【写作时应注意的问题】

   写作部分时间为30分钟，其内容是，就给定的题目中的两种观点选择一个，并加以阐述。写作部分不计入总分，只作为参考。

   写作时应注意以下问题:

   (1)选择一种观点。在两种观点中选定一种，围绕这种观点展开论述。就好像是扔一枚硬币，随机的选择一种观点即可。

   (2)阐述观点时，既要陈述支持所选择观点的理由，也要陈述反对另一种观点的理由。在两方面的对比申说明该选择的观点正确。

   (3)文章应包括五个段落。第一段说明两者之中选择其一，中间三段阐述选择的理由，最后一段作出结论。每段都要写出主题句，以告知读者你的观点。应记住所列出的观点选择多于对事实的陈述。

   (4)写作应自然流畅，观点要明确，不要使用简写或缩写词。

   【写作练习】

   Valerie, a first-year graduate student in mathematics, needs a part-time job, and competition for jobs in the small townswheresher university is located is keen. With the following considerations in mind, write an argument supporting one of Valerie’s two job offers over the other:

   Valerie wants the income from her job to minimize the money she must borrow for living expenses.

   Valerie wants the job to interfere with her graduate program as little as possible.

   The university’s Undergraduate Learning Center has offered Valerie a job tutoring groups of students taking introductory mathematics courses. Valerie has been assigned five 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM sessions, for which she will receive per week. The ULC also provides free individual tutoring for students in advanced mathematics courses who request it. As a graduate student employee, Valerie would be eligible to serve as an individual tutor, in addition to her regular sessions, for which she would receive per hour. The schedule of this job will require her to make changes in the courses she had planned to take this semester. She will also miss the afternoon office hours that most professors set aside to work individually with graduate students.

   Milano’s, a local restaurant has offered Valerie a job as a food server. She will work Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights each week, starting at 5:00 PM. The salary is per week plus tips, which can range anywhere from to for four nights of work. Milano’s is often crowded on Friday and Saturday nights but rarely during the week. A server at Milano’s told Valerie that although the restaurant’s kitchen closes at 11:00 PM, servers must stay until all customers have left, which can be midnight or later. Valerie’s most demanding class meets at 8:00 AM. Wednesdays and Fridays and cannot be rescheduled. Taking this job also means that she must give up the evening meetings of her study group.

   【写作范例】

   Topic

   The English department at a university must choose a text for its first-year composition course. Write an argument in favor of selection either of the following texts with these. Considerations in mind:

   The department has a strong commitment to teaching basic writing skills, such as grammar and essay organization.

   The department wants to increase the students’ enthusiasm for and interest in writing.

   During the three years that the department has used The Standard Textbook of English, instructors in other departments have reported significant improvement in students’ writing skills. Nicknamed "The Best and the Dullest" the text contains classic essays from both ancient and modern authors and is organized to illustrate the various forms of the essay- such as narration, exposition, and persuasion. The essay average more than 10 pages and almost all are written in a formal style. While students find some of the subjects foreign, they feel the materials covered are often useful in their other coursework.

   A new text, The Modern Writer, contains both an introductions describing the basics of grammar and a number of journalistic essays by contemporary authors. The pieces are typically short (only 2 to 3 pages) and explore topics of interest to most college students, such as popular music and career planning. The style of the essays tends to be informal, even colloquial. Each chapter contains several essays on a given topic and exercises designed to aid students in developing essays of their own. Although the introduction provides an adequate overview of basic grammar, the text does not discuss the essay form.

   范文如下：

   I would urge the English Department to change its English composition textbook from The Standard Textbook of English to The Modern Writer. By helping to make the students more enthusiastic about writing, the new textbook should ultimately boost the students’ writing skills in general.

   To give creditswherescredit is due, we must acknowledge that The Standard Textbook of English is not a bad book. This textbook has shown itself to be somewhat effective in helping to improve the students’ basic writing skills, and it presents a variety of essay forms, exposing the students to different types of essays they have to either write or understand late on. It would be a safe choice for the department to continue its use of this time-tested book.

   But the past glories of the old textbook cannot hide its problems, particularly its dullness. The essays in this textbook are obviously too long for first-year students to appreciate their beauty. While various essay forms are illustrated in this textbook, they are often illustrated with content that students find very hard to relate to. Students using The Standard Textbook of English may have improved their writing skills in the past three years, but if that is true, they must have had a hard time doing so, to the possible detriment of their performance in other areas. Such problems can only be solved with a new textbook like The Modern Writer.

   The Modern Writer is such that it should generate a lot more enthusiasm in students for learning English writing. The essays in this book are much shorter and therefore easier for university beginners to grasp. Moreover, these essays explore topics that are of interest to most college students such as popular music and career planning. Given the built-in appeal in this new textbook, just no student will have to be compelled to read and learn from it. With this book, the students can be expected to learn while they areshavingsfun or at least thinking of issues that they care about. In all likelihood, the enthusiastic student will be a better student than the bored student.

   The Modern Writer should be able to reach students basic writing skills at least as well as, if not better than,The Standard Textbook of English. The new textbook contains not only a good description of the basics of grammar but also carefully designed exercises to aid students in developing their own essays. In contrast, the old textbook may load the students with too much grammar but give them little chance to actually use it. With their enthusiasm and opportunities to practice, students should be able to pick up writing skills fairly easily, even those skills that are not fully covered by the textbook. The interested students can, for example, do their own research on essay forms.

   Although The Standard Textbook of English is okay as a writing textbook, The Modern Writer should now be preferred. The new textbook can match the old one in strength bur does not have its problems. Besides, the new textbook contains qualities that are not only lacking in the old one but also fundamentally important to the learning students.