托福阅读各类题型中指代题并不能算是难度较高的题型,但为了找到正确的指代对象,有时候考生却不得不把指代题所在段落整个读上一遍才能找到答案,这种做法无疑是比较费时费力的。其实想要迅速做好指代题,大家只需要了解这些要点和思路就可以了,下面小编就来具体分析。
1. 见到代词找指代,指代通常在前方
这句话是代词指代题的总则,考生务必牢记:代词永远出现在原词之后,原词永远出现在代词之前。根据这条原则考生可以快速排除选项中出现在代词之后的词汇,锁定正确答案。
2. 主代主,宾代宾,所有格,就近找
代词指代的语法规则非常严格,因此考生要优先考虑代词在句中充当的成分:主语、宾语、还是所有格代词,然后在前句中快速寻找对应的语法成分就可以轻松解题。仅依靠这条规律就可以解决大部分代词指代类题目,例如:
When small fish venture too close to the tentacles of these "living flowers", they are stung and eaten.
题目中代词“they”在主句中充当主语成分,考生迅速定位前方从句中的主语“small fish”,题目就迎刃而解。
又例如所有格代词(你的、我的、他的等等)通常指代前文中最靠近该代词的核心名词:
Florists often refrigerate cut flowers to protect their fresh appearance.
题目中的所有格代词“their”之前有两个名词“florists”和“flowers”,语法基础薄弱的考生要花些时间才能弄清楚所谓“他(它)们的”究竟是谁们的?事实上根据“就近原则”,在距离代词最近的地方找到符合句中语意的核心名词,就可以锁定答案。而上述句中距离“their”最近的名词时“flowers”,因此正确答案就是它。
3. 平行结构有搭配,多重指代层层推
所谓平行结构实质就是分层次描述,阅读部分经常出现“not only..., but also...”,“one..., the other...”,“some..., others...”等固定搭配对两层或多层语意进行描写,通过对这种常见结构的把握,考生就可以快速锁定答案。例如:
Many adults, poor and disillusioned with farm life, were lured to the cities by promises of steady employment, regular paychecks, increased access to goods and services, and expanded social opportunities. Others were pushed there when new technologies made their labor cheap or expendable.
虽然上述语句语法结构和语意都较为复杂,但不难看出题目中“many people..., others...”是固定搭配,因此“others”做为代词所指代的名词必定是前文中的“many people”,正确答案应为“adults”。
此外,为了增加难度,对于代词指代的考察也经常在定位方面设置障碍,既通过一层推理很难锁定目标词汇。因此考生需要多一点耐心和多一份细心,在前文内容中层层回溯,逐一定位,抽丝剥茧,最终必然能够顺利解题。例如:
The principal difference between urban growth in Europe and in the North American colonies was the slow evolution of cities in the former and their rapid growth in the latter. In Europe they grew over a period of centuries form town economies to their present urban structures. In North America, they started as wilderness communities and developed to mature urbanism in little more than a century.
本题看似复杂,其实通过层层倒推,锁定目标词“cities”并不十分困难。
4. 单数复数都对应,主动被动要分清
代词指代题中有一些常见陷阱,例如同时出现大量名词,有单数、有复数、有可数名词、也有不可数名词,让考生雾里看花;或是将前文中的主动句改写成后文的被动句,颠三倒四,让考生头晕脑胀。破解这种陷阱的手法其实很简单,无论怎样变化,代词指代总有一定之规,例如:
In the past, biologists considered mushrooms and other fungi as a type of non-free plant. Today, however, they are most commonly regarded as a separate kingdom of living things.
本题中就不宜直接使用前文提到的“主语带主语”原则。代词出现的语句是被动句,因此“they”不再指代前文主语,而是指代前文中的宾语。那么“they”指代“mushrooms and other fungi”还是“non-free plant”呢?考生不必感动彷徨无助,口诀中已经明确指出,代词的单复数必然与原词单复数一致,因此正确答案只能是“mushrooms and other fungi”。
5. 定位排除和代入,验证语意要记牢
总而言之,代词指代题的解题步骤清晰明了:第一步定位文中代词,用上述方法搜索原词;第二步分析选项,排除位置和语意不符的词汇;第三步带入原句中简单翻译,进行验证。
以上这5个要点技巧,大家如果能够顺利掌握,那么想要迅速准确地解答托福阅读指代题,相信就不会有太大困难了。