考研英語閱讀拿高分技巧
[摘要] 翻開考研英語試卷的閱讀部分,考生首先應當掌握的最基本的應試總則可以概括為12個字:文章思路、圈點到位、重疊原文。事實上這12個字已經概括了閱讀解題的全部過程。

閱讀解題全部過程:文章思路、圈點到位、重疊原文。
翻開考研英語試卷的閱讀部分,考生首先應當掌握的最基本的應試總則可以概括為12個字:文章思路、圈點到位、重疊原文。事實上這12個字已經概括了閱讀解題的全部過程。
第一步“文章思路”是指考生首先應對文章總體的思路和結構有一個大概的了解,先不要急于去讀題目,而是應當將文章從頭到尾看一遍,弄清楚文章的中心意思,這一遍閱讀的目的并不是要立即找到答題所需要的信息點。
在閱讀的時候還要有主次之分,文章的第一段是文章的靈魂和核心,也應當是第一遍閱讀的重點所在。考生要盡量將第一段的每一句話都理解透徹,因為掌握了第一段,就已經基本了解掌握了整篇文章的內容,至于其他的段落可以加快速度,看得懂就看,看不懂就暫時跳過去,在不懂的地方做出記號,留待以后解決。讀完文章并理清思路后就可以接著閱讀試題,命題專家在設計考卷時,題目排列的次序與文章的布局基本是相吻合的,也就是說題目所需要的信息點在文章中應當是按順序出現的,這一點對于基礎差的考生相當重要,因為考生完全可以根據每篇文章題目的題干來推測文章大致的內容和思路。
有些考生在把握文章思路時常常會陷入困境,他們雖然也從頭到尾把文章讀了一遍,但還是搞不清文章到底在講什么。如何掃清閱讀理解中出現的盲點?筆者建議考生在第一遍閱讀時注意以下幾點:
1.文章中有些信息可以忽略,例如有關職務、頭銜、社會地位等補充性說明;
2.第一遍閱讀時,可暫時不管句中破折號后所提供的旁支信息;
3.復雜的難句看清主、謂、賓即可,其他輔助信息除非與解題有關,否則亦可暫時不管;
4.上下文中平行對稱的地方經常內容相同,所以這些互相對照的內容也可幫助考生消除盲點;
5.做題時應注意:因為命題時要求選項部分的語言難度要低于文章語言的難度,所以讀懂選項的語言常會幫助考生正確理解文章的內容。
第二步“圈點到位”,是就審題而言,實質上就是要求考生審題到位,弄清楚題目針對文章的什么內容提問。
考生在讀完題目后通常會返回到文章里去尋找答案,這時又會出現另一種情況,有些考生文章都看懂了,可就是找不到答案在哪里。出現這種情況的根本原因是考生沒有審清題意,沒有弄清楚題目要求考生在文章中尋找什么信息,因為絕大部分題目是針對文章的具體內容提問。所以只要考生審題到位,返回原文搜索答案時,即可圈點出相應的內容,從而縮小尋找范圍,大大提高正確率。
2000年考研試題的20道閱讀題中只有4道題目(3道主旨題,1道判斷題)無法依據題干語言在原文中圈點,其他的16道題目均可根據題干命題語言在文中圈點出相應的內容,答案基本就在所圈語句的附近。所以只要能在掌握文章思路的基礎上做到“圈點到位”,基本上所有的閱讀題目都可以迎刃而解,特別是具體的細節題,可以說是手到擒來。
第三步“重疊原文”,即完成題目之后檢查所找到的答案是否正確。
設計閱讀題時,選項通常是這樣四種情況,假設選項內容是一個圓,文章內容也是一個圓,
第一種情況是兩者相距甚遠,根本沒有相交的地方,內容完全不一樣,這種選項很容易就被排除掉;
第二種情況是這兩個圓相切,即只有很小一部分互相聯系,但會有一部分考生選這個選項,因為選項的內容文中有所提及,有一定的迷惑性;
第三種情況是這兩個圓相交,有大部分內容重疊,考生往往會選擇這種選項。較之前者,這種情況的迷惑性更大,也是最危險的干擾項;
但只有符合第四種情況,即兩個圓完全重合、內容完全相符的選項才是正確答案。因此在檢查時,考生要做的就是把所選的選項與文章中相應的內容做比較,看其是否能與原文重疊。
在判斷選項是否能重疊原文時,考生常常也會感到迷惑,無法判斷選項是否與原文內容完全重疊,這是因為命題專家在設計考題時會使用一些語言來迷惑考生,從而測試考生的英語水平和閱讀能力。一般說來,事實上命題專家最常用的有四種方式:“語言簡化”、“反話正說”、“正話反說”和“關鍵詞替換”。
“語言簡化”是命題專家命題使用語言時所必須遵守的總則。在設置選項時,四個選項的長度及句法不應有太大差異,而選項所使用的語言難度必須低于文章本身的難度。這一點對考生大有幫助,因為考生可以利用選項來理解文章。這一原則幾乎在所有的閱讀試題中都有所體現,故此筆者在這里就不再列舉。
“反話正說”的命題方式是指選項用肯定的方式來表述文中用否定方式所表述的內容。僅在2000年的考研試卷中,就有四道題目采用了這種命題方式。
2000年54題:The author seems to believe the revival of the U.S. economy in the 1990s can be attributed to the.
[A]turning of the business cycle
[B]restructuring of industry
[C]improved business management
[D]success in education
[正確答案]A
“作者似乎認為90年代美國經濟的復興可以歸功于經濟周期的轉機。”圈點原文“Few Americans attribute this solely to such obvious causes as a devalued dollar or the turning of the business cycle.”“幾乎沒有哪個美國人將這一增長只看做是美元貶值或經濟周期的轉機等明顯的原因造成的。”文章字面意思是否定的,作者的言下之意是這一增長就是由經濟周期的轉機等原因造成的,命題者以此作為考點,設計了一個肯定的選項,如果考生無法掌握這一命題方式,就容易掉入陷阱。
2000年57題:The author argues that our bodies have stopped evolving because.
[A]life has been improved by technological advance[B]the number of female babies has been declining[C]our species has reached the highest stage of evolution[D]the difference between wealth and poverty is disappearing
[正確答案]A
“作者認為我們的身體停止了進化是因為我們的生活已經被技術進步改進。”圈點原文:But in the past 100,000 years—even the past 100 years—our lives have been transformed but our bodies have not. We did not evolve, because machines and society did it for us.“但是在過去的10萬年間——甚至是在過去的100年間——我們的生活改變了,但我們的身體沒有改變,我們沒有進化,是因為機器和社會在替我們進化。”
2000年65題:Which of the following is true according to the author?
[A]Japanese education is praised for helping the young climb the social ladder.
[B]Japanese education is characterized by mechanical learning as well as creativity.
[C]More stress should be placed on the cultivation of creativity.
[D]Dropping out leads to frustration against test taking.
[正確答案]C
圈點原文:While often praised by foreigners for its emphasis on the basics, Japanese education tends to stress test taking and mechanical learning over creativity and self_expression.“Those things that do not show up in the test scores—personality, ability, courage or humanity—are completely ignored,”says Toshiki Kaifu, chairman of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's education committee.“Frustration against this kind of thing leads kids to drop out and run wild.”此題問的是作者的觀點,A項講日本教育受贊揚的是它可以幫助年輕人在社會上往上爬,與文中內容不符,文中是說日本教育因其對基礎的重視而受到表揚。而B選項中的“as well as creativity”與文中所說的“over creativity…”不符,也不能選。D項的邏輯恰好與原文相反,作者在評論日本教育時批評其“完全忽略了考試成績中無法表現的個性、能力、勇氣和人性”,作者用否定的方式表達出自己的意見。C選項所說的是應“更多地強調培養創造性”,所以答案為C選項。
2000年70題:From the last paragraph the conclusion can be drawn that ambition should be maintained.
[A]secretly and vigorously
[B]openly and enthusiastically
[C]easily and momentarily
[D]verbally and spiritually
[正確答案]B
從最后一段可得出結論:野心應當保持公開的、積極的狀態。
圈點原文:The attacks on ambition are many and come fromvarious angles; its public defenders are few and unimpressive,swheresthey are not extremely unattractive. As a result,the support for ambition as a healthy impulse,a quality to be admired and fixed in the mind of the young, is probably lower than it has ever been in the United States. This does not mean that ambition is at an end, that people no longer feel its stirrings and promptings, but only that no longer openly honored, and it is less openly professed. Consequences follow from this,of course,some of which are that ambition is driven underground,or made sly.Such,then,is the way things stand: on the left angry critics,on the right stupid supporters,and in the middle,as usual,the majority of earnest people trying to get on in life.
“這并不意味著野心已經不存在了,或人們感覺不到它的涌動和激勵了,只是因為人們不再公開贊美它了,它因此也就得不到公開的表述了。”支持公開承認做人要有雄心壯志,因為在上文中作者已經指出,野心應當“作為一種促進因素,作為一種應該受到稱贊,應該銘記在年輕人心中的品質”,正是由于野心不再公開受到尊敬和贊美,也就越來越得不到公開的承認,而B選項恰好從肯定的角度表述了作者的態度,是正確答案。
第三種常用的命題方式“正話反說”,是指文中用肯定方式表述,而選項用否定方式表述,兩者意義相吻合。這一命題方式在近年的試卷中也可找到例證。
1999年第68題:The author asserts that scientists.
[A]shouldn't replace“scientific method”with imaginative thought
[B]shouldn't neglect to speculate on unpredictable things
[C]should write more concise reports for technical journals
[D]should be confident about their research findings
[正確答案]B
“作者認為科學家不應忽略對不可預見的事物進行觀察。”
圈點原文:How many men would have considered the possibility of an apple falling upsintosthe tree? Newton did because he was not trying to predict anything. He was just wondering. His mind was ready for the unpredictable. Unpredictability is part of the essential nature of research. If you don't have unpredictable things, you don't have research. Scientists tend to forget this when writing their cut and dried reports for the technical journals, but history is filled with examples of it.“不可預見性是研究本質的一部分,如果沒有不可預見的事物就沒有研究可言,科學家們在為專業雜志寫那些干巴巴的報告時趨向于忘記這一點,但歷史上到處都是這種例子。”原文采用肯定的表達方式,說科學家常常忽略那些不可預見的東西,上文中提到不可預見性是研究本質的一部分,很自然就可以推出結論:科學家應重視不可預見的東西。
1999年第70題:The author implies that the results of scientific research.
[A]may not be as profitable as they are expected
[B]can be measured in dollars and cents
[C]rely on conformity to a standard pattern
[D]are mostly underestimated by management
[正確答案]A
“作者以為科學研究的成果可能不會像他們預計的那樣有利可圖。”
圈點原文:What this amounts to, of course, is that the scientist has become the victim of his own writings. He has put forward unquestioned claims so consistently that he not only believes them himself, but has convinced industrial and business management that they are true. If experiments are planned and carried out according to plan as faithfully as the reports in the science journals indicate, then it is perfectly logical for management to expect research to produce results measurable in dollars and cents. It is entirely reasonable for auditors to believe that scientists who know exactlyswheresthey are going and how they will get there should not be distracted by the necessity of keeping one eye on the cash register while the other eye is on the microscope. Nor, if regularity and conformity to a standard pattern are as desirable to the scientist as the writing of his papers would appear to reflect, is management to be blamed for discriminating against the“odd balls”among researchers in favor of more conventional thinkers who“work well with the team.”
“如果實驗能像科學雜志上發表的論文所顯示的那樣按計劃設定并完成,那么管理者期望研究產生出能以美元和美分衡量的結果就是很符合邏輯的了。”原文中的“If”一詞表明作者陳述的只是一個假設,這一假設可能不會實現,因此原文是在暗示科學研究的結果并不像所預見的那樣有效益,而選項A所表達的意思正好與之吻合。
2000年52題:The loss of U.S.predominance in the world economy in the 1980s is manifested in the fact that the American.
[A]TV industry had withdrawn to its domestic market
[B]semiconductor industry had been taken over by foreign enterprises
[C]machine_tool industry had collapsed after suicidal actions
[D]auto industry had lost part of its domestic market
[正確答案]D
“80年代美國失去在全球經濟的主導地位由美國的汽車工業失去部分國內市場這一事實體現出來。”
圈點原文:By the mid 1980s Americans had found themselves at a loss over their fading industrial competitiveness. Some huge American industries, such as consumer electronics, had shrunk or vanished in the face of foreign competition. By 1987 there was only one American television maker left, Zenith (Now there is none: Zenith was bought by South Korea's LG Electronics in July)。 Foreign_made cars and textiles were sweepingsintosthe domestic market.
“到20世紀80年代中期,面對其工業競爭力的日益衰退,美國人感到無計可施。一些大型的工業如電子消費品面對外國競爭已萎縮或消失。到1987年美國只剩下一個電視制造商:現在一個都沒有了,7月韓國的LG電子公司買下了Zenith公司。進口汽車和紡織品迅速占領了國內市場。”文章說進口汽車占領國內市場,反過來就是國產汽車工業失去了一部分國內市場,D選項與之內容一致。
“關鍵詞替換”是出現最頻繁的命題方式,幾乎每年都有一些用這種方式設置的題目。
1999年55題:We learn from the beginning of the passage that Web business.
[A]has been striving to expand its market
[B]intended to follow a fanciful fashion
[C]tried but in vain to control the market
[D]has been booming for one year or so
[正確答案]A
“從文章開頭我們得知網絡經濟正在力爭擴展市場。”對應原文:In the first year or so of Web business, most of the action has revolved around efforts to tap the consumer market.“在網絡經濟的頭一年左右,大多數的行動與致力于開發買方市場有關。”strive替換原文中的efforts,expand替換原文中的tap。
1999年62題:According to the author, basic computer skills should be.
[A]included as an auxiliary course in school
[B]highlighted in acquisition of professional qualifications
[C]mastered through a life_long course
[D]equally emphasized by any school, vocational or otherwise
[正確答案]A
“根據作者所說基礎的計算機技能在學校中應設為輔修課程。”對應原文:In any case, basic computer skills are only complementary to the host of real skills that are necessary to becoming any kind of professional. auxiliary替換complementary。
“關鍵詞替換”這一方式不僅用于設置選項,還可以用于設置題干。
例如:2000年61題:Futurists claim that we must.
[A]increase the production of literature
[B]use poetry to relieve modern stress
[C]develop new modes of expression
[D]avoid using adjectives and verbs
[正確答案]C
“未來派詩人聲稱我們必須發展新的表達方式。”對應原文:This speeding up of life, says the Futurist, receives a new form of expression.題干中的claim替換原文中的say,而選項中的mode則替換原文中的form。命題專家常常采用“語言簡化”、“反話正說”、“正話反說”、“關鍵詞替換”這四種方式設置考題,對考生進行干擾。考生在了解這些方式后,就可以反其道而行之,利用這四種命題方式來檢查所選選項是否與原文重疊。