(十九)

Sometimes a writer takes a short cut(捷径)when painting a word picture. Instead of giving a detailed description(细节描写)of a thing, the writer may compare(比较)it to something else－to something which you, the reader, have certainly seen many times before. A writer knows that this is a short cut to writing which is an effective way of painting a clear picture in your mind's eye and painting it quickly too. The following example shows how this short cut works out to the benefit of both writer and reader.
A writer sets out to tell you how the dust rose under the feet of a team of horses as they ran fast over a dirt road. Instead of writing a long and detailed description of the rising dust, the writer makes the following comparison. The yellow dust of the road rose like a cloud under the horse feet.
The phrase like a cloud calls up a mental picture which immediately enables you to see in your mind's eye the yellow cloud of dust boiling up from the road and dancing about the horses' feet.
简析：议论文文体，论述一个作家在进行生动的文字描述时，打比喻往往是一种有效的方法。