本次10月7日考试的试题文如下(已根据真题回忆对原文删改)

　　1 In the wake of an unprecedented period of high unemployment and amid turmoil overseas, a president stood before a joint session of Congress for his annual State of the Union address, offering a bold vision to expand economic opportunity, strengthen the middle class and reduce inequality.

　　2 The year was 1944. The president was Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

　　3 The “Second Bill of Rights,” unveiled during the State of the Union 70 years ago, was not a constitutional amendment but a statement of principles for America’s economic future. It was centered on a commitment to achieving a crucial national objective: full employment.

　　4 With 50 million people, including 13 million children, now living below the poverty line and both parties seeking to address the national opportunity deficit in 2014, America’s political leaders should take a cue from FDR’s 1944 State of the Union. Congress should commit to do everything in its power to create the economic conditions for America to return to full employment. Getting every American working and contributing to the tax base will not only help eliminate poverty but also reduce the national debt and ultimately create the conditions for the free market to function well.

　　5 In the decades following FDR’s speech, Congress took serious action to realize the vision of a full-employment society. It passed the Employment Act in 1946, giving the federal government tools and a formal calling to “promote maximum employment, production, and purchasing power.” It passed a range of legislation to promote full employment through additional investments in transportation, health, education and research in the 1960s. Finally, in 1978, it passed the Humphrey-Hawkins Full Employment Act, calling on the president to work with the private sector to reduce unemployment to specific target levels.

　　6 Contrast these efforts with the inaction in today’s Congress. With nearly 30 million American workers either unemployed or underemployed, each and every lawmaker should enshrine job creation as Priority No. 1. Yet Congress has actually made unemployment worse. The economic consulting firm Macroeconomic Advisers estimated that the fiscal showdowns and budget cuts that have consumed Congress over recent years have cost the country up to $700 billion in economic growth and more than 2 million jobs.

　　7 As collapsed bridges, contaminated water and falling positions in global education rankings demonstrate, there are plenty of public projects our country needs to undertake. This is why we’ve been advocating for legislation — including the 21st Century Full Employment and Training Act and the American Jobs Act of 2013 — to create new opportunities to solve public problems while hiring educators, infrastructure-builders, first responders and medical researchers. There are good ideas in both parties for closing the skills gap, spurring infrastructure investment and reducing unemployment. But we need political will to pass a serious jobs bill.

　　8 This week, we’re announcing the creation of the Full Employment Caucus in Congress. As co-founders, we will regularly host expert economists and policymakers to discuss proven job-creation proposals and implement strategies for their adoption.

　　9 Achieving full employment isn’t only about helping jobless people. When we return to full employment, investors and businesspeople have more customers. When we return to full employment, workers have power to bargain for higher wages. Finally, when we return to full employment, crime declines as desperate people gain a paycheck and a purpose.

　　10 We’re founding this caucus to strength America’s economy and restore dignity for the tens of millions of Americans who have suffered the physical and emotional pain of joblessness.

　　11 Both President Obama’s State of the Union address and the Republican response echoed FDR’s emphasis 70 years ago on expanding economic opportunity, creating jobs and boosting wages. It’s time for Congress to pass a comprehensive jobs bill to realize that vision.

　　一、文章分析

　　Topic：美国要提供更多的全职岗位

　　P1-3：通过refers to history, 在在文章起到hook的作用. 1944年,面临前所未有的高的失业率和动荡的海外局势,罗斯福总统大胆地扩大经济机会,提高中产阶级的地位,减少社会的不平等

　　P4：使用statistic, With 50 million people, including 13 million children, now living below the poverty line 这么多人在生活在贫困线以下,这么大的数据让读者感到shocking, alarming .起到appeal to readers’ sympathy的效果.既然让每一个美国人拥有全职工作not only help eliminate poverty but also reduce the national debt and ultimately create the conditions for the free market to function well.,读者从情感上会觉得要推行full- employment.

　　P5：再次使用historical facts. 强调Congress 为了实现full-employment society做了很多:passed the Employment Act in 1946;It passed a range of legislation....... in the 1960s;in 1978, it passed the Humphrey-Hawkins Full Employment Act.这些事实可以让读者看到Congress的决心,同时也预示着为了改变如今的现状,我们也应该效仿历史.

　　P6：Contrast. 通过对比的关系,过去的Congress made great effort to realize full-employment society, 然而现在,nearly 30 million American workers either unemployed or underemployed Congress却无所作为,然而让现在的情形变得更糟糕.这种对比关系,起到appeal to readers’ dissatisfaction to Congress 的效果.

　　P7：Analogy. 有很多问题等着我们解决,如桥梁倒塌,水被污染,国际教育地位下降等.reducing unemployment也是一件我们必须要解决的public problem,如同其他问题一样,我们必须严肃对待,所以呼吁Congress要立法.

　　P8：成立Full Employment Caucus

　　P9：Parallel structure,强调full employment 的好处:investors and business people have more customers;workers have power to bargain for higher wages; crime declines as desperate people gain a paycheck and a purpose.

　　气势强烈,增强了表达效果; 另外,当读者看着这些benefits是,会从logic\reason去赞同作者要现实full-employment.

　　P10：忧国忧民.strength America’s economy and restore dignity for the tens of millions of Americans who have suffered the physical and emotional pain of joblessness.

　　P11：Echo with the beginning.奥巴马政府都在致力于解决失业问题,Congress也应该通过job bill.

　　二、写作思路

　　如果使用analysis order， 我们的写作文章结构可以这样来布局：

　　Evidence

　　historical facts

　　P1-3, P5都是在讲述历史证据。强调Congress 为了实现full-employment society做了很多:passed the Employment Act in 1946;It passed a range of legislation....... in the 1960s;in 1978, it passed the Humphrey-Hawkins Full Employment Act.这些事实可以让读者看到Congress的决心,同时也预示着为了改变如今的现状,我们也应该效仿历史.

　　statistic

　　P4: 使用statistic, With 50 million people, including 13 million children, now living below the poverty line 这么多人在生活在贫困线以下,这么大的数据让读者感到shocking, alarming .起到appeal to readers’ sympathy的效果.既然让每一个美国人拥有全职工作not only help eliminate poverty but also reduce the national debt and ultimately create the conditions for the free market to function well.,读者从情感上会觉得要推行full- employment.

　　P6：如今政府的不作为已经导致了这么严重的经济损失he fiscal showdowns and budget cuts that have consumed Congress over recent years have cost the country up to $700 billion in economic growth and more than 2 million jobs. 这么庞大的数据,让读者再次感到alarming,意识到情形的紧迫性.

　　Reasoning

　　P6 Contrast：通过对比的关系，过去的Congress made great effort to realize full-employment society, 然而现在,nearly 30 million American workers either unemployed or underemployed Congress却无所作为,然而让现在的情形变得更糟糕.这种对比关系,起到appeal to readers’ dissatisfaction to Congress 的效果.

　　P7 Analogy：有很多问题等着我们解决,如桥梁倒塌,水被污染,国际教育地位下降等.reducing unemployment也是一件我们必须要解决的public problem,如同其他问题一样,我们必须严肃对待,所以呼吁Congress要立法.

　　P9：当读者看着这些benefits是,会从logic\reason去赞同作者要现实full-employment.

　　Stylistic and persuasive elements

　　1) P9 Parallel structure

　　强调full employment 的好处:investors and business people have more customers;workers have power to bargain for higher wages; crime declines as desperate people gain a paycheck and a purpose.气势强烈,增强了表达效果.

　　2) Appeal to emotion

　　P10忧国忧民.strength America’s economy and restore dignity for the tens of millions of Americans who have suffered the physical and emotional pain of joblessness.