大量的同義轉(zhuǎn)述,以及答案深層次潛伏的閱讀文章造成了考生們即使弄清題干意思,確認(rèn)關(guān)鍵詞,也無法順利地定位到答案所在的相應(yīng)細(xì)節(jié)。其實(shí),文章中存在的一些信號(hào)詞也是解答題目的關(guān)鍵。所謂“signal words”, 就像是大海航行中的忽明忽暗的信號(hào)指示燈,指引著船只前行。同樣,閱讀文章時(shí),對(duì)這些具有指示意義的信號(hào)詞要多加留意,因?yàn)楹苡锌赡艽鸢妇驮诟浇?/div>
特殊的信號(hào)詞,就是那些很容易識(shí)別的詞,如大寫字母開頭的人名,地名,專有名詞,以及特殊印刷體和黑體,這些詞在英語文章中顯得尤為突出,往往也是題干中關(guān)鍵詞的原詞定位。
例如:The US Congress voted NASA $10 million per year for ten years to conduct a thorough search for the extra-terrestrial life.
這句話,出現(xiàn)了US Congress, NASA 專有名詞信號(hào)詞,極有可能成為定位的線索。的確,判斷題型中有一題“the NASA project attracted criticism from some members of Congress.”就是根據(jù)這兩個(gè)信號(hào)詞精確地回到原文定位的。
而相比之下,文章中的普通信號(hào)詞對(duì)于解題的重要性也可謂功不可沒。下面就來舉幾個(gè)典型案例:
1)原因信號(hào)詞
如reason, cause, since, in that, as, because, thanks to, owing to, 解釋說明某一事物或事件,往往會(huì)蘊(yùn)含重要信息。如'since the lifetime of a planet like ours is several billion years, we can expect that…' 該句是之后簡(jiǎn)答題'what is the life expectancy of Earth' 的答案信息來源,如果考生只定位Earth, 那就很有可能失分,因?yàn)樵鋵?duì)Earth 做了同義替換的表述,而since這個(gè)信號(hào)詞則提示了答案所在的地方。
2)結(jié)論信號(hào)詞
如 thus, therefore, so, hence, consequently, as a result, 這些詞往往是對(duì)前面所論述的總結(jié)歸納,例如 'Tortoises therefore represent a remarkable double return’, 該句出現(xiàn)在整篇文章的末段首句,很明顯是對(duì)前文的總結(jié)概括,高度濃縮了信息。最后的主旨選擇題,就是對(duì)該句的改寫:‘they have made the transition from sea to land more than once’。
3)轉(zhuǎn)折信號(hào)詞
如however, but, by comparison, nonetheless, nevertheless,這些詞往往表示文章觀點(diǎn)或方向的重大轉(zhuǎn)變,重點(diǎn)應(yīng)該關(guān)注信號(hào)詞后面的內(nèi)容。如‘this definition implies that iconoclasts are different from other people, but more precisely, it is their brains that are different in three distinct ways’, 前半句指出iconoclasts異于常人,用but轉(zhuǎn)折詞,強(qiáng)調(diào)指出區(qū)別的關(guān)鍵地方。這也是選擇題‘iconoclasts are distinctive because…' 的出題方向。
4)讓步信號(hào)詞
如although, though, while, whereas, 等連接讓步狀語的關(guān)聯(lián)詞,通常會(huì)引出的話題和強(qiáng)調(diào)的內(nèi)容。 如'He accurately predicted that Venus would cross the face of the Sun in both 1761 and 1769--though he didn't survive to see either’, 前半句講述他精確預(yù)測(cè)金星跨越太陽的兩次時(shí)間,后半句用though引出讓步內(nèi)容,他沒有看到任何一次。判斷題中‘Halley observed one transit of the planet Venus’主要就是以原文定位句的后半句為判斷依據(jù)。
