新SAT寫(xiě)作證據(jù)分析之例證

在議論文寫(xiě)作中，Example(例子)是經(jīng)常使用的一種論證形式。作者往往會(huì)給讀者呈現(xiàn)具體的細(xì)節(jié)，從而證明自己觀點(diǎn)的正確性。本文將給大家?guī)?lái)例證的分析解讀，從而使大家更好的完成新SAT寫(xiě)作。

請(qǐng)閱讀下面從文章中節(jié)選的段落：

The rest of the world depends on darkness as well, including nocturnal and crepuscular species of birds, insects, mammals, fish and reptiles. Some examples are well known—the 400 species of birds that migrate at night in North America, the sea turtles that come ashore to lay their eggs—and some are not, such as the bats that save American farmers billions in pest control and the moths that pollinate 80% of the world’s flora. Ecological light pollution is like the bulldozer of the night, wrecking habitat and disrupting ecosystems several billion years in the making. Simply put, without darkness, Earth’s ecology would collapse . . . .

在上面這段話中，為了說(shuō)明黑暗對(duì)于動(dòng)物的重要性，作者列舉了若干個(gè)例子：Some examples are well known—the 400 species of birds that migrate at night in North America, the sea turtles that come ashore to lay their eggs—and some are not, such as the bats that save American farmers billions in pest control and the moths that pollinate 80% of the world’s flora. 這里，作者通過(guò)幾個(gè)例子說(shuō)明了各種動(dòng)物是如何依賴(lài)黑暗生存及在生物圈做出貢獻(xiàn)的。所以很明顯地屬于example。在識(shí)別了該證據(jù)形式之后，考試需要寫(xiě)出證據(jù)的內(nèi)容，由于選文的信息比較多，考生可以對(duì)于例子的內(nèi)容進(jìn)行總結(jié)(summarize)：The writer lists examples of how some particular species (birds, turtles, bats and moths) rely on darkness to survive and contribute to human beings in the ecological cycle.

最后需要去分析該例子的作用。作者列舉這幾個(gè)例子的目的是為了證明本段開(kāi)頭的觀點(diǎn)(The rest of the world depends on darkness as well)，即動(dòng)物們也是需要黑暗環(huán)境的。通過(guò)給出這樣的例子，能夠讓讀者清晰地了解動(dòng)物是如何依賴(lài)黑暗生存及在生物圈做出貢獻(xiàn)，再次強(qiáng)調(diào)黑暗對(duì)于人類(lèi)和動(dòng)物都有不可或缺的作用。

把上面的分析用英語(yǔ)連貫地表達(dá)出來(lái)，可以是：

The author lists several examples to back up his claim. By mentioning examples of how some particular species (birds, turtles, bats and moths) rely on darkness to survive and contribute to human beings in the ecological cycle, the author helps the readers to see the truth of the statement that has been made at the top of the paragraph (“The rest of the world depends on darkness as well”). By using these known and unknown examples, the author presents the audience a vivid picture of how important the darkness is for a variety of animals, and therefore reinforces his central claim that darkness is indispensable for both human beings and animals.

有時(shí)候例子也可以是個(gè)人經(jīng)歷(personal experience)：作者和別人的交談，作者親身經(jīng)歷或見(jiàn)證的事件等。例如，一位家長(zhǎng)想要討論電子設(shè)備的使用對(duì)于青少年的影響可以選擇在文章一開(kāi)始談?wù)撟约旱暮⒆用刻旆艑W(xué)回家花大量的時(shí)間玩手機(jī)游戲，而不按時(shí)完成老師布置的家庭作業(yè);一個(gè)旅行者想要說(shuō)明跟團(tuán)旅游的好處，可以在文章中給出自己曾經(jīng)某一次跟團(tuán)去了歐洲的某個(gè)國(guó)家而省去了很多的不便等;一個(gè)作者想要強(qiáng)調(diào)兼職工作對(duì)于孩子的好處可以指出自己小時(shí)候通過(guò)做具體的某種兼職而得到了鍛煉等。

從上面的例子可以看出，個(gè)人經(jīng)歷與讀者聯(lián)系更加直接(makes a topic more immediate for a reader)，它可以使一個(gè)大的話題更加貼近讀者的生活(illustrate what a large issue looks like in someone’s day-to-day life)。作者使用個(gè)人經(jīng)歷使得自己與讀者聯(lián)系更加緊密，從而使得讀者更愿意相信作者的觀點(diǎn)(Authors sometimes use personal experience to make themselves seem relatable and therefore trustworthy)。

請(qǐng)閱讀下面從文章中節(jié)選的段落：

At my family’s cabin on a Minnesota lake, I knew woods so dark that my hands disappeared before my eyes. I knew night skies in which meteors left smoky trails across sugary spreads of stars. But now, when8 of 10 children born in the United States will never know a sky dark enough for the Milky Way, I worry we are rapidly losing night’s natural darkness before realizing its worth. This winter solstice, as we cheer the days’ gradual movement back toward light, let us also remember the irreplaceable value of darkness.

在上面這段話中，為了引出文章討論自然黑暗的這個(gè)話題，作者回憶了自己童年在明尼蘇達(dá)湖畔生活的經(jīng)歷：At my family’s cabin on a Minnesota lake, I knew woods so dark that my hands disappeared before my eyes. I knew night skies in which meteors left smoky trails across sugary spreads of stars. 這里，作者描寫(xiě)了自己童年時(shí)代伸手不見(jiàn)五指的夜晚以及流星劃過(guò)的夜空，所以很明顯地屬于personal experience。在識(shí)別了該證據(jù)形式之后，考試需要寫(xiě)出證據(jù)的內(nèi)容，由于選文的信息比較多，考生可以同時(shí)對(duì)于例子的內(nèi)容進(jìn)行總結(jié)(summarize)和quote(引用)：a summer spent on a Minnesota lake where there was “woods so dark that [his] hands disappeared before [his] eyes.” 最后需要去分析該例子的作用。作者使用自己童年經(jīng)歷的目的是為了引出文章討論自然黑暗這一話題。通過(guò)描述自己的回憶，能夠讓讀者了解黑暗中作者有趣的經(jīng)歷，引起讀者對(duì)于黑暗的好奇。

把上面的分析用英語(yǔ)連貫地表達(dá)出來(lái)，可以是：

Bogard starts his article off by recounting a personal story – a summer spent on a Minnesota lake where there was “woods so dark that [his] hands disappeared before [his] eyes.” In such a brief anecdote, Bogard remind the audience of a time where they could fully amass themselves in natural darkness void of artificial light. By drawing in his readers with a personal encounter about natural darkness, Bogard evokes the wonder of the night sky among his audience, offering a baseline of his argument.