托福寫作開頭難，用定義法來解決
很多同學，特別是剛剛接觸托福的同學，對獨立寫作開頭部分寫法感到很頭疼。在平時上課過程中，也會經常聽到學生抱怨說根本沒有思路，無從下筆。以至于以I agree或I disagree…一句話引出自己立場來搞定開頭的同學不在少數。有的同學甚至會受之前漢語寫作的影響，比如“好的開頭，會影響整篇文章”，于是不敢動筆寫開頭。其實這一點大可不必多慮，畢竟托福寫作風格以議論文為主，也就是說在文章中我們要做到清晰無誤的表達自己的想法，特別是首段的主要任務，要明確地表達自己的立場，最好的方式建議：背景鋪墊+個人立場。
對于開頭部分的構思，很多同學首先會想到模版。模版會提供現成的思路甚至套句，我們直接將自己的觀點帶入即可。比如：
模版開頭一
when it comes to the topic that…, opinions of the public are of great variety. Admittedly, some people would claim that….. However, I still insist that… My reasons will be listed as follows.
又比如在涉及到A和B兩個對象的影響類的題目里，常見模版開頭二：
Nowadays, the influence of A on B is a matter for debate for a long time. some people claim that… However, I disagree with them. In my viewpoint, … and the following is my reasons.
模版可以用，但是不建議同學們拿到題目就直接帶入模版，一來語言會顯得呆板，二來托福官方對模版的態度為“不扣分，不加分”，因此模版對于想要高分的同學學來說并沒有太大優勢。所以還是希望同學們看到話題之后可以進行一定獨立思考。今天我們一起看下常見的開頭破冰法之一：定義法引入。
所謂“定義法”，就是下定義，對題目中的某些名詞或概念進行解釋，比如題目所涉及的success, responsibility, independence,social skills，part-time jobs等，我們可以直接解釋這些概念是什么，或者大家對這些事物的看法等，還有可能涉及到重要性或者其影響等詞，比如importance, benefits, advantageous,exert positive/negative influence on，一般一句話帶過即可。下面我們結合具體題目帶入“定義法引入”的具體應用。
例如：
D/A: One ofthe best ways that parents can help their teenager children prepare for adult life is to encourage them to take a part-time job.
在這個題目中，所涉及到的名詞有parents, teenager children, adult life, 和a part-time job四個名詞及詞組，也就是說這個題目我們可以從四個角度進行開頭段的構思。但我們應該優先從最好把握的入手。不難發現，a part-time job屬于話題的關鍵詞眼，所以[第一步]我們可以直接針對a part-timejob進行解釋，比如Part-time jobs, which act as a warm-up for the future career, can provide children with a general image of the society. 或者Part-time jobs is of great importance in helping children better understand the society they are live in.定義法解釋過之后，[第二步]我們要引出題目中的其它對象，最后第三步引出自己立場。比如上邊緊接著a part-time job 這一句可以For most parents, it is really an ideal choice to help their children prepare for adult life.[第三步]在點明觀點時，我們可以緊接著提出，Thus I agree with the opinion in the statement.甚至最后可以加一句，比如：my reasons will be detailed as follows. 或者my reasons are as follows.
這時我們的開頭段已經基本搞定：
Part-time jobs, which act as a warm-up for the future career, can provide children with ageneral image of the society.For most parents, it is really an ideal choice to help their children prepare for adult life.Thus I agree with the opinion in the statement. My reasons will be detailed as follows.
這個題目還涉及到其它三個對象，也就是說，我們還可以根據上邊定義法的思路以其它三種方式引出該話題，見下文供大家參考:
Parents:
Parents, as the most essential guide in our life, love us so much that they always want a fast and steady development of us. Thus, many parents suggest their children to work on a part-time job, which acts as a warm-up for their future career. From where I stand, I agree with the suggestion to take on a part-time job during teenage period. My reasons are listed as follows.
Teenage children:
Teenage is the most crucial period in one’s life, for it is a fast developing stage both in physical and mental aspects. That is why parents are urged to figure out the most efficient way for their children to keep up with the quick development. Working on a part-time job is considered one of the best solutions for many parents. From where I stand, I agree with the suggestion to take on apart-time job during teenage period. My reasons are listed as follows.
Adult life:
Many teenagers are looking forward to the adult life while the other are reluctant to grow up. However, growing up is an inevitable process/stage in one’s life. Part-time job, which acts as a warm-up for the future career, gives children a general image of the society.From where I stand, I agree with the suggestion to take on a part-time job during teenage period. My reasons are listed as follows.
我們還可以以同樣的方法帶入其它題目，比如D/A: People should have hobbies and do physical activities that are very different from work.
這個題目所涉及名詞有work和hobbies and physical activities，我們就以work為切入點，進行定義，然后引出開頭段。比如：
For most people, work takes a massive part of our whole lives. We go to school to prepare for a career, work through our best years, and eventually, after retirement, live off of pension generated from the job. However, other than the monetary part, our hobbies and physical activities might benefit us more if they were different from our jobs.
這個開頭寫法相對比較靈活，并沒有受原題目的限制，巧妙的引出了自己立場。值得大家參考。
丨 Tips：
1. 在對題目中所涉及的名詞對象下定義時，建議大家從具體名詞入手，盡量避開抽象名詞，以降低自己構思難度。
2. 一般情況下，開頭部分篇幅長度為40-60字即可。我們的寫作還是要以理由段的論述為主，所以建議同學們不要浪費太多時間在開頭部分。
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