評論
打印
2、完整性
正像我們前面說得那樣，一個段落的主題思想靠推展句來實現，如果只有主題句而沒有推展句來進一步交待和充實，就不能構成一個完整的段落。同樣，雖然有推展句，但主題思想沒有得到相對圓滿的交待，給讀者一種意猶未盡的感覺。這樣的段落也不能完成其交際功能。例如：
Physical work can be a useful form of therapy for a mind in turmoil. Work concentrates your thoughts on a concrete task. Besides, it is more useful to work ---- you produce something rather than more anxiety or depression.
本段的主題句是段首句。本段的兩個推展句均不能回答主題句中提出的問題。什么是“a mind in turmoil”（心境不平靜）Physical work又如何能改變這種情況？為什么它能起therapy的作用？讀者得不到明確的答案。由于四級統考的作文部分只要求寫一篇100～120個詞的三段式短文，每一段只有大約40個詞左右，因此，要達到完整就必須盡可能地簡明。例如：
It is not always true that a good picture is worth a thousand words. Often writing is much clearer than a picture. It is sometimes difficult to figure out what a picture means, but a careful writer can almost always explain it.
段首句所表達的主題思想是一種看法，必須有具體事例加以驗證。上述兩個推展句只是在文字上對主題作些解釋，整個段落內容空洞，簡而不明。如果用一兩個具體的例子的話，就可以把主題解釋清楚了。比如下段：
It is not always true that a picture is worth a thousand words. Sometimes, pictures are pretty useless things. If you can’t swim and fall in the river and start gulping water, will you be better off to hold up a picture of yourself drowning, or start screaming "Help"?
