(二) 便笺写作(Note Writing)
便笺也是一种简单的书信,经常用于朋友、同事和家人之间临时有事相告而又无法与对方面谈的场合。便笺通常可以表达通知、请求和留言等内容。便笺通常包括日期、称呼、正文、署名四个部分。
(1)日期。一般只写星期几或几月几号,必要时也可写上某天的上下午和钟点,由于便笺所涉及内容多为当日或近日要办的事,因此年份则完全不必要了。
(2)称呼。可以直接用姓和名,如:Smith(姓),John(名),Wang,Weifang;也可用头衔加姓,如:Mr. Smith,Prof. Lin等。
(3)正文。用词要通俗,开门见山,简短扼要。
(4)署名。非常熟悉的人之间,只写上姓或名即可。否则,要写上留条人的姓和名。
从上面可以看出,便笺写作(Note Writing)实际上与书信写作(Letter Writing)大致相似,但有三点主要不同:
1. 便笺较随便,因此语气通常更轻松,格式和语言都是如此。
2. 通常便笺较短,应言简意赅,这意味着你必须略去冗余信息。
3. 便笺写起来往往更具个性化,通常语言更接近口语,更直接。
例如:
May 14th
Dear Miss Stone,
I’m really sorry that I shall not be able to attend class today. I have got a fever of 39℃. Enclosed please find a certificate from the doctor of our college which says I must stay in bed for three days.
I’ll resume my studies as soon as I feel better.
Sincerely yours,
Li Ming
样 题:
Directions:
You are late for an appointment with a professor. You also have books that are due at the library in a few hours. Write a note to your roommate asking if she could return the books for you. In return for the favor, offer to buy her lunch.
You should write about 100 words on ANSWER SHEET 2.
范文:
Dear Jane,
I have a big favor to ask you. I am late for my appointment with Professor Jones, and need to go directly to his office. I also have two books that are due back at the library this evening. As I will not be able to get to the library before it closes, I was wondering if you would possibly have the time to return the books for me.
I realize this is a big favor to ask of you, as you are also very busy. In return for help, I would like to buy you lunch tomorrow. Thanks in advance!
译文:
亲爱的简,
我要请你帮个大忙。我与琼斯教授有个约会,现在已经晚了,我得直接去他的办公室。可我还有两本书要还图书馆,今晚就到期了。我可能在图书馆关门之前赶不到那里,所以我想知道你能否有时间帮我还。
我知道你也很忙,这可真太麻烦你了。为了感谢你帮忙,我明天请你吃午饭吧。谢谢!