加拿大留学语言考试雅思口语如何杜绝“口吃结巴”
加拿大留学语言考试雅思口语如何杜绝“口吃结巴”
加拿大留学众所周知，雅思口语考试有四项评分标准：fluency&coherence（流利度和连贯性）、pronunciation（发音）、lexical resource（词汇资源）、grammatical range&accuracy（语法多样性和精确性），Eric一直强调fluency&coherence是最最重要的评分标准，原因很简单：如果你不能一直持续的说下去，你根本没有机会来表现其它三条评分标准。
当然，fluency&coherence远远不止”一直持续的说下去“这么简单，它还涉及到很多其他方面的因素，从本期开始，Eric选用（不限于）考官的文章，来和大家探讨fluency&coherence的本质、以及如何提升fluency&coherence。
本篇文章选自英国考官Dan Berns的著作IELTS Killer；本期文章，我们继续分享Dan Berns关于提升流利度和连贯性的第三点建议——问自己以下问题：
Did I speak clearly and smoothly?
我的表述是否清晰流畅?
One thing that examiners do constantly is count.They are mostly counting the time,but another important thing to realise is that they are counting your words too.This is what examiners call Length of Turns(LOT).Students who have long LOT will score high,but students with short LOT will score low.Take a look at the examples below:加拿大雅思
雅思听力考官经常做的一件事就是计数。大多数时候他们会对考生的表述进行计时,同时他们还会留心考生每个断句的词数,这又叫作“Length of Turns(LOT)"。考生的LOT越长,越有可能得高分。相反,考生的LOT越短,得分越低。我们来看看下面这个例子：
Low：A city that..I really like...is Suzhou in..the South of China..it has lots...of canals.
Medium：A city that I really like.is Suzhou in the South of China...It has lots canals.
High：A city that I really like is Suzhou in the South of China.It has lots of canals.
You can see that all three examples are exactly the same in terms of their content,but when it comes to their LOT,they are wildly different.The low score example has LOT 3/4.This means that the candidate is speaking in chunks of 3/4 words each time.The longest turn is"the South of China".This LOT is too low to score even an IELTS 5.
大家可以看到这三个例子的内容是一模一样的,但是LOT却完全不同。其中低分答案的LOT是3/4,这表明考生每次断句时说出的词数为3个或4个,其中最长的词群是“the South of China”。这个答案的LOT太低,想拿到雅思口语5分都很难。
The medium score example is a little stronger,and it has LOT 5/6,which means that the candidate is speaking in chunks of 5/6 words each time,where the longest turn is".is Suzhou in the South of China".This length of turn would probably carry you to an IELTS 6 at most.
中等分数的答案略强一点儿,它的LOT为5/6,也就是说该考生每次断句时说出的词数为5个或6个。其中最长的词群为"is Suzhou in the South of China"。这个LOT值可能让考生的雅思口语分数最高达到6分。
To really breakthrough to the high scores though,you need to be able to push your LOT much higher like in the last example where the length of turn is LOT.18.In order to be able to achieve this,you just have to take a breath and spit out the words without pausing between chunks.
要在雅思口语中拿高分,我们要让自己的LOT尽可能高,就像最后个例子一样,LOT达到了18要达到这个目标,你需要深吸一口气,然后没有停顿地说完一个句群。
Another thing that examiners are listening for is whether you will be able to sustain the length of your turn or whether your turns are going to dry up.Lots of students are really strong in Part 1,but then completely dry up in Part 2.Students always say to me:"I can't talk for two minutes!"To be brutally honest,if you cannot talk for two minutes,don’t bother showing up for the speaking exam.
考生能否将很高的LOT值一直保持下去,这也是考官非常看重的方面。很多考生在Part1表现得非常好,在Part2就一落千丈了。总是有学生对我说:“我说不了2分钟！”对于这样的学生,我会很直白地说如果你无法连续地说2分钟,就不用去尝试雅思口语了。
Lots of students start strong in Part 2,but then for whatever reason,maybe they get nervous,or maybe they just run out of things to say,they stop after one minute.Every examiner hates it when this happens.If you only talk for one minute,it doesn't matter if what you say is pure gold,your score is going to fall off a cliff-your IELTS scored just killed itself.Just by talking for two minutes,even if what you are saying isn't great,just by getting to the end you are supporting your score.
很多学生在刚开始Part2时状态不错,但接下来不知什么原因突然变得紧张,又或者实在想不到可说的内容了,导致余下一分钟的空白期。这是每个考官都极其厌恶的现象。如果考生只说了一分钟,那么无论这一分钟里他/她说得如何天花乱坠,得分也只会因为后来的长时间停顿而一落千丈。如果你能持续平稳地说满两分钟,即使内容语言不太出色,只要你说到了最后,得分就不会太低。
One of the most common ways that candidates end their speaking turns is with the phrase"That's it!"or"That's all!"If this phrase is at the end of a particularly short turn,it is like burying your IELTS score,and then sticking a tomb stone in the ground.Your IELTS score is going to be worm food if you answer like this.It doesn't matter if you think the question if stupid,or if you don't have an opinion,each and every answer you give should be fully extended and never stop talking until the examiner moves on.
许多考生喜欢在说完后用“That's it!”或者“That's all”来做结语。如果你本身就没说几句话,还用“That's it!”或者“That's all”来结尾,你就等同于葬送了你的雅思口语,而且还没忘立上雅思口语之墓的墓碑。考官听到你的答案也会觉得如鲠在喉。不论你是觉得这个问题愚蠢,亦或你对这个问题没有什么特别的观点,都应该尽可能地去延伸你的答案,保持一直在说的状态,直到考官喊停。
This is what is called"willingness to talk".If the student is unwillingly to talk,this seriously reduces their chance to get a high score on fluency,and probably all the other scores,too.Take this example of a candidate from Afghanistan,who was actually very bright,but not very talkative：
加拿大留学语言考试雅思口语如何杜绝“口吃结巴”
这就叫作雅思口语的“意愿性”。如果考生表现出不情愿,那他/她的FC得高分的可能性就不大了,也许其他维度的得分也不会太高了。下面我们来看看一名阿富汗考生的答案,这个考生事实上很阳光,但他却对回答考官提问很抵触：
“Do you come from a town or a city?”
“Why?”
“Do you come from a town or a city?”
“I no answer this question.”
This example is a British policewoman who wanted to go to Australia and had to take the test.（Yes,British people have to take the test sometimes!）
下面这个例子是一名想移民去澳大利亚的英国女警在口语考试中的回答。(是的,即使是英国人有些时候也必须要考雅思！)
“Who do you think watches TV more,young people or old people?”学在加拿大
“What kind of stupid question is that?”
You see,it is even possible for a native speaker to score low in the test.This policewoman scored a 6,and I bet the examiner was smiling ear to ear to give her a six.The point is,you have to be willing to just pour all of the language that you have in your head.Even if the grammar and vocabulary isn’t great,you will still be able to score well on fluency.
你们看,即使是英语母语者同样可能在雅思口语中得低分。这名英国女警的得分是6分。我估计考官在给她6分时肯定心里暗暗笑爆了。所以关键在于你要有把自己脑袋里所有的话都一股脑讲给考官听的意识。即使你的语法和用词不一定精确，但你的FC得分会很高。
Getting back to ending our turns,the first thing to remember is that you must never have silence in the examination.If you are quiet and the examiner is staring at you,or motioning you to continue,then you will certainly score a low score.Just keep talking non-stop.One of the areas that candidates have difficulty with here is how to end their turns Basically,if you end a turn with the phrase"that's it!"it's like dropping off the edge of a cliff.Never end with silence.
回到结束答题话语这个话题上来,你们首先要记住的是考试过程中不能冷场。如果你停下来了,一片寂静,考官跟你大眼瞪小眼,或者示意你继续,那你就很难得高分了,所以要保持不停地说的状态。许多考生不知道该如何结束自己的答题话语,要注意的是千万不要以"that's it!”作结,它会让你的得分直线下滑。同样,也不要以一片寂静作结。
A good strategy for this is to have a summary at the end of whatever you say.You can do this by giving an opinion at the end of your turn.Lets take a look at a part one answer：
最好的结语就是在答完后进行个总结。在答完之后,你可以将你的回答升华一下,发表一个总结性意见。下面我们来看一个Part1的答案:
What do you usually do at the weekend?
Generally speaking,at the weekend I don't have a lot of free time.This is because work Monday to Friday,so I have to do all my chores and errands at the weekend.That means that I am always cleaning my apartment,doing my paperwork for the week,and also running to the bank to make sure all the bills are paid.If I am lucky,maybe I have time to play with my son for a few hours.
This is already a strong answer to the question,especially in terms of grammar,but right now it is a little bit boring.What it needs is an opinion,and the best place for your opinion is at the end in the form a summary.Check out how the summary makes the answer much stronger:
这个答案已经非常给力了,尤其在语法方面,但给人ー种戛然而止的感觉。这个答案需要一个总结性评论,而这个评论最合适的位置就是在答案的末尾。下面看看在末尾加上ー个评论是如何使整个答案瞬间提升一个档次的：
Generally speaking,at the weekend I don't have a lot of free time.This is because l work Monday to Friday,so I have to do all my chores and errands at the weekend,that means that I am always cleaning my apartment,doing my paperwork for the week,and also running to the bank to make sure all the bills are paid.If l am lucky,maybe I have time to play with my son for a few hours.I guess that a lot of families live like this.It doesn't mean that they like living like this,but society is competitive these days you just have to work all the time to survive.
By adding this simple summary containing an opinion at the end of the turn,the examiner will probably push the answer from a high six to a high seven.That is because in the IELTS exam,the ability to give information is not as important as having an opinion.If you do not have any feelings or opinions about the questions,then you will never score high in the test.Opinions are EVERYTHING.
在结尾处加上一个包含观点的简洁的评论,很可能会让考官把你的分数从6分升到7分。因为在雅思口语考试中,发表评论的能力比给出信息的能力更加重要。如果你对这个问题发表不出任何看法或没有任何情绪,那么是不可能得高分的。个人观点就是一切。
Just as you should never finish your turn with the killer words"That's it",there are also some other phrases which show a complete lack of imagination.Let's take a look at some of the most common ones:
正如“That's it!”这个高分终结者一样,还有一些其他短语也会显得你缺乏想象力。我们一起来看看这些常见的“失分短语”吧:
Do you often visit museums?
No,museums are boring
Would you like to work in a museum?
No,working in a museum is a boring job.
Would you like to be a teacher?
No,be a teacher is a boring job
There is only one boring thing about these answers and that is the candidate.Unfortunately,ninety percent of candidates who come through the door answer the questions in this way.Check out these answers that make the examiner just want to shoot you:
如果考生总回答无聊,那么真正无聊的可能就是这位考生了。不幸的是,90%的考生都给出过类似的回答。看看下面这些让考官忍不住要向你咆哮的答案吧：
Do you like writing letters?
No,writing letters is a waste of time.
Would you prefer to receive a telephone call or a letter？
I prefer phone call,because it is more convenient.
These answers could easily come from the boring museum candidate.The point is that giving short unimaginative answers like these is the kiss of death for your FC score.Even if you have to lie or stretch the truth,it is important to unpack the ideas in the questions as much as you can.Take these great answers for example：
这些答案可能从那些张口闭口就是无聊的考生中脱口而出吧。这种又短又缺乏想象力的答案就是死亡之吻。即使为了让自己有话可说而不得不瞎编,你也得尽可能地把问题展开来回答。看看下面这些高分答案吧：
Do you often visit museums?
I don't really like visiting real museums because in China most of the exhibits are behind glass,and looking at pieces of old jade and ancient vases is not exactly my idea of a good time.I am a big fan of online museums though.You can go to The British Museum online and see all their exhibits in detail.You can zoom in,rotate and examine the objects.It's an amazing virtual experience.
Would you like to work in a museum?
I wouldn't want to work in a museum in China,but I would love to work in The Louvre in Paris.that is where visitors can see The Mona Lisa by Da Vinci.The Louvre is huge and they say that even if you went there every day for a year,you still couldn't see everything.If I was a curator there,I could possibly see some of their secret exhibits and treasures that rarely see the light of day.
Would you like to be a teacher?
Being a teacher is a very popular choice of profession in China.Mostly it is because the work is considered relatively stable,the pay is not bad,but most importantly there are very long summer vacations.It is not a particularly challenging job,which is why I think it might be dull for me,besides,my father has a low opinion of teachers.He always says:those who can do,those who can't teach.
This candidate has stretches his score to around an 8 just by forgetting about China and what is traditionally meant by a museum and what working in a museum would involve.This kind of imagination keeps the answer flowing and improves both fluency and coherence.
这名考生通过不让“中国”以及传统的“博物馆”的概念来束缚自己,尽情发挥自己的想象力,从而使得分拔高到了8分。想象力会让你的答案流畅自然、信息量丰富,从而提高流畅度与连贯性。
Vocabulary and Phrases
Exhibits are behind glass The Mona Lisa by Da Vinci
Old jade and ancient vases Curator
Not my idea of a good time Rarely see the light of day
See the exhibits in detail Popular choice of profession
Zoom in Relatively stable
Rotate Have a low opinion of teachers
Virtual experience Those who can do.those who can't teach.
The Louvre
Something that is severely lacking in the answers from Chinese candidates is imagination and creativity.These are two elements that examiners love and will reward you for.Take this question for example：
中国考生的答案中最缺乏的两个元素就是想象力和创造力。如果恰好你拥有这两项考官最爱的能力,那么你会获得回报的。以下面这个问题为例：
Can you think of any times when it's necessary to wait for others?
A time that people have to wait is before the exam.Everyone is nervous and we want to finish the exam quickly.
When it comes to run-of-the-mill answers.that's about as dull as it gets.If you see the examiner stifle a yawn,you know you're boring.It doesn't have to be that way though.With a little imagination you can really add life to your answers.Try this response：
这个答案简直平淡的不能再平淡了。如果考官打哈欠了,你就该反思自己有多无趣了。实际上情况不该这么糟糕,稍微运用一点儿想象力,就可以给你的答案带来无限生机了。
试试这个回答：
A time when people have to wait is when they are getting married.The bridegroom for the bride to arrive.Everyone is waiting has to stand in the church waiting wondering if she has cold feet,but then when she walks up the aisle with her father in her beautiful white wedding dress,everyone breathes a sigh of relief.
This is an extremely imaginative and descriptive answer.It doesn't only answer the question.It goes one step further and creates a situation in the examiner's mind.This is a skill that will earn you very high marks.It also has some cracking vocabulary：
这是一个特别富有想象力的、栩栩如生的答案。这个答案不仅限于回答考官的问题,还在此基础上进行了拔高,在考官的头脑中形成了一幅生动的画面。这是一个会让你获得高分的技巧。同时这个答案中还出现了一些极好的词汇：
Bridegroom Bride Church
Get cold feet Aisle Wedding dress
Breathe a sigh of relief
Here's another example of how candidates can kill an examiner with sheer boredom：
下面是另一个考生如何用自己的无趣作答将考官打败的例子：
What kind of good habits do you think children need to learn?
I think that children need to learn good study habits and to do their homework every night.They should also learn to listen to their parents.
This is a very limited and extremely boring answer.What it needs is some solid examples that will build images in the examiner's head.Take this super example:
这是一个非常局限且极其无趣的答案。考官脑海中形成不了任何动人的画面,这个答案需要一些实例。看看下面这个极好的答案：
Young children are naturally quite dirty,so they need to learn habits about how to stay clean like washing their face and brushing their teeth every day.They should also avoid picking their nose,cover their mouth when they sneeze,and learn to chew with their mouth closed.These are just good manners really.
This answer is not at all vague.It gives solid examples which will surprise the examiner.Chinese candidates often give very vague answers which infuriate examiners.Be specific and imaginative to push your grade higher.
这个答案一点儿也不空洞,它所给出的实例会让考官印象深刻。考官经常因为中国考生的答案无趣和空洞而被激怒。所以要想提分,就尽可能地给出具体而富有想象力的答案吧。
