英国私校的通识考试 General Paper 应如何准备？需要多长时间？

近些年来，越来越多的英国中学在13+奖学金考试（9年级）和16+（12年级）入学考试中加入通识考试(General Paper)。例如伊顿公学、威敏公学、拉德利公学、坎特伯雷国王中学、布莱顿中学、唐屋女中、沃丁瀚女中、海丁顿女中等。

通识考试的内容的三大类及涉猎范围经济、历史、道德、政治和社会问题
科学及其历史、哲学、环境问题等
文学、语言和艺术等
为什么越来越多的学校入学时要考通识？通识试卷考察学生的英语阅读、写作、逻辑分析和创新能力。学校认为具有这些能力的学生在未来的学习中更有可能取得优异的成绩，所以通识考试在这些年越来越受英国中学的青睐。
通识考试应如何准备？需要多长时间？通识考试所需的备考时间较长。除了要多读、多听、多想，努力扩充各方面知识和培养创造力外，英文的写作能力不是在短时间内可以提高的。所以，小米老师建议有意愿考顶级学校9年级奖学金或者来英国读12年级的同学们，如果目标学校入学考试有通识考试，要提前至少9个月开始准备，英语基础差弱一些的学生则需要更长的时间。
考题形式如何，答题时需要考虑哪些？通识考试没有固定模式：有的像英文阅读理解，有的像解数学和科学题。在接下来的一系列文章里，小米老师将用伊顿公学2016年9年级奖学金考试和坎特伯雷国王学院2016年12年级入学考试真题为例,给备考学生讲解答题要领。这里给出的答案范例并不是标准答案，通识考试没有正确答案，只要把自己的观点有理有据的阐述清楚就可以了。
伊顿公学九年级奖学金考试第一题
涉及到前三小题的两幅图如下：
(a) 仔细观察第一幅名叫Reptiles的图，为它起一个新名字，并解释为什么起这个名字。
题目解析：
这道题不是考察考生给图画命名的能力。什么样的名字都可以，只要能详细地解释为什么这样命名和对图画的理解就可以拿到分数。小米老师认为：图画上的类似蜥蜴的动物从像拼图一样的画纸上逐渐呈现出来，然后爬上一本书，之后有上到更高的物体上面。在最高点 (这里可以把最高点想象成生命的顶峰) 呼出一些烟雾，然后慢慢下行，直到回到画纸上，之后又是一个轮回。这就像生命生于泥土，归于泥土。如果这是我们对这幅画的理解，我们可以为它取名为生生不息。
参考答案：
The circle of life.This picture shows a lizard creature emerging from a puzzle drawing, ascending a book and then a number of other objects before returning once more to the drawing. This ascent culminates in the lizard appearing to be breathing smoke whilst at the highest point of its climb – at the peak of its life, perhaps – before descending back down into the puzzle. I have interpreted this to be an allegory for the life cycle, with living things returning to the dirt when they die.
(b) 这幅名叫Reptiles的图似乎是在讲一个故事，你认为故事会在这幅图的那个位置上结束？阐明你的观点。
题目解析：
回答这道题时建议参考第一题，用我们之前为这幅画起的新名字来推测故事的结尾。既然我们为这幅画命名为生生不息，那么这个故事就没有结尾。答题时尽量要让自己的答案与众不同(前提是要合情合理，能自圆其说)。我想大多数人会说“这幅画就是在说蜥蜴从画纸上冒出来，转了一圈又回到纸上”，这样的答案不够新颖，也就不会给考官留下深刻的印象。或者我们可以从另外一个角度来回答这个题目：如果我们不把蜥蜴作为重点而将图上另外一个物体作为主题，比如在右下角的这个酒瓶，如果这瓶酒是个故事，故事的结局就是这瓶酒被喝光；如果酒瓶上方的书本身是个故事，那么书看完了，故事也就结束了。我们不在这里过多举例，但小米老师想说的是：回答问题时在能够很好的表述自己观点的同时把自己的创造力发挥到极致。
参考答案：
Following on from my choice of title in part a – ‘the circle of life’ -, I would argue that there is no end to this picture, but rather that it is a representation of the continuous process of life, documenting both birth and death, with birth coming from the same material structures as death. This indicates that death does not necessarily mean the ‘end’, but rather the natural progression of life, before the cycle begins again.
(c) 第二幅图和第一幅图相比，你认为那一幅图更能激发你的灵感？阐明你的观点。
题目解析：
再次强调，像这样的通识题没有正确答案，所以要说出自己的真实想法。考官希望看到的是你能够用论点论据来支持自己的观点，而具体那幅图更能激发你的灵感并不重要。另外要注意的是题目中的命令词语compare。既然是比较，就不能只说自己喜欢的那幅图 (我们会在今后的文章里列出通识考试里常出现的命令词语，命令词语的不同会直接影响到我们的答题方式)，要两幅图都要评论，但着重说自己的偏好。
参考答案：
I personally find Source 2 to be a more thought-provoking image than Source 1. While I believe that Source 1 depicts an interesting scene, causing the viewer to contemplate the cycle of life, Source 2 displays an image that shows us something new with every angle through which we approach it. These various tricks of the mind, playing with our sense of perspective, raise deeper questions that may be applicable in our own lives. The staircases and corridors show multiple routes and dimensions to the same destination, perhaps showing the ways in which people’s paths through life may lead to the same destination, yet the journey for them to get there has been entirely different. For some, it is an uphill struggle, for others, a stroll in the park, and for others still, there may be no way of reaching that destination no matter how hard they try. In this sense, Source 2 has provoked in me a number of questions relating to social mobility and agency within society today.
(d) 上个世纪，曾经有很多艺术家常常为观众展示一些日常生活中经常能见到的物品。比如一个夜壶，一个用120块砖头码成的长方体，或一张不怎么整洁的床。这些物品让参观者质疑艺术家的修养和水平。请论述为什么艺术家会展示这样的作品，为什么公众会有这样的反应。详细表述你的观点。
题目解析：
首先看这道题的分值。12分的题在试卷中占比不小，所以答题时更要注意不能只论述一方面。小米老师选择从以下方面入手：现代艺术的基本元素是反思和探讨，由于艺术深植于人性的根本，所以在某种程度上每个人都可以是艺术家。这道题可以从多方面进行论述，只要你能想到的论点都可以写进来，如果能举一两个例子就更好了。
参考答案：
For some people, the point of art is to create an item of true beauty that people marvel at and enjoy. Through this interpretation of what ‘art’ is, the above exhibits may indeed fail to impress audiences. However, for others, the point of art is to provoke discussion. People have differences of opinion on a range of subjects, from politics, to food, to sport, and art is no exception. Indeed, even some of the most renowned pieces of art in the world are still met with criticisms; Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, for example, is said to have a skewed sense of perspective, with the background on the right hand side as we look at it appearing closer than the left hand side. A mistake by Da Vinci? Or a deliberate addition to the painting in order to inspire debate? Either way, the point is that art has the ability to get people talking, and in this sense pieces that leave the public ‘outraged’ may in fact be creating the exact reaction that the artist intended to evoke.
Another possibility is that that artists wanted to highlight the beauty in everyday objects. We don’t often stop to think about how important urinals, toilets andour vast networks of sewers are in our everyday life. We take them for granted, not considering the positive impacts that they have had upon health, sanitation and wellbeing. Yet, through the exhibition of a urinal, this may cause a number of people to stop and reflect upon the impact on everyday objects such asurinals upon our everyday lives. Similarly, bricks and an unmade bed may beused to remind us how fortunate we are to live in well built houses that offerus shelter, and a comfortable bed for us to sleep in. Perhaps this reaction of reflection is what was intended by the artist, seeking to shine a light on the extraordinary objects that we encounter every day.