對於英文寫作來說，掌握一定數量的句型和模板是非常有益的，但這並不意味著我們需要去使用現成的，已經被無數考生使用過的表達。更好的方法是自己在閱讀中總結句型，構建屬於自己的語料庫。外刊就是一種非常合適的材料，因為外刊有不少文章屬於議論文，這與考場英語作文的要求是相契合的。
1. 說比做簡單
在解決類方案的寫作裡面我們有時候需要表達一種這樣的情況：批評……很容易，但是要真正做點什麼很難。用英文應該怎麼說呢？可以參考下面的這一句式：
Obstacles on the internet, just like barriers to trade, are easy to decry but hard to prevent.
這句話的意思是“設立在互聯網上的障礙就像貿易壁壘一樣，要抨擊它很容易，但要防止它很難”。其中decry的意思是“譴責，抨擊”（to say publicly that you do not approve of someone or something）它的意思要比criticize更重。
從這裡我們可以提取出一個句式：something is easy to decry but hard to prevent，它可以用於說明某些不好的現象（比如環境汙染、食品安全、交通堵塞等）很容易批評，但很難阻止。舉個例子：
Traffic congestion in big cities is easy to decry but hard to prevent. As household income rises, a growing number of city dwellers are willing and able to afford private cars, which will cause more traffic problems in the foreseeable future.
2.後視鏡看歷史
下面的句子出自The Economist關於金融的一篇文章：
Any adjustments to pension liabilities should be justified by beliefs about the future and not by looking in the rearview mirror to see what gilt yields used to be.
上面這句話的大意是“任何對養老金負債的調整都應該基於對未來的信念，而不是基於歷史上債券收益率的情況”。其中有一個很有意思的表達：look in the rearview mirror to do something，rearview mirror是指汽車的後視鏡，開車時看後視鏡可以清楚後方的情況，這裡則採用了它的引申義：通過借鑑過去的情況來決定做某事。
該句型可以用在一些涉及今昔對比的情形中，例如：
Today’s labor market is much more complicated than in the past, as technological advances are destroying and creating jobs at an unprecedented rate. In light of this, it would be imprudent to look in the rearview mirror to see what a so-called stable job used to be.
3.某觀點站不住腳
要表達“某觀點/陳述/論證站不住腳”，最常見的說法是something is groundless/baseless，除此之外，還可以使用下面這一說法：
Most important, there is full confidence in the central bank and the rupee. Reserves are healthy and the Bank of Mauritius is clean. Yet the worries of Mauritian businessmen are not entirely unfounded. The island's success has been partly built on protected trade deals in textiles and sugar with America and Europe.
其中the worries of Mauritian businessmen are not entirely unfounded意思是“毛里求斯商人的擔憂並非完全沒有根據”，unfounded含義是“沒有事實根據的”（not supported with facts or evidence）。
由此我們可以提取出一個句型：something is entirely unfounded，它可以用來說明觀點、消息、論證等沒有根據，站不住腳。舉個例子，有這樣一道雅思作文題：
Individuals can do nothing to protect the environment; only governments and large companies can make a difference. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
如果你想完全反對題目中的觀點，就可以說：
The claim that only governments and large companies can protect the environment is entirely unfounded. Individuals also play an important role in environmental protection.
4.一個轉折句型
下面這一句型出自《衛報》一篇關於兒童虐待的文章：
The council's defence has been that no one could have protected against deceitful carers and parents. But closer scrutiny of the case reveals that Baby P's bruising stopped when he was removed for a short while from his abusers. It would not have been overly cautious to have put two and two together.
第二句的大意是“但是經過更細緻的檢查後發現嬰兒P身上的淤青在他被帶離虐童犯不久後就不再增加了”，其中close scrutiny of…reveals that…是一個常見的論證句型，它可以用來說明接下來要揭示的情況與之前人們認為的不同，藉此引出新的觀點。
還是以一道雅思作文題目作為例子：
Foreign tourists should be charged higher fees than local people to visit cultural places and historical sites. Do you agree or disagree with this statement.
如果你持反對觀點，可以這樣說：
Some people argue that foreign tourists to cultural places and historical sites should be charged more than locals, as local people already pay to these sites through the tax system. However, close scrutiny of this claim reveals that such an approach is at best short-sighted, at worst counterproductive. Foreign tourists contribute to the economy of the host country not only by paying entrance fees to cultural and historical sites, but also by spending on a wide range of goods and services, including transportation, food and accommodation. The money they spend could be a boon to local businesses, the prosperity of which helps to create jobs for local residents.
總結：
這期一共介紹了以下幾個表達：
(1) something is easy to decry but hard to prevent
(2) look in the rearview mirror to do something
(3) something is entirely unfounded
(4) close scrutiny of…reveals that…
感興趣的同學可以對這些短語句型做造句練習，以進一步加深印象。
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