說明文（Expository Essay）

說明文是闡述或解釋某一事物的發(fā)生、發(fā)展逐样、結(jié)果蜗字、特征、性質(zhì)脂新、狀態(tài)挪捕、功能等的文體，主要用于介紹某些操作程序争便，解釋抽象概念级零，說明客觀事物的特點(diǎn)，或闡明自然現(xiàn)象等滞乙，能提供事物的What, Why, How方面的知識(shí)奏纪，使讀者明白事理。除了一般課堂作文外斩启，多用于研究報(bào)告及實(shí)驗(yàn)結(jié)果的文章序调。

說明可分為兩種：

（I）? 事物說明文：指說明的事物是具有形體的東西。

（II） 事理說明文：指說明抽象的概念兔簇，或介紹事物的本質(zhì)屬性炕置，或陳述事情的原因等。

說明文與其它文體的分別：

（I） 說明與記敘：說明偏重于知識(shí)性男韧、科學(xué)性朴摊，大多是為了解釋說明某些客觀事物，幫助讀者了解客觀世界此虑；敘述則偏重于具體地反映事物的情況和變化過程甚纲，使人有所感知和感動(dòng)。

（II）說明與描寫：說明要求以平實(shí)簡(jiǎn)潔的語(yǔ)言朦前，將事物的狀態(tài)介杆、性質(zhì)鹃操、功能、成因春哨、過程等告訴讀者荆隘；描寫是對(duì)事物作生動(dòng)的描繪，使讀者有深刻的感受赴背。

（III）說明與議論：說明是為了讓讀者了解情況椰拒、明白事理、知道真?zhèn)位思裕话悴淮_立什么論點(diǎn)燃观；議論是對(duì)事物或問題進(jìn)行推斷、論證便瑟、發(fā)表評(píng)論缆毁、提出作者的論點(diǎn)及主張。

說明的方法：

（I）定義說明法：對(duì)某種事物的本質(zhì)特征或概念作準(zhǔn)確而簡(jiǎn)要的說明到涂。

（i）簡(jiǎn)短定義 Short Definition：先陳述要解釋的定義脊框，再說明它所屬的組別，最后說明它與其它組別不同之處践啄。

“Pardon” is an action of a court or ruler forgiving a person for an illegal act and giving freedom from punishment.

“Excuse”is the reason, whether true or untrue, given when asking to be forgiven for absence, wrong behavior, a fault, etc.

( Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English )

（ii）延伸定義 Extended Definition：有別于簡(jiǎn)短定義只用一兩句來解釋浇雹，延伸定義本身便可成一篇文章，而通常要下定義的語(yǔ)句較為復(fù)雜或抽象往核，而解釋的方法包括：

（1）? ? 提供例子說明箫爷；

（2）? ? 列出其顯著的特點(diǎn)和特征嚷节；

（3）? ? 提出歷史發(fā)展的實(shí)證聂儒；

（4）? ? 以比較及對(duì)比方式來解釋；

（5）? ? 先分明別類硫痰，再逐一說明每類之差異衩婚；

Example:

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? One-upmanship

One-upmanship is the art of impressing other people. You are “one up” on someone if you have said something impressive, something that makes the other person feel inferior. At the beginning of this year, I met three new students who all knew the art of one-upmanship. One said that his brother was a lieutenant in the Marine Corps. The other told me that he had been at a school that had its own fully equipped television studio. The third had just come from an exclusive prep school in New England. To play the game, I should have thought of an answer that would put me “one up” in turn. To the first, I should have replied that my uncle is the adjutant to the Commanding General of the Corps. To the second, I should have said that our school has an electronically operated language lab. To the third, I should have said that my father is a professor at Harvard. Unfortunately, none of those things is true.

分析如下：

本文向讀者說明一個(gè)單詞 － One-upmanship，并運(yùn)用了簡(jiǎn)短定義法效斑，對(duì) One-upmanship 下了扼要定義非春，跟著以舉例方法延伸這詞的解釋，用作者見到的 three new students 如何運(yùn)用 one-upmanship的例子來說明缓屠，以及他欲反敗為勝的方法奇昙，將抽象的定義演繹成具體生動(dòng)的事例。

（II） 分類說明法：將事物按照一定的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)和范圍敌完，系統(tǒng)地分成若干點(diǎn)或若干方面來說明储耐，可以從不同角度或準(zhǔn)則，對(duì)說明對(duì)象進(jìn)行多次分類滨溉。一般用于內(nèi)容較復(fù)雜什湘、涉及面較廣的事物進(jìn)行說明长赞，通常不少于三類，不多于六類闽撤。

在一篇短文中得哆，首段是introduction，之后的段落是每種分類的說明哟旗，可依時(shí)間贩据、空間次序來決定類別陳述的先后，而最后一段是總結(jié)或建議热幔。

Example:

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Part-time Jobs

There are many part-time jobs for college students who need money to help pay their bills. For students who enjoy talking to customers, sales jobs are ideal. Some people like to find their own customers, so they choose door-to-door sales of products ranging from beauty aids and encyclopedias to vacuum cleaners. Other people prefer working in department stores, where customer finds them. Students who like being around people, but do not want to persuade them to buy anything, might prefer clerking in a grocery or discount store. Those who enjoy providing service to the public might prefer office jobs as secretaries, file clerks, or bookkeepers. And those who like to keep their surroundings clean and neat might find that being dishwashers, stockroom persons, or janitors fills their need for both money and job satisfaction.

分析如下：

本文雖未列小段乐设，但讀完后對(duì)大學(xué)生的兼職工作已有大致了解，因?yàn)椴捎昧朔诸愓f明法绎巨。兼職工作分為：door-to-door sales; sales in department stores; clerking in a grocery or discount store; office jobs; keeping clean and neat jobs近尚。

（III） 比較說明法：運(yùn)用同類事物或不同類事物與要作說明的事物進(jìn)行比較，以突出其特征场勤，所以戈锻，在說明較為復(fù)雜的或不為人所熟悉的事物時(shí)，用比較的方法可以把難于理解的事物說得清楚易懂和媳。

常用于：

（i）? ? 顯示某一事物的優(yōu)異之處：格遭；

（ii）? ? 說明兩類似事物的不同之處；

（iii）? ? 說明兩不同事物的共同之處留瞳；

（iv）? ? 說明兩者的相同及相異之處拒迅。

寫段落要點(diǎn)：

首段：陳述比較事物的相同及差異的地方。

主要內(nèi)容：詳細(xì)說明比較事物的異同她倘，可以 subject-by-subject璧微，先用一段落說明一事物，跟著一段說明另一事物硬梁，如此類推前硫；亦可以用 point-by-point，就某一方面比較兩事物的異或同荧止，在同一段落中出現(xiàn)屹电，下一段則比較兩者的其它方面，如此類推跃巡。

總結(jié)：要留意總結(jié)中必須提及兩種比較事物危号，及重申文章的主題。

（V） 舉例說明法：一般有兩種情形：一是列舉舉例素邪，說明事物或事理所包括的范圍外莲；二是典型舉例，例子具有化表性娘香，能充分說明要講的問題苍狰。說明文中的舉例與議論文中的舉例有所不同办龄，前者是為了印證所要說明的情況屬實(shí)，使人有所知淋昭；后者是為了印證觀點(diǎn)的正確俐填，使人有所信。

Exercises:

Choose one of the titles and write a composition of about 120 words.

1.? ? ? True Love (using extended definition)

2.? ? ? Varieties of Friendship (using classification)

3.? ? ? American movies and Chinese movies (using comparison)

4.? ? ? Greed (using examples)

Cloze Exercise (3)

寫作填充練習(xí) Please complete the following cloze exercise:

(word list: 56 words)

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Hawaii

Hawaii, the youngest state of theUnited States, is different______ many ways form the mainland states. Its geography and people ______unique.Hawaiiis a______ of a great chain ______ volcanic islands which stretch ______the Pacific Ocean. Just______are the Hawaiian people? ______ are a mixture of ______ original Hawaiians who probably ______from Samoalong, long______, and many immigrants ______ arrived later. When the ______ pineapple plantations were being ______inHawaiiin the 1900's,______ were not enough people ______ on the islands to ______ all the work. So more came: the Chinese, Japanese, ______ the Portuguese were the ______ groups. Some returned home ______ working for a few ______; many stayed and added ______ the mixture of cultures ______ languages.

For many years, ______ customs were looked down ______ or ignored. Now there ______ new pride in the ______ ways. Children are learning ______ Hawaiian language and the ______ songs and dances. At ______University of Hawaii there______ a great deal of ______ in the history of ______ islands and the culture ______ the past.

Visitors to ______ islands want to see ______ island paradise as it ______ to be. A popular ______to visit is the Polynesian Cultural Center.______ numbers of tourists from ______ Mainland and the Orient ______in Hawaii daily. Signs______modern tourism are everywhere. Honolulu______ its suburbs, a quiet ______ of about 250,000 about thirty ______ ago, is now a ______ area of 800,000 residents ______ tourists.

As you drive ______the island of Oahu,______ can still find deserted ______ of beach with the ______ waves. But now some ______ these beaches are closed ______ the public, and more ______ more tourist resorts are ______ built in areas that ______unspoiled. Hawaiians worry about what will happen to the old way of life.