Module 1 Discussing needs in your community
1. Neighborhood issues and solutions
- vandalism 故意破坏 /ˈvændəlɪzəm/
- graffiti 涂鸦 /ɡrəˈfiːti/
- gang 帮派 / ɡæŋ/
- homelessness 无家可归 /ˈhoʊmləsnəs/
- violent attacks 暴力袭击 /ˈvaɪələnt əˈtæk/
- neglected 未被妥善照管的
- initiative 倡议
- cleanup 清理
- combat 对付
- revitalize 使恢复元气
- dilapidated 破旧的
- speed humps 减速带
- We are taking initiatives to combat vandalism. 我们正在采取措施打击蓄意破坏。
- That part of the neighborhood is dilapidated. 那一部分的社区破旧不堪。
- Local residents have organized a few cleanups. 当地居民组织了几次清理。
- A neighborhood watch program should be organized. 应该组织邻里守望活动。
- Gangs and graffiti are our biggest problems. 帮派和涂鸦是我们最大的问题。
2. Acknowledging other people's points 承认别人的观点
当你进行对话时，让别人觉得你一直在倾听并且尊重他们的想法总是很重要的。以下是一些表达方式：
- That does certainly seem to be the case. 那看上去确实是这样的。
- That's a valid point you brought up. 你提出了一个合理的论点。
- I'd definitely say so. 我会肯定地说是这样的。
- You hit the nail on the head there. 你说得一针见血。
在这四个表达方式中，hit the nail on the head 可能听起来最不正式，但它在你强烈同意这个想法时是很好用的。用更加正式的方式来表达你强烈同意时，你也可以说：
- I'm in complete agreement with you about that. 我完全同意你的意见。
3. Adding to other people's points 在别人的论点基础上添加
以下是一些你可以用来添加你的意见，以在别人的论点基础上扩展的短语：
- I'd like to add that people will feel the area is neglected. 我想补充的是，人们会觉得这个地区被忽略了。
- And on top of that, we might want to start a neighborhood watch. 除此之外，我们可能要开始邻里守望。
- To take that one step further, we should inform everyone about the neighborhood watch. 进一步地说，我们应该通知每个人有关邻里守望的事。
这是更多的用于在别人的想法基础上扩展和保持谈话具有建设性的表达方式。
- A: We have to make sure the local residents know what to watch for in the neighborhood. 我们必须确保当地居民知道该在社区里留意什么。
- B: For me, it's also about deciding what actions to take. 对我来说，这也是关于决定要采取什么行动。
- A: We'll need to work closely with the police to combat street violence. 我们需要与警察密切合作来打击街头暴力。
- B: And if I could build on that, it's also critical to involve other city organizations. 如果我能加一句的话，将其他的城市组织融入进来也是至关重要的。
Module 2 Talking about humanitarian efforts
1. World issues
前缀和后缀
了解常见的前缀和后缀能让你有根据地猜测出生词的词义。它们还可以帮助你建立拥有共同词根的词之间的连接。
否定前缀
下列否定前缀dis- 和 in-将肯定形容词改变为否定的。
- advantaged – disadvantaged 处境优越的－贫穷的
- sufficient – insufficient 足够的－不足的
如果一个形容词以字母l开头，通常它会使用il-前缀。如果它以字母m 或 p开头，通常会加上im-。Ir-常用在以r开始的形容词前。
- literate – illiterate 识字的 －文盲的
- probable – improbable 可能的 －不可能的
- regular – irregular 规则的－ 不规则的
前缀under-指缺乏的东西。
- nourished – undernourished 营养良好的－营养不良的
前缀over-意思是有太多的东西。
- populated – overpopulated 人口密集的－人口过多的
后缀-less把一个名词转换成形容词，它表明某事不存在或者某人缺乏某事。
- home – homeless 家 －无家可归的
- The number of illiterate people is often underestimated. Many people in remote areas haven't been counted.
- Local government is sometimes incapable of helping the poor. There are simply not enough resources.
- It is irresponsible to assume that being in poverty is the fault of poor people.
- A disadvantaged person needs a great deal of help.
- Some nonprofit organizations are too understaffed to make a real impact on problems.
2. Sounding cautious
使用近似统计
在给出没有那么确切的统计数据时，使用近似语言来帮助你避免错误。注意in the region of给出一个大致范围，as many as描述一个说话人要强调的粗略数字是大量的。
- The population of homeless people was in the region of 0.6 million to 0.7 million in 2013. 无家可归者的人数在2013年是60万到70万之间。
- Figures suggest that as many as a hundred million people worldwide are homeless. 数字表明，全球有多达一亿的人无家可归。
- That's something like 800 million people suffering from insufficient food. 约有8亿人因食物不足而遭受痛苦。
- It was found that approximately 750 million adults in the world were illiterate. 结果发现，世界上大约有7.5亿成年人是文盲。
抽离是用谨慎语言来保护你的观点，并避免听起来太绝对的技巧。抽离的一种方法是使用动词如estimate, judge 和 guess。
- The World Food Organization estimates that more than 10 percent of the starving people it helps live in urban areas. 世界粮食组织估计，它帮助的超过10％的饥民生活在城市地区。
当您预感到不一定每个人都同意时，您可以使用模糊限制语来修饰一个陈述。
- If I remember correctly, it was over 1 million people. 如果我没有记错的话，这是超过100万的人。
- It seems that they occur in every single country all over the world. 看起来，他们在世界各地的每一个国家发生。
- It appears that this doesn't happen only in disadvantaged areas. 看上去这并不仅在贫困地区才会发生。
3. Humanitarian efforts
Humanitarian Efforts
The world is rapidly changing, with its turbulent economies and rapid advancement of technology. Meanwhile, we are still facing problems that have existed for decades. As many as 800 million people are undernourished worldwide, approximately 100 million people in the world are homeless and over 750 million adults globally are illiterate. However, on the positive side, organizations and individuals have greatly increased their efforts to fight these problems.
In the past year, financial and material aid remained the main forms of humanitarian support. Statistics from Charitable International revealed that organizations and individuals in the US donated more than $350 billion to charities and nonprofit organizations. Considerable amounts also were donated in various other countries, with education, human services and health charities receiving the most. Rather than big foundations and corporations, individuals accounted for the vast majority of the annual donations. With this massive amount of funding, charities and nonprofits have been pushed to operate more transparently to meet their donors' expectations.
Volunteering in humanitarian work has also proved a popular form of support. In the UK and the US, approximately 25 percent of citizens participated in volunteering last year. Common activities included collecting and distributing food to people in need, tutoring and teaching the disadvantaged, building and running shelters for the homeless and organizing fundraising events. One survey showed that the majority of regular volunteers did so to gain a sense of satisfaction from seeing improvement in people's lives.
- My husband tutors disadvantaged children. 我的丈夫辅导贫困儿童。
- I make regular donations to a homeless shelter. 我定期捐款给无家可归者收容所。
- In December, I helped distribute food to the poor. 在十二月，我帮助把食物分发给穷人。
- Volunteering gives me a sense of achievement. 做志愿者给我一种成就感。
- I run a shelter for the homeless. 我为无家可归的人开办了一个庇护所。
4. Citing from a source
引用来源
通过引用你引入信息的来源你会听上去更客观和可信。一个常见的非正式做法是使用过去进行时。
- I was listening to this podcast the other day that said volunteer holidays have become very popular. 我有一天听这段播客提到志愿者假期已非常受欢迎。
- I was watching a documentary on wildlife last night, and it said that some national parks are short of funding. 昨晚我看了一个关于野生动物的纪录片，它说一些国家公园缺少资金。
你也可以使用转述动词如report, say,state。
- The UN reported problems with hunger. 联合国报道的饥饿问题。
当你不太确定来源时，你可以使用Was it …?来问一个问题。
- Was it that website Charitable International that said individuals account for the majority of donations? 是不是慈善国际的网站提到个人捐款占大多数？
如果你不记得确切的来源，你可以使用somewhere做一个含糊的参考。
- I remember reading somewhere that something like 750 million adults in the world can't read or write. 我记得在什么地方读到，世界上大约7.5亿成人无法读或写。
- Situation 1: You read a statistic that about 800 million people are suffering from insufficient food, but you can't remember where you read it.
- Situation 2: Some time ago, you read in a magazine that approximately 750 million adults in the world were illiterate.
- Situation 3: According to a report from Charitable International, the majority of donations to charities come from individuals.
- Situation 4: You learned recently that the majority of people who volunteered did so for a sense of satisfaction. You vaguely remember the source was TimeBank.com.
Module 3 Talking about making an impact
1. Speaking engagingly
魅力讲话的技巧
让我们来看一下说话时吸引你的听众的几个技巧。
使用figurative speech，或者非字面或暗喻的措辞，可以让你所说的更有趣。例如，weave的意思事用线织布，backfire*描述发动机逆火。
- You have a wonderful opportunity to weave doing good into your culture. 你有一个极好的机会来编织善行到你的文化中。
- His plan totally backfired. 他的计划完全失败了。
你也可以使用intensity adverbs来增加你的讲话的吸引力。
- To succeed spectacularly, you need to be willing to fail spectacularly. 要巨大地成功，你需要愿意去巨大地失败。
其他常见的 intensity adverbs 有 truly, genuinely 和 tremendously。
你也可以通过将常见词替换成更强的单词和词组来添加强调。在下面的例子中，注意every single, nothing but 和 more than的使用。
- People are basically good, and if you give them the right tools, they will prove that to you every single day. 人们基本上都是好的，如果你给他们正确的工具，他们每一天都会向你证明这一点。
- We want nothing but the best for our customers. 我们希望把最好的给我们的客户。
- I'm more than willing to transform the company into one that benefits not only the stakeholder but also the general public. 我非常愿意将公司转变为一个不仅惠及利益相关者，而且有益于公众的公司。
2. Making an impact
Small acts, big differences
By Gillian Thomson
The world today is definitely not a paradise. Hunger, poverty and disease are all too common. While these world problems take tremendous resources to tackle, governments and big organizations are not the only forces capable of doing it. You as an individual can also make a difference, and it's not as hard as you think.
Financial support
Micro-philanthropy has been a popular concept for some time. Its essence is to allow individual donors to make an impact with small donations. A number of charity websites allows the option of giving for a specific purpose. For example, you can pledge 20 a month. Micro-giving also makes it possible for small donors to impact a large number of people in need. Last year, 1,342 donations averaging $8 each added up to 10 new wells in Africa, bringing clean drinking water to thousands.
Volunteer work
Even with funding in place, making changes happen still requires a large amount of work. That's why volunteers are still critical. Available volunteer work ranges widely, depending on your time and skills. With expertise in finance, for instance, you can volunteer with local charities to help out with their accounting. You can also donate your time and energy in more hands-on ways, such as collecting and distributing food in local communities. Even if you can only contribute one day a month, charities and nonprofit organizations would still love to use your time and ability. When time is an issue, take a volunteer holiday. You can spend your annual leave traveling to a place in need and participate in onsite volunteer work.
Think about who you want to help and what you can offer, research organizations and programs that will meet your needs, and reach out. That's all it takes for an individual to make an impact.
- Pledge a donation for a specific purpose. 承诺为特定目的而捐赠。
- Volunteer with a nonprofit organization. 加入一个非营利组织做志愿者。
- Micro-philanthropy can have a big impact. 微慈善可以有很大的影响。
- You can sponsor a child's education. 你可以资助一个孩子的教育。
- Contribute your time and energy. 贡献你的时间和精力。
- Try participating in onsite volunteer work. 尝试参与现场志愿者工作。
3. Softening your advice 给出软化的建议
如果你软化你的口气其他人常常会更容易接受你的建议。你可以有多种方式做到这一点。
使用包括性代词如I 和 we，而不是you来与另一个人关连起来。
- I'd actually look into micro-giving. 其实我会看一下微付出。
- We both know that a simple act of kindness can make a big difference. 我们都知道，一个简单的善行会产生很大的不同。
使用问题或假设性陈述以避免强烈建议。
- Have you considered volunteering with local nonprofits? 你有没有考虑去当地非营利组织做志愿者？
- Right. What if you find a program you're interested in and ask them? 对。你找到一个你有兴趣的项目并问去他们，怎么样？
有时候，你可以只改变句子的语调，使它成为一个问题。
- Maybe you could try going on a volunteer holiday? 也许你可以尝试一个志愿者假期？
此外，具有积极意义的某些短语用作鼓励是很有用的。 例如：
- Every bit counts. 每一点都有用。
- You never know. 你永远不知道。
Module 4 Writing to argue or persuade
1. What is CSR?
My take on CSR
By Jenlee32 at 20:32, yesterday
CSR, or corporate social responsibility, has been a big topic of discussion in recent years. It refers to companies taking responsibility for the impact their actions have upon their workforce, their community and the world – which, for me, should be an essential part of any operating business.
As an integral part of society, corporations need to conform to social expectations, and that entails moral responsibilities. It means that companies shouldn't damage the environment. It's not a lot to ask that they make it office policy to recycle paper, use ceramic cups and save electricity. A company ought to pay even its lowest employees a livable salary and make sure they work in a hazard-free office. Similarly, as members of the local community, businesses should support community development by sponsoring local projects and donations.
Some critics believe CSR is just a publicity stunt, nothing more than a marketing device to manipulate public perception. While it may be true that a company needs to maintain its public image, and CSR is a good method of doing that, we must not ignore the fact that this oftentimes is a win-win situation. If a company ensures fair benefits for its staff, it usually enjoys less turnover and higher productivity. By sponsoring improvements in local education, the company is actually cultivating its future workforce. And on a global scale, operating sustainably helps ensure that all businesses have adequate resources to operate in the future.
To sum up, I believe CSR should be an innate part of business operations. Consistent adherence to corporate social responsibility principles can help the company and its shareholders, as well as people in need in the local community and around the world.
企业社会责任语言
这是一些与 corporate social responsibilityCSR)相关的语言。
- We should conform to social expectations. 我们应该顺应社会的期望。
- All companies have moral responsibilities. 所有公司都有道义上的责任。
- CSR is just a publicity stunt for shareholders. 企业社会责任只是股东们的一种宣传噱头。
- It's just a marketing device. 这只是一种营销手段。
- It's an attempt to manipulate public perceptions. 这是操纵公众看法的一种尝试。
- Companies want to maintain a positive public image. 公司希望保持积极的公众形象。
- The company is recognized for ensuring fair benefits for its staff. 公司被认为是确保其员工合理利益的。
- Better benefits lead to less turnover and higher productivity. 更好的福利带来更少的员工流动和更高的效率。
- Companies have an obligation to operate sustainably. 公司有可持续运营的义务。
2. Building an argument
My take on CSR
...
写作来说服
在关于企业社会责任的文章中，作者用了一个很常见的结构来构建她的论点：opening (开头), expansion (展开), concession (让步), refutation (反驳), 和 summary (总结)
The opening
在开头，作者陈述主题，企业社会责任，然后给出她的立场，因此读者会立刻明白主要思想。
The expansion
开头后，她以关于企业社会责任的细节来扩充并以此来建立她的论点－例如，公司应该付a livable wage。
The concession
然后，作为她的论点的一部分，她做出了一个concession，承认对立的观点，一些人认为企业社会责任是一个publicity stunt。这是一个证明你的客观性和对不同立场知晓的有效的方法。
The refutation
让步后，作者马上驳斥了对立的观点并进一步加强了她自己立场的论点。她列举了企业社会责任的好处－例如，less turnover 和 higher productivity。
The summary
最后，她通过重述她在文章中涵盖的论点来重申她对企业社会责任的支持。
3. Making concessions and refuting
在让步中削弱对立观点
你的让步并不总是必须要绝对的。即使你提到了反对意见，你仍然可以将该观点削弱一点，以加强自己的论点。例如，您可以使用情态动词如may 或者 might。
- Critics may argue it's too expensive for a company to give back to the public. However …
*批评家可能认为对一个公司来说回馈大众太昂贵了。然而…
你可以使用动词如feel 和 believe来将反对的意见从事实弱化为观点。注意some people是如何帮助淡化观点的。
- Some people believe that CSR is too expensive. On the other hand …
*一些人认为企业社会责任太贵了。另一方面…
你也可以直接表述反对意见。
- One common argument against CSR is that it's too time consuming. I don't agree …
*反对企业社会责任的一个常见的论点是，它太耗费时间了。我不同意…
驳斥反对意见
你可以在同一个句子中做出让步，并反驳反对观点。看这些例子。哪个从句是让步，哪个是反驳？
- While it might be true that CSR can be expensive, we need to take into consideration its obvious benefits to companies.
*虽然企业社会责任有可能是昂贵的可能是事实，但我们需要考虑它给公司带来的明显的好处。 - Although CSR may take away some time from employees' work responsibilities, it's also evident that it gives employees a sense of satisfaction.
*虽然企业社会责任可能会占用员工的工作职责中的一些时间，但也很明显，它给员工以满足感。
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