第二十七单元 如何用因果法推展篇章

27.1 Cause and Effect（因果法）

The stating of facts and the giving of reasons to explain why and how the facts came about is the basic procedure in essay development by cause and effect．The technique of cause and effect has great flexibility，for the relationships between causes and effects are not always as clear cut as the two terms seem to suggest．Causes may not all carry the same weight，for example．Several contributing causes may be grounded together to form one important cause．There may be one effect to a cause，or there may be many．Effects may be less important than causes，and so on．So you have to be very careful in dealing with cause and effect．

Model Essay 27-1

As it is known to everyone，languages are constantly changing nowadays．There are many reasons why languages change，but the following three major causes may help illustrate the concept．Initially，various languages that started from the same parent developed their own uniqueness after groups of speakers drifted away from one another to establish isolated，independent communities．

Another major cause of language change is the influence of and interaction with foreign cultures，often as a result of militaryconquest．A continuing cause for change is rapidly expanding technology and new systems of communication that bring all cultures and languages into closer contact，with borrowing between language a common phenomenon in the contemporary world．

New established communities，the influence of and interaction with foreign cultures，the rapid development of technology and new systems of communication contribute to language change．So we may say all languages change as the experiences of their speakers change．

27.2 Analysis of the Model Essay（范文分析）

The three causes of language change mentioned in the above model essay can be outlined as follows：

effect：Languages are changing constantly．

cause：a．newly established communities

b．the influence of and interaction with foreign cultures

c．the rapid development of technology and new systems of communication

本文作者首先点出主题思想：Languages are contantly changing（表明结果），接着列举了导致发生变化的三大原因，并举例加以说明，使读者对文中的因果关系一清二楚（此篇文章着重强调了语言发展变化的原因）。此外，文中所用的一些转换词语使文章有了明显的连贯性。作者通过“initially…another major cause is…a continuing cause for change is…”这一灵活多变的转换句式巧妙地引出了语言变化的三大原因。因此，文章读起来既连贯一致，又具有较强的说服力。

Writing Assignment 1

Directions：Write a 3-paragraph essay by using the cause-effect technique to illustrate why football is becoming more and more popular in recent years．The title and the given information will be of help．

1）It is played world wide；

2）It is an exciting game—both for players and viewers；

3）There are many football fans throughout the world．

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Writing Assignment 2

Directions：Write a 3-paragraph essay by using the cause-effect technique to illustrate the causes of global warming．Your composition should be no less than 100 words．Base your ideas on the given outline below．

Recently there has been an increase in the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere，which，in turn，causes global warming．

1）increased power generation using coal or oil；

2）increasing numbers of gasoline engines-cars，trucks，etc．；

3）growth of industrial production；

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