SAT写作：你真的会分析列数字吗?_新航道·教研

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SAT写作：你真的会分析列数字吗?

作者： 2020-05-31 16:37 来源：重庆编辑

SAT essay部分需要考生先阅读一篇2000字左右的文章，再对

文章进行分析，通常可以选择三个手法进行分析。而在分析的时候，广大中国考生最喜欢选择的手法就是statistics，因为在大家的眼里，只要有阿拉伯数字，就能够找到这个手段进行写作。但是分析的如何，以及是否有陷阱，大家都需要注意。

我们以下面的节选为例：

Adapted from Godfrey Harris and Daniel Stiles， “The Wrong Way to Prote et Elephants”@2014by The NewYork Times.Originally published March 26， 2014.

1 The year was 1862.Abraham Lincoln was in the WhiteHouse.“Taps”was first sounded as a lights-out bugle call.And Steinway&Sons was building its first upright pianos in NewYork.

2 The space-saving design would help change the cultural face of America.After the Civil War， many middle-class families installed them in their parlors.The ability to play the piano was thought to be nearly as important to the marriage potential of single ladies as their skill in cooking and sewing，signaling a young woman's gentility and culture.

有一部分同学在读到1862的时候，就认为自己找到了statistics这个手法，并开始分析。但这样去写的话，写作reading和分析方面都会失分严重。因为年份的数字，不属于列数字的范畴。

所以，请大家在找列数字的时候，切勿找年份!

我们再看下面一个节选：

10Its also ridiculously expensive Cost estimates are in the tens of billions of dollars.Based onSprevious experience with big government projects， we can expect the final cost to double or triple.By attempting to send humans to Mars we would divert a great deal of public money from(potentially improving fe on Earth for fmii ons of people to just put tng(sfewhumangonapoghsr

很多同学，在读完这个节选之后，可能会不知道这个片段里面有statistics这个手法出现。因为很多同学判定statistics都是看阿拉伯数字，但这个节选里并没有出现阿拉伯数字。但是，列数字的出现，不一定非要是阿拉伯数字。在这个节选里，大家注意看：tens of billions， double/triple， millions， a few这些都属于列数字的范畴。是可以用于写作考场上用于分析的。

那么既然这个节选片段可以用于分析。我们再来仔细分析一下，列数字如何分析才能有力。我们就依次为例。本文的中心论点：we should not send humans to the Mars.本段话主题句：it's also ridiculously expensive.

大家可以思考一下，为什么作者要告诉读者送人上火星花销预算在几百亿美元，且还有可能会翻两三倍?难道只是写出来看看吗?没有其他的作用吗?大家联系一下中心论点(我们不要送人上火星)，不难猜到这些数字需要证明的是这个项目的贵，以此证明不值得。但是如果作者不告诉我们，我们知道吗?

所以，列数字的个作用就是：to surprise readers.读者感到震惊，那么自然会重新检查一下对于作者所说之事的态度，才能够让读者更加贴近作者的中心论点。故我们可以尝试分析：By listing a series of shocking stas tics， for example“tens of billions”and“double or triple”the author attemptstore-educate the audiences about the“ridiculously expensive，”costs of human Mars mission， therefore compelling them to re chekthe r attitudes towards this endeavor.

我们再看这个段落中后文也写到了，要是这笔钱用于地球上，是可以提升几百万人的生活质量，但如果送人上火星的话，只能送上去零星几个。后面的millions和afew，还是to surprise readers吗?当然有一定的作用，但在这里，更多的是去形成对比，几百万和几个人，让读者更清晰的看到送人上火星多么的不值得。故可以写到：Also， the numbers“million sand“a fewy”that follow form a stark contrast between the number of people that canpotentially[improve their lives]and that to be Lc“another planet.”This sharp contrast throws into sharpsent to relief how pointless putting humans on the Mars would be.

我们现在把节选和分析放到一起：

10Its also ridiculously expensive Cost estimates are in the tens of bi lions of dollars.Based on7previous experience with big government projects， we can expect the final cost to double or triple.By attempting to send humans to Mars we would divert a great deal of public money from(potentially improving fe on Earth for fmii ons of people to just putting la few human gona pot ber

By listing a series of shocking stas tics， for example“tens of billionsand“double or triple”， the author attemptsto re-educate the audiences about the“ridiculously expensive”costs ofhumanMars mission， therefore compelling them to re chekthe rattitudes towards this endeavor.Also， the numbers“millions”and“a few”that follow form a stark contrast between the number ofpeople that canikpotentially[improve their lives] ”and that to befc“another planet.”This sharp contrast throws into sharpsent torelief how pointless putting humans on the Mars would be.The effective use of statistics guarantees that the readers will renew their understanding about sending people to the Marsanditsmeaninglessness， a stepping stone that pushes them to reject human trips to the Mars.