写作考试-Summary-Writing.doc

SUMMARY WRITINGn Definition and characteristicsn Steps in writing a summaryn How to write a summaryn Writing Practice1. What Is Summary? n A summary is a shortened passage, which retains the essential information of the original. It is a fairly brief restatement - in your own words - of the contents of a passage. n Note: You simply report back what the writer has said, without making value judgments. 2. Characteristics of a good summaryn Briefness Omit unnecessary details like examples, explanations and other unimportant information. (length: 1/4-1/3 of original text)n Completeness to include all the main and supporting points delivered in your own words in a condensed mannern Coherencerather than an outline listed as key words and phrase, a summary is a paragraph with necessary transitions and function structures to make it flow. n Objectivity to contain only the ideas or information of the original. Do not include your own ideas or emotions on the topic.Some Useful Expressions of TransitionOn one hand,.On the other hand,One reason is Another reason is Still another reason is The final reason is To begin with, Whats more,In addition,Finally,In short, From what is mentioned above, we can come to the conclusion that .3. Steps in Writing a Summaryn Read the article 1). Divide the article into sections of ideas. Each section deals with one aspect of the central theme. 2). Label (classify) each section with a general phrase that captures the subject matter of the section. 3). Highlight or underline the main idea and key pointsTopic: _Outlines: 1. _a. b. c. . 2. _3. _n Begin with a proper citation of the title, author, source, date of publication and the main idea of the article summarized.n Write according to your outlines.n Use transitions for a smooth and logical flow of ideas.n Compress supporting details 1). Omit the details2). Reduce the examples3). Simplify the descriptions4). Eliminate all repetitions5). Compress wordy sentences and change clauses or sentences to phrases and phrases to words.6). Use general words instead of specific words7). Use the shortest possible transitions8). Avoid figurative (比喻的) language9). Put the main points of a dialogue in indirect speechBeginning a Summaryn Begin your summary with1. The authors name2. The articles or chapters name3. The authors thesis statement-a general overview (survey概述) of the articleThe Opening Sentence: e.g. In the feature (特写；专题) article Four Kinds of Reading, the author, Donald Hall, explains his opinion about different types of reading. The Body：First of all, the author describes He then points out that In addition, the author talks about . Finally, the author suggests. Some other introductory phrases 1. (The author) states in (this article) that.2. (The author, in (this article) shows that.3. In (this article), (the author) writes that.4. As (the author) says in (this article), .5. The main idea of (the authors article) is6. The author believes (holds; maintains; claims; argues; points out; suggests; proposes)that + clause7. The author talks about (explains; describes; reveals; discusses; focuses on) + n.写作提示 How to use transitional words or phrases correctlyIn order to organize a good paragraph or composition, you should learn to use transitions（转换词）properly. When a runner in a relay race passes his wand（接力棒）to another team member, his team keeps moving ahead. When a writer uses transitions, he keeps his ideas moving ahead.Transitions are words or phrases that join one idea to another. They add coherence(连贯性)to writing by joining ideas together. You can write good paragraphs by using transitions correctly.Transitions placed in sentences within a paragraph make it easier for a reader to follow the movement of an idea from one sentence to the next.1. 次序：First and foremost, First, Firstly, Second, Secondly, third, thirdly, then=next=after that=afterwards. 例: Then you come to a traffic light and turn right.2. 强调：Certainly=Surely=really=truly=indeed, above all=most importantAs a matter of fact=in reality=to tell the truth. 例: Above all, do not build an open fire in a forest. Indeed a dessert is always enjoyable. I am going there tomorrow, as a matter of fact.3. 说明：For example, for instance, such, so=thus=in this / that way=like this, in fact=in truth=really 例: Thus the trip finally began. Such an earthquake happened last year in China. So it was that he had his first sight of snow. For eight years she was in fact spying for the enemy.4. 对照：whereas=but in contrast=while, On the contrary, instead of, on the other hand.instead=as an alternative 例: The husband wanted a boy, whereas the wife wanted a girl. Weve no coffee. Would you like tea instead? Lets play cards instead of watching TV.5. 比较：like, unlike, asas, Similarly, Equally important, In the same way, At the same time=Meanwhile, Compared with例: Equally important the car drives thirty miles on a gallon of gas. I went to college. Meanwhile, all my friends got well-paid jobs.6. 并列/补充：Besides, Furthermore, Moreover, also, On top of=In addition=Additionally, too, as well, What is more, bothand, not onlybut also. 例: I did not like the house; moreover, it was too high-priced.7. 转折(make a statement less general or extreme)：As a matter of fact, However=though, Nevertheless(fml)=in spite of this=still, Unfortunately, Conversely, Yet, but. 例: We hope, though, that she could change her mind.Yet there was still a chance that he would win.8. 让步：although= though, after all, Nevertheless(fml)=in spite of this=still 例: After all, you learn to cook many foods in this job. Though very intelligent, she is nevertheless rather modest. Still, a winter vacation can be pleasant / fun.9. 结果/后果：Hence=for this reason, as a result=Therefore=For that reason=Consequently, Thus=As a result of this=Accordingly, sothat, otherwise, then=in that case=therefore 例: Consequently, we opened an account at the bank. Nothing more was heard from him so that we began to wonder if he was dead.10. 目的：to, in order to (fml)= so as to, so that=in order that 例He left early in order that he should/would/might arrive on time. She works hard so that her husband suspects nothing.11. 结论/总结: As you can see, As I have said, Obviously, Apparently, To sum / end up, To conclude, In brief / short / summary / conclusion / a word, By and large=All in all 例: In summary, recreation is big business. By and large, the companys been pretty good to me.Passage OneThere are a great many careers in which the increasing emphasis is on specialization. You find these careers in engineering, in production, in statistical work, and in teaching. But there is an increasing demand for people who are able to take in a great area at a glance, people who perhaps do not know too much about any one field. There is, in other words, a demand for people who are capable of seeing the forest rather than the trees, of making general judgments. We can call these people “generalists”. And these “generalists” are particularly needed for positions in administration, where it is their job to see that other people do the work, where they have to plan for other people, to organize other peoples work, to begin it and judge it. The specialist understands one field; his educational background is properly technical or professional. The generalist-and especially the administrator-deals with people; his concern is with leadership, with planning, and with direction giving. He is an “educated” man; and humanities are his strongest foundation. Very rarely is a specialist capable of being an administrator. And very rarely is a good generalist also a good specialist in a particular field. Any organization needs both kinds of people, though different organizations need them in different proportions. It is your task to find out, during your training period, into which of the two kinds of jobs you fit, and to plan your career accordingly.Your first job may turn out to be the right job for you but this is pure accident. Certainly you should not change jobs constantly or people will become suspicious of your ability to hold any job. At the same time you must not look upon the first job as the final job; it is primarily a training job, an opportunity to understand your-self and your fitness for being an employee.1. There is an increasing demand for _ .A. all-round people in their own fieldB. people whose job is to organize other peoples workC. generalists whose educational background is either technical or professionalD. specialists whose chief concern is to provide administrative guidance to others 2. The specialist is _ .A. a man whose job is to train other peopleB. a man who has been trained in more than one fieldC. a man who can see the forest rather than the treesD. a man whose concern is mainly with technical or professional matters3. The administrator is _ .A. a “trained” man who is more a specialist than a generalistB. a man who sees the trees as well as the forestC. a man who is very strong in the humanities D. a man who is an “educated” specialist4. During your training period, it is important _ .A. to try to be a generalist B. to choose a profitable jobC. to find an organization which fits youD. to decide whether you are fit to be a specialist or a generalist5. A mans first job _.A. is never the right job for him B. should not be regarded as his final jobC. should not be changed or people will become suspicious of his ability to hold any job D. is primarily an opportunity to fit himself for his final job BDCDBPassage TwoSuccessful international marketing doesnt stop with good translationsother aspects of culture must be researched and understood if marketers are to avoid blunders. When marketers do not understand and appreciate the values, tastes, geography, climate, superstitions, level of literacy, religion, or economic development of a culture, they fail to capture their target market. For example, when a popular American designer tried to introduce a new perfume in the Latin American market, the product aroused little interest and the company lost a lot of money. Ads for the new fragrance highlighted its fresh camellia scent. What marketers had failed to realize was that camellias are traditionally used for funeral in many South American countries.Procter and Gamble has been successful in marketing its products internationally for many years. Today, overseas markets accounts for over one third of its sales. However, the companys success in this area didnt happen overnight. Procter and Gamble initially experienced huge losses because marketing managers did not recognize important cultural differences. For instance, when P& G first entered the Japanese market with its popular Cheer laundry detergent, most Japanese housewives werent interested. The promotional campaign that emphasized Cheer as an effective “all temperature” detergent was lost on the Japanese who usually wash clothes in cold water. Although the ad had been quite successful in the United States where clothes are washed in all temperatures, it fell flat in Japan. All of this could have been avoided if P&G marketers had done more preliminary research before launching the campaign. Once P&G changed its strategy and promised superior cleaning in cold water, sales for Cheer picked up dramatically.The use of numbers can also be a source of problems for international marketers. Since every culture has its own set of lucky and unlucky numbers, companies need to do their homework if they want to avoid marketing blunders. A. U. S. manufacturer of golf balls learned this lesson the hard way when it packaged its product in groups of four for export to Japan. The company couldnt figure out why the golf balls werent selling well until it realized that in Japanese the word for the number four also means death. In Japan four and nine are very unlucky numbers which should be avoided by marketers.Even illustrations need to be carefully examined. A picture that is culturally offensive can ruin an advertisement even if the written message is properly translated. McDonnell Douglas Corporation made an unfortunate error in an aircraft brochure for potential customers in India. It included a picture of men wearing turbans, which was not appreciated by the Indians. A company spokesman reported, “It was politely pointed out to us that turbans were distinctly Pakistani Moslem.” The artist for the ad had used an old National Geographic magazine to copy the picture.29. Why is the new fragrance not popular in Latin countries?People are not interested in this fragrance B. The fragrance suggests funeral in Latin countriesC. People refuse to accept products made in the USA D. A terrible mistake was made in translation30. What does the phrase “pick up” mean here?to take hold of B. to choose C. to become better D. to become worse31. Which of the following is not true according to the passage?The word for number four is unlucky in Japan B. One third of P&G sale is in overseas marketsC. Cheer is not so effective in cold water D. The picture McDonnell Douglas Corp. used is culturally offensive32. What is the main topic of the passage?Cultural oversights can be disastrous B. The lesson Procter and Gamble learnedC. The superstition about number D. What illustrations showPassage ThreeAn Asian engineer is assigned to U.S laboratory and almost suffers a nervous breakdown. A U. S executive tells his staff hes going to treat them fairly, and creates dissension. A Japanese manager is promoted by his British president, but within six months asks for a transfer.Each of these real-life cases involved people who were regarded as superior employees, but were ill-equipped to cope with the complexities and dangers of intercultural management.“Multinational companies have studied everything else, now theyre finally looking at culture,” says Clifford Clarke, founder and president of the California-based IRI International Inc. one of a small but growing number of consulting firms that specialize in teaching business people from differing cultures how to communicate and work with each other.“Never show the sole of your shoe to an Arab, never arrive on time for a party in Brazil, and in Japan, dont think yes means yes,” advise U. S. consultants Lennie Copland and Lewis Browh Griggs, who have produced a series of films and a book to help managers improve their international business skills. But simply learning the social “dos” and “donts” is not the answer, according to the new culture specialists. The penalties for ignoring different thinking patterns, they point out, can be disastrous.For example, the American manager who promised to be fair thought he was telling his Japanese staff that their hard work would be rewarded, but when some workers received higher salary increases than others, there were complaints. “You told us youd be fair, and you lied to us,” accused one salesman, “It took me a year and half” sighed the American, “to realize that fair to my staff, meant being treated equally”.The Asian engineer who suffered in America was the victim of another mistaken expectation. He was accustomed to the warm group environment so typical in Japan, said his U. S manager. But in our company, were all expected to be self-starters, who thrive on working alone. For him, it was emotional starvation. Hes made the adjustment now, but hed be humiliated if I told you his name. Thats another cultural difference.The Japanese manager who failed to respond to his promotion couldnt bring himself to use the more direct language needed to communicate with his London-based superiors. “I used to think all this talk about cultural communication was a lot of baloney,” says Eugene J. Flath, president of Intel Japan Ltd, a subsidiary of the American semiconductor maker. “Now, I can see its a real problem.” Miscommunication has slowed our ability to coordinate action with our home office.Thats why Intel, with the help of consultant Clarke, began an intercultural training program this spring, which Flath expects will dramatically reduce decision-making time now lost in making sure the Americans and the Japanese understand each other.23. The best title for the passage would be .Building Bridges Over the Cultural Rivers B. Multinational training for BusinessmenC. Learning Different Thinking Patterns. D. Communication Problems and Complaints24. From the context, the word baloney is close in meaning to .A. balcony B. feat C. nonsense D. simplicity25. Why did the Japanese staff complain to the American manager?The American manager had lied to them B. The salary increases were insufficientC. Most staff had not received salary increases D. There was a misunderstanding of the word fair26. The cultural communication problems are becoming especially urgent for .American managers B. multinational companies C. Japanese employees D. consulting firms27. From the passage, the Japanese people seem to be accustomed to .being frank and direct B. thriving on working aloneC. the warm team environment D. higher salary than others28. Why did the promoted Japanese manager ask for a transfer?He was not competent for the higher position B. He was not accustomed to working by himselfC. He could not make th