英语专业八级 Mini Lecture 5
英语专业八级 Mini Lecture 5
[00:27.11]In this section, you will hear a mini-lecture.
[00:32.14]You will hear the lecture ONCE ONLY.
[00:35.10]While listening, take notes on the important points.
[00:39.47]Your notes will not be marked,
[00:41.77]but you will need them to complete a gap-filling task after the mini-lecture.
[00:47.46]When the lecture is over, you’ll be given two minutes to check your notes,
[00:52.70]and another 10 minutes to complete the gap-filling task.
[00:56.97]Now listen to the mini-lecture.
[00:59.93]What is good writing?
[01:03.64]Different cultures using different languages may come up with very different answers to the question.
[01:09.34]Indeed, even different individuals may have different standards, tastes and expectations.
[01:14.80]However, as far as English is concerned, a set of basic characteristics,
[01:19.95]which is believed to be present in all good writing,
[01:22.57]has been promoted by educators in English-speaking countries.
[01:25.85]They are: unity, coherence, emphasis, development and clarity.
[01:31.32]While these good old values are still relevant,
[01:34.27]today’s discussion of good writing focuses on a different set of concepts.
[01:38.97]I’ll define good writing using different terms: good writing is good thinking;
[01:44.11]good writing involves thoughtful revision; good writing is directed toward an audience;
[01:49.91]good writing achieves a clear purpose; good writing expresses ideas clearly.
[01:55.06]Firstly, good writing is good thinking. Good thinking leads to good writing,
[02:01.40]and muddy thinking can only result in muddy writing.
[02:04.57]As simple as that. Writing is a thinking process; it is not making a big deal out of nothing.
[02:10.70]Good writing should be substantive, really having things to say.
[02:14.64]Not only having things to say, but also having insightful things to say about the topic.
[02:20.32]This concept is particularly important for you non-native speakers of English.
[02:25.25]You may tend to be overly concerned with being correct in grammar, spelling and mechanics.
[02:30.60]While good writing is expected to be free from grammatical and other errors,
[02:34.97]it is worth repeating here that good writing is not good grammar or vice versa.
[02:40.12]At the advanced level,
[02:42.19]you should be much more concerned with higher and more important issues of writing in English.
[02:46.90]If you were excited at all by a piece of writing,
[02:49.96]most likely, it was for one or a combination of the following reasons:
[02:54.78]1) because it enlightens you or sheds light on the subject;
[03:00.02]2) because you have felt something similar but in a rather vague and superficial way;
[03:05.60]3) because you have felt exactly the same,
[03:09.33]but have never been able to express yourself in such an effective and elegant manner.
[03:13.70]Secondly, good writing involves thoughtful revision.
[03:17.30]Although there are geniuses who are such inspired writers
[03:20.91]that they can produce great writings at the spur of the moment
[03:24.08]without having to revise as much as one word, such geniuses are few and far between.
[03:29.77]For the overwhelming majority of writers,
[03:32.73]good writing is ninety-nine percent hard work and one percent inspiration.
[03:37.98]Experienced writers subject their writings to numerous revisions before feeling satisfied.
[03:43.89]Lu Xun, the greatest modern Chinese writer, for example,
[03:48.04]talks about pacing pensively in the study for days searching for the right word.
[03:53.07]Thirdly, good writing is directed toward an audience.
[03:57.01]Notice the use of the word “audience” here:
[03:59.97]it usually refers to viewers and listeners, but now its reference has expanded to include readers, too,
[04:06.86]particularly in discussions of writing.
[04:09.48]You should remember that what is appropriate for one kind of audience may not be appropriate for another.
[04:15.60]The intended audience determines your choice of words,
[04:18.88]your sentence length and patterns, the overall tone,
[04:22.72]the details that would be included in your writing, etc.
[04:26.00]Fourthly, good writing achieves a clear purpose.
[04:29.50]Good writing must achieve your intended purpose.
[04:32.12]If you want to write about how to make Jiaozi, your reader, after reading your writing,
[04:37.37]should get everything he or she needs to know about how to make Jiaozi,
[04:41.31]from the necessary ingredients to step by step instructions.
[04:45.03]If your purpose is to convey the sublime and soul-awakening beauty of the morning sun
[04:51.15]bursting out of the horizon in the misty Huangshan Mountain in Anhui Province,
[04:55.86]you should describe it in such a way that your readers should be able to visualize the scenery.
[05:01.00]If you want to propose that China adopt a legal drinking age,
[05:05.15]you should make it clear to the People’s Congress why such a law is necessary,
[05:09.64]what it should be, how to implement such a law, and so forth.
[05:13.68]Last but not least, good writing expresses ideas clearly.
[05:18.17]Good writing reflects good thinking,
[05:21.23]and good thinking needs to be put in precise, concise, and lucid prose.
[05:26.04]An important task for revision is to trim all the deadwood,
[05:30.31]pruning all the redundancies, wordiness,
[05:33.16]and confusing and misleading ambiguities.
[05:35.56]For non-native speakers,
[05:37.53]to express yourself clearly often involves making your writing more idiomatic,
[05:41.79]reducing the level of negative interference of your native language
[05:45.52]and to bring your writing closer to English-speaking readers.
[05:48.68]Only when you can write clearly can you begin to think of developing a distinctive style.
[05:53.94]What kind of style should you develop or use depends on your temperament,
[05:58.64]your need, and such controlling factors as the subject you are writing about,
[06:02.90]the audience you are writing to, and the purpose you want to achieve.
[06:06.73]One style may be appropriate for certain occasions but totally inappropriate for others.
[06:12.10]You would feel totally out of place
[06:14.39]if you go to a casual gathering of old friends dressed in expensive suit and tie,
[06:19.31]unless you want to appear snobbish and showy.
[06:22.04]How about going to a concert performed by the Vienna Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra
[06:26.86]in the elegant Grand Capital Arts Center in loosely fit T-shirt and jeans?
[06:32.00]So far, we have discussed five characteristics of good writing.
[06:36.37]In later lectures, you will learn in greater detail how to write to different audiences
[06:41.73]to achieve specific purposes in clear and effective styles.
