写作习题及答案

Unitl

一、Practicingthebasicsofnarration

Checkthesentencesthatyouthinkwouldmakeinterestingtopic

sentencesforapersonalexperiencenarrative.Explainwhytheothers

wouldnot.

1)OnceIalmostdrowned.

2)WhenRobertwasfifteen,hemadehisfirstgiftoftruelovetohis

father.

3)Ajourneyofonemileor5,000milesbeginsthesameway:witha

singlestep.

4)WhenIwasfive,Idiscoveredthatlearningwasfun.

5)Thefive-minutedrivetothehospitalseemedtohavetakenhours.

6)Hewasdrivinghomeoneevening,onatwo-lanecountryroad.

7)XiaoWanghasprovedonceagainthatheisanincurableoptimist.

8)ThedayIgottheletterofadmissionfromBFSU(BeijingForeign

StudiesUniversity)wasoneofthehappiestofmylife.

9)Myfamilybelievedifsomethingwentwrong,itwasalwayssomeone

else'sfault.

10)OneofmymostmemorableexperiencestookplacewhenIworked

asaschoolteacherinamountainvillage.

Thosethatwouldmakeinterestingtopicsentences:2,4,1,8,and10.

1wouldmakeatopicsentence,butonlyadullone.3,5,6and9would

makegoodopeningsentencesofanessay,notnecessarilyanarrative,

butnoneofthemexemplifieswhatanarrativeisabout.

二、Readthepassages,decidewhethertheyaregoodorpoorpersonal

narratives,andstateyourreasons.

1.ItwasthelastdayofourstayinNanjing.Myparentswere

sittinginthewaitingroomoftherailwaystationwaitingforourtrain

backtoBeijingAsarestlessfiveyearold,Ibeganwanderingaboutand

thenfoundmyselflost.IwasgettingworriedwhenIsawawoman

dressedlikeapolicewoman.ImmediatelyIheadedtowardherandtold

herIcouldn'tfindmyparents.Shetookmetothebroadcastingstation,

andtheirannouncementovertheloudspeakersoonbroughtmy

parents.

•Thepassageisanarrativewithoutatopicsentence.Wedon'tknow

whatpointthewriterwantstomake.Wecouldimprovethepassage

byaddingatopicsentencesuchas“AttheageoffiveIlearnedthat

inatightcornerwecanturntoapoliceman/policewomanforhelp.^^

2.OnceIalmostdrownedinaswimmingpool.Iwas12andwas

learningtoswim.Ibegantopaddletothefarsideofthepool.But

suddenlyIcouldn'tmoveaninchandkeepmyheadabovethewater

andIbegantodrown.Justthenmyfathercametomyrescue.

•Thepassagehastwoproblems.First,thelastsentenceconcludesthe

narrativebutdoesnotleadtoanyinsightthewriterhasgained

throughtheincident.Ithasatopicsentence,butthenarrationis

vague.Withoutsufficientdetails,thestoryishumdrumandbare.

Thefollowingisanimprovedversion:

OnceIalmostdrownedinaswimmingpool.Iwastwelveandwas

learningtoswim.Iwaslearningfast,andsoon,withoutknowingit,I

begantopaddletothefarsideofthepool.ButbeforeIreachedit,

suddenlyIcouldn'tmoveorkeepmyheadabovewater.Ibegantosink.

JustthenIfeltapairofstronghandspushingmeup—myfatherhad

cometomyrescueandpulledmeoutofthewater.Onceagain,Dadgot

meoutofatightcorner,ashehasdonesomanytimesinmylife.

3.Ifinallyarrivedattheuniversityaftertwoandahalfhoursof

riding.Ifoundanewbattletofightrunningfromoneofficetoanother,

completingallkindsofformsandsigningmynamenumeroustimes.I

finishedallthat.Itrulybecomeamemberoftheuniversity.Iwastired

out.ItbegantorainbeforeIcouldrestmyfeetinmydorm!

•Thepassagehastwoproblems.First,itdoesnotprovideatopic

sentencetodirectthechoiceofthedetails(thelongbusride,the

numerousformstocomplete,therepeatedname-signingsandthe

unwelcomerain).Inthisversion,theyarenotconnectedwell.We

canimprovethepassagebyimprovingthetransitions.

Thefollowingisanimprovedversion:

WhenIfinallyarrivedattheuniversityaftertwoandahalfhoursof

ridingonabus,Ifoundanewbattletofight—runningfromoneofficeto

another,completingallkindsofforms,andsigningmynamenumerous

times.OnlywhenIhadfinishedallthatdidItrulybecomeamemberof

theuniversity.BythattimeIwastiredout.Whafsmore,itbegantorain

beforeIreachedmydormroomandcouldfinallyrest!Myfirstdayat

collegewasanightmare!

4.Assoonasthewinterholidaysbegan,mybestfriendinhigh

schoolandIfixedadatetomeet.Wehadn'tseeneachotherforhalfa

yearandduringthisperiodwechieflykeptcontactviaWeChat.The

momentwemet,wehuggedeachotherforalongtime,completely

unawareofthepeoplearoundus.Neitherofussaidmuch,andweboth

enjoyedbeingwitheachother.Wewenttotheshopstohavealookat

thethingswewereinterestedin.Thenshetreatedmetolunch,using

thefirstmoneyshehadearnedplayingtheharpinheruniversity

orchestra.Howtimeflewwhenweweretogether!Soonitwastimeto

saygoodbye.Perhapsitwouldbeanothersixmonthsbeforewecould

meetagain.ButIwasnotatallworriedthatwemightbecomeestranged

fromeachother,forIknewthattimewouldneverseparateusandthat

wewouldonlycherishourfriendshipmoreastimewentby.

•Thispassageiswell-organized:ithasabeginning(thefirsttwo

sentences)thatprovidesthebackgroundforthereunion.Itsmiddle

part(thenextsevensentences)describesthedetailsofthereunion:

whattheydidandhowtheyfelt.Thepassagewindsupwiththe

topicsentence.Alsothesentencesareneatlyknittedtogetherby

appropriateconnectiveexpressions.

三、ActivitylPracticingcoordination&subordination

Identitycoordinationandsubordinationandpointouthow

coordination/subordinationisachievedineachsentence.

ThefollowingsentencesareselectedfromContemporaryCollegeEnglish,

IntensiveReading,LessonOne,BookTwo.

1)NewasIwastothefaculty,Icouldhavetoldthisspecimenanumber

ofthings.(Para.2)

•Subordination,expressedinanadverbclauseofconcession

“NewasIwastothefaculty.^^

2)Icouldhavetoldhimallthis,butitwasfairlyobvioushewasn'tgoing

tobeherelongenoughtomatter.(Para.3)

•Coordination,byjoiningtwoclausesexpressingequallyimportant

ideaswiththecoordinatingconjunctionbut.

3)Havingfinishedtheday'swork,whatdoyoudowiththoseothereight

hours?(Para.6)

•Coordination,byjoiningtwocoordinatingclauseswithacommaplus

and;Subordinationwithinthefirstcoordinatingclause,byexpressing

theminorideainarerelativeclause"(that)everymanmustrespect."

4)Theyinvolveskillseverymanmustrespect,andtheycanallbringyou

basicsatisfactions.(Para.5)

•Subordination,byexpressingtheminorideainapresentparticiple

phrase“havingfinishedtheday'swork.”

5)FourteenyearslaterIamstillteaching,andIamheretotellyou...

(Para.8)

•Coordination,byconnectingtwocoordinatingclauseswithacomma

plusand.

6)...thebusinessofthecollegeisnotonlytotrainyou,buttoputyouin

touchwith...(Para.8)

•Coordination,byconnectingtwoinfinitivephraseswithapairof

correlativeconjunctionsnotonly...but(also).

7)...youhavenotimeforShakespeare,forabasiclookatphilosophy,for

thecontinuityofthefinearts,forthatlessonofman'sdevelopment...

(Para.9)

•Coordination,byconnectingfourequallyimportantfor-prepositional

phraseswithcommas.

8)Ispeak,I'msure,forthefacultyoftheliberalartscollegeandforthe

facultiesofthespecializedschoolsaswell...(Para.14)

•Coordination,byconnectingtwocoordinatingprepositionalphrases

withand.

9)...universityhasnorealexistenceandnorealpurpose...(Para.14)

•Coordination,byconnectingtwonounphrases"norealexistence"

and"norealpurpose"withand.

10)...itsucceedsinputtingyouintouch,bothasspecialistsandas

humans,withthosehumanminds...(Para.14)

•Coordination,byconnectingtwoprepositionalphrases"as

specialists"and"ashumans"withapairofcorrelativeconjunction

both...and.

四、Correctfaultycoordinationorsubordinationinthefollowing

sentences.

1)IappliedtoTsinghuaUniversity,andIwasrejected.

改：IappliedtoTsinghuaUniversity,butIwasrejected.

2)TheweatherinMarchiscoldandrainy,andsometimesitiswarmand

sunny.

改：ThoughtheweatherinMarchiscoldandrainy,sometimesitiswarm

andsunny.

3)Grandpaoftenwalkstwentyminutestomyhomeandcarriesmy

favoritedishesinabasket.

改：Grandpaoftenwalkstwentyminutestomyhome,carryingmy

favoritedishesinabasket.

4)Mr.WangdroppedtheQingvaseandhebrokeitandthemuseum

madehimpay2,000yuan.

改：BecauseMr.WangdroppedtheQingvase,breakingit,themuseum

madehimpay2,000yuan.(Or:ThemuseummadeMr.Wangpay2,000

yuanfortheQingvasehehaddroppedandbroken.)

5)Heheardthatthechildrenweresafeandsound,andhebreatheda

sighofrelief.

改：Hebreathedasighofreliefwhenheheardthatthechildrenwere

safeandsound.

6)Theexamwasover,immediatelythechildrenrushedoutofthe

classroom,andtheylaughedandshoutedjoyfully.

改：Assoonas/immediatelytheexamwasover,thechildrenrushedout

oftheclassroom,laughingandshoutingjoyfully.

7)Mycousinphonedyesterdayandheaskedmehowmyfirstweekof

collegehadbeen.

改：Mycousinphonedyesterday,asking/toaskmehowmyfirstweekof

collegehadbeen.

8)Thesearchpartywasleaving,buttheyheardsomenoiseinthepit.

改：Thesearchpartywasleavingwhentheyheardsomenoiseinthepit.

9)ThosepearsaregrowninnorthernHebeiProvinceandtheclimate

thereismostsuitableforthem.

改：ThosepearsgrowbeautifullyinnorthernHebeiProvince,wherethe

climateismostsuitableforthem.

10)MysisterandIlookedateachother,andwedidn'tsayawordand

thendecidedtogiveourparentsapleasantsurprise.

改：MysisterandIlookedateachotherand,withoutsayingaword,we

decidedtogiveourparentsapleasantsurprise.

unit2

一、Recognizeparallelconstructionsinthefollowingsentences.

1)Whatcanwedobutwait?

•twoinfinitives:doandwait

2)Itiseasiersaidthandone.

•twopastparticiples:saidanddone

3)Inmattersofprinciple,standlikearock;inmattersoftaste,swim

withthecurrent.

ThomasJefferson

•twoimperativeclausesconnectedbyasemicolon

4)Ihavenothingtoofferbutblood,toil,tears,andsweat.

WinstonChurchill

•fournouns:blood,toil,tears,andsweat

5)Justtobealiveandtobeofservicetosomebodyisareward.

AnnCayee

•twoinfinitivephrases:tobealiveandtobeof'servicetosomebody

6)Alivingdogisbetterthanadeadlion.

•twonounphrases:alivingdogandadeadlion

7)Crawlingdownamountainissometimesharderthanclimbingup.

•twogerundphrases:crawlingdownamountainandclimbingup(a

mountain)

8)Thepersonnelmanagertoldthenewsecretarythatshewouldanswer

thephone,attendtovisitorsanddosometyping.

•threeverbphrases:answerthephone,attendtovisitorsanddo

sometyping.

9)Thesoilisnotdifficulttotillwhenthereisalotofrain,butinabad

year,ifsnotonlytheploughsthatbreakbutourheartstoo.

•twonounphrasesjoinedbyapairofcorrelativeconjunctionsnot

only...but

10)Thestrangertoldmehecamefromthesouthandthathewasgoing

tojoinhisbrotherinnorthernShanxi.

•twoobjectclausesconnectedbyand(Note:thesecondclause

shouldbeintroducedbytheconjunctionthat.)

二、Correctfaultyparallelismsinthefollowingsentences.

1)Mycousinlikesswimming,runningandtoplaytabletennis.

改：Mycousinlikesswimming,runningandplayingtabletennis.

2)Chemistryusedtobetaughtfromatextbook;nowthelabmethodis

used.

改：Chemistryusedtobetaughtfromatextbook;nowitistaughtinthe

lab.

3)Youcanforceachildtoattendclassbutnotthink.

改：Youcanforceachildtoattendclassbutnottothink.

4)XiaoLincouldnotdecidewhethersheshouldisstartcollegeright

afterhighschoolortogetajobfirst.

改：XiaoLincouldnotdecidewhethertostartcollegerightafterhigh

schoolortogetajobfirst.

5)Theessayisdifficulttounderstandnotbecauseofthetechnical

vocabularybutbecausethesentencestructuresarecomplicated.

改：Theessayisdifficulttounderstandnotbecausethevocabularyis

technicalbutbecausethesentencestructureiscomplicated.

6)Eitherwemustmakenuclearpowersafeorstopusingitaltogether.

改：Wemusteithermakenuclearpowersafeorstopusingitaltogether,

(or:Eitherwemustmakenuclearpowersafeorwemuststopusingit

altogether.

7)ThedayIlefthomewasdark,coldanditrained.

改：ThedayIlefthomewasdark,cold,andrainy.

8)Incarelessdriving,thedriver,notonlyrisksthelivesofhisown

passengers,butalsothelivesofothers.

改：Acarelessdriverrisksnotonlythelivesofhisownpassengers,but

alsothoseofothers.

9)E-mailisnotonlyfastandeasy,butitalsosavespaperandthework

ofmovingpaperfromoneplacetoanother.

改：E-mailisnotonlyfastandeasybutalsosavespaperandtheworkof

movingpaperfromoneplacetoanother.(or:Notonlyise-mailfastand

easy,butitalsosavespaperandtheworkofmovingpaperfromone

placetoanother.)

10)Hebelievesthatgivingisasmuchajoyastoreceive.

改：Hebelievesthatgivingisasmuchajoyasreceiving.(or:Hebelieves

thattogiveisas.muchajoyastoreceive.)

unit3

一、Practicingpointofview

Identifythepointofviewinthefollowingpassagesandexplainwhyitis

suitableforthenarrative.

Thefollowingparagraphsareselected,fromContemporaryCollege

English,IntensiveReading.

1)Letmetellyouoneoftheearliestdisastersinmycareerasateacher.

ItwasJanuaryof1940andIwasfreshoutofgraduateschoolstartingmy

firstsemesterattheUniversityofKansasCity.Partofthestudentbody

wasabeanpolewithhairontop,whocameintomyclass,satdown,

foldedhisarms,andlookedatmeasiftosayRight,teachme

something."TwoweekslaterwestartedHamlet.Threeweekslaterhe

cameintomyofficewithhishandsonhiships.Look/'hesaid,Icame

heretobeapharmacist.WhydoIhavetoreadthisstuff?"Andnot

havingabookofhisowntopointto,hepointedtomine,whichwas

lyingonthedesk.(Para.l,Lesson1,Book2)

•Thefirstpersonpointofviewisusedinthepassageinwhichthe

narratorisaparticipantintheactiondescribed.Thispointofview

allowsthenarratortoexpresshisopinionsandfeelingsaboutthe

studentfreely.

2)Shesaid,Thankyou,"andwalkedfromthekitchenintotheliving

room.Amomentlaterheheardherturningthepagesofamagazine.He

knewthatshewastooangrytobeactuallyreadingit,butshedidn't

snapthroughthepagesthewayhewouldhavedone.Sheturnedthem

slowly,asifshewerestudyingeveryword.Shewasdemonstratingher

indifferencetohim,andithadtheeffectheknewshewantedittohave.

Ithurthim.(Para.40,Lesson5,Book2)

•Thewritertellsthestoryinthelimitedthirdpersonpointofview,in

whichanunknownnarratordescribeswhathappenedandreports

theman'sthoughtsandfeelings.

3)InthemorningtheyawokeoutsideanotherHowardJohnson'sand

thistimeVingowentin.Thegirlinsistedthathejointhem.Heseemed

veryshyandorderedblackcoffeeandsmokednervously,astheyoung

peoplechatteredaboutsleepingonbeaches.Whentheygotbackonthe

bus,thegirlsatwithVingoagain.Afterawhile,slowlyandpainfully,he

begantotellhisstory.HehadbeeninjailinNewYorkforthelastfour

years,andnowhewasgoinghome.(Para.5,Lesson2,Book1)

•Thestoryisnarratedfromanobjectivethirdpersonpointofview.

Thenarratormerelytellswhatheobservesanddoesnotgointothe

mindofanybodyinvolved.

二、Foreachofthefollowingtopics,discusswithyourclassmateswhich

pointofviewyouwillchooseandstateyourreason(s).

1)Achanceofmeetingwithafavoritefootballstarofyours

•Thefirstpersonpointofview,forthispointofviewallowswritersto

easilyexpresstheirjoyandexcitementonsuchanoccasion.

2)Areportofaroadaccidentbyawitness

•Theobjectivethirdpersonpointofview,becausewitnessesare

supposedtoreport,faithfullyandimpartially,whattheyhaveseen

withoutofferinginterpretationandcommentary.

3)Apracticaljokeyouandafewclassmatesplayedonanother

classmate

•Thefirstpersonpointofview,whichallowsexpressionofattitudes

andfeelings,thusmakingthenarrativepersonalandvivid.

4)Asmallincidentoncampusthatgaveyouafreshinsightinto

•Boththefirstpersonandthelimitedthirdpersonpointsofvieware

possible.Theincidentcanbenarratedbyeitherafirstperson

narratorwhoisanobserveroraparticipant,orathirdperson

narratorwhogoesintothemindofoneormorepeopleinvolved.

5)Somethingunpleasantthathappenedbetweentwoofyourfellow

students

•Boththefirstpersonandthelimitedthirdpersonpointsofviewcan

beusedforthesamereasonsasstatedfortheprevioustopic.

三、Practicingwritingeffectivesentences

Rewritethefollowingsentences,makingthemmoreeffective.

Example:

Original:Thereareseveralexcellentexamplesintheessay.

Rewritten:Theessayincludesseveralexcellentexamples.

1)Ithasbeenmycousin'swishtobecomeadetectivestorywriterever

sinceherchildhood.

•Mycousinhasbeenwishingtobecomeadetectivestorywriterever

sinceherchildhood.

2)Therearedozensofpeoplewaitingoutsidethemanager'sofficeto

haveaninterviewwithhim.

•Dozensofpeoplearewaitingoutsidethemanager'sofficetohave

aninterviewwithhim.

3)TherearethreereasonswhyXiaoWang'scompositionwonthefirst

prize.

•XiaoWang'scompositionwonthefirstprizeforthreereasons.

4)ThereisfinallyagoodplayfortheDramaClubtoperformoncampus.

•They'vefoundagoodplayfortheDramaClubtoperformon

campus.

5)Therearen'tmanygrammarmistakesinthefinaldraftofJim'sessay.

•Thewritingteacherdidn'tfindmanygrammarmistakesinthefinal

draftofessay.

6)Tolearntorideahorse,thefirstthingIhavetodoistobeitsfriend.

•Tolearntorideahorse,firstIhavetomakefriendswithit.

7)Whentheponywasfriendly,theproblemwasonmyside.AssoonasI

wasonitsback,Iwasnervous.

•Whentheponyacceptedme,Istillcouldn'trideitallbymyself,for

assoonasIgotonitsbackIbecamenervous.

8)WhenIwasachild,Iwasveryparticularaboutmyfoodandonlyate

whatwascookedbymygrandma.

•Asachild,Iwasveryparticularaboutmyfoodandonlyatewhatmy

grandmacooked.

9)WhentheballiscaughtbySteve,itwassuretobekickedorheaded

intotheotherteam'sgoalninetimesoutoften.

•WhenStevecatchestheball,ninetimesoutoften,hewillkickor

headitintotheotherteam'sgoal.

10)ItisthehopeofbothhisfamilyandfindsthatThomaswouldbea

businessmaninthefuture.

•BothThomasfamilyandhisfriendshopedthathewouldgointo

business.

unit5

、Practicingnarrativeskills

Pointout,ineachofthefollowingpassages,whichnarrative

methodtellingorshowing-ischieflyused,

Passage1

Shoes

(AuthorUnknown)

AsGandhisteppedaboardatrainoneday,oneofhisshoes

slippedofandlandedonthetrack.Hewasunabletoretrieveit,asthe

trainwasmoving.Totheamazementofhiscompanions,Gandhicalmly

tookoffhisothershoeandthrewitbackalongthetracktolandcloseto

thefirst,Askedbyafellowpassengerwhyhedidthis,Gandhismiled.

"Thepoormanwhofindstheshoelyingonthetrack"hereplied,"will

nowhaveapairhecanuse."(88words)

•Thewriterusesthemethodofshowingtodramatizethescene.

Passage2

OldPeople

LeAnnThieman

Ateninety-two,GrandmaFritzstilllivedinheroldtwo-story

farmhouse,madehomemadenoodlesanddidherlaundryinher

wringer-washerinthebasement.Shemaintainedhervegetablegarden,

bigenoughtofeedallofBentonCounty,withjustahoeandspade.Her

seventy-year-oldchildrenlovinglyprotestedwhensheinsistedon

mowingherhugelawnwithherancientpushmower.

"Ionlyworkoutsideinthecool,earlymorningsandinthe

evenings.Grandmaexplained,“andIalwayswearmysunbonnetn

Still,herchildrenwereunderstandablyrelievedwhentheyheard

shewasattendingthenoonlunchesatthelocalseniorcitizens'center.

“Yes,"Grandmaadmitted,asherdaughternoddedapprovingly,

"Icookforthem.Thoseoldpeopleappreciateitsomuch!"

•Thewriterusesbothmethods.Sheusestellingtoprovide

informationaboutGrandmaFritz,butshowingtodramatizeone

instancetoshowhowthis92-year-oldwomanhelpsotherold

people.

Passage3

rilGetAnotherOne

DavidWallechinsky

Athisfather'funeral,AmericanCarlLewisplacedhis

one-hundred-metergoldmedalfromthe1984Olympicsinhisfather's

hands."Don'tworry,“hetoldhissurprisedmother."rIIgetanother

one.”

Ayearlater,intheone-hundred-meterfinalatthe1988games,

LewiswascompetingagainstCanadianworld-record-holderBenJohnson.

Halfwaythroughtherace,Johnsonwasfivefeetinfront.Lewiswas

convincedhecouldcatchhim.Butateightymeters,hewasstillfivefeet

behind.It'sover,Dad,Lewisthought.AsJohnsoncrossedthefinish,he

staredbackatLewisandthrusthisrightarmintheair,indexfinger

extended.

Lewiswasexasperated.HehadnoticedJohnson'sbulging

musclesandyellow-tingedeyes,bothindicationsofsteroiduse.Ididn't

havethemedal,butIcouldstillgiveittomyfatherbyactingwithclass

anddignity/'Lewissaidlater.HeshookJohnson'shandandleftthe

track.

ButthencametheannouncementthatJohnsonhadtested

positiveforanabolicsteroids.Hewasstrippedofhismedal.Thegold

wenttoLewis,areplacementforthemedalhehadgivenhisfather.