英语阅读理解寻找特定细节

 在掌握了文章主思想的基础上，考生还应善于找到用以说明、解释或证明该主题的特定细节（specific details）或者具体事实。在通读全文的过程中，考生要特别注意诸如：who, what, when, where, why 等问题的内容，并做出标记，以便在回答相关问题时迅速查找。     当然，这类细节性问题所涉及的面是很广的。有的涉及数字计算，如问时间、距离、次数、数量等，认真计算后方可选定正确；有的涉及正误判断，要先看选项，根据选项提供的线索，寻视文中相应部分，最后在题中选出肯定答案；还有的寻问事实、原因、结果、目的等。总之，做细节题切忌通过自己对某类知识的主观了解和认识做出想像判断，一定要紧扣文章内容，不可随心所欲     一、常见的提问方式。          在阅读理解题型中，要求考生查找特定细节或主要事实的问题常用的形式有：          1. Which of the following statements is (NOT) true (correct)?        2. Which of the following is not mentioned in the text?        3. All of the following are true except … .        4. The author (passage) states that … .        5. According to the passage, when (where, why, how, who, what, which) …     二、要细心，看完所有的选择项。     当问题要求考生对某一个事实做出正确的判断或者询问文章中是否提到某一事实时，一定要细心，先把所给的四个选择项全部看完，弄懂意思，做到心中有数。然后，根据选者项中提供的线索，迅速地找到文章中相应的部分，细读一下有关内容。与文中内容一致的即可肯定，不一致的即可否定。     注意，在回答Not True 之类的问题时，必须逐项找出须肯定的内容后，方可确定有否定的内容。切勿一遇到自己认为不正确的内容，便匆忙答题，不再去考虑其它选择，这样常常会掉入陷阱，导致错误。     Example 1:     Directions: Read the following passage and chose the best answer to the question.     One word that sums up our age better than any other–––whether “our age” is “the technological age” of Western countries or the “modernizing age” of China –––is the word CHANGE. But has change not always been present? True, but never before at such a breakneck speed. Today it is more than just change. It is unprecedented change. In such a world, reading provides the best tool we have for keeping up and for avoiding future shock in a world continually being remade.     Which of the following is NOT true?      A.  Western countries and China are being remade.      B.   Reading will help understand our age.      C.  The present age and future world are continually changing.      D.  Reading is the best tool provided by our age.     A. B. C. 项均与文章中的意义一致，而D.不符。因为文中说的是：“Reading serves as the best tool for us.”（对我们来说，阅读可以作为一个最好的工具。）而不是D.中所述的那样：Reading is the best tool provided by our age. （阅读是由我们时代所提供的最好的工具。）所以，D. 是正确答案。     三、确切数字一定要计算。     当考生被问及时间、距离以及其它用数字表示的细节时，需要进行计算才能得出答案。这时，一定要用笔算把计算过程简单列出，切勿随意心算一下就确定答案。     Example 2:     Directions: Read the following passage and choose the best answer to each question.     The Flag of the U.S.–––The Stars and Stripes     The history of the flag of the U.S. has become so cluttered by myth that hardly any facts can be established. One thing all agree on is that the Stars and Stripes originated as the result of a resolution adopted by Congress June 14, 1777. It read:     Resolved: that the flag of the United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation.     The flag of 1777 was used until 1795. Then, on the admission of Vermont and Kentucky to the Union, Congress passed an act that after May 1, 1795, the flag should have 15 stripes and 15 stars.     When new states were admitted it became evident that the flag would become burdened with stripes. Congress thereupon ordered that after July 4, 1818, the flag should have 13 stripes, symbolizing the 13 original states; that the union have 20 stars, and that whenever a new state was admitted a new star should be added on the July 4 following the admission.     The 50-star flag of the United States was raised for the first time officially on July 4, 1960, at Fort McHenry in Baltimore. The 50th star had been added for Hawaii, a year earlier the 49th, for Alaska. Before that, no star had been added since 1912, when New Mexico and Arizona were admitted to the Union.     1. Since 1777, the U.S. flag has changed its design        . A. twice        B. 3 times      C. 5 times     D. more than 5 times     2. In 1912, before July 4, the U.S. flag had        . A. 15 stars      B. 20 stars      C. 46 stars     D. 48 stars     3. The 49th and 50th states to join the U.S.A. were, in their correct order,       . A. Alaska and Hawaii            B. Hawaii and Alaska C. New Mexico and Arizona       D. Arizona and New Mexico     4. Congress decided in 1818 that the U.S. flag should have 13 stripes because        . A. since 1777 it had always had 13 stripes B. since 1777 it had always had more than 13 stripes C. in 1818 there were only 13 states in the Union of the U.S.A. D. at the founding of the Union of the U.S.A. there had been only 13 states.     问题1要求回答美国国旗图案自1777年以来变化了几次。回答这样的问题需要把文中所有提及1777年以来的美国国旗变更次数的关键词划出：     1795;  July 4, 1818;  since 1912;  a year earlier the 49th;  July 4, 1960     文中似乎只提及5次，但是文中又提到1818年时为20颗星，以后每加入一个州就增加一颗星。从文中还可以看到1912年增加的是第47和48颗星，从第20颗星到47颗星之间必然还有若干次变动，因此答案应当为D。即：变动5次以上。     问题2提问的是1912年7月4日以前的情况。由于新墨西哥和亚里桑那于1912年7月4日加入联邦，国旗上星的数目增至48颗。因此，19192年7月4日以前的国旗上的星数应为46颗。正确答案为C。     问题3的答案为A，其根据是：The 50th star had been added for Hawaii, a year earlier the 49th, for Alaska.     问题4的答案是D, 其根据是：symbolizing the 13 original states     四、对代词不能大意     在英文文章中，为避免重复提及某一词或短语，习惯于使用代词来代替。因此，在寻找特定细节时，考生必须准确理解被指代的对象，避免混淆。一般可以根据上下文的句子结构、主谓一致的关系、以及语义关系等来确定所指代的内容。     Example 3     The basketball team never lacked vociferous(大喊大叫的) supporters, but they rarely responded to this show of enthusiasm.     根据语义和主谓关系，they 应当指代 the basketball team (队员)，而不可能是supporters 或 show of enthusiasm。     Example 4     Scott Fitzgerald, who first introduced him to a publisher, was one of the few contemporary writers that Hemingway did not turn against.     若him 指代Scot Fitzgerald, 则应当使用反身代词himself, 而不能用him。因此，him 在这里只能指后面的Hemingway. (小心：英文里代词一般指代前面提到的人或物，也可以指代后面要提到的人或物。)     本讲小结：     在阅读理解测试中，要求考生找出特定细节或主要事实的问题一般均可以在文章中找到答案。但是，需要注意的是，这些问题的表述常常不是采用文章中的原话，而是使用同义的词语来进行提问。因此，在回答此类问题时，首先要认真审题，看清楚问题提问的是什么，避免没有完全看懂问题就忙于选择。其次，根据所涉及到的问题，快速扫视到文章中相应的部分，找到与答题内容有关的关键词或短语，在细读一、二遍。在确信理解了原文的基础上，最后确定正确的答案。可以在查到的关键词、句下面划线，以引起注意，便于记忆或查找。当涉及到某些语言文化背景知识时，切勿脱离文章的内容而根据自己的想象做漫无边际的推理。