Steven's Writing Clinic

Hello, everyone.

I am very excited to announce Steven's Writing Clinic, my first ever teaching-based blog program, which provides me a great opportunity to share with my students what I know about English writing, how to tackle the tests like GRE/GMAT/TOEFL/SAT, the college admission process and a great number of jokes which I think can help you relax.

I expect my Writing Clinic to be simple and kind of shabby in the short term. In the long run, I hope I can provide more materials to help you improve your writing.

Have fun.

P.S.

My students, of TOEFL course or GMAT course, who want to download the documents mentioned in the class should go to the website address indicated (xxxxx.anchoret.com). The blog is full of information which will not be covered during the course and, thus, is not that relevant to the course you take.

Steven Q. Jiang

上海GMAT考场位置：

GMAT考试场次

一般来讲，除了系统维护和节假日外，GMAT考场每周一到周五都可以接纳考生考试，每天可以安排3场考试，分别是上午9点，下午1点半和晚上5点半。

GMAT考试当天的注意事项：

1.         考试当天考生应于考试预约时间30分钟前抵达考场。根据规定，GMAT考生迟于考试预约时间15分钟以上到达考场则被视为迟到，迟到的考生将可能被拒绝参加考试。
(If you arrive more than 15 minutes after your scheduled appointment time, you may not be admitted and your entire test fee will be forfeited.)

2.         考生参加GMAT考试时，必须携带本人有效期内的护照。考试当天无法向考场管理员出示护照的考生，将被拒绝进入考场考试。从2009年开始，考场会陆续改造，从验指纹变成验掌纹。(The test administrator will digitally take your fingerprint, signature, and/or palm vein pattern, and photograph.)

3.         考试期间，考生不得将与本次考试无关的物品带入考试室（可以带入考场，但不可以带入考试室），包括但不仅限于：手机、掌上电脑/PDA或其他任何电子设备、传呼机、手表、钱包、手袋、帽子、背包、大衣/外套、书籍和学习资料等等。考生须将所携带的个人物品在考前一律存放在考场提供的储物柜中（手机或传呼机须关机或置于静音状态）。考生在考试期间应随身带好所分配的储物柜的钥匙，并在考试结束后带齐所有物品离场。考场对个人物品的遗失、被盗不承担责任。

4.         考场将向考生提供GMAT专用的可擦写板和笔用于草稿和演算。考试正式开始后，考生方可使用考场提供的可擦写板和笔。考试结束时，考生应主动将其归还给考场管理员。考生不得将考场提供的可擦写板和笔带离考场，否则将被视为考生违规。

5.         考生将由考场管理员安排在指定座位参加考试。考试期间如需帮助或休息，请举手示意考场管理员。考生不得擅自离开考试座位。考生每次进出考试室必须由考场管理员陪同。

6.         考生须接受GMAT保密协议和通用条款中的所有内容，方可继续进行考试。

7.         为保证考试的高度安全性，考场管理员将全程监考。考生考试全过程将被录音、录像。

8.         考试期间，考生遇到任何计算机硬件或软件问题，应立即举手示意考场管理员以寻求帮助。

9.         考试室内不得吃食品、喝水/饮料、吸烟及大声喧哗。考试休息期间，考生不得从储物柜中拿取除食物、饮料以外的任何物品（如手机、学习资料/书籍等等）。考试休息期间，考生不得离开指定的活动范围，并不得以任何方式与他人联系。

10.     考生结束考试时，应立即举手示意考场管理员。考场管理员将前往考生就座的考试工作站并确认考试已正确结束。如考生选择报告当次考试成绩，考试成绩（不包括分析写作部分）将显示在考试机屏幕上，并且非正式成绩单将会被打印出来。

GMAT报名的注意事项：

1.         考生注册GMAT考试时，Profile中的考生姓名一项请严格按照护照上的姓名拼音填写，并请注意姓名的正确填写顺序：First Name为名，Last Name为姓。注意：中国考生没有Middle name，请勿将名字拆开填写在Middle Name栏目中。

2.         考生注册GMAT考试时，请注意出生日期的正确填写顺序为：---月--日--年。

3.         考生在填写姓名及出生日期有误时，请务必在早于考试预约时间48小时以前与GMAT考试全国呼叫中心联系，并按照要求提供相关证明以申请修改。距离考试预约时间48小时以内，相关修改将无法操作。以上两项个人信息有任何一项不符，考生都将有可能被拒考。

4.         考前请务必通读GMAT Information Bulletin for Testing in 2006（该公告可在www.mba.com上免费下载）。

其他注意事项：

1.         考生如对考试安排、考场设施、考场管理员的服务不满意，或认为自己在考试中受到不公正对待，请在考后5个工作日内以电子邮件、信函或传真等书面形式向GMAT考试全国呼叫中心投诉。

2.         GMAT中国考生的相关问题，请联系Pearson VUE中国GMAT Customer Service – 教育部考试中心全国呼叫中心。联系电话：（86）10-62798877（人工电话服务时间：北京时间周一至周五，8:30AM-5:00PM），电子邮件：gmatservice@neea.edu.cn，传真：（86）10-82520243，网址：GMAT.etest.edu.cn

看太多新闻联播，作文竟然写成这样了.......

“六．一”前夕，五年级一班学生刘小华因患感冒请假。班主任指示班干部们自发组织到刘小华家里慰问。第二天，班里黑板报登出了一篇《本班新闻》，全文如下：

本班讯：昨天上午，阳光明媚，鲜花斗艳。刘小华同学家里欢声笑语，人头攒动。五年级一班班长赵官、副班长张僚僚在体育委员欧阳猛南、文娱委员李美媚陪同下，不远千米，深入到患感冒发低烧的班级成员刘小华家中，为他带去节曰的问候和良好的祝愿。赵班长与张副班长兴致勃勃地参观了刘小华的小房间，饶有兴趣地玩了四盘“魂斗罗”游戏，与普通同学同乐。接着，班级领导与刘小华同学的双亲亲切地拉起了家常。赵班长还愉快地回忆起去年和刘小华开始一起作弊的往事。在交谈中，赵班长多次关心地强调：“刘小华生病了，就不要做作业了。好好休息，身体是革命的本钱嘛！”刘小华激动地说：“感谢班干部的关心！我一定要战胜病魔，克服一切困难，早曰回到温暖的大集体中，回到亲爱的老师和同学中间！” 接着，赵班长一行又在刘小华家门口兴致勃勃地踢起了毽子。蓝天如洗，鸟儿也受到这集体温暖的感染，唧唧喳喳，歌唱美好的生活。中午，刘爸爸买来香喷喷好吃看得见的某某牌牛肉干和清凉可口的鲜榨橙汁，宴请赵班长一行。席间，宾主就小学生连吃两根冰棍是否会闹肚子等问题进行了深入愉快的双边会谈。

下面是部分经典跟贴：

　　1.会谈始终在亲切友好的气氛中进行

　　2.同学们就刘小华的疾病达成了广泛的公识。

　　3.并承认世界上只有一个学校,班级是学校不可分割的一部分。

　　4.刘小华同学表示要用“3个代表”伟大思想武装自己，抵抗病魔。

　　5.要紧紧的团结在以班主任为中心的班集体周围，一心一意抓学习，聚精会神某发展…

　　6.刘小华同学以大无谓的英雄主义精神同病魔做斗争，目前已取得了阶段性的胜利，身体进一步向良好的方向发展。

　　7.陪同访问的还有，物理课代表，前卫生值日委员会副主任张二完同志。

　　8.为配合本次探视活动，学校领导特意去电信局开通了168XXXXX热线号码，以方便其他不能自发前往的同学对刘小华慰问，其中包括小华怎么得了病，得的是什么病，能否治好等有奖竟猜内容。回答正确者，奖励小红花……

　　9.原则通过《关于慰问刘小华同学生病一事的慰问纪要》并下发各班级班主任认真学习、研讨。

　　10. 要紧紧抓住吃药这个根本点，使刘小华同学切实享受到同学们和老师的慰问成果，努力实现疾病细菌的持续减少。班级本学期分数计划纲要提出：本学期期间同学们学习成绩要增长5％左右，这是一个极其艰巨的任务。实现这一预期目标，既需要继续扎扎实实地工作，又需要有新的思路和新的措施。

　　11. 据XX市XX学校5月25日电：参加五年级一班学生刘小华慰问会的同学在分组讨论赵班长同志报告时认为，赵班长同志关于本班级头一年重要战略机遇期和集中力量全面建设优秀班级的论述，表达了全班同学的共识，代表着全班同学家长的心愿，更加增强了我们的历史使命感和紧迫感。结合工作实际，与会者表示，一定要紧紧抓住本年第一学期重要战略机遇期，加快推进英语学习和语文作文体制学习，完成好关系全班的四门主课（语数英政），为全面建设全校优秀班级而努力奋斗。

　　12.班长当即责成卫生委员，一定要严把卫生关，杜绝此类事故的再次发生。

　　13.班长说，今年是我和刘小华同学建交 3周年。3年来，在双方共同努力下，友谊关系持续发展。两家人交往密切，聚会、交流日趋活跃。双方关系的发展得益于双方人格上相互尊重、相互信任、互不干涉私事；经济上互利互惠、优势互补、共同发展；在班级事务中都遵循学校宪章的宗旨以及公认的同学关系基本准则，共同促进双方和班级的和平、稳定与发展

GMAT作文考试新题大公开（二）

新题范文

文/江奇

版权所有，摘录和转贴请注明作者和出处。

自2006年ACT接手GMAT出题以来，一直都很低调，延续ETS出题风格，沿用原来的可用题库和出题方式，直到自己有实力去全面控制局面。2年过去了，其他部分目前毫无动静，唯独作文部分，出现了小小的尝试。2007年初ACT在北美花钱请人测试作文题目，暗下决心要啃下这块骨头，本人也参与了那次测试。之后在2007年末，ACT悄悄地在所有考生中随机加入这几道题目（以目前情况来看，100个考生中大约只有5-8个人会遇到新题）以磨练自己的评分人员和评分程序。

既然如此，GMAT作文有题库而且必须按照题库出题的思路（ETS时代任何新题都必须先公布一段时间才能真正进入考试）已经被ACT赤裸裸地打破，所以所有考生都应该对这些新题有很好的了解。

在这里，我们对其中一道令大家颇为头痛的Issue题给出一篇非常适合模仿的北美范文。

由于此题考的话题是法律，恰恰是中国同学（即使是法律系的学生）都不太能应对的抽象话题，所以在考场上颇为费力，以下给出一篇分析深刻（把事物本身和人们对事物的perception分开），思路严谨（论证有论据有解释有例外有保留），内容充实（两个主层次，之下才是论证），语言自然（善用长句和正式词汇，但稍有一点晦涩味道）的范文。

范文：

According to this statement, each person has a duty to not only obey just laws but also disobey unjust ones. In my view this statement is too extreme, in two respects. First, it wrongly categorizes any law as either just or unjust; and secondly, it recommends an ineffective and potentially harmful means of legal reform.

First, whether a law is just or unjust is rarely a straightforward issue. The fairness of any law depends on one's personal value system. This is especially true when it comes to personal freedoms. Consider, for example, the controversial issue of abortion. Individuals with particular religious beliefs tend to view laws allowing mothers an abortion choice as unjust, while individuals with other value systems might view such laws as just.

The fairness of a law also depends on one's personal interest, or stake, in the legal issue at hand. After all, in a democratic society the chief function of laws is to strike a balance among competing interests. Consider, for example, a law that regulates the toxic effluents a certain factory can emit into a nearby river. Such laws are designed chiefly to protect public health. But complying with the regulation might be costly for the company; the factory might be forced to lay off employees or shut down altogether, or increase the price of its products to compensate for the cost of compliance. At stake are the respective interests of the company's owners, employees, and customers, as well as the opposing interests of the region's residents whose health and safety are impacted. In short, the fairness of the law is subjective, depending largely on how one's personal interests are affected by it.

The second fundamental problem with the statement is that disobeying unjust laws often has the opposite affect of what was intended or hoped for. Most anyone would argue, for instance, that our federal system of income taxation is unfair in one respect or another. Yet the end result of widespread disobedience, in this case tax evasion, is to perpetuate the system. Free-riders only compel the government to maintain tax rates at high levels in order to ensure adequate revenue for the various programs in its budget.

Yet another fundamental problem with the statement is that by justifying a violation of one sort of law we find ourselves on a slippery slope toward sanctioning all types of illegal behavior, including egregious criminal conduct. Returning to the abortion example mentioned above, a person strongly opposed to the freedom-of-choice position might maintain that the illegal blocking of access to an abortion clinic amounts to justifiable disobedience. However, it is a precariously short leap from this sort of civil disobedience to physical confrontations with clinic workers, then to the infliction of property damage, then to the bombing of the clinic and potential murder.

In sum, because the inherent function of our laws is to balance competing interests, reasonable people with different priorities will always disagree about the fairness of specific laws. Accordingly, radical action such as resistance or disobedience is rarely justified merely by one's subjective viewpoint or personal interests. And in any event, disobedience is never justifiable when the legal rights or safety of innocent people are jeopardized as a result. (536 words)

GMAT作文考试新题大公开（一）

目前最完整的新题总结

文/Steven Q. Jiang

版权所有，摘录和转贴请注明作者和出处。

自2006年ACT接手GMAT出题以来，一直都很低调，延续ETS出题风格，沿用原来的可用题库和出题方式，直到自己有实力去全面控制局面。2年过去了，其他部分目前毫无动静，唯独作文部分，出现了小小的尝试。2007年初ACT在北美花钱请人测试作文题目，暗下决心要啃下这块骨头，本人也参与了那次测试。之后在2007年末，ACT悄悄地在所有考生中随机加入这几道题目（以目前情况来看，100个考生中大约只有5-8个人会遇到新题）以磨练自己的评分人员和评分程序。

既然如此，GMAT作文有题库而且必须按照题库出题的思路（ETS时代任何新题都必须先公布一段时间才能真正进入考试）已经被ACT赤裸裸地打破，所以所有考生都应该对这些新题有很好的了解。

为了帮助大家在听课之余对新题消除恐惧并有所准备，我将在这个系列中为大家准备以下三块内容：

（一）   目前最完整的新题总结

（二）   作文新题解题思路总结及复习作文部分的方法

（三）   部分新题的解题范文

以下是本人整理的两套新题：

Issue部分：

NT1. "The best teachers should expect students to challenge popular ideas rather than accept them."

Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated above. Support your views with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

只有那些鼓励学生挑战常规想法（而不是希望学生仅仅接受这些想法）的老师才是最好的老师。

NT2. "People have a duty to disobey laws that they consider unjust."

Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated above. Support your views with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

人们有义务不遵守那些他们认为不公正的法律。

Argument部分：

NT1. The following appeared in a realtor’s brochure in a large city:

“Now is the perfect time to buy a house in our city. Over the past five years, average home prices in our region have nearly doubled. But average stock prices in the national stock market have actually declined over the same period. So homeowners have seen an increase in value for their housing investment during the last five years that far exceeds what they could have made by investing in the stock market. Our city’s residents can surely achieve a similar profit over the next five years. Furthermore, if residents invest in a home, they can enjoy the use of the home while its value increases, whereas money invested in stocks would not contribute to their quality of life in the same way that owning a home would. Therefore, all the residents of our city should invest their money in a home.”

NT2. A retail grocery store has improved sales but decreased profits.  In order to improve its profits, the store has a new business plan – to lay off 10 employees without losing the store's luxury and expert services and to partner with XYZ Cafe, which has similar types of customers. （此题内容不全，为机经回忆整理而成。）

非常感谢 段芊语 同学的贡献。

2007/11/3
综合部分：
阅读: high school science instructors is hard to find:
1 low salaries
2 needed to be certified by government which need at least one more year study.
3: teach basic science is boring, cut from latest information.
听力:
Magnet science school, solve all the problems
1. require companies to support.
2. can take the certification during their first teaching year.
3. challenge courses. Cover a lot, subfield, inter-courses, own research or tutor students do ....
独立部分：People who do not work but have enough money rarely feel happy.

2007/11/9
综合部分：
1：恐龙是温血动物，要是冷血动物的话，他们难以征服其他的动物。
2：恐龙是温血动物，只有是温血动物，才有足够的能量哺育下一代，有化石可以证明恐龙哺育下一代的特点。
3：恐龙的毛发的特征，同其他鸟类及哺乳动物类似，应该是温血动物。
听力 一一驳斥：
1：一恐龙叫k的是冷血动物，人家还征服其他的动物呢
2：化石不足以证明，说不定恐龙父母根本没照顾小恐龙，同时小恐龙就住在父母巢穴的附近呢。
3：人家的毛发有其他用途：比如：只是为了display,或者吸引mate 用的
独立部分
DO YOU agree or disagree: the cars has had a greater effect on the society than the airplane

2007/11/11综合部分：
阅读:the number of birds will decline
1: the expansion of population 导致人类的建筑增多，毁了birds的habitats
2: the expansion of population 导致agriculture 用地的增加，convert wild land into agricultural use, so birds的habitats又减少了/
3: the use of chemical pesticide可以毒到birds,
听力：反驳：
1.人类建筑也可以作为birds的habitats
2.agriculture 的用地实际上less， agriculture 通过new variety of food解决increasing population的问题,
3.two solutions to the use of pesticide.
(1)new and less toxic pesticide
(2) pest-resistance crop that is not harmful to birds
独立部分：do you agree or disagree:
most of advertisement make products seem better than what they are actually

2007/12/1
综合部分
阅读：说一个on sale的画像，人们说那画的就是Jane Austen，evidence有三：
1.她的家人说是
2.画像里的人脸部结构像C的一个作品，而他的那个作品就是画的年轻时的JA
3.忘了。。。5
听力一一驳斥：
1.她家人授权JA的头像时JA已经死了70年了，教授怀疑他们自己家人都不知道她长什么模样
2.构造像不算数，因为可能是她的cousin或cousin的offsping，因为JA的家族很大。
3.贴在画像上的一个stamp是Ml发行的，而这邮票在伦敦发行时JA已经23了，所以不可能是JA年轻时的画像
：agree or disagree：People should not pay for public transportation

2007/12/8
综合部分：the change of factory ：
阅读讲了三个原因：
1技术进步
2私有权利得到加强
3通过减少运输费用来降低成本）
听力——驳斥8 i; K7 o" Y#
独立部分：我们应不应该把土地用来保护快要灭绝的动物？

2007/12/15
综合写作说为了森林事业的可持续发展，某组织要进行一种“eco-certified”的认证，通过这个认证了，就说明公司的wood product是森林可持续发展友好型的产品。 v-I p5` `.q B,_
阅读：美国公司不会接受该认证。
（1）市场上产品和广告太多，很多产品都说自己好。消费者都无从选择了，并且消费者已开始对诸多所谓认证的可靠性产生怀疑了。
（2美国消费者更关心价格。 认证得花钱啊，增加成本了，就不得不提高了自己产品的价格。 但鬼才愿意当冤大头出高价呢，美国消费者是不愿意的。结果买自己产品的人就少了。%r5U9Y J4q
（3）美国公司更关心国内市场，而不是国际上的发展和标准，因为他们市场和消费者主要在国内。 m0x5H
听力一一反驳了2D"r*X W
(1 这人跟人的消费习惯是不同的，他们是在不同的时间不同地点购买不同产品的啊，不能以偏概全，是不？也许不少美国消费者，真会考虑国际标准和认证等等呢。
(2 当然是人就关心价格了。 但是只有价格相差很大时候大家才会对人产生显著影响。如果价格差不多的话，美国消费者会愿意多花几块钱买环境友好型产品的。毕竟，美国消费者也是关心环保的嘛。
(3美国公司不关心国际市场但总得关心国际竞争吧。你不开拓国际市场，不等于别人不开拓美国市场啊。 如果美国公司跟不上形势，动作slow了，到时候国际竞争者在环保产品上抢先了，它们会连国内市场都丢掉的。到那时候，丫就等着哭吧。
独立部分：该重视学习concepts &ideas，还是重视学习facts？

各位同学请注意，由于本人的课程email服务器出现重大故障，本人临时设立了对应的gmail信箱来接收大家的邮件，请到我的课程网站（我上课讲的那个）或者我的论坛查阅临时email地址。多有不便，尽情谅解。

You are asking, "Is it possible to be married and to be free?"

If you take marriage non-seriously, then you can be free. If you take it seriously, then freedom is impossible. Take marriage just as a game -- it is a game. Have a little sense of humor, that it is a role you are playing on the stage of life; but it is not something that belongs to existence or has any reality -- it is a fiction.

But people are so stupid that they even start taking fiction for reality. I have seen people reading fiction with tears in their eyes, because in the fiction things are going so tragically. It is a very good device in the movies that they put the lights off, so everybody can enjoy the movie, laugh, cry, be sad, be happy.

If there was light it would be a little difficult -- what will others think? And they know perfectly well that the screen is empty -- there is nobody; it is just a projected picture. But they forget it completely.

And the same has happened with our lives. Many things which are simply to be taken humorously, we take so seriously -- and from that seriousness begins our problem.

In the first place, why should you get married? You love someone, live with someone -- it is part of your basic rights. You can live with someone, you can love someone.

Marriage is not something that happens in heaven, it happens here, through the crafty priests. But if you want to join the game with society and don't want to stand alone and aloof, you make it clear to your wife or to your husband that this marriage is just a game:

"Never take it seriously. I will remain as independent as I was before marriage, and you will remain as independent as you were before marriage. Neither I am going to interfere in your life, nor are you going to interfere in my life; we will live as two friends together, sharing our joys, sharing our freedom -- but not becoming a burden on each other.

And any moment we feel that the spring has passed, the honeymoon is over, we will be sincere enough not to go on pretending, but to say to each other that we loved much -- and we will remain grateful to each other forever, and the days of love will haunt us in our memories, in our dreams, as golden -- but the spring is over.

Our paths have come to a point, where although it is sad, we have to part, because now, living together is not a sign of love. If I love you, I will leave you the moment I see my love has become a misery to you. If you love me, you will leave me the moment you see that your love is creating an imprisonment for me."

Love is the highest value in life: It should not be reduced to stupid rituals. And love and freedom go together -- you cannot choose one and leave the other. A man who knows freedom is full of love, and a man who knows love is always willing to give freedom.

If you cannot give freedom to the person you love, to whom can you give freedom? Giving freedom is nothing but trusting. Freedom is an expression of love.

So whether you are married or not, remember, all marriages are fake -- just social conveniences. Their purpose is not to imprison you and bind you to each other; their purpose is to help you to grow with each other. But growth needs freedom; and in the past, all the cultures have forgotten that without freedom, love dies.

You see a bird on the wing in the sun, in the sky, and it looks so beautiful. Attracted by its beauty, you can catch the bird and put it in a golden cage.

Do you think it is the same bird? Superficially, yes, it is the same bird who was flying in the sky; but deep down it is not the same bird -- because where is its sky, where is its freedom?

This golden cage may be valuable to you; it is not valuable to the bird. For the bird, to be free in the sky is the only valuable thing in life. And the same is true about human beings.