Preserving the Environment
Directions: For this part, you are required to write a composition of about 120 words on the topic: Preserving the Environment. You should base your writing on the following outline (given in Chinese). You can write as many paragraphs as you wish, but you should not omit any part of the outline.
1．人类生存与环境有关；
2．目前环境污染日益严重（略述原因）；
3．保护环境是我们的重要任务。
【范文】
Preserving the Environment
Environment means the land, water, and atmosphere we live by①. Environment is the earth, the only planet and home for us human race②. No one will doubt that we can ever survive③ while the land, water and atmosphere are seriously polluted.
However, this is the situation we are facing today. Every day, every hour, the air, forests, soil, oceans and fish water are becoming dirtier and dirtier with increasing speed④ and are threatening our existence. There are mainly two causes of⑤ the environmental problems: the excessive use of natural resources and massive discharge of⑥ polluted waste in the course of production.
Preserving the environment is of crucial importance⑦ to mankind today. We must take immediate measures to⑧ fight against⑨ pollution. “Conquering the nature⑩ ” should never be our goal; instead, we should take nature as our closest friend. Preserving the environment is not only preserving our home but the civilization of human community as well11.
【注释】
①live by：靠…过去；以…为生
②human race：人类，相当于people in general
③survive：vi/t.:大难不死，幸免于难
④… with increasing speed …：介词with引导一个现在分词短语作状语，说明谓语动词行为方式
⑤excessive use of …：excessive意思是“过度的”；“极端的”，所以这个短语是说“对…过度使用”
⑥massive discharge of …：大规模地排放…
⑦be of crucial importance：系动词be和介词of连用，表明某事物具有什么性质或属性；crucial意为“决定性的”，“关系重大的”。所以这句话的意思是：保护环境对今天的人类来说是至关重要的。
⑧take immediate measures to：take measures意为“采取措施”，所以这个词组的意思是“采取紧急措施以…”
⑨fight against：与…作斗争
⑩conquering the nature：征服大自然
11as well：也，同样（是）
【点评】
本文是一篇带提示的提纲式命题作文。出题者要求答题者在规定的时间内，紧紧围绕提示，用英语论述自己对“保护环境”这一命题的看法。
文章的第一段，作者用解释法（explanation）从不同的两个角度定义“环境”这个词。我们注意到，这两种解释的本身就说明了人类与环境关系密切。定义之后，作者指出：如果环境污染严重，人类将无法生存。这样，提示一要表达的观点就比较清楚了。第二段第一句话中“however”一词承上启下，给人逻辑清晰，过渡自然的感觉；后半句作为本段的中心句，点明接下来将要论述的方向。作者从时、空两个大的方面概述环境污染现状，然后从“过渡开发自然资源”和“大规模排放污染物”两个方面说明导致这种现状的原因。作者之所以要从大的方面，选用较抽象的词论论述现状和原因，一是为了满足提示中“略述”的需要，二是受英语作文的篇幅限制。这对作者的综合语言表达能力要求较高。承接一、二段，作者在第三段论述了“保护环境”的重要性和紧迫性。
全篇文章逻辑清晰，语言表达自然流畅。用“However”一词作上段与下段的转折词，过渡自然，结构也显得严谨。
参考文献：英语作文高分必背丛书：大学英语四级写作/李华田主编，武汉大学出版社，2005
