4)正確選項常常是原文長難句的簡單化解釋

難句是所有考試必考的內(nèi)容。難句之所以難有三方面的原因：A)句子結(jié)構(gòu)復(fù)雜；表達抽象；C)詞難。所以很多題目都圍繞著難句做文章，通常使用簡單的結(jié)構(gòu)或詞匯對難句做淺顯、具體的解釋。

例1

Whether the eyes are “the windows of the soul” is debatable, that they are intensely important in interpersonal communication is a fact. During the first two months of a baby’s life, the stimulus that produces a smile. Significantly, a real human face with eyes covered will not motivate a smile, nor will the sight of only one eye when the face is presented in profile. This attraction to eyes as opposed to the nose or mouth continues as the baby matures. In one study, when American four-year-olds were asked to draw people, 75 percent of them drew people with eyes. In Japan, however, where babies are carried on their mother’s back, infants do not acquire as much attachment to eyes as they do in other cultures. As a result, Japanese adults make little use of the face either to encode or decode meaning. In fact, Argyle reveals that the “proper place to focus one‘s gaze during a conversation in Japan is on the neck of one’s conversation partner.” (可讀性：58.1 難度：10.6級)

Q: Babies will not be stimulated to smile by a person

[A] whose front view is fully perceived.

[B] whose face is covered with a mask.

[C] whose face is seen from the side.

[D] whose face is free of any covering.

解析：本題考查對④的理解。特別是presented in profile。profile這里的詞義是“側(cè)面像”，所以[C]whose face is seen from the side“從側(cè)面看去”正確。

例2

But my own worry today is less that of the overwhelming problem of elemental literacy than it is of the slightly more luxurious problem of the decline in the skill even of the middle-class reader, of his unwillingness to afford those spaces of silence, those luxuries of domesticity and time and concentration, that surround the image of the classic act of reading. It has been suggested that almost 80 percent of America’s literate, educated teenagers can no longer read without an accompanying noise (music) in the background or a television screen flickering at the corner of their field of perception. We know very little about the brain and how it deals with simultaneous conflicting input, but every commonsense intuition suggests we should be profoundly alarmed. This violation of concentration, silence, solitude goes to the very heart of our notion of literacy; this new form of part-reading, of part-reading, of part-perception against background distraction, renders impossible certain essential acts of apprehension and concentration, let alone that most important tribute any human being can pay to poem or a piece of prose he or she really loves, which is to learn it by heart. Not by brain, by heart; the expression is vital. (可讀性：35.7 難度：12級)

1.The author’s biggest concern is

[A] elementary school children’s disinterest in reading classics.

[B] the surprisingly low rate of literacy in the U.S.

[C] the musical setting American readers require for reading.

[D] the reading ability and reading behavior of the middle class.

2.A major problem with most adolescents who can read is

[A] their fondness of music and TV programs.

[B] their ignorance of various forms of art and literature.

[C] their lack of attentiveness and basic understanding.

[D] their inability to focus on conflicting input.

解析：

1.本題考查對①的理解。該句長達62個詞。全句主干結(jié)構(gòu)為my worry…is less that of…than…“與其說……不如說……”。作者說“我雖然擔心初級讀者在讀寫方面存在的問題，但我更擔心的是中等階層讀者閱讀技能的問題”。接著作者描述了問題所在，從of his unwillingness開始，作者說“他們不能在安靜的環(huán)境下讀書，不能專心……”。所以[D]“中等階層的閱讀能力和閱讀行為”是整句的概括。

2.本題考查對倒數(shù)第二句的理解，該句長達66個詞，有兩個分句，用分號隔開。第一個分句大意為：這種閱讀時不專心、不安靜、不獨處的情況是讀寫最大的問題。go to the heart of 是固定短語，意為“（問題）最重要的方面”。第二個分句更復(fù)雜，難點為作者把render sth. +adj.(使什么怎么樣)句型倒裝，形容詞提前，名詞退后，因為名詞部分較長。難詞有apprehension“理解”，pay tribute to “崇敬”。大意為：這種伴隨著背景音樂邊讀邊理解的閱讀方式是不可能做到真正理解和專心致志的，更不用說我們欣賞詩歌時還需要的崇敬之情了。所以[C]“他們不專心，缺乏基本的理解”是兩個分句的綜合，是答案[B]。

5）正確選項是對原文引語的解釋

文章的引語通常較難，因為作者之所以引述他人的話是因為自己的話無論怎么說都沒有他人說得準確、說得好。引語的目的不是夸耀他人，而是用來論證說明自己的觀點。引語是經(jīng)?？疾榈膬?nèi)容，題干形式有兩種：The author quotes…because…;the author quotes…to illustrate…

例

“Creative thinking may mean simply the realization that’s no particular virtue in doing things the way they have always been done,”wrote Rudolph Flesch, a language authority, this accounts for our reaction to seemingly simple innovations like plastic garbage bags and suitcases on wheels that make life more convenient:“How come nobody thought of that before?”

The creative approach begins with the proposition that nothing is as it appears. Innovators will not accept that there is only one way to do anything. Faced with getting from A to B, the average person will automatically set out on the best-known and apparently simplest route. The innovator will search for alternate courses, which may prove easier in the long run and are bound to be more interesting and challenging even if they lead to dead ends.(可讀性：473 難度：12級)

Q：The author quotes Rudolph Flesch in paragraph 1 because

[A] Rudolph Flesch is best-known expert in the study of human creativity.

[B] the quotation strengthens the assertion that creative individuals look for new ways of doing things.

[C] the reader is familiar with Rudolph Flesch’s point of view.

[D] the quotation adds a new idea to the information previously presented.(實考試題)

解析：這句引語含義：“創(chuàng)造性的思維也許僅僅意味著認識到按常規(guī)做事并沒有什么不尋常的素質(zhì)”，下一段的前兩句說“創(chuàng)造性思維起始于這樣一個命題：一切東西都不是它表現(xiàn)出來的那樣。革新家們認為做任何事都不是只有一種方法?！睂⑦@兩點綜合考慮可知，作者引用Rudolph只不過是為了進一步證明自己的觀點，即創(chuàng)新者總是尋找做事的新方法，這與完全一致。

正確選項的下面的幾個特點是考研英語的重點和難點。這些特點總的特征是答案具有高度概括性、歸納性、總結(jié)性、抽象性和推理性。這或許就是考研英語為什么比六級難的原因。

6）正確選項是文中例證或事實的歸納總結(jié)

例1

Given all these disadvantages, central bankers seem to have had much to boast about of late. Average inflation in the big seven industrial economies fell to a mere 2.3% last year, close to its lowest level in 30 years, before rising slightly to 2.5% this July. This is a long way below the double-digit rates which many countries experienced in the 1970s and early 1980s.

It is also less than most forecasters had predicated. In late 1994 the panel of economists which The Economist polls each month said that America’s inflation rate would average 3.5% in 1995. In fact, it fell to 2.6% in August, and expected to average only about 3% for the years as a whole. In Britain and Japan inflation is running half a Percentage point below the rate predicted at the end of last year. This is no flash in the pan; over the past couple of years, inflation has been consistently lower than expected in Britain and America.(可讀性：49 難度：10.9級)

Q：From the passage we learn that

[A] there is a definite relationship between inflation and interest rates.

[B] economy will always follow certain models.

[C] the economic situation is better than expected.

[D] economists had foreseen the present economic situation.(實考試題)

解析：綜合推斷題。這兩段并不難，有大量數(shù)據(jù)，問題考查從這些數(shù)據(jù)可以歸納出什么。第二句說通貨膨脹率降到了2.3%;第三句：這（低膨脹率）比多數(shù)經(jīng)濟學(xué)家預(yù)測的還要低，綜合這一切可以推斷：經(jīng)濟形勢比預(yù)計的要好。故[C]正確。

例2

One hundred and thirteen million Americans have at least one bank-issued credit card. They give their owners automatic credit in stores, restaurants, and hotels, at home, across the country, and even abroad, and they make many banking services available as well. More and more of these credit cards can be read automatically, making it possible to withdraw or deposit money in scattered locations, whether of not the local branch bank is open. For many of us the “cashless society”is not on the horizon-it’s already here.（可讀性：45.3 難度：12級）

Q：According to the passage, the credit card enables its owner to

[A] withdraw as much money from the bank as he wishes.

[B] obtain more convenient services than other people do.

[C] enjoy greater trust from the storekeeper.

[D] cash money wherever he wishes to.(實考試題)

解析：對②、③概括，信用卡使持卡者比其他人享有更多的便利服務(wù)，可知正確。[A]、[D]兩項均過于絕對，且與文意不符；[C]“持卡者得到店主更大的信任”文中未提及，也應(yīng)排除。

例3

For a long period of time and in many parts of the country,a traveler was a welcome break in an otherwise dull existence. Dullness and loneliness were common problems of the families who generally lived distant from one another. strangers and travelers were welcome sources of diversion, and brought news of the outside world.(可讀性：54.2 難度：10.2級)

Q：Families in frontier settlements used to entertain strangers

[A]to improve their hard life.

[B]in view of their long-distance travel.

[C]to add some flavor to their own daily life.

[D]out of a charitable impulse.(實考試題)

解析：大意為：過去很長一段時間，在美國很多地方，旅行者的到來對居民們單調(diào)生活是一種可喜的調(diào)節(jié)。無聊、孤獨對相距很遠的家庭來說是普遍存在的問題。陌生人和旅行者給他們的生活帶來了娛樂消遣，因而受歡迎；同時還帶來了外面世界的信息?？梢?，邊遠地區(qū)的人們對陌生人（游客）如此熱情是因為這給他們的生活增添了樂趣，所以[C]正確。[A]“為了改善他們的艱苦生活”言過其實；“于由游客漫長的旅途”不夠確切。

7）正確選項是對段落中心/大意，或者篇章中心的歸納總結(jié)

例1

Few people doubt the fundamental importance of mothers in child rearing, but what do fathers do? Much of what they contribute is simply the result of being a second adult in the home. Bringing up children is demanding, stressful and exhausting. Two adults can support and make up for each other’s strengths.(可讀性：65.7 難度：7.7級)

Q：The paragraph points out that one of the advantages of a family with both parents is

[A] husband and wife can share house work.

[B] two adults are always better than one.

[C] the fundamental importance of mothers can be fully recognized.

[D] husband and wife can compensate for each other’s shortcoming.

解析：本段的話題是子女撫養(yǎng)中母親或父親的作用，如果雙方互相支持，可以彌補對方的缺陷?？梢奫D]“夫婦可互相補償彼此缺點”是段落中心的概括，符合題意。[A]“夫婦可共同做家務(wù)勞動”和 “兩個總比一個好”都是根據(jù)生活常識編造的選項（合理項，參見本書“錯誤選項的特征”一節(jié)）；[C]“母親的重要性可以得到充分認可”，表達片面。

例2

Levin would not comment on the debate last week, but there were signs that the chairman was backing off his hard line-stand, at leas to some extent. During the discussion of rock singing verses at last month’s stockholders’ meeting, Levin asserted that “music is not the cause of society’s ills” and even cited his son, a teacher in the Bronx, New York, who uses rap to communicate with students. But he talked as well about the “balanced struggle” between creative freedom and social responsibility, and he announced that the company would launch a drive to develop standards for distribution and labeling of potentially objectionable music. (可讀性：39.2 難度：12級)

Q: In face of the recent attacks on the company, the chairman

[A] stuck to a strong stand to defend freedom of expression.

[B] softened his tone and adopted some new policy.

[C] changed his attitude and yielded to objection.

[D] received more support from the 15-member board.

解析：①由于上周發(fā)生的爭執(zhí)，Levin可能放棄強硬立場。③Levin宣布，公司將盡力對可能招致人們反對的音樂制定各種發(fā)行和標識的標準。綜合這兩鎳可推斷“Levin緩和了語氣并采取一些新政策”正確。[A]正反倒置，錯誤；[C]說的程度太過了，Levin還不至于會改變態(tài)度，屈服于對方；[D]論據(jù)不足。

8)正確選項是原文某段文字的推理

例

Kitcher is a philosopher, and this may account, in part, for the clarity and effectiveness of his arguments. The non-specialist will be able to obtain at least a notion of the sorts of data and argument that support evolutionary theory. The final chapter in the creationists will be extremely clear to all. On the dust jacket of this fine book, Stephen Jay Gould says: “This book stands for reason itself.” And so it does — and all would be well were reason the only judge in the creationism/ evolution debate. (可讀性：57.2 難度：9.6級)

Q: From the passage we can infer that

[A] reasoning has played a decisive role in the debate.

[B] creationists do not base their argument on reasoning.

[C] evolutionary theory is too difficult for non-specialists.

[D] creationism is supported by scientific findings.

解析：本段意思是：金切爾是位哲學(xué)家，這也許能部分說明他的立論所以明確而有說服力。非專業(yè)人士起碼可以了解支持進化論的各種數(shù)據(jù)和觀點。關(guān)于神造論者的最后一章對每個人來說都闡述得極為清楚。這部優(yōu)秀作品的護封上引用了斯蒂芬.杰.古爾德的一句話，“本書代表的是理性”。的確——如果理性是神造論和進化論之爭的惟一裁判，一切問題就已解決了。最后一句是個帶有倒裝結(jié)構(gòu)的虛擬語氣句子，轉(zhuǎn)換成正常語序是：If reason were the only judge in the creationism/evolution debate, all would be well. 推斷神造論是非理性的，故[B]正確。?

2． 干擾項的特點

錯誤選項，也叫干擾項，也戲稱陷阱，是出題者(中國出題專家)的拿手好戲。對錯選項的分析從某種角度來說比正確選項更有意義。因為在實際做題時，考生做的大部分工作是排除三個錯誤選項。有時問題集中在兩個選項上，考生明明知道答案就在這兩個選項中，可是很難判斷究竟哪個是錯的。

總的來說，干擾項從語言和內(nèi)容兩方面欺騙考生。雖然花樣很多，但總是有些規(guī)律可循的。出題者在編錯誤選項時，就像一個大騙子，試想騙子的伎倆有哪些呢？首先是把假的說成真的，所謂以假亂真，其次是真真假假，虛虛實實，所謂掉包，再次是夸大其詞，或以偏概全，一會兒把蘋果說成靈丹妙藥，一會兒又說靈丹妙藥根本不存在。對干擾項的對策有以下7種：

1． 合理項：文章中沒提到，利用生活常識編造出來的選項同。對策：做題不可憑空想象，一切都要從文中找依據(jù)。在相當多的情況下“項不是解”。

2． 斷章取義：使用文章中出現(xiàn)的詞語或類似的結(jié)構(gòu)仿造。對策：原詞越多，對的可能性越小。

3． 小動作：錯誤選項和原文句子幾乎一樣，但在細微之處做了手腳，改動了幾個小詞，使得意思和原文不相符。對策：仔細，仔細，再仔細！不僅要看大意，更要看細節(jié)。

4． 以偏概全：就是用文章中的細節(jié)片面的、次要的觀點回答問題。對策：時刻要有一種博大的胸襟。

5． 張冠李戴(把一個事物的特征說成是另一個事物的特征，把他人的觀點說成是作者的觀點)、正反倒置(把作者觀點的反面說成是作者的觀點)、因果倒置(把因說成果，把果說成因)。對策：頭腦清楚。

6． 過度引申：考研測試推理能力是很正常的，但有相當多的選項，過度推理，超出文章的范圍。對策：掌握好分寸。

7． 字面意思：被測試的單詞或短語，實際(深層)含義和表面上個別詞匯的意思不同。出題者經(jīng)常用表面意思作為干擾項。對策：字面意思不是解。

例

Aimlessness has hardly been typical of the postwar Japan whose productivity and social harmony are the envy of the United States and Europe. But increasingly the Japanese are seeing a decline of the traditional work-moral values. Ten years ago young people were hardworking and saw their jobs as their primary reason for being, but now Japan has largely fulfilled its economic needs, and young people don’t know where they should go next.

The coming of age of the postwar baby boom and an entry of women into the male-dominated job market have limited the opportunities of teen-agers who are already questioning the heavy personal sacrifices involved in climbing Japan’s rigid social ladder to good schools and jobs. In a recent survey, it was found that only 24.5 percent of Japanese students were fully satisfied with school life, compared with their jobs than did their counterparts in the 10 other countries surveyed.

While often praised by foreigners for its emphasis on the basics, Japanese education tends to stress test taking and mechanical learning over creativity and self-expression. “Those things that do not show up in the test scores — personality, ability, courage or humanity — are completely ignored,” says Toshiki Kaifu, chairman of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s education committee. “Frustration against this kind of thing leads kids to drop out and run wild.” Last year Japan experienced 2,125 incidents of school violence, including 929 assaults on teachers. Amid the outcry, many conservative leaders are seeking a return to the prewar emphasis on moral education. Last year Mitsuo Setoyams, who was then education minister, raised eyebrows when he argued that liberal reforms introduced by the American occupation authorities after World War Ⅱ had weakened the “Japanese morality of respect for parents.”

But that may have more to do with Japanese life-styles. “In Japan,” says educator Yoko Muro, “it’s never a question of whether you enjoy your job and your life, but only how much you can endure.” With economic growth has come centralization; fully 76 percent of Japan’s 119 million citizens live in cities where community and the extended family have been abandoned in favor of isolated, two generation households. Urban Japanese have long endured lengthy commutes (travels to and from work) and crowded living conditions, but as the old group and family values weaken, the discomfort is beginning to tell. In the past decade, the Japanese divorce rate, while still well below that of the United States, has increased by more than 50 percent, and suicides have increased by nearly one-quarter. (可讀性：34.9 難度：12級)

1． In the Westerner’s eyes, the postwar Japan was

[A] under aimless development. [B] a positive example.

[C] a rival to the West. [D] on the decline.

2. According to the author, what may chiefly be responsible for the moral decline of Japanese society?

[A] Women’s participation in social activities is limited.

[B] More workers are dissatisfied with their jobs.

[C] Excessive emphasis has been placed on the basics.

[D] The life-style has been influenced by Western values.

3. Which of the following is true according to the author?

[A] Japanese education is praised for helping the young climb the social ladder.

[B] Japanese education is characterized by mechanical learning as well as creativity.

[C] More stress should be placed on the cultivation of creativity.

[D] Dropping out leads to frustration against test taking.

解析：

1． <1 >①“缺乏目標從來就不是戰(zhàn)后日本的典型特征，日本國的生產(chǎn)率和社會的和諧令歐美人羨慕”，可見戰(zhàn)后日本是一個正面榜樣，故[B]正確。[A]小動作：把 <1 >①關(guān)鍵詞保留下來，但hardly去掉了，結(jié)果意思大相徑庭，原文的否定變成了肯定；[C]字面意思：envy(羨慕，嫉妒)的字面意思；[D]斷章取義：使用②中“decline”編造。

2． 題干關(guān)鍵詞為chiefly 和be responsible for。 <3 >末句：日本教育大臣說過，二戰(zhàn)后占領(lǐng)日本的美國當局進行自由化改革削弱了日本人尊敬父母的道德觀。 <4 >①：但是，這(道德)也計與日本人的生活方式關(guān)系更大。將兩句聯(lián)在一起看，作者認為日本社會道德下降的主要原因是[D]“生活方式受了西方價值觀的影響”，故[D]正確。[A]正反倒置。 <2 >①提到女性進入男性占主導(dǎo)地位的人才市場，和[A]正好相反，而且[A]也是符合生活常識的合理項。以偏概全。借用了 <2 >末句的完整意思，但是該句不是觀點，而是一次調(diào)查結(jié)果，是具體的事實，并非全部。[C]以偏概全。 <3 >①：由于重視基礎(chǔ)知識，所以忽視了其他方面的教育。 <4 >①：但是，這(道德下降)也許與日本人的生活方式關(guān)系更大。所以[C]是次要原因。

3． <3 >①：“盡管由于強調(diào)基礎(chǔ)教育而受到外國人的贊賞，但是日本教育往往強調(diào)應(yīng)試和機械性學(xué)習(xí)而忽視創(chuàng)造性及自我表現(xiàn)”，作者暗示日本教育更應(yīng)該強調(diào)創(chuàng)造能力的培養(yǎng)，所以[C]正確。[A]斷章取義。將 <2 >①中“climbing…social ladder”和 <3 >①中“often praised by foreigners for”拼在一起唬人。小動作。將 <3 >①中over改成as well as。失之毫厘，謬以千里。[D]因果倒置。 <3 >③：考試失敗導(dǎo)致學(xué)生輟學(xué)。[D]顛倒了因果關(guān)系。?