写作习题及答案(期末考试).docx

Unit 1一、Practicing the basics of narrationCheck the sentences that you think would make interesting topic sentences for a personal experience narrative. Explain why the others would not.1) Once I almost drowned.2) When Robert was fifteen, he made his first gift of true love to his father.3) A journey of one mile or 5,000 miles begins the same way: with a single step.4) When I was five, I discovered that learning was fun.5) The five-minute drive to the hospital seemed to have taken hours.6) He was driving home one evening, on a two-lane country road.7) Xiao Wang has proved once again that he is an incurable optimist.8) The day I got the letter of admission from BFSU (Beijing Foreign Studies University) was one of the happiest of my life.9) My family believed if something went wrong, it was always someone else's fault.10) One of my most memorable experiences took place when I worked as a schoolteacher in a mountain village.Those that would make interesting topic sentences: 2, 4, 7, 8, and 10.1 would make a topic sentence, but only a dull one. 3, 5, 6 and 9 wouldIn matters of principle, stand like a rock; in matters of taste, swim with the current.Thomas Jefferson two imperative clauses connected by a semicolon3) I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears, and sweat.Winston Churchill four nouns: blood, toil, tears, and sweat4) Just to be alive and to be of service to somebody is a reward.Ann Cayee two infinitive phrases: to be alive and to be of 'service to somebody5) A living dog is better than a dead lion. two noun phrases: a living dog and a dead lionCrawling down a mountain is sometimes harder than climbing up. two gerund phrases: crawling down a mountain and climbing up (a mountain)The personnel manager told the new secretary that she would answer the phone, attend to visitors and do some typing. three verb phrases: answer the phone, attend to visitors and do some typing.6) The soil is not difficult to till when there is a lot of rain, but in a bad year, ifs not only the ploughs that break but our hearts too. two noun phrases joined by a pair of correlative conjunctions notonly. butThe stranger told me he came from the south and that he was going to join his brother in northern Shanxi. two object clauses connected by and (Note: the second clause should be introduced by the conjunction that.)二、Correct faulty parallelisms in the following sentences.1) My cousin likes swimming, running and to play table tennis.改： My cousin likes swimming, running and playing table tennis.2) Chemistry used to be taught from a textbook; now the lab method is used.改：Chemistry used to be taught from a textbook; now it is taught in the lab.3) You can force a child to attend class but not think.改：You can force a child to attend class but not to think.4) Xiao Lin could not decide whether she should is start college right after high school or to get a job first.改：Xiao Lin could not decide whether to start college right after high school or to get a job first.5) The essay is difficult to understand not because of the technical vocabulary but because the sentence structures are complicated.改：The essay is difficult to understand not because the vocabulary is technical but because the sentence structure is complicated.6) Either we must make nuclear power safe or stop using it altogether. 改： We must either make nuclear power safe or stop using it altogether, (or: Either we must make nuclear power safe or we must stop using it altogether.7) The day I left home was dark, cold and it rained.改：The day I left home was dark, cold, and rainy.8) In careless driving, the driver, not only risks the lives of his own passengers, but also the lives of others.改：A careless driver risks not only the lives of his own passengers, but also those of others.9) E-mail is not only fast and easy, but it also saves paper and the work of moving paper from one place to another.改：E-mail is not only fast and easy but also saves paper and the work of moving paper from one place to another, (or: Not only is e-mail fast and easy, but it also saves paper and the work of moving paper from one place to another.)He believes that giving is as much a joy as to receive.改：He believes that giving is as much a joy as receiving. (or: He believes that to give is as .much a joy as to receive.)unit3一、 Practicing point of viewIdentify the point of view in the following passages and explain why it is suitable for the narrative.The following paragraphs are selected, from Contemporary College English, Intensive Reading.1) Let me tell you one of the earliest disasters in my career as a teacher. It was January of 1940 and I was fresh out of graduate school starting my first semester at the University of Kansas City. Part of the student body was a beanpole with hair on top, who came into my class, sat down, folded his arms, and looked at me as if to say Right, teach me something." Two weeks later we started Hamlet. Three weeks later he came into my office with his hands on his hips. Look/' he said, I came here to be a pharmacist. Why do I have to read this stuff?" And not having a book of his own to point to, he pointed to mine, which was lying on the desk. (Para.l, Lesson 1, Book 2) The first person point of view is used in the passage in which the narrator is a participant in the action described. This point of view allows the narrator to express his opinions and feelings about the student freely.2) She said, Thank you," and walked from the kitchen into the living room. A moment later he heard her turning the pages of a magazine. He knew that she was too angry to be actually reading it, but she didn't snap through the pages the way he would have done. She turned them slowly, as if she were studying every word. She was demonstrating her indifference to him, and it had the effect he knew she wanted it to have. It hurt him. (Para. 40, Lesson5, Book 2) The writer tells the story in the limited third person point of view, in which an unknown narrator describes what happened and reports the man's thoughts and feelings.3) In the morning they awoke outside another Howard Johnson's and this time Vingo went in. The girl insisted that he join them. He seemed very shy and ordered black coffee and smoked nervously, as the young people chattered about sleeping on beaches. When they got back on the bus, the girl sat with Vingo again. After a while, slowly and painfully, he began to tell his story. He had been in jail in New York for the last four years, and now he was going home. (Para. 5, Lesson 2, Book 1) The story is narrated from an objective third person point of view. The narrator merely tells what he observes and does not go into the mind of anybody involved.二、For each of the following topics, discuss with your classmates which point of view you will choose and state your reason(s).1) A chance of meeting with a favorite football star of yours The first person point of view, for this point of view allows writers to easily express their joy and excitement on such an occasion.2) A report of a road accident by a witness The objective third person point of view, because witnesses are supposed to report, faithfully and impartially, what they have seen without offering interpretation and commentary.3) A practical joke you and a few classmates played on another classmate The first person point of view, which allows expression of attitudes and feelings, thus making the narrative personal and vivid.4) A small incident on campus that gave you a fresh insight into. Both the first person and the limited third person points of view are possible. The incident can be narrated by either a first person narrator who is an observer or a participant, or a third person narrator who goes into the mind of one or more people involved.5) Something unpleasant that happened between two of your fellow students Both the first person and the limited third person points of view canbe used for the same reasons as stated for the previous topic.三、Practicing writing effective sentencesRewrite the following sentences, making them more effective.Example:Original: There are several excellent examples in the essay.Rewritten: The essay includes several excellent examples.1) It has been my cousin's wish to become a detective story writer ever since her childhood. My cousin has been wishing to become a detective story writer ever since her childhood.2) There are dozens of people waiting outside the manager's office to have an interview with him. Dozens of people are waiting outside the manager's office to have an interview with him.3) There are three reasons why Xiao Wang's composition won the first prize. Xiao Wang's composition won the first prize for three reasons.4) There is finally a good play for the Drama Club to perform on campus. They've found a good play for the Drama Club to perform on campus.5) There aren't many grammar mistakes in the final draft of Jim's essay. The writing teacher didn't find many grammar mistakes in the finaldraft of essay.6) To learn to ride a horse, the first thing I have to do is to be its friend. To learn to ride a horse, first I have to make friends with it.7) When the pony was friendly, the problem was on my side. As soon as I was on its back, I was nervous. When the pony accepted me, I still couldn't ride it all by myself, for as soon as I got on its back I became nervous.8) When I was a child, I was very particular about my food and only ate what was cooked by my grandma. As a child, I was very particular about my food and only ate what my grandma cooked.9) When the ball is caught by Steve, it was sure to be kicked or headed into the other team's goal nine times out of ten. When Steve catches the ball, nine times out of ten, he will kick or head it into the other team's goal.10) It is the hope of both his family and finds that Thomas would be a businessman in the future.11) Both Thomas family and his friends hoped that he would go into business.unit5*、Practicing narrative skillsPoint out, in each of the following passages, which narrative methodtelling or showing- is chiefly used,Passage 1Shoes(Author Unknown)As Gandhi stepped aboard a train one day, one of his shoes slipped of and landed on the track. He was unable to retrieve it, as the train was moving. To the amazement of his companions, Gandhi calmly took off his other shoe and threw it back along the track to land close to the first, Asked by a fellow passenger why he did this, Gandhi smiled. "The poor man who finds the shoe lying on the track" he replied, ”w川 now have a pair he can use." (88 words) The writer uses the method of showing to dramatize the scene.Passage 2Old PeopleLeAnn ThiemanAt e ninety-two, Grandma Fritz still lived in her old two-story farmhouse, made homemade noodles and did her laundry in her wringer-washer in the basement. She maintained her vegetable garden, big enough to feed all of Benton County, with just a hoe and spade. Her seventy-year-old children lovingly protested when she insisted on mowing her huge lawn with her ancient push mower."I only work outside in the cool, early mornings and in the evenings. Grandma explained, “ and I always wear my sunbonnet ”Still, her children were understandably relieved when they heard she was attending the noon lunches at the local senior citizensJ center.“ Yes, " Grandma admitted, as her daughter nodded approvingly, "I cook for them. Those old people appreciate it so much!" The writer uses both methods. She uses telling to provide information about Grandma Fritz, but showing to dramatize one instance to show how this 92- year- old woman helps other old people.Passage 3PH Get Another OneDavid WallechinskyAt his father9 funeral, American Carl Lewis placed his one-hundred -meter gold medal from the 1984 Olympics in his father's hands. "Don't worry,“ he told his surprised mother. “ r II get another one.”A year later, in the one- hundred-meter final at the 1988 games,Lewis was competing against Canadian world-record-holder Ben Johnson. make good opening sentences of an essay, not necessarily a narrative, but none of them exemplifies what a narrative is about.二、Read the passages, decide whether they are good or poor personal narratives, and state your reasons.1. It was the last day of our stay in Nanjing. My parents were sitting in the waiting room of the railway station waiting for our train back to Beijing Asa restless five year old, I began wandering about and then found myself lost. I was getting worried when I saw a woman dressed like a policewoman. Immediately I headed toward her and told her I couldn't find my parents. She took me to the broadcasting station, and their announcement over the loudspeaker soon brought my parents. The passage is a narrative without a topic sentence. We don't know what point the writer wants to make. We could improve the passage by adding a topic sentence such as “At the age of five I learned that in a tight corner we can turn to a policeman/policewoman for help.,2. Once I almost drowned in a swimming pool. I was 12 and was learning to swim. I began to paddle to the far side of the pool. But suddenly I couldn't move an inch and keep my head above the water and I began to drown. Just then my father came to my rescue.Halfway through the race, Johnson was five feet in front. Lewis was convinced he could catch him. But at eighty meters, he was still five feet behind. It's over, Dad, Lewis thought. As Johnson crossed the finish, he stared back at Lewis and thrust his right arm in the air, index finger extended.Lewis was exasperated. He had noticed Johnson's bulging muscles and yellow-tinged eyes, both indications of steroid use. I didn't have the medal, but I could still give it to my father by acting with class and dignity," Lewis said later. He shook Johnson's hand and left the track.But then came the announcement that Johnson had tested positive for anabolic steroids. He was stripped of his medal. The gold went to Lewis, a replacement for the medal he had given his father. The writer basically uses the method of telling, summarizing what Lewis did at his father's funeral and how he finally won the gold medal for the 100-meter race.二、Study the following passage and point out how the student succeeds in creating a scene of horror.Hair-Raising MomentsZhao TingThe very first day I came to Beijing Foreign Studies University, a former schoolmate told me a ghost story about the Main Building. The creepy feeling it aroused still lingered a month later when I was told to attend a meeting at 9 p.m. in the building.Heading for the place in the dark, I kept looking back to see if I was being followed. But at that time of the day there was nobody there but myself. As I got close to the building, I saw light glow