由于说明文往往是对客观事物或事理的一种介绍与解释,而这种客观的介绍与解释一般是不随时间和空间变化而改变的,比如:说明早锻炼的好处,介绍猫的`胡子的功能,解释臭氧层对人类生活的影响等等,是不受时间和空间影响的。因此,尽管有时为了特殊表达的要求,会在个别地方采用其他时态,英语说明文的基本时态还是一般现在时。下面这篇由香港学生写的充分反映了说明文的这一特点。
The Way to Achieve Success
Many successful people say that they owe much of their success to the cultivation (培养) of certain good habits in early life. In forming good habits, I think we should pay attention to four things, that is, honesty, industry (勤勉), enthusiasm (热情), and thrift (节俭)。
“Honesty is the best policy”。 This is a proverb to which we must pay attention. There are so many temptations (诱惑) in society that through a little carelessness we may go astray (走入歧途)。 But when we are honest, people will not be dishonest to us.
Industry gives every man and woman, every boy and girl, proper work to do. To do nothing is to ruin oneself.
Enthusiasm is a great force. One's soul will expand if one devotes (贡献) oneself to a noble cause. The difficulties in our way are tremendous (巨大的), but what can we not accomplish (取得), if with enthusiasm?
There are many proverbs which set forth (陈述) the advantages (好处) of thrift. Since we live in a world where money is a very powerful thing, we should always try to save part of our earnings for future use.
These are the four things to which we must pay attention. It is only in this way that we can achieve success.
晚上,我正在看电视。忽然停电了,屋里一片漆黑。我们什么也看不到,妈妈用手机照亮,在柜子的角落里找到一支蜡烛,我们如获至宝,立刻用打火机点亮。
蜡烛是个细圆柱,中间有根引线点亮过后,它就给我们带来了光明。在带来光明的同时,高温包围着它,让它化作一滴滴蜡油流了下来,仿佛是它幸福的眼泪。一分一秒过去了,它渐渐缩短了,眼看自己的生命就要结束,但为了给人们照亮,它还是依然挺立着,燃烧着…
看着它一点点燃烧,我深深的感动了。它燃烧了自己,却为人们带来了光亮。它虽然外形普通,却很有用。此时此刻,在我的眼里,它不再是一根平凡的蜡烛,而是一个伟大的人,此时,这小小的蜡烛在我心中变得高大起来。它不为名利,从没替自己想过,而是默默地让自己的火光照亮黑暗。把自己的生命全部献给了人类。这是蜡烛何等高尚。
看到了蜡烛我想到了为新中国奋不顾身的董存瑞。舍己为人的黄继光。为了病人的叶欣…。更让我想起精心栽培我的老师,他们给了我们温暖,是他们无私无悔的付出让我们获得了知识。还有辛勤的园丁,是他们培育出漂亮的花草,让我们的生活更加美丽…。
从蜡烛的身上,让(我到了生命虽然短暂,但是我们可以让有限的生命体现出无限的价值,让自己活得更加光彩有力!
苦瓜又称做凉瓜,苦瓜喜暖,称耐热不耐寒,喜光而不耐阴,喜湿而不耐渍,苦瓜营养丰富,肉质爽脆,苦瓜带甘,促进饮食,消炎退热,清心.明目.防癌抗癌,防止恶性肿瘤生长,能降血糖是,糖尿人的理想食品,苦瓜里含有一种葫芦素的物质,所以很苦。
苦瓜的种植时间是春天,每年的春天爷爷总是在自己的大院里种了很多苦瓜,首先是开始播种,把种子撒在地里,然后用塑料,薄膜盖上去,十几天左右,苦瓜长出了一个个小芽,又过五天左右叶子长到了四五天这时可以移植了,爷爷一棵棵苦瓜苗移到了院子的四周搭起了苦瓜架子,过了几天苦瓜的叶茎都顺着架子往上爬,过了十几二十几天,小小的苦瓜长出来了,因为苦瓜的抵抗力很强,所以果子很美丽,很健康,又过了一阵子院子里的苦瓜的叶子郁郁苍苍,你看那叶铺得那么均匀,没有重叠起来,也不留一点空隙,一阵风拂过一墙的叶子都漾起波文好看得很。一个个苦瓜悬挂在架子上看了真想流口水。
啊!许多人都喜爱,苦瓜是夏季和秋季的主要的疏菜
由于在很多情况下,说明文是对客观存在的说明与介绍,因此语言的表述也应该尽可能地给人以客观可信的感觉,比如:
(1)I think that getting up late is not always a bad thing.
(2)It is said that getting up late is not always a bad thing.
相比之下,例(2)的语言要比例(1)的语言客观一些,容易让人接受一些。如果再作一些表述上的改动:
(3)Getting up late is not always a bad thing, according to Franklin Smith, a well-known psychologist in Stanford University.
引进著名人士作为信息的来源,可以使想要说明的内容更具有说服力。如果我们将例(3)中的always再改为necessarily,就可使整个句子更客观、委婉,便于为读者接受:
(4)Getting up late is not necessarily a bad thing, according to Franklin Smith, a well-known psychologist in Stanford University.
在英语中,采用被动语态,引进权威的信息来源以及选用委婉的词语是使说明文避免主观色彩,增加客观性,从而为读者接受的重要语言手段
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