再如TPO25Thesurfaceofmars一文中的第6题Inparagraph3,whydoestheauthorcompareMaxwellMonsonVenustotheHawaiianshieldvolcanoesonEarth根据题干关键词定位到原文句子ItisnoaccidentthatMaxwellMonsonVenusandtheHawaiianshieldvolcanoesonEarthrisetoaboutthesameheight(about10kilometers)abovetheirrespectivebases-EarthandVenushassimilarsurfacegravity.通过句中短语Itisnoaccidentthat得知此处为举例论证,所以向前看,紧接其前的句子为Thelowerthegravity,thelessertheweightandthegreatertheheightofthemountain.可知原文想要阐述的信息是地心引力和山脉高度直接的关系,而且地心引力越低则重量越低,随之山的高度越高,所以紧接其后比较MaxwellMonsonVenus和theHawaiianshieldvolcanoesonEarth完全是为了论证这个信息,由此容易选得正确选项为Tohelpexplaintherelationshipbetweensurfacegravityandvolcanoheight。
托福阅读:修辞目的题的解法
本质上讲:对作者意图的提问
形式上讲:
Whydoestheauthormention/discuss…
Theauthormentions/discusses…inorderto______.
Theauthoruses…asanexampleof_____.
等等
做这类题目时有些同学往往会出现黑人问号,我怎么知道作者怎么想的!
其实,这类题目和托福其他题目一样,都是有套路的。至少,托福阅读里的修辞目的题是不会要求考生们对锅里的鱼眼里“诡异的光”进行理解的。
言归正传,那么做这类题目的套路究竟是什么呢
最简单的模型就是,claim后面就一个detail支撑,这种情况下,自然detail前面紧挨着的那句话就是作者的观点,即提到这个detail的目的是为了说明前面的这个观点。
然而有时候,作者会用不止一个detail来支撑最前面的claim,模型视图如下
Claim+detail1+detail2+detail3
这种时候,如果出题人把detail3拎出来问你它的目的,显然答案就不是为了支持紧挨着它的前面那句话了,而应该是遥相支持前面的前面的前面的那个claim。
根据以上原理,我们总结出了一个做题步骤,帮助大家高效地找到这个claim。
简言之,
1.找出题目中的关键词
2.用关键词定位原文
3.按照原句--前面1~2句--段落第一句的顺序找到claim
4.根据原文claim找到对应选项
而步骤3才是在找claim
下面,我们来进行一个实操应用:
○Toemphasizehowsurprisingitisthatsomanyfossilsexist
○Tointroduceanewgeologictheoryoffossilpreservation
○Toexplainwhythefossilrecorduntilnowhasremainedincomplete
○Tocomparehowfossilsformonlandandinwater
很明显,这道题需要我们自己去找到detail的位置,所以我们要从第1个步骤开始做起:找出题目中的关键词
examplesofhoworganismsaredestroyed(生物被摧毁的例子)
第2步,我们要拿着关键词到段落里面去找detail对应的原句,即哪里有提到生物被摧毁的例子
Paragraph1:Whenoneconsidersthemanywaysbywhichorganismsarecompletelydestroyedafterdeath,itisremarkablethatfossilsareascommonastheyare.Attackbyscavengersandbacteria,chemicaldecay,anddestructionbyerosionandothergeologicagenciesmaketheoddsagainstpreservationveryhigh.However,thechancesofescapingcompletedestructionarevastlyimprovediftheorganismhappenstohaveamineralizedskeletonanddiesinaplacewhereitcanbequicklyburiedbysediment.Bothoftheseconditionsareoftenfoundontheoceanfloors,whereshelledinvertebrates(organismswithoutspines)flourishandarecoveredbythecontinuousrainofsedimentaryparticles.Althoughmostfossilsarefoundinmarinesedimentaryrocks,theyalsoarefoundinterrestrialdepositsleftbystreamsandlakes.Onoccasion,animalsandplantshavebeenpreservedafterbecomingimmersedintarorquicksand,trappediniceorlavaflows,orengulfedbyrapidfallsofvolcanicash.
我们看下来后会发现有且仅有红色部分是一些摧毁生物的具体例子,清道夫、细菌、化学侵蚀等等,至此我们完成了第2步,定位出了detail对应的原句。
第3步,到这句话的前面找它对应的claim,这道题里,它前面只有一句话,那让我们来验证一下这是不是这个detail所支撑的观点呢
Whenoneconsidersthemanywaysbywhichorganismsarecompletelydestroyedafterdeath,itisremarkablethatfossilsareascommonastheyare.
(当一个人知道生物死后会被如此多的方式所完全分解毁灭,那他就会感叹世界上化石如此普遍有多不可思议)
看起来逻辑上可以成为生物被摧毁的例子所支撑的对象吧
那我们现在来做第4步,根据找出来的claim去选出最接近的选项
选项1是不是就是我们找出来的claim的同义复述呀答案就是它了!
Allinall,只要把握好题型背后的原理,妈妈再也不用担心你做不好修辞目的题了!
托福阅读修辞目的题全解析
一、什么是修辞
首先要弄懂的问题是什么叫做修辞(rhetorical)这里所指的修辞不同于咱们语文课上学的"比喻、拟人、排比、对偶、移情"等等,这些都是具体的修辞手法。托福阅读中的修辞含义更广,它包括举例子"下定义、阐述、解释、对比、反驳、强调、批评"等。根据官方指南(officialguide)英文版第三版42页的说法,这里的修辞是指"有效写作或演讲的艺术",也就是说,某个具体信息可能是为了给某个观点举例子,下定义,或者是为了阐述、解释、对比、反驳、强调、批评某个观点。而这里说的具体信息可能是一个词、一句话甚至是一个段落。
二、托福阅读考察什么能力
三、托福阅读结构分析--作者写作意图的线索
四、托福阅读题目分类
修辞目的题按提问对象分大致可分三类:一是问具体信息的目的、二是问段落目的、三是问段落组织结构。其中第一种出现的次数最多,其中又以举例目的题出现频率最高。因而以下重点介绍第一类的解法
五、找答案--三步走
举例目的题是修辞目的题中出现多、代表性强的一类。经过上述分析,相信大家已经对举例的目的有所了解,即:例子是为了证明论点的。而很多时候在具体信息,也就是例子之前还有一个具体的论点(statement),因此例子的目的也就有三个层次:
1.例子之前generalstatement
2.段落的TS
为了让大家进一步体会这个"三步走"战略,这里以TestPracticeOnline中的一道托福阅读题为例实践一下我们的解法:
Paragraph1:TheUnitedStatesdancerLoieFuller(1862-1928)foundtheatricaldanceinthelatenineteenthcenturyartisticallyunfulfilling.Sheconsideredherselfanartistratherthanamereentertainer,andshe,inturn,attractedthenoticeofotherartists。
Paragraph5:Ashertechnologicalexpertisegrewmoresophisticated,sodidtheotheraspectsofherdances.Althoughshegavelittlethoughttomusicinherearliestdances,shelaterusedscoresbyGluck,Beethoven,Schubert,Chopin,andWagner,eventuallygraduatingtoStravinsky,Fauré,Debussy,andMussorgsky,composerswhowerethenconsideredprogressive.ShebegantoaddressmoreambitiousthemesinherdancessuchasTheSea,inwhichherdancersinvisiblyagitatedahugeexpanseofsilk,playeduponbycoloredlights.Alwaysopentoscientificandtechnologicalinnovations,shebefriendedthescientistsMarieandPierreCurieupontheirdiscoveryofradiumandcreatedaRadiumDance,whichsimulatedthephosphorescenceofthatelement.Shebothappearedinfilms-theninanearlystageofdevelopment-andmadethemherself;theheroofherfairy-talefilmLeLysdelaVie(1919)wasplayedbyRenéClair,lateraleadingFrenchfilmdirector。
B.ToexplainwhyFullersometimesusedmusicbyprogressivecomposers
C.ToillustrateaparticularwayinwhichFullerdevelopedasanartist
托福阅读10种题型剖析
新托福考试OG列出了阅读的10种题型:
1.Factualinformationquestions(纯粹细节)
2.Negativefactualinformationquestions(否定细节)
3.Inferencequestions(推理题)
4.Rhetoricalpurposequestions(修辞目的题)
5.Vocabularyquestions(词汇题)
6.Referencequestions(指代题)
7.Sentencesimplificationquestions(句子简化题)
8.Inserttextquestion(句子插入题)
9.Prosesummary(内容摘要题)
10.Fillinatable(表格归类题)
但实际上,新托福考试阅读当中还考了一些OG中没列举出来的题目:
6.WhichofthefollowingbestdescribestherelationshipbetweenParagraph2andParagraph3
Paragraph2putsforwardseveralscientificclaims,oneofwhichisrejectedinParagraph3
Paragraph2posesseveralquestions,andParagraph3offersapossibleanswertooneofthem
Paragraph2presentsoutdatedtraditionalviews,whileParagraph3presentsthecurrentscientificconclusions.
Paragraph2introducesageneralizationthatisillustratedbyspecificexamplesinParagraph3
2.Inparagraph2,whydoestheauthorincludetheinformationthatdinosaurshadflourishedfortensofmillionsofyearsandthensuddenlydisappeared
TosupporttheclaimthatthemassextinctionattheendoftheCretaceousisthebest-documentedofthedozenorsomassextinctionsinthegeologicalrecord
ToexplainwhyasmanyashalfofthespeciesonEarthatthetimearebelievedtohavebecomeextinctattheendoftheCretaceous
ToexplainwhypaleontologistshavealwaysbeenintriguedbythemassextinctionattheendoftheCretaceous
Toprovideevidencethatanimpactcanbelargeenoughtodisturbtheenvironmentoftheentireplanetandcauseanecologicaldisaster
9.Whichofthefollowingbestdescribestheorganizationofparagraph5
Theauthorpresentstwotheoriesforahistoricalphenomenon.
Theauthorarguesagainsttheoriesexpressedearlierinthepassage.
Theauthorarguesforreplacingoldertheorieswithanewone.
Theauthorpointsoutproblemswithtwopopulartheories.
四.段落主题题:这种题目考查的是整个段落的主题,可以说是老托福阅读段落主题题的延续:
12.Inparagraph6,theauthor’sprimarypurposeisto
Provideexamplesofhowoilexplorationcanendangertheenvironment
Describeaccidentsthathaveoccurredwhenoilactivitieswereinprogress
Giveananalysisoftheeffectsofoilspillsontheenvironment
Explainhowtechnologyandlegislationhelpreduceoilspills
5.SelecttheTWOanswerchoicefromparagraph3thatidentifymaterialsdiscoveredinthedeepestpartoftheMediterraneanbasin.ToreceivecredityoumustselectTWOanswers.
Volcanicrockfragments.
Thissiltlayers
Soft,deep-seamud
Crystallinesalt
11.SelecttheTWOanswerchoicesthatarementionedinparagraph5asbeingfeaturesofTeotihuacánthatmayhaveattractedimmigrantstothecity.Toreceivecredit,youmustselectTWOanswers.
Theprosperityoftheelite
Plentyofavailablehousing
Opportunitiesforwell-paidagriculturalemployment
Thepresenceofoneormorereligiousshrines
除此以外,OG对于新托福考试阅读题型的呈现方法也与真实考试有一定距离,如:
10.Accordingtoparagraphs6and7,whyisbasaltunlikemostcrystallineformsofrock
Itisunusuallysolid
Itoftenhashighporosity.
Ithasalowproportionofemptyspace.
Itishighlypermeable.
二.句子改写题的句子复杂性:真实考题比OG中的句子改写题要长很多,而且逻辑关系也更复杂。
三.指代题:OG指代题考得不少,真实考试指代题考得很少。
四.选项长度:真题的选项长度长很多。
11.Paragraph5mentionswhichofthefollowingasasourceofdifficultyforsomefarmerswhotrytoconservewater
CropsthatdonotneedmuchwateraredifficulttogrowintheHighPlains.
Farmerswhogrowcropsthatneedalotofwatermakehigherprofits.
Irrigatinglessfrequentlyoftenleadstocropfailure.
Fewfarmersareconvincedthattheaquiferwilleventuallyrundry.