雅思信号词专题

Unit 3 Use the Signpost Words

雅思听力中的信号词可以为我们的解题起到一种很好的导向作用，它可以让我们主动去寻找我们要的答案，而不仅仅是等待答案的出现。雅思听力中的信号词可分为以下三种:

第一种是语篇语段中的信号词一在语言的运用中，我们发现在意义上相互联系的词会同时出现在同一语篇中，这些词语属干同一个词汇链，形成了 Lexical Chain。因而，当人们遇到其中一个便很快会联想这个词汇链中的其他词汇。例如，当我们听到post office时，就可以联想到send, stamp, package。所以当一个词汇链的词语出现在一个语篇或者语段中，这些词语就能衔接句子，起到连句成篇的作用。

这也就是为什么我们在雅思听力备考前一定要准备相关的场景词汇。每一个场景中的相关词汇就是一个巨大的词汇链’有了这样强大的词汇链做基础’你就迈出了雅思听力的第一步。

第二种是听力原文中的逻辑信号词我们无论是说话还是写作，都会有一定的篇章逻辑，而这些逻辑需要相关的逻辑词汇进行连接。雅思听力考试的出题的思路也是以说话者的逻辑顺序为依据：也就是说，正确答案总是喜欢出现在某些逻辑词汇之后。因此，掌握了这些逻辑词汇，在听到它们的时候，就可以很快地搜索到我们要的答案。这类词汇不仅对听力很有帮助，对于写作来说也是大有裨益的。

最后一种是听力题目中出现的信号词。这一类的信号词是信号词中最最重要的一部分内容，因此在平时需要进行强化训练。这类词是在试卷中的题目上划出来的，一般分为: 名词、动词、形容词，以及填空题所填空前后的单词。能够掌握这一类信号词是提髙雅思听力成绩的重中之重，但是由于这一类的词汇没有特定的范围，不同的题目有不同的词汇。这一类信号词要配合雅思听力中的细节定位法来使用，是解题的有效手段。

Part Two 逻辑信号词分类

一、表示列举、增补关系的信号词一这类信号词出现的时候，说明下文出现的内容和前文是同类事物，或者对前文的补充说明，而不会是新的或者相反的信息。

Example:

?Mary decided she would study her history tonight. Likewise, her

roommate Janet decided she would.

?The public can see the paintings next week. What's more, they can buy

them for as little as ten dollars upwards.

当听到单词likewise或者短语What's more，你就被给予了一个信号，就是前面提到的想法将被再次提及。你只需要写出与前面意思一样的答案就可以了。

二、表示转折或者对比关系一这一类的词汇在雅思听力中是黄金出题点，任何一套试卷中，这一类词汇是100%。要有考点出现的，而且为数不少，所以大家一定要仔细掌握这一类词汇。当你在听力中听到这一类词汇的时候，必须集中注意力，说话者是在提醒你下面将要提供的信息是新的或者相反的有改变的信息。

?Example:

You weren't boring me. On the contrary, you're interesting me frightfully.

I should have studied last night, but I went to the movies instead.

在第二个例句中，作者展示了两种不同的信息：第一，应该形成的事实是什么；第二，事实已经形成的信息是什么。“but”在本句中扮演了一个很重要的提示信息的角色。一般而言，这种句子是对于一个问题的回答，因此要非常仔细地聆听关键词，并回答相关问题。

三、表示顺序和序列关系的信号词一一这一类信号词帮助大家将分开的信息或者考点连接起来，并不是考点设置的高频地方，它起到的作用是帮助大家理清说话者的陈述次序。

Example:

First open the book to the index. Then find the listings for the letter u. Next look for "utopia". After this, check for the page number listing.

要认真体会作者是如何利用信号词来给予一系列的指示的。

四、表示解释或者强调关系的信号词一这一类信号词是暗示下文对前文的解释以及澄清，是为了加深理解而进行的进一步相关陈述。这一类词后面所出现的内容也往往是考试的重点所在，因为很多学生对这一类词并不敏感，答案就很容易从耳边飘过。

Example:

?He is being a fool, in other words, he is behaving foolishly.

在这个句子中，“in other words”指示了一个针对前文“他很傻”更为确切的解释，就是“他的行为十分愚蠢”。

五、表示因果关系的信号词一这一类信号词表达因果关系，也是雅思听力中的一个重要考点设置。由于因果关系的句子很容易进行句式的改换，所以就让这个考点显得比较难。Anyhow，我们必须要先掌握这一类词汇。

Well, I'm a student, so, as you can imagine, I won't be staying in a five-star hotel or anything like that. To tell you the truth, I was hoping you could suggest a place for me to stay ... somewhere nice but not too expensive, you know.

例句中，说话者运用“so”这个单词引出了他不想呆在五星级酒店的原因。

六、表示归纳、结论性关系的信号词一这一类信号词会出现在一段文字或篇章临近结尾的地方，也是一个重要的考点。

Example:

The film has a very unusual plot, with plenty of action. Both the acting and photography are excellent. To sum up, this is a film you should not miss.

He lost his watch, his car broke down, and he got a letter of complaint from a customer: all in all, he had a bad day.

以上例句中的短语“to sum up”以及“all in all”都提示了下文是对前面所说一大串的总结：如果前面的部分没有听明白，这个时候补救还来得及。

Practice

Exercise No. l

Try to complete the unfinished statements above by creating an ending which makes sense in each case, using the signpost words in the sentences to guide you.

1. May decided she would study her history tonight. Likewise, her roommate Janet

_________________________.

2. The public can see the paintings next week. What's more, they can ____________.

3. You weren't boring me. On the contrary, you are___________________________.

4. I should have studied last night, but I____________________________ instead.

5. First open the book to the index. Then next look for UTOPIA. After this, _____________.

6. He is being a fool, in other words, ___________________________.

7. The film has a very unusual plot, with plenty of action. Both the acting and photography are excellent. To sum up, ___________________________..

8. He lost his watch, his car broke down, and he got a letter of complaint from a customer: all in all, ___________________________.

9. Well, I'm a student, so, as you can imagine, I won't be staying in ____________________.

10. I won't be staying in five star hotel or anything like that. To tell you the truth, I was hoping___________________________.

Exercise No.2

In the left hand column there are a number of incomplete statements, each containing a common signpost word. What do these signpost words tell you about what is coming next? Select your answers from the options and write the appropriate letter beside the statement. One has been done for you as an example.

A. Describe a cause E. Express a contrast

B. Give an example / illustration F. Make a comparison

C. Describe a condition and a consequence G. Provide further information

D. Introduce a classification

Example: If she passes the test, she will... B

1. He was hoping that the weather would be fine but... ____________

2. Three students will have to repeat the assignment, namely Mark, ... ____________

3. He is allowed to take the test again provided that... ____________

4. There are so many ways to improve your fitness, for instance ... ____________

5. Women tend to express their feelings more openly while men ... ____________

6. The outdoor concert had to be cancelled due to ... ____________

7. People living in rural areas tend to be more conservative than ... ____________

8. To everyone's surprise he was given a promotion at work despite ... ____________

9. There are many different varieties of snakes. Broadly, they can be divided

into ...____________

10. Although she was very nervous in the interview, she .. ____________

Exercise No.3

Read the following sentences and identify the signpost words and the direction that the words are taking you in. Then listen to the recordings, and match it with your guess.

1. So far we have talked about the meaning of seminars and tutorials. The next thing we will be looking at is___________________________..

2. Some of the common psychological problems really involve fear of the unknown: for example, ___________________________..

3. Firstly, it seems to students that English people speak very quickly. Secondly,

___________________________. Thirdly, ___________________________.

4. What can a student do to overcome these difficulties? Well, obviously, he can benefit from attending English classes. He should also listen to programs in English on the radio and TV. Perhaps most important of all, ___________________________.

5. In writing, the words consist of letters of the alphabet. These letters have a fixed shape: they're easy to identify. In speech, however, ___________________________.

6. English has been influenced by several other languages, and it has borrowed words for many sources. Therefore, ________________________________________

7. What is the best way to increase one's vocabulary in a foreign language? This can be answered in three words. Firstly, observation: the unknown world should be observed in its context. In other words, ___________________________.

8. This can be done by reading the introduction and the conclusion. In addition,

9. So what we've got so far is___________________________.

Exercise No.4

Now, listen to the recordings for the previous exercise, and complete the sentences.

Exercise No.5

You are going to listen to a lecture on global warming and its effects on coastal areas. Before listening to the lecture, predict as much as you can about what you are going to hear. Then, listen to the recording, answer questions 1 to 10 by writing T or F.

1. Australia has almost all kinds of natural disasters.

2. The lecturer particularly recommends the book The Greenhouse Effect because they're very good on general background.

3. It's difficult to predict the precise rise in sea level.

4. One meter rise of sea level causes damage to coastal structures.

5. One of the effects of sea level rise is shoreline retreat.

6. All the cities in Australia are on the coast.

7. Brisbane is a good area in which you should invest in real estate.

8. Saltwater penetration affects drinking water and irrigation.

9. The lecturer will talk about flooding caused by increased rainfall later.

10. Cyclone Tracy happened on Dec. 25, 1964.

Eexercise No.6

Listen to the recordings. As you listen, decide if each of the items in the list below is a cause or an effect. One has been done for you as an example. C = CAUSE / E = EFFECT Example: His flight was delayed. ______ C _____

1.driver fatigue ______________

2.5% fall in the New York stock exchange ______________

3.10 days behind schedule ______________

4.She didn't pass the medical test. ______________

5. massive increase in flooding ___________