

托福阅读的基础是什么呢?首先当然是词汇,如果生词较多,题干、选项、文章都看不懂,那又谈和做题呢。那么是不是词汇量打一定阅读的分数就高呢?答案是否定呢,因为词汇仅仅是万里长征的第一步。在词汇的基础之上,句法是很重要的,因为在托福阅读文章中,动辄就是两三行或者更长的长难句,如果这些句子读的不是很好,那对于文章的理解就会出现偏差,在做题时,自然也就会出现问题。为了体现句子的重要性,每篇托福考试的文章往往还会设置一道句子简化题,考察我们对于句子的理解。
托福阅读之句子简化题
By 赵博
托福阅读的基础是什么呢?首先当然是词汇,如果生词较多,题干、选项、文章都看不懂,那又谈和做题呢。那么是不是词汇量打一定阅读的分数就高呢?答案是否定呢,因为词汇仅仅是万里长征的第一步。在词汇的基础之上,句法是很重要的,因为在托福阅读文章中,动辄就是两三行或者更长的长难句,如果这些句子读的不是很好,那对于文章的理解就会出现偏差,在做题时,自然也就会出现问题。为了体现句子的重要性,每篇托福考试的文章往往还会设置一道句子简化题,考察我们对于句子的理解。
虽说题目的名字是句子简化题,但坑爹的是,很多时候ABCD四个选项都很长,于是算上题干中的句子,我们需要读五句巨长的句子,很多考生往往就会被绕晕掉,迷失在几个选项中。但其实我们是可以通过做题方法来让句子简化题变得更简单的。
我们知道,正确的选项一定能表达与题干中句子相同的意思。则正确选项的核心意思必定与题干句子相同,修饰成分也会能表达与题干相同的意思。那么我们在做句子简化题时,就可以采取三步走策略:一、看选项与题干间主句意思是否一致,如果只有一个选项跟主句意思一致,那肯定会是正确选项;二、看从句意思是否一致;三看主句从句间关系是否属于同一转换。依靠这个三步走策略,依次排除,会较容易的得出正确选项。如下题:
Because the medium was so prolific, in the sense that it was possible to produce a multitude of images very cheaply, it was soon treated as the poor relation of fine art, rather than its destined successor.
A. Photography did not replace other fine arts because people felt the image looked cheap in relation to the other arts.
B. Photography was not considered a true art because people could use it to create many images cheaply.
C. Photography was so cheap and readily available that it could be purchased by people who were too poor to purchase fine art.
D. Photography not only spread quickly but also was a cheap art form and so became true successor of fine arts rather than its poor relation.
题干句子是因果结构,主句在结果,所以我们看选项里那个句子的主句有“it was soon treated as the poor relation of fine art”这样的意思。A选项的主句为“Photography did not replace other fine arts”,B选项的主句“Photography was not considered a true art”,C选项的主句为“it could be purchased by people who were too poor to purchase fine art”,D选项的主句为“Photography …became true successor of fine arts”, 经过比较只有B选项的主句意思一致,所以正确答案为B
做题时,大家要注意的是,我们理解句子的意思,要通过层次、主干与修饰来理解,借助于逻辑的帮助,但不完全依赖于逻辑,因为同样的意思是可能通过不同的逻辑来表达的,如下题:
Certainly, rational appeals in advertising aimed at children are limited, as most advertisements use emotional and indirect appeals to psychological states or associations.
A Rational appeals in advertising are certainly limited by children’s emotional immaturity and the indirect nature of their associations.
B Indirect appeals to children’s psychological states or associations can limit the effectiveness of rational appeals in advertising.
C Rational appeals play a much smaller role in advertisements for children than emotional appeals and psychological associations do.
D Rational appeals in advertising aimed at children should certainly be limited until the children are emotionally and psychologically ready.
本题中,BD主句的意思首先是错误的,A句错误的原因为,并不是“children’s emotional immaturity and the indirect nature of their associations”限制了rational appeals。但本题一些同学在做题时,会因C选项中的比较关系排除C,其实,C选项正是用了比较关系来表达题干中as引导的从句的意思。