议论文阅读与写作(2)
一、英语议论文的语言特点
由于与其他文体相比，英语议论文类似英语说明文，因此，它具有英语说明文的一些语言特点，比如：时态较为统一，多用现在时；强调语言表达的客观性；尽可能指明信息来源等等。但作为一种独立的文体，英语议论文在语言上也有一些自己特有的表达形式：
1．较多使用表达委婉语气的词语和句子
与英语说明文相比，英语议论文不仅需要说明自己的观点，而且还要让读者接受自己的观点，因此，在词语表达上除了客观之外，还必须注意委婉。在英语中，常用虚拟语气，让步状语从句和情态动词can, could，may, might, would, should等。请看下面两组有关“面试在招生过程中的重要性”的文字：
(1) No one should be admitted into(招收进) college without a personal interview(面试).What can admissions people(招生人员)tell from a piece of paper?They can tell nothing.Only when they see a student face to face, can they decide what kind of a person he is.
(2) Though admissions people can learn some things from a piece of paper, such as how well a person writes and what he is interested in, there may be many other things that an application (申请表) can not tell but can only be seen in a personal interview.The way a person talks, the way he thinks about and answers
questions,the way he reacts(反应),
are all important facts of a person which can not be found on a piece of paper.
两段文字都强调“大学生入学必须面试”，但相比之下，例(2)用了情态动词，though引导的让步状语从句等表达方式，语气较为委婉，更容易为读者所接受。
2．使用有辩论、推理等含义的连接词和过渡词等词语结构
英语议论文讲究辩论推理的条理性和逻辑性，因此，往往较多地使用这类性质的过渡词和连接词，常用的包括：since (既然)，now that(既
然)， therefore(因而)， consequently(因此)， accordingly(因此)， hence(因而)， in that case(在那种情况下)，because(因为)，so(所以)。另外，还有些句型也常出现在英语议论文中，比如： It follows that„(因而„„)，If„， we may conclude that„(如果„„，我们可以这样下结论„„)， Should it be the case(如果是这样的话„„)， Idon't want to„, but„(我并不想„„，但是„„)， If you admit„,then„(如果你承认„„，那么„„)，
It is true that„, but„(诚然„„，但是„„)， Even if„(即使„„)等。
下面这篇学生作文较好地使用了上述这些英语议论文常用的连接词和过渡词等词语结构，从而使文章的辩论和推理条理清晰，富有说服力：
Some people say that they will not give up smoking because they have the right to do what they want to do since smoking is not against the law.Yes，it's true that smoking does not violate (违反) the law and therefore they can do as they like,but what is equally true is that they have to be responsible for what they do at the same time. Now I don't want to bring fears to anyone,but here are some statistics(统计数字) I've just got from newspaper： Over seventy percent of the people who died of lung cancer were heavy smokers.
More than thirty-five percent deformed(畸形的)babies have smoking mothers. Even if those chain smokers (一支接一支抽烟者) are not afraid for themselves, shouldn't they be afraid for their family members if they have got any?