“TOEFL ITP”已经来了。写作不再是困扰了?

　　如果你还有时间，那就坚持耕耘正儿八经的TOEFL iBT吧。毕竟在这里通过新航道章跃老师的江湖名号破解，考试这点事儿就不那么难。

　　“　Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?

　　The rules that societies today expect young people to follow and obey are too strict.”

　　上一讲，我们细致分解了下面的这个段落的前半部分：

　　Age is a pivotal factor in many of such rules. The typical cases are the most marriageable age range and the best ages for a proper job or the start of a career. In some cultures, there is a rule, unwritten yet often said, that young people should get married at a certain point, usually a rather early point, of life. However, finding the permanent partner is never easy, and being rushed into such a relationship is so stressful that many young people have to make premature decisions. It is even more pitiful that young people often have to persuade themselves that ending up with spending the rest of life in a not-so-satisfactory marriage may not be perfectly pleasant but certainly feels better than being discriminated under the social norm.

　　这一讲，我们兑现承诺，细致分解这个段落的后半部分：

　　The rule of age also applies as young individuals graduate from college. ← 这一句话的目的就是把有关age的rule的另一个情境说出来而已，所以，对信息量的控制需要特别注意：没有说明rule的具体内容，也没有任何评价。句子的信息很单纯。Many societies rush their young people to be productive members of the community, asking them to generate value. ← 然后，我们对rule的具体内容作出说明。至于评价，大家注意用词rush，暗示性的表达了负评价。For example, in some countries, taking a gap year is hardly acceptable. ← 然后引出例子，引导的这一句，信息是缓的，也就是只是说到了taking a gap year这个情况，没有的信息了。 The time would otherwise be for young people to put their head together and identify their desires and pursuits; it is however considered idling time away. ← 然后开始作出负面评价。注意这里故意让转折在同一个句子里写完。这是因为转折前后的句子在信息上的关系紧密，所以特意只写一个句子来加快信息的速度。毕竟不然读者可能就要失去阅读的耐心了。 Isn’t it too much to ask those fairly young individuals to, in their early twenties, well plan the future three or four decades of their adulthood? ← 最后通过一个反问句的措辞，让一个读者的耐心苦苦支撑的段落不平淡收尾。