狼真的来了吗?--解读GRE考试改革（二）

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新GRE作文部分解读

　　文/北京新航道学校GRE主讲：李传伟

　　ETS宣布将在2011年8月1日实行改革以后的GRE考试，其中作文部分也有不小的变化，详述如下：
　　一、目前的GRE作文
　　目前的GRE作文包含两篇，一篇是issue(是非题)，要求就题目发表自己的看法，另一篇是argument(论证题)，要求指出一个段落中的三个主要逻辑错误。由于ETS事先公布了题库，所以考生可以在考前列好写作提纲，甚至背诵自己写好的文章(背诵他人的文章属于抄袭)。而且ETS的题库多年来很少变化，一方面增加考生文章雷同的风险，另一方面随着考生对题库研究的深入，GRE作文考查考生实际分析能力与评判能力的目的很难实现，因为考生们如果针对题库进行充分的准备，取得较高的分数并非难事。针对上述种种弊端，ETS对GRE作文进行了较大的改革。目前的GRE作文的情况如下表所示：
　　GRE作文类型 完成时间 字数要求(笔者建议) 题库数量 写作提示
　　Issue(2选1) 45分钟 至少450以上 243道题阐述并论证自己的观点
　　Argument(1选1) 30分钟 至少350以上 242道题找出主要逻辑错误
　　下面是目前的GRE作文题的形式：
　　Issue:
　　Present your perspective on the issue below, using relevant reasons and/or examples to support your views.
　　"A nation should require all its students to study the same national curriculum until they enter college rather than allow schools in different parts of the nation to determine which academic courses to offer."(通用题库中的第五题，属于issue高频题之一)
　　Argument:
　　Discuss how well reasoned you find this argument.
　　The following appeared in an editorial in the Mason City newspaper.
　　"At present, Mason City residents seldom use the nearby Mason River for any kind of recreational activity, even though surveys of the region’s residents consistently rank water sports (swimming, fishing, and boating) as a favorite form of recreation. Since there have been complaints about the quality of the water in the river, residents must be avoiding the river because they think that it is not clean enough. But that situation is about to change; the agency responsible for rivers in our region has announced plans to clean up Mason River. Therefore, recreational use of the river is likely to increase, so the Mason City council will need to increase its budget for improvements to the publicly owned lands along the Mason River."( 通用题库中的第137题，属于argument高频题之一 )
　　二、改革后的GRE作文
　　简而言之，改革后的GRE作文对写作的要求更加具体化，而不是笼统地要求就一道是非题(issue question)发表看法或指出一个段落中的主要逻辑错误(argument)，这样可以在一定程度上避免背诵事先准备的答案。首先，ETS是否仍然公布题库值得注意。即使公布题库，对原来的题库也会做一些内容上或至少是措词上的修改。其次，要注意ETS对每道题的具体写作要求。例如，以上述的issue题为例，目前的写作要求只是发表自己的看法并加以论证，等于写一篇一般的议论文。同一篇文章，在ETS对新GRE作文的说明中，从措词到写作要求都发生了较大的变化。首先，题目的措词变了(删去了原题的后半部分)：
　　A nation should require all of its students to study the same national curriculum until they enter college.
　　其次，写作要求变了(变为三个具体的要求)：
　　Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the recommendation and explain your reasoning for the position you take. In developing and supporting your position, describe specific circumstances in which adopting the recommendation would or would not be advantageous and explain how these examples shape your position.
　　再以上述的argument题为例，目前的写作要求只是找出段落中的三个主要逻辑错误并加以分析，文章非常格式化。同一道题，在ETS对新GRE作文的说明中，从措词到写作要求都发生了较大的变化。
　　首先，题目的措词变了(变成了一道新题)：
　　In surveys Mason City residents rank water sports (swimming, boating, and fishing) among their favorite recreational activities. The Mason River flowing through the city is rarely used for these pursuits, however, and the city park department devotes little of its budget to maintaining riverside recreational facilities. For years there have been complaints from residents about the quality of the river’s water and the river’s smell. In response, the state has recently announced plans to clean up Mason River. Use of the river for water sports is, therefore, sure to increase. The city government should for that reason devote more money in this year’s budget to riverside recreational facilities.
　　其次，写作要求变了(以分析原文的假设为核心)：
　　Write a response in which you examine the stated and/or unstated assumptions of the argument. Be sure to explain how the argument depends on the assumptions and what the implications are if the assumptions prove unwarranted.
　　以上是对新GRE作文的简要介绍。关于新GRE作文的有效应对策略，请继续关注我们的系列文章——“狼真的来了吗”。

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