雅思口語之魔鬼話題之傳統(tǒng)

　　雅思口語考試中很少直接問到關(guān)于“傳統(tǒng)”(tradition)的考題，但“傳統(tǒng)”之所以作為八大魔鬼話題的最后一個(gè)出現(xiàn)在我們的備考清單上，其原因就在于該話題具備了三大特性：隱蔽、廣博、深度。首先，隱蔽是指涉及傳統(tǒng)的考題往往用其它話題來隱藏自己，或者換句話說，很多其它話題中會(huì)隱含有傳統(tǒng)的意味。舉例來說，關(guān)于history, culture, arts，甚至關(guān)于wedding, handicraft, food的話題中，都有可能藏有“modern vs. traditional”的對立。

　　其次，廣博的意思是該話題涵蓋的領(lǐng)域極為寬泛，無論是談?wù)撊宋?、描述事物、還是論證原因、闡述規(guī)律，tradition都是一個(gè)很活躍的展開點(diǎn)。比如要談?wù)摾夏耆?old people)，那么老年人具有的傳統(tǒng)觀念(traditional views)及固定思維模式(fixed mindsets)是一個(gè)必講的要點(diǎn);再比如談?wù)摻逃惖脑掝}，傳統(tǒng)教育模式(traditional teaching methods)和遠(yuǎn)程教育(distance learning)之間的差異和互補(bǔ)就是一個(gè)較好的切入點(diǎn)。

　　至于傳統(tǒng)類話題的深度，可以說是不言而喻的 — 沒有一定的詞匯根底、沒有駕馭復(fù)雜句型的能力、缺乏對社會(huì)現(xiàn)狀的思考，這樣的考生是很難把該話題說好的，不少人甚至都沒有想到傳統(tǒng)竟然可以作為一種有效的答題思路。下面，將針對這三大特性進(jìn)行一一列舉，給出真題實(shí)例及參考答案，并指出“傳統(tǒng)”在其中扮演的角色。

　　特性一：隱蔽

　　【真題實(shí)例】 Why do you think people nowadays dislike visiting a historical site?

　　【答題思路】 該題問的是為什么現(xiàn)在的人都不喜歡去參觀歷史古跡。由于歷史古跡本身就是一種文化遺產(chǎn)(cultural heritage)，因此參觀歷史古跡其實(shí)是對傳統(tǒng)的一種繼承形式?？梢詮膬煞矫嬲以颍阂皇乾F(xiàn)代科技的發(fā)展速度過快，導(dǎo)致人們產(chǎn)生“重科技、輕人文”的思維傾向;二是對歷史古跡的保護(hù)力度不夠，其本身已經(jīng)喪失了吸引力。

　　【參考答案】 Well, that’s right. Less and less people nowadays are showing interest in visiting a historical site. I think one reason is that modern science and technology is developing with a faster pace than ever before. So many high-tech products and devices are available for modern consumers that they tend to think science and technology is what life is all about, and they tend to care less and less about the humanities, histories and traditions. Another important reason is to be found in historical sites themselves, which are being damaged or even ruined due to the lack of protection and preservation. For many young people like me, these places no longer hold any appeal.

　　很顯然，該回答把人們不愛去參觀歷史古跡的原因歸結(jié)為“科技發(fā)展 VS 人文傳統(tǒng)”的兩元對立。于是，在我們闡述原因的同時(shí)，就很巧妙地把隱藏在深處的humanities, histories and traditions推到了臺前，顯示出講話者的人文關(guān)懷。而在談到年輕人不再對歷史古跡感興趣的時(shí)候，也折射出對于傳統(tǒng)文化漸漸式微的一種憂慮之心。

　　特性之二：廣博

　　“傳統(tǒng)”的廣博性既體現(xiàn)在一些較為學(xué)術(shù)的考題中，也體現(xiàn)在許多生活類的題目里面。請看下面一道關(guān)于人們閱讀習(xí)慣的問題：

　　【真題實(shí)例】 Do you think people’s reading habits have changed in recent years?

　　【答題思路】 此題考的是人們閱讀習(xí)慣有否變化。如果說不變，一定會(huì)演變成一個(gè)不知趣的回答;只有說變，才能正中考官的下懷!那么“傳統(tǒng)”在這里的作用是什么呢?我們可以同樣考慮把傳統(tǒng)的閱讀習(xí)慣(比如讀書、看報(bào))和現(xiàn)代的閱讀方式(比如瀏覽網(wǎng)絡(luò)新聞、看網(wǎng)絡(luò)小說)做一個(gè)今昔對比。

　　【參考答案】 You bet they are! From my point of view, the most significant change is in the way people read. Thirty years ago, most people used to read newspapers and magazines and books as a lifetime habit because they didn’t have a TV or computer. But nowadays, few of us are doing this. Instead, we have got used to surfing the Internet for quick news and downloading mini-novels to our cell phones or iPods. In short, traditional reading habits are being replaced by modern ones that focus on speed and quantity rather than quality.

　　為了闡明人們閱讀方式的改變，我們把30年前的讀書、看報(bào)、看雜志和如今的網(wǎng)上新聞及手機(jī)迷你小說進(jìn)行了鮮明的對比。(請大家特別關(guān)注其中used to和get used to的用法。)最后一句畫龍點(diǎn)睛式地指出傳統(tǒng)的閱讀習(xí)慣正在被取代，并一針見血批判了現(xiàn)代人只重速度和數(shù)量、而不重質(zhì)量的閱讀習(xí)慣。類似的批判風(fēng)格及批判話語可以用于很多其它考題，比如education, shopping, friendship等等。

　　特性之三：深度

　　深度的含義并不僅僅局限于考題本身的深度或難度，它更在于我們?nèi)绾伟岩坏烂菜破椒驳目碱}的深度挖掘出來。以下這道其貌不揚(yáng)的口語題目就是一個(gè)很好的例子：

　　【真題實(shí)例】 What kind of skill do you think is the most important for young people?

　　【答題思路】 考官這次問的是對于年輕人來說最重要的技能。這是一道很容易陷入俗套的考題 — 如果你甘愿隨大流地去講什么掌握電腦技能、學(xué)好外語、甚至學(xué)會(huì)開車等，就毫無新意可言，更不用說深度了。相反，如果你從傳統(tǒng)的角度入手，會(huì)很容易發(fā)現(xiàn)該題所蘊(yùn)含的深度。

　　【參考答案】 Young people today generally don’t have traditional social skills, which may include writing letters, giving a presentation and maintaining friendships. This is understandable because they have grown up in the so-called Information Age. But the importance of these skills can be seen in many aspects of our daily lives. For example, if you know how to give a powerful speech at a meeting or how to write a persuasive letter to your boss, your chances of getting promoted are much higher than those of your colleagues.

　　該回答徹底拋棄了俗不可耐的“現(xiàn)代必備技能”的窠臼，從傳統(tǒng)的角度另辟蹊徑，找到了traditional social skills(傳統(tǒng)社交技能)這一嶄新方向，并成功地開辟了writing letters, giving a presentation, maintaining friendships三條拓展道路。最后以兩個(gè)生活中的例子證明了這些技能對于現(xiàn)代年輕人的重要性。