北美英语考试的阅读技巧

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众所周知大家对GRE、GMAT的阅读理解，必须使用结构化的巡读法进行，效率高，收效高，因为GRE以及GMAT阅读理解的规律性是非常强，同时我们阅读是阅读其文章的逻辑，因此是用逻辑思维操作逻辑阅读，但是我们也要知道能做对阅读题目的同时，我们也要通过每一篇GRE、GMAT阅读文章来强化训练自己实实在在的阅读能力，例如：长难句的分析能力、词汇的积累，写作素材的积累、以及写作结构的掌握。可以说，每一篇GRE阅读理解都是我们备考GRE、GMAT写作的Issue部分的最好的素材库以及范文展示，现在，我们拿GRE阅读NO题的NO8-1这篇文章做一个示范，来说明一下除了我们做对每一个阅读选择题以外，我们应该从阅读文章中获得些什么资源，提炼一个文章的哪些“语言要素”有助于英语能力的提高、GRE/GMAT写作能力的提高，而不只是应试阅读能力的提高。
NO8-1，我们从“词--句--篇章”来谈谈这篇文章。
原文：
Geologists have long known that the Earth‘s mantle is heterogeneous，but its spatial arrangement remains unresolved—is the mantle essentially layered or irregularly heterogeneous？The best evidence for the layered-mantle thesis is the well-established fact that volcanic rocks found on oceanic islands，islands believed to result from mantle plumes arising from the lower mantle，are composed of material fundamentally different from that of the midocean ridge system，whose source，most geologists contend，is the upper mantle.Some geologists，however，on the basis of observations concerning mantle xenoliths，argue that the mantle is not layered，but that heterogeneity is created by fluids rich in “incompatible elements” （elements tending toward liquid rather than solid state）percolating upward and transforming portions of the upper mantle irregularly，according to the vagaries of the fluids’ pathways. We believe，perhaps unimaginatively，that this debate can be resolved through further study，and that the underexplored midocean ridge system is the key.
一、难词
spatial：a.1.空间的，太空的；2.存在（或者发生）于宇宙空间的
plume：n.1.羽状物2.柱，地柱
xenolith：俘虏岩
percolate:v.1.渗透2.扩散到，弥漫于
portions：n.一部分
二、难句
1.the best evidence for the layered-mantle thesis is the well-established fact that volcanic rocks found on oceanic islands，islands believed to result from mantle plumes arising from the lower mantle，are composed of material fundamentally different from that of the mid-ocean ridge system，whose source，mostgeologists contend，is the upper mantle.
对于地幔分层论点来说，最好的证据乃这样一个确认的事实，即在那些海洋岛屿——这些岛屿据信是源于由下层地幔升上来的地幔柱状溶岩流（mantle plume）——上发现的火山岩石，是由与海洋中部山脊系统的物质根本不同的物质构成的，而这一海洋中部山脊系统的成因，大多数地质学家论辩道，为上部地幔。
难句类型：复杂修饰、插入语
解释：本句前面的主干并不算难，即the evidence is the fact that，难就难在fact之后说明fact 的同位语从句。此从句中既有大段插入语，又有从句，较为难读。同位语从句的主语是volcanic rocks，主语后面的found on oceanic islands是分词修饰volcanic rocks的；islands后面又有一个说明islands的同位语islands believed to result from mantle plumes arising from the lower mantle，此同位语实际起到一个分隔主谓的同位语的作用。其后是谓语动词are composed/of fundamentally different from that of the midocean ridge system，whose source，most geologists contend，is the upper mantle。
句中有一些专有词汇。如果抛开文章不说，单看这一个句子，则句首的layered mantle thesis就难以理解。但是如果读者能够读懂句子的大致意思，看到layered mantle thesisr最有力证据就是其材料fundamentally different from… the upper mantle，这应该可以推测出，既然不同于上层地幔，则这个理论一定是在说地幔有不同的层面。
2. some geologists，however，on the basis of observations concerning mantlexenoliths，argue that the mantle isnot layered，but that heterogeneity is created by fluids rich in “incompatible elements” （elements tending towardliquid rather than solid state）percolating upward and transformingportions of the upper mantleirregularly，according to the vagaries of the fluids’ pathways. （4+）
但是，某些地质学家，以对地幔捕虏岩体（xenolith）所作的观察为依据，指出地幔并非是分层排列的，相反，地幔的异质性是由那些富含“不相容成分”的流质构成的，这些成分趋向于流体而非固体的状态，自下而上渗透扩散，并依照这些流质流向的任意性，不规则地将上部地幔的某些部分予以改变。
难句类型：复杂修饰、插入语
解释：本句的主句中有一个长插入语however，on the basis of observations concerning mantle xenoliths，割裂了主谓，但句子的主要难度还是在that引导的宾语从句中，从句中有由but 所连接的两个句子，一起延续到句末。首选是rich in incompatible elements修饰fluids；后面又有一个同位语和一个分词结构，都是修饰incompatible elements的，最后还有一个状语来修饰那个分词结构，层层修饰，比较复杂。
三、文章结构
Ts是文章的第一句，因此这一篇短文章是结论解释型。文章开始说出了地幔是heterogeneous，然后又指出了他的spatial arrangement remains unresolved，然后提出了两种理论，一是layyered-mantle thesis，另外一个是irregularly heterogeneous.然后分别对这两种理论进行describe.最后作者指出，We believe，perhaps unimaginatively，that this debate can be resolved through further study，and that the underexplored midocean ridge system is the key.

快乐的生活是令人人都向往的，快乐的伴侣也是如此。下面的新托福考试阅读练习材料会告诉我们，快乐的人为何更能吸引异性。
Singles who have trouble finding a date may be suffering from unresolved grief，which can block love，a US author suggests.
美国一名作家称求偶受挫的单身人士可能苦闷忧虑、难以释怀，而这些情愫会让爱情避而远之。
Aurora Winter，author of From Heartbreak to Happiness，says loneliness，disappointment and anger are all symptoms of grief and studies show most people suffer from unresolved grief.
《从心碎到幸福》的作者欧若拉文特称孤独、失望和愤懑都是苦闷心情的典型症状，而研究表明大部分人都有难以释怀的经历。
“Divorce，death and disappointments can all hurt your chances of finding love -- without you knowing it. Unresolved grief blocks love. I can tell you from personal experience that no one wants to compete with a ghost，” Winter，who founded the Grief Coach Academy after the sudden death of her husband at age 33，says in a statement. “People who have lost a spouse to death frequently yearn for their late husband or wife.”
文特33岁时丈夫去世，随后建立了悲痛援助学院，她在一份声明中说：“离婚、死亡和失望等会不知不觉影响你找到新爱的几率。无法释怀的苦闷会将爱情关在门外。依我个人经验来看，没有谁愿意和你过去的某人争夺爱情。痛失伴侣的人往往对去世的一半念念不忘。”
It‘s a very small step between resenting one’s former partner and being bitter at the opposite sex in general -- including your date -- but to find love，it is absolutely essential that people heal unresolved grief from prior relationships，Winter advises.
人们总是易于因对前任心怀怨恨而在异性面前惆怅或刻薄，甚至约会时也这样。然而文特建议，要找到爱情，就得对过去的感情完全释怀。
“The most attractive people are genuinely happy，”Aurora says in a statement. “People want to be around happy people. Happy people get the best dates，the best jobs and the best opportunities.”
“Happiness is feeling good about the present and optimistic about the future，”Aurora says.
她在声明中称：“异性最青睐的就是真正快乐的人，喜欢和他们相处。开心的人总能找到最好的伴侣、工作和最佳的机会。快乐就是真正享受现在，乐观对待未来。”
以上就是今天的托福阅读材料，大家可以积累其中的高分词汇及句型，并且练习提升阅读速度，迅速找到托福阅读的主题句和出题点。
　1、主题——增加背景知识
　　有部分学生反映做阅读时很难投入进去，有一点原因就是对于文章所述内容太过陌生，如果你对其略知一二，相信定会有所不同。比如TPO中有篇文章讲到化学元素周期表，对于高中生来说再熟悉不过了，阅读的时候半读半猜，估计也可以理解的八九不离十了。
　　若考试准备时间充足，可以多加涉猎，扩充自己的知识背景;若时间紧张，则需搞定TPO套题。根据文章记忆单词，并不是文章中出现的每一个“陌生的面孔”都要去熟悉，比如一些繁琐的专有名词跳过即可。主要记忆的当然是一些动词、名词及形容词，尤其是出现在句子主干中，与解题有关的词汇。
　　除了词汇，应学会分析题干及题目，比如题干中出现了effect，conclusion之类的词，其实已经界定了我们寻找的范围——段落靠后的部分，还有就是观点性和总结性的句子永远会是考察的重点所在。做题的时候学会分析原文和选项，进行对比，比如句子简化题，做一题需要看五个长句，似乎很花费时间，但并不需要每个句子都要细看，而是先明确原句的逻辑及主干，抓住选项中的关键点与原句进行比较。
　　例如：As a result of crustal adjustments and faulting, the Strait of Gibraltar, where the Mediterranean now connects to the Atlantic, opened, and water cascaded spectacularly back into the Mediterranean.A. The strait of Gibraltar reopened when the Mediterranean and the Atlantic became connected and the cascades of water from one sea to the other caused crustal adjustments and faulting.B. The Mediterranean was dramatically refilled by water from the Atlantic when crustal adjustments and faulting opened the Strait of Gibraltar, the place where the two seas are joined.C. The cascades of water from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean were not as spectacular as the crustal adjustments and faulting that occurred when the Strait of Gibraltar was connected to those seas.D. As a result of crustal adjustments and faultin;g and the creation of the Strait of Gibraltar, the Atlantic and Mediterranean were connected and became a single sea with spectacular cascades of water between them。
　　原句是因果逻辑的句子，先找出其因：crustal adjustments and faulting，果：the Strait opened, and water cascaded spectacularly back into the Mediterranean。接着来看选项：A…. caused crustal adjustments and faulting 显然是因果倒置了，毫不犹豫地灭掉;C. 因为此选项中出现比较not as spectacular as, 非常惹眼的一个核心词，而原文中是修饰动词的副词spectacularly，并未进行比较，二话不说也排除掉;D. As a result of crustal adjustments and faulting and the creation of the Strait of Gibraltar,… 这原因里怎么多出来一项啊，掳袖子撵人吧!
　　2、题型——注重解题方法
　　托福阅读10种题型，除最后的小结题外大都属于考查文章细节的题目。根据题干中的关键词定位是至关重要的一步，然后就是理解。此时如果词汇量太小怎么办?事实上做阅读我们永远要牢记的就是找句子主干，考查的信息基本都在主干中体现了，
　　比如：
　　The deer which once picturesquely dotted the meadows around the fort were gone [in 1832], hunted to extermination in order to protect the crops。
　　这个句子较长，其中有which引导的定语从句，还有hunted… 这个状语，而解题时我们只需要句子的主干The deer were gone。多数同学在做题时有个习惯就是看到一句话后就开始逐词阅读，甚至试图把它翻译成中文，这可谓“兵家大忌”。
　　遇到一句话先抓主干，遇到整段记得扫描段落有无显眼的连词，举例信号词等，浏览每段的主题句。
　　再说一下小结题，大多数考生的切肤之痛。一是做到最后一题时时间已所剩无几，二是最后一题是对全文的主要内容的总结，相对复杂。
　　在课堂中，我一再向学生强调把握全文结构及大意的重要性，而如何去把握?
　　一是做题之前可大概浏览文章的标题及每段首句。作为学术性的阅读文章，首句基本都是主题句。尤其是总分结构的文章，比如TPO6中的Infantile Amnesia, 虽然文章较难理解，但是文中明确提出了三种观点first，second，third… 那么此类文章小结题的选项太显而易见了。再者，文章的每段会对应出2-3道题，那么题目中对应的部分基本都是段落的核心所在。从这两点就可以很快了解文章的主要内容。所以在进行TPO练习时，做题虽不可或缺，但还要注意多加练习快速阅读文章的
Is Learning to Code More Popular Than Learning a Foreign Language?
这年头，学写代码比学外语更流行？
There was a time when people used to go to night classes or buy DIY guides to learn foreign languages in their spare time. But the New York Times is to have us believe that French and Spanish are out of the window, to be replaced by Python and Java.
曾几何时，人们都涌进夜校或是购买自学教材，利用空闲时间学习外语。但《纽约时报》的报道却让我们相信，曾经很多人痴迷的法语和西班牙语已经不再受重视，现在好学人士的首选已经变成了计算机编程语言Python 和Java。
It's an interesting concept. There's certainly no denying the fact that as a nation we're becoming more tech savvy—you only need to look around a coffee shop to tell you that—and with that is bound to come an increased shift to learning how to make devices work better. From the New York Times:
这是一个非常有趣的观点。无可否认，在美国这样的科技大国，越来越多的人变成科技通，只要环顾咖啡店四周你就会发现我所言非虚。越来越多的人使用电子设备，人们也必然要学习更多的程序知识让自己的设备更好用。以下内容摘自《纽约时报》：
"Parlez-vous Python? What about Rails or JavaScript? Foreign languages tend to wax and wane in popularity, but the language du jour is computer code.
你会Python代码吗？还有Rails 源代码和JavaScript代码？外语学习的人气似乎有所减弱，现在正当红的语言是计算机代码。
"The market for night classes and online instruction in programming and Web construction, as well as for iPhone apps that teach, is booming. Those jumping on board say they are preparing for a future in which the Internet is the foundation for entertainment, education and nearly everything else. Knowing how the digital pieces fit together, they say, will be crucial to ensuring that they are not left in the dark ages."
学习编程和网站建设的夜校和在线培训市场蓬勃发展，当然还有苹果应用程序开发。学员们都表示打好基础才能迎接这样的程序未来：互联网将成为娱乐、教育和其他一切领域的基础。他们表示，了解数位是如何组装在一起的很关键，这样才能确保他们不会被最新的科技抛弃在黑暗时代。
But is it really crucial to be able to code? Many content producers use technology virtually every waking hour of their life, and they don't know a variable from an identifier, or an integer from a string. Personally, I'm conflicted: I have a technical background, but for most people I just don't see how being able to compile code is going to prove useful.

　　1.考试采取早签早考原则，所以对于害怕听力部分受到别人影响的同学尽量早到考场排队，早点开考。不过如果过早的话，就很难在厕所偷听口语题了。
　　2.一进考场在阅读之前就要调试话筒。捕获晚来的同学在其他同学开考阅读的时候调试话筒，会有些影响，一定要集中注意力;
　　3.每个人开始的时间不一样，所以具体休息的时间不一样，具体休息时间是在听力结束以后。
　　4.休息的时候就要缠住监考老师，因为上厕所原则上要求一个人回来，下一个人才能去，所以缠住老师为了让他会记住你，这样就会让你先出去，否则要等很长时间；
　　5.虽然每个人开始的时间不一样，但是各部分可以答题的时间是固定的，不要跨去做题，顺序是阅读、听力、口语、作文；
　　6.写完作文之后问你是否提交本次成绩，不要点错，否则就白考了。
　　7.中间根本没有时间吃东西，考试之前要吃饱。考下来很累，接近虚脱状态。
　　

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