托福考试上遇到文化历史类话题应该怎么办？

在托福独立写作的考察话题中，文化历史类话题虽然不是出题频率最高的一类，但在限时写作的情况下难度还是不小的。比较特殊的是，绝大多数文化历史类话题的写作题都会和其他领域有所关联，例如教育、政府、旅游等。例如：

?1.Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? All the university students should be required to take history courses no matter what files they study is.

?2.Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? All university students should be required to take at least one course about culture of a foreign country.

?3.In order to attract more tourists, do you think governments should improve safety by hiring more police or improve appearance by repairing old buildings and streets?

?4.Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? It is more important for the government to spend money on new building than to preserve historic or traditional buildings and homes.

?5.Some people believe that it is Important to follow traditions even when those traditions conflict with or are quite different from their own individual preferences. Do you agree or disagree?

?6.To help grade 11 students (aged 16-17) fulfill university requirements, a high school requires its graduates to attend an activity during the two-month summer break before they start university studies. There are two choices. Which activity do you think would benefit students more and why?

-complete some university-level courses by attending classes that are related to graduates' interested majors.

-under the guide of a teacher, travel to local art museums and historic places with a group of classmates, and then write a paper about the trip.

?7.Some tourists prefer to travel to places that are very popular with other tourists. In these places, there are usually large crowds of visitors waiting to see a famous attraction, such as a monument or historical building. Other tourists prefer to travel to places that are not very popular with other tourists, so that they can enjoy a vacation in a place without large crowds of visitors. Would one would you prefer? Why?

?8.If you go traveling to a city for the first time, but you only have a limited amount of time, which place will you choose?

- touring the historic sites

- go shopping on some markets

- go to the restaurants or café

文化历史类话题的难点通常在于写作素材的不足。“culture”和“history”本身就属于两个非常庞大和复杂的学科，里面还包含了很多跨学科的知识。所以想要在30分钟内完成一篇论点清晰且论据充分的作文并不简单。很多同学会感觉到即使确立了自己的观点，也很难构思出具有说服力的解释和细节充分的例子。

那么究竟应该怎样应对文化历史类话题呢？

一、抓住“万能”论点

首先，从上文展示的几道题目中同学们可以看到，无论是修缮保护老建筑，还是在旅游时参观当地的历史遗迹，从根本上都是对传统的保护。所以同学们只要能够掌握保护传统的意义，那么很多类似的话题都能找到突破口。例如，文化是一个民族的根基，一个有着自己传统文化的民族才是自信的，这种自信会让人们更加团结。此外，学习历史还能使人变得更加思辨，通过前人的经验教训来反思自己，探索创新。从旅游的角度来看，了解当地的文化和历史也可以拓宽视野。

我们以第三题为例▼

In order to attract more tourists, do you think governments should improve safety by hiring more police or improve appearance by repairing old buildings and streets?

●我的观点：

The best way to attract more travelers lies in the renovation of buildings and streets.

●论点1：

Repairing old buildings and streets helps to preserve culture. The old buildings in many cities, as well as old streets, may serve as the city’s landmark and symbolize its culture. In fact, it is exactly the long-lasting charm of each city’s distinctive culture that many tourists wish to witness with their own eyes during each journey.

●论点2：

The renovation of old buildings and streets helps to enhance the travel experience. Tourists will enjoy more as long as the city provides convenient and comfortable facilities. Consequently, people tend to choose those sightseeing places which boast of high-quality accommodations.

我们用思维导图给同学们简单总结了一下保护传统文化和历史的意义。

二、举例的素材要提前准备好

文化历史类话题在举例部分一定要有具体的事例。最直接，同时也是最简单的方法就是使用某一个历史事件、历史人物或者旅游胜地。这样既可以避免表述抽象，又可以省下临场构思的时间。当然，这一切的前提都是同学们已经准备好了两至三个写作素材以供备用。考虑到文化历史话题相对固定的出题思路：讨论文化、传统、历史的重要性和意义。两至三个写作素材已经完全够用了。同学们只需要根据具体的题目内容进行选择并稍加修改就行了。

我们继续第三题的例子▼

●论点1：

Repairing old buildings and streets helps to preserve culture. The old buildings in many cities, as well as old streets, may serve as the city’s landmark and symbolize its culture. In fact, it is exactly the long-lasting charm of each city’s distinctive culture that many tourists wish to witness with their own eyes during each journey.

?举例：

Take Taj Mahal, the white marble mausoleum in India as an example. Reputed as the “crown of palaces”, Taj Mahal now attracts more than three million visitors each year. However, during the time of the Indian rebellion of 1857, Taj Mahal was severely defaced by the British soldiers through the chiseling out of many precious stones. It is the sweeping restoration at the end of the 19th century that brings Taj Mahal to its present glory, and boosts the development of India’s tourism as well as economy.

老师用泰姬陵作为论点1的例子。具体描述了修缮泰姬陵为印度的旅游业做出了巨大的贡献。其实，此类恢复，重建，修缮历史名胜的例子不胜枚举。从中国的长城，到法国的巴黎圣母院。同学们只需要简单了解一下这些历史遗迹背后的故事和一些基本信息（例如建造的年份，时代背景等），就可以轻松完成此类话题的作文了。