富于原创，不落窠臼，非人云亦云。Good writing presents ideas that are fresh and original，not hand-me-down，tired
ideas borrowed from someone else．As a result，it sounds like its author rather than like everyone else．一篇真正的好作文当如一首动听的歌曲、一部引人入胜的电影、一位良师益友，时时给你新鲜的思想，让心灵永不乏味。Good writing，like a good flm or song or friend，is not boring；it keeps your interest by what it says and how it says it．
因此，考生应当积极思考，形成自己的观点与看法。想要写一篇优秀饱满的文章，首先必须具备丰富的思想，正如大纲的第一个要求，“内容充实”，由此足见思想的重要。然而有许多学生遇见命题作文便思路淤塞，不知所措，无从下笔，还有的同学思路狭窄，想法简单，表达不充分，做不到内容充实。那么思想到底从哪里来呢？我们认为思想来源于主体和客体两个方面。主体方面包括头脑之固有、想象力和灵感以及我们的观察，客体方面主要包括读书和见识。
★ 思想源于我们的头脑之固有 。Everybody was born to be unique．“人皆生而为新，为前所未有之存在。”Each human being is born as something new，something that never existed before．人皆有其独特的方式去审视、聆听、感知、品味和思考。Each person has a unique way of seeing，hearing，touching，tasting and thinking．因此，只要我们勤于思考，敢于把自己的想法昭示于人，这就是思想。
★ 思想源于我们的想象力和灵感 。Ideas come from imagination and inspiration．如果我们勤于想象动用灵感，我们就会将The pen is a useful tool．改为The pen has changed the course of history，shaped the destiny of nations，facilitated the commerce of peoples，imprisoned the elusive thoughts of man，recorded events，carried news，and done more work for mankind than all other tools or weapons．
★ 思想源于我们的观察 。Ideas come from observation．善于观察的人就可以把生活中的琐碎细节变成栩栩如生的素材，为其所用。如：Steve stays home on workdays．He plugs into a computer terminal in order to hook up with the offce，and he sends and receives work during the day by electronic mail and a fax-modem．Evenings，he puts on his headphones，watches a movie on his VCR，or logs back onto the computer to visit the Internet．Steve doesn't talk to any other human beings，and he doesn't see any people except those on television．Steve is imaginary，but his lifestyle is very common．More and more，the inventions of modern technology seem to be cutting us off from contact with our fellow human beings．如此，实质上生活中所见所闻均可以成为写作的素材。
★ 思想源于读书 。Ideas come from reading．对大学生来说，书籍是思想形成最重要的来源。Bacon said that a man dies as often as he loses a friend．But we gain new life by contacting new friends．．．“To be or not to be．”Outside the Bible，these six words are the most famous in all the literature of the world．They were spoken by Hamlet when he was thinking aloud，and they are the most famous words in Shakespeare because Hamlet was speaking not only for himself but for every thinking man and woman．只有博览群书、满腹经纶，写作时才能像William Lyon Phelps这样挥洒自如。
★ 思想源于见识与实践 。Ideas come from traveling and real situations．古人云：“读万卷书，行万里路”，可见经历见识与读书至少同样重要。将自己的所见所闻写在文章中，就会使文章有足够的信息量，读起来生机盎然，不至于乏味枯燥。1943年宋美龄在参议院的讲话中提到“磨镜台”（“rub-the-mirror”pavilion）的故事，充分展现了演讲者的见多识广和丰厚的中国文化底蕴，感动了美国众多议员，向美国人民宣传了自己的抗战观点，那就是：“我们不但必须有理想，不但要昭告我们有理想，我们还必须以行动来落实理想。”It is necessary for us not only to have ideals and to proclaim that we have them；it is necessary that we act to implement them．
（2）一篇好的作文必须条理清晰。
朱光潜先生说得好：“一种作品如果有毛病——无论是在命意布局或是在造句用字——仔细穷究，病源却在思想。思想不清楚的人，做出来的文章决不会清楚。”Good writing is easy to follow because it follows a plan．In the case of an essay，this means that it sticks to one dominant idea which is supported or developed by enough facts and details．
（3）一篇好的作文用词应该得体恰当。
要求作者能够在需要正式的时候正式，不正式的时候也应得体。Good writing uses language that is right for the job—formal when required and appropriate when informal．The writer uses words that are precise and exact，avoiding worn-out expressions and clichés．
（4）优秀的作文最起码的一点就是应该做到语法规范，标点符号使用正确。
Good writing is free of serious mistakes in grammar，spelling，and punctuation because those errors get in the way of the writer's ideas and distract the reader．