英語(yǔ)專業(yè)八級(jí) Mini Lecture 5

[00:00.00]MINI-LECTURE 5 [00:27.11]In this section, you will hear a mini-lecture. [00:32.14]You will hear the lecture ONCE ONLY. [00:35.10]While listening, take notes on the important points. [00:39.47]Your notes will not be marked, [00:41.77]but you will need them to complete a gap-filling task after the mini-lecture. [00:47.46]When the lecture is over, you’ll be given two minutes to check your notes, [00:52.70]and another 10 minutes to complete the gap-filling task. [00:56.97]Now listen to the mini-lecture. [00:59.93]What is good writing? [01:03.64]Different cultures using different languages may come up with very different answers to the question. [01:09.34]Indeed, even different individuals may have different standards, tastes and expectations. [01:14.80]However, as far as English is concerned, a set of basic characteristics, [01:19.95]which is believed to be present in all good writing, [01:22.57]has been promoted by educators in English-speaking countries. [01:25.85]They are: unity, coherence, emphasis, development and clarity. [01:31.32]While these good old values are still relevant, [01:34.27]today’s discussion of good writing focuses on a different set of concepts. [01:38.97]I’ll define good writing using different terms: good writing is good thinking; [01:44.11]good writing involves thoughtful revision; good writing is directed toward an audience; [01:49.91]good writing achieves a clear purpose; good writing expresses ideas clearly. [01:55.06]Firstly, good writing is good thinking. Good thinking leads to good writing, [02:01.40]and muddy thinking can only result in muddy writing. [02:04.57]As simple as that. Writing is a thinking process; it is not making a big deal out of nothing. [02:10.70]Good writing should be substantive, really having things to say. [02:14.64]Not only having things to say, but also having insightful things to say about the topic. [02:20.32]This concept is particularly important for you non-native speakers of English. [02:25.25]You may tend to be overly concerned with being correct in grammar, spelling and mechanics. [02:30.60]While good writing is expected to be free from grammatical and other errors, [02:34.97]it is worth repeating here that good writing is not good grammar or vice versa. [02:40.12]At the advanced level, [02:42.19]you should be much more concerned with higher and more important issues of writing in English. [02:46.90]If you were excited at all by a piece of writing, [02:49.96]most likely, it was for one or a combination of the following reasons: [02:54.78]1) because it enlightens you or sheds light on the subject; [03:00.02]2) because you have felt something similar but in a rather vague and superficial way; [03:05.60]3) because you have felt exactly the same, [03:09.33]but have never been able to express yourself in such an effective and elegant manner. [03:13.70]Secondly, good writing involves thoughtful revision. [03:17.30]Although there are geniuses who are such inspired writers [03:20.91]that they can produce great writings at the spur of the moment [03:24.08]without having to revise as much as one word, such geniuses are few and far between. [03:29.77]For the overwhelming majority of writers, [03:32.73]good writing is ninety-nine percent hard work and one percent inspiration. [03:37.98]Experienced writers subject their writings to numerous revisions before feeling satisfied. [03:43.89]Lu Xun, the greatest modern Chinese writer, for example, [03:48.04]talks about pacing pensively in the study for days searching for the right word. [03:53.07]Thirdly, good writing is directed toward an audience. [03:57.01]Notice the use of the word “audience” here: [03:59.97]it usually refers to viewers and listeners, but now its reference has expanded to include readers, too, [04:06.86]particularly in discussions of writing. [04:09.48]You should remember that what is appropriate for one kind of audience may not be appropriate for another. [04:15.60]The intended audience determines your choice of words, [04:18.88]your sentence length and patterns, the overall tone, [04:22.72]the details that would be included in your writing, etc. [04:26.00]Fourthly, good writing achieves a clear purpose. [04:29.50]Good writing must achieve your intended purpose. [04:32.12]If you want to write about how to make Jiaozi, your reader, after reading your writing, [04:37.37]should get everything he or she needs to know about how to make Jiaozi, [04:41.31]from the necessary ingredients to step by step instructions. [04:45.03]If your purpose is to convey the sublime and soul-awakening beauty of the morning sun [04:51.15]bursting out of the horizon in the misty Huangshan Mountain in Anhui Province, [04:55.86]you should describe it in such a way that your readers should be able to visualize the scenery. [05:01.00]If you want to propose that China adopt a legal drinking age, [05:05.15]you should make it clear to the People’s Congress why such a law is necessary, [05:09.64]what it should be, how to implement such a law, and so forth. [05:13.68]Last but not least, good writing expresses ideas clearly. [05:18.17]Good writing reflects good thinking, [05:21.23]and good thinking needs to be put in precise, concise, and lucid prose. [05:26.04]An important task for revision is to trim all the deadwood, [05:30.31]pruning all the redundancies, wordiness, [05:33.16]and confusing and misleading ambiguities. [05:35.56]For non-native speakers, [05:37.53]to express yourself clearly often involves making your writing more idiomatic, [05:41.79]reducing the level of negative interference of your native language [05:45.52]and to bring your writing closer to English-speaking readers. [05:48.68]Only when you can write clearly can you begin to think of developing a distinctive style. [05:53.94]What kind of style should you develop or use depends on your temperament, [05:58.64]your need, and such controlling factors as the subject you are writing about, [06:02.90]the audience you are writing to, and the purpose you want to achieve. [06:06.73]One style may be appropriate for certain occasions but totally inappropriate for others. [06:12.10]You would feel totally out of place [06:14.39]if you go to a casual gathering of old friends dressed in expensive suit and tie, [06:19.31]unless you want to appear snobbish and showy. [06:22.04]How about going to a concert performed by the Vienna Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra [06:26.86]in the elegant Grand Capital Arts Center in loosely fit T-shirt and jeans? [06:32.00]So far, we have discussed five characteristics of good writing. [06:36.37]In later lectures, you will learn in greater detail how to write to different audiences [06:41.73]to achieve specific purposes in clear and effective styles.

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