东南大学学位英语Unit 02 How to Write Style完整课文与答案.docx

1、东南大学学位英语Unit 02 How to Write Style完整课文与答案Section A Intensive Reading and WritingHow to Write with styleBy Kurt Vonnegut1 Newspaper reporters and technical writers are trained to reveal almost nothing about themselves in their writings. This makes them freaks in the world of writers, since almost all

2、 of the other ink-stained wretches in that world reveal a lot about themselves to readers. We call these revelations, accidental and intentional, elements of style.2 These revelations tell us as readers what sort of person it is with whom we are spending time. Does the writer sound ignorant or infor

3、med, stupid or bright, crooked or honest, humorless or playful? And on and on.3 Why should you examine your writing style with the idea of improving it? Do so as a mark of respect for your readers, whatever youre writing. If you scribble your thoughts any which way, your readers will surely feel tha

4、t you care nothing about them. They will mark you down as an egomaniac or a chowderhead -or, worse, they will stop reading you.4 The most damning revelation you can make about yourself is that you do not know what is interesting and what is not. Dont you yourself like or dislike writers mainly for w

5、hat they choose to show you or make you think about? Did you ever admire an emptyheaded writer for his or her mastery of the language ? No.5 So your own winning style must begin with ideas with ideas in your head.1. Find a subject you care about6 Find a subject you care about and which you in your h

6、eart feel others should care about. It is this genuine caring, and not your games with language , which will be the most compelling and seductive element in your style.7 I am not urging you to write an novel, by the way although I would not be sorry if you wrote one, provided you genuinely cared abo

7、ut something. A petition to the mayor about a pothole in front of your house or a love letter to the girl next door will do.2. Do not ramble, though 8 I wont ramble on about that.3. Keep it simple9 As for your use of language: Remember that two great masters of language, William Shakespeare and Jame

8、s Joyce, wrote sentences which were almost childlike when their subjects were most profound. “To be or not to be?” asks Shakespeares Hamlt. The longest word is three letters long. Joyce, when he was frisky, could put together a sentence as intricate and as glittering as a necklace for Cleopatra, but

9、 my favorite sentence in his short story , “Evelin” is this one: “She was tried.” At that point in the story, no other words could break the heart of a reader as those three words do.10 Simplicity of language is not only reputable, but perhaps even sacred. The Bible opens with a sentence well within

10、 the writing skills of a lively fourteen-year-old: “In the beginning God created the neaven and the earth.”4. Have guts to cut 11 It may be that you, too, are capable of making necklaces for Cleopatra, so to speak. But your eloquence should be the servant of the ideas in your head. Your rule might b

11、e this: If a sentence, no matter how excellent, does not illuminate your subject in some new and useful way, scratch it out.5. Sound like yourself12 The writing style which is most natural for you is bound to echo the speech you heard when a child. English was Conrads third language , and much that

12、seems piquant in his use of English was no doubt colored by his first language, which was Polish. And lucky indeed is the writer who has grown up in Ireland, for the English spoken there is so amusing and musical. I myself grew up in Indianapolis, where common speech sounds like a band saw cutting g

13、alvanized tin, and employs a vocabulary as unornamental as a monkey wrench.13 In some of the more remote hollows of Appalachia, children still grow up hearing songs and locutions of Elizabethan times. Yes, and many Americans grow up hearing a language other than English, or an English dialect a majo

14、rity of Americans cannot understand. 14 All these varieties of speech are beautiful , just as the varieties of butterflies are beautiful, No matter what your first language, you should treasure it all your life, If it happens to not be standard English, and if it shows itself when you write standard

15、 English, the result is usually delightful, like a very pretty girl with one eye that is green and one that is blue.15 I myself find that I trust my own writing most, and others seem to trust it most , too, when I sound most like a person from Indianapolis, which is what I am. What alternatives do I

16、 have? The one most vehemently recommended by teachers has no doubt been pressed on you, as well: to write like cultivated Englishmen of a century or more ago.6. Say what you mean16 I used to be exasperated by exasperated by such teachers, but am no more, I understand now that all those antique essa

17、ys and stories with which I was to compare my own work were not magnificent for their datedness or foreignness, but for saying precisely what their authors meant them to say. My teachers wished me to write accurately, always selecting the most effective words, and relating the words to one another u

18、nambiguously, rigidly, like parts of a machine. The teachers did not want to turn me into an Englishman after all. They hoped that I would become understandableand therefore understood. And there went my dream of doing with words what words what Pablo Picasso did with paint or what any number of jaz

19、z idols did with music. If I broke all the rules of punctuation, has words mean whatever I wanted them to mean, and strung them together higgledy- piggledy, I would simply not be understood. So you , too, had better avoid Picasso-style writing, if you have something worth saying and wish to be under

20、stood.17 Readers want our pages to look very muck like pages they have seen before. Why? This is because they themselves have a tough job to do, and they need all the help they can get from us.7. Pity the readers18 They have to identify thousands of little marks on paper, and make sense of them imme

21、diately. They have to read, an art so difficult that most people dont really master it even after having studied it all through grade school and high school twelve long years.19 So this discussion must finally acknowledge that out stylistic options as writers are neither numerous nor glamorous, sinc

22、e out readers are bound to be such imperfect artists. Our audience requires us to be sympathetic and patient readers, ever willing to simplify and clarify- whereas we would rater soar high above the crowd, singing like nightingales.20 That is the bad news. The good news is that we Americans are gove

23、rned under a unique Constitution, which allows us to write whatever we please without fear of punishment. So the most meaningful aspect of out styles, which is what we choose to write about, is utterly unlimited.8. For really detailed advice21 For a discussion of literary style in a narrower sense,

24、in a more technical sense, I recommend to your attention The Elements of style, by William Strunk, Jr. and E. B. White. E. B. White is, of course, one of the most admirable literary stylists this county has so far produced. You should realize, too, that no one would care how well or badly Mr. White

25、expressed himself, if he did not have perfectly enchanting things to say.Part I Comprehension of the Text1. What is Kurt Vonnegut arguing in his writing? Whats his understanding of writing style?2. What kind of language style does he use in this essay?3. What does the author mean by mentioning “Pica

26、sso style and jazz style”?4. Does the author practice what he preaches in his writing?5. What does the author suggest at the end of this essay?Part II VocabularyA. Choose the one from the four choices that best explains the underlined word or phrase.1. He finds himself involved with a crooked busine

27、ssman and a group of thugs who attempt to sabotage his invention. A. distorted B. twisted C. dishonest D. deceptive2. He remembered how proud and haughty her face was and scratched out the word he had written. A. polished B. perished C. deleted D. depleted3. If you choose credit counseling as a stra

28、tegy for your debt, you must make sure youre choosing a reputable company and not a scammer. A. well-known B. professional C. reliable D. respectable4. He added that nature gave him everything he need as a champion-unusual strength, stamina, a terrific punch, and plenty of guts. A. wisdom B. courage

29、 C. wealth D. charm5. Qualitative research strategies of interview, participant observation, and field notes were used to illuminate the topic. A. reinforce B. decorate C. paraphrase D. interpret 6. He suddenly found himself exasperated by slow moving pedestrians, and, like a true New Yorker, began

30、darting around them instead. A. provoked B. offended C. annoyed D. disappointed7. As one moves through this colourful world of Indian handicrafts, many intricate paintings and sculptures catch the eye.A. charming B. elegant C. delicate D. complicated8. Many judges will acknowledge that one of the mo

31、st difficult aspects of a criminal case is sentencing.A. admit B. assert C. prove D. agree9. Its charming towns and picturesque landscapes provide the enchanting surroundings for your sparkling romantic holiday treat.A. magnificent B. compelling C. genuine D. glamorous 10. Circumstances beyond my co

32、ntrol have left me with no alternative but to return my vehicle to lender.A. means B. option C. fashion D. mannerB. Choose the one from the four choices that best completes the sentence.1. The infinite beauty of a reverse navel ring _with dual colors in the trio of stones that fill the center of the continuous infinity design.A. twinkles B. simmers C. flashes D. glitters 2. He was early _as a man of ability and maturity of character, a promise fully realized in his many great achievements.