地图
作为流程图的一种衍生图表，地图在雅思写作考试中也时常会见到。地图分为：变迁类和选址类。变迁类地图，顾名思义，是一种描写某个地方前后几十年间地理变化的图表。在题中会看到两幅差异巨大的地图，前者发生在一个较早的年份，图中显示出较为落后的状况；而后者的发生时间离现在较近，具有不少现代化的特征。题目的要求其实就是让考生把两幅地图的异同点（similarities and differences）描写出来，而重点当然是其中的differences。
请看下面一道非常典型的地图题：
很显然，该地在1974年时只是一个人口仅为12，000人的小渔村（a small fishing village），基本看不到现代化的痕迹，而且经济以渔业、林业和畜牧业为主。到了2004年，该地一跃成为一个大型的欧洲度假胜地（a large European tourist resort），许多新兴事物涌现出来，包括居民住房（homes of locals）、旅游商店（tourist shops）、成排的酒店（hotels）、海滩（beach）和高尔夫球场（golf course）等。
了解了该题的基本概貌之后，我们来介绍一下地图的分段方式。与其他类型图表不同的是，其主体段并不该按照年份分成上下两个自然段：MB1描写1974年的情况，MB2描写2004年的变化。这种分段方式不够理想，因为把年份如此分开的描写方式并没有让读者近距离地看到前后30年间的巨大变化；相反，考生需要仔细对比上下两段才能看清两者的差异。总之，这种描写方式不够直接。
对于地图来说，最理想的分段方式是把每个图分成东、西、南、北、中等若干块，然后以这些地理板块为线索，对上下两幅图加以对比。这样的话，考生才能清晰地看到地图中每一部分的前后巨变，而把这些巨变用方位信号词串接起来时，该地整个的变化全貌就跃然纸上了。
我们先从地图的西面开始看吧：
【原创范例】
In 1974，there was a large tract of woodland on the west side of the fishing village.In 2004，however, this area was changed into a huge golf course that extended towards the beach near the sea.
与流程图相似的是，关键动词的引入是地图的写作要点。这里除了用there be的句型介绍1974年的woodland以外，还使用了be changed into以及extend towards等动词词组，把前后的变化生动地描写出来。另外，方位表达方式on the west side of, the beach near the sea以及高端量词a large tract of也为这一部分的描述增色不少。
接下来，我们把视线转向北部和中部：
【原创范例】
While a lot of tourist shops emerged and were connected with a small village in the north in 2004，the original olive area in the middle was converted to a piece of farmland to supply fruit and vegetables to the hotels.
该句用While……的句型把北部和中部的变化进行了对比。在动词使用方面，emerge, be connected with, be converted to, supply……to……都是非常地道和恰如其分的表达。在时间表达上，original一词就替代了1974这一年份。
然后我们又注意到地图的东边也有一些重要的变化：
【原创范例】
On the east side, not only did the grazing land for sheep and goats disappear and become incorporated into another small village under the mountains, but also a new road appeared in 2004，starting from the beach hotels, running through the eastern village and meandering across the mountains.
该句运用not only……，but also……的扩展句型，把东部的两大变化同时引出：第一是牧羊场（the grazing land for sheep and goats）的消失及融入东边的另一个小村庄；第二是一条新路的出现，从海滩边的酒店，穿过村庄，然后蜿蜒越过重山。这里使用了更多的动词：disappear, become incorporated into, appear, start, run through, meander across等，并且最后三个动词出现了分词的并列使用，把该新路的来龙去脉刻画得十分清晰。
最后我们来分析一下变化最大的部分——整个地图的南部地区。这里我们不仅看到原先的fishing village被大量密集的homes of locals所吞并，更重要的是原来的seaside成了大片的beach，并且林立的hotels沿着beach的两翼蓬勃展开。
【原创范例】
It is not surprising to see that the old fishing village in the middle south had been reduced to only a few rows of houses by 2004，and that a considerable number of high-density homes of locals took most of its place.Moreover, the boats and harbor area all became part of the history of the tourist resort, where two long strips of beach expanded from the original village to both the east and west.Most significantly, skyscraping hotels were seen here and there along the beaches to accommodate the growing number of tourists.
此段一共有三句话，其中第一句以句型It is not surprising to see that……带出，指出the old fishing village被缩减为2004年的only a few rows of houses，并引出原因：原来是许多高密度的居民房屋（high-density homes of locals）占领了其地盘。
第二句话用Moreover，……（从句）表示递进，指出原来的boats and harbor area都已经成为历史（became part of the history），并以where引导的定语从句描写两条长海滩从original village各自向东西方向延展。
第三句话用Most significantly，……（从句）继续递进，指出高耸入云的酒店（sky-scraping hotels）在海滩上随处可见，其目的就是来接纳不断增长的游客数量（to accommodate the growing number of tourists）。
如果把上述四个范例的所有句子连接起来，就构成了一个完整的主体段，充分地把这个地图各个方位的变化特征一步步描写了出来。
值得指出的是，为使文章有一个漂亮的结尾，我们有必要在最后的conclusion中把从1974年到2004年的人口变化（包括50000个游客床位的增加）写上一笔。
In conclusion, the great transformation of the fishing village was also reflected in this sharply rising population. While there were only 12，000 people in 1974，the total population of the large resort reached an astonishing 80，000 in 2004，including 50，000 tourist beds.
我们再来看一道非常典型的选址类地图：
这是一道选址类地图，题目的要求是要为一个叫S的超市选出合适的位置，备选方案有S1和S2，需要写出这两个地点的优缺点（注意题目中的标识、数字等细节）。请看其中的一段描述。
【原创范例】
Looking at the information in more detail, S1 is in the countryside to the north west of Garlsdon, but it is close to the residential area of the town.S2 is also close to the housing area, which surrounds the town centre.
这是文章的主体段，前两段分别是转化题目内容和描述图表大意。这是第三段，所以是从Looking at the information in more detail这个词组开始，表示要进一步描述图表细节。接着比较S1和S2的地理位置，地理位置是选址考虑的首要方面。
【原创范例】
There are main roads from Hindon, Bransdon and Cransdon to Garlsdon town centre, but this is a no-traffic zone, so there would be no access to S2 by car.By contrast, S1 lies on the main road to Hindon, but it would be more difficult to reach from Bransdon and Cransdon.Both supermarket sites are close to the railway that runs through Garlsdon from Hindon to Cransdon.
文章的第四段进一步展开S1和S2的优缺点，S2有通向三个地区的主干道路，但是没有交通地带，因此进出不便；然而S1在Hindon有主干道路，却离另外两个地方更远。最后表示，两个地区离铁路都近。
地图练习
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地图范文
The diagrams show Queen Mary Hospital at three different stages in its development：1960，1980 and 2000.
In 1960，the hospital was built close to a main road and next to a shopping centre. A large area behind the hospital was turned into a car park, while the area behind the shopping centre was farmland.
By 1980，the shopping centre had been demolished in order to make way for two additional hospital buildings which became a pharmacy and a cancer centre.Furthermore, the hospital gained the farmland and converted it into a nursing school.
In 2000，the main hospital building remained unchanged but the cancer centre was extended to cover the entire nursing school. As a result of this, the original car park was divided into two so that it provided a smaller car park and a small nursing school.
During this period, the hospital has increased in size and, in addition to a new nursing school, a cancer centre has been created and extended.Hence the capacity of the car park has been reduced by a half.
地图小贴士
地图通常描写一个地方在一段时间内所经历的变化，并要求对一个地区不同时期的地理和建筑风貌进行比较，或者对于某一地区的选址比较优劣。在遇到第一种地图题时，在写作中要始终谨记以“变化描写”为主、以“方位顺序描写”为辅。在进行变化描写时，一些常用的动词或动词词组必须熟知，比如change, convert, transform, turn into, be replaced by等，举例如下：
·In 1860，it was a small forest by the river, but it is now transformed to a large farming land with a lot of cattle and sheep.
·The original harbor area has been converted into several prosperous housing development districts during the 80-year period.
·It can also be seen from the two maps that the church in the middle of the town 20 years ago is now replaced by a spacious square that features a high monument and a group of statues.
此外，方位词的描写也是一个要点，所以考生必须掌握在使用不同的方位词时的介词表达方式，比如：
in the north further towards the east
on the east edge of……on the right side of……
at the southwest corner across the middle of……