阅读应试方略，高分制胜关键

阅读应试方略，高分制胜关键

在英语专业八级考试中，时间紧，阅读量大。这样高强度的阅读测试，不仅要求考生阅读速度快，理解能力强，同时科学的应试策略也是必不可少的。

针对文章内容回答

在解题时考生会受到原有知识的干扰，忽视了文章内题目所指的特定含义。遇到此种情况，一定要记住所要回答的内容应完全取决于文章所提供的信息。虽然有些选项是客观生活中的常识，但并没有在文章中提及，不符合选择题的要求，所以是错误的选项。出题者所感兴趣的是考生的阅读能力，而不是一般知识。如果选项的内容不是针对文章的内容来回答，尽管客观上是真理，也会被视作错误。

调整做题顺序

命题者在试卷中设定的文章前后顺序并不一定完全适合你。在解题前，迅速扫描一下所有的文章，将所有文章调整到适合你的最佳顺序。例如，如果你发现故事类的文章容易些，尽管它并不是第一篇文章，也不要紧，你就从这篇文章开始做题。因为旗开得胜，有了信心，会有利于其他文章的解题效果。考试时，心理因素会影响成绩。当然，不要因为调整顺序而漏题。为了防止此事发生，应标上适当的记号。另外也要注意不要在答题纸上造成不必要的错误。

注意阅读速度

要在半小时内完成全部阅读理解考题，并获得理想的考试成绩，考生一定要在平时练习中平衡阅读速度，不要在某些难句或内容上停留太多的时间，否则，你就无法做完所有的题目。比如说，不必再花时间去阅读考试指令，TEM8是标准考试，每年试卷上各大题的指令都是一样的，这样就可省掉一点时间。如果遇到一个难题或一篇难懂的文章，不要在此花费太多的时间，要学会放弃，跳开此部分，继续做后面的考题。如果在做完其他题目后，还有时间的话，回头再做。

在规定时间里完成答题，需要练习提高阅读速度。要在半小时内读完所有材料并做好20道题目，一般需要每分钟读200～250个单词，如果达不到这个速度的话，平时的训练中就要注意提高阅读速度。

有些学生担心读得快了，可能会造成理解上的差错。事实是，读得越快，就越能提高阅读正确率。在阅读时，大脑需接受作者在文中所要表达的意思，在理解的基础上，读得快些，会使你抓住文章的要点。如果读得慢，大脑反应接受作者意思的速度也会变慢，所以当学生读得太慢时，理解作者文章的含义也会变得困难。

标上阅读习惯符号

在阅读时，标上习惯的阅读符号非常必要，它可以使你快速找到具体问题的内容，甚至文章的细节内容。平时养成习惯用不同的符号来表示不同的内容。单单用下划线是不够的，以下的建议供读者参考。如在人名及历史时间段上画圈；在关键词下画下划线；在文章的左侧标上段落的序号等等。

除了在文章中标上平时使用的习惯符号外，在做文章后出现的选择题时还需划出问题的关键词及出处，它们可以让你快速找到回答问题的相关段落。比如说，下列的问题可能以这种形式出现：According to the passage，Einstein wanted to prove which of the following theories？此时应划出Einstein，prove和theories三个关键词。有时在一个问题上卡住了，你准备以后有时间时再做，最好在此题的序号上打个钩，以后就可方便找到。

排除解题法

许多学生在做完试题后，发现得分不理想，究其原因，就是在没有仔细考虑所有的选项之前，就匆忙做出判断。也有许多学生发现“首先排除错误选项”的策略是十分管用的。在你排除某个选项时，标上一个简单易懂的符号，在以后检查时，就可避免重复，省些时间。

在做选择题时，常有这种情况出现，那就是一个选项比另外一个选项更不符合题意，通过排除该题，等于增加了25%的正确机率。有些选项明显与题意无关，或者提供了一个所谓相关内容的“真理”，如果这个“真理”在文中没有提到，这种选项应立即予以排除。有时候，某个选项的内容可能在文中的其他地方提及，但并不是该题所讨论的内容。这种命题方式也是常见的，它并非与题意毫无关系，但不是问题所涉及的关键内容。有些错误的选项内容往往是对所要讨论题目的要求没有全面包括，或者是泛泛而谈，或者提供的是与文章无关的信息内容。有时解题时无法做到排除三个选项，尽量多排除几个选项，剩下的就试着猜题，这也是提高得分的一种有效方法。

具体阅读策略

本节要讨论的内容就是第一章的第八个问题，也就是有关阅读速度这个重要问题。本书所要讨论的阅读策略有三种。人的阅读经验及习惯不同，阅读技巧的适应面也会不同。根据具体情况，选择具体方法。

第一种阅读策略是先通读整篇文章，在阅读时尽可能标些习惯使用的阅读符号，然后再按图索骥回答问题。这种策略对故事、小说类文体特别适用。

第二种阅读策略是先仔细看清题目所要探讨或提问的内容。在阅读题目时，也及时标上平时习惯使用的符号。读完及了解了问题的内容后，再读相关的文章部分内容。这种策略在阅读文章时有针对性，阅读时只要将注意力集中在跟问题内容有关的文章材料方面即可。

第三种阅读策略常常是最有效的阅读方法。这种方法简称为PQR，三个字母分别代表为“预览文章”（Preview the passage）；“读懂选择题的实质内容”（read the Question stems）；然后再阅读文章（Read the passage）。在快速预览文章时，你就马上可以知道该文章的大致内容及结构，然后看看选择题所要提问的内容，最后在阅读全文时，就可以在文章中迅速找到问题的答案所在。这种方法非常有效，但需要较快的阅读速度。在训练时，一定要要求自己在规定的时间内阅读完所有内容。

为了做到阅读迅速，考生在拿到文章后，应该阅读首尾两段，快速地了解主题，然后尽快找出各段的主题句。不要逐行逐句看下去，如遇到长一点的材料的话，会造成前读后忘，这样既费时间，效果又差。

考生应尽快略读文章第一段的内容，如果第一段的内容多，那就读它的第一句和最后一句。接下来就快速地阅读剩下段落的首句和最后一段首句和末句，以期在短时间内掌握文章的主题及每一段的要点。下一步要做的就是研读选择题的问题要点，做些必要的记号。最后回到文章中去，迅速阅读，将有关问题的内容标上符号，接着就可回答问题了。这种方法看上去是最难掌握，但专家们都认为这应该是最有效的方法，值得一试。

一般来说，读到故事类的文章还是用第一种方法为好。如果文章的内容对你来说是熟悉的，那就先读选择题的要求，然后再读文章。但是对于那些内容吃不准的文章，那PQR的方法就可大派用场。

快速阅读的其他方法

●寻读（Scanning）

寻读是一种速读技能，它的目的在于快速而又准确地找到一个具体的细节内容，为了达到高效的目的，一定得先搞清楚所要找的内容。比如说，如果想买辆二手车，最好在报纸的专栏广告里找。是否需要将报上的广告逐条加以查看？没有必要，否则就不能快速找到所需要的信息。只要快速找到买二手车的栏目标题，然后再仔细地查找这部分的内容，目的就可以快速地达到。事实上，每个人每天都在多次进行这样的寻读，只是没有意识到而已。我们每天读报纸就是通过寻读的方式来获取对自己有用的信息。

寻读的要素有以下五点，以供参考。

（1）注意所读材料的安排及结构，比如说《英汉词典》是按字母先后为序的；而报上一个事件的人物、内容、时间、场所及原因则常常可以在文章的第一段中就能找到。

（2）要注意一些能提供线索的关键词。比如说“污染”这个能提供线索的关键词就可以让读者知道这是一篇有关环境保护的文章。

（3）一定要快速阅读，不要停留在无关紧要的内容上。

（4）要搞清信息是否确凿无疑。比如说要在一本厚厚的电话簿中寻找一个电话号码时，稍一粗心，只要将电话号码八位数中的一个数字搞错了，哪怕其他七位数字都对，也打不到你所要找的朋友家中。

（5）与目标有关的内容要精读，准确地了解文章的有关观点，正确选择答案。

请看下面的练习。在做该练习之前，应先看清题目要求，明白要在文章中所找的内容。请记录练习的时间。

例文

①For an increasing number of students at American universities，the old is suddenly in.The reason is obvious：the graying of America means jobs.Coupled with the aging of the baby-boom generation，a longer life span means that the nation’s elderly population is bound to expand significantly over the next 50years.By 2050，25percent of all Americans will be older than 65，up from 14 percent in 1995.The change poses profound questions for government and society，of course.But it also creates career opportunities in medicine and health professions，and in law and business as well.“In addition to the doctors，we’re going to need more sociologists，biologists，urban planners and specialized lawyers，”says Professor Edward Schneider of the University ofSouthern California（USC）School of Gerontology（老年学）.

②Lawyers can specialize in“elder law，”which covers everything from trusts and estates to nursing-home abuse and age discrimination.Businessmen see huge opportunities in the elder market because the baby boomers，74million strong，are likely to be the wealthiest group of retirees in human history.“Any student who combines an expert knowledge in gerontology with，say，an MBA or law degree will have a license to print money，”one professor says.

③Margarite Santos is a 21-year-old senior at USC.She began college as a biology major but found she was“really bored with bacteria.”So she took a class in gerontology and discovered that she liked it.She says，“I did volunteer work in retirement homes and it was very satisfying.”

1.“...the old is suddenly in”（Line 1，Para.1）most probably means_______.

A.America has suddenly become a nation of old people

B.gerontology has suddenly become popular

C.more elderly professors are found on American campuses

D.American colleges have realized the need of enrolling older students

2.Why can businessmen make money in the emerging elder market？

A.Retirees are more generous in spending money.

B.They can employ more gerontologists.

C.The elderly possess an enormous purchasing power.

D.There are more elderly people working than before.

【题解1】 答案为B。既然题目中已明确给出了要理解的语句，我们就无需通篇去找。在阅读过一遍全文的基础上，使用寻读技巧，在第一自然段尽快寻找一下，不难看出本篇文章所介绍的是老年学的问题，所以the old is suddenly in指的是老年学（Gerontology）突然流行起来。

【题解2】 答案为A。这是一道细节题。只要采用寻读技巧，在文章第二段会发现这句话：Businessmen see huge opportunities in the elder market because the baby boomers，...are likely to be the wealthiest group of retirees in human history.说明了商人之所以能从老年市场获益，是因为这部分退休的老年人都十分富有，并且肯花钱。

例文2

①Navigation computers，now sold by most carmakers，cost＄2，000and up.No surprise，then，that they are most often found in luxury cars，like Lexus，BMW and Audi.But it is a developing technology—meaning prices should eventually drop and the market does seem to be growing.

②Even at current prices，a navigation computer is impressive.It can guide you from point to point in most major cities with precise turn-by-turn directions—spoken by a clear woman-sounding voice，and written on a screen in front of the driver.

③The computer works with an antenna that takes signals from no fewer than three of the 24global positioning system（GPS）satellites.By measuring the time required for a signal to travel between the satellites and the antenna，the car’s location can be pinned down within 100meters.

④The satellite signals，along with inputs on speed from a wheel-speed sensor and direction from a meter，determine the car’s position even as it moves.This information is combined with a map database.Streets，landmarks and points of interest are included.

⑤Most systems are basically identical.The differences come in hardware—the way the computer accepts the driver’s request for directions and the way it presents the driving instructions.On most systems，a driver enters a desired address，motorway junction or point of interest via a touch screen or disc.But the Lexus screen goesa step further：you can point to any spot on the map screen and get directions to it.

⑥BMW’s system offers a set of cross hairs（瞄准器上的十字纹）that can be moved across the map（you have several choices of map scale）to pick a point you’d like to get to.Audi’s screen can be switched to TV reception.

⑦Even the voices that recite the directions can differ，with better systems like BMW’s and Lexus’s having a wider vocabulary.The instructions are available in French，German，Spanish，Dutch and Italian，as well as English.The driver can also choose parameters for determining the route：fastest，shortest or no freeways for example.

With a navigation computer，a driver will easily find the best route to his destination_______.

A.by inputting the exact address

B.by indicating the location of his car

C.by checking his computer database

D.by giving vocal orders to the computer

【题解】 答案为A。本题考的内容是司机运用导航计算机的方法。通过driver这个关键词，可以很快找到文章的第五段内提到On most systems，a driver enters a desired address，说明司机要想找到最佳的行驶路线，只需要输入目的地即可。

例文3

The Flying Dutchman

①Once upon a time a Dutch ship set sail from the East Indies to return to Holland.Many apoor lad went from Holland and landed at Java.There he settled and grew very rich.

②Such a one was a certain Diedrich.When he came to Java hewas sent out to a rich planter.He worked so hard and was so faithful that it was not long before he was free became his own master.He saved his money，and as he was very careful it was not many years before he was very rich.

③Now all these years Diedrich had never forgotten what a hard time he had had when he was a boy.At last，when he was a man and had his large fortune，he decided to carry out a plan.He sold his lands and houses，which he owned in Java.He sold all his goods.He took the money he received in bags aboard a ship which was to return to Holland.He was the only passenger on board，but he was a friendly man.Soon he was on good terms with the Captain and all the crew.

④“And what，”said Diedrich to the Captain one day，“do you mean to do when you make a few more voyages？”

⑤“I know well，”said the Captain.“There’s a little house I know by a canal just outside of Amsterdam.I mean to buy that house.I will have a summerhouse in the garden.I will sit all day long smoking my pipe.My wife will sit by my side and knit and the children will play in the garden.”

⑥“Then you have children？”

⑦“That I have，”said the Captain.It was good to hear him tell about his family，for he was a simple man and cared for his wife and little ones.

⑧“And what shall you do？”the Captain asked Diedrich.

⑨“Ah，I have no wife or children.”Then he told of what a hard time he had when he was a youngster，and at last as he sat there alone with the Captain，he suddenly told him of his great plan.

⑩“I have made a great deal of money，”said he，“which you know I am carrying home with me.I will tell you what I am going to do with it.There are a great many poor children in Amsterdam whohave no home.I am going to build a great house and live in it，and I am going to have the biggest family of anyone in Amsterdam.”

Now，while they were talking，the man at the wheel listened.As he steered the ship he thought and thought how he could get that gold.He knew it would be impossible for him alone to seize it，and so he whispered about it to one and another of the sailors.When the sailor told them of the gold on board，they were ready for anything.

The ship drew near the Cape of Good Hope.Suddenly the Captain and Diedrich were seized from behind.At the same instant the officers of the ship were seized，and now the ship was in the hands of the crew.

These wicked men threw the Captain and Diedrich into the sea.“Dead men tell no tales，”said the man at the wheel.They then sailed for the nearest port.But as they sailed a horrible plague broke out on board.It was a plague which made the men crave water for their burning throats.As they fought to get at the water casks，they spilled all the water.They could not stand the thirst；so they steered for the nearest port.

But when they came into the port，the people saw that they had the plague.They refused to let them land.“We have a great sore of gold，”the crew cried.“Only give us water.”But the people drove them away.

Then a great storm arose.They were driven far out to sea.When the gale died down，they steered again for the land.When they drew near once more，another gale sprang up and once more they were swept far away from the shore.

That was years and years ago.When ships make the Cape of Good Hope and are rounding it，through the fog and mist and darkness of the night they see a ghostly ship sailing，sailing，never reaching land，always beating up against the wind.Its sails are torn，the masts are bleached.Then the sailors whisper to each other：“Look！Look！There is the flying Dutchman.”

1.Diedrich was_______.

A.the captain　　　　　　　　B.a passenger

C.one of the crew　　　　　　D.a ghost

2.The story takes p lace_______.

A.a long time ago　　　　　　B.a hundred years ago

C.a year ago　　　　　　　　 D.a thousand years ago

3.The story takes place mostly_______.

A.in Holland　　　　　　　　 B.in Java

C.aboard ship　　　　　　　　D.none of these

4.Diedrich and the cap tain_______.

A.died from the plague

B.swam to shore

C.were thrown overboard

D.steered the ship through a bad storm

5.Diedrich became rich_______.

A.easily　　　　　　　　　　B.in a short time

C.on the ship　　　　　　　 D.after years of hard work

【题解1】 答案为B。apassenger，在第三段中可找到（He took the money he received in bags aboard a ship）。

【题解2】 第2题答案为A，a long time ago，在第一段的首句就可找到（Once upon a time）。

【题解3】 答案是C，aboard ship，也在第3段。

【题解4】 答案为C，were thrown overboard，在第13段的首句（These wicked men threw the Captain and Diedrich into the sea.）。

【题解5】 答案为D，after years of hard work在第二段可找到（He worked so hard and was so faithful that it was not long before he was free and became his own master.He saved his money，and as he wasvery careful it was not many years before he was very rich.）。

做题时千万不要顾及问题之外的内容，快速寻找，这就是阅读要求，在最短的时间里完成阅读的目标。

●略读（Skimming）

另一个经常采用的快速阅读技能是略读。这种技能一般应用在快速获取通篇文章的主要内容，它当然也是非常有价值的。

这种技能的阅读速度和方法与前一种有些差异。阅读的材料一般为通俗杂志及小说作品。若是其他材料的话，那么其内容也应容易被读者理解，阅读起来不需仔细推敲、记笔记或集中注意力。对大多数读者来说，阅读这些材料时感到轻松愉快，这也是我们看通俗杂志及小说的目的。这种阅读可以用来不断提高阅读速度。在考试时，它主要用在了解文章的大致含义，不必拘泥于细节。

略读时要注意以下6点：

（1）阅读第一段，它常常是对通篇文章的介绍。

（2）然后最后一段，它常常是归纳总结整篇文章。

（3）阅读文中出现的所有的副标题。

（4）阅读其余每段的第一句及结尾句。第一句常常是主题句，最后一句常常起归纳或承接的作用。当然主题句的出现点有时也会变化，比如说，有时出现在一段的末尾或中间。但以段首为常见，然后段末或段落的中间。这个规律便于读者有序、有效地寻找主题。

（5）特别注意斜体的字、词及句子。

（6）特别注意黑体字部分的内容。

例文1

①New technology links the world as never before.Our planet has shrunk.It’s now a“global village”where countries are only seconds away by fax or phone or satellite link.And，of course，our ability to benefit from this high-tech communications equipment is greatly enhanced by foreign language skills.

②Deeply involved with this new technology is a breed of modern business people who have a growing respect for the economic value of doing business abroad.In modern markets，success overseas often helps support domestic business efforts.

③Overseas assignments are becoming increasingly important to advancement within executive ranks.The executive stationed in another country no longer need fear being“out of sight and out of mind.”He or she can be sure that the overseas effort is central to the company’s plan for success，and that promotions often follow or accompany an assignment abroad.If an employee can succeed in a difficult assignment overseas，superior will have greater confidence in his or her ability to cope back in the United States where cross-cultural considerations and foreign language issues are becoming more and more prevalent.

④Thanks to a variety of relatively inexpensive communications devices with business applications，even small businesses in the United States are able to get into international markets.

⑤English is still the international language of business.But there is an ever-growing need for people who can speak another language.A second language isn’t generally required to get a job in business，but having language skills gives a candidate the edge when other qualifications appear to be equal.

⑥The employee posted abroad who speaks the country’s principal language has an opportunity to fast-forward certain negotiations，and can have the cultural insight to know when it is better to move more slowly.The employee at the home office who can communicate well with foreign clients over the telephone or by fax machine is an obvious asset to the firm.

1.What is the author’s attitude toward high-tech communicationsequipment？

A.Critical　　　　　　　　B.Indifferent.

C.Prejudice　　　　　　　 D.Positive.

2.According to the passage，what is an important consideration of international corporations in employing people today？

A.Connections with businesses overseas.

B.Ability to speak the client’s language.

C.Technical know-how.

D.Business experience.

【题解1】 答案是D。这段文章谈论的是跨国公司，属于较容易理解的文章，而且本题的答案在文中也十分明显，无疑可以考虑用略读技巧将答案迅速找到。第四自然段首句Thanks to a variety of relatively inexpensive communications devices with business applications.清晰地表达了作者对高科技通讯器材的肯定态度。

【题解2】 答案是B。在略读的时候，根据每段的首句可以留意到作者专门谈到了外语对在跨国企业工作人员的重要性，因此答此题时，不需费力便可以得到正确答案。

例文2

①About the time that schools and others quite reasonably became interested in seeing to it that all children，whatever their background，were fairly treated，intelligence testing became unpopular.

②Some thought it was unfair to minority children.Through the past few decades such testing has gone out of fashion and many communities have indeed forbidden it.

③However，paradoxically，just recently agroup of black parents filed a lawsuit in California claiming that the state’s ban on IQ testing discriminates against their children by denying them the opportunity to take the test.（They believed，correctly，that IQ testsare a valid method of evaluating children for special education classes.）The judge，therefore，reversed，at least partially，his original decision.

④And so the argument goes on and on.Does it benefit or harm children from minority groups to have their intelligence tested？We have always been on the side of permitting，even facilitating，such testing.If a child of any color or group is doing poorly in school it seems to us very important to know whether it is because he or she is of low intelligence，or whether some other factor is the cause.

⑤What school and family can do to improve poor performance is influenced by its cause.It is not discriminative to evaluate either a child’s physical condition or his intellectual level.

⑥Unfortunately，intellectual level seems to be a sensitive subject，and what the law allows us to do varies from time to time.The same fluctuation back and forth occurs in areas other than intelligence.Thirty years or so ago，for instance，white families were encouraged to adopt black children.It was considered discriminative not to do so.

⑦And then the style changed and this cross-racial adopting became generally unpopular，and social agencies felt that black children should go to black families only.It is hard to say what are the best procedures.But surely good will on the part of all of us is needed.

⑧As to intelligence，in our opinion，the more we know about any child’s intellectual level，the better for the child in question.

1.Why did the intelligence test become unpopular in the past few decades？

A.Its validity was challenged by many communities.

B.It was considered discriminative against minority children.

C.It met with strong opposition from the majority of black parents.

D.It deprived the black children of their rights to a good education.

2.The author believes that intelligence testing_______.

A.may ease racial confrontation in the United States

B.can encourage black children to keep up with white children

C.may seriously aggravate racial discrimination in the United States

D.can help black parents make decisions about their children’s education

这段文字主要讲的是美国的少数民族，如黑人，他们所关注和敏感的问题，即种族歧视。这是一个我们比较熟悉和容易理解的材料，因此在做题时可以适当采用略读技巧。

【题解1】 答案为B。略读的很重要的一个方法就是阅读每段的第一句话。文章第一段提出问题，第二段首句Some thought it was unfair to minority children即表明原因，说明有人认为智商测试对少数民族孩子不公平，也就是对少数民族学生的歧视，即答案B的内容。

【题解2】 答案为A。从常识来判断，美国白人一般都认为黑人等少数民族的孩子愚钝不可教，因此不能进入特殊教育班级。智商的测试可以让人们清楚儿童在学校成绩不好到底是智力的问题还是其他原因（to know whether it is because he or she is of low intelligence，or whether some other factor is the cause），这样就有可能排除智力上的因素，所以对缓和种族冲突会有好处，能表达此意思的仅是选项A。

例文3

①In analyzing factors likely to induce depression it is useful to distinguish between“life events”and“life circumstances”，both of which promote stress though in different ways.Stressful“life events”include divorce or loss of a spouse and a loss of employment.Stressincurring“life circumstances”included single parenthood，low income，poor education，and responsibility of your children，circumstances that most often afflict the single-parent family head who is nearly always a woman.Any particular incident of depression is likely to include elements from both categories.

②As expected，epidemiological studies show that more women than men exhibit signs of depression.The sex difference in rates of depression is also explained by a condition of learned helplessness.Society encourages women to be passive，not aggressive；not to seek power，but to trust others and to nurture others；to put the needs of others before their own；to appreciate mastery in others and to threaten them with their own.So any particular incident of depression may include a past history of learned helplessness as well as an immediate environmental agent of depression.

1.The main purpose of this passag e is to_______.

A.describe the behavior of the depressed people

B.explain the biochemical causes of depression

C.discuss the factors that contribute to depression

D.analyze the different rates of depression in men and women

2.According to the passage，which of the following best explains the distinction between a life circumstance and a life event？

A.life circumstances is a long-term condition，while a life event is a sudden change.

B.Life circumstances occur less frequently but are more serious than life events.

C.A life circumstance is learned behavior and a life event is caused by an outside agent.

D.A life circumstance can easily be controlled，but a life event cannot.

略读技巧要求读者在尽快的时间里掌握阅读材料的主题内容，与此无关的东西无须顾及。

【题解1】 答案是C。第一题是关于主题的问题。主题往往在文章的首段出现，很可能是首段中的第一句。看清题目要求后，扫视一下该处，说的正是要“讨论影响情绪压抑的各种因素”。因此马上就可得出C是正确的答案。

【题解2】 答案是A。第二题的要求是要对life circumstance和life event两种导致精神压抑的因素加以区别。这个内容在首段提及，所以只要关注该段就行，第二段就不必考虑。首段的第二句列举了几种life event的例子，divorce or loss of a spouse and a loss of employment（离婚或丧偶及失业），第三句则举了life circumstance的个例，如single parenthood，low income，poor education，and responsibility of your children（单亲家庭、低收入、没受良好教育及扶养孩子的责任）。两者的区别在于前者是短期（a sudden change）的影响而后者则是长期（long-term）的影响。那A就是唯一的正确答案。

在英语专业八级阅读的测试中，阅读任何一篇文章，都会用到寻读和略读的方法，要根据阅读的篇章和题目的类型灵活运用。需要提醒考生的是，做题时，如果遇到有些题解不了，或是文章中某几句看不懂的情况，应该暂时放弃，先做其他题或继续阅读其他部分。在做完其他试题后，有时间，再来做这些没有把握的试题。千万不能为了一道题或一段文字而停滞不前，影响了考试的总体成绩。

阅读能力的提高不是靠短时间的突击就能提高的，需要我们持之以恒，长期进行正确的操练。我们希望考生们在科学的方法指导下，通过正确的训练，真正地提高自己的语言能力，在八级考试中取得好的成绩。