備考SAT的時候,我們會發(fā)現(xiàn)一個非常令人沮喪的現(xiàn)象——我們讀懂了文章,但是卻輸在了選項理解上。現(xiàn)在就讓新東方付海濤老師帶著你來破解一下SAT閱讀的選項設(shè)置問題。
一、選項類型
單從選項來看,可以分成三個類型:
1) 單個詞匯或短語式,常見于詞匯題、態(tài)度題、手法題:
如:A. matter B request C. objection D. possibility E. doubt
2) 半句話選項, 這個時候題目也一定是半句話,正確答案與題目連在一起是對原文某處的概括或重復(fù)。
如: The argument in lines 29-30 refutes that comic books______
A. do not cost much compared to other amusements
B. openly acknowledge their true purpose
C. help children cope with the stresses of their world
D. cannot be appreciated by someone who lacks a sense of humor
E. have never been proven to distract children from homework
3) 整句話選項,常見于主旨題、段落關(guān)系題以及類比題。
如: Which best characterizes the relationship between the first paragraph and the second paragraph ?
A. The first paragraph relates an anecdote that illustrates a generalization made in the second paragraph
B. The first paragraph presents a claim that is supported in the second paragraph
C. The paragraphs offer different explanations for the same phenomenon
D. The second paragraph digresses from the topic discussed in the first paragraph
E. The second paragraph challenges the validity of the argument made in the first paragraph
二、選項設(shè)計:真相永遠(yuǎn)只有一個,但是假象卻錯雜縱生。
(一)正確選項
正確答案就是對等原文的信息。從整體看,對等方式包括兩種,同義改寫和上義概括。
1. 同義改寫: 這種題不多,因為其考察維度很有局限性,基本就是詞與詞的對等。
原文 He himself
答案His own
原文danger
答案threaten
原文unhappy
答案despondent
2 。上義概括: SAT以這種情況居多。
原文bats
答案animal
原文Ella Josephine Baker is an activist….touched thousands of lives and contributed to …
答案an influential woman
原文We already depend on one unsatisfactory source of electricity: coal power. Do we want to lock ourselves into another one?
Nuclear is our best hope for ……
答案invoking collective interests
正確答案的選擇: 盡量利用原文行號,如果題目要求讀 line 11-15 , 這個時候恰巧有兩個選項都覺得對,一個選項出自第14 行,一個選項出自第 18行,這個時候一定要優(yōu)先選擇前者!或者,所有選項無一來自題目所給行號,一個選項來自16 行,另一個來自第 20行,這時候還是選前者,因為它貼近題目要求范圍!
(二)錯誤選項
錯誤答案設(shè)置主要包括以下幾種情況:
a. 無中生有,原文根本沒交代
b. 說的對但是不符合問題
c. 與作者表達(dá)相反
d. 由常識而導(dǎo)致的推理過度(如果題目沒要求推理,所有推到選項就都是錯的)
原文I am writing this with my left hand, although I am strongly right-handed. I had surgery to my right shoulder a month ago and am not permitted, not capable of, use of the right arm at this time. I write slowly, awkwardly----but more easily, more naturally, with each passing day。
題:The author describes himself as “strongly right-handed” (in line 2)in order to_____
A.convey the ease with which he learned to be ambidextrous (與作者表達(dá)相反)
B.contrast his particular abilities and those of other individuals (無中生有)
C.suggest the difficulties he had to overcome
D. evoke a sympathetic response from the reader(由常識而導(dǎo)致的過度推理)
E.characterize the sources of his physical strength(同D)
原文The question “why there been no great women artists?” is simply the tip of an iceberg of misinterpretation and misconception; beneath lies a vast dark bulk of shaky ideas about the nature of art and the situations of its making, about the nature of art and the human abilities in general and of human excellence in particular, and about the role that the social order plays in all of this。
題:In the first paragraph, the author addresses the question referred to in the first sentence by___
A.celebrating the gift of true genius
(態(tài)度與作者表達(dá)相反)
B.offering examples of great women artists(無中生有)
C.challenging assumptions about greatness
D.criticizing great artists for the naivete (無中生有)
E.daring readers to submit to the power of great(由常識而導(dǎo)致的過度推理)
從測試學(xué)角度來講,選項的設(shè)置應(yīng)該難度一致,錯誤選項的迷惑性大致相當(dāng),正確答案不會和其他題目答案有重疊。但是在現(xiàn)實考試中,這些都很難做到。 很多時候我們做題并不是很清正確答案為什么正確,而是努力排除四個謬誤答案。很多道理我們平時可以講的頭頭是道,但是到了考場滿眼一大坨黑壓壓的外語很難想的很完全。 再加上選項總是比題目更難理解,筆者故在此著重展示一下排除法的具體思路。
三、兩大原則排除錯誤選項
1、先易后難
遇到一個看不懂的選項切勿糾纏,直接看下一選項,如果連續(xù)3個選項不認(rèn)識此題一定要空著不做,防止“賠了夫人又折兵”
2、拆開判斷,縱向比對
判斷此題目的時候錄,要先縱向拆解五個選項,先看每個選項開頭的第一個詞,
A. Irrational, B. meaningless, C. inevitable, D. genuine, E. understandable
由于原文講述的態(tài)度是中肯的,所以排除帶有濃烈感情色彩的詞,拿掉A,B。
剩下三個選項再繼續(xù)縱向拆解比對
C. Pound’s method attracted attention D. scholars felt insulted E. Pound’s claim could be disputed
原文重點(diǎn)對象是Pound,排除D
此時只需要對比
C.attracted attention E. be disputed
就可以了,原文是關(guān)于翻譯要直譯還是釋義的探討,因此Pound提出釋義,當(dāng)然會受到直譯支持者的反對,而引起dispute, 故E是正確答案。
再來一例,這題是前面我們做過的 “蒙娜麗莎的微笑” 《官方指南》p395
第24題
Which statement best characterizes the different ways in which the authors of Passage 1 and Passage 2 approach the Mona lisa?
A. The first stresses the unique smile in the portrait , while the second focuses on other mysterious qualities of its subject 。
B. The first emphasizes its striking appearance, while the second examines the background of its creator。
C. The first focuses on its stylistic innovations, while the second seeks to account for its cultural preeminence。
D. The first speculates about the life of its subject, while the second argues that historical interpretations are irrelevant。
E. The first alludes to its societal importance, while the second debates its artistic merits。
每個選項都有個while,縱向判斷每個選項while之前的文字,看能排除幾個,然后再同樣方式判斷后半句。
這種方法是避免了人腦短時記憶不佳的缺陷,短時記憶本身就需要訓(xùn)練才能提高,何況在外語語境中更是難以駕馭。用 “縱向原則” 最大好處就是每次處理的信息量較小,有針對性,進(jìn)而提高準(zhǔn)確率。
最重要的寫在最后,如果你時間很緊迫,沒時間讀那么多,就看這里吧!
現(xiàn)行SAT考試閱讀部分屬于批判式閱讀Critical Reading, 其中非常重要的一條就是前提假設(shè)assumption。 請讀者自行翻開《官方指南》901-19
這篇文章不陌生吧,前面我們有多次舉例提到。
這道題目體現(xiàn)的是描述性假設(shè)(descriptive assumption),其定義是文章未提及但作者默認(rèn)的觀點(diǎn)(unstated belief about how the world was, is or will be)。
原文的結(jié)論是:你認(rèn)識到“某個道理”;
其原因是:你是個神經(jīng)學(xué)家。
其推到過程必須建立在一個不言而喻的假設(shè)之上,即“某個道理”是神經(jīng)學(xué)家的共識。如果沒有這個假設(shè),我是神經(jīng)學(xué)家就不一定會意識到這“某個道理”。 也就是說假設(shè)(assumption)是為了確保原因(reason)能過導(dǎo)出結(jié)論(conclusion)的必要前提。
切記:argument=reasons+ conclusions +assumption
Reasons 和 conclusions是原文的呈現(xiàn),而assumption一定不是文章里直接說的信息。
比如,在筆者的課堂上,很多人認(rèn)為原文成立的必要條件是“你是個神經(jīng)學(xué)家”,但這只是對原文reason部分的重復(fù),不是unstated belief,屬于given fact。
還有一種assumption叫做 value assumption. 比如安樂死的問題,支持的一派一定會潛意識里認(rèn)為生命的維系比其帶來的痛苦掙扎要重要;而反對的一派潛意識里正好相反,擺脫痛苦要比茍延殘喘更有意義。 這里就存在著價值觀假設(shè) 。
常見的value conflicts 如下:
(來自 Asking the right questions 作者 M. Neil Browne & Stuart M.Keeley) 加上上面的例題《官方指南》上共出現(xiàn)五次。
522-13 665-19 725-11 963-15
有人不禁會問,既然出題比例這么小,而且之前又講有部分題可以放棄,那是否代表如果我這種題不會就都放棄好了呢?
筆者認(rèn)為非也, 因為 false assumption是一種錯誤選項的表達(dá)方式!!!
一般難度系數(shù)為5的題目所設(shè)置的干擾選項都會利用這一點(diǎn)!
比如下面這道題(2013 5)
這道題答案是E。 但是課堂上D被提問的次數(shù)最多,因為 fulfill long-held dream 讀起來非常正確。但是作者并沒有給出信息提示這個工作一定能讓其實現(xiàn)夢想,也就是說D的內(nèi)容有可能成立,但是這種基于原文信息且只是有可能會發(fā)生的事件就是 false assumption。 所以,以后如果讀者遇到了二選一的困境,看了答案也百思不得其解,就請看下其發(fā)生的必然性吧,如果只是有可能,那就是false assumption, 需排除。
(作者:付海濤)