慎用美式英语中一些含有否定意义的词汇 BecarefulofusingwordsthathaveanegativemeaninginAmericanEnglish.Theword“propaganda,”forexample,meanssomethinglike“government-controlledbrainwashing”intheUS.(Yourbestchoice
is to use the words “marketing” or“publicity” if you want to indicate that you
organized a campaign to raiseawareness of a certain problem.) Likewise, in the
US we do not use the words“cripple” and “retarded”; we use “handicapped” (or
even better, “disabled”) and“developmentally disabled” or “mentally challenged.”
We don’t call old people“old people”—we call them “elders” or “the elderly.” And
we prefer “businessperson” or “business professional” to “businessman.”
慎用美式英语中一些含有否定意义的词汇。例如,“propaganda”这个词在美国就有点“政府洗脑式”的宣传的意思了。(如果你想要表达你发起一项运动来提高人们对于某一问题的认识的话,最好选用“marketing”或是“publicity”。)同样的,在美国,我们也不会用“cripple”或者是“retarded”之类的词,取而代之的是“handicapped”(disabled更好)以及“developmentallydisabled”或“mentally
disabled”。我们在称呼老人时也不直接用“old people”,而是用“elders”或是“the
elderly”。我们也不经常用“businessman”,而是用“businessperson”或“business professional ”。
变换句子的长短
Vary the length of the sentences in your essay. If you have written several
longsentences in a row, insert a short sentence to give the reader a break.
Varietyin your sentences will make your essay easier to read (and thus
morememorable). It also demonstrates that you have a superior command of
theEnglish language. And don’t be afraid of including a one-sentence paragraph.
Aone-sentence paragraph (especially at the beginning or end of your essay)
willbe very dramatic and grab the reader’s attention.
变换句子的长短。如果你已经连续用了几个长句,那么插入一个短句能给读者一个停顿的时间。句式多样化能够使你的短文更容易懂,因而也更容易让人记住。这样的句式变换也证明你的英语语言掌握的比较好。同时不要害怕运用一句式段落。一句式段落,(尤其是在短文的开头结尾)会很出彩,也会吸引读者的注意力。
不要试图费力地运用一些特别长的句子或者特别大的词汇
If English is your second language,don’t try to make it hard on yourself by
writing really long sentences andusing large vocabulary words. (Don’t say
“internationalization”; just say“international.” Why use “metropolis” when you
can just use “city”?) Rememberthat the readers are not hoping to be impressed by
your vocabulary—they want tobe impressed by your story.
如果英语是你的第二语言,那么不要试图费力地运用一些特别长的句子或者特别大的词汇。(不要用“internationalization”,用“international”就好了。另外,如果你可以用“city”,为什么要用“metropolis”呢?)记住,读者并不希望被你的词汇打动,而是被你的故事所打动。
对自己研究过的项目进行详细说明
If you are applying to graduate school, your personal statement will need
toinclude detailed evidence of your research. For example, if you are applying
toa graduate program in biology, your PS should include specific deions of
experiencesyou have had, such as research projects, internships, work in
biologicallaboratories, and such. The other key elements for graduate study
applications arewhat you want to study, the field you are interested in, the
background youhave, why you have chosen this particular program, and your plans
aftergraduation.
如果你正在申请研究生院校,那么你的个人简历就需要包括你研究项目的一些详细的说明。例如,如果你正在申请生物专业的研究生项目,那么你的个人简历就需要对你的研究经历进行详细的描述,比如你的研究项目,实习经历,以及在生物实验这方面的工作等等。研究生学习申请的其他的一些关键因素还包括:你想要研究什么,你对哪一个领域感兴趣,你的个人背景,选择这一研究项目的原因以及毕业后的打算。
避免运用一些不恰当的理由
Avoid using inappropriate reasons for why a particular college is
attrACTive to you. (I have ACTually seen essays where the applicant described
how much he “loved” the University of Chicago and wanted to date her, and
another where the applicantwrote that NYU was attrACTive because she just loved
the color purple on theNYU website.) You must read the website carefully to
discover specificprograms, ACTivities, curricula, distinguished professors (and
the like) thatyou can point to and say, “THIS is why I want to go to University
X.”
在说明某所大学为何对你有吸引力时,避免运用一些不恰当的理由。(我曾经看过申请者在短文中描述自己是如何如何热爱芝加哥大学,并想要和它约会的,而另一个人则在短文中说纽约大学吸引她仅仅是因为她喜欢纽约大学网站上的紫色)。你必须仔细浏览学校官方网站,以便发现一些具体的项目、活动、课程,以及著名的教授,诸如此类的,然后你就可以在短文中指出这就是你想要去XX大学的原因。
不要只在短文中陈述学校多么好
Do not tell the school how good it is. “I want to attend the
prestigiousUniversity X because it is a top US college with an international
reputation,”just sounds insincere.
不要只在短文中陈述学校多么好。“我想要申请著名的XX大学,因为它是美国一所顶尖的大学,在国际上都享有盛誉。”这样说的话会显得不真诚。
吸引读者的眼球
Catch the reader’s attention in the first sentence of your essay by writing
somethingdramatic or humorous. In one excellent essay I read, the applicant
(hoping to majorin entomology), wrote this: “Ahhhh! There are bugs in the
shampoo!"Doesn't that make you want to read more? (He then went on to describe
how hismother had found one of his “science experiments” involving insects, and
howexperiences like this made him want to study entomology.)
在短文的开头写一些富有戏剧性的或者是幽默的东西,以吸引读者的眼球。我曾读过一篇优秀的短文,申请人想要修昆虫学专业,开头他是这样写的:“啊,洗发露里竟然有虫子!读完,难道你不会想要继续读下去吗?(接下来他又描述了他的母亲如何发现了他的一次昆虫“科学实验”,以及这些经历是怎样使他最终想要研究昆虫学的。)