美国人口教育水平与收入状况分析

Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay on the reward of education based on the statistics provided in the chart below. Please give a brief description of the chart first and then make comments on it. You should write at least 150 words but no more than 200 words.

审题立意

1. 导语解读：要求考生根据统计条形图的内容就“教育的回报”这一话题进行简述，并对图表反映的现象做出评价。

2. 图表解读：图表是美国人口普查局发布的一份统计表，反映的是平均收入和受教育程度的关系。显然，受教育程度越高，平均收入就越高。

3. 文章立意：受教育程度与收入情况成正比。原因是多方面的，比如受教育程度越高，在公司获得的职位就可能越高；由于他们具有不可替代性，公司对他们的投资很高。

写作思路

1. 第一段简要描述图表内容，点明图表反映出的主题。

2. 第二段分析产生这种现象的原因：首先，高学历通常代表高能力，容易获得高职位；其次，高学历的人才不容易被劳动力取代，从而要求单位付出更多的投资。

3. 第三段呼应文章论点，再次强调学历与收入成正比。

参考范文

As can be seen from the bar chart given above, there exist great differences in the average earnings among people with different educational attainment. Roughly, people’s average earnings are in direct proportion to their educational attainment. That is, the higher a person’s degree is, the higher income he or she is likely to get. 1

Several reasons can be identified to account for this phenomenon. 2 On the one hand 3 , with the rapid development of technology and the adjustment of industrial structure, a growing number of high-tech industries have sprung up. Since higher degree usually stands for stronger ability, people with higher degree tend to get positions with higher salaries. On the other hand 3 , people with bachelor’s degree or even higher degrees usually master the skills of a high-tech job. It is impossible to replace them with pure laborers, which implies that to keep these talents, the company needs to invest more in them.

To sum up, because of the unique advantages that people with higher educational attainment own, they tend to get more reward than those with lower degree. 4

如上面的柱状图所示，拥有不同教育程度的人们在平均收入上存在很大差异。人们的平均收入与受教育水平大致成正比，也就是说，一个人的学历越高，他／她的收入也可能越高。

造成这种现象的原因有几个。一方面，随着技术的快速发展和工业结构的调整，大量的高科技企业大量涌现。由于高学历通常代表着高能力，拥有高学历的人往往容易获得薪水更高的工作。另一方面，拥有学士及更高学历的人通常掌握着高科技的技术，不可能被纯劳动力替换，也就意味着单位要留住这些高技能人才，就需要付出更多的投资。

总而言之，由于高学历人才所具有的独特优势，他们更容易比低学历的人们获得更多的经济回报。

范文点评

1. 开篇简要描述图表内容，首先是整体描述，接着对柱状图中数据的变化趋势进行详细描述，暗示背后的隐含意思。

2. 自然过渡，由对图表反映的现象转入分析现象产生的原因。

3. 从两方面阐释图表所示变化产生的原因，条理清晰，层次分明。

4. 末段总结全文，重申观点，再次强调受教育程度与收入的关系。

要点用法

educational attainment 受教育程度

roughly adv. 大致，概略地

in proportion to 与……成比例

identify v. 识别，分辨出

account for 对……做出说明（或解释）

phenomenon n. 现象

spring up 涌现，出现

tend to 趋向，易于

句法点评

1. Roughly, people’s average earnings are in direct proportion to their educational attainment.

本句中含有be in direct proportion to这一表达，意为“与……成正比”。

2. Several reasons can be identified to account for this phenomenon.

这句话用作第二段的主题句，阐明现象产生的原因。类似的表达还有It is not hard to find causes for the difference shown in the bar chart given above.