英语四级作文高分必备技巧
各位正在备考英语四级作文的同学们都知道作文是英语四级考试一块儿非常重要的内容，在备考过程中，大家不仅要熟悉英语四级词汇和短语，还要掌握写作技巧，祝大家取得优异的四级成绩。
一篇文章的开头基本决定了阅卷老师对一篇文章的印象，也基本决定了一篇文章的得分。四六级考试虽然对作文要求不高，但麻雀虽小，五脏俱全，也应该讲究开头与结尾。而考试时，有些同学只知道按提纲敷衍成文，不知道好的文章应该有一个自然得体引人注目的开头;另一些同学则相反，在第一段里不遗余力地大量使用经典句型。作文中使用固定或经典句型本来可以成为老师阅卷时加分的闪光点。但如果不分题型，随意套用句型，给人感觉明显牵强，效果就会适得其反。
先请看一篇考生作文：
What is honesty? Does it pay to be honest? There are no consensus opinions of these two questions. Some people think it is no use to be honest. While others believe that honesty is a noble thing. Were I to offer my opinion, I will not hesitate to say that I agree with the latter one.
It is true that there are many things dishonest in society. In an examination some students bring books and papers, which are prohibited, into classrooms. Many shop assistants sell low-quality products at high prices in order to make benefit for themselves.
As far as I’m concerned, I think one person should be honest everywhere. If you are an honest person, you will make more friends. That means other people will make trust on you at any time. In the future an honest company will have a good reputation that build upon honest businesses. Consequently, honesty are benefit for each other.
Let’s keeps these words in mind. It pays to be honest. Honesty can make the world more beautiful.
本篇写得最好的是第二段和最后一段。第三段虽然有些错误，但分析了诚实对个人和公司都有好处，符合题目要求，表意基本清楚。问题出在第一段上，因为里面使用的一些句型很难和下文联系起来。这是在很多同学中普遍存在的毛病，即没弄清楚题幸而盲目套用句型。
为了写好文章开头段(introduction)，我们应该首先了解它的结构和功能。一般说来文章开头段由两个部分组成：引言句和中心思想句(有时可以开门见山，即没有引言句;如果主体部分只有一段，有时可以把中心思想句放在主体段开头)。开头段可以起到四个作用，即：
阐明并限定主题
提供相关背景信息
引出中心思想句
吸引读者注意
写好开头段，常用的方法有：总结法(summary)，设问法(question)，背景法(setting or background)，描写法(description)，传闻逸事法(anecdote)，数字事实法(figures and statistics)或警句格言法(proverb)等。
为了写好开头段，我们更要分清题型。根据文章结构，四六级考试基本分成两大类：议论(argumentation)和说明(exposition ).
议论类文章又可分成两小类。第一小类要求列举不同的人对某个问题所持的不同看法并陈述各自理由(list points to support views of both sides, then , after comparing the two , choose a side that you favor.)如2000年6月试题 “Is a Test of Spoken English Necessary?”要求在第一段中写 “很多人认为有必要进行英语口语考试”的理由， 第二段要求写 “也有人持不同意见”，第三段写 “我的看法和打算”.这类文章有一种变体,即可在简要介绍对立观点(即第一段)以后重点阐述自己观点并列举理由，(然后最好还要根据需要写出第三段).如 98年6月试题 “ Do ‘Lucky Numbers’ Really Bring Good Luck?” 要求在第一部分中写 “有些人认为某些数字会带来好运”,在第二部分中提出 “我认为数字和运气无关”;议论性文章还有第二小类，即要求作者对某个事物或现象两面性进行列举和比较(也可以对两件事物各自优劣性进行全面比较)，如93年1月试题Motorcycles and City Life和96年1月试题Two-day Weekend就是要求分别写出摩托车和双休日的优点和缺点。以前这类议论型试题一统天下,每年至少考一次.但这类题的写作明显模式化，易于模仿,因此受到高校老师的广泛批评,近年明显失宠,现已连续数次未考.
第二大类文章即说明类文章要求作者对某种社会热点问题的原因或结果进行分析列举,如97年12月试题 “My View on Fake Commodities”就要求先写出假冒伪劣商品的危害,再指出怎样杜绝假冒伪劣商品;或说明如何做好某事(what, why, how).如 “How to Succeed in a Job Interview?”要求先指出面试的重要性,再提出面试成功的一些因素.这类文章的变体是图表或图画题.
对于议论型的第一小类文章，可以用总结法，设问法，也可以用背景法。如果用总结法有很多常见句型，如上文这个同学在这篇文章里用的“There is no consensus of opinions as to the view of sth.…”。此外还有
When it comes to sth, people’s ideas vary from person to person, some hold … while others take it for granted …;
Nowadays there has been a heated discussion on the issue of sth. …;
When asked about sth. , people’s views vary from person to person. It is held that… while it is also held that….
这些句型开篇点出全文主旨，这种开头方法我们称之为 “总结法”(summary)。 对于这类题型的文章， 我们还经常使用另外一种方法 “设问法”(question)，这种开头经常根据题目具体情况设计一到几个问句，问句可以是一般疑问句，可以是选择疑问句，也可以是特殊疑问句。如针对 英语口语考试是否必要一题，就可以设计出这样的问句：
Is it necessary to hold a test of spoken English when, as someone puts it, the test of written English ‘has already posed a heavy burden on students’? To this question, different people have different ideas”;或
What’s your attitude towards the test of spoken English? Is it right or not to have it? Faced with questions of this kind, everyone has his own view
下面接着展开主体部分：some think it necessary for the reasons listed as follows: 可见，提问法开头可以在问句的后面加上概括全文的句子，实际上问句只是一个引子，他们的目的还是要引出全文的中心思想句，以使读者在看正文之前对下文有一 个大致了解。
议论性文章的第二小类常用背景法开头。如摩托车篇可以这样开头：
Now, it is generally accepted that the motocycle plays an important part in people’s lives. But, there is an ongoing heated discussion as to whether it is a blessing or a curse. 或：With the advent of motorcycle ( or “Since the invention of sth.” or “Ever since sth. found its way into common household”), it has become indispensable to people’s lives. But, like everything else, it has both favorable and unfavorable aspects.
说明性文章的开头则比较无章可循，一般多用背景法，(不 大好用总结法).除此以外，还可以用描写法，传闻逸事法，数字事实法或警句格言法等。也可用其他方法。本次考试的文章可属第二类(hot issue,)。而上面那位同学误用了总结法，所以尽管文章总体写得不错，但开头确实不很理想。那些句型应该用在第一大类题型(即 “some, others , I” ; or “my view”on something)中。这篇文章最好能用背景法开头，或用生动的描写，或用个人亲身经历。哪怕是用老套的with the development of commercial society, people’s living standard has greatly improved. Yet, along with the improvement, has also arisen some problems, one of which is the loss of honesty.接着简单列举一些各行业里的欺诈现象。第二段虽然要求写诚实的好处，但仍可按第二类题型先写出这种现象的原因或副面影响(也可不写)，再 写诚实的好处，号召大家诚实为本。
下面请看本次考试文章的几种开头：
Nowadays, with the development of commercial society, people’s living standard has been greatly improved. But along with this improvement, has also arisen some problems, one of which is the loss of our traditional virtue---honesty. This, of course, will lead to undesirable consequences. (setting) (下面可列举影响)
Customers falling victims of false commercials; patients losing lives for the effect of shoddy medicines; students caught cheating in exams; scholars found plagiarizing in their writings published. All these are nothing new. What’s alarming is that these phenomena are on the rise these days.(description)(下面可列举原因)
Recently it’s reported that another swindler has been found guilty and convicted of fraud for gathering large sums of money by cheating. This case, unfortunately, sounds not unusual to modern readers for it is well-known that a growing number of people are willing to trade honesty for a few shining coins. But this behavior, at least it seems to me, is unwise. (anecdote) ( 下面可展开分析，说明诚实对人对己都有利 )
Honesty means fairness and uprightness in speech and acts. It’s a long-valued virtue that everyone has to cultivate in himself in order to lead a real happy life and that we Chinese have to treasure in order to exist as a prosperous people or even to survive. (definition) (下面分析诚实对个人和国家的好处)
“Honesty is the best policy” as the saying goes. But, unfortunately, honesty, the long-treasured virtue, seems less appealing to people in increasing numbers.(proverb) (下面可列举一些不诚实现象)
According to a survey conducted by a group of leading sociologists, seven out of ten interviewees, when asked, admitted that they lied “regularly and habitually” at work and were currently having an affair which they were keeping secret from their mates. An alarming figure, indeed. No wonder the appeal for honesty. (figures and statistics) (下面可提出一些解决方法)。
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