理解原因与结果
在阅读过程中，了解出题者解释某个事件或情况的原因是很重要的。因果关系是帮助考生理解文章的线索之一。因此，考生应掌握下列词汇。解释原因的：because, because of，due to, result from, as a result of, be a consequence of, be attributed to ; 表示结果的：as a result, result in, lead to, cause, contributed to. 例：
Elderly women outnumber elderly men because of gains in female longevity.
Population aging is mainly due to a decline in fertility.
The high number of visa over-stayers is a direct consequence of economic conditions.
The fall in the number of people smoking can be attributed to education programs.
The government raised the tax on alcohol. As a result, sales declined by 2%.
The 1982-83 recession resulted in a reduction in the total migrant intake in 1983-84.
It has been clearly demonstated that smoking leads to heart disease and cancer.
Immigration after the Second World War contributed to population growth.
这几句话中，前4句都是解释原因的，后4句是解释结果的。弄清楚了因果关系，出题者的观点也会一目了然。
其实，在阅读当中，每个人都会有自己的技巧和经验。通过不断的练习，总结心得体会，相信每个考生都会找到适合自己的阅读方法，并运用到考试当中，正确理解文章并完成问题的回答。
