托福口语如何把握好句子关系
托福口语如何把握好句子关系?小编整理了一些攻略口语的方法,下面小编就和大家分享,来欣赏一下吧。
托福口语如何把握好句子关系
Women could and did play a part in this process of settlement. Iceland, for instance, was uninhabited, and a permanent population could only be established if women also made the journey there. (后一句的具体事例为前一句提供说明与解释。
People borrowed more and more money so that they could buy these shares. Because of this, the American people started to believe that share prices could only go up further. (“because of”明显的因果关系)
Astronomy is a science that deals with all the celestial bodies in the universe. Astronomy includes the study of planets and their satellites, comets and meteors, stars and interstellar matter, star systems and clusters. (后一句是对前一句celestial bodies 的进一步解释)
Previously it was believed that due to the Archaeopteryx’s (始祖鸟) underdeveloped anatomy, it would not have been able to fly. However, research by the London Natural History Museum into its brain developed and that it had good vision and a good sense of balance —all the requirements for a creature to be able to fly. (“However”转折对比)
阅读时,我们可以根据段落中出现的一些信号词(Signal Words)来判断句子与句子之间的关系,掌握段落发展线索,来调整阅读速度,提高阅读质量。
1.显示相同信息的信号词:
There has been an upsurge of interest in chamber music. Likewise opera is receiving a boost from increased record sales.'
“likewise”这一信号词显示了前面所提到的idea后面还要再一次出现。因此,阅读时见到这样的信号词无须放慢阅读速度。这样的信号词还包括:
and, furthermore, more, than, that, also, likewise, moreover, in addition, what is more, for instance, for example
2.显示思路转折的信号词:
I’d like to go but I’m too busy.
“but”前后是完全不同的信息描述,它向读者显示了作者的思路在这里有了转折。阅读时,碰到这样的信号词我们需放慢阅读速度,以准确获取作者真正想要说明的意思。这类信号词还有:
although, however, on the contrary, but, in spite of, otherwise, despite, nevertheless, yet
3.显示因果关系的信号词:
As a result of the pilots’ strike, all flights have had to be cancelled.
All flights have had to be cancelled as a result of the pilots’ strike.
所有航班被取消的原因是因为飞行员们的罢工;飞行员们的罢工导致了所有的航班不得不被取消。显示因果关系的信号词还有:
for, thus, because, for this reason, so, therefore, as, since, consequently
4.显示顺序的信号词:
Internet speeds communication between companies, among co-workers through video-conferences, and among other individuals. First, media companies use the Internet for online news, or to broadcast audio and video, including live radio and television programs, while individuals use the Internet for communication, entertainment, finding information, buying and selling goods and services. Second, the notion of distance disappears thanks to the Internet. People also enjoy instant messaging to exchange text messages or pictures in real time, with real-time video and sound. Finally, scientists and scholars use the Internet to perform research, distribute lecture notes or course materials to students, they communicate with colleagues, and can also publish papers and articles.
抓住了这样的信号词就把握住了作者叙述的顺序,也就分清了相对独立的论据。这样的信号词包括:
first, second, third, and so on, then, after, before, next, last, afterward, finally
5.表示结论/总结的信号词:
In conclusion, I would like to say how much I have enjoyed myself today.
词组“in conclusion”前面所提到的一些信息将在这里被归纳总结。读到带有这样的信号词或短语的句子时,应格外留心注意,它们往往会向我们提示相关段落的核心信息。表示结论或总结的信号词和短语还有:
as a result, finally, therefore, accordingly, in short, thus, consequently, in conclusion, so, in brief, in a word
托福口语如何加强连贯性
1. 运用总分总的结构
Your listeners will understand your talk better if you organize what you say in a logical sequence or linear pattern. This means that you tell the listeners what you are going to talk about and then go through the points you want to make. The most common pattern of organization is outlined below:
Introductory statement
Point 1
Point 2
Point 3
Concluding statement
An example of this pattern is shown below:
Breeding butterflies has many advantages for the collector.
1. way of obtaining specimens
2. spares can be released into the wild
3. helps survival because butterflies have been protected from natural predators
The experience is a learning experience for the collector and a benefit to the species.
2. 运用连接词
Connecting ideas by using transition words and phrases tells your listeners the relationship of one idea to the next. You can signal to your listener that you are going to put events in a sequence, add information, or make a comparison. You can signal that you want to emphasize or clarify a point. Using transition words and phrases helps your listener follow the flow of your ideas. Read the following example without transitional expressions:
In my physics class, we did lots of experiments that helped clarify scientific principles. I understood those principles better by doing those experiments.
These sentences would flow better if the speaker used transitional expressions as in the following example:
In my physics class, we did lots of experiments that helped clarify scientific principles. As a result, I understood those principles better.
3. 解释或定义陌生概念
In order to help your listeners understand, you may need to define a term that you use in your response. Read the following example:
My hobby is telemark skiing.
If the speaker does not define the term and listeners do not know what telemark skiing is, they might not understand the rest of the passage. Sometimes listeners can guess the meaning through the context of the passage, but sometimes they cannot. Here is the definition this speaker gave of telemark skiing:
That means skiing using telemark skis.
Even though the speaker defined telemark skiing, listeners still may not understand what it means because the speaker defined the term with the same word. To effectively define a word, use a three-part definition:
1. State the word or phrase to be defined.
2. Give the category that the word or phrase fits into.
3. Tell how the word is different from other words that fit the same category.
Read this example of an effective definition:
Telemark is a type of alpine skiing in which the boots are connected to the skis only at
the toes, so traditional skiing techniques have to be modified.
4. 正确使用平行结构
Your listener can understand the flow of your ideas better if you use parallel structures when you speak. Read the following incorrect example:
My teacher gave interesting assignments and motivating the students.
The listener may be confused because the speaker has mixed different grammatical structures. Does the speaker mean My teacher gave interesting and motivating assignments to the students'? In this sentence, interesting and motivating are parallel adjectives. Or does the speaker mean My teacher gave interesting assignments and motivated the students? In this sentence, gave and motivated are parallel verbs.
5. 对关键词进行替换或同义转换
When a speaker keeps repeating a word or phrase, listeners can get confused. Read the following example:
My teacher wrote the assignment on the chalkboard. The assignment was on the chalkboard until the teacher erased the assignment after we had all done the assignment.
This speaker's ideas would be clearer if the repeated words were replaced with other expressions or with pronouns. Look at the way this example can be improved:
My teacher wrote the assignment on the chalkboard. She erased the board after we had all completed the task.
The word assignment has been replaced with task; the word teacher with she; and the word chalkboard with board.
6. 时态、人称和数量的统一
Your listener can get confused if you are not consistent. Look at the following example:
My teacher brought five paper bags to school one day. He put us into groups and gave each group a bag. You have to take the objects out of the bags in turn and then a person has to tell a story involving the object from the bag.
The listener may get confused by the change from the past tense to the present tense, and the change from us to you and then to a person. The listener might also be confused by the change from the plural form objects and bags to the singular forms object and bag.
托福口语考试如何避免误区
第一大误区是先Beat around the bush,再渐渐切入正题,最后才做出较为精准的总结。这显然与以汉语为母语的语言交流习惯有关,这在平时的一般交流中或许不那么致命,甚至有些英语为母语的人平时讲话也有这种习惯,但是新托福考试的答题时间只有一分钟甚至是45秒,在这么少的答题时间里这样做,就无异于浪费宝贵的答题时间,将60秒或45秒的可用来得分的空间缩小到30秒甚至是20秒,使整个答案的质量大打折扣。
第二大误区是毫无计划地想到哪,说到哪,甚至中途改变主意,否定前面所说内容,做出一个自相矛盾的答案。对于ETS的命题者来说,这两种误区都恰恰暴露了中国学生没有受过系统的Presentation训练的弱点。要知道,在西方特别是北美,这是一项从中小学就开始注重培养的跨学科的综合技能。
怎样避免误区:
下面就结合新托福口语的第一大题型——独立问答题作以解析:
Describe a class you have taken in school and explain why the class was important to you. Include details and examples to support your explanation.
Preparation time: 15 seconds
Response time: 45 seconds
阅读题干应该在5秒内完成,这样就能保证在答题之前有20秒的时间(包括narrator读题时间)进行brain-storming.有关在学校上过的一门课的重要性不外乎从以下几个方面来叙述。
第一,这门课对于其它后续课的奠基作用
第二,所积累的知识对于今后实际运用的指导作用;第三,对于个人综合素质及品位提高的作用。
为什么要分成这么多点论述呢?因为如果只就一个要点深入阐述,很容易走题或进入一个英语无法表达的死角;同时分成若干点还便于控制时间。比如这道题目的45秒答题时间可以分配给每个分点10秒,这样就不会过早或过晚地完成整个答题的语言结构。
至于选什么课来说则遵循什么容易就讲什么的原则,这是因为新托福口语考试和ETS其它考试一样是不需要任何专业背景知识的。因此,考生大可以谈一些中学里学过的主课,如数学、语文和外语,而避免谈大学里的专业课,如生物、化学及各类工程类课程等。
在开始答题的时候,应首先说出一句Topic Sentence,点出这门课的名称。如果准备不是很充分,为了避免出现答题空白,可以附带交代这门课的背景信息,如何时选修的、哪位教授任课,但一定要控制在10秒以内。这种技能叫Skill of Buying Time。随后,三条理由依次列出,切不可忘记Important才是论述的核心,千万不能无意中转而强调这门课Difficult或Interesting。
附:本题参考答案
In my previous studies at college, there are quite a few importance courses and one of the most important one of them, if I had to choose one, would be Calculus. Well, as I am an engineering major, in my curriculum there are many courses requiring complicated calculation, equation deduction and math model building. All these need knowledge in calculus as a foundation. Besides, mastery of some quantitative analysis methods will greatly benefit my ability to make a sensible judgment in a complex situation in workplace, no matter what job I"ll take up in the future. Finally, without a good sense of advanced mathematics, I will not be able to appreciate the beauty of symmetry in many artistic forms.
托福口语语音的重要性
既然是口语考试,当然要考核考生的发音。然而,在托福考试中,考生讲话的时候,带一点口音是没有问题的——事实上,几乎所有的外语使用者都或多或少带有一些自己特定的口音——在《新托福考试官方指南》附带的CD光盘中,可以找到若干个口语考试的录音Sample,大抵听上一遍之后就会发现那些得了满分的考生,都各自有各自的特殊口音,他们的发音都不够标准、不够地道,然而这个事实并未影响他们获得满分;这是因为托福考试并不要求考生发音“标准、地道”,即便是4分(满分)评分标准中也只要求“ highly intelligible”。
音节读得不准和读错是两回事儿。比如把“China”读成“揣拿”、把“twitter”读成“推特”或“推特尔”这是读得不够准,带有 “Chinglish”的口音,但是把“ China”读成“吹呢”或者把“twitter”读成“维特尔”就是彻 底读错了。在托福考试中,读得不准是可以接受的,只要不至于夸张到每个音节都读得不准。但是读错就致命了,因为把单词读错,会造成考官很可能误解考生话语的含义,而如果读错的单词数量积累到一定程度,考官就可能彻底无法考生话语的含义。
重音把握错误是更为严重、也更为常见的现象。“specific” 这个词,很多中国学生都读成/?spes?f?k/,首先是第一个音节的/?/错读为/e/,而更为严重的是把原本在第二个音节的重音给挪到第一个音节上 去了。很多单词都有若干个不同词性的衍生词,由于音节数量发生了变化,于是重音所在也往往会发生变化(有时还伴随着某些音节中的元音发生变化),请看economy、economics、economist、economical这 几个单词,它们的重音分别都在哪里呢?
读者可以想象一下如果一位外国人说中文的时候提到“窦娥冤”……她要是把这个词读成“du yuán”,我们基本上还是听得懂的,甚至谈不上需要什么猜测(这相当于我们中国人讲英语有“口音”);她要是把这个词读成“ ku yuān”,我们也不一定是完全听不懂,因为根据后面 的“ yuān”,八九不离十我们还是可以猜得出来她想说的是什么,并且甚至可能宽宏大量地想“唉,这个字我小时候也读错过……”但 是如若她说的竟然是“ ku yuán” ——任凭我们如何“智能”也很难一下子弄明白她说的究竟是什么……
所以,平日里就要养成良好的习惯,每学一个单词,就最好查查词典,把每个单词的读音都搞清楚,包括那些曲折变化和衍生词的读音、以及多音节单词的重音究竟 在哪里(英文单词的重音所在就与中文汉字读音中的声调一样重要)。大多人觉得这个很麻烦,所以不做。结果没过多久,就发展到只有视觉记忆而全无听觉记忆的 词汇量积累到根本无法重建的地步,而其后一生都要因此吃亏。
为了使自己有足够正确的、不至于让别人完全无法读懂的语音,自我训练的方法其实只有一个,跟读。
另外一个使语流难以理解的因素,也是更重要、更普遍的因素,是不 合理的意群划分。在自然语流之中,人们使用长短不一的停顿来划分意群。在讲外语的时候,意群划分不合理,在不恰当之处出现停顿,甚至是很长的停顿(往往是因为突然想不起来该说的词是什么或者怎 么说了),往往会造成不可修复的(至少是难以修复)的缺陷——对方不仅要耗费很大的力气,还要有足够的耐心(以及大多数人都不怎么样的“短期记忆力”)才 能够完全理解那断断续续的语流。
很多人在自我训练过程中不太在意意群划分和停顿位置的原因可能在于,在母语习得过程中,意群的划分、语流中的停顿,这些都是不知不觉学会的——靠大量的语 言运用(当然还有模仿)“自然而然”习得的;因此人们从未觉得有什么必要在学外语的时候要在这方面进行刻意训练。但正因为我们没机会靠环境“潜移默化”地 搞定这事儿,所以只好通过“刻意的自我训练”来弥补。所以,在练习跟读(乃至于后来的朗读)的时候,一定要多花一些额外的时间精力关注录音中的意群划分与 语流中的停顿。
在托福口语评分标准中,如果考生录音的语流中出现了“noticeable lapse”[1] 的话,其他方面无论多好,都可能会因此难以获得满分(4分)、最多能得到的成绩是3分。而语流中出现所谓的“noticeable lapse” 的根源就在于考生平时不注重语流中的停顿,在不该停顿的时候乱停顿,而在该停顿的时候又不停顿——误以为说的快就是流利。
说得快与说得流利不是一回事儿。事实上,我们总是劝解学生有意识地放慢语速。而这样一个看起来没什么大不了的建议,能够带来的效果却是惊人的:因为说得慢一点,所以就不会“来不及思考”,于是就有了更多的精力去“良好地组织内容”(满分评分标准中的“ good control of basic and complex structures as appropriate”、 “well developed and coherent”,以及“relationships between ideas are clear”);另外一方面,由于说得慢一点(实际上只是“感觉慢”而非真正慢),所以,很容易做到吐字清晰,即满分评分标准中的“ clear speech”,“highly intelligible”)。