常规模板早就用烂了？推荐一些高级小众句型为你的英语写作加加分！

There is much talk about lifelong learning, though few countries are doing much about it. 意思是“目前关于终身学习有很多讨论，但很少有国家对此有所行动”。其中talk是不可数名词，所以前面要用much修饰。第二句 The Nordics fall into this less populated camp. 意思是“北欧国家属于这一人数较少的阵营”，作者通过第一句的铺垫，在第二句中能够突出北欧国家的执行力。

对此我们可以总结出一个句式：There is much talk about…though few…are doing much about it…fall into this less populated camp. 例如：(1) There is much talk about poverty reduction around the globe, though few countries are doing much about it. China falls into this less populated camp, where more than 500 million people were lifted out of poverty in the past 30 years, a remarkable achievement in human history.(2) There is much talk about innovation among tech firm bosses, though few are doing much about it. Elon Musk falls into this less populated camp. By launching a series of programs such as Tesla electric cars and Space X rockets, he demonstrates how innovative thinking and bold risk-taking can thrive in today’s world.

发展类句型

在发展类话题中有时候需要对事物的趋势进行总结，这个时候我们可以使用下面这个句型：

The story of how London expanded so swiftly at the turn of the 20th century is one of financial ingenuity, bold risk-taking and low skulduggery.

句子中one of something是地道英文中一个很常见的用法，但很少见到国内学生使用。one在这里用于指代前面的story，即 The story of how London expanded so swiftly at the turn of the 20th century is a story of financial ingenuity… 使用one是为了避免用词重复。柯林斯词典中也有类似的例子：

Skulduggery是一个外刊中比较常见的词，含义是“欺骗行为，诡计”。

The story of…is one of… 也是一个可以用来总结事物趋势的句型，例如：(1) The story ofhow China achieved its economic miracle at the turn of the 21st centuryis one of financial ingenuity, bold risk-taking and low skulduggery.

(2) The story of how smartphones have penetrated every aspect of our life is one of technological innovation and market competition.

今昔对比

在科技和发展类题材中经常会涉及到对某一现象进行对比，例如互联网出现之前的生活与现在的生活的对比，过去的自然环境与现在的自然环境的对比，过去的家庭与现在的家庭的对比等等。对于这类内容，可以参考下面的一个句式：

Gone are the dark days where one had to stay in a lousy job just to get good health insurance. Novel employment arrangements are on the rise and here to stay, indicating a robust and flexible labour market that can do without the outdated and paternalistic employment model, rife with inefficiency and exploitation, in exchange for increased self-worth and opportunity.

Gone are the dark days where…是倒装句，还原后相当于 the dark days where…are gone，Gone are the days后面用where或者when都可以，但从语料库的统计来看用when会更为常见。段落中第二句长句写得很漂亮，几个从句句式变换多样，值得背诵学习。句子中出现的here to stay是一个短语，含义是“被普遍接受”：

从这段话中我们可以提取出的句式为：

Gone are the days when/where…are on the rise and here to stay… 例如：

Gone are the days when people had to write letters to their friends and wait for weeks for a reply. Instant messaging servicesare on the rise and here to stay,making it possible for us to communicate with others anytime, anywhere.

举例与结论

议论文写作经常需要举例子，并通过例子推导出结论。下面这一个句型可以用于做结论推导：

The story of Margaret Thatcher's fall from power sounds a long way from Tony Blair's brilliant career; but it does not take too great a leap of the imaginationto see how the same fate could overtake him with similarly disastrous consequences for Labour.

上面这段话的大意是：撒切尔夫人失势的故事对于布莱尔目前辉煌的政治生涯来说可能有些遥远，但我们并不难想象同样的命运会发生在他身上，对工党带来同样灾难性的后果。

其中 a leap of the imagination是一个固定表达，它的含义是“想象跳跃”：

it does not take a leap of the imagination to… 是一个常用句型，它的意思类似于it is not difficult to find… 该句型可以用于对上文提到的事实、假设、例子等进行推论，引出下文。例如：

(1) Driverless car technology is advancing at breakneck speed, and it does not take a leap of the imagination to see how it will change cities and public transportation systems.

(2) Considering the effects of global warming on polar ice caps over the past century,it does not take a leap of the imaginationto picture how the Arctic landscape will be like in the next few decades.

教育类句型模板

下面这个句子出自The Economist一篇关于科技与大学教育的文章：

University education is designed to act as a slipway, launching students into the wider world in the expectation that the currents will guide them into a job.

这个句子写得很形象，将大学教育比作船的下水滑道，学生可以经此进入广阔海洋，并由洋流引领他们到达职场。这个句子同时也是一个很好的教育类话题模板：

…is designed to act as a slipway, launching…into the wider world in the expectation that the currents will guide…into/towards etc…

比如关于家庭教育我们可以说：

Family education can act as a slipway, launching children into the wider world in the expectation that the currents will guide them towards independence and maturity.

总结：

这期一共介绍了五个句型：

(1) There is much talk about…though few…are doing much about it…fall into this less populated camp.

(2) The story of…is one of…

(3) Gone are the days when/where…are on the rise and here to stay…

(4) it does not take a leap of the imagination to…

(5) …is designed to act as a slipway, launching…into the wider world in the expectation that the currents will guide…into/towards etc…

感兴趣的同学可以对这些句型做造句练习，以进一步加深印象。

本文系授权发布， By 魏剑峰，From 英文悦读 ，微信号：read_the_economist，北美学霸君诚意推荐。