今年,考研英語真題的講解是結構化英語的重要領域。我們會推出系列的視頻課程、書籍和文章。
今天, 我們以2010年考研真題的第一篇閱讀理解為範例,講解一下考研真題中閱讀理解題的解題思路。
在閱讀本文之前,請讀者先參閱上一篇文章(考研英語真題解題思路-完形填空篇)
一、 閱讀理解解題策略
第1步:快速瀏覽
在第1步快速瀏覽中,我們建議考生需要立即完成下面兩個工作:
1. 標示段落序號;
2. 標示關鍵代碼(題目和文字中標示關鍵代碼主要包括以下四類——
時間:T1/T2…;地點:L1/L2…;人物:P1/P2…;機構:O1/O2…)。
舉例如下:
例1:
P1姓名George Walker Bush;
姓Bush ;名George;所有格George ’s
注:一篇文章中,首先會出現某個人的全名(姓+名),而後可能是他的姓或名或所有格,這種情況下,我們統一標註為P1或P2;
例2:某個組織International Accounting Standards Board ,其簡寫為IASB
注:在一篇文章中,首先會出現某個組織的全名(常見的組織除外,如WHO,世界衛生組織),而後往往用簡寫,這種情況下,我們統一標註為O1或O2。
第2步:快速解題
閱讀理解真題需要考生特別關注如下要點:
要點1:文章中關鍵句,關鍵段落的邏輯結構;
要點2:考題選項中故意設計的干擾項;
要點3:關鍵信息
提示:重點關注句子的主語和謂語,要確保選項中的主語和謂語與原文中的主語和謂語都一致。
下面,我們以2010年閱讀理解第一篇為範例舉例說明。
二、解題範例(2010年真題)
第1步:瀏覽真題
Of all the changes that have taken place in English-language newspapers during the past quarter-century, perhaps the most far-reaching has been the inexorable decline in the scope and seriousness of their arts coverage.
It is difficult to the point of impossibility for the average reader under the age of forty to imagine a time when high-quality arts criticism could be found in most big-city newspapers. Yet a considerable number of the most significant collections of criticism published in the 20th century consisted in large part of newspaper reviews. To read such books today is to marvel at the fact that their learned contents were once deemed suitable for publication in general-circulation dailies.
We are even farther removed from the unfocused newspaper reviews published in England between the turn of the 20th century and the eve of World War II, at a time when newsprint was dirt-cheap and stylish arts criticism was considered an ornament to the publications in which it appeared. In those far-off days, it was taken for granted that the critics of major papers would write in detail and at length about the events they covered. Theirs was a serious business, and even those reviewers who wore their learning lightly, like George Bernard Shaw and Ernest Newman , could be trusted to know what they were about. These men believed in journalism as a calling, and were proud to be published in the daily press. “So few authors have brains enough or literary gift enough to keep their own end up in journalism,” Newman wrote, “that I am tempted to define ‘journalism’ as ‘a term of contempt applied by writers who are not read to writers who are’.”
Unfortunately, these critics are virtually forgotten. Neville Cardus , who wrote for the Manchester Guardian from 1917 until shortly before his death in 1975, is now known solely as a writer of essays on the game of cricket. During his lifetime, though, he was also one of England’s foremost classical-music critics, and a stylist so widely admired that his Autobiography (1947) became a best-seller. He was knighted in 1967, the first music critic to be so honored. Yet only one of his books is now in print, and his vast body of writings on music is unknown save to specialists.
Is there any chance that Cardus’s criticism will enjoy a revival? The prospect seems remote. Journalistic tastes had changed long before his death, and postmodern readers have little use for the richly upholstered Vicwardian prose in which he specialized. Moreover, the amateur tradition in music criticism has been in headlong retreat. (429 words)
21. It is indicated in Paragraphs 1 and 2 that
[A] arts criticism has disappeared from big-city newspapers.
[B] English-language newspapers used to carry more arts reviews.
[C] high-quality newspapers retain a large body of readers.
[D] young readers doubt the suitability of criticism on dailies.
22. Newspaper reviews in England before World War II were characterized by
[A] free themes. [B] casual style.
[C] elaborate layout. [D] radical viewpoints.
23. Which of the following would Shaw and Newman most probably agree on?
[A] It is writers’ duty to fulfill journalistic goals. [B] It is contemptible for writers to be journalists.
[C] Writers are likely to be tempted into journalism. [D] Not all writers are capable of journalistic writing.
24. What can be learned about Cardus according to the last two paragraphs?
[A] His music criticism may not appeal to readers today.
[B] His reputation as a music critic has long been in dispute.
[C] His style caters largely to modern specialists.
[D] His writings fail to follow the amateur tradition.
25. What would be the best title for the text?
[A] Newspapers of the Good Old Days [B] The Lost Horizon in Newspapers
[C] Mournful Decline of Journalism [D] Prominent Critics in Memory
在第1步瀏覽真題的過程中,我們強烈建議考生做好標註工作。本文的標註範例如下:
第一段:Of all the changes that have taken place in English-language newspapers during the past quarter-century, perhaps the most far-reaching has been the inexorable decline in the scope and seriousness of their arts coverage.
第二段:It is difficult to the point of impossibility for the average reader under the age of forty to imagine a time when high-quality arts criticism could be found in most big-city (L1) newspapers. Yet a considerable number of the most significant collections of criticism published in the 20th century consisted in large part of newspaper reviews. To read such books today is to marvel at the fact that their learned contents were once deemed suitable for publication in general-circulation dailies.
第三段:We are even farther removed from the unfocused newspaper reviews published in England (L2) between the turn of the 20th century and the eve of World War II, at a time when newsprint was dirt-cheap and stylish arts criticism was considered an ornament to the publications in which it appeared. In those far-off days, it was taken for granted that the critics of major papers would write in detail and at length about the events they covered. Theirs was a serious business, and even those reviewers who wore their learning lightly, like George Bernard Shaw (P1) and Ernest Newman (P2), could be trusted to know what they were about. These men believed in journalism as a calling, and were proud to be published in the daily press. “So few authors have brains enough or literary gift enough to keep their own end up in journalism,” Newman wrote, “that I am tempted to define ‘journalism’ as ‘a term of contempt applied by writers who are not read to writers who are’.”
第四段:Unfortunately, these critics are virtually forgotten. Neville Cardus (P3), who wrote for the Manchester Guardian from 1917 until shortly before his death in 1975, is now known solely as a writer of essays on the game of cricket. During his lifetime, though, he was also one of England’s (L2) foremost classical-music critics, and a stylist so widely admired that his Autobiography (1947) became a best-seller. He was knighted in 1967, the first music critic to be so honored. Yet only one of his books is now in print, and his vast body of writings on music is unknown save to specialists.
第五段:Is there any chance that Cardus’s (P3) criticism will enjoy a revival? The prospect seems remote. Journalistic tastes had changed long before his death, and postmodern readers have little use for the richly upholstered Vicwardian prose in which he specialized. Moreover, the amateur tradition in music criticism has been in headlong retreat. (429 words)
21. It is indicated in Paragraphs 1 and 2 that
[A] arts criticism has disappeared from big-city (L1) newspapers.
[B] English-language newspapers used to carry more arts reviews.
[C] high-quality newspapers retain a large body of readers.
[D] young readers doubt the suitability of criticism on dailies.
22. Newspaper reviews in England (L2) before World War II were characterized by
[A] free themes. [B] casual style.
[C] elaborate layout. [D] radical viewpoints.
23. Which of the following would Shaw (P1) and Newman (P2) most probably agree on?
[A] It is writers’ duty to fulfill journalistic goals. [B] It is contemptible for writers to be journalists.
[C] Writers are likely to be tempted into journalism. [D] Not all writers are capable of journalistic writing.
24. What can be learned about Cardus (P3) according to the last two paragraphs?
[A] His music criticism may not appeal to readers today.
[B] His reputation as a music critic has long been in dispute.
[C] His style caters largely to modern specialists.
[D] His writings fail to follow the amateur tradition.
25. What would be the best title for the text?
[A] Newspapers of the Good Old Days [B] The Lost Horizon in Newspapers
[C] Mournful Decline of Journalism [D] Prominent Critics in Memory
提示:標註的最大好處就是在實戰中可以幫助我們快速找到考題中的關鍵信息在原文中的位置,這有利於提高解題速度。
本文中的關鍵信息有:
(1)地點: L1 – big-city大城市;L2 – England英格蘭(英國)
(2)人物: P1 – George Bernard Shaw蕭伯納;P2 – Newman紐曼;P3 – Cardus卡德斯
注:在實戰中,上述的關鍵信息,我們不需要標識出中文。
第2步:分析解題
21. It is indicated in Paragraphs 1 and 2 that
[A] arts criticism has disappeared from big-city (L1) newspapers.
[B] English-language newspapers used to carry more arts reviews.
[C] high-quality newspapers retain a large body of readers.
[D] young readers doubt the suitability of criticism on dailies.
解題思路
(1)在原文中快速找到題幹相關的內容
第一段:“…during the past quarter-century, perhaps the most far-reaching has been the inexorable decline in the scope and seriousness of their arts coverage.”
第二段:“…Yet a considerable number of the most significant collections of criticism published in the 20th century consisted in large part of newspaper reviews…”
(2)分析
瀏覽開頭兩段,劃出段落中的關鍵信息詞和反映段落中心思想的核心句。第一段說“在過去的25年裡,英語報紙上文藝評論文章報道的範圍和嚴肅性在不斷衰退。” ,第二段又說“然而,在20世紀出版的大量最重要的批評集中,有很大一部分是發表在報紙上的評論”。
綜合對比現在和過去,我們可以得出的一個確定結論是“以前的英文報紙上刊登更多的藝術評論文章”。因此[B] English-language newspapers used to carry more arts reviews “英文報紙在過去常常刊載更多的藝術評論文章”,是正確答案,
這與第一段內容相符。(3)複核答案(實戰中不一定需要)
[A] arts criticism has disappeared from big-city newspapers. “藝術評論已從大城市報紙上消失了”
複核:對照原文“perhaps the most far-reaching has been the inexorable decline in the scope and seriousness of their arts coverage.”這裡的關鍵信息是“decline”(表衰退)。在選項A中,關鍵信息是“disappeared”(消失),這與原文嚴重不符。
[C] high-quality newspapers retain a large body of readers. “高質量的報紙留住了大批讀者”
複核:在第二段中沒有提及。
[D] young readers doubt the suitability of criticism on dailies. “年輕讀者懷疑日報上評論的恰當性”
複核:在第二段第1句中提到了“the average reader under the age of forty”(40歲以下的年輕讀者)。原句是“It is difficult to the point of impossibility for the average reader under the age of forty to imagine a time when high-quality arts criticism could be found in most big-city newspapers.”它的意思是“對年輕讀者來講,很難有可能性去設想在大城市的報紙上會讀到有深度的藝術評論文章”。
這裡我們需要認真審題,在試題中,常出現一些和原文句子相似的句子,這是閱讀理解中常見的出題方式,這時我們一定要認真對比,如D選項中的主要動詞是doubt(懷疑),而原句中,用的主要動詞是to imagine(想象),雖然動作的發出者一致,但行為不一致,這就是干擾項。
22. Newspaper reviews in England (L2) before World War II were characterized by
[A] free themes. [B] casual style.
[C] elaborate layout. [D] radical viewpoints.
解題思路
(1)在原文中快速找到題幹相關的內容
第三段:“We are even farther removed from the unfocused newspaper reviews published in England (L2) between the turn of the 20th century and the eve of World War II…”
(2)分析
第三段第1句說的是“而離我們更久遠的,是從20世紀初到二戰前夕那段時間裡英國出版的那些沒有聚焦某一主題的報紙評論。”尤其注意其中unfocused (沒有聚焦某一主題的),此處可以理解為“百家爭鳴”,這個詞後面被修飾的詞是reviews (評論),可見,這一句話表述的意思是“沒有固定方向的選題”,因此[A] free themes. “自由的主題”是對的。
(3)複核答案(實戰中不一定需要)
[B] casual style. “隨意的風格”
複核:這是個干擾項,因為文中是提到了“ at a time when newsprint was dirt-cheap and stylish arts criticism was considered an ornament to the publications 有風格的藝術評論被認為是出版物的出彩點”,但並沒有說“隨意的風格”。
[C] elaborate layout. “精心設計的佈局”
複核:C是個干擾項,因為文中提到“有風格的藝術評論被認為是報紙上的裝飾物”,C選項是想誘導你從“裝飾物”推論出“設計和佈局好看”,而文中並未提到設計佈局是否好看。
[D] radical viewpoints. “激進的觀點”
複核:這在文中沒有提及。
23. Which of the following would Shaw (P1) and Newman (P2) most probably agree on?
[A] It is writers’ duty to fulfill journalistic goals. [B] It is contemptible for writers to be journalists.
[C] Writers are likely to be tempted into journalism. [D] Not all writers are capable of journalistic writing.
解題思路
(1)在原文中快速找到題幹相關的內容
第三段:“…These men believed in journalism as a calling, and were proud to be published in the daily press. ‘So few authors have brains enough or literary gift enough to keep their own end up in journalism,’ …”
(2)分析
在第三段中,作者對Shaw和Newman的點評是:
首先,“These men believed in journalism as a calling…”(這些人堅信新聞業是一種職業使命,並且為在這些日常報章雜誌上發表文章而自豪)。
提示:calling在這裡可以理解為“召喚”,它的引申詞義就是“使命”。
其次,Newman的觀點是“So few authors have brains enough or literary gift enough to keep their own end up in journalism”(很少有作家有足夠的頭腦或文學天賦來勝任新聞寫作),這進一步表明:這種具有使命性的工作只有很少人能勝任(這裡的few(幾乎沒有)是一個關鍵詞)。
可見選項 [D] Not all writers are capable of journalistic writing.“不是所有的作者能勝任新聞寫作”是正確選項。
(3)複核答案(實戰中不一定需要)
[A] It is writers’ duty to fulfill journalistic goals. “完成新聞業的目標是作家的職責”
[B] It is contemptible for writers to be journalists. “作家當新聞工作者應受鄙視”
原文中有“that I am tempted to define ‘journalism’ as ‘a term of contempt applied by writers who are not read to writers who are’”這裡要注意,“contempt(鄙視)”這個行為是由“writers who are not read(沒有讀者的作者們)”發出,這與選項B中的“It”不符;
[C] Writers are likely to be tempted into journalism. “作家很可能被引誘而從事新聞業”
原文中有“that I am tempted to define ‘journalism’ as ‘a term of contempt applied by writers who are not read to writers who are’”這裡要注意“tempted”的被動主語是“I”,而選項C中則是“Writers”,這一點也與原文不符。
複核:BC是干擾項。
注1:在本段中有一個長難句:
“So few authors have brains enough or literary gift enough to keep their own end up in journalism,” Newman wrote, “that I am tempted to define ‘journalism’as ‘a term of contempt applied by writers who are not read to writers who are’.”
在其中出現了contempt這個詞,它會讓我們關聯到選項[B]中的 contemptible,這又是一次故意的誤導,但在邏輯上,原句“that I am tempted to define ‘journalism’ as ‘a term of contempt applied by writers who are not read to writers who are.”(原句意思是“我傾向定義‘journalism’這個詞是作品無人閱讀的作者對讀者多的作者的一種輕視”)與選項[B]不是一個意思(選項B It is contemptible for writers to be journalists“作家當新聞工作者應受鄙視” )。
注2:在解題中,我們實際上不需要完全理解 “that I am tempted to define ‘journalism’ as ‘a term of contempt applied by writers who are not read to writers who are’.” 這一個分句的準確含義,只要掌握“So few authors have brains enough or literary gift enough to keep their own end up in journalism,”的意思就足夠解題了,這裡需要特別注意few authors是表示“沒有多少作者”,這個分句的意思是“很少有作家有足夠的頭腦或文學天賦來勝任新聞寫作”。
注3:從提高閱讀水平的角度來講,我們建議讀者要吃透這樣的長難句,從而切實提升閱讀能力(長難句的學習,我們會有專門的課程)。
總結:
1. 閱讀理解在解題時一定要做好標識工作;
2. 在實戰中,出題方會故意在某些選項中植入和原文相近的詞或表達方式,這時,我們一定要把原文和選項做全面的對比,而不要以偏概全,如本文的第22題和第23題。
3. 某些長難句會成為考試中的難點,建議考生在複習中關注長難句的複習。