与10月及11月两场SAT考试相比，12月份的这场考试来自www.washdiplomat.com中的一篇文章，而非之前的主流媒体《纽约时报》。

　　这篇文章发表于2012年8月31日，全文共803字。作者Linda Moore是Freedom Public Charter School的创始人和执行董事，作者的职业背景在很大程度上增强了其文章的可信度。

　　作者从现有的全球经济形势出发，引出与美国相比、多国“双语/多语”教学的现状;在此作者提出美国教育系统的倒退和失职(main point of the article), 试图更正国民对学习外语的误解，罗列外语学习的多项好处，逐步说服心存疑虑的读者和当局提高对美国多语教育的责任感。

　　文章理解不难，基本运用的是事实性论证方式，大量使用了informative facts的写作手法。考生可以从 contrast (对比)，statistics (统计数据)，authoritativeness (权威来源)，example (例子)等方面进行分析。

　　以下是新航道SAT写作主讲龚老师对本次写作考试1-8段的解析和译文参考：

　　Adapted from Linda Moore, “Americans’ Future Has to Be Multilingual”© 2012 by The Washington Diplomat. Originally published August 31, 2012.

 

　　1. We Americans must confront a stark disadvantage we face when it comes to the global economy. Some eight in 10 Americans speak only English, and the number of schools teaching a foreign language is in decline, according to a new study by the Council on Foreign Relations. But the opposite is true among our economic competitors.

　　写作手法

　　data (数据)、result of experiment (调查结果)

　　原文解析文章开头，作者琳达·摩尔(Linda Moore，以下简称Moore)从数据着手，通过提出10个美国人中有8人仅仅只掌握了英语这一门语言以及教授外语学校数量的减少，直接引出了美国教育体系中令人担忧的趋势----对于外语教育的忽视。同时，也为下文引出情势的严峻及外语教育的益处做了一个铺垫。

　　高分表达

　　1.Leads the readers’ attention directly to the theme…

　　2.The author begins his essay with the statistic saying that…

　　参考译文

　　当涉及到全球经济这一问题时，我们美国人面临着一个非常严峻的劣势。10个美国人中大约有8个只能使用英语一种语言。同时，根据美国外交关系协会(Council on Foreign Relations)的调查发现，教授外语的学校也在不断减少。然而，我们的竞争对手则恰恰相反。

 

　　2. While some 200 million Chinese students are learning English, only 24,000 Americans are studying Chinese, U.S. Department of Education statistics say. Foreign language degrees account for only 1 percent of all U.S. undergraduate degrees. And fewer than 2 percent of U.S. undergraduates study abroad in a given year, the Education Department says.

　　写作手法

　　data (数据)、contrast(对比)

　　原文解析引出竞争对手之后，作者Moore 运用了一系列的数据，比较了中国和美国的多语教学情况，意在吸引读者的注意 (call for attention)，引出后文的 “Our nation is largely monolingual but is entering an increasingly multilingual world.” 这里的对比清晰地点名了中美国情差异，激发读者的兴趣。

　　高分表达

　　1.This literal tool serves as a strong technique to draw the audience into the issue addressed in the wiring.

　　2.By referencing to authoritative source, the author in the first place builds a solid ground for...

　　参考译文

　　美国教育部数据表明，当2亿中国学生在学习英语时，仅有24000美国人在学习中文;外国语言专业的学位仅占到美国所有本科学位的1%。另外，在指定年份,仅有不到2%美国大学生出国学习。

 

　　3.Our nation is largely monolingual but is entering an increasingly multilingual world. More than half of European Union citizens speak a language other than their mother tongue, and more than a quarter speak at least three languages. This is because additional languages are studied in European primary and secondary schools, and are taken up by European college students in much larger numbers than in the United States.

　　写作手法

　　contrast(对比)、facts(事实)

　　原文解析

　　通过讲述大部分欧洲国家的外语教育从小学一直延续到大学这一事实，作者不仅仅支持了他所提出的“entering multilingual world” 这一概念，同时也突出了美国与欧洲国家的差距之大。如果说上文中的中美对比激起了读者的兴趣，那么本段中这样一个铁的事实 (hard cold fact) 给了读者一丝紧迫感，让他们更加深刻地了解到美国与其他国家在双语方面的差距，为下文引出这一情况所带来的影响(consequence)埋下了一个伏笔。

　　高分表达1.The startling contrast highlights…, giving the audiences a sense of urgency.

　　2.Author says this to evoke a concern within audience about the current situation in foreign language learning.

　　参考译文

　　我们这个单语国家正在进入一个逐渐多语化的世界。超过半数的欧盟公民能够熟练使用第二种语言;超过四分之一的欧盟公民掌握了至少三门语言。这主要是因为在欧洲的中小学，学生已经开始学习外语;同时，大学阶段继续学习外语的人数也要远远超过美国。

 

　　4. The Council on Foreign Relations-sponsored task force report, headed by former New York City Schools Chancellor Joel Klein and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, concluded: "Education failure puts the United States' future economic prosperity, global position, and physical safety at risk." It warned that the country "will not be able to keep pace — much less lead — globally unless it moves to fix the problems it has allowed to fester for too long."

　　写作手法

　　quotation(引用)、authoritative sources(权威来源)

　　原文解析

　　本段中，作者Moore借Council on Foreign Relations的报告指出此类“Education failure”将会对美国经济繁荣和未来发展极为不利。权威报告的出现一方面给读者敲响了警钟，让他们直视缺乏多语所带来的后果，另一方面对于增加文章的可信度有着很大的作用。Condoleezza Rice这一人物的出现也appeal to pathos.

　　高分表达

　　1.Author’s representation of result based on…. adds significant logical weight to his/ her argument by…

　　2.Author clearly lays out the result from a census produced by… to show …

　　参考译文

　　外交关系理事会主办的专责小组报告总结到教育方面的失败将美国的经济前景，全球地位及国家安全置于危险之中。该报告同时也指出，除非这个国家积极行动，解决长久以来存在的问题，否则她将不能跟上全球发展的步伐，更不用说领先全球。而这个报告是由纽约学校前任校长Joel Klein及美国前国务卿Condoleezza Rice领头的。

 

　　5. For decades, our children were deprived of bilingual or multilingual education out of a mistaken belief that it took time away from other subjects, hindering students' academic development. But recent research has shown that learning another language is a wise investment, rather than a waste. Research from the University of Georgia found that bilingual school children perform better on standardized tests including the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) than their monolingual peers. A George Mason University study discovered that younger students who had enrolled in a second language immersion program outperformed those who did not in coursework, as well as on standardized tests, throughout their scholastic careers.

　　写作手法

　　result of research(研究结果)，quotation(引用)，rebut(反驳)

　　原文解析

　　本段中，作者先轻描淡写地说大部分人认为外语学习会影响学生其他科目的学习。然后，作者无情地反驳了这种观点，并强调双语/多语学生的学术表现更加。两个大学(乔治亚大学及乔治梅森大学)的研究为作者的论证添砖加瓦，增强了观点的可信度 (credibility). 通过指出受多语言教育的孩子在学习上有更优异的表现，来对比不学外语的美国孩子的弱势，作者有效更正部分读者过去对于多语言教学的误读;让他们充分认识到monolingual education的局限性

　　高分表达

　　1.The author repeatedly quotes from…., Thus, the reader can hardly doubt……

　　2.By rebutting public’s general idea, Moore is able to turn the reader’s attention to……

　　参考译文

　　长久以来，人们认为双语/多语学习会占用其他科目的时间，妨碍学生的学术发展。数十年以来，这个错误的观念剥夺了孩子们学习外语的机会。但是研究表明，学习另外一门语言不是浪费时间。相反，这是一个非常明智的投资。乔治亚大学的研究指出双语学校的学生在包括SAT在内的标准化考试中的表现比单语学生好。乔治梅森大学的研究发现，参与第二语言学习的学生在课程作业及标准化考试中的表现都要优于那些没有参加的学生。而且这一情况适用于他们的整个学习生涯。

 

　　6. Educators now conclude that learning additional languages improves one's ability to focus, plan and solve problems. Among other benefits, this means that such students are better able to move efficiently from one subject to another. The D.C.-based Center for Applied Linguistics has ascertained that the earlier we learn a foreign language, the greater the benefits. Moreover, these benefits can last a lifetime. Learning another language can help people stave off the effects of aging, including preventing the onset of dementia and other age-related conditions like Alzheimer's, according to research done by University of California neuroscientists.

　　写作手法

　　result of research(研究结果)，quotation(引用)

　　原文解析

　　本段中，Moore承接上一段的claim,继续对外语学习的作用展开深入论述。作者首先提出教育家们都认为外语学习对于学生提升学习能力(focus, plan & solve problem)有很大帮助。接下来Moore层层递进，引用应用语言学中心及加州大学的研究进一步分析了外语学习对于人类智力的“持久效应”。作者从学习能力入手转移到外语学习为人类健康所带来的益处，这种relativity 的营造，能够很好地维持读者对于文章的兴趣。

　　高分表达

　　1…an authoritative source which lends scientific credibility to his/her argument that …

　　2.Laying out a series of…., the author adds tremendous feasibility to his argument that ….

　　参考译文

　　教育学家总结到学习其他语言能够提升个人的专注力，计划以及解决问题的能力。这也意味着这样的学生能够更加有效地在学科间进行转换。以华盛顿特区为基地的应用语言学中心确切表明学习外语的时间越早，带来的益处越多。另外，这些积极影响是受用终身的。根据加州大学神经系统科学家的研究，学习其他语言能够减缓年龄增大所带来的影响，包括预防痴呆的病发及其他随着年龄增加而出现的疾病。

 

　　7. I believe that teaching students foreign languages in pre-kindergarten to sixth-grade classes is a worthwhile investment. Our school educates 350 students in Northeast Washington, D.C., to think, speak, read, write and learn in two languages, either English and French, or English and Spanish.

 

　　8. Exposure to a new language and the skills it helps develop is a key reason that our school, where 80 percent of our students come from low-income households, was ranked as high performing by D.C.'s Public Charter School Board in December. The ranking system was based on several factors, including test scores, attendance and re-enrollment rates.

　　写作手法

　　example (举例)，data (数据), personal experience (个人经历)

　　原文解析

　　作为教育界的专业人士，Moore以自己的学校为例，用排名这一最为直观的方法进一步为读者展示出双语教育对于提高学生学习能力所带来的积极影响。这一个人经历既为文章论证提供有效论据，也能增加作者自身的可信度。作者特别强调ranking system包含多个因素，为前文提供总结，说明外语学习所带来的优势是多方面的。

　　高分表达

　　1.The author demonstrates a personal anecdote that “….” which provides a baseline for readers to find credence and credibility with the author’s argument.

　　2.The author uses personal example to show that…, not only establishing his credibility on the subject, but also aiding in his persuasion of his audience by allowing…

　　参考译文

　　我相信从幼儿园到小学六年级这一阶段的外语教育是非常值得投资的。在华盛顿地区，我们学校教350名学生用法语及英语或者西班牙语及英语进行双语思考，会话，阅读及写作。

　　尽管我们学校80%的学生来自于低收入家庭，但12月，华盛顿特区特许学校董事会将我们学校排名为表现优异学校。排名系统包含考试分数，出勤率及重修比例等多个因素。我认为接触新的语言以及学习新语言所开发的能力是我们能够获得成功的一个关键原因。(文|龚琳)

 

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