Abstract:In recently years，the study of linguistic and discourse analysis has attempted to analyze particular textual structures of different discourses, which is a new development of “stylistic analysis” and “register analysis,” called “genre analysis.” 

　　　Nowadays, English majors are afraid of reading long texts because they focus their attention on difficult words instead of the textual structure. We know that awareness of the coherence of a text plays an important role in reading. Students are, however, greatly influenced by traditional teaching methods, and they usually pay special attention to big words and phrases, and neglect the coherence of the text that they are reading, failing, as it were, to see the wood for the trees. But the understanding of a text depends less on the size of one’s vocabulary than on one’s consciousness of its coherence.

　　　It is hoped that, through an analysis of the expositional essays in TEM-8 of the years 2007 to 2011, the findings of this thesis will provide insight into the comprehension of exposition and give some inspiration for reading it.

Key words: schematic structure; genre analysis; exposition; TEM-8 readings

摘要:近30年来,文体学、篇章语言学和话语分析等领域的研究试图从语篇的体裁角度解析特定语篇所具有的特定认知结构。这便构成了文体分析和语篇分析中的一个新课题,称作“体裁分析”。

　　　现在的英语专业的学生对英语文章阅读，尤其是长文章的阅读有恐惧心理。这是因为学生做阅读时纠结于难词以及不懂的大词，而忽视了文章的篇章结构，只看到了树木没看到树林，但是能否读懂文章不仅仅在于单词量的问题更在于读懂语篇的连贯，通过了解语篇的连贯，再学习累积一定的语用知识，才能理解语篇的全部意义。本文通过分析从2002年至2011年的英语专业八级的说明文篇章，通过分析这些阅读，希望帮助学生理解属于说明文的语篇。

关键字：体裁分析; 图示结构; 说明文; 专八

The present study has shown the schematic structure of exposition in TEM-8 readings and the genre features. The two research questions proposed in the introduction are asserted in the main part of the thesis. First, the schematics structure of exposition is modeled through the analysis of 9 pieces of exposition. The schematic structure outlined shows that a background or a hypothetical background, a main question or a main hypothetical question, a helpful tool or an essential condition to recommend to solve the question, an attempted progress suggestion offered in order to achieve the desired solution to the problem, providing a method to observe whether the question has been resolved and an ending. The study indicates functions of each schematic structural elements. The background offers the information of people, places or events. It helps the reader to understand the passage. The second element is a main question that the author raises. Usually it follows the background knowledge to tell readers about the conflicts. The third element is a helpful tool or an essential condition to solve the question. The forth is a suggestion to achieve the desired solution. The third and the forth elements are not very necessary for every text to cover. And the last elements are a method of observing whether the question has been resolved and the ending. They are considered as the finishing touches of the discourse.