在考研英語(yǔ)(一)中,漫畫(huà)作文占了整整20分,分值比例高達(dá)五分之一,是考研英語(yǔ)(一)中當(dāng)仁不讓的重頭戲。下面筆者就來(lái)介紹攻克漫畫(huà)作文常用的經(jīng)典“三段法”:首段點(diǎn)題,中間段論述,尾段總結(jié)并提出建議。
寫(xiě)作是主觀題目,同一主題可以有不同的表達(dá)方法,行文也沒(méi)有統(tǒng)一的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)。然而,筆者還是建議各位考生采用老掉牙的“三段法”,因?yàn)檫@種寫(xiě)法最通俗也最保險(xiǎn),清晰明了,易于把握,也易于閱卷者評(píng)價(jià)。考生若能熟練掌握這一寫(xiě)作方法,即可省去不少構(gòu)思時(shí)間,以便在行文上多下功夫。
首段:描述漫畫(huà),點(diǎn)明寓意
寫(xiě)首段時(shí),考生首先要描述漫畫(huà)內(nèi)容,然后再點(diǎn)明漫畫(huà)寓意。根據(jù)筆者多年的教學(xué)經(jīng)驗(yàn),對(duì)多數(shù)考生來(lái)說(shuō),描述漫畫(huà)是寫(xiě)作中最難的部分。因?yàn)閷?xiě)作的主題可以預(yù)測(cè),時(shí)事熱點(diǎn)也可以預(yù)測(cè),但漫畫(huà)本身卻不可預(yù)測(cè),無(wú)法提前準(zhǔn)備。那是不是說(shuō)考生對(duì)漫畫(huà)描述就束手無(wú)策,只能聽(tīng)天由命了?當(dāng)然不是!在筆者看來(lái),漫畫(huà)其實(shí)也是一種語(yǔ)言—圖片語(yǔ)言。考生若想迅速地將其解構(gòu)為文字語(yǔ)言,可以依照如下三個(gè)環(huán)節(jié)對(duì)其進(jìn)行解讀。
1.拆分:拆分漫畫(huà)內(nèi)容,提取重點(diǎn)信息,并將信息一一羅列。
2.轉(zhuǎn)換:將上述信息用英語(yǔ)句子表達(dá)出來(lái)。
3.重組:將這些分散的英語(yǔ)句子組合成句式高級(jí)、邏輯清晰的一兩句話。
上述三個(gè)環(huán)節(jié)中,與漫畫(huà)本身關(guān)系最密切的是第一環(huán),而針對(duì)不同的漫畫(huà),考生用于拆分和提取信息的方法也會(huì)不同。如果漫畫(huà)描述的是一件正在發(fā)生的事或是一個(gè)故事,那么考生可以按照故事或事件發(fā)生的先后順序進(jìn)行描述;如果漫畫(huà)描繪的是一個(gè)靜態(tài)空間,考生不妨按照空間順序,采取從左到右或從總體到細(xì)節(jié)的順序?qū)β?huà)加以描述,具體順序依題目來(lái)定;如果漫畫(huà)既呈現(xiàn)出了時(shí)間關(guān)系,又呈現(xiàn)出了空間關(guān)系,那么考生在描述時(shí)就要將兩者結(jié)合起來(lái)。下面我們以2011年的真題“旅程之‘余’”為例,看看同時(shí)包含這兩種關(guān)系的漫畫(huà)該如何描述。漫畫(huà)中,船、湖、年輕情侶和垃圾等要素之間呈現(xiàn)的是空間關(guān)系,而情侶吃零食、向早已漂滿垃圾的湖面上扔?xùn)|西的情景則呈現(xiàn)出時(shí)間關(guān)系。在描述時(shí),這兩種關(guān)系都應(yīng)有所體現(xiàn)。首先,考生可以將這幅漫畫(huà)的內(nèi)容拆分成以下四點(diǎn):①一只船在湖中漂流;②一對(duì)年輕情侶坐在船上;③他們?cè)诔粤闶巢b袋扔入湖中;④湖面充斥著垃圾。然后,考生可以將上述信息點(diǎn)轉(zhuǎn)換成英文表達(dá)出來(lái):① In the lake drifts a boat. ② On the boat sits a young couple. ③ They are eating snacks and casting the packaging into the lake. ④ The lake is filled with refuse.接下來(lái),考生可以通過(guò)定語(yǔ)從句、現(xiàn)在分詞作狀語(yǔ)等方式將上述四句話組合成一個(gè)復(fù)雜句:“In the lake drifts a boat, on which sits a young couple eating snacks and casting the packaging into the lake that is filled with refuse.”最后,考生可以對(duì)這句話進(jìn)行一定的“包裝”和潤(rùn)色,使之成為完整的漫畫(huà)描述句:“The picture/photo/cartoon shows a lake in which drifts a boat, on which sits a young couple eating snacks and casting the packaging into the lake, which is filled with refuse.”
描述完漫畫(huà)內(nèi)容之后,考生要進(jìn)一步挖掘其深層內(nèi)涵及寓意,即explain its intended meaning。縱觀歷年真題,漫畫(huà)要表達(dá)的寓意主要為兩類:一是反映某種社會(huì)現(xiàn)象,二是表達(dá)某種大眾觀點(diǎn)。考生要根據(jù)漫畫(huà)本身的內(nèi)容,并結(jié)合文字說(shuō)明來(lái)判斷其所反映的到底是什么。仍以“旅程之‘余’”為例,這幅漫畫(huà)反映的是人們?cè)诼糜斡^光時(shí)污染環(huán)境的現(xiàn)象。因此,考生可以在描述完漫畫(huà)后寫(xiě)道:“The picture illustrates the phenomenon of environmental threat to scenic spots.”
再如,在2010年的真題中,漫畫(huà)上呈現(xiàn)的是一個(gè)正在冒熱氣的火鍋,火鍋里燉著“佛”“儒”“后現(xiàn)代”“莎士比亞”等各種“文化食材”,漫畫(huà)下方則寫(xiě)著“文化‘火鍋’,既美味又營(yíng)養(yǎng)”的字樣。由此可見(jiàn),這幅漫畫(huà)所反映的是文化融合的現(xiàn)象,而漫畫(huà)下方的文字則表明人們對(duì)文化融合的肯定態(tài)度。因此,考生可以在描述完漫畫(huà)后寫(xiě)道:“The picture reveals a belief shared by many people that cultural integration is both enjoyable and meaningful.”
中間段:分析社會(huì)現(xiàn)象/討論大眾觀點(diǎn)
如果說(shuō)首段是“提出問(wèn)題”,那么中間段就是“分析問(wèn)題”。考研英語(yǔ)作文的篇幅并不長(zhǎng),因此,如何在有限的字?jǐn)?shù)內(nèi)做出有一定深度和廣度的討論和分析,確實(shí)需要考生們仔細(xì)思考。
人們常說(shuō):“Everything happens for a reason.”任何社會(huì)現(xiàn)象的出現(xiàn)都有其原因,而且原因往往不止一個(gè)。此外,一種社會(huì)現(xiàn)象會(huì)帶來(lái)什么影響也值得人們關(guān)注。因此,如果一幅漫畫(huà)反映的是某種社會(huì)現(xiàn)象,考生就要“溯來(lái)龍(原因)”“追去脈(影響)”,對(duì)其進(jìn)行全面剖析。例如,2005年的真題“養(yǎng)老‘足球賽’”反映的是老人無(wú)人贍養(yǎng)的現(xiàn)象。該現(xiàn)象由多種因素共同造成,考生需要在中間段進(jìn)行論述時(shí)一一列出:“The reasons why more and more people are unwilling to support their parents are obvious. Nowadays, people, particularly the middle-aged, are busy climbing the ever-steeper career ladder, spending much time on work; thus, they have limited time to spend with their parents. Another factor that we cannot ignore is that when people grow old, they are prone to various physical and mental weaknesses; to make things worse, some of the elderly are unable to live on their own, thereby requiring daily care. For these reasons we can understand why a growing number of aged people are left unattended.”
而如果一幅漫畫(huà)反映的是某種大眾觀點(diǎn),考生就要對(duì)其正確與否進(jìn)行判斷。因?yàn)橛^點(diǎn)是對(duì)社會(huì)現(xiàn)象的評(píng)論,如果評(píng)論得當(dāng),考生可以“點(diǎn)贊”,肯定此種觀點(diǎn);如果評(píng)論不當(dāng),考生可以“吐槽”,論述此種觀點(diǎn)有何不妥。例如,2004年的真題“終點(diǎn)又是新起點(diǎn)”想要表達(dá)的是“在生活中不斷樹(shù)立新目標(biāo)會(huì)使人們獲益良多”的觀點(diǎn)。對(duì)于此種觀點(diǎn),大多數(shù)考生都持肯定態(tài)度。因此,考生可以采用正反結(jié)合的論證方法,先舉一個(gè)成功人士的例子來(lái)支持這種觀點(diǎn),然后再?gòu)姆疵嬲撌觯绻粋€(gè)人取得了一定成功之后就不思進(jìn)取,那么這個(gè)人以后就不太可能再獲得成功。例文如下:“No doubt people gain by setting new goals for their lives. Take the famous scientist Thomas Edison for example. He had done very well in his early life, but continued to succeed by pursuing ever more difficult things throughout his life. If one is obsessed with the success he has already achieved, he will lose the chance to pursue new successes. What is more, he may become the slave of his success. There are many cases showing people losing their drive to better themselves after becoming successful.”
尾段:說(shuō)看法,提建議
尾段的寫(xiě)法比較靈活,主要是表達(dá)考生的個(gè)人看法,然后提出建議。那么建議該如何提呢?筆者建議考生采用“從內(nèi)到外、由近及遠(yuǎn)、層層遞進(jìn)”的方式。也就是說(shuō),考生在提建議時(shí),可以從“向內(nèi)”和“向外”兩方面考慮。
所謂“向內(nèi)”提建議,是要說(shuō)明漫畫(huà)的當(dāng)事人(如“養(yǎng)老‘足球賽’”中的子女)應(yīng)該做什么。如果他們的行為與想法得當(dāng),應(yīng)繼續(xù)保持;如果錯(cuò)誤,則應(yīng)該認(rèn)真改過(guò)。
● (當(dāng)事人) should change their thoughts on ... (錯(cuò)誤的想法)
● (當(dāng)事人) should accept ... (更好的想法)
● (當(dāng)事人) must stop doing ... (錯(cuò)誤的行為)
而所謂“向外”提建議,是要說(shuō)明當(dāng)事人之外的人(如父母、親人、同學(xué)、朋友以及政府、媒體、學(xué)校等)能夠做什么,來(lái)幫助或督促當(dāng)事人解決問(wèn)題。
● The government can introduce new policies to ... (改變現(xiàn)狀/遏制某種行為)
● The legislature can enact new laws to ... (打擊某種行為/維護(hù)某種權(quán)利)
● Public media can put up advertisements to ... (弘揚(yáng)正氣/倡導(dǎo)某種行為等)
● Educators can give lectures to ... (鼓勵(lì)人們……/ 建議人們……)
例如,針對(duì)“養(yǎng)老‘足球賽’”,考生就可以采取這種“從內(nèi)到外”的方式來(lái)提建議,在點(diǎn)明子女該如何做之后,指出立法機(jī)關(guān)、公眾媒體應(yīng)該采取怎樣的行動(dòng)。例文如下:“From my point of view, the grown-up children should raise their awareness of taking care of their parents. They need to pay attention to the mental and physical status of the elderly. What’s more, effective measures must be taken to change the current situation. For example, the legislature can enact new laws to protect the rights of aged people. Meanwhile, public media should put up advertisements to call attention to the virtue of filial piety among the Chinese. Only through these measures can we see a more harmonious society in the future.”
上述這種“從內(nèi)到外”的建議方式比較適合反映某種社會(huì)現(xiàn)象的漫畫(huà)作文。如果一幅漫畫(huà)反映的是大眾觀點(diǎn),考生只需對(duì)其進(jìn)行總結(jié),然后提出一條簡(jiǎn)單的建議即可。例如,針對(duì)2010年的“文化‘火鍋’”,考生就可以在結(jié)尾段提出,既然文化融合是好事,那么就應(yīng)該鼓勵(lì)文化工作者創(chuàng)作出更多具有文化融合特征的作品。例文如下:“Since cultural integration both helps save traditional Chinese culture and meets the growing needs of Chinese people, it is necessary to further the practice—encouraging Chinese cultural practitioners to produce more products in the spirit of cultural integration.”
有的考生可能會(huì)擔(dān)心,尾段只提一條建議,是否不夠充實(shí)。但實(shí)際上,建議的數(shù)量與作文的得分并不成正比。題目不同,寫(xiě)作方法不同。對(duì)于反映社會(huì)負(fù)面現(xiàn)象的主題,考生可以提出多條建議。而對(duì)于積極的社會(huì)現(xiàn)象或觀點(diǎn),點(diǎn)一個(gè)“贊”足矣。