2013年12月14日大学英语六级考试写作详解与参考范文
　　一、 真题
　　1.
　　Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay about the impact of the information explosion by referring to the saying “A wealth of information creates a poverty of attention.” You can give examples to illustrate your point and then explain what you can do to avoid being distracted by irrelevant information. You should write at least 150 words but no more than 200 words.
　　2.
　　Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay commenting on the remark “The greatest use of life is to spend it on something that will outlast it.” You can give examples to illustrate your point and then explain what you will do to make your life more meaningful. You should write at least 150 words but no more than 200 words.
　　3.
　　Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay on happiness by referring to the saying “Happiness is not the absence of problems, but the ability to deal with them.” You can cite examples to illustrate your point and then explain how you can develop your ability to deal with problems and be happy. You should write at least 150 words but no more than 200 words.
　　二、解析
　　本次写作属于以往我的教材和讲义里所说的“名言警句”型。是自1997年1月以来六级考试历史上总共第5次、连续第3次考到该类型。往年真题如下：
　　1997年1月真题
　　Directions: For this part, you are allowed thirty minutes to write a composition on the topic Haste Makes Waste. You should write at least 120 words and you should base your composition on the outline (given in Chinese) below.
　　1. 为什么“欲速则不达”？
　　2. 举例说明。
　　2011年12月真题
　　Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay entitled The Way to Success by commenting on Abraham Lincoln’s famous remark, “Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” You should write at least 150 words but no more than 200 words.
　　2012年12月真题
　　1.
　　Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay entitled On Maintaining Trust by commenting on the saying, “It takes years to build trust, and a few seconds to destroy it.” You should write at least 150 words but no more than 200 words.
　　2.
　　Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay entitled Computer and Man by commenting on the saying, “It is not a real danger that the computer thinks like man, but that man thinks like the computer.” You should write at least 150 words but no more than 200 words.
　　2013年6月真题
　　1.
　　Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay commenting on the remark “A smile is the shortest distance between two people”. You may cite some examples to support you view. You should write at least 150 words but no more than 200 words.
　　2.
　　Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay commenting on the remark “Good habits result from resisting temptation”. You may cite some examples support you view. You should write at least 150 words but no more than 200 words.
　　3.
　　Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay commenting on the remark “Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s need, but not every man’s greed”. You may cite some examples support you view. You should write at least 150 words but no more than 200 words.
　　分析这些真题可以看出，其共同特征为对于谚语（Haste Makes Waste）、名言（Lincoln’s famous remark, “Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe）或警句进行评论。尽管近几次真题并非众所周知的俗谚或名言，但也是精心设计的富有哲理的话，而且语言简练，修辞考究，起码可以称得上是警句。当然，既然其内容多为哲理，也可以称为“人生哲理型”作文。有人将其称为“话语评论型”、或“引语评论型”，虽然比较直观，但笔者认为略有失之宽泛之嫌，容易与“观点认同型”文章混淆，如：
　　Some people claim that economic development and environmental protection cannot be achieved at the same time. To what degree do you agree with this statement? Give your view and reasons.
　　这类作文话题往往是有争议的话题，而非公认的(起码是出题人认定的)哲理。这种作文多为雅思、托福、GRE以及专四、专八的考法，在四六级中尚未出现过，但以后有可能。为了避免混淆，因此将上述六级考题命名为“名言警句型”。
　　此类作文的另一共同特征为要求或者建议考生举例。这也是论述哲理性话题的最常见、甚至是唯一写法。
　　当然，与1997年的Haste Makes Waste 以及2011年的Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe相比，近三次的六级作文确有不同。
　　首先，如前文所述，它们并非历史悠久、众所周知的俗谚或名言，而是近人所为，甚至就是出题人自己编出来的，因此此前范文里给的A famous saying goes可以改为A witty (机智、幽默的)/ meaningful（意味深长的）/ instructive（有教育意义的）saying goes（当然，不改也不算什么问题，说那个说法有名也是给了出题人面子嘛，哈哈）。
　　其次，与此相呼应的是，其内容也往往更具现实意义，如2012年12月It takes years to build trust, and a few seconds to destroy it所反映的现代社会诚信问题、It is not a real danger that the computer thinks like man, but that man thinks like the computer所反映的电脑过度使用问题、2013年6月A smile is the shortest distance between two people所反映的现代人与人之间的冷漠问题、Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s need, but not every man’s greed所反映的现代人的贪婪与资源紧张问题以及2013年12月A wealth of information creates a poverty of attention所反映的现代社会信息爆炸引发的人们注意力难以集中的问题，等等。因此在没有特殊要求的情况下也可以按照“解决问题”型的思路去写，只要在文中（最好是首段）对给的警句略作评论即可。
　　（当然，除此之外，其他话题仍然是有着永恒价值的人生哲理，如Good habits result from resisting temptation所反映的“人应该有毅力去抵制诱惑才能养成好习惯”，以及本次考题The greatest use of life is to spend it on something that will outlast it所反映的“人应该志存高远、过真正有意义的生活”，Happiness is not the absence of problems, but the ability to deal with them所反映的“人不应该惧怕困难，应该迎难而上，从与困难作斗争中获得快乐”。）
　　最后，本次考题与以往的最大区别在于，Directions中明确要求写出自己的做法（explain what you can do…），这恐怕是任何模板或功能段所无法解决的问题，而恰恰也是阅卷评分的重要依据。

　　三、 参考范文
　　1．
　　（解释含义）A witty saying goes that “A wealth of information creates a poverty of attention”. Simple as the saying is, the message it conveys is profound and thought-provoking. Evidently, it is meant to tell us that we are now in an age of information explosion, which, while providing us with a vast sea of information, is causing the problem of lack of attention.
　　（举例说明）Taking a look around, we can also find examples too many to enumerate. Here I can think of no better illustration of the proverb than the experience of my own. Like many others, I am a constant user of the computer and the mobile phone. When working on the computer, I cannot help being distracted by information popping out on the screen from the Internet. Or I would keep looking at my mobile phone for funny news or comments.
　　（我的做法）This phenomenon is definitely unhealthy and requires remedying. Personally, I will try uninstalling some unimportant functions of my phone and my computers, so as to cut the sources of irrelevant information. In the second place, I will work out a plan for each day and set a time limit for important tasks. In a word, I truly agree with the saying given in the directions and I would take the right actions in my life and work in the future.
　　2．
　　（解释含义）A meaningful saying goes that “The greatest use of life is to spend it on something that will outlast it”. Simple as the saying is, the message it conveys is profound and thought-provoking. Evidently, it is meant to tell us that we should have grand goals in our life and that we should not be contented with material comfort in this life.
　　（举例说明）Actually, history abounds with examples to prove this saying. Taking a look around, we can also find examples too many to enumerate. Here I can think of no better illustration of the proverb than the people working for space exploration at home and abroad. They may not have that much comfort as we have, and most of them are even unknown to us. Some even sacrificed their lives for the career they pursued. But their work is indeed meaningful, and they will be remembered by history, because what they do are in the interest of mankind as a whole.
　　（我的做法）Bringing what has been discussed into a conclusion, we may say that a life devoted to a great cause beneficial to mankind is really meaningful. Personally, I would like to work harder in my own field of study, that is, the relationship between China and America. I would like to find out ways to eradicate misunderstanding and build mutual trust between the two nations. In a word, I truly understand the profound meaning of the proverb and I would take the right actions in my life and work in the future.
　　3．
　　（解释含义）An instructive saying goes “Happiness is not the absence of problems, but the ability to deal with them”. Simple as the saying is, the message it conveys is profound and thought-provoking. Evidently, it is meant to tell us that we should be brave enough to face challenges in our life rather than pray for their disappearance.
　　（举例说明）Actually, history abounds with examples to prove this saying. Taking a look around, we can also find examples too many to enumerate. Here I can think of no better illustration of the proverb than Yu Minhong, the founder and president of New Oriental. He used to be contented with being a teacher in Peking University. However, things changed and he had to quit and start his own business. Though he had experienced challenges of various forms, he is a universally acknowledged success now. I bet he is much happier than if he was only a teacher in Peking University.
　　（我的做法）Personally, I decide to pursue my study of the relationship between China and America. I shall learn from Yu Minhong and other great personalities. Though I may suffer poverty and failure for quite a long time, I would not give up. And I believe that I can conquer them and I will gain more happiness during the process.