雅思閱讀難點解析之“劍橋真題系列

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Cambridge IELTS 5: Test 2
    上 篇
    劍橋V系列真題的Test 2 無論從文章的核心話題還是題型方面來看都有一定難度,對于雅思考生尤其是初次參加考試的'烤鴨'們來講,無疑是一個不小的挑戰(zhàn)。三篇文章的主題分別涉及到'酚醛材料 BAKELITE', 關于大腦處理幽默的一系列機制的'What's so funny?'以及科技英語的誕生:“The Birth of Scientific English',其中2篇文章都出現(xiàn)了有一定難度系數(shù)的summary 和Matching, 一個關于腦部結構與功能的Labelling題以及多項選擇題,除2個表格填空題相對簡單外,3篇文章都出現(xiàn)了中等難度的是非無判斷題T / F / NG. 下面專家將就考生普遍感到困惑的難點做一解析,希望對眾'烤鴨'們有所幫助。
    Passage 1'BAKELITE'算得上是一篇有相當難度的文章,無論就其本身的內(nèi)容,題型而言還是與后面2篇文章的難度對比而言,有鑒于此,一般會建議學員對3篇文章做一個全盤了解和統(tǒng)籌安排,將本文置于后來進行,遵循由易到難的基本原則,把充裕的時間留給有把握的題,這樣才有利于大限度地優(yōu)化成績。
    在Passage 1 的題型中出現(xiàn)了Summary 的填空題和凸顯定位難度的五選二的多選題,三個是非無判斷以及不太具備難度的流程圖填空題。
    在第一篇文章的題目中具難度的Q9 & 10兩道五選二的多選題,題目為:
    Which TWO of the following factors influencing the design of Bakelite objects are mentioned in the text?
    A. the function which the object would serve
    B. the ease with which the resin could fill the mould
    C. the facility with which the object could be removed from the mould
    D. the limitations of the materials used to manufacture the mould
    E. the fashionable styles of the period
    要達成快速定位就需要首先在題干中找到關鍵詞,從全句的意思可知,influencing the design是核心意義,也是賴以定位的關鍵詞。
    略讀選項,掌握每一個選項的大意,劃出關鍵詞幫助記憶。
    回到原文,用Scanning 的方式在原文中Paragraph 5的首句可以看到design: The design of Bakelite objects, everything from earrings to television sets, was governed to a large extent by the technical requirements of the moulding process.
    由于該句是主題句(Topic Sentence),可知本段的核心是關于design的,細讀段落內(nèi)容,分別有2處講到了design:
    1. The object could not be designed so that it was locked into the mould and therefore difficult to extract.
    2. Moulds had to be carefully designed so that the molten Bakelite would flow evenly and completely into the mould.
    兩句都毫無疑義地涉及到關于design 的要義,第1句中指不能導致'locked into the mould', 以至于不能extract, 正確理解這句話在澆鑄生產(chǎn)中的實際意義需要一點想象能力,這對于不了解澆鑄工藝的考生來說是不大好理解的,所以在下文中給到了一些解釋:
    A common general rule was that objects should taper towards the deepest part of the mould, and if necessary the product was moulded in separate pieces.
    在了解到'一個普遍常規(guī)是物體應該越朝向底部越尖細'的意義后,結合'以免被鎖在里面',讀者方能理解它的實際意義,然后確定和C選項中'removed from the mould'這一信息相吻合。
    第2句中'flow evenly and completely into the mould'在對前文理解的基礎上相對容易,不過在下文中也出現(xiàn)了補充解釋:
    Sharp corners proved impractical and were thus avoided, giving rise to the smooth, 'streamlined' style popular in the 1930s.
    在綜合理解上文的基礎上,可以獲知另一個待選的正確選項是B,因為B選項中'the ease'和'fill the mould'的表述與上述信息一致。
    上述過程帶給我們的啟示是平時要注意多積累,閱讀面要廣泛,盡可能涉獵不同領域的內(nèi)容。
    另外,筆者在執(zhí)教過程中還發(fā)現(xiàn)學生對于本篇文章的Summary 中的Question 1& 2做題的正確率不高,分析發(fā)現(xiàn),主要原因還在于信息定位和綜合理解能力欠佳,下面具體說明:
    題目:Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.
    Some plastic behave in a similar way to 1____________ in that they melt under heat and can be moulded into new forms. BAKELITE was unique because it was the first material to be both entirely 2____________ in origin, and thermosetting.
    除了similar 及melt under heat 兩個特點可以幫助定位以外,作為主體的Some plastic 也不應被忽略。原文中:
    Some plastics are derived from natural sources, some are semi-synthetic (the result of chemical action on a natural substance), and some are entirely synthetic, that is, chemically engineered from the constituents of coal or oil.
    考生在找到Some plastics 定位后,在涵蓋了4行篇幅的文字中并未能如愿找到similar和 melt under heat的相關信息。這時缺乏經(jīng)驗和備考不足的考生可能會失去對定位準確性的信心,另覓他處尋找答案;綜合理解能力較好或有經(jīng)驗的考生會意識到,既然此處已經(jīng)談及Some plastics的來源和特性,那么就有可能會在后面的內(nèi)容中涉及和它有類似特性的某種物質(zhì),而這種物質(zhì)的特點是melt under heat, 這意味著只要讀下去,甄別出來是容易的。
    在接下來的句子中:Some are 'thermoplastic', which means that, like candlewax, they melt when heated and can be reshaped. 出現(xiàn)了題目中提及的特點:遇熱融化,由前文可發(fā)現(xiàn),答案是candlewax.
    該題本身難度是不大的,但考生臨場過于功利的心態(tài)會導致不切實際的急躁做法,希望一出現(xiàn)關鍵詞就得到答案,從而人為增加了難度,教師在授課中應適時地加以引導,教會學生客觀實際地看待類似情況,不懼多讀上下文,才能使技巧走入良性循環(huán)的軌道。
    Question 2: BAKELITE 具備的unique 的特點是極好的定位詞,加之first, entirely 以及thermosetting, 該題的定位并不比Q1麻煩。在緊接Q1的下一句中出現(xiàn)了:
    Others are 'thermosetting': like eggs, they cannot revert to their original viscous state, and their shape is thus fixed for ever. Bakelite had the distinction of being the first totally synthetic thermosetting plastic.
    若能結合上下文背景,就不難理解上述句子中distinction 對應于題目中出現(xiàn)的unique, 還出現(xiàn)了原詞重現(xiàn)的first, 而totally 對應于題目的entirely, 根據(jù)題目中和thermosetting并列的要求,閱讀原文中對plastic 的并列修飾成分synthetic 和thermosetting, 可知答案是synthetic.
    該題更多考察的是對句子的綜合理解能力,在單詞,短語和句型被代換的背景下,只有在對句子所表達的意義真正理解的前提下,才能辨別出隱藏其中的答案??忌鷳诙聪ぜ记傻耐瑫r,加強實力,才是明智之舉。
    下 篇
    在本套題的Passage 2中,同樣出現(xiàn)了幾處有一定難度的題目值得討論,現(xiàn)分述如下:
    Q15 (T / F / NG): Plato believed humour to be a sign of above-average intelligence.
    以大寫首字母的人名Plato做關鍵詞來幫助定位,我們會在原文第二段發(fā)現(xiàn)它的出處:
    Plato expressed the idea that humour is simply a delighted feeling of superiority over others.
    看起來二者已經(jīng)有對應的可能性了:feeling 似乎只能和 sign對應,而superiority 似能和above-average 對應。但是稍加思考問題就出現(xiàn)了:feeling 只是一種主觀感覺,而sign 是客觀跡象; 原文雖然出現(xiàn)了superiority, 但并未明確是intelligence方面的。而不能肯定也不代表可以否定,終答案是NOT GIVEN.
    Q16. Kant believed that a successful joke involves the controlled release of nervous energy.
    除了Kant 以外,可以做關鍵詞幫助定位的還包括the controlled release和 nervous energy,
    找到Kant 所在的位置Paragraph 2:
    Kant and Freud felt that joke-telling relies on building up a psychic tension which is safely punctured by the ludicrousness of the punchline.
    若欲憑籍詞或詞組的對應關系來判斷正誤,這道題恐怕就會令人失望。脫離上下文,讀者是不會將controlled release 和safely punctured 聯(lián)系起來,也不會將nervous energy 和psychic tension視作等同,然而若根據(jù)原文內(nèi)容仔細理解關于humour 的過程就會洞悉上述2組短語所表達的實質(zhì)內(nèi)容是一樣的,都是指'幽默的過程其實是將蓄積的神經(jīng)能量(心理緊張)在一定條件下得到釋放(safely punctured)', 該題的答案為:TRUE.
    因此,建議考生在備考過程中應注意夯實自己的實力,提升綜合理解能力,才有望克服上述類型的題目。
    再看Passage 3的Q29 (Summary):
    Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.
    Sometimes the desire to protect ideas seems to have been stronger than the desire to communicate them, particularly in the case of mathematicians and 29 ______________.
    題目中mathematicians 是一個的定位詞,因為填空所需要的詞是和它并列的,在原文中也至少不會相距很遠。
    原文: And in the mid-17th century it was common practice for mathematicians to keep their discoveries and proofs secret, by writing them in cipher, …
    文中沒有很順利地出現(xiàn)和'數(shù)學家'并列的詞,不過在接下來的句子中出現(xiàn)了:Some scientists might have felt more comfortable with Latin precisely because its audience, though international, was socially restricted.
    一些同學看到終于出現(xiàn)了scientists, 就牽強地將其并列,忽略了科學家堅持用Latin的原因是能夠precisely 地表達他們的idea. 而題目中的信息則不然,因為和它并列的這個職業(yè)的人必須是和mathematicians一樣,具有the desire to protect ideas seems to have been stronger than the desire to communicate的特點,所以,scientists 這個答案和原文內(nèi)容是有偏差的。
    段落后一句道明了答案:Doctors clung the most keenly to Latin as an 'insider language'.
    引號內(nèi)的'insider language'成為前文中'keep their desire and proofs secret,'一句的代換。所以答案是doctors. 該題考察的是讀者細致嚴謹?shù)拈喿x風格,考生應在備考中多做針對性的訓練。