例如,当一个中国学生想要表达他非常喜欢一部电影的时候,他可能会不断地罗列他的论点而无法去挖掘、发展他的观点,他会说“I love this movie, and I think it is amazing. No one loves the movie like I do; it is so good and I think it is the best film in this world.”
这样的表达即使用最漂亮的发音呈现出来也显得苍白无力。甚至有的同学将托福口语题目中常出现的一句话“Use specific details and examples to support your opinion.” 当作一句没用的话,殊不知这正是托福口语考试希望同学们做的,用充分的事实去展开。
一个建议的版本可以是这样的,如果想表达很喜欢Forrest Gump《阿甘正传》这部电影,可以说:
“I love this movie because I can learn something about America's history. For example,I know the lost generation and Watergate scandal through this movie. People living in UnitedStates start doubting the policy of government, and of course, how the Vietnam War affected American people's lives. People want to change their attitudes to the war, and look for their own freedom and democracy. So I can have the opportunity to enrich my knowledge concerning this through this masterpiece.”
再举一例,比如谈到一所好的大学需要具备什么样的特点这道题时,会说“The university has a good library.”或“The university has numerous trees.”就此停止了,而没能有理有据地展开。
正确的表述比如:
“My university has a good library, and it is one of the largest and most valuable research libraries in China. It has about 6 million items in its collection, including over 2 million books and pamphlets and thousands of charts, engravings, manuscripts, map and so forth. The library's half million manuscript collection reflects different aspects of Chinese life and culture. And the library has grown so large that it could no longer be housed in one building. Two more buildings were built to accommodate the ever increasing collection in the library. Also, the library is computerized, so students can research the information or E-book freely when the professor assigns the new homework, which makes the use of the library a pleasant experience.”
因为美国人对其背后的原因和条件一无所知,就很难明白你想表达的思想观点,甚至会认为你所表达的观点是荒.唐的。比如说,一个学生在谈到在中国用什么交通工具最好这一问题时,阐述了这一观点“Only the very wealthy people can afford to buy a car.”为了使美国人真正理解这句话,就必须按下面的方法来交代原因和条件:
The living standard in China is still not very high. The average monthly income per person even in large and affluent cities is about 200 U. S. dollars. This income is just enough to cover the family expenses, without any money left for savings. Furthermore, cars in China are far more expensive than in the United States. The cheapest car in China would be about 10,000 dollars. Very few Chinese people can save enough to purchase a car, not to mention the cost of car maintenance.