如果想要达到native speaker的水平，就要了解native speaker是如何组织他们的语言的，这种对语言的组织方式便可称为英语思维。
语言和思维密不可分，语言是思维的载体，思维方式支配着语言表达，因此中英思维的差异是导致汉语和英语语言差异的的重要原因之一。 如果我们的学习英语的是要达到native speaker的水平，那么了解这种思维差异可以帮助我们有意识的避免中式英语，从而更快的写出地道的英文来。
我在之前的天资 一个例子揭示你的「中式英语」（←一个温馨体贴的提示：蓝色字体的意思是可以点击）揭示了中文先铺陈背景，再摆出重点；英语先摆重点，再加背景信息的思维差异。这种差异体现在英语的方方面面，由小到大，贯穿在词汇，句子，段落甚至是文章的铺陈结构上。
当这种思维差异体现在段落和文章铺陈上，就导致了绝大多数中国人写的英语「没有重点」和「没有连贯性」两大典型的「中式英语」缺陷。
这篇帖子谈一下这种思维是如何体现在段落铺陈上的。
1,
美国语言学家Robert B. Kaplan认为英语思维是「直线型」的，喜欢开门见山，把重点放在最开头，后面的意思都围绕着中心思想层层展开。于此相反，中文思维是「螺旋型」的，喜欢先描述背景信息，最后再给出中心思想。语文老师讲的「欲扬先抑，起承转合」就是典型。
先来看一篇中国学生写的「是不是应该禁止黑出租车」，其中一段她是这样论证黑车的坏处的：
When I arrived in the airport last week, I decided to take a cab to my university. Upon entering the taxi waiting area, I met a cab driver who asked me where I was going. When I told him the address, he said that none of the taxi drivers would want to take me there as it was apparently too far. It was only when he told me, after we had started driving, that the trip would cost 200 Yuan, that I realised that I had been scammed into taking an unlicensed cab. I had no choice but to pay the price because I was so scared. From this I have to say that unlicensed cabs are extremely dangerous. Therefore, it’s very important for the government to ban them.
这段论述在语法，词汇方面都没有错误，而且这种「由故事引出结论」的写作习惯对我们中国人来说再常见不过了。但是，这段论述是不符合英语思维习惯的。首先，作者以一个故事（anecdote）开头，就是典型的「螺旋型」思维，对于外国人来说，它们会觉得这是一种不必要的拐弯抹角——读到一半都还不知道你要表达什么。另外，在段落最结尾才引出了主题「From this I have to say that unlicensed cabs are extremely dangerous. Therefore, it's very important for the government to ban them.」，这是和英语「直线型」思维相矛盾的。
我们在写作的时候要刻意避免汉语「螺旋型」思维的影响。
2，
那么什么是直线形思维？
直线型的思维反映在文章段落上，就是「开门见山」。段落以主题句（topic sentence）开头，不绕弯子，直接就给出全段的重点，之后紧紧围绕着主题，层层展开。最后，在段落的结尾再次总结，呼应主题。这种和中文截然相反的段落铺陈方式， 在书 Academic Writing for Graduate Students 中有非常清楚的说明：
We have chosen to begin with a type of text sometimes called general-specific (GS) because its structure involves general-to-specific movement. ...As their name implies, GS texts move from broad statements to narrower ones. However, they often widen out again in the final sentence.
而对于topic sentence，Wikipedia的解释如下：
The topic sentence is the sentence in an expository paragraph which summarizes the main idea of that paragraph. It is usually the first sentence in a paragraph.
综合来说，英文的段落展开一般遵循三个步骤：中心思想（General）—细节（Specific）—总结（General）。这种三步骤的写作方式处处可见。通过图表来表示段落的关系如下：
如果按照这种英语思维，重新组织上面作文的内容如下：
(1) Unlicensed cabs cause many harms to the society and the government should ban unlicensed drivers from offering services. (2) First, there have been reported crimes of assaults, rapes and even murders committed by unlicensed cab drivers recently. It's particularly unsafe for women to take such cars at night. (3) Besides, the genuine cab drivers will earn increasingly less money and eventually give up their jobs. The whole business will be spoiled, which harms the society. (4) Therefore, the government should take action to ban black cabs.
第一句话 (1)作为主题句topic sentence，开门见山给出了全段的重点。然后后面的 (2)和(3)紧紧围绕主题，层层分析和论述。结尾 (4)总结全段。如果我们将这段话按照前面「General-Specific-General」的步骤展示下来，就如下图：
为了展示这种三步骤的结构，我从2016年8月12日《纽约时报》报道傅园慧的文章中随便找了一段：
Instead, it is her exuberance out of the water that has endeared her to fans. Rather than mere happiness at her performances, Ms. Fu, 20, exhibits something closer to pure joy, bouncing around and making animated faces.
这段只有两句话，却依然符合上文提到的General-Specific的结构特点，开头用中心句点出傅园慧是靠着exuberance赢得粉丝的。细节在后面给出具体的解释，即exuberance是什么。这段话没有最后的总结句，但是依然符合英文先重点在具体的思维模式。
再看Orwell小说Animal Farm中的一段：
Late one evening in the summer, a sudden rumour ran round the farm that something had happened to Boxer. He had gone out alone to drag a load of stone down to the windmill. And sure enough, the rumour was true. A few minutes later two pigeons came racing in with the news; "Boxer has fallen! He is lying on his side and can't get up!"
第一句话交代重点：Boxer出事了！接下来才花篇幅去解释是怎么回事。
YourDictionary.com上对Topic sentence的解释同样符合三步骤：
A topic sentence is the most important sentence in a paragrah. Sometimes referred to as a focus sentence, the topic sentence helps organize the paragraph by summarizing the information in the paragraph. In formal writing, the topic sentence is usually the first sentence in a paragraph.
第一句话给出重点：TS很重要。后面再具体解释TS是什么以及有什么功能，自然也是在解释其重要性。最后，话题再次general,并结束全段：The topic sentence is usually the first sentence in a paragraph.
一个例子揭示的思维差异，体现在了段落了铺陈方式上，而且确实是有理可寻。我们无论是在准备雅思托福，还是日常工作报告，或者个人博客等等，不妨按照此原则铺陈你的段落文章，这样一定可以写出更加地道的英文。
