朋友不僅是每個(gè)人生活中不可缺少的一份子，也是托福獨(dú)立寫作中的一個(gè)重要角色�？忌鷤兠棵靠吹脚笥严嚓P(guān)的題目都會(huì)暗自竊喜，因?yàn)楹苁煜み@樣一個(gè)話題，畢竟可能從上幼兒園之前就有了第一個(gè)小伙伴。所以對(duì)于話題本身的熟悉感會(huì)給考生們一個(gè)“此題不難”的感覺。
然而在實(shí)際的考試中，很多考生都會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)，想觀點(diǎn)看似不難，但后續(xù)的展開好像并非易事，有的題目甚至在半小時(shí)內(nèi)湊夠字?jǐn)?shù)都有些舉步維艱，17年4月的頭兩場(chǎng)考試就把很多考生考倒在了考場(chǎng)之上。那么獨(dú)立寫作中的“朋友”題有怎樣的考法，又是怎樣的難法呢?筆者將從以下幾個(gè)角度為讀者們進(jìn)行總結(jié)。
一、交友類型
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?
It is better to choose a friend with whom you can have fun than choose a friend that will help you when you are in need. (121212)
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?
It is better for people to have friends who are intelligent than to have friends who have a good sense of humor. (131102, 150627, 170415)
讀完這兩道題你一定會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)，這兩道題的考點(diǎn)非常相似，都是問(wèn)選朋友應(yīng)該選什么類型，題干中涉及到三類朋友：幽默型，智慧型，無(wú)私型。再看一下每道題后的考試日期，讀者們應(yīng)該不難感受到這兩道題的重要性。其實(shí)這兩道題來(lái)源于一道很老的考題，即官方發(fā)布的托福獨(dú)立寫作185題中的第62題：
What do you want most in a friend-someone who is intelligent, or someone who has a sense of humor, or someone who is reliable? Which one of these characteristics is most important to you?
在回答這樣一類選朋友的問(wèn)題時(shí)，考生們往往會(huì)在讀完題目后立馬給出答案，無(wú)論選擇哪個(gè)角度，考生們也往往會(huì)立馬有些想法。比如選擇幽默型的考生會(huì)說(shuō)，幽默的朋友可以給我們的生活帶來(lái)樂(lè)趣;選擇智慧型的考生會(huì)說(shuō)，聰明的朋友能在我們有困難的時(shí)候想到我們想不到的解決方案;選擇無(wú)私型的考生會(huì)說(shuō)，有求必應(yīng)的朋友肯定能救我于水火之中�？墒歉鶕�(jù)筆者授課的經(jīng)驗(yàn)來(lái)看，往往這時(shí)候再繼續(xù)問(wèn)考生該如何將你的觀點(diǎn)拓展成一個(gè)一百多字的小段落，然后再想幾個(gè)觀點(diǎn)來(lái)完成整篇文章的寫作時(shí)，學(xué)生往往就止步不前了，一方面很難找到其他觀點(diǎn)，另一方面即使是現(xiàn)在已有的觀點(diǎn)也很難拓展。拿“幽默型的朋友”來(lái)說(shuō)，考生在想到了幽默的朋友能給生活增加樂(lè)趣之后，在拓展如何增加樂(lè)趣時(shí)似乎只能舉個(gè)人經(jīng)歷，諸如我有一個(gè)朋友之類的，并且很難描述所謂的樂(lè)趣，更有甚者連個(gè)人經(jīng)歷也寫不出來(lái)只能擠牙膏似的慢慢碼字，講些空泛的道理，比如下文這個(gè)段落(摘自某考生課堂作業(yè)，該考生選擇幽默型朋友)：
(1) First,a friend with whom you can have fun can make your daily life more interesting and colorful. (2) Life is too long, so it is difficult to bear the boring time when you have nothing to do. (3) A friend with humorous(考生語(yǔ)法錯(cuò)誤，應(yīng)為a sense of humor) won't make you feel embarrassed while an accidentally quiet(考生語(yǔ)法錯(cuò)誤，應(yīng)為silence) and it's also no need for you to search the afternoon tea's topic(考生表達(dá)有誤，應(yīng)為find something to talk while taking afternoon tea). (4) What's more, those friends are always easy-going, which means it's not hard to keep friendship with each other.
上文段落一共81字，拋開語(yǔ)法錯(cuò)誤不談，我們來(lái)分析下該考生在寫作時(shí)的思路：
(1)首先提出觀點(diǎn)：有趣的朋友讓生活多姿多彩。
(2)接下來(lái)第二句說(shuō)生命如此漫長(zhǎng)，所以如果無(wú)事可做將會(huì)無(wú)法忍受無(wú)聊的時(shí)光。通過(guò)此句可以看出該考生其實(shí)已經(jīng)無(wú)話可講了，所以開始鋪墊講道理。其實(shí)這句跟本文所討論的問(wèn)題完全無(wú)關(guān)，完全可以直接刪掉。
(3)第三句考生點(diǎn)題說(shuō)一個(gè)幽默的朋友不會(huì)讓你感受到那種令人尷尬的沉默，所以不會(huì)讓我們?cè)谙挛绮璧臅r(shí)候搜腸刮肚找話題聊。細(xì)想一下，幽默跟有話可聊有關(guān)系嗎?其實(shí)完全沒(méi)有，一個(gè)很幽默的人也很有可能因?yàn)闆](méi)什么可說(shuō)的而保持沉默不是嗎?所以本句雖然考生有點(diǎn)題，但邏輯很有問(wèn)題，并且完全沒(méi)有后續(xù)的解釋和展開，導(dǎo)致論述空洞。
(4)最后一句強(qiáng)加一個(gè)分論點(diǎn)說(shuō)，這樣的朋友往往比較好相處，所以維系友誼將不是什么難事。為什么幽默的朋友一定會(huì)很好相處，好相處為什么就一定會(huì)容易維系友誼?如果你跟你幽默的朋友發(fā)生了原則上的分歧，比如你幽默的朋友給你帶了綠帽子，你們會(huì)不會(huì)一拍兩散?其實(shí)托福作文不需要考生將邏輯勾稽得多么完整多么嚴(yán)謹(jǐn)，但是像上文中的考生這樣不加解釋是絕對(duì)不行的。
回到“幽默的朋友可以讓我們的生活更加有趣”這個(gè)觀點(diǎn)上來(lái)。這個(gè)非常容易想到的觀點(diǎn)究竟該如何展開呢?回想一下你所學(xué)過(guò)的論證方法，為了論證清楚這個(gè)觀點(diǎn)，我們可以選擇什么樣的論證方法呢?無(wú)疑舉例是最好想的方法。因?yàn)楸娝苤哪痛碇腥�，無(wú)需說(shuō)理，所以因果論證并不好進(jìn)行。當(dāng)然也可以用對(duì)比來(lái)進(jìn)行，尤其是這幾道題中都涉及對(duì)比。筆者接下來(lái)重點(diǎn)講述一下舉例的方法。
首先我們要確定的一點(diǎn)是，最好不要用一個(gè)獨(dú)立的例子來(lái)論證整個(gè)觀點(diǎn)，尤其是你自己的個(gè)人親身經(jīng)歷。很明顯一個(gè)個(gè)例來(lái)論證整個(gè)觀點(diǎn)會(huì)顯得太個(gè)別了。換言之就是，中心句提出之后不可以用一個(gè)For example開頭開始洋洋灑灑說(shuō)我有一個(gè)朋友，我的朋友如何幽默。那么我們?cè)撛趺崔k呢?兩個(gè)方法：一是多個(gè)角度豐富例子;二是尋找類比借力打力。
所謂多個(gè)角度來(lái)豐富例子尤其適用于寫作困難戶同學(xué)，如果你只能想到自己的例子，那么不妨把自己的例子多拆幾個(gè)側(cè)面，多寫幾件事，而不要只寫一件事。比如如果想說(shuō)我一個(gè)幽默的朋友，可以說(shuō)我們相識(shí)時(shí)是如何因?yàn)樗挠哪屛覀兂蔀榱撕门笥�，接下�?lái)我們?cè)趯W(xué)校里，他做了怎樣有趣的事，還可以寫到他的社交賬號(hào)，里面有怎樣的信息，甚至是他的自拍、他拍的小視頻，要從多個(gè)角度豐富這個(gè)有趣的朋友，豐富這個(gè)有趣的朋友做的事。
尋找類比借力打力則是一種更加考驗(yàn)考生的舉例方式，當(dāng)然寫好的情況下效果也會(huì)更好。在舉例時(shí)除了用自己的親身經(jīng)歷還能用什么呢?很多考生會(huì)想到名人，但再仔細(xì)一想，發(fā)現(xiàn)名人的適用范圍其實(shí)很狹隘，很多題都不一定能想到名人的例子。但是當(dāng)我們把名人的概念進(jìn)行泛化，比如這道題，在說(shuō)朋友，還是幽默的朋友，你能想到誰(shuí)呢?�？疵绖〉目忌鷳�(yīng)該會(huì)立馬想到兩個(gè)非常有名的跟“幽默的朋友”相關(guān)的劇吧：Friends和The Big Bang Theory。其中你耳熟能詳?shù)娜宋锿耆梢阅脕?lái)借用為自己的朋友，當(dāng)然最后要回到我們自己的生活上。筆者從這個(gè)角度給考生們一些參考：
First off, they could add much spice to our daily life. I’ve always been dreaming about having several friends like those in the romcom Friends or The Big Bang Theory. A friend like Rachel may tell me that I look like I slept with a hanger in my mouth, when I tell her I have a crush on a boy and can’t help laughing every time I think of him; a quick-witted friend like Phoebe may incidentally write our life stories into her funny but unforgettable song “Smelly Cat”. Besides, the reason why Sheldon and Penny leaves audiences a deep impression is their sense of humor showcased when exploring the unknown things. With friends like them, our lives may abound with laughter as if we are the heroes of the comedy.
上一段只說(shuō)了幽默的朋友能給我們的生活帶來(lái)的樂(lè)趣。但是回到我們最早的題目中，題干讓我們進(jìn)行選擇，既然是選擇就需要在文中體現(xiàn)出比較。我們可以在上面的段落之后加一個(gè)對(duì)比，筆者就17年4月15日獨(dú)立寫作題目(選朋友選幽默型還是智慧型)給出一個(gè)參考的對(duì)比方案，跟上一段結(jié)合在一起即成為一個(gè)完整的主體段落：
Sure, some may insist that compared to the intellectual support a wise friend offers to us, the delightful moments mentioned above may be insignificant or even vanish. After all, an intelligent friend could help inspire more creative ideas, which is important to working out more complex problems, and making further progress no matter for a student or an employee. But the thing is better alternatives can be easily found to replace a wise friend: teachers, books, professionals and so forth.
除了給生活增加樂(lè)趣，“選擇幽默型的朋友”還有什么可支持的觀點(diǎn)呢?我們都知道幽默跟無(wú)厘頭的搞笑其實(shí)不完全是同一件事，真正的幽默感其實(shí)也是智慧的一種體現(xiàn)，因?yàn)檎嬲挠哪枰诤线m的場(chǎng)合、合適的時(shí)間、對(duì)合適的人才能稱之為幽默，否則可能會(huì)適得其反。所以交一個(gè)幽默的朋友相當(dāng)于也擁有了一個(gè)聰慧的朋友。這樣的一個(gè)觀點(diǎn)無(wú)論是用在以上哪一道題都可以作為一個(gè)獨(dú)立的觀點(diǎn)。以下是筆者對(duì)此給出的一個(gè)Sample Paragraph:
In addition to this, the sense of humor is actually another manifestation of being intelligent. To tell a joke may not be a difficult task; but it is by no means effortless to tell an appropriate joke at the suitable time, in a proper occasion, or to the right person.If you make fun of a disabled person by imitating his gestures and poses, or mock at a girl who has just failed a job interview by saying jokingly that girls should pay more time on makeup rather than career, you had better not expect to be considered as hilarious. On the contrary, people with real sense of humor would have the ability to know when and how to tell a joke. This has been proved a performance of high emotional intelligence (EQ) by a host of studies. If you look closely into every joke Ellen DeGeneres tells in her show, you may be amazed at how intelligent she is to control the whole situation: making the audience laugh out loud within a territory where the guest celebrity would not feel being offended. Therefore, making a funny friend, to some extent, also means making a brainy friend. Kill two birds with one stone, doesn’t it?
細(xì)心的讀者應(yīng)該注意到，這段中也用到了名人，美國(guó)著名脫口秀主持人Ellen, 但是所講的并不是她的經(jīng)歷，而是把她作為一個(gè)證明幽默的人有智慧的范例，最后一個(gè)收尾，回歸到了交朋友上從而扣上題目。
另外還有一道題目也跟交友類型有關(guān)：廣交新朋友還是維系老朋友?
The ability to maintain friendship with a small number of people for a long period of time is more important for happiness than the ability to make many new friends easily.(140803)
這道題目看似考得還是朋友圈子的類型，我們不妨把它和另一個(gè)題目聯(lián)系在一起，即接下來(lái)要講的“對(duì)待友誼的態(tài)度”。
二、對(duì)待友誼的態(tài)度
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?
When you have been friends with someone for a long time, it is important to continue your friendship with that person even if she or he does something you do not like. (170401, 150530)
當(dāng)這兩道題交集在一起時(shí)，我們可以將立場(chǎng)設(shè)定在“維系老朋友”上，因?yàn)檫@樣我們又可以一石二鳥了。但是這道題同樣也是一道讓很多考生頭疼的披著“簡(jiǎn)單”外衣的難題。很多考生在確定“維系老朋友”這個(gè)立場(chǎng)之后，再繼續(xù)來(lái)想觀點(diǎn)以及思考觀點(diǎn)的拓展時(shí)，就又張口結(jié)舌、支支吾吾說(shuō)不出一二了。筆者在這就17年4月1日的題目給出幾個(gè)參考思路，14年8月3日的題目只需將思路稍加更改，將結(jié)交新朋友融入對(duì)比即可，在此不做細(xì)致展開了。
首先，長(zhǎng)久的友誼其實(shí)已經(jīng)意味著對(duì)彼此缺點(diǎn)的包容。不難想到，即使是最親密的朋友也會(huì)有矛盾有沖突。所以即使是朋友做了什么你不喜歡的事，也不應(yīng)該撼動(dòng)你們友誼的基礎(chǔ)。為了印證這個(gè)觀點(diǎn)，緊接著可以舉一個(gè)自己的例子，最終證明長(zhǎng)久的友誼是會(huì)包容這些問(wèn)題的。以下是筆者給出的一個(gè)Sample Paragraph:
First off, long-term friendship means the tolerance for drawbacks. Obviously，the reason why two different people become friends lies in their same interest, personality, attitudes, value and outlook towards the life and the world. But this does not mean that no conflicts happen. Even the closest friends will get pissed off when meeting disagreements; let’s say, one likes conservative clothing, but the other likes mini-skirt. So even if your friend does something you dislike, that shouldn't shake the foundation of your friendship. I have a friend whose room always looks like a pigsty, and every time I step into his room, hardly can I bear the smell from his soiled clothes piled up in his sofa. But this won’t be a barrier in our friendship, for what I get from him is inspirations in academy and positive attitude when bumping into setbacks. Besides, without such tolerance, it may be very difficult to build real friendship from the very start, not to mention a lasting one.
在上文的例子中，筆者用了一個(gè)比較日常的例子，用一個(gè)生活習(xí)慣你不贊同的朋友來(lái)證明長(zhǎng)久的友誼的包容力，但是緊接著我們就可以說(shuō)點(diǎn)更嚴(yán)重的“你不喜歡的事”。這樣其實(shí)也就把題干中“something you do not like”進(jìn)行了拆分。當(dāng)然我們的目標(biāo)是證明“維護(hù)這段友誼”，所以在寫這個(gè)比較嚴(yán)重的事情的時(shí)候也要給自己留好余地。下文是筆者給出的一個(gè)Sample Paragraph:
Of course, some may raise a question immediately: trivial things, like different life styles, may not that matter; after all, seldom do friends live together all day long. But when it comes to important diversions, especially those reaching one’s bottom line, is it worth continuing the friendship? The answer is surely yes. For example, your best friend cheated his business client by forging the boss’s signature, would you break up with him, and blacklist his contact? Probably not. After thinking twice, as a true friend, you would tell him your authentic opinion and persuade him to do the right thing. Even if he closed his ears, wouldn’t you analyze the adverse consequences again and again, and wait him to make a change? Perhaps, that’s what real friends should be.
(對(duì)于14年8月3日的題目，這個(gè)觀點(diǎn)可以改成老朋友更愿意在你遇到大問(wèn)題的時(shí)候深出援助之手，勸你回頭，但是新朋友就不一定可靠了，可能交了很多新朋友，一有問(wèn)題就都樹倒猢猻散了。)
接下來(lái)我們可以換一個(gè)角度，從我們自身的角度來(lái)解釋下維系這段友誼的好處，畢竟一個(gè)老朋友更愿意在我們遇到困難的時(shí)候給我們幫忙。往往遇到大困難的時(shí)候老朋友才更愿意給我們一臂之力，所以維系著這樣一段友情自然對(duì)我們也有好處。當(dāng)然這個(gè)段落也可以從反面切入，說(shuō)確實(shí)老朋友也有可能做出一些讓我們無(wú)法原諒的事情，違背自己的底線，但是畢竟這樣的情況非常少見，所以一般情況下也不會(huì)因?yàn)槔吓笥炎隽耸裁床缓玫氖戮蛷氐捉^交。以下是筆者站在支持方給出的一個(gè)Sample Paragraph:
In addition to all of this, you will also be the beneficiary if maintaining an abiding friendship. No matter what your friend does, s/he may always be the one who understands you the most, and supports you the most. The longer your friendship lasts, the more it appears that s/he is the first one who is willing to help you out when you hit a roadblock, or to unreservedly share his/her opinion when you are stuck in a dilemma. It is often reported that to a man encountering financial difficulties in running his business, or a girl feeling confused about her future, friends are actually the right person to offer help. So friends are the fortune in our lives; though they may do things we don’t like, resorting to communication is a far better way than saying farewell to this friendship. In fact, this is also the thing we expect when we do something our friends don’t like, isn’t it?
(對(duì)于14年8月3日的題目，可以從新朋友方入手做一個(gè)讓步段，新朋友給我們帶來(lái)新鮮感或新的體驗(yàn)，接下來(lái)用上述觀點(diǎn)作讓步收回到老朋友上。)
三、交友方式
Which do you think is the best way for a student to make new friends:
a). joining a sports team; b). volunteering for a community activity; c). traveling? (140315)
說(shuō)到交友方式，大部分考生就沒(méi)有那么陌生了，尤其是這道三選一的題目。在答題時(shí)從三個(gè)觀點(diǎn)分別進(jìn)行討論，尋找三個(gè)觀點(diǎn)在交友上不同的地方進(jìn)行比較。比如選擇traveling, 因?yàn)閠ravel的過(guò)程中會(huì)朝夕相處，更能了解他人無(wú)論是性格上的還是生活習(xí)慣上的優(yōu)缺點(diǎn)，以及這個(gè)人的金錢觀，遇到困難時(shí)的態(tài)度等等;體育活動(dòng)往往交流不一定多，大家更多的時(shí)間都在鍛煉，即使溝通更多的也只是活動(dòng)上的溝通，比如籃球隊(duì)的隊(duì)員討論的往往都是戰(zhàn)術(shù)戰(zhàn)略，所以沒(méi)有travel好;社區(qū)服務(wù)一定程度上跟travel一樣能給學(xué)生們提供更多交流的機(jī)會(huì)，然而你看不到他生活中的樣子，也許他很邋遢很懶，甚至還撒謊說(shuō)他生活中很愛干凈，所以還是不如去旅旅游好。
四、尋求朋友的建議
Agree or disagree? Getting advice from friends who are older than you is more valuable than getting advice from friends of your own age. (141108, 160409)
本題看似是在講朋友，但其實(shí)比較的是同齡人和學(xué)長(zhǎng)學(xué)姐，從學(xué)長(zhǎng)學(xué)姐的角度比較好說(shuō)。一來(lái)他們經(jīng)驗(yàn)比較豐富，能將自己的經(jīng)驗(yàn)教訓(xùn)傳授給我們讓我們少走彎路;二來(lái)他們年紀(jì)比較大思維能力更強(qiáng)，考慮問(wèn)題往往更全面更冷靜;第三同齡人看起來(lái)比較了解彼此的心理狀態(tài)，但是學(xué)長(zhǎng)學(xué)姐們也同樣經(jīng)歷過(guò)我們這個(gè)年紀(jì)，所以他們的建議就顯得更客觀了。
Agree or disagree? It is better for your friend to ask you for help (suppose you are good at the subject) than to turn to a tutor when he finds it hard to pass an examination. (120804)
本題很類似上面提到的尋求建議的那道題目，只是題干所描述的場(chǎng)景更具體，這樣具體的設(shè)定反而會(huì)比較好寫。比如選擇找tutor, 一來(lái)他有自己做學(xué)生的經(jīng)驗(yàn)，二來(lái)他有做老師的方法，三來(lái)他還可以幫助求助學(xué)生尋找一幫一的對(duì)象，本題非常好想，請(qǐng)考生自己展開。
五、其他
Agree or disagree? Competition between friends usually negatively impacts friendships. (120902, 160702)(抽象)
本題不走尋常路地考察了朋友之間的競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)友誼的影響。乍一看比較難拓展，但如果我們先想想朋友間會(huì)有怎樣的競(jìng)爭(zhēng)，有哪些競(jìng)爭(zhēng)的例子，這道題目也就不那么難解了。比如想到羽壇名將林丹和李宗偉，他們的競(jìng)爭(zhēng)非但沒(méi)有阻礙二人的友誼，反而讓他們彼此更加惺惺相惜，喬布斯和比爾蓋茨也競(jìng)爭(zhēng)了一輩子，但他們化競(jìng)爭(zhēng)為彼此前進(jìn)的動(dòng)力，在各自的領(lǐng)域取得更大的成功。這樣反駁方兩個(gè)觀點(diǎn)和例子就完成了。
Agree or disagree? It is impossible to be completely honest with your friends. (130721)(交友品質(zhì))
本題除了朋友這個(gè)話題之外，考生們還應(yīng)注意到題目中存在的絕對(duì)詞“impossible”, “completely”。一般情況下我們看到絕對(duì)詞都會(huì)去否定絕對(duì)詞的絕對(duì)性，但是本題中“完全誠(chéng)實(shí)”似乎是任何一個(gè)人都做不到的，因此不妨站在同意的角度來(lái)證明。一方面自己要保有自己的隱私空間，比如生理上的缺陷、家庭的不幸，這種不會(huì)影響到友誼發(fā)展的事情自己是有權(quán)利隱瞞甚至欺騙朋友的。另一方面站在朋友的角度，為了不傷害他所以編造一些謊言，比如他的親人病得很重，比如他新買的衣服其實(shí)非常難看。最后寫一個(gè)讓步段盡管善意的謊言是有一定道理的，但是也承認(rèn)誠(chéng)實(shí)是維系友誼的一個(gè)非常重要的基石，在絕大多數(shù)情況下，對(duì)待自己的朋友都會(huì)誠(chéng)實(shí)，如果沒(méi)有這最起碼的誠(chéng)實(shí)，可能友誼也不會(huì)維系下去。
Agree or disagree? Two people can become good friends even if one of them has more money than the other. (120225)
本題考查了友誼的建立條件，甚至還用金錢做了個(gè)標(biāo)桿。小時(shí)候每個(gè)人都學(xué)過(guò)馬克思、恩格斯偉大的友誼，從小家長(zhǎng)老師應(yīng)該也是教育我們不要用錢來(lái)衡量感情，所以這個(gè)比較世俗的問(wèn)題確實(shí)很可以寫同意方。當(dāng)然也可以不同意或做一個(gè)小讓步，畢竟兩個(gè)人收入水平、家庭條件差太多的話會(huì)導(dǎo)致消費(fèi)觀念不同，繼而造成分歧，也會(huì)導(dǎo)致相對(duì)貧窮的一方產(chǎn)生自卑心理，不利于友情的維系。
通過(guò)以上內(nèi)容，筆者帶讀者們分析了從12年到17年，跟“朋友/交友”相關(guān)的所有題目，從上述題目中讀者們可以看出，這一類話題每年的考題數(shù)量大概在兩道以上，相比于教育類或工作類的話題自然不算重要，但是也決不能完全不練。因?yàn)檫@一類話題很有可能成為你考場(chǎng)上的一把軟刀子，很有可能大難若易。希望讀者們?cè)谧x完本文之后對(duì)此類話題有了更清晰的解題思路，如果考場(chǎng)相逢，也可殺敵制勝。
