隨著8月6號(hào)首場(chǎng)新版GRE考試的結(jié)束，此次考試中寫作部分的作文題目和臨場(chǎng)體會(huì)也慢慢反饋過來(lái)。大致來(lái)看，在寫作、語(yǔ)文、數(shù)學(xué)這三個(gè)sections中，考生對(duì)語(yǔ)文考試的感覺波動(dòng)最大。有的反映說考試感覺相當(dāng)好，而有的則感覺很不理想。數(shù)學(xué)的臨場(chǎng)反映基本上比較一致，絕大多數(shù)同學(xué)都反映駕馭得相當(dāng)平穩(wěn)，成績(jī)也同?？枷嗖畈淮螅话愣寄茉?50以上。就作文而言，綜合大量考生的反映，可簡(jiǎn)單概括為：同預(yù)期相符。
考生比較一致的反映有兩點(diǎn)：
第一，Issue寫作時(shí)間普遍較為緊張。
這一點(diǎn)是考前我就反復(fù)提醒過考生的首要問題。新版GRE的寫作中，ISSUE的寫作時(shí)間由過去的45分鐘減少到了30分鐘。如果扣掉審題、構(gòu)思和寫完后的查錯(cuò)改錯(cuò)花費(fèi)的時(shí)間，掐頭去尾，能用在實(shí)際寫作上的時(shí)間也就25～27分鐘多點(diǎn)兒的樣子。然而，一篇觀點(diǎn)鮮明獨(dú)到(insightful)、論證透徹(fullydeveloped)、充分探討了問題的復(fù)雜性(complexities)的ISSUE作文要想把文章思想表達(dá)清楚充分，單單就字?jǐn)?shù)而言，沒有400～450個(gè)字是很勉強(qiáng)的；而且，這還是以考生的語(yǔ)言表達(dá)較為簡(jiǎn)潔精煉為前提。因此，大家普遍感到Issue寫作時(shí)間緊迫絲毫不令人意外。第二，目前為止，幾乎所有的考生對(duì)自己抽到的作文題目都較為滿意；普遍慶幸自己沒有抽到新題、怪題。 <a href=http://www.zequeka.cn/miniform.html>蘇州語(yǔ)文作文閱讀培訓(xùn)</a>
這個(gè)感覺也完全符合預(yù)期以及ETS新G作文題庫(kù)的特點(diǎn)。在新G所有的149道Issue題目和174道Argument題目中，真正的內(nèi)容全新題占比基本不到20%，剩下的有超過10%的題目是過去的老題目，大約70％的題目其實(shí)都是過去的舊題目稍作變化后的再利用。所以，只要考生能在考前盡量熟悉新G題庫(kù)，多研磨自己的提綱，完全可以有足夠的信心將Argument輕松克服。
盡管此次新版GRE寫作是全新的題目樣式，仍然有不少考生發(fā)揮出了自己的真實(shí)水平，給出了相當(dāng)不錯(cuò)的表現(xiàn)，緊扣題目本身和題后的寫作指引(Instructions)的要求，寫出了很好的作品。
總的感覺是：縮短的Issue寫作時(shí)間不是問題，而鎖定Argument高分的關(guān)鍵在于對(duì)題目中邏輯鏈條的清晰梳理和論
下面結(jié)合對(duì)北京新航道學(xué)校一位GRE考生兩篇8月6號(hào)考試的回憶作文(Issue和Argument各一篇)的點(diǎn)評(píng)，再來(lái)看看我們?cè)撊绾务{馭新G寫作考試。
<a hReF=http://www.zequeka.cn/miNiform.html>蘇州作文培訓(xùn)哪里好</a>
首先來(lái)看這位考生的Issue作文。
作文題目是："In order for any work of art- for example, a film, a novel, a poem or a song - to have merit, it must be understandable to most people."Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the statement and explain your reasoning for the position you take. In developing and supporting your position, you should consider ways in which the tatement might or might not hold true and explain how these considerations shape your position.
文章全文如下（考生原創(chuàng)回憶）：
Art usually sounds to be far away from the daily life of ordinary people. And it is tempting to believe the statement that people are supposed to fully understand the form of art before they are able to grasp the essence of the work of art. How could a masterpiece of art be appreciated and expose its merit if it is puzzling and complex to most people? However, the significance of art lies in its free spirit and unfettered inspiration of the creators instead of catering to the aesthetic taste of most people.
<a hRef=http://www.zequeka.cn/miNiform.html>蘇州閱讀寫作培訓(xùn)</a>
Art's importance cannot be exaggerated too much. People are capable of finding comfort and tranquility from a song or a poem when they are upset or tortured by the cruel reality of the world. Owing to the limit of money, time, energy and so on and so forth, it is unlikely for ordinary people to experience different kinds of life, nevertheless,we are able to devote ourselves to a totally different world and go through exotic or romantic , charming or wretched experiences by devouring novels. Only when people have a command of the essence of art can they admire the work of art with heart and soul and share the spirit perception with other people.
It is agreeable for the person who is in want of appreciating the beauty and wonder of the works of art finds these masterpieces easily accessible to ordinary people. Nonetheless, being understandable to most people is not the prerequisite of art to be meaningful to the world. For instance, one of a famous book of James Joyce, Ulysses, is well-known for its complexity and intricacy for the skill of stream-of-consciousness being employed throughout the whole novel.Even some intellectual admits that the novel is inaccessible to some extent, let alone most ordinary people. The novel is regarded as one of the masterpiece in the history of literature. The convoluted plots and the abundant symbolic meaning of the objects in the novel strengthen the unique place of the novel and stimulate myriads of literature scholars to explore the novel instead of impairing its merit. Another example to opposing the statement is Emily Dickinson,the secluded but famous American poet, who wrote her poem with cunningness and meaning images that are not easily understood by most people. It is said Walt Whitman was deeply influenced by Emily Dickinson and composed his own work - song of Myself. Beyond that,opera, considered to be a elegant form of art, can be truly appreciated only the recipients focus on listening it and perceiving it.In the final analysis, it is unnecessary to make sure every work of art are accessible to most people, for the creators have right to create the art as they desire to do, so do the people have the right to choose what they prefer. Russell has pointed out that the essence of happiness lies in the diversity of the world.
一篇成功的Issue作文必須要做到文章結(jié)構(gòu)、思想和邏輯以及語(yǔ)言的三過關(guān)。這篇Issue作品基本都做到了。首先，考生的觀點(diǎn)/立場(chǎng)是鮮明而獨(dú)到的。在文章開頭段的末尾，考生在稍作讓步后，很快就明白地亮明了自己的全文立場(chǎng)："the significance of art lies in its free spirit and unfettered inspiration of the creators instead of catering to the aesthetic taste of most People ."?？忌鷮?duì)藝術(shù)功能的定義(the significance of art lies in its free spiritand unfettered inspiration)顯然很有新意。一看知道，這就不是純粹"模板"，考生有自己的獨(dú)立思考。
然后，考生在正文部分，利用兩個(gè)意群段表述了自己的兩個(gè)分論點(diǎn)，分別是第二段的"Art's importance cannot be exaggerated too much"和第三段的"being understandable to most people is not the prerequisite of art to be meaningful to the world"，接下來(lái)對(duì)這兩個(gè)分論點(diǎn)的論證也可謂充實(shí)。第二個(gè)自然段(也就是第一個(gè)分論點(diǎn))主要從常識(shí)(Common sense)的角度來(lái)論證；而第三個(gè)自然段(也就是第二個(gè)分論點(diǎn))則主要采用例證的手法。考生的例證非常精彩，選用的例子典型、精當(dāng)，例子和觀點(diǎn)的相互佐證也分析得非常明晰，有極強(qiáng)的說服力。
該考生文章的結(jié)尾也符合我一貫推崇的特點(diǎn)，即，文章的結(jié)尾務(wù)求"短、有趣、留有余味"。考生對(duì)羅素觀點(diǎn)的引用"the essence of happiness lies in the diversity of the world"頗有意味。
看得出來(lái)，該考生考試一開始也有點(diǎn)兒慌張，以至于考生的首段前兩句話（Art usually sounds to be far away from the daily life of ordinary people. And it is tempting to believe the statement that people are supposed to fully understand the form of art before they are able to grasp the essence of the work of art.）顯得用詞拖沓且表意似有模糊。但在整理出自己的中心思想后，考生顯然找到了狀態(tài)，表述越來(lái)越流暢，思路展開和論證也更得心應(yīng)手了。
最后說明的是，這篇文章的字?jǐn)?shù)達(dá)到了489個(gè)字！這是個(gè)很難能可貴的數(shù)量。它充分說明了一點(diǎn)：縮短的Issue寫作時(shí)間不是問題！只要我們對(duì)題目做到思路清晰、論證飽滿，充分發(fā)揮出自己既有的語(yǔ)言實(shí)力，寫出佳作完全可能。
先面再來(lái)看考生的Argument。
Argument的題目是：
The following recommendation was made by the president and administrative staff of Grove College, a private institute, to the college's governing committee."We recommend that Grove College preserve its century-old tradition of all-female education rather than admit men into its programs. It is true that a majority of faculty members voted in favor of coeducation, arguing that it would encourage more students to apply to Grove. But 80 percent of the students responding to a survey conducted by the students government wanted the school to remain all female, and over half of the alumni who answered a separate survey also opposed coeducation. Keeping the college all-female, therefore, will improve morale among students and convince alumni to keep supporting the college financially."
Write a response in which you discuss what specific evidence is needed to evaluate the argument and explain how the evidence would weaken or strengthen the argument.
該考生Argument的全文如下（考生原創(chuàng)回憶）：
The recommendation made by the president and administrative staff of a private institution to the college's governing committee claimed that the century-old tradition of all-female education are supposed to maintain instead of admitting men into its program. The claim seems to be well-reasoned and trustworthy at the first glance, however,considering the weak evidence provided by the institution, the conclusion is unconvincing and unreliable.
The institution has failed to take opinions from other groups into consideration. It is mentioned in the recommendation that a majority of faculty members indeed voted for coeducation, believing that the change is about to stimulate more students to apply to Grove. The call for coeducation in this college is neglected by the institution for it focuses on the results of a survey conducted by the student government. The scope, number and range of the students responded to the interview are never known to us, what's more, whether the sample questions appeared on the survey are representative is very questionable. It is very likely that the survey is conducted among a small group of student who strongly advocate preserving the long tradition of all-female education. Correspondingly, the number of 80 percent is meaningless if we are kept in dark of the exact numbers of these interviewees.
Supposing it is the fact that many people want to keep the tradition unchanged, there is no direct connection between keeping the tradition and improving morale among students. The reason why the respondents are unwilling to admit men into its program might come from the fear that women are overcome by men or from the avoidance of rearrangement of the curriculum. It is true that over half of the alumni interviewed also opposed coeducation. At this time, a separate survey was conducted. Naturally, some questions are aroused in our heads. What are the differences between the survey conducted by the student government and the separate survey carried out among alumni? How many alumni have participated in the research? It is more likely that the contents of two surveys are different, as a consequence, the results of two researches couldn't be added up together simply. What's more, whether the alumni supporting the college financially have been investigated in the survey is irresolute. What if the less half of the alumni maintain to provide financial support to the college are in favor of coeducation? Therefore, keeping the long history tradition is likely to impair the financial support rather than strengthen it.
Overall, the conclusion drawn by the private institution is unreliable for the foundation of the outcome is unstable and unconvincing. Before any final decision is made about the change of the long traditions of all-male education, the college's governing committee are required to take all possible alternatives into consideration.
由這篇Argument來(lái)看，該考生的運(yùn)氣是不錯(cuò)的，因?yàn)檫@個(gè)Argument題目的推理/論證謬誤相對(duì)較為明顯，基本上就兩個(gè)：第一，調(diào)查統(tǒng)計(jì)類謬誤；第二，因?yàn)榍疤岬浇Y(jié)論的過大跨越而導(dǎo)致的"邏輯推不出"的謬誤。
同該考生的Issue作文比，考生對(duì)自己的這篇Argument的寫作顯然信心十足。這從考生對(duì)前述兩個(gè)邏輯謬誤的描述和論證可以清楚地看出來(lái)。
我在這里想強(qiáng)調(diào)的是：Argument的寫作絕對(duì)不僅僅是簡(jiǎn)單地找尋題目中的邏輯漏洞；更重要的是要對(duì)那些邏輯謬誤之所以為謬誤的論證。做到這一點(diǎn)，至少有三件事要做：第一，指出邏輯謬誤；第二，舉例說明邏輯謬誤的存在；第三，提供別樣解釋(alternativeexplanations)來(lái)展示邏輯謬誤。在這三方面，這個(gè)考生做的都不錯(cuò)，對(duì)題目中論者的邏輯鏈做了清晰的梳理和充分的論證。最可貴的是，顯然因?yàn)樾判暮蛷娜莸木壒?，考生的語(yǔ)言表達(dá)流暢多了，盡管仍有些不必要的小問題。這為考生Argument的分析自然更增亮色。
綜合總體水平，上述兩篇作文得5分應(yīng)該不算意外。
由這兩篇文章以及其他同學(xué)的反饋來(lái)看，得出的總體結(jié)論是：盡管其臨場(chǎng)考試時(shí)間和題型樣式的變化，新版GRE寫作不足為懼。掌握正確的邏輯分析思路，外加充分的準(zhǔn)備和練習(xí)，我們完全可以決勝新G寫作。
作者簡(jiǎn)介：北京新航道學(xué)校GRE寫作、托福 寫作、托福 詞匯主講。中國(guó)人民大學(xué) 國(guó)際關(guān)系學(xué)院碩士，資深記者；在境內(nèi)外主要英文媒體從事一線新聞報(bào)道逾15年，曾供職過的報(bào)紙和通訊社包括China Daily (中國(guó)日?qǐng)?bào))，Global Times (環(huán)球時(shí)報(bào))，AFX-Asia (亞太金融新聞社)，South China Morning Post (南華早報(bào))；英文寫作功力深厚扎實(shí)，對(duì)GRE、托福、雅思 、SAT、ACT等留學(xué)考試類寫作有精深研究和獨(dú)到體悟，有專著《GRE寫作5.5》，獨(dú)創(chuàng)GRE作文“1＋5”寫作模型。
《資深名師李建林點(diǎn)評(píng)新GRE首場(chǎng)考試寫作部分》添加時(shí)間：2024-12-14；更新時(shí)間：2025-03-09
