2016年SAT改革樣題新SAT寫作改革細節(jié)分析

　　SAT Essay

　　還有一年半的時間我們就要迎接來新的SAT考試了，那么我們先來看一下新的SAT會有些什么改變：

　　最早的一次新SAT考試會出現(xiàn)在2016年的春天

　　新的SAT考試會以2種形式出現(xiàn)：紙質版考試和電腦版考試(電腦版考試的考點會根據(jù)的地區(qū)來確定)

　　考試內容：

　　詢證式閱讀和語法

　　數(shù)學

　　作文

　　考試長度：

　　3個小時+50分鐘的作文

　　具體時長會根據(jù)進一步的實驗再做決定

　　考試分數(shù)：1600

　　詢證式閱讀+語法：800分

　　數(shù)學：800分

　　作文：單獨出分數(shù)(可選，但是大部分學校會要求作文分數(shù))

　　SAT寫作改革重點：

　　重新改革的SAT將會更加貼近美國高中教育同時配合美國大學人才的需求。新的SAT作文考試會更加側重學生能不能夠完全適應美國大學里面的學術寫作要求，日常的作業(yè)，和論文的完成等。所以，新的SAT作文考試要求學生首先具備一些基本的英語寫作素養(yǎng)，比如說，遣詞造句的能力，表達的能力，構建文章的能力。除此之外，新的考試會更關注于學生整體的讀與寫的能力，包括邏輯思維能力，辯證性思維能力，獨立思考能力，論證能力，辯述能力，分析文章能力等。

　　因此，新的SAT寫作不論從內容上還是形式上都將會有的巨大的改變，與現(xiàn)有的SAT考試截然不同。

　　SAT寫作改革內容：

　　首先，讓我們先看一下改革的藍圖：

　　來自不同來源的文章

　　在閱讀文章的時候，考慮作者是如何使用：

　　論據(jù)，比如例子和事實

　　論述：如何建立論述，同時是如何連接論述和證據(jù)

　　文體風格或是其他表達方式來展開思路，添加細節(jié)，使得整篇文章更有說服力。

　　完成一篇作文，來解釋作者是如何構建論證來說服讀者的。

　　那么在新的考試中，學生要做如下幾件事情。首先，學生會閱讀一篇文章，然后去解釋讀者是如何構建論證的。學生需要用閱讀文章中的具體的例子和論據(jù)來論證支持自己的寫作觀點。整體的寫作要求會無限地接近貼合大學里相關的需要寫作的作業(yè)和論文等。

　　新的作文部分將被設計成幫助高中生培養(yǎng)仔細閱讀，詳細分析，清晰寫作的能力。這次的改革也會促進學生閱讀更廣泛的文章，同時使得學生能夠從作者的角度分析相關的具體文章修辭，寫作意圖，論證的使用等。

　　相關的閱讀文章會提前公布和分享出來，整體的風格和形式是保持一致的，只是具體的文章會不一樣。

　　雖然作文的分數(shù)在整體的SAT考試中是可選的，但是和一些地區(qū)和一些學校將會要求作文的分數(shù)。

　　下面我們看一下最新公布的樣題：

　　The following sample Essay prompt is followed by an annotated version of the source text that suggests some of the ways that students might analyze the text in response to the prompt. The annotations are only examples of elements of the passage students may choose to write about.

　　As you read the passage below, consider how Paul Bogard uses

　　Evidence, such as facts or examples, to support claims.

　　Reasoning to develop ideas and to connect claims and evidence.

　　Stylistic or persuasive elements, such as word choice or appeals to emotion, ?to add power to the ideas expressed.

　　Adapted from Paul Bogard, “Let There be Dark.” ?2012 by the Los Angeles Times. Originally published December 21, 2012.

　　At my family’s cabin on a Minnesota lake, I knew woods so dark that my hands disappeared before my eyes. I knew night skies in which meteors left smoky trails across sugary spreads of stars. But now, when 8 of 10 children born in the United States will never know a sky dark enough for the Milky Way, I worry we are rapidly losing night’s natural darkness before realizing its worth. This winter solstice, as we cheer the days’ gradual movement back toward light, let us also remember the irreplaceable value of darkness.

　　All life evolved to the steady rhythm of bright days and dark nights. Today, though, when we feel the closeness of nightfall, we reach quickly for a light switch. And too little darkness, meaning too much artificial light at night, spells trouble for all.

　　Already the World Health Organization classifies working the night shift as a probable human carcinogen, and the American Medical Association has voiced its unanimous support for “light pollution reduction efforts and glare reduction efforts at both the national and state levels.” Our bodies need darkness to produce the hormone melatonin, which keeps certain cancers from developing, and our bodies need darkness for sleep.

　　Sleep disorders have been linked to diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease and depression, and recent research suggests one main cause of “short sleep” is “long light.” Whether we work at night or simply take our tablets, notebooks and smartphones to bed, there isn’t a place for this much artificial light in our lives.

　　The rest of the world depends on darkness as well, including nocturnal and crepuscular species of birds, insects, mammals, fish and reptiles. Some examples are well known—the 400 species of birds that migrate at night?in North America, the sea turtles that come ashore to lay their eggs—and some are not, such as the bats that save American farmers billions in pest control and the moths that pollinate 80% of the world’s flora. Ecological light pollution is like the bulldozer of the night, wrecking habitat and disrupting ecosystems several billion years in the making. Simply put, without darkness, Earth’s ecology would collapse . . .

　　In today’s crowded, louder, more fast-paced world, night’s darkness?can provide solitude, quiet and stillness, qualities increasingly in short supply. Every religious tradition has considered darkness invaluable for a soulful life, and the chance to witness the universe has inspired artists, philosophers and everyday stargazers since time began. In a world awash with electric light. . . how would Van Gogh have given the world his “Starry Night”? Who knows what this vision of the night sky might inspire in each of us, in our children or grandchildren?

　　Yet all over the world, our nights are growing brighter. In the United States and Western Europe, the amount of light in the sky increases an average of about 6% every year. Computer images of the United States at night, based on NASA photographs, show that what was a very dark country as recently as the 1950s is now nearly covered with a blanket of light. Much of this light is wasted energy, which means wasted dollars. Those of us over 35 are perhaps among the last generation to have known truly dark nights. Even the northern lake where I was lucky to spend my summers has seen its darkness diminish.

　　It doesn’t have to be this way. Light pollution is readily within our ability to solve, using new lighting technologies and shielding existing lights. Already, many cities and towns across North America and Europe are changing to LED streetlights, which offer dramatic possibilities for controlling wasted light. Other communities are finding success with simply turning off portions of their public lighting after midnight. Even Paris, the famed “city of light,” which already turns off its monument lighting after 1 a.m., will this summer start to require its shops, offices and public buildings to turn off lights after 2 a.m. Though primarily designed to save energy, such reductions in light will also go far in addressing light pollution. But we will never truly address the problem of light pollution until we become aware of the irreplaceable value and beauty of the darkness we are losing.

　　Assignment: Write an essay in which you explain how Paul Bogard builds an argument to persuade his audience that natural darkness should be preserved. In your essay, analyze how Bogard uses one or more of the features listed in the box above (or features of your own choice) to strengthen the logic and persuasiveness of his argument. Be sure that your analysis focuses on the most relevant features of the passage.

　　Your essay should not explain whether you agree with Bogard’s?claims, but rather explain how Bogard builds an argument to persuade his audience.

　　好，看完題目，我們來看一下具體該如何著手去寫這篇文章，應該從哪幾個點來展現(xiàn)作者的意圖。

　　用詞：

　　The descriptive words used in this sentence add visual intensity, evoking the wonder of the night sky. 作者是如何使用詞匯來突出文章的畫面感。

　　The writer chooses his words carefully in this paragraph in order to shape readers’ perceptions and bolster his claims. For example, he argues that we are using too much light when less is needed by referring to light being “wasted.” He also suggests how easily the problem of light pollution might be addressed, using “simply” to describe what “other communities” are doing. 作者是如何選擇詞匯來加強自己的論證，同時說服讀者相信自己的觀點。

　　論據(jù)：The writer uses this statistic as evidence to inform his subsequent claim that we “are rapidly losing night’s natural darkness. 作者是如何使用數(shù)據(jù)作為論據(jù)引出下面他的觀點的。

　　如何展開文章：The writer continues to draw ?on evidence from the authorities cited above. He uses this evidence to inform his subsequent point ?that “whether we work at night or simply take our . . . smartphones to bed, there isn’t a place for this much artificial light in our lives.” 作者是如何展開論證，使得整篇文章連為一體，整體聯(lián)會貫通。

　　如何使用論據(jù)支持文章：The presentation of facts and evidence supports the claim that follows at the end of the paragraph that “without darkness, Earth’s ecology would collapse.” 作者如何使用合適和相關的論據(jù)來支持自己的觀點。

　　修辭手法：

　　The writer compares light pollution to the effects of a “bulldozer,” a machine that can be used to ravage land. This imagery dramatizes the destructive potential of light pollution. 類比修辭

　　The use of rhetorical questions encourages the reader to consider a world without Van Gogh’s beloved painting and what Van Gogh’s vision inspires in us all. The suggestion of a world without such artistry and the notion that darkness is “invaluable to a soulful life” are also designed to evoke an emotional reaction in the reader. 作者是如何使用假設來強調自己的論點。