托福考試閱讀之修飾目的題

推修飾目的題在一定程度上也叫例證題，它主要考查考生透過表面特定的修辭方法/方式發(fā)掘潛在的目的能力。發(fā)現(xiàn)外在修辭特征背后的修辭目的是這類題目的主要考察點。一般來說，問題會要求考生理解為什么作者在文章中用某些詞，詞組和句子。在IBT考試中會有3-4個這類型題目。

1、修辭目的題的兩種考察形式：

在閱讀考試中，這類題目有兩種不同的考察形式：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…

2、解題技巧

找出這些修辭方法所用的關鍵詞，例如定義中所用的同位語;描述事物大小、形狀的形容詞和名詞;舉例用的詞，如，for instance，for example， in other words;用來解釋的詞語，如because， this is why， due to等。

我們來看一個例子：

One of the most puzzling aspects of the paintings is their location. Other rock paintings，for example, those of Bushmen in South Africa are either located near cave entrances or completely in the open. Cave paintings in France and Spain, however, are in recesses and caverns far removed from original cave entrances.

Why does the author mention Bushmen in South Africa in paragraph 2?

To suggest that ancient artists from all over the world painted animals on rocks

To contrast the location of their rock paintings to those found at Lascaux

To support the claim that early artists worked in cramped spaces

To give an example of other artists who painted in hidden locations

首先分析問題題目，找出其中的關鍵詞：Bushmen in South Africa。之后回到原文看其前后的句子，找到原文的關鍵詞for example，通過分析知道，這一例子的目的是為了說明它前面的那句話，即這些繪畫的位置令人費解。作者以對比的手法來說明這一點：Bushmen in South Africa的繪畫常位于洞口或洞外，而法國和西班牙的洞穴繪畫(本文所說的繪畫)卻位于遠離最初洞口的深處。由此可見，Bushmen in South Africa的例子是為了說明Lascaux繪畫位置的怪異。第二個選項符合此意，為正確答案。

總之，解決這類問題的步驟可以總結為：分析問題題目找出關鍵詞，返回原文找原文中的關鍵詞，理解上下文得出答案。