1. Do you like your university?
這道題之前省略了兩個必答題:Are you a student? Where are you studying now? 鑒于問題的私人性質,問題和參考答案我們略過。當被問及是否喜歡某人某事時,一定有一個隱藏問題“Why”,在這里我們借鑒兩個不同的回答——肯定的和否定的,希望考生明白一個道理:面對“Yes/No question”時,先不要急于給出答案,想好自己的理由,重點在于怎樣更有利于表達,而不是一定是自己的真實想法。
Candidate 1: I fall in love with my university at first sight and this love is on the rise as I know further about her. Thanks to my university, my college life is truly colorful. What's of vital importance is that she provides me with an outstanding academic atmosphere(學術氛圍). I am able to communicate with talanted and passionate(有激情的) people such as my professors and classmates who share the same interests with me. What's more, I am offered lots of chances to choose the societies(社團) I like. Through the learning in my university and participating in(參與) the activities organized by the societies, I really have broadened my horizons and made many good friends. They all help me develop myself into a well-rounded(全面的) person. I am grateful to my university.
Candidate 1思路清晰,表達生動。“我對我的學校一見鐘情……”一個有趣的開頭有可能更好地吸引考官耐心地聽下去,正所謂“Well begun, half done”;而其中What's of vital importance is that...句型和連接詞What's more的使用很好地劃分了兩個層次,即喜歡校園生活的兩個原因;最后以對學校的感謝收尾再次點題。
Candidate 2: Honestly speaking, I don't like my university because the schoolyard is too small and it's not very beautiful. Moreover, the conditions of our dormitory(學生宿舍) can't satisfy our needs. Actually it's not as good as that of my high school. As it's impossible to change the realities, I've tried my best to adapt myself to the new life. Besides study, I also find something to enrich my life. Last semester(學期), I joined the Students' Union(學生會), and we organized several extracurricular activities, which had made my school life more colorful and chanllenging(有挑戰性的).
Candidate 2很巧妙地從對校園生活的不滿過渡到自己良好的適應能力上,Honestly speaking和Actually在口語中的自然使用增加了交流的真實可信,Moreover有效地劃分了層次,最后非限制性定語從句的使用為表達增色不少。
2. Is there anything you don't like about your study?
學習生活總會遇到不盡如人意的地方??偟膩碚f,這是一道希望考生做肯定回答的考題。但是也有不排除有固執的考生全盤推翻,認為學習是世上最大的享受,并無任何不滿。
Candidate 1: I enjoy a great number of good things in my study, but there is still one thing that disturbs me a lot when I am conducting Physics experiments(做實驗). Because the updating of the equipments in the lab fails to keep up with(與……保持同步) the development of science, I always face the difficulty that the equipments described in my textbook cannot match that in reality. It is annoying.
簡單明了,第一句的轉折起到欲抑先揚的作用。對待這種問題筆者就建議考生抱怨不要太多,點到為止,否則可能上升到生活態度(attitude toward life)的問題。
Candidate 2: Yes, there is. Firstly, the course selective system(選課系統) is not good. We always don't have the chance to choose the subjects we really like. Secondly, there are too many students in a class. Sometimes, we can't even find a seat. It's overcrowded(過于擁擠的). Thirdly, in class, some students don't leave time for us to think deeply. What is more, when the professors could even get higher marks than those written by honest students. In addition, I think some contents in the textbooks are of no use in the future. They are either too theoretical or too academic in practice. But we have to spend so much time in reading them. It's so boring.
大量的短語的使用讓Candidate 2的抱怨顯得有些孩子氣,五個層次的準備無論是從說話人的記憶角度還是對聽眾的耐心來說都略顯瑣碎了,可以再精減一些,但是事實上短句在保證流暢性的前提下并不會太大程度上影響考生的分值。
3. How's your college life?
應該說“How”開頭的問題要比“Yes/No question" 要求更高,因為這個題目可以涵蓋后兩個方面,即要求答題者不僅要解釋校園生活是否認同及其原因,更要展開描述目前的學習生活狀態和情感。
Candidate 1: I am a freshman. University life is new and different experience for me. First of all, it gives me a sense of responsibility(責任感). Living away from home creates a good chance for me to cultivate my sense of independence. Since my parents are not by my side, everything has to be handled by myself. I have to arrange my schedule of study. I have to set side(放置在一邊) enough money for an emergency. I have to learn to open my bank account and spend my money resonably(合理地,適度地). In a word, I have to make my own decisions. I do like my university life even though I feel a little bored once in a while because of hard study. Although I like university, I can still get homesick. After all, this is the first time I have to live on my own.
Candidate 1首先聲明,“我是新手啊”,所以校園里的一切都是新鮮的,回答聽起來很自然。他對校園生活最主要的感受是獨立性和責任感的提高,接著舉例說明表現在生活和學習兩個方面,然后用in a word對這一部分簡單總結。隨后接連著兩個讓步從句even though...; Although...表達了兩個小小的遺憾,最后自己打個圓場:畢竟是第一次離家嘛。
Candidate 2: To be honest, life in the university is not as comfortable as I expected. Firstly, we are heavily burdened with(超負荷的) many classes, excessive homework and examinations, which keeps us working hard from morning till night. Secondly, the old conversation teaching method is too dull. We are fed like ducks or rather containers, listening to the teachers all the time in class, being busy taking notes(做筆記). Our brains become numb because of the mechanical acceptance of knowledge. And such days repeat day after day, week after week, and year after year. It is simply tiresome. And the food in the university canteen can seldom be tasty(美味的) enough. Whenever dinnertime comes I can't help thinking of the food made by my mother. Finally, the living condition here is much worse than that of my home. I have to share a dorm with at least other four roomates. It is usually crowded with our personal belonglings. Nobody has his own privacy(個人隱私) living in such a dorm. In brief, I don't think life in the university is wonderful.
抱怨的高手是善于博得對方的認同甚至是同情。To be honest, Frankly speaking, To tell the truth是表達不同意見的常用短語,闡明立場后,Candidate 2從學習內容、學習方法、飲食和住宿四個方面有力地支持了自己的論點,最后用in brief再次呼應開頭的立論,回答完整清晰。