手把手教你三步寫好一篇不拿高分沒道理的SAT ESSAY
sat考試改革
在準備新SAT寫作考試時，無論是日常習作或是考試現場，考生首先要做的一件事都是仔細揣摩作者意圖。思考作者是怎樣在文中搭建論據論點，並最終為全文邏輯服務的。
而你行文時使用的論點應當同時滿足兩個條件，一是恰好能為作者的問題給出答案，二是在表意清楚的前提下儘可能地簡明扼要，避免為了追求語句華麗而堆疊詞句。考生需要始終記住的一點是，一個強有力的論點應當首先是為整篇文章邏輯服務的一部分，其次才是贏取滿意分數的工具。
美國大學理事會認為考生在組織語言成文前應當考慮加入文章中的幾點是：證據、有邏輯的論據和有說服力的文體風格。在修辭學上，以上幾點都是成就一篇文章不可或缺的因素。
以美國大學理事會官網給出的例題為例：
prompt：
As you read the passage below, consider how Paul Bogard uses
evidence, such as facts or examples, to support claims.
reasoning to develop ideas and to connect claims and evidence.
stylistic or persuasive elements, such as word choice or appeals to emotion, to add power to the ideas expressed.
Adapted from Paul Bogard, Let There Be Dark. 2012 by Los Angeles Times. Originally published December 21, 2012.
At my family s cabin on a Minnesota lake, I knew woods so dark that my hands disappeared before my eyes. I knew night skies in which meteors left smoky trails across sugary spreads of stars. But now, when 8 of 10 children born in the United States will never know a sky dark enough for the Milky Way, I worry we are rapidly losing night s natural darkness before realizing its worth. This winter solstice, as we cheer the days gradual movement back toward light, let us also remember the irreplaceable value of darkness.
All life evolved to the steady rhythm of bright days and dark nights. Today, though, when we feel the closeness of nightfall, we reach quickly for a light switch. And too little darkness, meaning too much artificial light at night, spells trouble for all.
Already the World Health Organization classifies working the night shift as a probable human carcinogen, and the American Medical Association has voiced its unanimous support for light pollution reduction efforts and glare reduction efforts at both the national and state levels. Our bodies need darkness to produce the hormone melatonin, which keeps certain cancers from developing, and our bodies need darkness for sleep. Sleep disorders have been linked to diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease and depression, and recent research suggests one main cause of short sleep is long light. Whether we work at night or simply take our tablets, notebooks and smartphones to bed, there isn t a place for this much artificial light in our lives.
The rest of the world depends on darkness as well, including nocturnal and crepuscular species of birds, insects, mammals, fish and reptiles. Some examples are well known the 400 species of birds that migrate at night in North America, the sea turtles that come ashore to lay their eggs and some are not, such as the bats that save American farmers billions in pest control and the moths that pollinate 80% of the world s flora. Ecological light pollution is like the bulldozer of the night, wrecking habitat and disrupting ecosystems several billion years in the making. Simply put, without darkness, Earth s ecology would collapse....
In today s crowded, louder, more fast-paced world, night s darkness can provide solitude, quiet and stillness, qualities increasingly in short supply. Every religious tradition has considered darkness invaluable for a soulful life, and the chance to witness the universe has inspired artists, philosophers and everyday stargazers since time began. In a world awash with electric would Van Gogh have given the world his Starry Night ? Who knows what this vision of the night sky might inspire in each of us, in our children or grandchildren?
Yet all over the world, our nights are growing brighter. In the United States and Western Europe, the amount of light in the sky increases an average of about 6% every year. Computer images of the United States at night, based on NASA photographs, show that what was a very dark country as recently as the 1950s is now nearly covered with a blanket of light. Much of this light is wasted energy, which means wasted dollars. Those of us over 35 are perhaps among the last generation to have known truly dark nights. Even the northern lake wher I was lucky to spend my summers has seen its darkness diminish.
It doesn t have to be this way. Light pollution is readily within our ability to solve, using new lighting technologies and shielding existing lights. Already, many cities and towns across North America and Europe are changing to LED streetlights, which offer dramatic possibilities for controlling wasted light. Other communities are finding success with simply turning off portions of their public lighting after midnight. Even Paris, the famed city of light, which already turns off its monument lighting after 1 a.m., will this summer start to require its shops, offices and public buildings to turn off lights after 2 a.m. Though primarily designed to save energy, such reductions in light will also go far in addressing light pollution. But we will never truly address the problem of light pollution until we become aware of the irreplaceable value and beauty of the darkness we are losing.
Write an essay in which you explain how Paul Bogard builds an argument to persuade his audience that natural darkness should be preserved. In your essay, analyze how Bogard uses one or more of the features in the directions that precede the passage (or features of your own choice) to strengthen the logic and persuasiveness of his argument. Be sure that your analysis focuses on the most relevant features of the passage.
Your essay should not explain whether you agree with Bogard s claims, but rather explain how Bogard builds an argument to persuade his audience.
看完這篇文章，你也許會被Paul Bogard晦澀的行文風格難住，無法理解他究竟是怎麼論證自己的觀點 Let There Be Dark 。你破題的中心觀點也許是Paul Bogard在本文中使用了一些事實來渲染情緒。這個想法看起來有點粗糙，但確實表達了你對文章和作者的理解。值得注意的一點是，這句話並不涉及你是否同意作者的觀點，也並不要求你表達自己對黑暗的理解和感受。不同於2016年之前SAT考試中對寫作的要求，新版寫作的評分體系會考生本人的觀點除了分析文章和修辭技巧以外，並沒有什麼發揮的餘地。
第一步，簡明扼要的論點
在準備新SAT寫作考試時，無論是日常習作或是考試現場，考生首先要做的一件事都是仔細揣摩作者意圖。思考作者是怎樣在文中搭建論據論點，並最終為全文邏輯服務的。
而你行文時使用的論點應當同時滿足兩個條件，一是恰好能為作者的問題給出答案，二是在表意清楚的前提下儘可能地簡明扼要，避免為了追求語句華麗而堆疊詞句。考生需要始終記住的一點是，一個強有力的論點應當首先是為整篇文章邏輯服務的一部分，其次才是贏取滿意分數的工具。
美國大學理事會認為考生在組織語言成文前應當考慮加入文章中的幾點是：證據、有邏輯的論據和有說服力的文體風格。在修辭學上，以上幾點都是成就一篇文章不可或缺的因素。
以美國大學理事會官網給出的例題為例：
prompt：
As you read the passage below, consider how Paul Bogard uses
evidence, such as facts or examples, to support claims.
reasoning to develop ideas and to connect claims and evidence.
stylistic or persuasive elements, such as word choice or appeals to emotion, to add power to the ideas expressed.
Adapted from Paul Bogard, Let There Be Dark. 2012 by Los Angeles Times. Originally published December 21, 2012.
At my family s cabin on a Minnesota lake, I knew woods so dark that my hands disappeared before my eyes. I knew night skies in which meteors left smoky trails across sugary spreads of stars. But now, when 8 of 10 children born in the United States will never know a sky dark enough for the Milky Way, I worry we are rapidly losing night s natural darkness before realizing its worth. This winter solstice, as we cheer the days gradual movement back toward light, let us also remember the irreplaceable value of darkness.
All life evolved to the steady rhythm of bright days and dark nights. Today, though, when we feel the closeness of nightfall, we reach quickly for a light switch. And too little darkness, meaning too much artificial light at night, spells trouble for all.
Already the World Health Organization classifies working the night shift as a probable human carcinogen, and the American Medical Association has voiced its unanimous support for light pollution reduction efforts and glare reduction efforts at both the national and state levels. Our bodies need darkness to produce the hormone melatonin, which keeps certain cancers from developing, and our bodies need darkness for sleep. Sleep disorders have been linked to diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease and depression, and recent research suggests one main cause of short sleep is long light. Whether we work at night or simply take our tablets, notebooks and smartphones to bed, there isn t a place for this much artificial light in our lives.
The rest of the world depends on darkness as well, including nocturnal and crepuscular species of birds, insects, mammals, fish and reptiles. Some examples are well known the 400 species of birds that migrate at night in North America, the sea turtles that come ashore to lay their eggs and some are not, such as the bats that save American farmers billions in pest control and the moths that pollinate 80% of the world s flora. Ecological light pollution is like the bulldozer of the night, wrecking habitat and disrupting ecosystems several billion years in the making. Simply put, without darkness, Earth s ecology would collapse....
In today s crowded, louder, more fast-paced world, night s darkness can provide solitude, quiet and stillness, qualities increasingly in short supply. Every religious tradition has considered darkness invaluable for a soulful life, and the chance to witness the universe has inspired artists, philosophers and everyday stargazers since time began. In a world awash with electric would Van Gogh have given the world his Starry Night ? Who knows what this vision of the night sky might inspire in each of us, in our children or grandchildren?
Yet all over the world, our nights are growing brighter. In the United States and Western Europe, the amount of light in the sky increases an average of about 6% every year. Computer images of the United States at night, based on NASA photographs, show that what was a very dark country as recently as the 1950s is now nearly covered with a blanket of light. Much of this light is wasted energy, which means wasted dollars. Those of us over 35 are perhaps among the last generation to have known truly dark nights. Even the northern lake wher I was lucky to spend my summers has seen its darkness diminish.
It doesn t have to be this way. Light pollution is readily within our ability to solve, using new lighting technologies and shielding existing lights. Already, many cities and towns across North America and Europe are changing to LED streetlights, which offer dramatic possibilities for controlling wasted light. Other communities are finding success with simply turning off portions of their public lighting after midnight. Even Paris, the famed city of light, which already turns off its monument lighting after 1 a.m., will this summer start to require its shops, offices and public buildings to turn off lights after 2 a.m. Though primarily designed to save energy, such reductions in light will also go far in addressing light pollution. But we will never truly address the problem of light pollution until we become aware of the irreplaceable value and beauty of the darkness we are losing.
Write an essay in which you explain how Paul Bogard builds an argument to persuade his audience that natural darkness should be preserved. In your essay, analyze how Bogard uses one or more of the features in the directions that precede the passage (or features of your own choice) to strengthen the logic and persuasiveness of his argument. Be sure that your analysis focuses on the most relevant features of the passage.
Your essay should not explain whether you agree with Bogard s claims, but rather explain how Bogard builds an argument to persuade his audience.
看完這篇文章，你也許會被Paul Bogard晦澀的行文風格難住，無法理解他究竟是怎麼論證自己的觀點 Let There Be Dark 。你破題的中心觀點也許是Paul Bogard在本文中使用了一些事實來渲染情緒。這個想法看起來有點粗糙，但確實表達了你對文章和作者的理解。值得注意的一點是，這句話並不涉及你是否同意作者的觀點，也並不要求你表達自己對黑暗的理解和感受。不同於2016年之前SAT考試中對寫作的要求，新版寫作的評分體系會考生本人的觀點除了分析文章和修辭技巧以外，並沒有什麼發揮的餘地。
第二步，完整嚴密的證據鏈條
你的論點應當是整篇文章的靈魂和支撐點，為全文的主體結構指定了方向。僅就上文提到的例題而言，僅僅摘錄原文作為依據提供 動人的語言 和 有據可查的事實 是遠遠不夠的，你還需要分析你自己的例子來佐證作者總領全文的論點。
在 Let There Be Dark 這篇文章的開篇，Bogard回憶了他在明尼蘇達州度過的童年，他使用了 meteors left smoky trails across sugary spreads of stars. 來形容童年記憶中天空的黑暗。
這是一段典型的、十分動人的文字。效用是可以迅速營造場景，同化讀者的思緒，讓讀者從文字裡感受到他腦海中再現的童年景緻。他描述的場面被文字生動起來，並幫助讀者感受到了幾十年前，光汙染還不甚嚴重時那個黑漆漆的曼妙夜空。而你可能也需要注意到Bogard使用了sugar這個詞，與童年相呼應，強調了仙境的夢幻感。
需要再次重申，一定不要僅僅只是在文中羅列範例，相反，應當提出一個簡單明晰的二級論點來總結你的廢話。以上文舉例，對於上一段我們著意分析的這句話，你可以這樣在文中體現你的觀點，即， The author uses powerful imagery that calls readers to imagine a vanishing world of childlike awe rooted in the beauty and mystery of the night sky.
你需要做的是重複作者說了什麼，怎麼說的，這句話的深意是什麼以及這個片段是怎樣與全文融為一體的。
而在考試作文提示(prompts)中提及的元素通常是最容易被考生化為己用的行文結構，如果時間實在緊迫，閱讀全文有困難，也可以從prompts中敲定你的二級論點，你需要關注的是作者選擇了哪些事實來支援他的觀點，你的分析就應當主要圍繞這些事實展開。
而往下梳理例題線索，我們不難發現作者使用的論據出現了導向分化，所以需要馬上為這個現象做一個總結， Certain facts establish that the night sky is growing brighter and that lack of darkness has a negative impact on health.
最後，你需要關注的地方則是作者為什麼選擇這些論據來支援自己的觀點，為什麼又提到了健康而非只說美學這一個觀點?他本可以簡單的論證光汙染使我們失去了美麗的夜空，但他又提到了光汙染對健康的影響，那麼根據這些證據判斷，他的文章說服力是更強了還是更弱了呢?
這都是考生需要思考並融入文中的。最後，需要考生確保自己留足了時間來撰寫一個說服力足夠強大的結論，用以收攏前文千頭萬緒的線索文思。這一點說起來容易做起來卻難，考生常常由於時間緊迫或是全域性觀欠缺等因素，在文章的最後只是簡單總結了自己的觀點，而忽略了一個點睛之筆對全文的昇華作用。
第三步，無懈可擊的結論
最後，需要考生確保自己留足了時間來撰寫一個說服力足夠強大的結論，用以收攏前文千頭萬緒的線索文思。這一點說起來容易做起來卻難，考生常常由於時間緊迫或是全域性觀欠缺等因素，在文章的最後只是簡單總結了自己的觀點，而忽略了一個點睛之筆對全文的昇華作用。
也許會有考生抱怨自己文采不夠，很難在有限的時間裡想出一個足夠耀眼的點睛之筆，那麼不如嘗試使用一個總結段落來代替。相信我，即使文采不夠亮眼，但總結段落的重要性是不言而喻的 這是一個讓結論與正文粘合在一起的絕佳方法。
而對於例題來說，結尾段可以這樣寫： Bogard's essay called on powerful imagery of a magical childhood under assault from a flood of wasteful and unnecessary light. The mix of cold, hard facts with emotionally intense language builds to a whole that is stronger than the sum of its parts.
