雅思 | 地图题的两种形式
地图是一种特殊的图形，与数据图表关系不大，所以单列出来，一次性讲清楚它的写法和所涉及的词汇句式。雅思小作文中的地图分为两类，即选址题和历史变迁题，其中选址题并未在真实考试中出现过，故本文只简略论述，主要讲历史变迁题。
（一）选址题
剑桥雅思中唯一出现过的选址型地图题是Cam531，题目是The map below is of the town of Garlsdon. A new
supermarket (S) is planned for the town. The map shows two possible sites for
the supermarket. 即小镇的超市建设规划。
雅思小作文总体上是不能发表个人观点的，只需要对图形进行描述即可，但是选址型地图题是唯一的例外。除了需要分析S1和S2各自的优劣外，还要得出最终的结论，即到底哪一个选址更适合建设这个超市。下文是剑桥雅思的考官范文：
The map shows two proposed locations for a new supermarket for the town of
Garlsdon.
The first potential location (S1) is outside the town itself, and is sited just off the main
road to the town of Hindon, lying 12 km to the north-west. This site is in the
countryside and so would be able to accommodate a lot of car parking. This
would make it accessible to shoppers from both Hindon and Garlsdon who could
travel by car. As it is also close to the railway line linking the two towns to
Cransdon (25 km to the south-east), a potentially large number of shoppers
would also be able to travel by train.
In contrast, the suggested location, S2, is right in the town centre, which
would be good for local residents. Theoretically the store could be accessed by
road or rail from the surrounding towns, including Bransdon, but as the central
area is a no-traffic zone, cars would be unable to park and access would be
difficult.
Overall, neither site is appropriate for all the towns, but for customers
in Cransdon, Hindon and Garlsdon, the out-of-town site(S1) would probably offer
more advantages.
从上文可以看出，全文的结构是：
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开头段：改写题目
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中间段1：分析S1的优劣势
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中间段2：分析S2的优劣势
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结尾段：得出结论
这里有两点需要说明：
首先，上文用的是总分总的结构，结论是在结尾段才给出，但是如果开头段即给出结论，下文展开论述，也是可行的。比如：The map shows two proposed locations for a new supermarket for the town of
Garlsdon, and the overall analysis of
their respective advantages and disadvantages will show that S1 would be the
more suitable choice. 当然这些直接在开头段得出结论，结尾段其实可以不写，全文即变为总分结构。
其次，上文的两个中间段分别论述了S1和S2，主要对比了交通（即线路和停车问题）和市场（即accessibility问题）两个方面。如果以对比标准进行分段，也是可以的，在实际写作中哪一种更容易表述清楚即选用哪一种：
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对比标准1（交通）：对比分析S1和S2
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对比标准2（市场）：对比分析S1和S2
（二）历史变迁题
历史变迁题是雅思真实考试中会考到的题型，是本文的重点。所谓历史变迁，指的是某一个地方随着时间变化而展现出的前后时间对比，最常见的形式是以多张地图展现同一个地方。比如Cam911，the two maps below show an island, before and after the construction of some
tourist facilities，即旅游设施建设前后该岛的变化。
再比如OG Test3的地图题，the diagrams below show
the changes that have taken place at West Park Secondary School since its
construction in 1950，即这个学校不断改建、扩建的历史变迁。
以及OG Test7的地图题，the maps show the
village of Stokeford in 1930 and in 2010，即小村Stokefod八十年的历史变迁。
还有雅思OG正文里面举例的地图题，the following maps show
the changes that have taken place in the centre of a town since 1700，即小镇300年的历史变迁。
以上例子，不论是有明确年份标记，还是只有before和after能对比，都是用多张地图来对比古今的变化。当然还有Cam141将四个不同时期的历史变化全部集合到一张地图上，看起来比较复杂。题目是：Chorleywood is a village
near London whose population has increased steadily since the middle of the
nineteenth century. The map below shows the development of the village.
以上是剑桥雅思1-11以及剑桥雅思OG当中出现的所有地图题。
1）两种文章结构
下面以Cam911为例论述历史变迁型地图题的写法。Cam911的题目是：the two maps below show an
island, before and after the construction of some tourist facilities，即旅游设施建设前后该岛的变化。
下文是剑桥雅思给出的7分例文：
The two maps show the same island while first one is before and the second
one is after the construction for tourism.
Looking first at the one before construction, we can see a huge island with
a beach in the west. The total length of the island is approximately 250
metres.
Moving on to the second map, we can see that there are lots of buildings on
the island. There are two areas of accommodation. One is in the west near the
beach while the other one is in the centre of the island. Between them, there
is a restaurant in the north and a central reception block, which is surrounded
by a vehicle track. This track also goes down to the pier where people can go
sailing in the south sea of the island. Furthermore, tourists can swim near the
beach in the west. A footpath connecting the western accommodation units also
leads to the beach.
Overall, comparing the two maps, there are significant changes after this
development. Not only lots of facilities are built on the island, but also the
sea is used for activities. The new island has become a good place for tourism.
从这篇例文可见历史变迁型地图题的文章结构：
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开头段：改写题目
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中间段1：写图1
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中间段2：写图2
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结尾段：总结图1和图2展现出的总体变化
有几点需要说明：
首先，这篇例文的结构是总分总，但是如果在开头段就直接给出总结，中间段再展开论述也是可以的，这样就变成了总分的结构，本质上没有区别。另外，历史变迁型的地图描绘的是某地方的发展进步，所以结尾段的总结往往会用到industrialized、modernized等词。
其次，这种写法的中间段的段数随着地图的张图而变化，不过好在真实题目一般只有2-4张图，一般不会超过4张图，所以全文4-6段还是可以接受的。具体到每张图，复杂程度则是不一样的。不论一共有几张图，如果每张图中的内容比较多，多张图之间展现出的变化比较明显的话，一般的变化分为两种，即某些项目消失了或缩小了，另外一些项目出现了或扩大了。这种情况下，可以考虑另外一种写法：
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开头段：改写题目+写出图中地方的总体方位+指出变化的两种类型（消失/缩小 vs 出现/扩大，比如The xx years have witnessed the growth or emergence
of some items and the downsizing or disappearance of some others.）
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中间段1：写消失/缩小的地图项目
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中间段2：写出现/扩大的地图项目
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结尾段：总结总体变化
这两种文章结构并无优劣之分，在实际写作中应该选择更能清晰地表述地图的结构。上文Cam911的例文只有7分，并非文章结构不清晰，而是漏写了一些细节信息以及词汇句式有待提高，具体可以参考考官的评价：
This answer clearly presents the key features of the diagrams, and although
the first map is described only briefly, this is acceptable for this particular
task. The description is accurate though some aspects, such as the section on
the accommodation, could have been more fully extended. The final paragraph
summarises the main points effectively. The information is logically organised
and can be easily followed throughout the response. A range of cohesive devices
including reference and substitution is used appropriately, with only occasional
inaccuracies. Some less common vocabulary and collocations are used
appropriately, e.g. central reception block; western accommodation units, and
there are no spelling errors. There is a variety of grammatical structures and
many sentences contain no inaccuracies. Where errors do occur, they do not
affect understanding.
2）两个核心要素
不论采用哪一种文章结构，地图题要写清楚，都要落实到单个的句子和其中的用词，都涉及两个核心要素：方位和变化，即正文里面的句子都是在描述“某某项目在某个位置发生了什么变化”。
a）方位
地图中包含了多个项目，单纯拿出一个项目讲清楚其位置比较容易。但是把这些项目组织到一段文字中，就涉及各项目的组织顺序。一般而言，有两种思路值得参考：
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中轴线+两侧
比如Cam911，可以以pier-reception-restaurant为整个地图的中轴线，之后再描述两侧的accommodation和最远端的beach。
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起点+移步换景
同样以Cam911为例，可以想象一个游客登岛旅游的过程，一般都是从pier出发，然后到reception登记入住，然后可能入住accommodation或进入restaurant就餐，休息或就餐之后可能去beach游泳。具体到Cam911这个题目，上述两种方法差异不大。
再以OG Test7的地图题为例。如果采用上面的第一种文章结构，即先写第一张图，再写第二张图，那么在写第一张图的时候要先描述清楚图上的各个项目，可以首先写River Stroke交代Stokeford的大概位置，然后写bridge连着中间的主干道，然后以主干道为中轴线，分别描述两侧的项目。
在用词方面，表示方位的往往是介词，当然还有方位名词、形容词等。
in
表示A在B的里面，比如下例中in the west写全就是in the west of the island，即beach (A)在island
(B)的里面。
[Cam911- 7分例文] Looking first at the one
before construction, we can see a huge island with a beach in the west.
on
可以表示A在B之上，比如下例中的buildings在island之上。
[Cam911- 7分例文] Moving on to the second map,
we can see that there are lots of buildings on the island.
还可以表示A与B接壤，一般A、B之间属于同一级别。
Shanghai is on the east of Jiangsu.
to/ off to
表示A与B的相对方位，本身不强调是否分离。如果要特别强调分离，可以加上off。
Beijing is to the north of Shanghai.
Japan is off to the east of China.
at
表示在某一个具体的地点。
At the northeastern corner of the town lies a
shopping mall.
along
表示“沿着”。
The port is along the roadside.
outside
表示A在B外面，可以做名词、形容词，也可以做介词和副词。
on the outside of something
to be outside the range
east/west/north/south、eastern/western/northern/southern
表示东西南北，要掌握名词和形容词，当然还有northeast/northeastern等。
[Cam911-7分例文] Looking first at the one before construction, we
can see a huge island with a beach in the west.
left/right/upper/lower + side/part/half
表示上下左右，可以单用，也可以后接side/part/half等表示“部分”。
The truck is to the right of the gas station.
upper/lower-left/right corner
表示左上角、右下角等四个角，用来直接表示地图作为一个图形中的方位。
The bank is in the top upper-left corner of the residential
zone.
middle/centre/top/bottom/crossing
表示中间、顶部、底部、交叉等，可以指示地图所指代实物中的位置，也可以指示地图作为图形中的方位。
[Cam911- 7分例文] One is in the west near the
beach while the other one is in the centre
of the island.
halfway/in the middle between A and B
表示C在A和B之间的中点处。
The supermarket is halfwaybetween the bank and the
barber’s.
parallel
表示“平行”。
The buildings are parallel to the rivers.
opposite/facing/across
表示“对面”。
The buildings are parallel to the rivers.
The supermarket is
directly opposite to the bus stop.
surround
动词，表示“环绕”。
[Cam911- 7分例文] Between them, there is a
restaurant in the north and a central reception block, which is surrounded by a vehicle track
close to/ next to/ in close proximity to/ in the
vicinity of/ near/ beside/ nearby/ adjacent
表示A与B接近。
[Cam911- 7分例文] One is in the west near the beach while the other one is
in the centre of the island.
front/back/ in front of/ in the front of
表示在“前面”或“后面”。
circle
表示“圆圈”。
The two groups of
accommodations each form a circle.
lie/be located/ be situated/
表示“位于”。
b）变化
历史变迁型的地图本来就是表现某个地方随着时间的变化，所以必然需要使用表示变化的词汇和句式。各种变化无非就是上文提到的两大类：出现/扩大，或者消失/缩小。
become/ turn/ get + bigger/ larger/ smaller/ shorter/
longer
系动词+比较级，表示变化，具体词义由系动词后面的形容词来决定。
newly built/ established/ constructed
表示“新建”。
disappear/ no longer there
表示“消失”。
extend/ enlarge/ develop/ add / rise/ grow/ increase/ improve
表示“扩大”。
reduce/ decline/ decrease/ drop/ fall/ halve/ degrade
表示“缩小”。
replace / remove/ convert / give way to
表示“替换”，即A消失+B出现。
connect/ change/ turn over/ straighten/
construct/ complete/ open
表示“完成”等变化。
综上所述，地图题分为两种类型，选址题和历史变迁题。选址题关键在于分析各个方案的优劣，得出最终的结论。历史变迁题主要在于对比分析各年份之间地图上的变化，在具体写作中，应该写清楚各项目的方位和发生的变化，其中尤以方位所涉及的总体描述顺序最为关键。
