揭秘你所一直迷茫的修辭目的題

　　在托福閱讀的大海中，有一種題讓人似懂非懂，它就是修辭目的Rhetorical purpose questions，對于它的樣子大家應(yīng)該非常熟悉，就是問作者為什么要提及某個詞，某個短語，某句話，某個段落甚至是某兩個段落。它主要考查考生透過特定的修辭方式發(fā)掘潛在的目的能力。在一篇文章中會有3-4個這類型題目。

　　修辭目的題的兩種考察形式：，一種是給出修辭手段問目的，另一種是給出修辭目的問手段。其常見的題目形式如下：

　　The author uses X as an example of…

　　Why does the author mention X?

　　Why does the author compare … to …?

　　Why does the author use the word … in discussing…?

　　The author discusses X in paragraph X in order to…

　　The author uses X as an example of…

　　通常要求考生建立某句內(nèi)容與整段內(nèi)容的邏輯聯(lián)系。通常一個段落的主旨位于段首。所以經(jīng)常可以在段首觀點句中發(fā)現(xiàn)作者的寫作目的與意圖

　　既然是修辭，就會有相應(yīng)的修辭手段，所以大家要對不同的修辭詞有非常正確的把握，清楚他們分別代表什么樣的修辭方式。

　　如argue/caution/classify/compare/contrast/criticize/define/describe/emphasize/explain/ give examples/identify/illustrate/persuade/point out/praise/predict/prove/show/summarize/support/trace/warn

　　對于修辭目的題的處理，其實沒有大家想象的那么困難。充分利用文章的邏輯，則可迎刃而解。看下面例題

　　Paragraph 2: Pollen samples from freshwater lakes in Syria and elsewhere tell us forest cover expanded rapidly at the end of the Ice Age, for the southwestern Asian climate was still cooler and considerably wetter than today. Many areas were richer in animal and plant species than they are now, making them highly favorable for human occupation. About 9000 B.C., most human settlements lay in the area along the Mediterranean coast and in the Zagros Mountains of Iran and their foothills. Some local areas, like the Jordan River valley, the middle Euphrates valley, and some Zagros valleys, were more densely populated than elsewhere. Here more sedentary and more complex societies flourished. These people exploited the landscape intensively, foraging on hill slopes for wild cereal grasses and nuts, while hunting   gazelle and other game on grassy lowlands and in river valleys. Their settlements contain exotic objects such as seashells, stone bowls, and artifacts made of obsidian (volcanic glass), all traded from afar. This considerable volume of intercommunity exchange brought a degree of social complexity in its wake.

　　2.Why does the author mention "seashells, stone bowls, and artifacts made of obsidian"?（1）

　　O To give examples of objects obtained through trade with other societies

　　O To illustrate the kinds of objects that are preserved in a cool climate

　　O To provide evidence that the organization of work was specialized

　　O To give examples of the artistic ability of local populations

　　在這個段落中，文章題干是原文句子的一部分，我們先考慮句內(nèi)邏輯。后半句說all traded from afar. 所有這些都是從遠(yuǎn)方通過貿(mào)易的方式獲得的。如果大家覺得這一句還不夠，可以再向后看：This considerable volume of intercommunity exchange brought a degree of social complexity in its wake.大量的部落間的交換帶來了社會的一定程度的復(fù)雜性。所以我們可以斷定答案是A。

　　原則上，我們做修辭目的題都是向句子前看，但前面句子所說內(nèi)容與題干毫不相干的情況下，那么大家需要做的是懸崖勒馬，不要再向前看了，而是看句子后面是否有相應(yīng)內(nèi)容，如果沒有，則需要看整個段落的主旨內(nèi)容。