1、四级考试阅读理解中的四不要从新教学大纲对阅读能力的要求中,我们知道它主要包括阅读速度和阅读理解两个方面,笔者在西北工业大学学生中做了问卷调查,其中约 95%的学生认国掌握词汇量太少是影响阅读理解的首要问题;阅读速度方面,绝大多数学生认为他们在不同程度上都有以下不良阅读习惯:(1)“指读”,即为了“集中注意力”,用手指或笔尖指着文章逐词阅读。一遇到生词,便停顿下来,无法在通篇理解的基础上继续进行阅读。(2)“唇读”,即有的学生在阅读中寺喜欢读出声来,或即使不出声,嘴唇了居动,或脑子里也在想着读音,无形当中影响了大脑的思维速度。(3)“回读”,即在阅读中遇到生词或不熟悉的短语时,返回句首甚至段首重
2、读;还有相当多的学生对阅读忆经产生心理定势,即认为自已第一遍肯定读不懂,因此反复多遍,浪费很多时间。(4)“译读”,即在阅读过程中,不断地进行膛词逐句的翻译,通过译成母语来辅助理解。由于没有掌握正确的阅读方法,习惯于在不加限定的时间内,对一小块文章精雕细琢,导致了逐词阅读接受信息的习惯。四级考试阅读理解技巧四级阅读测试一般包括 4 篇文章的阅读,每篇后有 5 道选择题。这些的类型多种多样,但归纳起来大致可分为二大类,即全域型问题(Global Question)和局域型问题(Local Question ). Local Question 一般涉及三方面内容:Subject Matter, A
3、ttitude/Tone; Local Question 涉及:Supporting Details ,Inference, Vocabulary.以下,我们将针对四级考试的特点、出题范畴、出题方式等,根据这些问题在考试出题中的大致排列顺序,进行有步骤、有计划的分项应试技能训练。 四级考试阅读理解技巧(一)关于主题思想问题(Subject Matter)Subject Matter(SM 中心思想)是作者在文章中要表达的的主要内容是贯穿全文的核心。作者在文章中努力通过各种 Supporting Details 来阐明中心议题。因此,把握主要思想对于全文内容理解具有重要意义。熟悉四级测试的人都知
4、道,这类问题常被列为 5 题之首。然而,如何找出主题常使考生倍感棘手。因为他们总希望通过某个词或某句话就能找到答案,而找主题往往需要通读全文后才能作出判断。针对 SM 问题,应采用快速阅读法(Skimming)浏览全文,理解文章主旨大意,阅读时要注意抓住中心思想的句子在文章中的位置也不同,但阅读时,文章的开头、结尾及段落的段首句和段尾句特别重要,因为他们往往名包含文章的中心议题(SM)。根据批发部在内容的不同,这类问题可分杰主题型、标题型和目的型 。主题型一目了然就是找中心(Main Idea);标题型是为文章选择标题(Title);目的型就是推断作者的写作意图(Purpose).这类题常见的
5、命题方式有:(1) What is the main idea (subject) of this passage ?(2) What does this passage mainly (primarily)concerned ?(3) The main theme of this passage is _.(4) The main point of the passage is_.(5) Which of the following is the best title for the passage ?(6) The title that best expresses the theme o
6、f the passage is _.(7) On which of the following subject would the passage most likely be found in a textbook ?(8) The purpose of the writer in writing this passage _.(9) Which of the following best describes the passage as a whole ?1. 关于主题型Example 1:Oceanography has been defined as “The application
7、 of all sciences to the study of the sea “Before the nineteenth century ,scientists with an interest in the sea were few and far between .Certainly Newton considered some theoretical aspects of it in his writings ,but he was reluctant to go to sea to further his work .For most people the sea was rem
8、ote , and with the exception of early intercontinental travelers or others , who earned a living from the sea, there was little reason to ask many questions about it ,let alone to what lay beneath the surface ,The first time that thequestion “What is at the bottom of oceans “? had to be answered wit
9、h any commercial consequence was when the laying of a telegraph cable from Europe to America was proposed. The engineers had to know the depth profile( 轮廓)of the route to estimate the length of cable that had to be manufactured.It was to Maury of US Navy that the Atlantic Telegraph Company turned, i
10、n 1853 , for information on this matter. In the 1840s,Maury had been responsible for encouraging voyages during which soundings(试探)were taken investigate the depths of the North Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Later, some of his findings aroused much popular interest in his book The Physical Geography
11、of the Sea.The cable was laid , but not until 1866 was the connection made permanent and reliable. At the early attempts, the cable failed and when it was taken out for repairs it was found to be covered in living growths, a fact which defied contemporary scientific opinion that there was no life in
12、 the deeper parts of the sea.Within a few years oceanography was under way. In 1872Thomson led a scientific expedition, which lasted for four years and brought home thousands of samples form the sea. Their classification and analysis occupied scientists for years and led to a five-volume report, the
13、 last volume being published in 1895 .This passage is mainly about_.A) the beginnings of oceanographyB) the laying of the first undersea cableC) the investigation of ocean depthsD) the early intercontinental communications本题问及全篇的中心思想。通过快读(skimming )我们知道这是一篇叙述“海洋学“的文章。第一段谈的是关于“海洋学“的定义;第二段是讲 19 世纪前对海洋
14、感兴对趣的科学家不多;第三段谈到由于有人提了铺设海底电缆,人们才开始研究“海底深处究竟是什么“;第四段说 Maury 考察北大西洋和太平洋的发现引起广泛的注意;第五段讲修筑海底电缆过程中发现大量的海洋生物;最后一段是海洋学研究的成果。可风全篇主要是讲海洋学的研究是如何开展起来的,所以正确答案是 A)。文章有 个地方谈到铺设义;第二段是讲 19 世纪前对海洋感兴趣的科学家不多;第三段谈到由于有人提出铺设海底电缆,人们才开始研究“海底深处究竟有什么“;第四段说 Maury 考察北大西洋和太平洋的发现引起广泛的注意;第五段讲修筑海底电缆过程中发现大量的海洋生物;最后一段是海洋学研究的成果。可见全篇主
15、要是讲海洋学的研究是如何开展起来的,所以正确答案是 A)。文章有好几个地方谈到铺设海底电缆 B)和越洋通讯(D),但都是围绕着海洋学这条主线的。至于 C),测量海洋深度,只是一个细节,不可能是文章的中心意思四级考试阅读理解技巧(二)2关于标题型Example :A rapid means of long-distance transportation became a necessity for the United States as settlement(新拓居地 ) spread ever farther westward. The early trains were impractic
16、al curiosities, and for along time the railroad companies met with troublesome mechanical problems. The most serious ones were the construction of rails able to bear the load, and the development of a safe, effective stopping system. Once these were solved, the railroad was established as the best m
17、eans of land transportation. By 1860 there were thousands of miles of railroads crossing the eastern mountain ranges and reaching westward to the Mississippi. There were also regional southern and western lines .The high point in railroad building came with the construction of the first transcontine
18、ntal system. In 1862 congress authorized two western railroad companies to build lines from Nebraska west-ward and from California eastward to a meeting point, so as to complete a transcontinental crossing linking the Atlantic seaboard with the Pacific .The Government helped the railroads generously
19、 with money and land Actual work on this project began four years later. money and land. Actual work on this project began four years later. The Central Pacific Company, starting from California, used Chinese labor, while the Union Pacific employed crews of Irish laborers. The two groups worked at r
20、emarkable speed, each trying to. cover a greater distance than the other. In l869 they met at a place called Promontory in what is now the state of Utah. Many visitors came there for the great occasion. There were joyous celebrations all the country, with parades and the ringing of church bells to h
21、onor the great achievement.The railroad was very important in encouraging westward movement. It also helped build up industry and farming by moving raw materials and by distributing products rapidly to distant markets. In linking towns and people to one another it helped unify the United States.The
22、best title for this passage would be_.A) Settlements Spread WestwardB) The Coast-to-Coast Railroad: A Vital LinkC) American Railroad HistoryD) The Importance of Trains in the American Economy本题是给文章选标题,实际上也是问及全篇的主旨。文章第一段的第一句虽然提到“settlement spread ever farther westward “,但这不是本文论述的中心,太故选项 A)是错的;选项 D)也不
23、合适,因为作者在第三段第二句里谈的是在美国起重要作用的 transcontinental railway, 而不是泛指美国的铁路;虽然本文从一个侧面反映了美国铁路的历史,故选项 C)也是错的;本文的第三段点了文章的主旨,即这条横贯美国的铁路在开发西部、发展工农业生产和统一美国等方面 起到了 a vital link 的作用。因此,答案应该是选项 B)四级考试阅读理解技巧(三)3.关于目的型We find that bright children are rarely held back by mixed -ability teaching. On the contrary, both thei
24、r knowledge and experience are enriched. We feel that there are many disadvantages in streaming( 把.按能力分班) pupils. It does not take into account the fact that children develop at different rates. It can have a bad effect on both the bright and the not-so-bright child. After all, it can quite discoura
25、ging to be at the bottom of the top grade!Besides, it is rather unreal to grade people just according to heir intellectual ability. This is only one aspect of their total personality. We are concerned to develop the abilities of all our pupils to the full , not just their academic ability. We also v
26、alue personal qualities and social skills, and we find that mixed-ability teaching con-tributes to all these aspects of learning.In our classrooms, we work in various ways. The pupils often work in groups: this gives them the opportunity to learn to cooper-ate, to share, and to develop leadership sk
27、ills. They also learn how to cope with personal problems as well as learning how to think, to make decisions, to analyze and evaluate, and to communicate effectively. The pupils learn from each other as well as from the teacher. Sometimes the pupils work in pairs, sometimes they work on individual t
28、asks and assignments, and they can do this at their own speed. They also have some formal class teaching when this is appropriate. We encourage our pupils to use the library, and we teach them the skills they need in order to do this efficiently. An advanced pupil can do advanced work: it does not m
29、atter what age the child is. We expect our pupils to do their best, not their least, and we give them every encouragement to attain this goal.The authors purpose in writing this passage is to_.A) argue for teaching bright and not-so-bright pupils in the same classB) recommend pair work and group wor
30、k for classroom activitiesC) offer advice on the proper use of the libraryD) emphasize the importance of appropriate formal classroom本题要求学生首先了解这篇文章的主题。文章中讨论了两种上课的方式: stream1ng pupi1s 即把学生按能力分班进行教学和 mixed-ability teaching 即把程度不齐的学生混班上课。并列举了前者的弊端和后者的优点。因此 A)是答案。而选项出,B),D)中提到的几种做法均为 mixed-abi1ity teach
31、ing 的具体做法,都不能看作是作者写这篇文章的目的。这一题要求阅读时不但要看懂个别的句子,而且要能够根据作者思路的展开,把握作者在整篇文章中赞成什么反对什么,因此,必须看懂全篇文章的意思.四级考试阅读理解技巧(四)关于细节性问题(Suppporting Details) 细节性问题是关于 Supporting Details 类的问题,通过Skimming 找出主题后,应进一步掌握阐述和发展主题的主要事实,或按要求找出特定细节。 在回答此类问题时,应采用查读法(Scanning),因为这些具体内容(Detai1s 是用来说明、论证或分析文章中心的。这类题目常以“WH-“形式来提问,如 who
32、, what, when, where, why 及 how 等形式。这些问题的表达常不采用文章中的原话提问,而是使用同义词语等,因此,在选择答案前应首先看准题于,看清问题所问;究竟;然后,在查读时注意寻找与题目相关的关键词语;最后,在充分理解原文、原题的基础上确定正确答案。当然,这类细节性问题所涉及的面是很广的。有的涉及数字计算,如问时间、距离、次数、数量等,认真计算后方可选定正确答案;有的涉及正误判断,要先看选项,根据选项提供的线索,寻视文中相应部分,最后在题中选出肯定答案;还有的寻问事实、原因、结果、目的等。总之,做细节题切忌通过自己对某类知识的主观了解和认识做出想像判断,一定要紧扣文章
33、内容,不可随心所欲。细节类问题的命题方式有以下几种:(1)Which of the following is NOT true according to the information in the passage?(2) Which of the following is mentioned in the passage?(3) What is the example of . . . as described in the passage?(4) The author mentions all of the following except . . .(5) The reason for
34、. . .is . . .(6) The author states that . . .(7) According to the passage, when (where, why, how, who, etc. ) .Example :Just seven years ago, the Jarvik-7 artificial heart was being cheered as the model of human creativeness. The sight of Barney Clark-alive and conscious after trading his diseased h
35、eart for met-al-and-plastic pump -convinced the press, the public and many doctors that the future had arrived. It hadnt. After monitoring production of the Jarvik-7 , and reviewing its effects on the 150 or so patients (most of whom got the device as a temporary measure) the U. S. Food and Drug Adm
36、inistration concluded that the machine was doing more to endanger lives than to save them. Last week the agency cancelled its earlier approval , effectively banning ( 禁止 ) the device .The recall may hurt Symbion Inc. , maker of the Jarvik-7 , but it wont end the request for an artificial heart. One
37、problem with the banned model is that the tubes connecting it to an external power source created a passage infection. Inventors are now working on new devices that would be fully placed, along with a tiny power pack, in the patients chest. The first sample products arent expected for another 10 or
38、20 years. But some people are already worrying that they11 work- and that Americas overextended healthcare programs Will lose a precious $ 2.5 billion to $ 5 billion a year providing them for a relatively few dying patients. If such expenditures( 开支)cut into funding for more basic care , the net eff
39、ect could actually be a decline in the nations health. According to the passage the Jarvik-7 artificial heart proved to be _.A) a technical failureB) a technical wonderC) a good life-saverD) an effective means to treat heart disease本题是考核学生根据止下文全面理解和进行正确判断的能力,问的是本文论述的 Jarvik-7 人造心脏性能和效果到底如何。文章一开头说 Ja
40、rvik-7 是一大技术成就,但文章说到:the .U.S. Food and Drug Administration concluded that the machine was doing more to endanger lives than to save them (Line -7-9).后面又提到:Last week the agency canceled its earlier approval , effectively banning the device.这两句话提供了这个问题的答案。因此,答案:The new models of artificial hearts are
41、 expected_.A) to have a working life of 10 or 20 yearsB) to be set fully in the patients chestC) to be equipped with an external power sourceD) to create a new passage for infection本题是考核正确理解事实细节的能力。选项已的意思与文章中第二段第三句,即“Inventors are now workingin the patients chest“的意思符合,因此选项 B)是答案。四级考试阅读理解技巧(五)怎样回答阅读
42、理解中的推理性问题 关于推理性问题(Inference)推理性问题与细节性问题相似,也是对文章具体内容的判断。但推理不但要求掌握文章所表达的字面含义,还要掌握一定的逻辑判断能力及写作技巧知识,从文章表面推出更深层含义,这部分往往出题分量大,难度大,出错也最多,归根结底还是对文章内容没有做到真正的理解和掌握。Inference 类问题主要包括 Significance 和 Communication Techniques 两大类。1. Significance文字表面往往没有明显反映作者的全部意图,有些含义需要读者从字里行间去体会,靠自己的逻辑推理能力去判断,从上下文的联贯及文中有关部分的暗示去
43、明析作者隐含的意思。这类问题的命题方式有:(1)The writer implies but not directly states that_-.(2) It can be inferred from the passage that_.(3) The author strongly suggests that_ .(4) It can be concluded from the passage that_.(5) The passage is intended to_ .(6)The writer indicates that_ .ExampleNursing at Beth Israel
44、 Hospital produces the best patient care possible. If we were to solve the nursing shortage, hospital administration and doctors everywhere would do well to follow Beth Israels exampleAt Beth Israel each patient is assigned to a primary nurse who visits at length with the patient and constructs a fu
45、ll-scale health ac-count that covers everything from his medical history to his emotion-al state. Then she writes a care plan centered on the patients illness but which also includes everything else that is necessary.The primary nurse stays with the patient through his hospitalization, keeping track
46、 with his progress and seeking further advice from his doctor. If a patient at Beth Israel is not responding to treatment , it is not uncommon for his nurse to propose another approach to his doctor. What the doctor at Beth Israel has in the primary nurse is a true colleague.Nursing at Beth Israel a
47、lso involves a decentralized ( 分散的 )nursing administration; every floor, every unit is a self-contained organization. There are nurse managers instead of head nurses, in addition to their medical duties they do all their own hiring and dismissing, employee advising, and they make salary recommendati
48、ons. Each units nurse decide among themselves who will work what shifts and when.Beth Israels nurse-in-chief ranks as an equal with other vice presidents of the hospital. She also is a member of the Medical Executive Committee, which in most hospitals includes only doctors.It can be inferred from th
49、e passage that_.A)compared with other hospitals nurses at Beth Israel Hospital are more patient .B)in most hospitals nurses get low salariesC)in most hospitals nurses get low salariesD) compared with other hospitals nurses have to work longer hour at Beth Israel Hospital本题要求考生判断 4 个选项中哪一个是根据文章可以推断出的结论,要求考生根据文章内容作出合理的推断。从本题所提供的 4 个选项来看,文章并未谈及护士的“耐心“(A);也未谈及护士的“工资待遇“(Q),只是说到护士的工资提升要由各科室推荐;更未涉及护士的“工作时间长短“(D),文章的第一段最后一句才是得出正确答案的