2018年托福写作考试话题讲解：环境学

>>托福考试专项练习：2018年托福写作考试话题讲解：环境学

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托福独立写作话题：

Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Because environmental issues are too complicated, individuals can do nothing to solve them.

参考范文：

Our current environmental problems grow ever more serious. Sometimes they seem so serious and confusing that it seems an individual could never do anything to help fi x the problems. Personally speaking, I believe that individuals can make a difference. There are at least two areas where the efforts of ordinary individuals can be meaningful in solving environmental issues.

Firstly, individuals can protect environment by changing their ways of waste disposal. If every person would classify his or her garbage before throwing it away, much of it could be recycled and pollution could be reduced. Just take beverage cans as one example. Recent surveys suggest that over 7,000 tons of waste beverage cans go un-recycled each year in America alone. The cost of finding these cans after they have been thrown away, reclassifying them as recyclable and then sending them to be recycled is far higher than simply making new ones. However, if individuals would sort their cans before they discard them, and then discard them into the proper containers, the expense of recycling would decline greatly and there would be reduction in absolute pollution caused by the beverage cans. This is just one area where an individual can make a difference.

Secondly, environmental problems will be somewhat revolved once individuals in society consume less energy. It is because the requirement of natural resources used to produce energy will reduce and as a result, the environmental damage human inflicts will also decline. As an academic survey indicates, if every family in American could reduce their electricity use by 5% a year,1.65 billion units would be saved. It means that the generator motived by coals in the whole country can take a break for more than a month. In fact, not only can it make human’s requirement of natural resources less, but also it can alleviate the air pollution caused by burning coals. Consequently, for winning the battle of protecting environment, individuals’ endeavor, undoubtedly, is a great strength that should not be ignored.

Admittedly, most people do not have the specialized knowledge and skills to tackle many issues related to the environment. Besides, they do not have the influence to change entire systems. Nevertheless, the claim that individuals can do nothing to solve these issues is an obvious overstatement. In fact, the power that individual can exert is much more than we can expect.

In conclusion, I disagree with the idea that individuals can do nothing in solving environmental problems since the issues are too complicated.

参考译文：

当前我们面临的环境问题已经越来越严峻了。有时这些问题看起来格外严重，令人不知所措，以至于人们觉得个人在解决环境问题方面已经无能为力了。然而在我看来，即使是个人也可以尽自己的一份努力，来改变这一现状。至少在下面两个方面，普通人也能为之做出有意义的贡献。

首先，人们可以通过改变垃圾丢弃的方式，来保护环境。如果每个人都能在丢掉垃圾之前将其分类，那么这些垃圾中的一大部分就可以被回收，进而减少污染。以饮料罐为例。最近一项调查显示，仅在美国，每年就有超过 7000 吨废饮料罐未能得到回收。如果人们要找回这些已丢弃的饮料罐，并将其重新分类、回收利用，其成本要比制造新罐子高得多。然而，如果人们可以事先分拣出这些废罐子，并将它们扔到相应的垃圾箱里，回收的费用则将大大下降，而由饮料罐引起的污染也会有所减少。以上这不过是个人能够为环保做出贡献的诸多领域之一。

其次，如果每个人能够降低自己对能源的消耗，那么环境问题也将在一定程度上得到解决。这是由于人们不再需要消耗大量的自然资源来制造能源。自然资源消耗的下降及工业生产的缩减，会降低人类对环境造成的损害。一份学术调查表明，如果所有的美国家庭每年能减少 5% 的用电量，那么便可节省 16.5 亿度电，而这意味着全国以燃煤为动力的发电机可以少工作一月有余。事实上， 那不仅能减少人们对自然资源的消耗，同时也能够减轻因烧煤而引起的空气污染。因此，要赢得环保战斗的胜利，个人的努力，毫无疑问，是一个不应被忽视的强大力量。

诚然，大多数人不具备解决诸多环境问题的专业知识和技能。此外，他们也没有足够的影响力以改变整个体系。但即使这样，声称个人在解决这些问题上完全无能为力显然言过其实了。事实上，个人能够发挥出的力量是远远超过我们预期的。

综上所述，我不认同“环境问题太过复杂，因此个人在解决这些问题上无能为力”这个说法。

范文解析：

这篇范文共五段。首段依然是引子、点题、观点、铺垫四个要素。对于本题的话题，即个人是否在应对复杂的环境问题面前无能为力，作者持的是一种否定态度，并在其后的两个正论段中，从垃圾处理和能源节约方面进行了论证。另外，作者在论述以上两段时，也分别给出了具体的数据，作为细节加以佐证。在让步段中，作者使用了“让步句 +让步论证 +转折句 +转折论证”的四句话论证法。值得注意的是，这一次的让步论证中，作者给出了与让步句论点平行的另一观点，来对其做出补充说明。总体上说，整篇文章长度适中，且语言亮点较多，难度适中，非常适合考生模仿研习。

加分单词和词组

disposal [dɪˈspəʊz(ə)l] n. ( 事情的 ) 处置;

( 废物的 ) 清理、处理sort [sɔː(r)t] vt. 将……分类;

挑选出某物discard [dɪsˈkɑː(r)d] vt. 抛弃;

丢弃generator [ˈdʒenəˌreɪtə(r) ] n. 发电机;

生产者tackle [ˈtæk(ə)l] vt. 处理;

与……交涉make a difference：有影响;起作用

for winning the battle of：为了获取……斗争的胜利

经典句型

I disagree with the idea that ...：我不同意……的观点sth. is much more than we can expect：某事(物)大大超出了我们的预期in fact, not only can it make human’s requirement of natural resources less, but also it can alleviate the air pollution caused by burning coals: 事实上，那不仅能减少人们对自然资源的消耗， 同时也能够减轻因燃煤而引起的空气污染注：本句 not only 的分句中使用了倒装结构，对句子加以强调，情态动词 can 提到了形式主语it的前面。需要注意的是后一个分句，即 but also引导的分句不倒装，can 仍然在主语 it 之后。此外，本句还使用了后置定语结构 caused by burningcoals，对宾语 air pollution 进行修饰。

相信看完今天的专题分享，大家对此类文章也有了属于自己的应对小技巧了吧~写好一篇文章是整场考试的“制胜法宝”，还在写作中迷失的小伙伴们可以来坦途网托福考试频道，这里有多种写作主题讲解等你来了解！