Bar graphs (柱状图) , line graphs (线状图) , tables (表格图) , and pie charts (饼状图) are used to present numerical facts and relationships in visual form.Often it is much easier to pick out needed information by looking at them than by reading through written material.Thus, the ability to get information from these visual forms quickly and accurately is a very useful skill.
Model Essay One
The bar graph shows the increase in the number of adolescents, aged 10 to 19, who died from gun violence between 1987 and 1991.The number of children killed by guns, aged 10-19, rose from 1350 in 1987 to 2200 in 1991.The total number of U.S.homicide victims, aged 10-19, went up to 2100 in 1987, 2400 in 1988, and 2750 in 1991 respectively.
American adolescents committed so many murders for some of the following reasons.A five-year study by the American Psychological Association found that the average child has witnessed 8, 000 murders and 100, 000 other acts of violence on TV by the time he or she has completed sixth grade.Moreover, an astonishing number of children either own a gun or know how to get one.Therefore, the widespread availability of firearms makes it far too easy for kids to kill and be killed.
To cure this social disease, we need to focus on prevention.The best place to begin is in the home where children should watch TV under the guidance of their parents so that they will not imitate anti-social acts.Next, to manage anger, kids should be taught to cool their emotions by dealing with a dispute nonviolently.For example, if they can't reach an agreement, they should try to negotiate a compromise.The most pressing task, however, is to get guns away from children.In doing so, we can prevent children from accidentally shooting themselves or someone else.
Model Essay Two
The two line graphs make it clear that both oil wells have steadily increased their oil production in the past few years.At the Oyster Bay Field, the oil production in the first year was 453.6 B/D.After this oil well pumped 660.8 B/D in the second year, its production rose to 825.4 B/D in the third year.The oil production at Zuma Field in five years went up from 329.1 B/D to 927.8 B/D.
Zuma Field has greater potential.In terms of oil output, it takes only three years for Oyster Bay Field to accomplish a yield of 825.4 B/D, and four years for Zuma Field to reach 825.6 B/D.But high oil production at Oyster Bay Field may result in quick depletion of crude oil, even if it is located in a rich oil-bearing area.In contrast, the steady increase in oil production at Zuma Field signals that this oil well is a more promising one.If advanced equipment and technologies are involved in the whole production process at Zuma Field, this oil well may stay productive for a long period of time.
High oil production and the sustainable development of oil resources should be well balanced.Crude oil is a non-renewable energy, so it is inappropriate for us to accelerate oil production without any limits.While we reap benefits from oil and oil products, we should avoid over-consumption and excessive exploitation.To save our“black gold”, we should also find suitable substitutes.In brief, the balance between oil production and protection of oil resources is of vital importance to mankind on a long-term basis.
Model Essay Three
According to the figures given in the table, there was an obvious growth in the number of foreigners entering China between 1996 and 1997.Take one of China's neighboring countries for example: Japanese, who topped the list twice, went up steadily from 1.548 million in 1996 to 1.582 million in 1997.People from geographically remote countries like America were also on the rise within these two years.Compared with the visitors from America in 1996, the number of Americans increased dramatically by 40, 000 by the end of 1997!
Foreigners have a variety of purposes for coming to China.Since the reform and opening-up drive in the late 1970s, China has grown into a land of opportunities.To meet China's booming trade, many businesspeople from abroad waste no time in doing business with Chinese partners.Another major reason is due to China's many tourist attractions.Amazed by Chinese ancient civilization, some travelers even never hesitate to repeat their sweet memories back in China.Some other foreigners come to China to study traditional Chinese medicine, Chinese art, etc..
In order to make China more appealing to foreigners, we still have tremendous tasks to accomplish.To further expand Sino-foreign economic cooperation, China should continue to improve its investment climate by speeding up the construction of infrastructure such as highways and telecommunications.A good investment climate should also include flexible government policies, more comprehensive services to foreign investors, and quicker response to their difficulties.In addition, more English signs should be available in public places so that overseas visitors won't get confused or lost.
In the essays you just read, you can find the general rules for writing an essay using graphs, tables, and/or charts: the first paragraph describes the changes in the statistics；the second paragraph offers possible explanations for and/or analyses of the changes；and the third paragraph is the conclusion in the form of a suggestion, solution, prediction, personal opinion, etc..
Practice 6-1-1
Since the first paragraph usually describes the changes in the statistics, you must know how to write the introductory sentence-the general trend in change-in this paragraph.Here are some useful expressions to choose from.
1) According to the figures given in the bar graph (or line graph, table, pie chart) , we know that + topic sentence.
2) The bar graph (or line graph, table, pie chart) shows (or indicates, makes it clear) that + topic sentence.
3) It can be seen from (or It is clear from, It is evident from) the bar graph (or line graph, table, pie chart) that + topic sentence.
Look at the following bar graph, line graph and table respectively, and then write the introductory sentence-the general trend in change-for each of them.Answers are provided only as suggestions.
Figure 1 Persons in the Labor Force
Figure 2 Average monthly temperature in Fishport for the period 1980～1990
Figure 3 China's tourism industry
Practice 6-1-2
To describe in English the detailed changes in the statistics, you need to know some useful words and phrases.
fluctuate (波动)
start with … (从…开始)
since the beginning of … (从…起)
at the beginning of … (在…之初)
increase to … (上升到/增长到…)
increase by … (上升了/增长了…)
decrease to … (下降到/减少到…)
decrease by … (下降了/减少了…)
level off (沿水平方向发展)
rise/ (be) on the rise (上升)
grow/growth (上升)
grow an average of … (平均增加…)
soar/skyrocket (剧增/猛增/迅速增长)
reach … (达到…)
go up (上升) /go down (下降)
drop/a drop of … (下降…)
fall/decline/dip (下降)
reduce/cut (减少)
drop to the lowest point (降至最低点)
reach a bottom (下降到某一低点)
reach the bottom (下降到最低点)
reach a peak of … (上升到某一顶点)
reach the peak of … (上升到最高点)
stay the same (保持不变)
range from … to …
halve (减半)
(在…和…之间变化)
increase year by year (逐年上升)
decrease year by year (逐年下降)
double (增加一倍/增至两倍) triple (增加两倍/增至三倍)
A is twice as much/many as B (A是B的两倍)
A is three times as much/many as B (A是B的三倍)
during the period of … to…
for a … period (历时…)
(从…到…期间)
over the 1st half of … (在…前半期) over the 2nd half of …
(在…后半期)
during the same period (同期)
over the same period (同期)
over the period from…to…
over … (历时…)
(从…至…时期)
by the middle of … (到…中期时)
in mid-… (在…中期)
until the middle of … (直到…中期)
by the end of … (到…末期)
substantially (相当大地)
steadily (稳定地)
gradually (逐渐地)
slightly (轻微地, 略微地)
dramatically (大幅度地)
rapidly (迅速地)
subsequently (随后地)
significantly (显著地)
moderately (适度地)
sharply (急剧地)
unequally (不相等地)
steady/stable (稳定的)
* * * * * *
Read the paragraph below, and then draw a line on the grid (网状格) according to the written information.An answer is provided.
The line graph indicates that the development of inflation fluctuated substantially during the period of 1995 to 2000.If we start with 1995, we can see that at the beginning of the year, inflation stood at 5%.It increased steadily over the next 12 months to 8%.Things improved at the beginning of 1996 and it leveled off for a six-month period.The improvement continued and inflation decreased gradually by 2% during the rest of the year.Unfortunately, over the next six months, inflation rose slightly and reached 9% by the middle of 1997.Then inflation went up dramatically to 17% during the next 12 months.After a drop of 3% over the 2nd half of 1998, inflation increased rapidly until it reached the peak of 24% in mid-99.It then fell to 20% by the end of 1999 and subsequently leveled off until the middle of 2000.
Practice 6-1-3
Look at the line graph below and write a paragraph in which you describe the changes in the statistics.No answer is provided.
* * * * * *
A pie chart shows the division of a whole.The circle represents 100 percent.Each piece of the pie represents a certain percentage of the total.
Model Essay Four
It is clear from the pie chart that there are three major sources of road accidents in China.Motor vehicle accidents are the most common as they account for 48.8% of all accidents.Bicycle accidents are also common, amounting to 36%.The third type of accidents, which makes up 10%, is related to pedestrians.
Some possible causes of road accidents are as follows.Most road accidents caused by motor vehicles usually result from drunk driving and speeding.Cyclists who run a red light are also likely to be injured or killed by motor vehicles.With no traffic rules to obey, quite a few pedestrians rush across a street whenever and wherever they want.Poor road conditions and bad weather can trigger road accidents too.
To minimize traffic accidents, we must devise some effective measures.For example, any violators of traffic regulations, such as a drunk driver or a speeder, should be punished with heavy fines, permanent revocation (吊销) of driver's license, and even imprisonment.Meanwhile, cyclists should use hand signals to warn other road users of their intentions；pedestrians are expected to cross a street through an overpass or an underpass.To sum up, if we all contribute to traffic safety, the number of traffic accidents will be greatly reduced.
Practice 6-1-4
Write sentences by using the information given in parentheses.Read sample sentences before writing your own.Answers will vary.
1.Low-income senior citizens make up approximately 30 percent of the elderly population. (低收入的老年人大约占老龄人口的30%。)
(make up … %)
2.Regular attendance and active in-class participation count for 20% of your mark for the year. (出勤率和积极参与课堂活动占你全年学习成绩的20%。)
(count for … %)
3.Psychologists agree that I.Q.contributes only about 20 percent of the factors that determine success. (心理学家认为, 智商仅占一个人成功因素的20%左右。)
(contribute … %)
4.Women still account for only one in five people employed in natural science, engineering, and mathematics. (在自然科学、工程和数学的从业人员当中, 女性的比例依然仅占五分之一。)
(account for … %)
5.According to a survey, Asian-Americans make up only 2.4 percent of the nation's population, but they constitute 17.1 percent of the undergraduates at Harvard. (根据一项调查, 亚裔美国人仅占美国全国人口的2.4%, 但却占了哈佛大学本科生总人数的17.1%。)
(constitute … %)
6.Albanians represent about 90 percent of the population in Kosovo. (在科索沃, 阿尔巴尼亚人约占人口的90%。)
(represent … %)
7.Of all the water in the world, fresh water amounts to only 2.5%. (淡水仅占全世界总水量的2.5%。)
(amount to … %)
8.African-Americans comprise approximately 12% of the US work force. (非洲裔美国人约占美国全部劳动力的12%。)
(comprise … %)
9.Canada takes up one fifteenth of all the land on the planet. (加拿大占世界陆地总面积的十五分之一。)
(take up … %)
10.Drylands cover more than 40% of the planet's surface. (干旱地区占地球表面积的40%以上。)
(cover … %)
11.Some research has shown that perhaps 80% of all human illnesses are related to diet and 40% of cancer is related to the diet as well, especially cancer of the colon. (一些研究显示, 大约占人类80%的疾病都与饮食有关, 而占40%的癌症, 尤其是结肠癌也与饮食有关。)
(… % … be …)
12.60%-80% of our message is communicated through our body language；only 7%-10%is attributable to the actual words of a conversation. (我们在交流时, 有60%～80%的信息是通过肢体语言传递的；而语言的实际使用仅占7%～10%。)
(… % … be attributable to …)
Practice 6-1-5
Look at the two pie charts below, and describe each piece in each pie with the expressions you have learned from Practice 6-1-4.An answer is provided for Pie Chart 1 as a suggestion.
Pie Chart 1 Reasons for overseas Chinese returning home
Pie Chart 2 Reasons for Chinese going abroad in 2002
Practice 6-1-6
Read the following sentences in which you can learn more useful expressions that help you describe the detailed changes in the statistics in English.
1.The study expects total Internet advertising to grow an average of 21 percent through 2011. (研究认为, 到2011年, 互联网广告总收入将平均增加21%。)
2.Profits rocketed 231% in one year. (利润在一年内迅速增长了231%。)
3.In the southern states of America, the number of houses with air conditioning has shot up to 70% from 37% in 1978. (在美国南部的各州中, 安装有空调的房子已由1978年的37%窜升到了70%。)
4.Nation's money supply soars by 21.6% in August. (八月份的国家货币供应量猛增了21.6%。)
5.From 2001 to 2006, the average amount of time spent by consumers on paid media has jumped 19.8 percent. (2001年至2006年, 消费者花在有偿型媒体上的平均时间增加了19.8%。)
6.Family USA, a family advocacy group, has reported that“workers' costs for health insurance have risen by 36 percent since 2000.” (一个名为“美国家庭”的主张家庭利益的团体报道说, “自2000年以来, 美国工人的医疗保险支出上升了36%”。)
7.“The cost of providing food decreased from 24 percent to 17 percent of total child-rearing costs, while child care and education expenses increased from 2 percent to 12 percent, ”US Agriculture Department said. (美国农业部称, “食物成本在子女养育总成本中所占的比重从24%下降到17%, 而保育和教育成本则从2%上升到12%。”)
8.Our budget has just been slashed another 10%. (我们的预算刚刚又被消减了10%。)
9.Now, the average sleep hours a night for a person has reduced nearly by 32% since the 18th and 19th centuries. (现在一个人夜间的平均睡眠时间与19世纪和20世纪时相比, 几乎减少了32%。)
10.Their income fell by 64 percent. (他们的收入减少了64%。)
11.In America the cigarette market is declining by around 2% a year. (美国的烟草市场以每年大约2%的速度萎缩。)
12.The number of households without a car dropped to 12%. (无私人轿车的家庭下降到了12%。)
13.On Jan.10, the European Union unveiled a plan to cut energy use across the continent by 20% by 2020. (欧盟于1月10日宣布, 到2020年年底将把整个欧洲大陆的能源消耗量减少20%。)
14.Public support for the project has dipped sharply. (公众对该项目的支持率急剧下降。)
15.In 1968, President Lyndon Johnson was so dismayed when his approval ratings sank to 35% that he gave up the race for a second full term. (当约翰逊总统的支持率在1968年降到了35%时是那样的沮丧, 以至于放弃了第二个任期整四年的总统竞选。)
16.Altogether 195, 503 overseas students from 188 countries and regions came to study on the mainland in 2007, up 20.17 percent year-on-year. (2007年来中国大陆学习的学生共有195, 503人, 他们来自188个国家和地区, 与上一年同期相比上升了20.17%。)
17.China's consumer price index in February dropped by 0.5 percent from a year earlier, against a decline of 0.4 percent in January. (中国2月份的消费物价指数与去年同期相比下降了0.5%, 而一月份该指数下降了0.4%。)
18.Your prices exceed world prices by 5%. (贵方的价格高出世界市场价格5%。)
19.Ms.Marshall cites figures showing that 75 percent of welfare money goes to homes headed by a single parent. (马歇尔女士引用的数据显示, 75%的福利经费用于单亲家庭中。)
20.In May of this year we issued 30% more students visas than in May of last year. (我们今年五月份签发的学生签证数量比去年同期相比多了30%。)
21) Space heating and cooling eats up 36 percent of all the world's energy. (室内取暖和空调消耗了全球能源的36%。)
22) 75% of Canada's population lives in the south within 160 km of the Canada-United States border. (75%的加拿大人生活在距加美边境160公里以内的南部地区。
23) In the USA, 85% of the population over the age of 21 approve of the death penalty. (年龄在21岁以上的美国人当中, 有85%的人赞同对罪犯实施死刑。)
24) Fewer than 1 percent of rainforest plants have been examined for their medicinal properties. (不到1%的雨林植物被用来研究是否具有药用价值。)
25) Less than 1% of plastic bags are recycled in the U.S.. (在美国, 不到1%的塑料袋被回收再利用。)