词汇储备叫作Lexical Resource。这项评分标准要求作文用词准确且多样。用词准确,是要求作文的用词不仅拼写正确,而且表意准确,搭配恰当,不造成歧义,不带来困惑,不闹出笑话;用词多样,是要求作文用词广泛,可以用不同词语准确地表达相似的意思。例如下面这个主体段:
Parental nurturing during formative years is crucial for children, as it teaches them important social values such as manners and discipline, which are applicable throughout their life. Moreover, the family provides a sense of belonging and comfort during tough times. For example, individuals could always rely on their families to soothe their feelings and rejuvenate themselves in the face of adversity.(摘自本书范文2,题目为论证家庭、学校和外部社会对儿童的影响。)
本段中父母的养育(parental nurturing)、在某人性格形成早期(in one’s formative years)和缓和某人的情绪(soothe one’s feelings)都准确地传递了意思。
以formative为例,这个单词可以表达相当丰富的含义:serving to form something, especially having a profound and lasting influence on a person’s development( 有助于形成某种东西,尤其是对一个人的成长产生深远而持久的影响 ),使用该词可以展示出考生丰富的词汇储备。
换个角度理解,高分词汇往往因为表意精确而不具备普遍性,因此,越是专属语境的词汇,越能得高分。像formative这个单词,几乎是专属于家庭语境的词汇,使用恰当的话,就一定比使用important或essential这样的单词得分高。
在范文2中,像这样的段落有三个,也即全文有至少九个专属语境词,符合高分作文的要求。达不到这些要求,分数不会超过6分。
具体细则如表1–1–5所示:
表1-1-5 词汇储备分值及解释