0.
一众语言考试，作文评分标准常常都有一条：
要展示丰富的词汇量
。
那应该如何展示？平时如何积累？
和你分享三点。
1.
用更强势的表达。
这一点，主要是用好动词——英文句子力量如何，看动词，动词拖沓则句子拖沓。比如，如果要说：
Exercise makes your body stronger.
就不如 strengthen your body 更直接有力。
同理，如果要表达「科技使得金融大为改观」，也许你会写：
Technology has changed finance a lot.
但同样的意思，经济学人会写：
Technology has transformed finance.
因为 transform 就是 completely change sth, especially so that it is better。
这样一看，transform 不仅包含了「大变」的意味，还把 change 无法表达出的「改进」意思，也表达出来了。
同样，说「分歧」时：
The voting caused strong disagreement between them.
这样的句子没什么大问题，但如果你知道这一条：
If people divide over sth or if sth divides them, it causes strong disagreement between them.
你就可以写成：
The voting divided them.
力道如何？
同样，经济学人描写印度网红 Israil Ansari 的表演，说大家看他跳舞的视频，各有说辞，观点不一。并没有讲 people have different views，而是这么写：
It’s a dance that divides opinion.
干脆利索，赏心悦目。
2.
说行话。
文章要拿高分，用词不需要高级，但要——「内行」。
也就是说，如果你用的大部分动词或名词，放在别的话题里也照样能用，这可能就不是最合适的。因为，一个词这也能用、那也能用，往往是泛泛而谈，不够具体，也没力道。
比如，要论述「博物馆是个有教育意义的好地方」，有同学可能会这么写：
Museums are great places of education thanks to the knowledge of their staff, their well cared-for things, and their rooms full of interesting items and pictures.
说的是，博物馆是个有教育意义的好地方，这得益于他们工作人员的知识，他们把一切照顾得很好，以及他们有一个个充满了有趣的东西和图片的房间。
看起来没什么问题。
但稍一细究，你会发现，即便把「博物馆」换成「学校」，这句话也毫不违和：
Schools are great places of education thanks to the knowledge of their staff, their well-cared-for things, and their rooms full of interesting items and pictures.
这段论述失败在于，泛泛而谈，言之无物——因为过于模糊。
而论述模糊，往往是因为段落用词描写，过于模糊。
比如博物馆，馆里的 staff，其实可能是 curator、collections managers、educators，或者 exhibit designers；
在博物馆被照顾得很好的东西，是文物——artifacts，文物保存完好呢？well-preserved；
「有趣」并不足以回应「教育人」这一主题，如果想表达这层意思，可以用 enlightening；
rooms full of interesting items and pictures，不够确切，在博物馆语境，满是展品的房间，或是 exhibitions，或是 galleries，这是博物馆的氛围。
于是句子就变成：
Museums are great places of education thanks to the knowledge of their curators, their well-preserved artifacts from previous time eras, and their enlightening exhibitions and galleries.
是不是足够确切，足够博物馆了？
你要知道，一只小龙虾最伤自尊的时候，就是你明明吃了它，却对别人说：
I had a bucket of little shrimps.
crayfish, please.
3.
避免重复。
要让文章连贯紧凑，主题词就得反复出现。这时，如果是同一个词毫不变换，从开头重复用到到结尾，难免单调沉闷。
好的英文段落，也常会避开这一点。
外语考试中，一词到底，还可能会让阅卷者误会，你只掌握了这一个说法。
如果简单词已经先行用完，你便可以换上别的说法，哪怕更复杂。
比如这一段：
To begin with, there are those who appear to have
natural born talents
. Mozart would be one example, as he was a
talent
, able to play the piano skilfully after only a little tuition. It is known that he demonstrated great musical
talents
from his first lessons as a beginner.
话题是「天赋与后天教习」，talent 是主题词，但重复出现，读来乏味。解决办法就是换词，像雅思范文是这么写的：
To begin with, there are those who appear to have
natural born talents
. Mozart would be one example, as he was a
child prodigy
, able to play the piano skillfully after only a little tuition. It is known that he demonstrated a great
musical aptitude
and
an ear for pitch
from his first lessons as a beginner.
首句主题词 natural born talents 不变，第二个 talent 换成 prodigy，为强调年幼，加个 child；第三个 talent 换成了更具体的说法——
aptitude：natural ability or skill, especially in learning 天赋的另一种说法
an ear for pitch，天赋的具体表现。
这样读来，段落更富变化，论述也生动起来。再往下，主题词还可以是：
- have an innate talent
- possess a natural gift
- be naturally gifted
- …
