Writing course compulsory for Tsinghua students

重庆市巴山中学 黄忠雪

Step 1感知·阅读导航

话题导入

5月17日，在首场 “清华名师教学讲坛”上，校长邱勇郑重宣布：将在2018级新生中开设“写作与沟通”必修课程，到2020年，该课程将覆盖所有本科生，并力争面向研究生提供课程和指导。开设这门课程的意义是什么呢？为什么会把写作与沟通这样的基本技能融进大学课程里面呢？可以采取什么样的措施使这门课程更有效地开展？

全文457词，难度中等，建议用时12分钟。

阅读立意

阅读时应达到以下三个基本目标：

1.能快速掌握文章的宏观结构，理解文本大意；

2.能从文本中快速提取需要的信息，并进行重建；

3.能基于文本提取的信息，进行类似写作表达。

Students whowere admittedto Tsinghua University this year will have to take a course in writing and communication toacquire their bachelor's degree.By 2020，all undergraduates at the college will be taking the course， whichfocuses onexpository（说明的）writing and non-fiction.

The newcompulsorycourseaims to improvethe way students express themselves anddevelop their critical thinking.“Wevaluestudents'writing abilities，and theircommunicativestrength，“ said Peng Gang，a history professor at Tsinghua.”A person's writing skills reflect the level of his or her thinking.So training in logic and ways of thinking will be our primary way of teaching.”

Many netizens have applauded the new course as“necessary”,with some calling on their own universities to start a similar course.One of them said， “Ienvystudents at Tsinghua.It's high time that we should improve our writing skills，especially for the science students.Sometimes，I can hardly understand those characters.” Another netizen said， “It's very necessary.Students of all majors shouldgraspthe techniques of writing and speaking.It not only enriches themselves， but also benefits their work.”

According to national surveys，employers want to hire college graduates who can write coherently（连贯地）， thinkcriticallyand creatively， and analyze quantitative（定量的）data.But writing and communication skills are often seriously lacking from many job seekers'skill sets.

In many Chinese universities，science andengineeringmajors seldom choose to take writing and communication courses.Even those who do say they pay little attention in class because the work is too easy.“Even the course on college-level Chinese， the only compulsory Chinese course in universities，has been marginalized （边缘化），”said Lin Feng， a university teacher in Shanghai.

Compared to China，many universities abroad have made writing courses an essential part of their ed-ucation systems.According to a survey of 900 American colleges，96 percent of those who offer four-year degrees have compulsory writing coursesin the freshman year.Here are some examples.

Expository writing is a compulsory course for every student at Harvard University.Itcoversa wide range of subjects andcombineswritingwithacademic，moraland social issues，to help students gain critical and creative thinking skills.

Besides offering writing courses，Yale University also has a writing center for students.Undergraduates canschedule appointmentsto discuss their writing with experienced， professionaltutors， or they can bring copies of theirpapersto discuss them with graduate students or undergraduates writing partners.

The MIT writing course requires students to readextensivelyandcritically.By reviewing the work of others，theygraduallyaccumulateenough viewpoints，theories and methodologies（方法论）to further develop their own papers.The course alsoemphasizes the importance ofpracticing speaking to improve students'presentation and communication skills.

Step 2 实践·文本解读

阅读扫障

Ⅰ.熟词生义

基本含义 引申含义文中词条d e v e l o p（P a r a.2）生义例句S h e h a s d e v e l o p e d t h e h a b i t o f k e e p i n g a d i a r y i n E n g l i s h e v e r s i n c e s h e e n t e r e d h i g h s c h o o l.自从她上中学起，她就养成了记英语日记的习惯。c o v e r（P a r a.7）T h e s u r v e y c o v e r s a l l a s p e c t s o f t h e b u s i n e s s.调查包括这家企业的各个方面。p a p e r（P a r a.8）发展;开发 培养;养成覆盖 包括;涉及纸;报纸;试卷 论文H e i s w r i t i n g a p a p e r o n t h e s u b j e c t.他在写这个主题的论文。

Ⅱ.热词积累

Vocabulary

1.compulsory adj.必修的；必须做的

2.value v.重视；珍视

3.communicative adj.语言交际能力的

4.envy v.羡慕；忌妒

5.grasp v.理解；领会

6.essential adj.必不可少的；极其重要的

7.moral adj.道德的

8.tutor n.导师

9.extensively adv.广泛地

10.critically adv.批判性地

11.accumulate v.积累

Phrases

1.be admitted to...被录取到……

2.acquire one's bachelor's degree获得某人的学士学位

3.focus on关注

4.aim to do sth为了做某事；旨在做某事

5.develop one's critical thinking培养某人的批判性思维

6.compare...to/with... 把……和……相比

7.in the freshman year在大学一年级时

8.combine...with...把……和……结合

9.schedule appointments安排见面

10.emphasize the importance of强调……的重要性

Ⅲ.句型积累

1.Many netizens have applauded the new course as “necessary”， with some calling on their own universities to start a similar course.许多网民称赞这门新课程是“必要的”，其中有些人呼吁自己的大学开设类似的课程。

with引导的短语做伴随状语，some与calling on...是主动关系，用现在分词。call on表示“号召”。

句式仿写

城市道路已经被拓宽了，道路两旁的树木像忠诚的卫士。

2.It's high time that we should improve our writing skills，especially for the science students.现在是我们提高写作技能的时候了，尤其是理科生。

It's high time that...句型结构后面句子通常用虚拟语气，即用“should+动词原形”或者用动词的过去式。

句式仿写

是我们加强锻炼的时候了，尤其是那些在电脑面前工作很长时间的人。

3.Compared to China，many universities abroad have made writing courses an essential part of their education systems.与中国相比，国外许多大学都将写作课程作为其教育体系中的重要组成部分。

Compared to China过去分词做状语，其逻辑主语是many universities abroad。句中的an essential part of their education systems做宾语补足语。

句式仿写

与城市相比，乡村拥有清新的空气和宁静的环境。

立意呈现

Ⅰ.Analyze the structure.

Ⅱ.Summarize the main idea based on the structure above with only one word for each blank.

Tsinghua University will open a 1.___________and 2.___________course for students this year.The reasonand3.___________arestatedandthe 4.___________of writing and communication course between Chinese universities and foreign universities are 5.___________.

【点石成金】学生在读第一遍时，通过略读，应能初步理解每段大意，并能用简要的词句概括大意。同时根据文段大意，梳理分析语篇结构。其次根据语篇结构和每段大意，学会用简洁的语言概括全文大意。

Step 3 运用·读写整合

Ⅰ.再读策略指导

通过阅读第一遍，同学们了解了文本大意及结构。再读时，应重点关注以下具体要点：

1.开设“写作与沟通”课程原因和重要性；

2.国外目前采取的做法。

Ⅱ.信息提取并进行文本重构

1.Find sentences about the reason and importance of writing and communication and then paraphrase them.

R e a s o n s a n d i m p o r t a n c e●T h e n e w c o m p u l s o r y c o u r s e a i m s t o i m p r o v e t h e w a y s t u d e n t s e x p r e s s t h e m s e l v e s a n d d e v e l o p t h e i r c r i t i c a l t h i n k i n g.P a r a p h r a s e T h i s c o u r s e w i l l h e l p （1）__________s t u d e n t s'a b i l i t y o f e x p r e s s i n g t h e m s e l v e s c l e a r l y a n d （2）___________t h e i r c r i t i c a l t h i n k i n g.●A p e r s o n's w r i t i n g s k i l l s r e f l e c t t h e l e v e l o f h i s o r h e r t h i n k i n g.T h e l e v e l o f a p e r s o n's t h i n k i n g i s （3）___________i n h i s o r h e r w r i t i n g s k i l l s.●I t's h i g h t i m e t h a t w e i m p r o v e o u r w r i t i n g s k i l l s，e s p e c i a l l y f o r t h e s c i e n c e s t u d e n t s.S o m e t i m e s，I c a n h a r d l y u n d e r s t a n d t h o s e c h a r a c t e r s.T o i m p r o v e t h e w r i t i n g s k i l l s i s v e r y （4）___________，e s p e c i a l l y f o r t h e s c i e n c e s t u d e n t s w h o e v e n h a v e d i f f i c u l t y （5）___________t h e t e x t.●S t u d e n t s o f a l l m a j o r s s h o u l d g r a s p t h e t e c h n i q u e s o f w r i t i n g a n d s p e a k i n g.I t n o t o n l y e n r i c h e s o u r s e l v e s，b u t a l s o b e n e f i t s o u r w o r k.●E m p l o y e r s w a n t t o h i r e c o l l e g e g r a d u a t e s w h o c a n w r i t e c o h e r e n t l y，t h i n k c r i t i c a l l y a n d c r e a t i v e l y，a n d a n a l y z e q u a n t i t a t i v e d a-t a.B u t w r i t i n g a n d c o m m u n i c a t i o n s k i l l s a r e o f t e n s e r i o u s l y l a c k i n g f r o m m a n y j o b s e e k-e r s's k i l l s e t s.I t's n e c e s s a r y f o r s t u d e n t s o f a l l m a j o r s t o （6）________t h e s k i l l s o f w r i t i n g a n d s p e a k i n g，w h i c h n o t o n l y e n r i c h e s t h e m s e l v e s b u t a l s o i s （7）___________t o t h e i r w o r k.M a n y j o b s e e k e r s o f t e n （8）___________w r i t i n g a n d c o m m u n i c a t i o n s k i l l s.T h u s， t h e y o f t e n （9）__________t o w r i t e c o h e r e n t l y，t h i n k c r i t i c a l l y a n d c r e a t i v e l y，a n d a n a l y z e q u a n t i t a t i v e d a t a.H o w e v e r， t h e s e （1 0）______a r e t h o u g h t h i g h l y o f b y e m p l o y e r s.

2.Read the measures taken abroad and try to summarize them.

●H a r v a r d U n i v e r s i t y m a k e s e x p o s i t o r y w r i t i n g （1） f o r e v e r y s t u d e n t.T h e c o u r s e c o v e r s a w i d e r a n g e o f s u b j e c t s a n d （2） w r i t i n g w i t h a c a d e m i c， m o r a l a n d s o c i a l i s s u e s.● Y a l e U n i v e r s i t y s e t s u p a w r i t i n g c e n t e r f o r s t u d e n t s， （3） t h e y c a n s c h e d u l e a p p o i n t m e n t s t o h a v e a （4） w i t h p r o f e s s i o n a l t u t o r s， g r a d u a t e s t u d e n t s o r u n d e r g r a d u a t e s w r i t i n g p a r t n e r s.●T h e M I T w r i t i n g c o u r s e r e q u i r e s s t u d e n t s t o r e a d e x t e n s i v e l y a n d c r i t i c a l l y a n d （5）___________t h e i m p o r t a n c e o f p r a c t i c i n g s p e a k i n g t o i m p r o v e s t u d e n t s'p r e s e n t a t i o n a n d c o m m u n i c a t i o n s k i l l s.国外措施

3.Writing task

假定你是高中生李华，你看到清华大学即将开设“写作与沟通”课程，你给本校校长写信建议高中专门开设“英语写作与沟通”课程。要点如下:

①开设课程的理由；

②开展课程措施。

【审题指导】

Para.1：指出此次写信目的，受到清华大学即将开设“写作与沟通”课程的启发，你迫切希望在高中开设类似课程。

Para.2：陈述开设这门课程的理由，从学生当前现状和这门课程的意义等不同角度加以分析。

Para.3：提出有效开展课程的措施并进行措施分析。

Para.4：简单总结，期待回复。

【写作指导】

第一段中注意表达“迫切”心情的词积累：can't wait to/feel an urge to/be eager to/be desperate to/be longing to/...

第二、三段中注意从以上对文本中原因及措施的分析中，选取适用于在高中开展“写作与沟通”课程的理由和措施，并结合自己的观点加以整合。语段结构通常为：主旨句加观点支撑句。注意每段首句通常为主旨句，应清晰明了。各观点之间应运用合理的连接词，展示清晰的逻辑。

【规范写作】

Step 4 提升·素养建构

清华大学游泳课引热议

清华大学不愧是一流大学，敢为天下先。下面让我们一起来回顾去年清华大学开设的另一门别出心裁的必修课吧！

Starting in September， 2017， new students at Tsinghua University will be required to know how to swim or learn how to pass a test before they can receive their bachelor's degrees.The test calls for them to show whether they can swim at least 50 meters using any stroke(游泳姿势).If freshmen fail a swimming test upon entering，they will be made to go for a swimming course.

University president Qiu Yong said swimming was a key survival skill，adding that the move will help improve students'physical fitness.The announcement has stirred（激起）a lively debate on social media.

While some praised the University for promoting“a necessary skill that can save lives”， others questioned if it was fair to expect those who come from inland cities to be able to swim.

Another commentator added:“Even though it is a‘famousuniversity’，itshouldn'tmakearbitrary （随意的）rules， as such rules could snuff out（扼杀） talents.”

Tsinghua University first made swimming compulsory in 1919，but the rule was later dropped as the University grew in popularity.There was also a lack of swimming pools in Beijing.

According to Xinhua Agency， many alumni（校友）of the University had to meet the swimming challenge.The well-known writer Liang Shih-chiu，who was admitted to the University in 1915，failed the test before his graduation and had to take a second one.

清华大学的游泳课引起了人们的争议。作为中学生的你怎样看待游泳课作为必修课的呢？请找到文中的观点，和同学讨论后写下你们的看法。注意观点明确，写作时要使用主旨句和观点支撑句。

A r g u-m e n t(论点)P r o s（赞成方）S h o u l d s t u d e n t s a t T s i n g h u a U n i v e r s i t y b e r e q u i r e d t o k n o w h o w t o s w i m o r l e a r n h o w t o p a s s a t e s t b e f o r e t h e y c a n r e c e i v e t h e i r b a c h e l o r's d e g r e e s?1.S w i m m i n g w a s a k e y s u r v i v a l s k i l l a n d w i l l h e l p i m p r o v e s t u d e n t s'p h y s i c a l f i t n e s s.2.I t's a n e c e s s a r y s k i l l t h a t c a n s a v e l i v e s.C o n s（反对方）Y o u r s …1.I t w a s u n f a i r t o e x p e c t t h o s e w h o c o m e f r o m i n l a n d c i t i e s t o b e a b l e t o s w i m.2.E v e n t h o u g h i t i s a ‘f a m o u s u n i v e r s i t y’，i t s h o u l d n't m a k e a r b i t r a r y r u l e s，a s s u c h r u l e s c o u l d s n u f f o u t t a l e n t s.

【归纳总结】习近平总书记在清华大学建校105周年贺信讲到：“清华大学秉承自强不息、厚德载物的校训，开创了中西融汇、古今贯通、文理渗透的办学风格”。从本文中，同学们也可领略清华风采一二。共同努力拼搏，让梦想扬起风帆，砥砺前行吧！