朗阁海外考试研究中心 李世彤
一、为什么Eminem
Eminem, 作为美国嘻哈音乐的中流砥柱，从上世纪九十年代末就一直在影响着全球青少年，本人从路转粉也是在非常认真听了他的专辑Recovery中的Not Afraid之后，歌词中“I shouldn’t have to rhyme these words in the rhythm for you to know it’s a rap. You said you was king you lied through your teeth. For that fuck your fillings instead of getting crowned you’re getting capped.”让我觉得Eminem真的厉害的飞起。自然这个之前也是听过I Need a Doctor和Love the Way You Lie这样脍炙人口的热歌，但是奈何姆爷语速太快，加之又没有很认真听，所以并不觉得有什么。然而，对比一下别的rap你就知道Eminem很厉害啦，比如Snoop Dogg的Young Wild&Free中：“Oh my God, I’m on the chase. Chevy it’s gettin’ kinda heavy relevant sellin’ it.”然后你就能初步体会到Eminem的厉害了，词汇量比后者多很多不说，用的词汇很标准有没有？没有那么多不规范的“kinda”, “gettin”。再者，语法也是正确的，还有连接词instead of看到没有（连接词在托福口语中使用的重要性不言自明）。lied through your teeth很厉害的英语也出现了，偶尔飙一个，绝对是一个加分亮点。而且，更彪悍的是，有没有看到句里行间的逻辑？第二句说自己撒谎，因为第三句说自己本来要戴皇冠的，但是戴了帽子。哈哈哈，这等自嘲，却又是很狂妄的自大，因为他也自诩King和Rap God。
所以词汇，连接词，逻辑构成了Eminem的不败武器，于他，让他在这片黑人的天下执了牛耳；于我，或者于要听他歌的万千托福考生而言，就是一个个完整的故事，和一条条讲故事的套路，而这些套路就是我们考生能够寓学于乐又能提分的法宝。另外再讲一个Eminem的趣事，当年Eminem在美国密歇根州上林肯中学时，九年级愣是读了三年。当在参加CNN主播Anderson Cooper采访的时候被问及此事时，Eminem坦率承认过往的不光荣学校历史，但是顺带提到的是自己牛叉的语文成绩，他说：“No matter how bad my grades were at school, I always excelled at English.”然后顺带给主播看了一纸盒的sketches, 都是灵感之纸片，一些押韵的词语。因此跟随他如此传神的rap歌词，并且喜欢如此身体力行研究英文词汇的Eminem, 怎么会提升不了口语呢？毕竟，托福口语的听力和我们考生的回答语速，远远地被姆爷15秒钟清晰吐出100个单词的速度甩在了后面。
二、怎么运用Eminem这样的灵魂人物
笔者在上课过程中发现，对于托福口语来说，假以时日，考生们能够较好地掌握第三题到第六题的出题思路和回答套路，无非就是阅读、听力笔记做好，加上适当的连接词，在有限的时间内（一分钟）把自己的笔记串联起来。然而，诸多考生向笔者抱怨：第一题第二题实在累感不爱，因为实在不知道说什么好，并且讲到一半戛然而止的情况还频频发生。那么，笔者想对该类考生语重心长地说一句：其实这个很简单哟，让我来给你看看我的“套路”。
那么接下来，让我们看一下最新TPO40-48当中都有一些什么难缠的话题止住了考生们的手脚，并且通过运用Eminem来看如何用一个素材回答好一系列题目（在这里只是节选一些话题，生搬硬套也不是个办法不是）。
TPO40: Task1: Talk about a country or culture that you would like to learn more about. What is the country or culture and why would you like to learn more about it?
Example: For me, American culture is the culture on this planet that I want to learn more about, and in particular, its pop culture that is very much defined by hip-pop music.
Firstly, China does not really have the kind of hip-pop culture like America does. Hip-pop in America can pretty much talk about anything from politics to sex like what my idol Eminem includes in his works. Such works can better educate me what hip-pop is.
Secondly, as I mentioned, Eminem is my idol because he, to me, is a rap artist. Many celebrities in America like Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, Kim Kardashian and so on all are seriously mocker about, but he does a good job in giving me a taste of American culture. For example, you know Elvis made his money through singing Blues.
TPO41: Task1: Talk about a famous person that you admire. Explain why you respect this person.
Example: The famous person that I admire has to be Eminem, the American rap artist. With his genius command of the English language, I actually have learned a lot about not only culture and English but also how to become stronger.
For example, he roasted many a celebrities through American history, people in show business and in political arena. Yet, he does it in a very clever way because he writes the funny rap lyrics using subtle connotations. Also, he teaches to be stronger in his lyrics like: Straighten up little soldier. Stiffen up that upper lip. He was actually addressing to his daughter but I feel he is talking to me.
TPO41: Task2: Some people believe it is important for university to provide funding for student entertainment, such as movies or concerts on campus. Others believe that university money should only be used for academic purposes. Which view do you agree with? Explain why.
Example: Personally, I’m all for university providing funding for student entertainment. Currently, basically every functional school all over the world has equipped itself with many if not sufficient teaching facilities. Yet, schools sometimes stress too much on the academic side of things and ignore the needs of students to have extracurricular activities. This case is specially so in China.
Such entertainment can, as a matter of fact, stimulate students to develop a particular campus culture. For example, my university, under the school Music Club’s guidance, organized a rap competition because the club leader was a huge fan of Eminem, the great rap artist. That thing lingered on. Months after that, students were still competing with their friends in coming up the smarter rhymes and they were always able to attract attention wherever they went. The Music Club won the Club of the Year that year in my university.
TPO42: Task1: Choose an accomplishment that required you to work very hard. Explain what the accomplishment was and why it was important to you.
Example: An accomplishment that I worked really hard to achieve is that I got the third prize in a rap competition held in my university four years ago. As a college student, hungry and foolish, I was fortunate enough to come across Eminem, the rap god in hip-pop. His lyrics and delivery of his works inspired me a lot and I tried my best to imitate him when performing for my friends.
So when my university held the rap competition, I took part like my fate was calling me. But, it was a hard work. Firstly, it was nerve wrecking to write my own piece of work because I wanted to write like Eminem that I would be able to corporate my own experience into my lyrics and I needed to have the rhymes. Second, Chinese rapping can get difficult because the tone of it is always quite flat. So I made every effort to make my delivery exciting and attractive. The third prize came as a surprise and encouragement because it motivated me to continue writing more raps and this is a great way to express myself.
TPO43: Task1: People set a variety of goals for themselves throughout their lives. Describe one goal you would like to achieve in the future, and explain why this goal is important to you. Include specific details in your explanation.
Example: I would like to be the first-class rapper or even THE rap artist, like Eminem, in China in five years.
Firstly, my idol Eminem has achieved so much since he launched his career in early 90s. He has obtained at least 11 Grammys and even 1 Oscar and he is still trying to create new things for the world to listen. In his works, he reveals himself and his private life for the world to see and by doing so he encouraged millions of his fans to get out problems like drug addiction. In his song, Not Afraid, he told the world that he was coming back from his old drug-addict self to assume the responsibility as a father. I think he was telling people with problems to head on to overcome the obstacles in life and to tell others that we are not afraid to confront difficulties.
That’s what an artist does, to call on people to become the better versions of themselves. That’s what I want to achieve.
TPO44: Task1: Talk about a special job you have had in the past or would like to have in the future.
Example: 这个可以完全同上，因为，成为中国首席rapper真的是前无古人，后有来者，因为这个领域根本就是个未被开发的处女地，完全符合：special, 也符合：in the future。
TPO45: Task2: Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Artists and musicians are important to a society. Use details and examples to explain your answer.
Example: 这个话题，稍微改动几个词，亦和TPO43的Task1相似。
TPO46: Task1: Talk about one way in which you have benefited from using the Internet. Use specific examples and details in your response.
这一个话题亦然，但是提到了internet, 那么我就需要额外补充一些细节了。
Example: One way that I benefited from using the internet is that I became one more step closer to my idol, Eminem.
Without doubt, he is THE icon of hip-pop. However, since I live in China, I have many difficulties in getting to know him because first there is the language barrier on Chinese magazines and newspapers about him. Moreover, such sources don’t tell you much anyway. Yet, by searching about him on the internet on sources like Wikipedia and YouTube, I almost feel like I know him personally.
No doubt, from Wikipedia, I knew the basic biography of Eminem. But it is on YouTube that I came to know him so much better. YouTube is a great source to know about everything really. There are so many people and different channels professing in the same area and topic. There’s Eminem’s Vevo, a music channel to listen to his greatest hits, reports about his always-on-the-news ex-wife and lovely daughter, and his interviews with people like CNN’s Anderson Cooper. From these references, Eminem is breathing in my mind actually.
三、怎么“偷师”他的歌词
在这里，笔者仅仅想通过一些具有代表性的歌曲，截取一些单词和表达，来揭示Eminem的牛叉以及我们可以怎么运用他的歌曲来攻克托福口语，或者说在整个托福考试中取得一个理想的成绩。
1. Just Lose it
词汇：pajamas（睡衣），lap（大腿），molestation（骚扰），accusation（控告），stab（匕首），metaphor（隐喻），psycho（精神病患者），cruise（巡游），guilty（愧疚的，有罪的），intense（紧张的），battle（战事），jealous（嫉妒的，这个词描述了别人获得成就时自己的情绪，贴切且生动），skinny（瘦，超瘦，如果你想描述一个名人或者邻居，用这个多形象啊？），unwind（放松，很多学生一旦说到自己为什么喜欢某部电影，某一首歌曲的时候就只会说I can relax myself, 是时候搞一个酷炫的单词啦）。
表达：brand new toy, it’s my day（今天心情好，可用来形容自己最开心的一天），stressed out, all I need is（虽然这个表达有点老生常谈，但是学生用得还是不多，情绪很强烈的表达呢）。
2. Role Model
词汇：drown（淹死），cancerous（像癌症一般的，用来形容某件事极速流行，这个词太厉害啦），cannabis（大麻），strangle（使窒息），choke（使窒息，然而这个词加个“r”就变成潮得要死的颈环啦，新词get），blunt（直接的，钝的），pervert（变态。虽然这个词有点变态，但是也可以指某样东西朝不好的方向转了），tonsil（扁桃体，这种单词，不看人体解剖图，都不知道怎么学，如果听听rap就能get, 何乐而不为呢？），mist（雾），grave（坟墓），spine（脊椎，动物学里边老是会出现这个单词），ozone layer（臭氧层。首先，rap里出现环境科学的概念我就肃然起敬了。Layer: 层，大大得在地质学生物学出现啦），corpse（尸体，AGAIN, 这种词在rap里面能学到，赚死啦），sever（割，很高端的一个词）。
表达：attempt to（尝试，有时候用try to有点trite），poke through（穿过），on the edge（要崩溃了），be supposed to（本应该，这个表达也是老套路了，但是多少考生还是脱口而出一个又一个的should呢？），how to behave（如何言行举止），grow up to be just like me（长大和我一样，这个表达把“me”换成任何你想要成为的人，就可以各种使用到名人，想达到的目标啦。照葫芦画瓢，多简单，多省事），must have been（肯定是，这种虚拟语气，大神级别的语法结构都上来了，赶紧收藏然后拿到托福里用。）
综上所述，托福好多单词我们都可以跟着姆爷大神学习，还可以把自己一口中式英语的腔调改成酷酷的rap, 并且还不会沾染黑人浓厚的口音。
网友评论