托福独立口语任务人物类话题之家人朋友

朗阁海外考试研究中心

我们通常把托福的独立口语任务分为四类：人物类、地点类、物品类和事件类，如果考生们想要在独立任务这一项取得good的成绩，就需要对每一类的话题进行练习和总结，分析其规律，归纳解题思路，以应对无论新旧的各种题目。

朗阁海外考试研究中心的分析认为，在独立任务人物类话题当中，我们可以根据描述人物的类型进行大致的分类，每类人物都具备不同的character, 所以我们的描述方式和答题思路也会有所不同。

一、家人

在托福口语人物类话题当中，经常会出现这样的题目：

In your opinion, what are some of the qualities of a good parent? Use reasons and specific examples to explain why these characteristics are important.

题目要求描述一个好家长应该具备的品质，通过brainstorming, 我们可以想到以下形容词：

amiable                  和蔼可亲的

well-educated   受过良好教育的

considerate      体贴的

reasonable        讲道理的

selfless            无私的

diligent            勤劳的

patient            耐心的

encouraging     鼓励的

想到这些词我们已经有了一个良好的开头，下面就是选择两个或三个你认为比较重要，关键是比较好找到细节支持的品质来进行接下来的回答。根据“TST”结构，我们的topic sentence可以这样回答：

In my opinion, encouragement and diligence are two important characteristics a good parent should have.

接下来只需要找出支持这两点品质的supporting details, 并且在回答的过程中注意transitional words的添加，我们的任务就完成了。而找到合适有力的supporting details 却不是一个容易的过程。接下来给大家一个sample:

First of all, encouragement can do a really useful part in children’s development. For example, when a child is afraid of going to the stage to perform, a good parent will encourage him to get over the fear and give him a warm hug. The child can get enough courage from this. Also, a good parent should be diligent. You know, raising a child isn’t an easy job. So parents should be hard-working to do all the housework and clean up all the chaos created by their babies. Helping their children to form a good personality also costs them a lot of energy.

这样的准备过程同样适用于以下话题：

• Describe a person that you admire. Explain why you admire this person. Include details and examples to support your response.
• Describe an elder person that you respect. This person could be one of your grandparents or neighbors. Explain why you admire this person, and how this person influenced you.
• Describe the person to whom you would like to turn for advice when you are in trouble. And explain why you would like to turn to this person for advice?

以上话题当中，描述一个令你钦佩的人，你尊敬的一位老人以及当你有困难你会求助的人都可以是你的父母，具备以上关于一个好家长应该具备的品质。而具体哪些品质需要大家灵活地变通一下了。

二、朋友

• In your opinion, what are some important characteristics of a good friend? Use reasons and specific examples to explain why these characteristics are important.
• Which do you think is the most important quality of a strong friendship: loyalty, honesty or sense of humor? Explain why? Please include details and examples in your response.
• Describe a special friend in your childhood, why he or she is special to you? Include reasons and details to support your response.

以上的这几个话题要求考生们对朋友所具备的品质和特性有所掌握，当然第二个题目也给出了一些提示：loyal、honest、humorous, 都是描述朋友常用的形容词。除了这些，通过brainstorming我们还可以想到：

supportive        支持的

kind-hearted    热心的

reliable            可靠的

sociable            善交际的

creative                  有想象力的

candid              直率的

caring               关心人的

generous          慷慨的

sympathetic     有同情心的

thoughtful        体贴的

因此，我们的topic sentence可以说For me, a good friend should be supportive and humorous. 或者For me, a true friend ought to be thoughtful and generous. 当然，supportive和humorous可以替换成任何描述朋友的形容词。

对于个主题句，接下来的supporting details可以这样来发挥：First, friends always have many things in common, in other words, they like to do the same things or have similar characters. So, it is no surprise that good friends always support you when you have to make choices. Even though having different ideas, a good friend can understand you and support your choice. Also, a humorous friend can always brighten you up. If you feel down or upset, it’s lucky to have a friend who can tell jokes for you or take you to do some funny things.

对于第二个主题句，可以用以下的话来支持它：First of all, a thoughtful and considerate friend can make you feel safe and comfortable. When you get sick or get hurt when playing sports, you will forget about the pain and suffering with the caring from your friends. A thoughtful friend also will consider your feeling and well-being when he does or says something in front of someone else. Secondly, a good friend can be very generous when you are in trouble or in need. We can see that many successful people got a lot of help materialistically and spiritually from their friend. Thus, a generous friend may be the key when you are heading for your success.

同样，这些关于朋友的特质和细节也可以适用到其他可能跟朋友有关的话题，例如：

• Describe a person who had a positive impact on you. Explain how this person influenced your life. Give specific reasons and details to support your explanation.
• Describe a person whom you would like to spend time with. Explain why you would like to spend time with this person. Include reasons and details to support your response.
• Describe a person whom you would like to talk with often (this person could be one of your close friends, family members or teachers). Explain why you’d like to talk with this person and what you talk about?

描述一个对你产生积极影响的人，一个你喜欢与之共度时间的人，以及一个你愿意与之说话的人，都可以用以上的思路和语言来表达。

朗阁海外考试研究中心的经过研究发现，家人和朋友是在托福独立口语人物当中出现频率比较高的话题，所以掌握好这两类话题的答题思路和相关表达方式能帮助考生们有把握地应对各种考题。