上海高考英语新题型之概要写作(Summary)

上海高考英语新题型之概要写作

澄衷高级中学孙吉

从2017年起，上海英语高考试卷的题型将面临许多调整，其中之一便是增加了概要写作（Summary writing），也有许多人将之称为“小作文”。概要写作分值占据15分，考查的是考生阅读和写作的综合能力。

概要写作所给定的语篇一般在200-250字，内容丰富多样，包含故事、时政、科普等，体裁以记叙文、说明文为主，字数一般要求在50-60字，答案尽量符合“Key points of a summary”的要求。

一．正确认识概要写作

1. Definition of summary writing（概要写作的定义）

By summary, we mean a brief restatement, in your own words, of the content of a passage, an article, a chapter or a book.

2. Key points of a summary（概要写作的要点）

Conciseness（简要性）：Omit unnecessary details like examples, explanations and other unimportant information.

Length: 1/4-1/3 of the original text.

Completeness（完整性）：To include all the main and supporting points delivered in you own words in a condensed manner.

Accuracy（准确性）：To give the same attention and stress to the points as the author does.

Coherence（连贯性）：Rather than an outline listed as key words and phrases, a summary is a paragraph with necessary transitions and function structures to make it flow.

Objectivity（客观性）：Do not include your own ideas or emotions on the topic. The summary should reflect the content of the original passage only.

3. Steps to write a summary（概要写作的步骤）

1）Skim the text to find out the general theme.

2）Analyze the text’s structure to divide it into several sections, find out the main idea of each section and write it out briefly with your own words. (one sentence) 3）Write down the key supporting points for each main idea without involving minor details.

4）Organize the main and related supporting points in a logical order with necessary transitions to achieve coherence.

5）Proofread for grammatical, spelling and punctuation mistakes.

4. Beginning of a summary（概要写作的开头）

Begin your summary with:

*The author’s name

*The article’s or chapter’s name

*The author’s thesis statement—a general overview(survey) of the article.

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:

*(The author) states in (this article) that…

*(The author), in (this article) shows that…

*In (this article), (the author) writes that…

*As (the author) says in (this article),…

*The main idea of (the author’s article) is…

*The author believes (holds; maintains; claims; argues; points out; suggests; proposes) that + clause…

*The author talks about (explains; describes; reveals; discusses; focuses on) + n.

二．记叙文概要写作要点点拨

记叙文体的阅读材料，相比其他文体而言，写概要相对容易。在写概要前，除明确文章主题外，还应抓住六个要素：when, where, who, what, why, how。在这六个要素中，所占内容比重最大的是what。一般来说，记叙文的故事概要可以用这样的模板来表示：

Who did what by…because…

当然，不是说每个故事概要都包含how或why，有时两者选其一即可。下文是课堂训练的一个例子：

Directions:Please read the following passage and write a summary of it in no more than 60 words.

I took a trip to a big lake in Indonesia with my family two years ago. It was really

a huge lake with beautiful scenery all around. People were amazed by the endless view in front of our eyes. Later on, unlike other girls, I volunteered to go water-skiing alone.

I put on the life jacket, got on the motorboat immediately and started my engine as soon as possible.

The lake seemed broad and endless. I was so thrilled(激动) to enjoy my trip among the mountains and waters that I sped my motorboat. Then, after some time, I found myself in the middle of the endless lake. A sudden fear came around me. I didn’t know where I was or even how far I had gone from the shore. What was worse, it began to rain and it became very cold and foggy. I rode everywhere but couldn’t find my way back. It was useless for me to cry or shout for help. I was so terrified that I began to think about all kinds of horrible things. After floating on the water helplessly and hopelessly for a long time, suddenly I heard someone calling my name. Soon, a big steamboat sailed to me and they pulled me up to the deck and asked me if I was hurt. I couldn’t say a word but cried in my father’s arms.

材料分析：根据文本内容，这是一篇故事类的记叙文，要求对其进行概要写作。因此，我们先找出记叙文的六要素：

When—two years ago

Where—a trip to a big lake in Indonesia

Who—“I”, the writer