The Official 殷非凡 的部落格

多謝誇讚! 如果想要讓學生們感受到你的熱情, 你必須不斷各方面充實自己, 正面思考人生, 自信但永不自滿. 希望你每天都能檢討出可改進的地方, 那麼所謂的 "講台魅力" 也就垂手可得了. 

我並不知道教育部翻譯的檢定方向, 所以無法告訴你如何練習或入門. 但是, 純粹就中譯英而言, 你在高三就有同樣的訓練, 無外乎字, 片語及句型應用得當而已! 可以找找舊題型來練習, 不過, 最重要的是你確認這是自己要走的方向.

Dear 昀昇,

有你的訊息總讓人愉悅. 暑假期間, 我和黃川還曾經提到你, 激勵他也回想從前, 他已經考過了第一次 SAT, 我覺得可以了, 他可能覺得還可以再好些, 想必會再考一次, 等他確定了所上的學校後, 你們可以敘敘舊.

2007 年中起, 我多半待在台北, 以你師丈為生活重心.

其實, 每個年代都有不同的的特質, 但是, 有些基本價值觀是不會改變的, 現在的學生有他們的思維模式, 教學得順應潮流, 別太悲觀!

周遭的人事物帶給我們的喜怒哀樂, 這就是人生! "感觸" 是成長的一部分, 人生歷程不會稍有停頓, 把握當下, 珍惜所有, 才是面對人生的積極態度.

你本性善良溫和, 凡是盡其在我即可.

代我向韶曼問好.

我轉告了你門的問候. 逸凡是 "石器時代" 的代表, 很少使用電腦, 不過, 她真的感覺驕傲又滿意!

其實, 我也是退休後才開始學用網路的!

逸凡好像不大用 MSN, 不過, 我會告訴她.

I'm glad you found my response useful. I wish the best of luck to you and your family as well, and hope you do well in the TOEFLs.

很榮幸能稍稍提供一些生活所得給你參考, 我的 email 是crystal471017@yahoo.com.tw

多謝你的推薦, 我幾乎每個月都有出國的行程, 無法擔當此以重任, 希望能在別的像是文字方面能有所幫助.

Dear Jasper:

I am the son of 殷老師, and I have been asked to respond to the questions you listed above, as I have just finished the online version of TOEFL in June with agreeable results.

First of all, one must know that there are two main branches of English writing: the British and the American. I am not referring to the slight differences in spelling or pronounciation, but in the style of writing. The British are, typically, less direct. They are prone to using longer words and presenting both sides of an argument. Hence, British style essays are longer and takes multiple readings to truly appreciate. As a result, they are less suitable for the purpose of standardised tests like TOEFL and SAT, since the examiner would only have a short period of time to read your essay and give holistic judgement.

The American style of writing is what you should be aiming for in TOEFL: concise and to the point. Of course, this does not mean you have to write as if the reader is three years old. A skilled writer can be very concise yet produce very deep arguments. If you are not very confident with writing, especially in such a limited time frame, it is advisable to follow the standard template: agree or disagree completely with the statement in the first sentence and stay as close to one argument as possible throughout the essay. If you are truly able in your writing, you should attempt to find a balance between the American and the English style.

As for the integrated writing part, finding ratio between the summary of evidence and your argument is less of a science and more of an art. It is, again, heavily dependent on the writer. If the subject in question is something you feel strongly about and have deep knowledge into, you could be more concise with your summary of evidence and wind out your argument longer. If not, you can draw out summary a little longer, presenting facts you will use in the argument. Remember to be firm with your writing, using will's and can's instead of would's and could's, so to speak. Personally, I wrote a short, five line summary as the introduction then launched into my argument.

I'm afraid this answer is rather...British, in its length and style. You must remember that their is no formula you can use in essay writing, or the TOEFL will simply be a test of memory. You're personal experiences will determine how you write, and as long as you present arguments strongly and without lingual mistakes, you will score high.