上海高考英语新题型之概要写作(Summary).doc

上海高考英语新题型之概要写作
澄衷高级中学 孙吉
从2017年起，上海英语高考试卷的题型将面临许多调整，其中之一便是增加了概要写作（Summary writing），也有许多人将之称为“小作文”。概要写作分值占据15分，考查的是考生阅读和写作的综合能力。
概要写作所给定的语篇一般在200-250字，内容丰富多样，包含故事、时政、科普等，体裁以记叙文、说明文为主，字数一般要求在50-60字，答案尽量符合“Key points of a summary”的要求。

一．正确认识概要写作
1. Definition of summary writing（概要写作的定义）
By summary, we mean a brief restatement, in your own words, of the content of a passage, an article, a chapter or a book.
2. Key points of a summary（概要写作的要点）
Conciseness（简要性）：Omit unnecessary details like examples, explanations and other unimportant information.
Length: 1/4-1/3 of the original text.
Completeness（完整性）：To include all the main and supporting points delivered in you own words in a condensed manner.
Accuracy（准确性）：To give the same attention and stress to the points as the author does.
Coherence（连贯性）：Rather than an outline listed as key words and phrases, a summary is a paragraph with necessary transitions and function structures to make it flow.
Objectivity（客观性）：Do not include your own ideas or emotions on the topic. The summary should reflect the content of the original passage only.
3. Steps to write a summary（概要写作的步骤）
1）Skim the text to find out the general theme.
2）Analyze the text’s structure to divide it into several sections, find out the main idea of each section and write it out briefly with your own words. (one sentence)
3）Write down the key supporting points for each main idea without involving minor details.
4）Organize the main and related supporting points in a logical order with necessary transitions to achieve coherence.
5）Proofread for grammatical, spelling and punctuation mistakes.
4. Beginning of a summary（概要写作的开头）
Begin your summary with:
*The author’s name
*The article’s or chapter’s name
*The author’s thesis statement—a general overview(survey) of the article.
The Body:
First of all, the author describes……
He then points out that……
In addition, the author talks about……
Finally, the author suggests……
Some other introductory phrases:
*(The author) states in (this article) that…
*(The author), in (this article) shows that…
*In (this article), (the author) writes that…
*As (the author) says in (this article),…
*The main idea of (the author’s article) is…
*The author believes (holds; maintains; claims; argues; points out; suggests; proposes) that + clause…
*The author talks about (explains; describes; reveals; discusses; focuses on) + n.

二．记叙文概要写作要点点拨
记叙文体的阅读材料，相比其他文体而言，写概要相对容易。在写概要前，除明确文章主题外，还应抓住六个要素：when, where, who, what, why, how。在这六个要素中，所占内容比重最大的是what。一般来说，记叙文的故事概要可以用这样的模板来表示：
Who did what by…because…
当然，不是说每个故事概要都包含how或why，有时两者选其一即可。下文是课堂训练的一个例子：
Directions: Please read the following passage and write a summary of it in no more than 60 words.
I took a trip to a big lake in Indonesia with my family two years ago. It was really a huge lake with beautiful scenery all around. People were amazed by the endless view in front of our eyes. Later on, unlike other girls, I volunteered to go water-skiing alone. I put on the life jacket, got on the motorboat immediately and started my engine as soon as possible.
The lake seemed broad and endless. I was so thrilled(激动) to enjoy my trip among the mountains and waters that I sped my motorboat. Then, after some time, I found myself in the middle of the endless lake. A sudden fear came around me. I didn’t know where I was or even how far I had gone from the shore. What was worse, it began to rain and it became very cold and foggy. I rode everywhere but couldn’t find my way back. It was useless for me to cry or shout for help. I was so terrified that I began to think about all kinds of horrible things. After floating on the water helplessly and hopelessly for a long time, suddenly I heard someone calling my name. Soon, a big steamboat sailed to me and they pulled me up to the deck and asked me if I was hurt. I couldn’t say a word but cried in my father’s arms.

材料分析：根据文本内容，这是一篇故事类的记叙文，要求对其进行概要写作。因此，我们先找出记叙文的六要素：
When—two years ago
Where—a trip to a big lake in Indonesia
Who—“I”, the writer
What—got lost; was found
Why—go water-skiing alone; too thrilled
Result—father came to her rescue
列出了要点之后，我们就可以用自己的话将要点组织起来，概括成一段约50词的通顺概要：
The passage tells us the writer’s experience of adventure. Once the writer was on a trip to a lake where she went water-skiing alone. She was so excited and enjoyed herself that soon she got lost. Fortunately, her father finally came to her rescue. （44 words）

三．说明文概要写作要点点拨
说明文体的阅读材料内容大致可以分为以下几类：
现象揭示类：
The article points out the common phenomenon—(主题)，which…(补充解释)
利弊对比类：
The article compares the disadvantages/benefits of A and B. A…while B…
The passage discusses the impact of sth.
On the positive side,…, but it may also…
研究显示类：
The study reveals that…
The purpose of the report is to show that…
下文是课堂训练的一个例子：
Directions: Please read the following passage and write a summary of it in no more than 60 words.
A large source of rubbish is packaging material. It often makes up more than 30 percent of the total. To understand why this is true, think of the packaging commonly used for a simple product, such as toothpaste. The packaging includes not only the tube for the toothpaste, but also the box for the tube. This box is put into a plastic wrapper. Then, the boxes are transported in a cardboard container.
Most packaging material ends up in a landfill after it is thrown away. Though necessary, landfills take up valuable space, often stink（发出恶臭）, and can leak harmful substances into the soil. Landfills not included, the production of packaging material itself is a major source of air and water pollution.
People are now trying to solve the problems caused by packaging materials. In 1991, Germany took the lead by requiring companies to recycle the packaging used for their goods. To do this, the companies set up recycling bins in every neighborhood. Consumers now separate their rubbish into three categories—metal, plastic and paper cartons. They then put it into the appropriate bin. The rubbish sorted, it is transported to a recycling company for processing.
The programme worked well at first. However, the amount of rubbish has begun to increase again. One reason for this is that many consumers no longer reduce waste because they think the problem is solved. It seems that to properly deal with the problem of rubbish, everyone must remain alert and do their part.

材料分析：根据文本内容，这是一篇讲包装材料所带来的问题的说明文，要求对其进行概要写作。因此，我们必须首先弄清每一段落的主要内容是什么。
第一段开头第一句话“A large source of rubbish is packaging material. It often makes up more than 30 percent of the total.”是段落的中心句，同时也点明了文章的主题，后面就在以牙膏为例进行举例说明。第二段主要讲的是包装材料所带来的问题，主要包括两方面，一是垃圾进入填埋场后所造成的污染；二是这些包装材料在生产过程中会产生对空气和水的污染。第三段主要在讲人们正在采取措施解决包装材料所带来的问题，其中第一句“People are now trying to solve the problems caused by packaging materials.”是段落的中心句，后面就在用德国的事情举例说明，政府、制造商和个人采取的措施试图解决包装材料带来的污染问题。第四段开头的however至关重要，说明德国的方法尽管起到了一定的作用，但包装材料的污染仍然是一个大问题，我们绝不能放松警惕。
弄清了每段的主要内容后，我们就按照概要写作的几个原则对其进行连接，在连接段落时需要添加必要的连接词使其通顺连贯即可：
The article points out the problem of packaging. About one third of rubbish results from the packaging materials, which cause damage to the environment during their production and after ending in landfills. Though the programs carried out to combat the problem are temporarily successful, the problem remains a great concern. (50 words)

四．小试牛刀
Read the following paragraphs and use one sentence or phrase to write the summary of each paragraph.
1. An Iowa high school counselor gets a call from a parent protesting the “C” her child received on an assignment. “The parent argued every point in the essay,” recalls the counselor, who soon realized why the mother was so disappointed about the grade. “It became apparent that she’d written it.”
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2. In a survey, 90% of new teachers agreed that involving parents in their children education is a priority at their school but only 25% described their experience working with parents as “very satisfying”. When asked to choose the biggest challenge they face, 31% of them quoted involving parents and communicating with them as their top choice. 73% of new teachers said too many parents treat schools and teachers as enemies.
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3. At a time when competition is rising and resources are limited, when battles over testing force schools to adjust their priorities, when cell phone and e-mail speed up the information flow and all kinds of private ghosts and public quarrels slip into the parent-teacher conference, it’s harder for both sides to step back and breathe deeply and look at the goals they share.
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4. Everyone says the parent-teacher conference should be pleasant, civilized, a kind of dialogue where parents and teachers build partnership. But what most teachers feel, and certainly what all parents feel, is anxiety and panic.
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5. When a teacher asks parents to be partners, he or she doesn’t necessarily mean Mom or Dad should be camping in the classroom. Research shows that though students benefit modestly from having parents involved at school, what happens at home matters much more. According to research based on the National Education Longitudinal Study, a sample of nearly 25, 000 eighth graders, among four main areas of parental involvement (home discussion, home supervision, school communication, and school participation), home discussion was the most strongly related to academic achievement.
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