Statistics-oriented Writing To read and find out the purpose of this chart To examine the theme and figure out the relations in the chart To pay attention to the notes in the chart II. What we should pay special attention to Limit of time 2. Focus of the chart III. What we will write in the composition 　　 Catch the trend, the survey and some important examples and statistics. Part one is to state clearly the nature and purpose of the chart. Part two is to explain how the chart shows that by means of some examples. Part three is to give a summary or, if required, your opinion about the issue that is dealt with. The key in effective writing about chart is to give examples after each point. In other words, we give sufficient illustration for each sub-idea. IV. Some useful words and phrases in writing based on charts a curve graph, a bar chart, a pie chart, a table, a diagram To describe it：show; describe; illustrate; reveal; represent, depict, can be seen from; it is clear / apparent from …that ; it is shown from… that, To go up：increase, rise, ascend, go up, climb, mount, jump, level up, grow, soar, surge, rocket, be on the increase / rise, To go down: decrease, fall, drop, sink, descend, decline, reduce, lessen, level down, plunge, be on the decrease / decline The degree of change：suddenly, rapidly, dramatically, significantly, sharply, steeply, steadily, gradually, slowly, slightly, noticeably, insignificantly modestly stable/stably e.g. There was a sharp increase in the number of cars from… to.. Stability: remain stable / steady / constant, remain the same as/similar to, remain unchanged, maintain a steady growth, stay the same, there is little change in …, there is hardly any change, there is no change at all, reach a plateau, level off Fluctuation: fluctuate, fluctuation, rise and fall, go up and down To take up: occupy, take up, account for, gain the percentage of, make up, consume, constitute, compose, represent, consume the largest portion, Contrariness: while, however, whereas, on the other hand, actually, in fact, as a matter of fact, Comparison and contrast: by contract, on the contrary, likewise, compared with, in comparison, The peak: reach the highest point / the top / the summit / the peak, reach a high point, a peak, a summit, peak, The lowest: reach / hit rock bottom, bottom out; reach the bottom / the lowest level / the lowest point / a low point, hit a trough Trend: tendency, trend, inclination Prediction: give predictions / projections to, be expected / forecast / predicted / projected to To show the degree： almost, nearly, approximately, about, around, roughly, close to, more or less, just over, over, exactly, precisely To show the time： from then on, from this point on, from this time on, from 1985 onwards Proportion：be in a direct / inverse ration / proportion to / with…, be inversely / directly proportional to…  V. An example ?Directions: Study the bar chart on the Production and Export of Mobile Phones, and write an essay in about 200 words. Your essay should be based on the following outline. 1. Describe the bar chart; 2. Explain the reasons; 3. Your comments Do you have a mobile phone? If you don't, do you want to buy one? I think more and more people have possessed at least one mobile phone since the first mobile phone was invented. Seen from the bar chart, the volumes of production and export of mobile phone have increased sharply from 1998 to 2001. Why are mobile phones becoming so popular? First, with the development of telecommunication, the costs of production has decreased, thus making the price of mobile phones lower than previous. Another great change lies in the appearance of mobile phones. We can still recall the first generation of mobile phones ——bulky and expensive. But now we have delicate mobile phones with many high-tech functions. People cannot only make a phone call, but also have stock exchanges on an Internet-connected mobile phone. That's a spectacular revolution in telecommunication, which has completely changed the way people communicate with each other. Second, with the development of economy, people's living standard has greatly improved. They have more savings in bank and more income to enjoy the convenience brought by modern technology. What's more, more and more people have realized the importance of information, and they expect to have a good command of advanced information as quickly as possible. Mobile phones become their first choice to get access into the Information Age. In short, we all have benefited from the achievements in telecommunication. In order to keep up with the rapid development of modern time, we should always keep an eye on the new occurrences lest we be left behind. Directions: In this part, you are to write an essay of about 200 words within 40 minutes. Study the following table carefully and your composition must be based on the information given in the table. You should quote as few figures as possible. Outline: 1. Changes in people’s daily expanses in the past five years 2. Possible reasons for the changes 3. My own conclusion 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003  Food 65% 60% 48% 42% 35%  Clothing 5% 7% 10% 13% 15%  Recreation 3% 5% 7% 8% 13%  Others 24% 26% 33% 36% 38%  Total 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%  In the past five years, there have been great changes in people’s daily expenses in XX city. According to the figures given in the table, the amount of money spent on food decreased gradually, accounting for 35 per cent in 2001. However, there was a rapid increase in clothing expenses, which made up 15% in 2001. In addition, the table shows an upward tendency in recreation expenses. The same was the case with other expenses. What caused these remarkable changes? In my opinion, there are at least three good reasons. To begin with, with the rapid development of agriculture in China, the output of grain, fruit, vegetables and milk has sharply increased, which contributes to the decline in their prices. Secondly, the family incomes of people both in the city and in the country have greatly risen so that people now can afford expensive clothing and some of them even want to dress in the latest fashion. Finally, as the living conditions improve, the demand for a variety of recreations is growing steadily, too. In short, with the incomes continuing to rise, people will no longer resign themselves to living a dull, monotonous life. They are eager to make their life interesting and exciting. Therefore, I am sure that people will spend more money on clothing and recreations. VI. Tell me your blocks