读《金融时报》学英文写作:段落结构——过渡段与总结段:让文章”连”起来、“收”得住
你的文章为什么”一段一段”?
批改高中作文时,我常看到这样的结构:第一段讲观点,第二段讲理由,第三段又讲另一个理由,结尾来一句 “All in all, I think it is good.”
问题在哪?段落之间没有过渡,读者感觉像在看三篇独立的小作文;结尾没有总结,只是把开头又念了一遍。
今天的《金融时报》素材很特别——它讲的是美国共和党内部的一场权力斗争(2021年5月),但我们可以从中学到新闻写作中最实用的段落衔接技术:时间过渡、转折过渡、结论收束。
FT原文
The Republican challenging Liz Cheney for a leadership role in the party on Thursday repeated Donald Trump’s false claims that the 2020 election remains in doubt, in a sign of how loyalty to the former president has become the litmus test for advancement within the caucus.
Trump on Wednesday endorsed Stefanik for the role… Stefanik on Thursday appeared on a podcast hosted by Steve Bannon, Trump’s former adviser, and said she was “fully” supportive of Republican efforts to audit election results in Arizona…
Cheney’s disappearing clout underscores Trump’s persistent influence in the Republican party six months after his election loss to Joe Biden.
周四,在党内挑战利兹•切尼领导地位的共和党人重申了特朗普关于2020年大选结果仍存疑的不实说法,这表明对前总统的忠诚已成为在党团会议内晋升的试金石。
特朗普周三为斯特凡尼克竞选该职位背书……斯特凡尼克周四出现在特朗普前顾问史蒂夫•班农主持的播客节目中,并表示她”完全”支持共和党对亚利桑那州选举结果进行审计的努力……
切尼影响力的消失凸显了特朗普在共和党内的持久影响力,此时距他在大选中输给乔•拜登已经过去六个月。
三种过渡手法
手法一:时间锚点过渡(On Wednesday… On Thursday…)
新闻写作最爱用时间词开头来衔接段落:事件按时间推进,读者自然知道”接下来发生了什么”。
结构公式: On + 星期/日期,+ 主语 + 动作。
❌ 学生初版
Trump supported her. She appeared on a podcast. She said many things.
✅ 升级版
Trump endorsed Stefanik for the role on Wednesday. The next day, Stefanik appeared on a podcast and repeated her support for the election audit.
💡 效果 时间锚点让两个动作有了先后关系,读者不需要猜。写记叙文、写”事件发展”型议论文时,用 On Monday / Later that week / Days later 这类短语,文章立刻有推进感。
手法二:意义式过渡(in a sign of how…)
这是新闻写作的”高级衔接”——不止连接两个段落,还点明前文的意义:
结构公式: 陈述事件 + in a sign of how + 这件事说明什么。
❌ 学生初版
She repeated the false claims. This shows Trump still has influence.
✅ 升级版
She repeated the false claims on national television, in a sign of how loyalty to the former president has become the price of advancement within the party.
💡 效果
in a sign of how 一个短语就把”现象”和”本质”缝合了。雅思大作文里,写完例子后接 in a sign of how + 深层原因,论证立刻有层次,不再是”例子完就结束”。
手法三:转折过渡(用 “But” 或对比事件切换视角)
❌ 学生初版
Cheney was powerful. She lost her influence. I think that is interesting.
✅ 升级版
Cheney once stood at the centre of Republican power. But her disappearing clout now underscores Trump’s persistent influence in the party.
💡 效果
用 But + 人物地位对比(once stood at the centre… now underscores…)完成段落切换,比 “I think” 有力得多。对比式过渡是议论文段落衔接的王牌。
两种总结段收法
收法一:升华式收束(underscore / highlight)
新闻写作的结尾不重复开头,而是用新词汇概括全文意义:
结构公式: 某现象 underscores/highlights/reveals + 更宏观的判断。
❌ 学生初版
All in all, Trump is still influential.
✅ 升级版
Cheney’s disappearing clout underscores Trump’s persistent influence in the party, six months after his election defeat.
💡 效果
underscores(凸显)比 “shows” 高级,且结尾带上了时间跨度(six months after…),让结论有”全景感”。总结段的任务是提升视野,不是复读机。
收法二:留白式收束(用开放式信息收尾)
❌ 学生初版
So I think this is very bad.
✅ 升级版
A staunch neoconservative and a daughter of a former vice-president, she has said she would not support Trump if he ran again — a stance that may yet reshape her party’s future.
💡 效果 结尾用一个人的具体立场(她拒绝支持特朗普)作为”开放式悬念”,让读者自己思考后果。这种收法适合”人物类""事件类”作文,比空洞的”I think”高级得多。
针对性练习
写一篇150词的短议论文,强制要求:①至少用一次时间锚点过渡(On Monday / The next day);②至少用一次 in a sign of how 或 But 对比过渡;③结尾用 underscore/highlight 升华,禁止 “All in all, I think”。
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