SAT写作用词要注重词汇的多样性

你是否还在为SAT写作所困扰?莫愁，且看我们为大家带来的答疑解惑。我们首先来看一段有关2015新年外滩踩踏事故的报道，同时愿逝者安息，伤者尽早康复：

A New Year’s Eve celebration in Shanghai ended in disaster when a stampede left at least 36 people dead and nearly 50 others injured, marking one of the biggest disasters to befall a major Chinese city in recent years.

A Shanghai resident named Sarah said, “there was a quiet, and then people on the stairs fell in a wave and people started to get trampled.”

A video posted later by the newspaper Southern Metropolis Daily showed dense crowds pushing to descend a low staircase, causing some people at the front to topple under the weight of the crowd. At 11.40 pm, the crowd began to chant “fall back,” which appeared to momentarily ease the crush and the panic.

上文在描述“人群被推倒”时，使用了不同的词汇，如topple, trample, stampede, crush等词。这里的词汇多样性其实与SAT作文是相契合的。在SAT写作的评分标准中，词汇的多样性是非常重要的一环。OG中说道：一篇六分作文需要Exhibits skillful use of language, using a varied, accurate, and apt vocabulary 请注意CB老人家的用词顺序：varied → accurate → apt，可见CB对于词汇多样性的重视程度。

学生在多样性方面的等级可分为以下几种。第一等级学生用的是everyday words，如big, good, think等等。问题就是这样的作文难以给人感觉是上大学的水平，因此很容易就被拉低档次。第二等级的学生会犯绝大多数学生都会犯的问题：认识但不会使用高级词汇，例如谈到“挫折”，就会通篇出现difficulties。男人是喜新厌旧的动物，但谁又不是呢?所以这样只会重复使用前面词汇的作文，也很快被人所忘却。我们以2014年12月的真题题目Can people who are not famous be better role models than people who are famous? 为例，看一下某同学的一段话：

As we all know, famous people are more identifiable than ordinary people. It is definite that famous people are better role models than ordinary ones.

同学这几句话中，有以下几个硬伤：①第二句话中的famous people are better role models than ordinary ones与assignment的表述方式如出一辙，没有多大的改变;②较为低级的表述方法比比皆是，如as we all know等;③中心词famous, ordinary people在选段中没有多样化。如果对上面这几个问题进行修正，则表达效果将会大不一样：

It is widely acknowledged that renowned figures appeal more to the crowd than those unsung heroes and therefore it seems an unequivocal truth that celebrities are better examples for others to follow than the latter.

针对以上学生的词汇问题，建议学生可以从以下两个方面先进行优化。

一、话题词汇。

SAT写作至今的所有作文，都能划分进所谓的“话题”。因此对于相关话题词汇的扩充，能确保作文词汇的多样性。如“挫折类”话题可以掌握与之相关的词汇adversary, setback, difficulty, impediment, obstacle等等。在遇到相关话题作文时，就可以在行文中使用表达同一含义的不同词汇，避免重复性。

二、模板词汇。

As we all know SAT作文非常重视使用恰当的示例来支持论点，那么“示例”、“证明”两词肯定是行文中是会反复提到的。99%的学生或许都会通篇使用example一词，致使阅卷老师没有读到最后一段，已然如柯南般预测到example的到来。如果你能成功选择epitome, illustration, paradigm, archetype, case in point等词做替换，你的作文或许就可以避免被打入冷宫的僵局了呀。