大学英语说明文写作指导
说明文是大学使用的一种写作体裁，英语写作中频出不穷。下面是本站小编给大家整理的大学英语说明文写作，供大家参阅!
说明文的出题形式为文字提示或图表，文体有报道、投稿、书信等。写作步骤如下：
第一步：审题，确定主题句、主体时态(一般以现在时态为主)和中心人称;
第二步：在主题句后按提示顺序将各要点以完整的句子表达出来;
第三步：用过渡词将上下文的逻辑关系体现出来。
常用词有：
①表示时间：now, then, afterwards, soon, five minutes later, before long, shortly after that, soon after supper, to this day, just now, just then
②表示顺序、动作过程：first, firstly, first of all, second, secondly, at first, at last, next
③表示转折：but, yet, and yet, however, although, otherwise, in spite of
④表示结果：thus, therefore, so, as a result, seeing that, luckily, unfortunately
⑤表示强调： above all, indeed, surely, certainly, of course, after all, without any delay, at least, at most
⑥表示并列： and, also, as well as, and then
⑦表示递进： besides, what`s more, in addition, even, once more, what was worse
⑧表示解释和说明： that is to say, namely, for example, actually, and so on, such as, believe it or not, to tell you the truth, according this, for this reason
⑨表示比较、对比： just like, just as, in the same way, more or less, sooner or later, on the contrary, on the other hand
⑩表示总结： finally, in conclusion, in a word, in general, generally speaking, in short, as you know, in the end
需要注意的是：使用上述过渡性词必须根据上下文需要的原则，力求自然，决不可牵强附会，让人感觉别扭。
精选范文
以“早起是好习惯”为题写篇议论文。请围绕以下几点来写：
①早起与健康;
②早起与学习;
③早起与一天的活动。
(字数80～120，要求自拟标题)
Getting Up Early Is a Good Habit
Getting up early is a good habit. It is very important to our health, our study, our life and so on. First, getting up early helps to keep us strong. We can do morning exercises in the open air in the morning and breathe fresh air to build our bodies. Second, getting up early helps us to memorize what we have learned in class by reading aloud in the morning. Third, getting up early can help us to find enough time to prepare our work o
大学英语说明文写作指导说明文是以说明为主要表达方式用来说明事物，阐明事理的一种文体。它通过揭示概念来说明事物的特征、本质及其规律性，给人准确的科学知识或正确思想。一般可分为实体事物说明和抽象事物说明两大类，词典、教材、论文、实验报告、产品说明书、广告、解说词及科学小品等都属于说明文。
按写作方法,英语说明文主要分为下面六种类型:
1.例证法
这是用具体例子来说明人或事物的特征、本质及其规律的方法,所用例子必须有代表性、典型性,能体现人或事物的本质特征。这是用特殊来说明一般的方法。通常在主题句后,用 For example 或 For instance 等短语引导出具体的例子。例如:
Our life today depends very much on energy. For example, machines have made our life easier than it used to be. The machines use energy, and energy is needed for heating, lighting, communications, carrying goods-everything. Factories use a great deal of energy to make the things that we use and buy and sell.
这段主要是讲能源问题。第一句为主题句,概括地说出"我们目前的生活很大程度上依赖能源"。接着用举例的方法从三方面说明能源的作用。
2.定义法
下定义就是给说明对象一个明确概念。这是科学而严密的说明方法。它既能揭示事物的本质特征,勾勒其大概,描绘其轮廓,同时也能确定事物的范围和界限。下定义是多方面的,可以给人、事物、思想等下定义。例如:
An ideal teacher must have the following characteristics. He should know his subject, but he can make mistakes if he is willing to learn. His personality is as important as his scholarship. An ideal teacher must be enthusiastic. He should be a bit of an actor and he shouldn't be afraid to show his feelings and express his likes and dislikes. An ideal teacher is one who grows, learns, and improves himself along with his students.
本段的展开是通过对"一个模范教师"下定义的方法,关键词"ideal teacher"在文中多次重复,能加深读者的印象。
3.分类法
分类法是对同属不同类或同类而不同种的人或事物,根据不同性质进行分门别类地说明的方法。分类是人类认识客观世界的重要手段之一。分类必须遵守分类规则,使分类对象具有统一属性,依据同一分类标准,并使分类的子项相互排斥,不互相包蕴。例如:
As far as political views are concerned, people fall into three categories. First are the conservative people. Conservatives are opposed to sudden or great changes. Second are the liberal people. These people are in favor of progress and reform. But their opinions often seem too idealistic. Third are the moderate people. The moderates keep everything within reasonable limits. They are more practical in this hard world. In my opinion, most people seem to belong to this group.
本段把人按政治观点分为三类:保守派(conservative people)、自由派(liberal people)和温和派(moderate people),并对他们各自的特征进行了简要的分析。
4.因果关系法
事物变化的原因和结果是紧密相关的。如果某个现象的存在必然引起另一个现象的发生,那么,这两个现象之间就具有因果关系。因果关系包括"由果推因"(由结果去推测原因)和"由因推果"(由原因去推测结果)两种情况。因果关系符合人们的日常思维逻辑,因而在写作中得到广泛应用,常用 because, as, since, so, now that, , the reason is that...等表示因果关系。例如:
Of the four seasons, I like spring best. I prefer spring because it is a season of much joy and gaiety. New life bursts out everywhere. Plants wear a green coagain and colorful flowers blossom in gardens and mountains. The old come outdoors for fresh air and the young plan for outdoor activities. Life becomes so energetic and happy.
第一句为本段主题句,末句是总结句。在主题句后, 作者用了四个句子阐述自己喜欢春天的理由。
5.比较对照法
有意识地把两种相反、相对的事物或同一事物相反、相对的两个方面放在一起,用比较的方法加以描述或说明,指出其相同点,这种写法叫做"比较";指出其不同点,叫做"对照"。比较和对照各有不同的侧重,但两种方法经常结合使用。
进行比较对照通常有两种方式。第一种方式采用"先A后B"的结构,即A1,A2,A3...; B1, B2, B3...。第二种方式采用"AB交错"结构,即A1,B1;A2,B2;A3,B3...。第一种方式采用先A后B的结构实际上是把一个段落(或一篇文章)分割为两部分,先全面讲A,再全面讲B,这样做较难收到强烈的对比效果。多数人认为第二种方式比较好,因为把对比的双方AB逐点交错,可以避免行文的单调沉闷,对比的效果也会更鲜明突出。例如:
It is easy to be a winner. A winner can show his joy publicly. He can laugh and sing and dance and celebrate his victory. People love to be with winners. Winners are never lonely. Unlike winners, losers are the lonely ones of the world. It is difficult to face defeat with dignity. Losers can not show their disappointments publicly. They can not cry or grieve about their defeat. They may suffer privately, but they must be composed in public. They have nothing to celebrate and no one to share their sadness.
这段采用先A后B的对照方式,阐述胜利者和失败者的不同特征。这种写法较易操作,但行文往往比较平淡单调。再来看看AB交错的比较方式:
I like having a twin sister. When she’s happy, I’m happy. When she feels unhappy, I feel the same. Often, I know what she’s going to say. Sometimes, I know what she’s thinking. I like what she likes. I hate what she hates. We like the same music, the same food and the same books.
这段采用AB交错的比较方式,阐述孪生姐妹的相同特征。这种写法较流畅自然,给读者的印象也更鲜明突出。
大学英语说明文写作练习①某国际性英语刊物有一个介绍各国风俗习惯的专栏，请为该专栏写一篇短文，简单介绍中国的农历新年(春节)。请包括以下要点：
a.春节是中国人的重要节日;
b.春节在哪一天(农历：the lunar calendar);
c.除夕一家人吃团圆饭(have a…feast);
d.守岁爆竹迎新年(爆竹 firecracker);
e.大年初一亲朋好友拜年(exchange…greetings);
f.孩子们的压岁钱(lucky money);
g.狮子舞及其他节目(lion dances and others performances)，是节日不可少的活动内容，要延续三天。
(字数80～120)
②年末将至，某英文报纸开办“99回顾”专栏，就一年中的10件大事做总结性报道。报社请你对夏季的特大洪灾进行简要评述(第一句已给出)。
性质
a.本世纪最严重的一次;
b.损失严重(举例：农田、房屋、灾民)。
原因
a.连月降雨;
b.滥伐林木，水土流失;
c.围湖造田，堵塞河道(waterway)。
防范措施
a.保护沿河植被;
b.改建堤坝;
c.退田还湖。
难点说明：
用词达意：损失严重，围湖造田，退田还湖。
时态变化：以一般过去时和现在完成时为主，考虑到实际情况，还应使用过去完成时。
句子结构：注意句子结构的完整、主语的选择、被动语态的使用和举例部分的完整表达。
文章组织：分三段写，注意每段主题句的选择。
参考词语
引起损失cause losses
无家可归become homeless
围湖造田turn lakes into fields
③根据以下提示写一篇有关交通事故的报道。
(字数：90～100)。
提示：
a.时间：昨天;
b.地点：市中心大街第二个拐角处;
c.原因：卡车司机开车前饮酒，开车时头晕，车失控撞翻一小汽车;
d.伤亡人数：5人死亡，部分人受伤;
e.影响：市区交通中断3小时;
f.经济损失：200万元;
g.市政府告诫司机要从事故中吸取教训。
参考词语
头晕dizzy
经济损失economic losses
市中心downtown
中断交通to delay all traffic
饮酒过多to have too much wine
吸取教训to learn a
lesson
但是你认为目前考试太多，又很难考及格，使我们对学习失去了兴趣，也没有时间参加体育活动，我们的健康受到了损害。是到了改进考试的时候了。(字数：80～120)
