到了 B2 水平,你已经能谈论自己的工作和生活。下一步是应对那些你没有准备过的话题:伦理、趋势、假设情境——这正是考试和真实讨论常常抛出来的内容。
趋势与变化
- There's been a growing tendency towards remote work.
- The number of applicants has risen sharply / fallen steadily.
- This is increasingly common.
- Attitudes have shifted considerably.
实用的搭配组合:rise / fall、increase / decrease、sharply / gradually / steadily。
注意动词和名词的区别——这里很多人会绊倒:prices rose(动词,不带介词),但 a rise in prices(名词)。而 trend 固定搭配 towards:a trend towards shorter contracts。
原因与结果
- This has led to a shortage of housing.
- One consequence of this is...
- It's largely due to the cost of energy.
- This contributes to the problem, but isn't the only factor.
- The underlying cause is... · This is a symptom rather than a cause.
假设与推测
- If governments were to act now, the effect would be significant.
- It's conceivable that prices will stabilise.
- That would depend on how quickly it's implemented.
- In theory, yes — in practice, it's harder.
- Suppose the funding disappeared — what then?
平衡的论证
无论是考官还是同事,都更看重权衡周全,而不是斩钉截铁。
- On the one hand... on the other hand...
- While there are clear benefits, there are also risks.
- It depends largely on the context.
- To some extent, yes, but...
如何安全地进行概括
抽象话题的讨论离不开对某个群体的整体判断,而绝对化的断言很容易被推翻。下面这些说法能让你在概括表达的同时,不至于说得太满:
- On the whole, people prefer… · By and large, this holds.
- As a rule, smaller firms are more flexible.
- There are exceptions, but the pattern is clear.
- This is typically the case in urban areas.
如何组织一个完整的回答
面对没有准备过的话题,如果心里先有一套框架,比临时想内容要容易得多:
- 先划定范围。 There are really two questions here — whether it works, and whether it's fair.
- 先站一个明确立场。 On the practical side, the evidence is fairly strong…
- 做出让步。 That said, it clearly places a burden on…
- 落到结论。 On balance, I'd say…
提前宣告结构能为你争取思考的时间,让一个简短的回答显得深思熟虑,而不是内容单薄。
迂回表达:一项生存技能
需要的单词并不总能及时想起来。说得流利的人会绕着这个空白描述概念,而不是干脆停下来。
- It's a kind of... — It's a kind of tax on imports.
- It's the thing you use to... — It's the thing you use to measure pressure.
- It's similar to X, but...
- I can't think of the word, but it's when...
这并不是失败。绕着说远比沉默或切换成母语要好得多。
如何为自己争取时间
- That's an interesting question.
- Let me think about that for a second.
- I suppose it depends on...
母语者一直在用这些说法。听起来很自然,并不显得在回避问题。
没有人指望你精通这个话题的专业知识。 考官问到城市规划,考察的并不是你懂不懂城市规划,而是你能不能用英语组织观点、做出让步、构建假设。说一句 I don't know much about this, but I'd imagine…,然后接着讲上一分钟,远比准确地保持沉默要划算得多。
用框架拆解一个没准备过的问题
A: Should city centres be closed to cars?
B: That's an interesting question. There are two things there, really — whether it works, and whether it's fair. On the whole, the cities that have tried it have seen air quality improve. That said, it clearly disadvantages people who can't easily use public transport. On balance I'd support it, if the alternatives were in place first.
争取时间的开场白、框架、安全的概括、让步和立场——而这些完全不需要任何专业知识。
自测一下
下面的测验涵盖了趋势表达、平衡论证以及迂回表达的策略。