阅读理解技巧与方法

阅读理解基本技巧

阅读理解在英语考试中历来占有很大的分量，其重要性自不待言。许多学生对阅读往往存在一些误解，简单地以为只要掌握了词汇和语法就可解决问题，因而不了解如何运用主动的阅读方法来有效地进行阅读和解答相关的题型，无论阅读能力还是答题的准确性都相应地不那么令人满意。所以，了解并熟练掌握阅读方法是有效阅读的关键。

考试中的阅读涉及到精读和略读，这要求速度和理解达到有效地统一。

（一）猜测生词含义

阅读理解中的词汇考题属于超纲词汇

依据具体的语境确定其意义

1.定义或解释

当文章出现生僻单词时，多数情况下，作者会利用同位语、定语从句，或具体举例等对该词进行解释或提供同义词，解释的部分有时也会放在紧随相关词语后的破折号、括号中。

例1 Botany, the study of plants, occupies an important position in the history of human knowledge.

例2 The explanation, if it seems consistently to fit the various facts, is called a hypothesis.

例3 Mr. Jackson is an oculist, who specializes in the treatment of eye disease.

例4Energy can be transformed or changed from one type to another.

例5 The manager felt that the situation was helpless, and the futility of his efforts bothered him a great deal.

例6 Job-hopping --- moving form job to job --- is quite acceptable in the United States.

例7 By freeing the child from its evil nature, parents believed they could then guide the child into acquiring the right character traits, such as honesty, industriousness, and diligence.

2.对立与反义关系

另一种较为常见的语境线索是对比与反义，即将意义互为对立的语句或矛盾双方并列在一起。根据上下文的这种关系，可由一方的语义推理出其对立面词语的含义。

例8Man is surprised to find that things near are less beautiful and

wondrous than things remote.

例9The storm of change, far from abating, now seems to be

growing stronger.

例10Twice before she had seen Joe’s hopes soar as high as the stars,

and then sink to the depths.

例11To everyone’s surprise the speed was eulogistic rather than

critical in tone.

例12Through the thick gloom of the present I see the brightness of

the future as the sun in heaven.

例13Some people enjoy talking about their fears while others resent

being asked to discuss their personal feelings.

例14 A good manager can recognize instantly the adept workers from

the unskilled ones.

3. 因果关系

语境的因果关系也能提供重要的线索，无论是原因还是结果，只要知道其中一方的含义，就可推知所谈论的总的主题和相应另一方结果或原因的内容，这样所涉及到的生词的理解就变得容易许多。

例15 Most materials expand when they are heated and contract when they are cold.

例16 The people are so open-hearted and hospitable that foreigners often find that they make friends with them quickly.

例17 I generally liked the academic environment and concluded that going to graduate school was appealing.

例18 Steinbeck was a man of strong social conscience, and he used his pen to protest the tragic lives and treatment of poor workers in America.

例19 I know that resistance to British aggression is deep and settled in their hearts and cannot be eradicated.

例20 Tom worried all weekend, but I was too preoccupied with my work to worry.

4. 主题与关键词关系

如果句子陈述一个事实，对这个事实（主题）的总体把握有助于对其中个别词语的理解，特别是当描述一个物品或动作行为时，往往包含一些关键的线索词（如，相关的特征、介词短语等），结合一般的常识与经验，可以判断出生词的含义。

例21The Olympics starts with the arrival in the stadium of a torch, lighted on Mount Olympus by the sun’s ray.

例22The well-known Olympic flag, however, is a modern conception: the five interlocking rings symbolize the uniting of all five

continents participating in the Games.

例23Upon hearing the good news, the king manifested his pleasure with a hearty laugh.

例24Today’s success in weather forecasting stems from applied rather than pure science.

例25 A good scientist probes into all aspects of a problem in order to find a solution.

（二）看清篇章结构与中心思想

一个段落中的句子在篇章中的作用可以分为四种类型：

主题引入句（topic introducers）

主题发展句（topic developers）

观点过渡句（modulator）

结束句（terminator）

中心思想作为文章的灵魂，是一个能够贯穿全文始终的具有概括性特征的主要意思。文章中这种高度概括的句子称为主题句（topic sentence）例21Many museums have changed in appearance. Some of the old, gray museums have been rebuilt, and the newer ones are open and

modern in their architecture. Inside, there is modern lighting, color,

and sound. Instead of displaying everything they own, museums

directors show fewer objects and leave open spaces where visitors

can gather and sit down. They also bring together in one display a

group of objects drawn from various parts of the museum in an

effort to represent the whole life-style of a region or a historical

period. In one room, for instance, you may find materials, clothing,

tools, cooking pots, furniture, and art works of a particular place

and time.

例22If you were planning to buy a television set, the following advertisement would certainly attract your attention: “Color TV,

only 79$. Two day sale. Hurry!”However, when you go the store

ready to buy, you may discover that the advertised sets are sold out.

But the salesman is quick to reassure you that he has another model,

a more reliable set which is “just right for you.” It costs 359$. This

sales tactic is called “bait and switch.”Buyers are baited with a

sales offer, and then they are switched to another more costly item.

Buying items on sale requires careful consideration of the

merchandise and the reasons for the sale.

例23Recently scientists have become increasingly concerned about pollution and its effects on weather. Actually, man’s pollution of the

atmosphere is not nearly as great as nature’s. In fact, man is the

lesser offender compared to nature itself. Specifically, active

volcanoes, evaporation of impure water, and wind erosion of the

landscape spew 8.5 billion tons of chemicals into space each year.

Man’s contribution consists of mere billion tons. What man

contributes, though, is unable to escape very far into the atmosphere,

so he must breathe, eat, and drink his own pollutants. Further

research by environmental scientists is required to determine if

gradual weather changes are related to atmospheric pollution.

例24Until a person is about nineteen years old, the brain continues to grow, adding new cells every year. After that, until the end of life,

the brain slowly dies, losing several thousand brain cells every day.

When a person reaches the ages of twenty-seven, his body becomes

brittle. It is harder to recover from injuries, but much easier to get

injured. The muscles lose their ability to stretch. But by far, the

worst part of getting old is that we become prone to diseases that

seem to accompany aging naturally: heart disease, high blood

pressure, cancer, arthritis, strokes.

Q: What is the main idea of the passage?

a. Old age is a time of much wisdom and experience.

b. Staying in shape is important after thirty.

c. Growing older brings on many physical problems

d. Aging is a perfectly natural part of growing

例25People who talk and sing to plants are not crazy, according to Arnold Braymer, a government agricultural expert. “In fact, singing

and talking to plants makes them grow better,” says Braymer. The

reason is quite simple when we sing or talk to plants, we exhale

carbon dioxide which plants need to survive and thrive. Plants

absorb the carbon dioxide through their pores during the sunlight

hours and produce oxygen which people need to survive. Singing

and talking is effective, however, only during the day time. Bedtime

lullabies will not help plants to sleep better or grow faster.

Q1: Which sentence best expresses the main idea?

a. Doctors are worried about people who communicate with nature

b. Plants and flowers should not be left in bedrooms at night.

c. The practice of talking to plants can be defended scientifically

d. Plants do not prosper when placed away from people

Q2: The paragraph could be entitled ______.

a. Tell Me More

b. Carbon Dioxide, Please

c. People Are Funny

d. Let’s Clear the Air

例26During the American War of Independence, women were involved in the active fighting in three ways. First, as members of a distinct

branch of the Continental Army, referred to as “Women of the

Army”, women staffed the field hospitals and acted as military

support in such roles as water carriers. In an emergency, women

water carriers, who had plenty of opportunity to observe the firing

of cannons, could replace a wounded comrade. The second way that

women were involved in active fighting was as regular troop

members who wore men’s uniforms and fought side by side with

their male counterparts. Theoretically, women were not supposed to

be recruited into the Continental Army, but if a woman was a good

solider, no one made an issue of sex at a time when the army was so

short of soldiers that boys not yet in their teens were also being

recruited in violation of rules. Third, women were occasional

fighters affiliated with local militia companies or committees of

safety formed to protect the local community.

Q1: The passage is mainly concerned with _____.

a. the origin of American woman soldiers

b. women during the American Revolution

c. woman water carriers in the American War of Independence

d. woman soldiers in the American Revolution

Q2: What is the main idea expressed in the passage?

a. Women played an important role in military hospitals during

the Revolutionary War

b. The Continental Army was successful in teaching women to

fire cannons.

c. The services of women on committees of safety were crucial

in winning the war

d. Women were active in combat during the Revolutionary War

（三）做出推断与结论

推断（inference）和结论（conclusion）属于深层次的理解。推断可理解为探究文章隐含的意思（implied or suggested meaning）。推断可分为两类：一类是根据词和词组的相关联的含义推断；另一类是结合句子间的关系寻找答案。

句子的内在逻辑关系

(Read between the lines.)

例27California has a statewide plan to balance the distribution of water so that all regions receive the water necessary for daily living.

Excess water from northern California is badly needed in the south

where most of the state’s people and farms are located.

例28Has he stopped beating his son?

例29According to the definition of Chinese traditional medicine, acupuncture (针灸) is the treatment of disease --- not just the

alleviation of pain --- by inserting very fine needles into the body at

specific points.

Q: It can be inferred that _____.

a. the author believes some people do not know that acupuncture

can be used to treat illness.

b. Chinese do not believe that acupuncture can reduce pain

c. the Chinese traditional definition of acupuncture needs to be

changed.

d. only those who practice traditional medicine use acupunctur

e.

例30Trees lack a means of defense that almost every animal has: trees cannot move away from destructive forces. Because they cannot

move, all types living and nonliving enemies --- fire, storms,

microorganisms, insects, other animals and later, humans --- have

wounded them throughout their history.

Q: The author implies that almost every animal is able to protect itself from destructive forces by doing which of the following?

a. Moving away.

b. Calling for help.

c. Climbing up a tree.

d. Remaining with its group

例31Shy, wary and seldom seen, perhaps no creature in nature has suffered so much abuse as has the wise, perceptive raven. This

magnificent bird has been the object of superstition for centuries.

Q: It can be concluded that the raven has been the object of superstition for centuries because of its _____.

a. cruel and fierce nature

b. name, color and size

c. strength, speed and agility

d. lonely and retiring habits

例32Icebergs were formed as snow accumulation lay on the surface of glaciers and snowflakes turned into icy grains year by year, so

blankets of snow and ice grains mounted layer upon layer and were

of such great thickness that the weight of the upper layers

compressed the lower ones. With time and pressure from above, the

many small ice grains joined and changed to a solid mass of ice.

Q: The formation of an iceberg is most clearly analogous to which of the following activities?

a. Walking on fluffy new snow, causing it to become more

compact and icy.

b. Plowing large areas of earth, leaving the land flat and barren.

c. Skating across a frozen lake and leaving a trail behin

d.

d. Blowing snow into one large pile to clear an area.

例33Choosing a dog is an important decision and involves many considerations. All puppies are lovable, but the full-grown pet must

be visualized. Adult height, length, weight, appetite, and nature

must be taken into account before bringing home a cuddly ball of

fur. Consider, too, the limitations of your home or apartment; if you

live in the country, your problems may be few, but if you live in the

city, exercise of the animal may become a problem.

Q: City dwellers may______.

a. prefer attack dogs

b. resent barking dogs

c. prefer friendly dogs

d. regret buying a dog

(四) 判断文章语气与风格

语气：语言的不同风格和特色所反映出作者的态度、情感和观察叙事的视角。

内容：态度上：支持赞同，乐观开明，怀疑不信，悲观不满，反对驳斥，或者保持客观，实事求是，不偏不倚等。

情感上：亲切友好，热情洋溢，关切担忧，同情怜悯，挖苦讽刺，愤慨不平等。

例34 Oddly enough, physicists tell us that notes which make harmonious combinations have frequencies that can be expressed in the ratio of small whole numbers.

Q: The author feels that the mathematical explanation of harmony is ___.

a. expected

b. incorrect

c. easily understood

d. curious

例34We Americans are wasteful people, not used to saving. The frontiersmen began this pattern, for nature’s resources were so

plentiful that no one ever imagined a shortage. Within a few years

of the first Virginia settlement, for example, pioneers burned down

their houses when they were ready to move west. They wanted to

have the nails for future use. No one ever gave a thought to the

priceless hardwoods that went up in smoke. As a people we destroy

many things that other people save. I noticed this when I was living

in England. I received a letter from one of England’s largest banks.

It was enclosed in a used envelop that had been readdressed to me.

Such a practice would be unthinkable in the United States.

American banks, even the smallest, always use expensive stationery

with the names of twenty-eight vice-presidents listed on one of the

page.

Q1: The overall tone which emerges from the author’s view of America is ______.

a. scolding and critical

b. proud and patriotic

c. sentimental and exaggerated

d. humorous and straightforward

Q2: The author’s account of the English bank sending a letter in

a used envelope creates a tone of ______.

a. comedy

b. disgust

c. approval

d. wonderment

Q:3 In the last sentence the author is being _______.

a. poetic, but not very original

b. factual to the point of being scientific

c. sarcastic through the use of exaggeration

d. inventive but unclear in his intended meaning