can be used to support a topic sentence

A. Language and Perception(Examples)

Although we all possess the same physical organs for perceiving the world---eyes for seeing, ears for hearing, noses for smelling, skins for feeling, and mouths for tasting---our perception of the world demand to a great extent on the language is like a pair of sunglasses through which we “see” the world. A classic example of the relationship between language and perception is the word snow. In the English language, there is only that one word to describe all of the possible kinds of snow. In Eskimo languages, however, there are as many as thirty-two different words for snow. For instance, the Eskimos have different words for falling snow, snow on the ground, snow packed as hard as ice, slushy snow, wind-driven snow, and weather and snow may have one word to express several concepts that are differentiated in English. For example, the ancient Aztec languages of Mexico used only one word to mean snow. Writing Technique Questions:

1. What is the main idea of this paragraph? Where is it stated? 2. How many supporting examples are given? 3. What transition signals introduce the examples?

B. Nonverbal Communication (Illustrative incidents)

Nonverbal communication, or “body language” is communication by facial expression, head or eye movements, hand signals, and body postures. It can be just as important to understanding as words are. Misunderstandings---often amusing but sometimes serious---- can arise between people from different cultures if they misinterpret non-verbal signals. Take, for example, the differences in meaning of a gesture very common in the United States: a circle made with the thumb and index finger. To an American, it means that everything is OK. To a Japanese, it means that you are talking about money. In France,, it means that something ids worthless, and in Greece, it is an obscene gesture. Therefore, an American could unknowingly offend a Greek by using that particular hand signal.

The following true incident illustrates how conflicting nonverbal signals can cause serious misunderstandings. While lecturing to his poetry class at Ain Shams University in Cairo, a British professor became so relaxed that he leaned back in his chair and revealed the bottom of his foot to the astonished class. Making such a gesture in Moslem society is the worst kind of insult. The next day the Cairo newspapers carried headlines about the student demonstration that resulted, and they denounced British arrogance and demanded that the professor be sent home. Writing Technique Questions

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1. What is the main point of these two paragraphs? In which two places is it stated directly?

2. What examples are given to support the main point? 3. What story is told to support the main point?

4. What words and phrases are used to introduce the examples and the illustrative incidents?

5. Why do you think this article was divided into two paragraphs?

Writing Practice 16:

Explain a proverb by using examples. A stitch in time saves nine.

Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise. People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. An apple a day keeps the doctor away. A rolling stone gathers no moss.

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Model 3: FIGURES AND STATISTICS

A. The Population time Bomb

The world’s population is growing at a geometric rate. It doubled from 1750 to 1900, a period of 150 years. It doubled again from 1900 to 1965, a period of only 65 years. At the current rate of increase, it is expected to double again by the year 2000, a period of only 35 years, according to a recent report published by the world health Organization of the United Nations. The world’s population in 1978 had reached 4.3 billion and is increasing at the rate of 70 million each year. By the end of this century, there will be 7 billion people on Earth.

B. Living Alone

America is becoming a society of “loners”. Since 1970, the number of Americans living alone has been increasing, according to a Census Bureau report. The number of men living alone has more than doubled in the last several years, and the number of women living by themselves is up 35 percent. Among people under the age of 25, the number of men living alone has nearly tripled since 1970, from 274,000 to 752,00, and the number of women has risen from 282,00 to 588,00. “There were 15.5 million people living alone in 1977,” the Census Bureau said. Although the number of men living by themselves has increased rapidly since 1970, most of those living alone are still women---64 percent of the total.

Writing Technique Questions

1. What are the topic sentences for these two paragraphs? 2. What is the source of both these reports? 3. Which statistics are the most significant?

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用来表示数字信息的词：

Vocabulary

Example of Structure

rate

ratio (of X to Y) percent

percentage

geometric rate arithmetic rate

to double, triple, quadruple, etc

to increase/decrease four-fold, by one-half

to rise/fall by 20,00; by 6 percent (6%)

The rate of inflation has skyrocketed. The ratio of smokers to non-smokers was 3:2.

Twelve percent (or 12 percent) of the population is 55 or elder.

Only a small percentage of personal income should go toward housing.

The world population is increasing at a geometric rate.

The number of auto accidents has doubled. The number of computer companies has increased sevenfold.

By 1990, oceanic levels will rise by 2 percent.

Practice 17: Using Figures and Statistics

Complete the following essay by choosing the correct word from those given in parentheses and writing it in the blank. Refer to these two graphs for information.

The Hazards of Driving Small Cars

Small cars may be hazardous to your health, according to a recent study conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The number of Americans dying in automobile accidents is ___________( increasing, decreasing, gaining, reducing) again after ____________(rising, falling, declining, inclining) sharply in 1974, when the national 55 mile per hour speed limit was imposed. Safety authorities warn that as drivers increasingly shift from fuel-saving smaller, lighter cars, the rise in the death toll will accelerate _________ (geometrically, arithmetically).

In 1979, the last year for which full statistics are available, small cars were involved in 55 _________ (rate, ratio, percentage, percent) of all fatal crashes even though they constituted only 38 ________ (rate, ratio, percentage, percent) of the cars on the road, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Projecting from current trends, the agency and other safety officials ________ (estimate, guess, predict) that automobile traffic deaths will increase ________ (to, from, of, by) 30 percent by 1989, or ___________(to, from, of, by) about 27,000 a year ___________(to, from, of, by) about 35,000 a year , almost exclusively because of the inherent vulnerability of smaller cars.

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