文/唐老雅

 

　　引子

 

　　雅思作文如何结尾？这对很多烤鸭来说，可能是一个很纠结的问题。其实，老雅首先希望表明的是，没有任何一种形式或模板是万能的，不管你的所谓雅思名师告诉你该怎么样怎么样，也都只是一种选择而已，它可能在这里很合适，但在另外的地方就不那么合适。因此，合适永远是写作最高的标准，而合适来自什么地方？来自你的英语水平和感觉。

 

 

　　昨天和几位同道朋友一起切磋雅思写作教学方法，有人举这样一个例子，老雅深以为然。他说学生去考雅思，与学生去考驾照是一样一样的。你如果一坐进驾驶室，非常熟练地操作各种步骤，哪怕你在某个红灯的地方忘记刹车，考官可能最后都会满脸笑容地把驾照给你，还不忘补一句“congratulations!"。但是，如果你满脑子都背好了各种注意事项，上车时却处处显出生手的样子，那么，即使，你战战兢兢地不闯红灯，结果可能是考官一脸遗憾地对你说 “下次再来！” 这里讲的是基本功与写作的关系。你在写作中展示了深厚的基本功，哪怕有一两个小地方出错，最后的结果依然可能不错。但是如果基本功不好，哪怕有几个地方写得很好，最后的结果也会很差。这就是老雅反对有些雅思老师成天给你讲作文“亮点”的原因：没有从根本上解决你的写作问题，没事给你讲缥缈的“亮点“，有什么用？！你方向盘的姿势握得再美，可是一加油门一刹车满车人都跟着摇晃，那又有什么意义？

 

　　老雅其实还喜欢把写作与体操运动联系起来。你一套动作完美无缺，难度又高，那当然是高分；你一套动作完美无缺，难度低，那得分也不错；你一套动作难度高，却老掉下器械，得分肯定低；如果一套动作难度低，也老掉下器械，那当然就是灾难了！

 

 

　　闲话少扯，还是回头看看雅思作文的结尾吧。虽然结尾可能千变万化，以合适为标准，但初练习写作，适当遵循一些规矩，也可能有帮助。就像小孩子学写作文，应该遵守规矩；大作家写文章，无规就是规，连错别字都能成通假字，强大到没有朋友，那也是没有办法的事情！

 

　　就雅思写作3大出题类型/写作思路，老雅暂时归纳3种结尾方式，并试图一一说明。

 

　　（1）一边倒型：完全同意/反对题目中的一方观点 

　　结尾：再次重述观点，并总结前文给出的理由。（30-50字即可）

 

　　（2）双边讨论型：对双方观点的优劣进行讨论

　　结尾：总结双方观点，提出自己的判断标准和结论：即倾向于更赞同某一方，还是认为双方应互补，或者认为双方都有缺陷，因此应该提出一个更合理的观点。（一般需要50-80字左右）

 

　　（3）问题解决型：分析问题/现象产生的原因，提出解决办法

　　结尾：问题/现象的解决办法（无需再总结原因）。（一般需要100字以上）

 

举例1：一边倒型

Many people say that cooking and eating at home is better for the individual and the family than eating out in restaurants and canteens. Do you agree or disagree?

 

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Everyone has to eat. The question is, where to eat? You may cook and eat at home, or just eat out in restaurants or canteens. My personal opinion is that eating at home is better for the individual and the family than eating out.

 

First, it has no doubt that cooking and eating at home can save a lot of money. Generally, the cost of eating in restaurants is much higher than eating at home. By cooking at home, you don’t have to pay the labor fee for the chef, and don’t have to pay tips to the waiter. What you have to do is just a little hand operation and a little time. From supermarkets, you can buy cheap vegetables and meat, which may cost only 10 percent of the same food in a restaurant. Sometimes, you can get cheaper food in discount time. Especially, a big family may enjoy the method, as the monthly cost would be less.

 

Second, you can freely select your favorite food to cook. A restaurant cannot always provide you with delicious food. The taste of food in restrurants is usually designed for the public, which is not suitable for a particular guest. If you miss the taste of your mum’s soup, it’s not likely to find the same one in a restraurant. In this case, the best choice is to cook by yourself, to reproduce your mum’s food to the best you can.

 

Finally, it’s obvious that eating at home is more healthy and clean. You don’t know whether it’s dirty in the restaurants, and also you don’t know whether the food is fresh. But by cooking at home, you can know everything about the cooking materials. Moreover, it’s easy to control the usage of fat and oil, unless you don’t care to become too fat.

 

In brief, I believe that eating at home is healthy and clean. If people want to save money, eating at home is also a good choice. In addition, people can cook what they like as well. So I personally prefer eating at home. 

 

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Band： 7 （难度较低完成质量高的动作）

 

【老雅评析】

本习作采用的是一边倒结构。开头段即表明自己的观点：在家吃饭更好。接下来三段从三个方面论述在家吃饭的好处：（1）在家吃饭省钱；（2）在家吃饭可吃自己最喜欢的饭菜；（3）在家吃饭更健康卫生。最后一段为结尾段。各位烤鸭注意，这三个原因的先后顺序安排符合老雅一直试图告诉你们的三个层次哦：从物质层次（钱）- 心理层次（喜欢）- 社会层次（健康卫生）。[若对老雅的三大层次理论仍不清楚，请回读本公众号！]

 

结尾段里，作者用三句话总结前面讲的三大原因：eating at home is healthy and clean; eating at home also saves money; people can cook what they like if they eat at home. 最后一句结论：我宁愿在家吃饭。

 

本结尾虽然结构清晰，但的确没有什么难度，甚至过于简单了，就像体操中下杠前的动作与前面动作是一模一样的重复，让看客都很无聊了。若是老雅来写，可能会玩点花（这得根据你自己的情况，不要从杠上掉下来最重要！）：

In brief, I personally prefer eating at home. Besides saving money and being more healthy and clean, eating at home also gives me the freedom to cook whatever I like, and I like this feeling.

 

举例 2： 双边讨论型

In some countries young people are encouraged to work or travel for a year between finishing high school and starting university studies.

Discuss the advantages and disadvantages for young people who decide to do this.

 

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It is quite common these days for young people in many countries to have a break from studying after graduating from high school. The trend is not restricted to rich students who have the money to travel, but is also evident among poorer students who choose to work and become economically independent for a period of time.

 

The reasons for this trend may involve the recognition that a young adult who passes directly from school to university is rather restricted in terms of general knowledge and experience of the world. By contrast, those who have spent some time earning a living or travelling to other places, have a broader view of life and better personal resources to draw on. They tend to be more independent, which is a very important factor in academic study and research, as well as giving them an advantage in terms of coping with the challenges of student life.

 

However, there are certainly dangers in taking time off at that important age. Young adults may end up never returning to their studies or finding it difficult to readapt to an academic environment. They may think that it is better to continue in a particular job or to do something completely different from a university course. But overall I think this is less likely today, when academic qualifications are essential for getting a reasonable career.

 

My view is that young people should be encouraged to broaden their horizons. That is the best way for them to get a clear perspective of what they are hoping to do with their lives and why. Students with such a perspective are usually the most effective and motivated ones and taking a year off may be the best way to gain this.

 

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Band：8 （难度适中完成质量较高的动作）

 

【老雅评析】

本习作采用的双边讨论型结构。第一段提出现象，但不表明自己观点；第二段讨论上大学前休假或工作一年的好处：拓宽视野、积累资源、学会独立；第三段讲此举可能带来的坏处：很多人就再也难以适应大学生活了（顺便表明自己不太赞同这个观点）；最后一段结论段。内容并无惊艳之处。

 

双边讨论的结尾段需要表明自己的观点，并简要说明原因（也就是说到底是什么标准让你选择支持某个观点，或者两个观点都支持，甚或两个观点都反对）。本作文对学生上大学前工作或休假1年表示赞同，原因是可以拓宽视野，接下来用 “自然接续”法讲为什么拓宽视野很重要：拓宽视野就可以帮助他们清楚地知道生活需要什么，而知道了生活需要什么后他们就会变得非常有效率，有动力（如果还不知道“自然接续”是什么，你已经OUT啦！没关系，请回看老雅公众号，马上补课！）。这个结尾段显得非常有效：观点明确，支持观点的理由充分。值得注意的是：在双边讨论作文中，由于前面讨论双方观点已经占据了很多篇幅，因此，在结尾段，一般不再对自己的结论过多展开论述，而是在前文讨论基础上表明立场，并用1-2句话适当说出自己的理由。在这样的结尾段中，最重要的就是要写出：（1）自己的观点；（2）自己观点的判断标准或者依据（不需详细展开）。

 

举例3：问题分析/解决型

Increasing the price of petrol is the best way to solve growing traffic and pollution problems. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

What other measures do you think might be effective?

 

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There is no doubt that traffic and pollution from vehicles have become huge problems, both in cities and on motorways everywhere. Solving these problems is likely to need more than a simple rise in the price of petrol. 

 

While it is undeniable that private car use is one of the main causes of increasing in traffic and pollution, higher fuel costs are unlikely to limit the number of drivers for long. As this policy would also affect the cost of public transport, it would be very unpopular with everyone who needs to travel on the roads. But there are various other measures that could be implemented that would have a huge effect on these problems.  

 

I think to tackle the problem of pollution, cleaner fuels need to be developed. The technology is already available to produce electric cars that would be both quieter and cleaner to use. Persuading manufacturers and travelers to adopt this new technology would be a more effective strategy for improving the air quality, especially in cities.  

 

However, traffic congestion will not be solved by changing the type of private vehicle people can use. To do this, we need to improve the choice of public transport services available to travelers. For example, if sufficient sky train and underground train system were built and effectively maintained in our major society, then traffic on the roads would be dramatically reduced. Long-distance train and  coach services should be made attractive and affordable alternatives to driving your own cars for long journeys.

 

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Band：8.5 （难度较大完成质量较高的动作）

 

【老雅评析】

本题是一个类似讨论+问题解决综合类题型，很少见，但万变不离其宗。第一段提出问题，然后马上就题目观点提出自己意见：上涨油价可能不是解决污染和交通问题的最好办法。第二段论述为什么上涨油价解决不了问题：（1）上涨油价并不能很长久地限制私人开车；（2）上涨油价会影响公共交通。本段最后一句提出还有其他办法来解决这个问题。第三段论述另外一个办法，即开发新型汽车来降低污染问题。第四段提出，为解决交通问题，需要提供更多交通选择（包括空中火车，地下铁路，长途火车和汽车等）。因此，这篇写作的结构就是：引入段+否定题目观点段+问题解决1段+问题解决2段。当然，本文的第三段和第四段可以合并起来，但可能会显得太长，因此分开还是最好的选择，毕竟两段提出的是不同问题的解决办法。注意：本题中有两个问题需要解决，因此需要提出不同的解决办法。

 

大家若有兴趣，可以进一步学习本文在提出解决办法时使用的不同句型：

1）I think to tackle the problem of pollution, cleaner fuels need to be developed. （need to do...引导建议）

2）...if sufficient sky train and underground train system were built and effectively maintained in our major society, then traffic on the roads would be dramatically reduced.（虚拟语气引导建议）

3）Long-distance train and  coach services should be made attractive and affordable alternatives to driving your own cars for long journeys.（should 引导建议）

 

　　相比而言，我们的同学好像通篇只会用should来引导建议和问题解决方法，做人做文的差距怎么那么大呢！

 

　　另外提一句，我们的同学只要一写到问题解决，好像就必须要写“提高......的意识”、“政府要加强教育” 这样假大空的词句，真是够了！看看本段人家的具体建议，记住：在雅思作文中拒绝假大空，多点具体实际、贴近生活的内容！

 

　　结语

 

　　好了，老雅发布“雅思作文结尾句式”一文后，很多烤鸭希望老雅写一篇雅思作文到底如何写的文章，老雅当时天真地答应了。后来才发现，作文结尾还真是不好写，归纳更不容易。现在，身在美国布朗大学访学的老雅奉献出一个上午，拉拉杂杂地写下以上文字，期待对各位烤鸭的作文结尾有所帮助！如果喜欢，也请各位大力转发，将老雅的写作思想广泛传播（老雅深信，老雅的写作思想比你在很多言过其实的培训机构听来的所谓真经要管用得多）！

 

作者简介

唐老雅，中国学院派雅思代表人物之一，知名的外国语大学英语教授，博士，留美学者，雅思满分得主，《英语世界》雅思专栏作者。潜心研究英语多年，熟谙英语语言规律，中国学生学习规律，雅思解题规律。对于低分段学生的写作，老雅独创“简单思维，自然接续”法，对于高分段学生，老雅提出 "个性思维，句式灵动 ”策略，帮助无数学子攻破雅思写作难题，实现出国留学梦想。