很多同学在托福写作的过程中，都会很痛苦地发问：学英语也学了这么多年了，读的文章也厚厚的了，为啥写出的句子这么幼稚不符合我的身份呢？实际上写作作为语言的输出（output)，必须建立在足够的输入（input）基础上，并且还需要发挥主观能动性进行模仿。林语堂先生曾经说过：“学习英语的唯一正轨，不出效仿和热诵。效仿即整句地效仿，热诵则效仿之后必回环练习。” 我把它叫做一个“RIO”的过程，即“read—imitate—own”, 先在阅读中积累，再灵活模仿和应用其中表达，Z后才能变成自己的东西。

年少时读《双城记》，翻开第一页就被开头震撼。许多同学都知道第一句：“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”，而原文紧连多个排比，才是气势逼人，引人入胜：“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. It was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness. It was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity. It was the season of light, it was the season of darkness. It was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.” 当时可谓一眼万年，一口气读了好多遍。

后来在托福独立写作中，发现时间对比类或有时代特点的很多题目都可以借用其中表达做开头背景句，比如：

Some people say that the Internet provides people with a lot of valuable information. Others think access to much information creates problems. Which view do you agree with? 

我们可以写上一句：It is the age of information, and it is the age of online problems.

当然我们也可以根据具体情况灵活改变，比如该题：

Do you agree or disagree with：Technology designed to make life easier actually made our life more complicated.

可以开头为：With respect to technology, it brings the spring of hope, and the winter of despair.

当然，同学们也会觉得，平时哪有那么多“蓦然回首”般惊艳的篇章呢？我们日常看到的好文章也有很多值得学习的呀！这里顺便也推荐一个公众号：中国日报双语新闻。近期有一篇关于拖延症（Procrastination）的文章中写道：As Sir Isaac Newton taught us a long time ago, objects at rest tend to stay at rest and objects in motion tend to stay in motion.

看到这里我就想到有一个学生写这道题目：

Do you agree or disagree with：The advice of your grandparents is no longer useful because the world has changed so much in the past 50 years.

当时学生提到祖父母关于职业选择的建议已经过时了，他写道：My grandfather always told me: “A doctor should always be a doctor, and a teacher should always be a teacher.

这个素人句子如果借鉴上句的包装，就可焕然出彩：As my grandfather taught me a long time ago, doctors tend to stay at hospitals and teachers tend to stay in school.

除此之外，我们还可以就地取材，托福综合写作的阅读部分都是地道的好文章。比如TPO40综写阅读第三段中Z后一句：The idea of ensuring a regular supply of water and oxygen from Earth is impractical in the extreme and would probably defeat the purpose of establishing a permanent station on Venus. 这个句型用于反驳特别漂亮。

比如此题：When parents cannot afford time to accompany with their children, they could choose to send their children to child-care center where many children are cared together; or they could send their children to an individual caregiver. Which one is better?

如果指出individual caregiver这一选择的花费高，可以应用以上句型：The idea of hiring a babysitter is financially impractical for most families and would probably defeat the purpose of creating an ideal growing environment for children.

借鉴和模仿一直都是提高写作的必经之途。北宋词人贺铸曾化用前人寇准诗句“杜鹃蹄处血成花，梅子黄时雨加雾”， 之后贺铸妙笔生花: “试问闲愁都几许，一川烟草，满城风絮，梅子黄时雨。” 意象深刻，倏然生新。

类似例子不胜枚举。文学大大们都这样，我们学习外语更要注意模仿啦！所以希望大家以后阅读时，碰到好句子除了read, 还要添上imitate以及own的过程。Let’s RIO!