托福閱讀文章從某種意義上來說可以說是寶庫,不僅其中包含的生詞和句式都有較高的學習價值,文章段落中也有不少亮點值得大家參考借鑒。下面小編就來為大家結合實例講解托福閱讀文章的段落精讀方法。
托福閱讀備考為何要做段落精讀?
精讀段落可以幫助考生了解托福閱讀文章段落的結構規律,捕捉含特殊邏輯關系的結構的可能出題點。
托福閱讀備考段落精讀要點實例講解
1. 快速找出并理解段落中心句
段落精讀的第一個要點就是要快速找出并理解各段落的中心句。如果是首段,一般關注它的首句或尾句;如果是中間段,一般也是閱讀首尾句,但也可能會出現“非常規”的情況,即中心句在段落的中間出現。以下面這個段落為例。
Psychological researchers generally recognize that facial expressions reflect emotional states. In fact, various emotional states give rise to certain patterns of electrical activity in the facial muscles and in the brain. The facial-feedback hypothesis argues, however, that the causal relationship between emotions and facial expressions can also work in the opposite direction. According to this hypothesis, signals from the facial muscles (“feedback”) are sent back to emotion centers of the brain, and so a person’s facial expression can influence that person’s emotional state. Consider Darwin’s words: “The free expression by outward signs of an emotion intensifies it. On the other hand, the repression, as far as possible, of all outward signs softens our emotions.” Can smiling give rise to feelings of good will, for example, and frowning to anger? (官方指南OG “The Expression of Emotions”)
乍一看,你會覺得本段落的中心句就是第一句,其實第一句只是交代了一個普遍的(generally)看法,第二句是基于這個看法作進一步的解釋(in fact)。而真正的中心句應該是第三句(由however引出),它提出了另一個新的看法,叫“面部反饋的假設”,這個新的看法才是本段接著要展開的重點對象。大家在精讀段落時,應該特別留意類似“非常規”的情況,充分理解這種段落的寫作邏輯。
2. 關注段落中邏輯關系詞結構
段落精讀的第二個要點就是關注段落中含邏輯關系詞的結構,比如轉折結構、因果結構、平行結構、連續列舉結構等,這些結構往往都是托福閱讀考試的出題點。筆者建議考生在精讀時用記號標出這些結構的信號詞,對其前后的文字加以研讀,并與后面的題目進行對照,摸索閱讀出題的規律。這里以“轉折結構”為例作為示范。
According to conventional theory, yawning takes place when people are bored or sleepy and serves the function of increasing alertness by reversing, through deeper breathing, the drop in blood oxygen levels that are caused by the shallow breathing that accompanies lack of sleep or boredom. Unfortunately, the few scientific investigations of yawning have failed to find any connection between how often someone yawns and how much sleep they have had or how tired they are. About the closest any research has come to supporting the tiredness theory is to confirm that adults yawn more often on weekdays than at weekends, and that school children yawn more frequently in their first year at primary school than they do in kindergarten. (官方模考真題18 “The Mystery of Yawning”)
考生在精讀本段落時,要特別注意本段中的Unfortunately,它是轉折的信號詞之一,引起了前后信息的轉折,后面的句子對本段開頭的傳統理論(conventional theory)作出了反駁,意思是“但遺憾的是,關于打哈欠的僅有的幾項科學研究并沒有找到打哈欠的頻率與個人睡眠時長或者疲勞程度之間的任何關聯。”考生可以劃出這個轉折結構的句子,然后再跟后面的題目進行對照,看看是否針對這句話出題。對照之后,考生會發現有一道事實信息題與這句話有密切的關系。之后,考生還可以在腦海里再回憶下轉折結構的信號詞除了unfortunately還有哪些,比如還有but、however、yet、nevertheless、while、whereas等,以后讀段落或做題時可以多注意這些地方。
學會了托福閱讀的文章段落精讀技巧,大家就能從閱讀中收獲到更多寶貴的知識,這樣一來考生的備考效率也就會有進一步提升了。