3特殊的引申推理题型
(1)针对作者思路的推断
主要是猜测上下文可能出现的信息:首先,考生应该在分析概括文章的写作结构基础上进行推理。如:文章是按事物分类的叙述,而所选材料是其中一类,那么上下文就可能是对其他类别的叙述。其次,如果要求考生猜测短文之后的内容,就应该特别注意其结尾部分;如果要求考生猜测之前的内容,就应该特别注意短文的开始部分。其命题模式如下:
It can be assumed that the paragraph, preceding (following) the passage most probably discusses .
The paragraph preceding (following) this one is probably about .
此类题型到目前为止还未在研究生考试中的阅读部分出现,但是我们不能排除它是将来的一种新题型。
(2)推断文章来源的类型
要求考生在读懂全文的基础上判断本篇文章选自何种书、杂志或文章的一部分。这种题目往往在文章中有所暗示。考生也可根据文章的写作结构、行文风格去推断其文体。此类题的例题模式如下:
This passage appears to be a digest of .
The passage is most likely a part of a .
Example
Rumor has it that more than 20 books on creationism/evolution are in the publisher’s pipelines. A few have already appeared. The goal of all will be to try to explain to a confused and often unenlightened citizenry that there are not two equally valid scientific theories for the origin and evolution of universe and life. Cosmology, geology, and biology have provided a consistent, unified, and constantly improving account of what happened. “Scientific” creationism, which is being pushed by some for “equal time” in the classrooms whenever the scientific accounts of evolution are given, is based on religion, not science. Virtually all scientists and the majority of nonfundamentalist religious leaders have come to regard “scientific” creationism as bad science and bad religion.
The first four chapters of Kitcher’s book give a very brief introduction to evolution. At appropriate places, he introduces the criticisms of the creationists and provides answers. In the last three chapters, he takes off his gloves and gives the creationists a good beating. He describes their programmes and tactics, and, for those unfamiliar with the ways of creationists, the extent of their deception and distortion may come as an unpleasant surprise. When their basic motivation is religious, one might have expected more Christian behavior.
Kitcher is a philosopher, and this may account, in part, for the clarity and effectiveness of his arguments. The non-specialist will be able to obtain at least a notion of the sorts of data and argument that support evolutionary theory. The final chapters on the creationists will be extremely clear to all. On the dust jacket of this fine book, Stephen Jay Gould says: “This book stands for reason itself.” And so it does—and all would be well were reason the only judge in the creationism/evolution debate.(1996年 Passage 5)
This passage appears to be a digest of .
[A] a book review [B] a scientific paper
[C] a magazine feature [D] a newspaper editorial
文章首段以20本关于创造论与进化论之争的书开始,然后在第二段和第三段专门介绍金切尔著作的结构内容和突出特点,最后引用斯蒂芬·杰·古尔德的对话对此书做出高度评价,因此可以看出这是一篇典型的书评。英语书评的写作特点是:一般会先给出背景知识,接着介绍该书的主要内容,最后对所介绍的书籍做出一个总体评价。正确答案应该是[A]选项。
(3)判断文章写作方法
这种题型在2005年试题中首次出现,体现了阅读理解选择题开始从对局部信息的考查转向对文章组织结构的考查。考生需要了解不同类型英语文章的特点,开头、结尾方式及段落的拓展技巧,只有对文章整体组织结构有了清楚的了解,解答此类题型才能得心应手。
Example
Everybody loves a fat pay rise. Yet pleasure at your own can vanish if you learn that a colleague has been given a bigger one. Indeed, if he has a reputation for slacking, you might even be ourtaged. Such behaviour is regarded as “all too human”, with the underlying assumption that other animals would not be capable of this finely developed sense of grievance. But a study by Sarah Brosnan and Frans de Waal of Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, which has just been published in Nature, suggests that it is all too monkey, as well.(2005年Text 1)
In the opening paragraph, the author introduces his topic by
[A] posing a contrast. [B] justifying an assumption.
[C] making a comparison. [D] explaining a phenomenon.
第一段先举例:当知道懒散的同事拿到比自己更多的薪水时,每个人都会很气愤。接着文章指出,这样的行为被看作是“人之常情”,它潜在地假定了其他动物没有这种高度发达的不满情绪。转折but在首段出现非常重要,它往往是主题出现的标志,即前面的内容被推翻,之后的新观点才是要论证的主题。该段but之后提出主题:研究表明猴子也有类似的情感。可见,第一段主要使用了类比论证手法,将猴子与人做比较,找出它们的相似之处。因此[C]正确。
[A]选项中的contrast(对照)是比较两事物的不同点。[B]选项与原文相反,原文是推翻了一个假定而证明。原文提到了发生在人类身上的一个现象,但文章并未就此提出主题,排除[D]选项。
(五)事实细节题
在阅读理解测试中,很大比例的题目是考细节的。事实上在对历年试题的分析中发现,事实细节题的比例占一半以上。文章中的细节通常指的是作者为论证文章主题特别是论证段落的大意而使用的具体信息。因为就议论文和说明文而言,作者在阐明准备论述的问题或观点后,通常会用大量具体的事实细节去说明或支持它们。这些细节可以是理由、例子、数字,也可以采用下定义、作比较、对比、打比方等方法去组织。根据具体考查的内容或范围,事实细节题可以再细分为因果细节题、态度细节题、观点细节题、类比细节题、综合细节题和具体细节题。
1常见的命题模式
(1)According to the passage/ the author, who (what, where, which, when, why, how, etc.)
(2)Which of the following is true/correct/ false/not included?
(3)All of the following are (not) true, are (not) mentioned except .
(4)The author mentions all of the items listed below/all of the following except .
(5)We learn from the last paragraph(the first three paragraphs, the text) that .
事实细节的考查内容和形式可以说是五花八门,但是大致可以归纳为以下三种类型:
(1)According 型
题干中多用who,what, where, which, when, why, how等疑问词引导,利用词性、同义词、近义词或一些意思相似的语句去考查考生对原文表达细节信息的词汇、惯用法的正确理解,要求考生在文中寻找重要事实与细节。考生可以利用题目的关键词去寻找文中对应词,在对应词周围找答案。注意:此类题中,考what 和why 的最多。
(2)隐含的事实和细节型
测试考生对文章展示的细节的综合概括能力;需要在读懂全文的基础上,综合概括作者展示的各种细节。
Hunting for a job late last year, lawyer Gant Redmon stumbled across CareerBuilder, a job database on the Internet. He searched it with no success but was attracted by the site’s “personal search agent”. It’s an interactive feature that lets visitors key in job criteria such as location, title, and salary, then E-mails them when a matching position is posted in the database. Redmon chose the keywords legal, intellectual property and Washington, D.C. Three weeks later, he got his first notification of an opening. “I struck gold,” says Redmon, who E-mailed his resume to the employer and won a position as in-house counsel for a company.(2004年Passage 1)
How did Redmon find his job?
[A] By searching openings in a job database.
[B] By posting a matching position in a database.
[C] By using a special service of a database.
[D] By E-mailing his resume to a database.
整个全文的主题是介绍“搜索代理”这种网上谋职工具。而第一段围绕雷德曼通过“个人搜索代理”求职的个人经历展开论述。根据整个段落的细节内容和全文的主题可以判断出[C]选项正确,该选项中的“特殊服务”指的就是“个人搜索代理”这种服务,其他干扰项都不符合文意。
(3)正误判断题
此类试题多根据文章的一段或数段提问,考查考生在现实生活中的阅读技能,即快速、准确寻找所需信息的能力。这种题目因为覆盖面较广,搜索定位时间较长,因而难度较大,容易给考生带来心理压力。因此考生遇到此类题型时,首先要调整心理状态,冷静地返回到文章中去寻找答案。
这种题原文往往有罗列,因此其解题三步骤如下:首先,读懂题干和四个选项的内容,提炼和记忆它们的主要意思;其次,带着问题去阅读文章,扫描和搜寻信息点,与题目不相关的句子和语段很快掠过,相关信息语言区域则要放慢速度,细致地对照原文和选项提供的信息;最后,“对号入座”,找到解题范围后,立刻排除明显的干扰项,然后“逐个突破”,对余下的选项进行筛选,使选项的范围越来越小,判断的准确率越来越高。
正误判断题有两种题型:一正三误和三正一误,即要求考生找出四个选项中惟一正确的一个和要求考生判断哪一个选项与文章不符。
这中间应该特别提到的是后者,又称except题型。其特点是题干中常常含有否定意义词汇except,not (mentioned /true), least等,要求考生辨认哪些细节文章中未提及。解此类题也遵循上面的三个步骤。在对号入座时,可以将原文中提到的内容划线,表示是排除的内容;无法对号的即是答案。
Example
Money spent on advertising is money spent as well as any I know of. It serves directly to assist a rapid distribution of goods at reasonable prices, thereby establishing a firm home market and so making it possible to provide for export at competitive prices. By drawing attention to new ideas it helps enormously to raise standards of living. By helping to increase demand it ensures an increased need for labour, and is therefore an effective way to fight unemployment. It lowers the costs of many services: without advertisements your daily newspaper would cost four times as much, the price of your television licence would need to be doubled and travel by bus or tube would cost 20 per cent more. (1995年Passage 1)
In the passage, which of the following is NOT included in the advantages of advertising?
[A] Securing greater fame. [B] Providing more jobs.
[C] Enhancing living standards. [D] Reducing newspaper cost.
这是一道典型的except题。先略读题干和选项,得知题目主要问的是广告的益处。定位到文章第一段。这一段列举了广告的四点益处: a有助于产品以合理价格稳定国内市场,以有竞争力的价格进入国际市场;b有利于提高人们的生活标准;c增加了市场需求,扩大了就业;d使许多公共事业的服务价格低廉。对号入座,发现只有选项[A]文中未提及。
2事实细节试题的选项特点和解题技巧
(1)正确选项的特点
①一般可以在文章中直接或间接找到答案,但是不可能与阅读材料一模一样,而是用不同的词语或句型去表达相同的思想。如:原文用双重否定,选项用肯定的句式;进行同义词替换或句子结构的变换;或原文与选项互换反义词等等。然而这只是词语和句法上的变化,意思是一致的。模式为:题干+正确选项的信息值=/≈原文中某句的信息值。
②体现中心思想,有很多正确选项刚好在段落主旨句中。
Example
The world is going through the biggest wave of mergers and acquisitions ever witnessed. The process sweeps from hyperactive America to Europe and reaches the emerging countries with unsurpassed might. Many in these countries are looking at this process and worrying: “Won’t the wave of business concentration turn into an uncontrollable anti-competitive force?” (2001年 Passage 4)
What is the typical trend of businesses today?
[A] To take in more foreign funds.
[B] To invest more abroad.
[C] To combine and become bigger.
[D] To trade with more countries.
文章的第一段指出当今企业界出现的一个现象,即整个世界正在经历一场前所未有的兼并和收购浪潮。这一并购之风从异常活跃的美国到达欧洲,并以不可比拟的威力影响到新兴经济国家。[C]选项“合并并且变得更加庞大”就是该段首句提到的mergers and acquisitions,即当今企业发展的主要趋势。该段的段落主旨句就是首句。
③在细节的因果关系处常常命题,正确项多为其产生原因或主要原因,也有少量考结果的。
Example
I believe that the most important forces behind the massive M&A wave are the same that underlie the globalization process: falling transportation and communication costs, lower trade and investment barriers and enlarged markets that require enlarged operations capable of meeting customers’ demands. All these are beneficial, not detrimental, to consumers. As productivity grows, the world’s wealth increases.(2001年 Passage 4)
According to the author, one of the driving forces behind M&A wave is.
[A] the greater customer demands
[B] a surplus supply for the market
[C] a growing productivity
[D] the increase of the world’s wealth
该段剖析了造成并购潮流的数个重要原因,如:交通和通讯成本的日趋下降,贸易和投资壁垒的降低,以及扩大的市场要求扩大业务去满足顾客的需要。[A]选项“顾客更大的需要”是上面提到的第三个因素,因此[A]为正确选项。[B]选项“对市场的供给过于充裕”即市场供应过剩,应该是企业缩小生产的原因。[C]选项“日益增长的生产率”是企业合并后的结果,而[D]选项“世界财富的增长”又是生产力提高的结果。
(2)干扰项的特点
①部分正确,部分错误;②是原文信息,但不是题目要求的内容,如:根据题干中的关键词定位到段落,若选项中出现这个范围之外其他段落的内容必错;③符合常识,但不是文章的内容;④与原句的内容极为相似,但在程度上有些变动,如:将文中并非绝对化的内容绝对化,或偷梁换柱改动一些关键词;⑤明显不是文章的信息,与文中事实相反或不符。
(3)事实细节试题的解题技巧
①主题和事实细节内容是相辅相成的,确定了主题,才能深刻理解细节材料的作用。同样,对具体细节有较为全面的理解,就能够更好地判明主题。考生要记住这一原则:文章的每一词、句、段都和文章主题相关,不是用来证明主题的论据,就是作者要批判的论据。
②文章的事实细节内容不会孤立地出现,它与前后的内容密切相关。文章或段落中的细节都存在某种内在的联系,如:因果关系,类比关系,时间、空间先后关系,考生在阅读中可以利用这些关系将零碎的细节组成一个有机的整体。
③看细节内容要“跳”出来看,即要对文章的组织结构了如指掌,知道这部分细节是为什么主题服务的,才能迅速捕捉到所需的信息。
④一般都可以在文章中直接或间接找到答案。遵循“本本主义”,以原文为解题的惟一依据,而不可以自我发挥或凭感觉做题。如:选项中出现文章未涉及的中心词可以首先排除。
⑤考生要留意文章或题干中一些细小的地方,如:正确把握文中代词的所指关系,它们是为了避免上下文重复而使用的。此外还有时态、语气等。
Example
If the preoccupation of schools with academic work was lessened, more time might be spent teaching children surer values. Perhaps selection for the caring professions, especially medicine, could be made less by good grades in chemistry and more by such considerations as sensitivity and sympathy. It is surely a mistake to choose our doctors exclusively from A-type stock. B’s are important and should be encouraged.(1995年Text 4)
The selection of medical professionals are currently based on .
[A] candidates’ sensitivity [B] academic achievements
[C] competitive spirit [D] surer values
这段文章基本上是虚拟语气,即所给的细节和情况都与现在的事实相反。虽然最后两句是直接陈述语气,但是却没有直接指明[A]和[B]在这里具体代表什么。而试题问的是现在的情况,因此对整段进行综合分析并且将原句反过来表述而得出,现在的选择标准就是academic work或good grades。因此[B]为正确答案。
四、其他的常考点
(一)引语常考
文章中出现的引语基本上都是考点,只是采用不同的题型而已,如推理引申题、句意理解题、作者意图题等等。特别注意首段引语的三种作用:第一,作为支持作者观点的论据;第二,作为作者批判的靶子;第三,给出文章大背景。
Example 1
Tight-lipped elders used to say, “It’s not what you want in this world, but what you get.”
Psychology teaches that you do get what you want if you know what you want and want the right things.(1996年 Passage 1)
What do the elders mean when they say, “It’s not what you want in this world, but what you get?”
[A] You’ll certainly get what you want.
[B] It’s no use dreaming.
[C] You should be dissatisfied with what you have.
[D] It’s essential to set a goal for yourself.
此题以引言作为文章首句,作为作者批判的靶子,进而引出真正的观点,即做事前应该制定计划。命题目的在于检查考生能否准确把握what you want和what you get具体化后的含义。原句it’s not...but...结构否定的是“你所想”,肯定的是“你所得”。即,得到什么比想要什么重要。[B]选项为正确答案。
Example 2
No company likes to be told it is contributing to the moral decline of a nation. “Is this what you intended to accomplish with your careers?” Senator Robert Dole asked Time Warner executives last week. “You have sold your souls, but must you corrupt our nation and threaten our children as well?” At Time Warner, however, such questions are simply the latest manifestation of the soul-searching that has involved the company ever since the company was born in 1990. It’s a self-examination that has, at various times, involved issues of responsibility, creative freedom and the corporate bottom line. (1997年 Passage 4)
Senator Robert Dole criticized Time Warner for .
[A] its raising of the corporate stock price
[B] its self-examination of soul
[C] its neglect of social responsibility
[D] its emphasis on creative freedom
此处引言的作用就是给出文章探讨的大背景。要求考生通过该引言推出责备Time Warner的原因。答案为[C]选项。
(二)例子常考
例子经常出现在命题中,而且题型多为作者观点态度题。此类题型主要针对文章中所举之例的作用进行发问。考生应该注意例子的出现无非有两种情况:一是先提观点后举例;二是先举例后提出观点。而该观点就是作者引用例子所要说明或反驳的。因此见到例子后,考生应该迅速查找其上下文,目的必在其中。通过历年真题分析,发现先提观点后举例的情况占多数。
Example 1
You can make a mental blueprint of a desire as you would make a blueprint of a house, and each of us is continually making these blueprints in the general routine of everyday living. If we intend to have friends to dinner, we plan the menu, make a shopping list, decide which food to cook first, and such planning is an essential for any type of meal to be served.
Likewise, if you want to find a job, take a sheet of paper, and write a brief account of yourself. In making a blueprint for a job, begin with yourself, for when you know exactly what you have to offer, you can intelligently plan where to sell your services.(1996年 Passage 1)
A blueprint made before inviting a friend to dinner is used in this passage as .
[A] an illustration of how to write an application for a job
[B] an indication of how to secure a good job
[C] a guideline for job description
[D] a principle for job evaluation
举例是为了说明或驳斥某个观点,在这篇文章中,例子直接摆在观点句后,是典型的先提观点后举例的形式。作者先表述其观点:You can make a mental blueprint of a desire... and each of us is continually making these blueprints in general routine of everyday living。接下来作者以请人吃饭的例子来说明a mental blueprint of a desire,并把它与“找工作”的方式联系起来,指出两者的相同之处都是要“勾画一幅欲望蓝图”。因此,[A]选项为正确答案。
Example 2
To take advantage of this tool, some impoverished countries will have to get over their outdated anti-colonial prejudices with respect to foreign investment. Countries that still think foreign investment is an invasion of their sovereignty might well study the history of infrastructure(the basic structural foundations of a society)in the United States. When the United States built its industrial infrastructure, it didn’t have the capital to do so. And that is why America’s Second Wave infrastructure—including roads, harbors, highways, ports and so on—were built with foreign investment. The English, the Germans, the Dutch and the French were investing in Britain’s former colony. They financed them. Immigrant Americans built them. Guess who owns them now? The Americans. I believe the same thing would be true in places like Brazil or anywhere else for that matter. The more foreign capital you have helping you build your Third Wave infrastructure, which today is an electronic infrastructure, the better off you’re going to be. That doesn’t mean lying down and becoming fooled, or letting foreign corporations run uncontrolled. But it does mean recognizing how important they can be in building the energy and telecom infrastructures needed to take full advantage of the Internet. (2001年 Passage 2)
The writer mentioned the case of the United States to justify the policy of .
[A] providing financial support overseas
[B] preventing foreign capital’s control
[C] building industrial infrastructure
[D] accepting foreign investment
此题是典型的先举例后提出观点的形式。以美国为例之后,作者提出“哪个国家利用外资多,哪个国家就将变得更富裕”的结论。由结论可以直接得出答案。正确答案为[D]选项。