读《金融时报》学英文写作：句型模仿——写“变化”只会 In the past… But now？跟FT学4个今昔对比句型
📖 素材来源： FT №52 — 新的职场福利：啤酒、烘焙、冲浪碗（2021年1月）
为什么学“今昔对比”
中高考和雅思里，“写变化”是另一个高频场景：科技如何改变生活、疫情如何改变工作、手机如何改变沟通……学生写这类作文，几乎都有一个固定套路：
In the past, people went to the office. But now they work at home. More and more companies do this.
三个问题：第一，“过去”没有画面——只说 went to the office，不说那时人们具体怎么生活；第二，转折只有 But now 一种，全篇靠 In the past / But now / More and more 硬撑；第三，变化没有背景和反差——变化发生在什么大背景下、为什么值得写，一概没有。
今天从《金融时报》一篇报道疫情下“办公室啤酒文化→居家外卖福利”变迁的文章里，抽 4 个句型。它们解决一个具体场景：怎么把“一件事变了”写得有画面、有冲击、有背景。写科技、生活、教育、职场变化类作文都能直接移植。
FT 原文
In the old normal, every Friday lunchtime employees at ad agency Mellor & Smith used to receive a regular order of beers which they would drink, while chatting in the office and finishing up their work ahead of the weekend. Then the pandemic hit, upending work routines as everyone departed the office.
As employers rethink their work patterns in the wake of the pandemic, with many offices remaining shut and others operating a hybrid model of workers moving between the workplace and home, they are seeking ways to sustain the company culture and morale.
Against a backdrop of job losses, such perks might seem frivolous.
Deliveroo for Business … says that in recent months there has been a 25-fold increase in the number of companies providing virtual gift cards, driven by tech companies, followed by media and marketing.
中文大意：在过去那个“正常世界”里，每周五午餐时间，广告公司梅勒与史密斯的员工都会收到一单啤酒，边喝边聊，赶在周末前收尾工作。然后疫情来袭，颠覆了所有人的工作常规。在疫情余波中，雇主们重新思考工作模式——许多办公室仍关闭着，另一些则采用混合办公——他们正设法维系公司文化与士气。在失业潮的背景下，这样的福利看似轻浮。Deliveroo 企业服务称，近几个月提供虚拟礼品卡的公司数量增至原来的 25 倍，主要推动力来自科技公司，其次是媒体与营销公司。
句型一：In the old normal … Then X hit, upending（昔日常态 + 突变冲击）
结构公式
In the old normal / In the past, [人物] used to [习惯动作], [which/who 从句或 while 分词补充细节]. Then [大事件] hit, upending [被改变的常态] as [结果]
FT 原文
In the old normal, every Friday lunchtime employees at ad agency Mellor & Smith used to receive a regular order of beers which they would drink, while chatting in the office and finishing up their work ahead of the weekend. Then the pandemic hit, upending work routines as everyone departed the office.
为什么好
学生写“过去”，永远只有 In the past, ... 加一个干巴巴的动词。FT 写过去用了整整一层细节：具体时间（every Friday lunchtime）、具体动作（used to receive a regular order of beers）、具体画面（which they would drink, while chatting … and finishing up …）。然后一个短句 Then the pandemic hit 把镜头突然切断，再用现在分词 upending work routines as ... 写出冲击的后果。过去写得越具体，“变化”才越有力量——这是今昔对比写作的第一原则。
❌ 学生初版
In the past, people went to the office every day. But now they work at home.
✅ 升级版
In the old normal, colleagues used to chat by the coffee machine and finish work together before heading home. Then the pandemic hit, upending office routines as everyone logged in from home.
💡 效果
“过去”有了画面，“变化”有了动词（hit, upending）。读者不是被告知“变了”，而是亲眼看到它变。
模板 + 例句
In the old normal / In the past, [人物] used to [具体习惯]. Then [大事件] hit, upending [常态] as [结果]
- 校园话题：In the past, students used to borrow paper books from the library and share notes in class. Then smartphones arrived, upending study habits as everyone turned to screens.
- 社会话题：In the old normal, families used to gather around the TV after dinner, chatting about their day. Then streaming services hit, upending that ritual as each member watched alone on a personal device.
句型二：As … in the wake of …（时代背景长句）
结构公式
As [主语] [rethink/adapt/respond 类动词] [名词] in the wake of [大事件], with [并列现状A] and [并列现状B], [主语] are [正在做的努力] to [目的]
FT 原文
As employers rethink their work patterns in the wake of the pandemic, with many offices remaining shut and others operating a hybrid model of workers moving between the workplace and home, they are seeking ways to sustain the company culture and morale.
为什么好
学生想交代“变化的大背景”，只会写：Because of the pandemic, many things changed. Companies are trying new ways. FT 用一个 As 引导的“时代背景长句”解决三件事：大背景（in the wake of the pandemic——比 after 更书面、更带“余波未尽”的意味）、现状并列（with many offices remaining shut and others operating a hybrid model——with + 宾语 + 现在分词，两个现状并排）、主句努力（they are seeking ways to sustain …）。这一个句子，就是学生三段话的内容。
❌ 学生初版
Because of the pandemic, many offices are closed. Some companies use hybrid work. They want to keep their culture.
✅ 升级版
As schools rethink their teaching methods in the wake of the pandemic, with some classes still held online and others back in the classroom, they are seeking ways to keep students engaged.
💡 效果
背景、现状、努力装进一个结构清晰的 As 长句，段落一开头就有了“时代感”，这正是高分作文需要的格局。
模板 + 例句
As [主语] [动词] [名词] in the wake of [大事件], with [A] and [B], [主语] are [努力] to [目的]
- 校园话题：As students adapt their schedules in the wake of exam reform, with some subjects cut and others added, they are seeking new ways to balance study and rest.
- 科技话题：As retailers rethink their business models in the wake of ecommerce growth, with more shoppers buying online and fewer visiting malls, they are investing heavily in delivery services to survive.
句型三：Against a backdrop of … might seem …（反差对比）
结构公式
Against a backdrop of [负面大背景], [事物/做法] might seem [贬义评价]
FT 原文
Against a backdrop of job losses, such perks might seem frivolous.
为什么好
学生想写“这件事在当下环境里显得不合时宜”，只能写：Many people lost their jobs, so these things are not important. 直白，但不像书面英语。FT 用 Against a backdrop of（在……的背景下）一个介词短语装下整个负面背景，主句用 might seem（看似）轻轻给出评价——不把话说死，留出反驳余地。这句话在原文里是“让步”：先承认福利在失业潮中看似轻浮，后面才说员工真正想要的是什么。学生写议论文的反方观点时，这个句型能让你“先让一步，再反驳”，论证立刻有层次。
❌ 学生初版
Many people lost their jobs. So free food for workers is not important.
✅ 升级版
Against a backdrop of rising exam pressure, such hobbies might seem a waste of time.
💡 效果
负面背景被压缩成一个短语，might seem 让评价客观克制——不是“我反对”，而是“它看起来确实如此”，为后面的转折蓄力。
模板 + 例句
Against a backdrop of [负面背景], [事物] might seem [贬义评价]
- 校园话题：Against a backdrop of fierce competition for university places, taking a gap year might seem risky.
- 社会话题：Against a backdrop of environmental pollution, building another coal plant might seem an outdated choice.
句型四：there has been a [倍数] increase … driven by（数据支撑变化）
结构公式
There has been a [数词]-fold increase in the number of [对象], driven by [主因], followed by [次因]
FT 原文
Deliveroo for Business … says that in recent months there has been a 25-fold increase in the number of companies providing virtual gift cards, driven by tech companies, followed by media and marketing.
为什么好
学生写“变化有多大”，只会 More and more companies are doing this——没有数据，力度为零。FT 用 a 25-fold increase in the number of ... 给出精确倍数，再用两个过去分词 driven by ... , followed by ... 把“推动力排序”也装进同一个句子：谁是主因，谁是次因，一目了然。写变化，一定要配数据；配数据，一定要说清谁在推动——这是把“More and more”升级为硬证据的完整套路。
❌ 学生初版
More and more companies are providing gift cards now. Tech companies do it most.
✅ 升级版
There has been a fivefold increase in the number of students taking online courses, driven by the pandemic, followed by rising tuition costs.
💡 效果
一个句子包含倍数、对象、主因、次因四层信息，说服力远超任何 More and more。数字不需要编造——写作文时用“身边数据”或“合理估计”都行，关键是学会这个表达框架。
模板 + 例句
There has been a [数词]-fold increase in the number of [对象], driven by [主因], followed by [次因]
- 校园话题：There has been a threefold increase in the number of students joining sports clubs, driven by the new PE exam policy, followed by the influence of popular athletes.
- 社会话题：There has been a fourfold increase in the number of electric cars on the road, driven by government subsidies, followed by falling battery prices.
练习建议
- 先抄后造：把 4 个句型各抄 3 遍，然后自选一个话题（如“手机如何改变沟通”），每个句型造 1 句，保留结构、替换内容。
- 按“变化四步”重写：写今昔对比作文时，按顺序用——句型一写“过去的样子 + 突变”，句型二写“变化发生的时代背景”，句型三写“一个反方视角/代价”（让步），句型四用数据收束“变化有多大”。一篇作文从开头到论证都有了骨架。
- 消灭 In the past / But now：写完通读一遍，凡是你写了
In the past, ... But now, ...或More and more ...的地方，问自己：能不能换成今天 4 个句型之一？一次改不掉没关系，每次作文刻意替换一处，三篇之后就成习惯了。
厦门灯塔 · 专业英语作文逐句批改 | 微信 linstudio799 专注中高考/雅思写作 · 逐句精批 + 逻辑重构 + 母语级升级