Task 1: 流程图

　　2013/08/03 原题：流程图，太阳能转换drinking water production

　　事物发展变化的过程(process)往往按照一定顺序(sequence)展开。雅思A类小作文往往要求描绘事物、系统、设计装置、地理的发展、运行趋势、使用原理、变迁等等，具有很强的顺序性。以描述为主，属说明文，对词汇的要求比较高，但词汇可以通过积累达到要求。

　　一、基本技法

　　a 描述流程的文章，有一定的规律性叙述要点：

　　1. 首先说明是做什么工作的过程，目的是什么

　　2. 准备工作

　　3. 按时间/过程先后描述

　　4. 结果

　　5. 简单总结(可有可无)

　　b 描述一个实物/器具的工作过程：

　　1. 实物是什么，做什么用的

　　2. 基本结构

　　3. 工作过程

　　4. 简单总结

　　二、注意事项：

　　a 审题时找起点，看箭头。

　　b 描写时按顺序，想结果。

　　c 句子要有连接，有逻辑。

　　d 动词在没有标明时间段的时候，就用一般现在时。尽量使用被动语态。

　　1. 常用句式

　　导入句:

　　The following diagrams show the structure/ process/ procedure of…

　　The picture shows/ illustrates…

　　概括句:

　　It mainly consists of…

　　It always involves following steps.

　　The whole procedure can be divided into… stages.

　　2. 常用过渡性词语

　　表顺序表时间表结果表目的

　　The first stage involves…

　　In the next stage, …

　　In the following stage, …

　　In the last stage, …

　　Subsequently, …

　　Firstly, … Secondly, …

　　Then, … Finally, …At the same time,

　　Simultaneously,

　　Before this,

　　During…

　　After this,

　　In the course of …

　　Then….Consequently, …

　　As a result, …

　　…so that…the first step is to

　　the next step is to

　　the last step is to

　　in order (not) to

　　in order that

　　so as to/ so as not to

　　Task 2: 大作文

　　2013/08/03 原题：In many countries today, people in cities either live alone or in small family units, rather than in large, extended family groups. Is this a positive or negative trend?

　　相关旧题：2013/04/13：As countries developed, their populations tend to live individually or in small family units. In your opinion, what are the causes? What effects does it have on society?

　　题目分析：

　　4月份的原题，问的是人们愿意独居或者以更小规模家庭来生活，问原因和对社会的影响(Discussion / Report)。而8月3日的考题是城市中的居民选择独居或者以更小规模家庭来生活是积极或者消极的趋势。有相似之处，但后者加了地点限定词in cities, 并属于论述类文章(Argumentation)，这和前者是大相庭径的。除此之外，要注意题中给出了either live alone or in small family这两种生活方式，所以文中有必要全部提及。

　　尤其重要的两点是，首先，in small family units不仅仅指的是小户型或者小规模家庭，且涵盖了“更少的人”的意思，所以也就意味着父母可以选择要生育孩子的数量，这跟我们的思维是有区别的，在这里加以区分。同时，离异带有小孩的家庭如果人口不多的话也可以归为small family units.

　　解题思路：

　　在对社会和人们的生活这类话题进行发散的时候，可以参考几个基准来分类论述对象：性别、年龄、教育程度、生理状况。同时可以把各类因素分为“内在(Internal)”和“外在(External)”两大类，基于我们的普世价值，可以各分为positive和negative两大类。这也是以后诸位小鸭子出国后会接触到的研究方法，可以事前稍作了解:) 这篇文章中，我们可以根据年龄和生理状况来展开我们的论点。以下为一些例子：

内在因素：

外在因素：

　　观点发散：

　　在这篇文章中，可以按照年龄、生理状况和内外因素如孩子数量，婚姻状况等进行讨论，这样能收集的素材就会更多。以下为一些可供参考的观点，当然，由于字数限制，不需要全部写入文章：

　　1. Positive trend选择独居或者小家庭有哪些积极的方面

　　1. 1 Live alone 独居

　　1) Help to cultivate independence 有助于培养独立性

　　2) Learnt how to cope with the unexpected and the urgent学到如何处理突发与紧急状况

　　3) Money-saving 省钱

　　1.2 Live in small family units 小家庭

　　1) Concentration on children 专注于孩子

　　* Parents can focus more on their children’s growth, both mental and physical 家长能更专注孩子们的身心健康

　　* more time to spend with each child and attention and be paid properly to each child 更多的与每个孩子共处的时间以及给予每个孩子适当的关注

　　* More children means more disputes and fighting among the children 更多的孩子意味着他们之间会有更多的争吵和矛盾

　　2) Better Maternal Health 改善母亲们的健康

　　* The greater the number of children, specifically infants and toddlers, the greater a mother's level of stress, depression and anxiety tends to be. 孩子的数量越多，母亲们的压力、抑郁以及焦虑程度也就越明显。

　　* A house full of young children may at times be endearing and sentimental, but it also creates a massive amount of work and chores for the mother. 满屋子的孩子也许有事会逗人开心和让人感慨，但是这也为母亲们带来了大量的工作和家务。

　　* Many of the mothers also stated they must take on additional employment in order to help meet the needs of their large families, a move which further increased their personal discontent. 很多母亲们都指出为了满足家庭的开支需求，她们不得不额外兼职，这极大加重了她们的负担。

　　* Not only does a small family make sense for financial reasons, but it also helps ensure the emotional and physical health of the mother. 小家庭规模不仅能缓解家庭的经济负担，同样能确保母亲们的身心健康。

　　3) Lower Cost of Living 降低生活成本

　　* Expenses for rearing children can accrue and quickly become debt. 抚养孩子的费用可以累积并且快速地转换为债务。

　　* A small, well-planned family unit is economically sustainable and can contribute to an overall reduction of poverty in some countries.一个小且有规划的家庭结构是有利于经济可持续发展的并能促进减少某些国家的贫穷。

　　4) Enriched Adolescent Development 促进青少年的发展

　　* A smaller family structure makes it much easier for a child to spend time with each parent while receiving the emotional reinforcement they need. 当孩子们与他们的父母相处并接受他们需要的情感强化的时候，稍小的家庭结构使得这个过程变得更容易。

　　* In large families, dividing up time between children never ends up being equal and this is damaging to each child's emotional and intellectual development and can have lasting effects. 在大家庭中，花在每个孩子身上的时间永远是分配不均的，这对孩子的情感和智力的发展是及其有害，并可能造成带来长期持续的影响。

　　2. Negative trend 选择独居或者小家庭有哪些消极的方面 (包含了大家庭生活的好处)

　　2.1 Live alone

　　1) Suffer from loneliness and solitude 忍受孤独和寂寥

　　2) No communication and interaction with surroundings 与周遭没有交流和互动

　　3) Lack of care 缺乏照料

　　2.2 Live in small family units

　　1) A sheer number of children are being raised in broken households, and there are also families raising boys with no male head of household. 有很多的小孩的家庭都不是那么完整，同样有很多孩子生长在一个缺乏女性家长的家庭环境中。

　　2) Children being raised in single parent families, discussed by some social scientists, are more likely to commit a crime. 一些社会学家指出，单亲家庭抚养的孩子更容易犯罪。

　　3) Children from small families are treated like a porcelain doll, not a child. 小家庭环境下成长起来的孩子像是一个洋娃娃，而不是一个孩子。

　　2.3 Advantages of living in large, extended family groups

　　1) Larger families mean people have a bigger support system, financially or others. 大家庭意味着人们有着一个更大的家庭支持体系，不管是财政上还是其他方面的。

　　2) Family members benefit from close relationships with extended family. It is better for families to be closely connected with extended family. 家庭成员可以从大家庭中亲密无间的关系中受益良多，对于家庭成员来说，与大家庭紧密地联系起来是更好的生活方式。

　　3) Children, in particular, benefit from the wisdom and experiences gained from these relationships. 尤其是孩子，可以从这些关系中学到的智慧和经历中获益良多。

　　4) Mothers and fathers benefit from family support both emotionally and at times financially. 父母们也可以从大家庭中得到感情上的支持甚至金钱上的。

　　5) Older family members can share parenting advice and help care for children. 老一辈的家庭成员可以分享他们的育儿经验以及帮忙照顾孩子。

2013.8.3雅思写作考试范文

　　Sample Essay

　　这篇文章有点儿小长 (424 words)，对于考生来说，达到文章字数的2/3即可轻松过关，但是文章的结构、布局、论点都非常精彩，请各位小主耐心看完。

　　Introduction 开头段

　　In most societies nowadays, a tendency which individuals in cities prefer to live alone or in small family units, instead of living in large, extended families can be observed. (描述背景，转述题目) Some may argue this is beneficial to both younger and the older generations on one hand while others insist there are some certain negative effects on the other. (点明题目中两种立场) The writer’s perspective may be in agreement with the saying that such appearance has mainly positive impact on youngster and otherwise parents. (作者的立场和态度)

　　Body 主体段 (3段)

　　Living alone, which means people, especially those youngsters who just left their home and parents, should learn washing dirty clothes, tidying the room and cooking by themselves, helps individuals to cultivate their independence. (第一种对独居者来说积极的方面+举例) Besides, another important lesson they can learn from living individually is how to cope with the unexpected and the urgent, for instance, dealing with conflicts between neighbours or calling an ambulance due to the acute appendicitis. These can greatly enrich their social experiences. (第二种积极的影响+举例)

　　For some parents, they choose to live in small family units because they can focus more on their children’s physical and mental growth. (对于父母来说积极的方面) In large families, dividing up time between children never ends up being equal and this is damaging to each child's emotional and intellectual development and can have lasting effects. (对比) In comparison with large families, a smaller family structure makes it much easier for a child to spend time with each parent while receiving the emotional reinforcement they need. (论证)

　　On the flip side, some persons who have long lived apart may suffer from loneliness, solitude or even homesickness. (先写对独居者的影响) There would be not adequate communication and interaction between those living alone and living in small family units and their family members. (对独居者和小家庭生活者的消极影响) Accordingly, it seems that reading an article aloud for the elderly relatives, watching a watching a film together or playing a board game with them are not easily to achieve for people living in these two lifestyles. (举例论证) Another important source of evidence receiving much attention is that family members are the main beneficiary of close relationships with extended family. (观点2) Therefore, older family members can share parenting advice and help care for children. Meanwhile, children, in particular, benefit from the wisdom and experiences gained from these relationships. (用老人和小孩举例)

　　Conclusion结尾段

　　In conclusion, it might be plausible somehow that living in large, extended family groups has certain advantages and living alone or in tight family structure may be detrimental to some extent. (概括让步段(主体段最后一段)中自身不太倾向那个观点) Overwhelming evidence, however, supports the claim that living apart from large families can not only be conductive to youngsters’ growth, but to children’s both physical, emotional and mental development as well. (重申自身更倾向的那一方观点，即重申赞同观点)