第二章 掌握正确有效的阅读方法
应试者在阅读时,除了要养成良好的阅读习惯外,还应掌握正确而有效的阅读方法。高效的阅读者会因阅读的目的不同而采用不同的阅读方法。总的来说,一般有三种阅读方法:
一、略读
所谓略读(Skimming),就是一种带有一般了解目的的快速阅读法。在进行略读时,阅读者不需要将文章全文看完,也不需对文章有百分之百的理解。它只是阅读者的一种概要性浏览,抓住文章的主旨,判断有无自己感兴趣的信息或材料,这种阅读方法通常用于阅读日常报刊杂志或查寻所需的材料。在平时阅读训练时,阅读者可采用以下几种方法进行练习,来提高略读技巧。
(1)略读时一定要以最快的速度进行阅读。
(2)由于阅读速度快,理解水平允许降低,一般理解率能够达到50%或60%即可。
(3)要特别注意文章的标题、副标题、小标题以及某些标点符号,如破折号、引号等。这些往往能够告诉我们文章大致讲了些什么内容。
(4)通常应认真地阅读文章的第一、第二两段。这两段常常是引入段或总起段,作者在这两段通常都会交代写作的目的和文章的大概内容。弄清这两段有助于弄清文章的大意、背景、作者的写作目的、风格和语气等。一旦我们抓住了中心思想就可以把注意力放在快速浏览段落的主题句或结论句,力求抓住段落大意。段落的主题句或结论句通常会在段首或段末的位置,因此阅读时应多注意这些位置。对于具体的细节部分可以不读,只用眼睛粗略地扫视一下,注意若干的关键词、词组或数字即可。同时,也要特别注意最后一段,因为最后一段往往是结论所在。
(5)在快速略读时还应注意文章中出现的各种连接手段。通过掌握表示对比、转折、因果、总结等不同逻辑关系的各种连接手段来把握文章的结构。
例1:
Car Running Instructions
Filling up with fuel
When filling up with fuel,avoid overfilling the tank,the fuel should not be visible in the filler intake tube.If it is and the car is left in the sun,the fuel may expand.Then there is a danger of fuel leakage.If the tank is accidentally overfilled,park the car in the shade with the filler as high as possible.
Starting
Check that the gear lever is in the neutral position and that the hand-brake is on.If the engine is cold,pull out the mixture control(choke).Switch on the ignition,check that the ignition and oil-pressure lights glow,and operate the starter.As soon as the engine starts,release the ignition key and warm up the engine.Check that oil-pressure gauge is registering or that the oil-pressure light goes out.
Warming up
Warming up the engine by allowing it to idle slowly is harmful and leads to excessive cylinder wear.The correct procedure is to let the engine run fairly fast,approximately one thousand revolutions(revs)per minute(1000 rpm),corresponding to a speed of twenty-five kilometers per hour(25 kph)in top gear.This allows it to reach is correct working temperature as quickly as possible.Far less damage is done by driving the car from cold,than by letting the engine idle slowly.
Running in
The way a new car is looked after will have an important effect on its future life.Engine and road speeds during this early period must be limited.During the first eight hundred kilometers:Do not exceed seventy kilometers per hour.Do not operate at full throttle in any gear.Do not allow the engine to labor in any gear.After the running-in period,speeds should be gradually increased up to maximum performance.
Ignition light
The light should glow when the ignition is switched on.It should go out and stay out at all times while the engine is running above normal idling speed.On cars with an alternator,the warning light should go out immediately the engine is started.Failure to do so shows a fault in the battery charging system.Check that the fan-belt is correctly tensioned,before consulting your dealer.
Temperature gauge
When the engine is running,the gauge shows the temperature of the coolant leaving the cylinder head.When the ignition is switched off,the needle returns to the“cold”position.
这段说明文字共有六段,每一段以黑体词点出中心意思。通过阅读文章的题目《汽车运行指南》,我们就可以了解本文的体裁是说明文,文章的主要内容是关于汽车运行时的注意事项。再通过阅读各段的黑体词,我们就可知道每一段是关于汽车运行哪一方面的指令性说明。如果我们只对其中一条或数条感兴趣,则可较细心地读完有关段落,对其余的只要读一下黑体词就可以了。
例2:
Not Only for Children?
Recently,a rather sophisticated woman told me shyly that she saves up all her presents until Christmas morning and then sits up in bed and opens them,just like a child.She thought I would laugh at her and say how silly she was.But in fact I was absolutely delighted to meet someone who treats Christmas as I do.
M any people today have a very different attitude to Christmas.They think it’s just a time when shopkeepers make a lot of money and everyone rushes round buying presents they don’t want to give and food they don’t want to eat.But have they grown so far away from their own childhood that they can’t remember all the good things?
First of all,Christmas takes you out of the ordinary routine of life.For children,the fun begins weeks before when the decorations are put up,and excitement gradually increases as December the 25th approaches.
Everyone seem s much friendlier to each other than usual at Christmastime.You can lean out of a car window when you are stopped at the traffic lights and say“Merry Christmas”,and people will smile and respond.You probably wouldn’t think of doing that at any other time of the year.Perhaps it’s because most people are on holiday or because everyone knows that they are sharing a similar experience.Giving presents can be very satisfying,too,if you plan enough in advance and really think of the right present for the right person.
Indeed,whatever shopkeepers gain out of Christmas,it is still a“holy day”,the words from which“holiday”is derived and it gives people time to pause and concentrate for a moment on non-commercial values.
这篇文章的题目《不仅仅为了孩子?》提出了一个问题。这种题目通常是论说文的题目,而且常常是驳斥型论说文的题目。这是我们通过阅读文章题目可以得到的关于文章体裁方面的信息。然后,我们通过快速略读文章首尾两段、各段的段首句和段尾句就可以把握全文的主要内容和作者关于这一问题的观点和态度。这篇文章主要是探讨人们对圣诞节应持的态度。第一段通过举例表明了作者对这一问题的基本观点——即第一段最后一句话所表明的意思“事实上,我非常高兴能看到有人和我一样对待圣诞节”。第二段的段首句说明了该段的中心意思“现在很多人对待圣诞节的态度和我们十分不同”。而该段的段尾句表明了作者对这些人所持态度的评价。从这一句不难看出作者是不赞成这些人对待圣诞节的态度的。第三段和第四段分别论述了和圣诞节相关的美好的事情——“圣诞节可以把你从循规蹈矩的日常生活中解放出来”和“在圣诞节期间大家对彼此好像比平时更为友好”,都是用段首句表达了该段的主要意思。最后一段为结尾段,既总结了圣诞节的意义——“它是神圣的节日”,又再次表明了作者对圣诞节的肯定态度。因此,在读这篇文章的时候,只要抓住这些重点部分,通过略读的方法可以很快地了解文章的主要内容。
例3:
In bringing up children,every parent watches eagerly the child’s acquisition(学会)of each new skill—the first spoken words,the first independent steps,or the beginning of reading and writing.It is often tempting to hurry the child beyond his natural learning rate,but this can set up dangerous feelings of failure and states of worry in the child.This might happen at any stage.A baby might be forced to use a toilet too early,a young child might be encouraged to learn to read before he knows the meaning of the words he reads.On the other hand,though,if a child is left alone too much,or without any learning opportunities,he loses hisnatural enthusiasm for life and his desire to find out new things for himself.
Parents vary greatly in their degree of strictness towards their children.Some may be especially strict in money matters.Others are severe over times of coming home at night or punctuality for meals.In general,the controls imposed represent the needs of the parents and the values of the community as much as the child’s own happiness.
As regards the development of moral standards in the growing child,consistency is very important in parental teaching.To forbid a thing one day and excuse it the next is no foundation for morality(道德).Also,parents should realize that“example is better than precept”.If they are not sincere and do not practice what they preach(说教),their children may grow confused,and emotionally insecure when they grow old enough to think for themselves,and realize they have been to some extent fooled.
A sudden awareness of a marked difference between their parents’principles and their morals can be a dangerous disappointment.
这篇文章主要是探讨在孩子成长过程中父母所起的作用。第一段主要谈及了父母望子成龙的心情以及由此心情导致的种种催促孩子学习各种新技能的做法,并指出了这种做法的副作用。第二段的结构非常清晰,段首句点出了该段的主要内容“父母在管教孩子的严格程度上有所不同”。随后,用“一些人”和“另一些人”分述了父母的不同之处。段尾用“总的来说”说明了导致这些不同之处的根结“父母在要求孩子的时候考虑的是他们自身的需要和社会的认可,而不是孩子们自身的需要”。第三段的中心意思是由段首句和“also”后面的句子共同表达的——“在教育成长中的孩子道德标准时,父母教育上的一致性是非常重要的”和“父母的以身作则在教育成长中的孩子道德标准时同样很重要”。因此,可以看到在用略读的方法阅读这篇文章时,除了应该注意到在略读中应注意的文章首尾两段及每段的段首和段尾句,还应该注意到表示文章逻辑的转换和发展的信号词——我们在第一篇中讲的各种表示文章关联的手段。
二、扫读或查读
这是一种带有具体目的的速读方法。它是指读者在面临大量文献资料时,为了迅速准确地获取所需要的具体信息所采用的快速扫视定位式的阅读方法。它的特点是阅读时间少,收到的实际效果快。读者在查读时不必阅览全部材料,只需针对自己的阅读目的进行有选择的阅读,从中找出答案。它与略读有所差别,略读是阅读者对生疏的材料进行总的了解,而查读是阅读者对阅读材料在事先有所了解的情况下所进行的一种解决具体问题的阅读。具有较强的查读能力是做好阅读理解中的大量细节题目的关键。
在读者的日常生活中经常会运用这种阅读方式。例如,读者在电话号码簿上查找某个特定单位的电话号码,或者在列车、轮船或航班时刻表上查寻某次车、船、航班离开或到达的具体时间以及沿途的停靠情况,若要准确、迅速地做到这些,就需要对电话号码簿、车船时刻表的编排方式先有个大致的了解。那么怎样才能掌握好这一技巧呢?一般来说,读者应按照下列几点要求去做:
(1)在确定了要找的具体信息后,要注意熟悉材料的编排方式以及具体内容所在的位置。有些材料是按字母顺序编排的,如词典、电话号码簿等;有些资料是按时间顺序编排的,如电视节目单、年鉴等。有些则是按内容编排的,如报纸、杂志的各种版面,书籍的目录等。不管是什么材料,它们都有自己一定的编排方式。如果想了解某事是何时发生的,那就要在材料中寻找日期线索。如果想要知道某个特定的人做了什么事,那就应顺着人名的线索来找。如果想找书中的某个章节,就要先翻看书的目录,等等。注意,与所查内容无关的信息就可以一带而过。
(2)查读时,为了提高速度,要综合利用目光的各种扫视。由于查阅是一种捕捉具体信息的速读方式,寻觅时眼睛的运动可采用来回扫视型、垂直缫丝型、左下右上扫视型和Z字扫视型,直至寻找到所需的内容。
(3)查读的准确性应是100%,一旦发现所找的内容就得仔细阅读,同时查阅也就结束。
例4:
Evolution of the World Record for the One—Mile Run Up to the Four-Minute Mile
Year Individual/Country Time
1864 Charles Lawes/Britain 4:56
1865 Richard Webster/Britain 4:36.5
1868 William Chinnery/Britain 4:29
1868 W.C.Gibbs/Britain 4:28.8
1874 Walter Slade/Britain 4:26
1875 Walter Slade/Britain 4:24.5
1880 Walter George/Britain 4:23.2
1882 Walter George/Britain 4:21.4
1882 Walter George/Britain 4:19.4
1884 Walter George/Britain 4:18.4
1894 Fred Bacon/Scotland 4:18.2
1895 Fred Bacon/Scotland 4:17
1895 Thomas Conneff/U.S. 4:15.6
1911 John Paul Jones/U.S. 4:15.4
1913 John Paul Jones/U.S. 4:14.6
1915 Norman Taber/U.S. 4:12.6
1923 Paavo Nurmi/Finland 4:10.4
1931 Jules Ladoumegue/France 4:09.2
1933 Jack Lovelock/New Zealand 4:07.6
1934 Glenn Cunninghan/U.S. 4:06.8
1937 Sydney Wooderson/Britain 4:06.4
1942 Gunder Haegg/Sweden 4:04.6
1943 Arne Andersson/Sweden 4:02.6
1944 Arne Andersson/Sweden 4:01.6
1945 Gunder Haegg/Sweden 4:01.4
1954 Roger Bannister/Britain 3:59.4
(Selected from Skimming and Scanning 1982)
(1)How fast did Roger Bannister run the one-mile run?
(2)Who broke his own record the most time?
(3)In what year was the mile run in 4:07.6minutes?
(4)How fast was the one-mile run in 1864?
(5)In what years did a runner from Sweden break the record?
(6)Which country broke the record most often?
(7)In what year was the mile run in 4:06.8minutes?
答案:1.3:59.4 2.Walter George 3.1933 4.4:56 5.1942—1945 6.Britain 7.1934
在用查读方式做这一练习时,首先要清楚阅读材料的编排方式以便迅速查找所需信息。这篇阅读材料是以表格形式按年代先后顺序编排的,左边一栏是年代,中间一栏先是个人然后是国家,右边一栏是时间(速度)。在具体做题是要注意抓住题干中最有提示作用的关键词以保证可用最快的速度找到所需信息。在第一题中,最有提示意义的是大写的人名Roger Bannister,由于人名比较复杂,可将它简化为RB,这样查找起来就比较简单了。所需信息出现在材料最后一行,由于问题问的是速度,因此答案是3:59.4。第三题应以时间4:07.6为参照点;第四题以年代1864为参照点;第五题以国家Sweden为参照点;第七题以时间4:06.8为参照点。这些题目都较为简单,做题方法也比较机械。但是,剩下的第二、第六题就稍微复杂一些。这时由于没有直接的参照点可以利用,就必须明确用什么方式可以最快找到答案。所谓的哪个人、哪个国家打破记录的次数最多,其实就是哪个人的人名、哪个国家的国名重复次数最多。明确了这一点,就很容易找到答案了。由此练习可以看出:正确迅速地判断具有提示作用的题干关键词是什么是做题速度和准确性的有力保障。
三、精读或研读(Intensive Reading)
精读是读者最熟悉的一种阅读方式,它是指读者对文章进行细致的阅读,力求对文章有深层次的理解,以获得精确、具体的信息。在进行精读时,读者经常要综合运用语言基本功,借助语法常识对句意进行分析,以达到精确理解的目的。这种阅读方法通常可以用来解答考试中关于作者的意图、句意的引申,以及词义猜测之类的题目。
应试者在考试时应综合利用这三种阅读方法来回答各种类型的问题。首先,应试者应采用略读法迅速浏览一遍短文,对短文的体裁及题材、文章的主题、结构等细节的分布情况有一个大概的了解。这时不可纠缠于短文中的生词或难句,应尽可能快地读完全文。同时,略读法还可用来回答关于文章主题思想的问题。然后,再阅读短文后的问题,这时用查阅的方法迅速在短文中锁定与问题相关的细节部分的位置。最后,再用精读的方法,仔细阅读与题目相关的细节部分的内容,以便准确地找到答案。由此可见,正确有效的阅读方法对于提高阅读理解力和答题的正确率是十分关键的。应试者在平时的阅读训练中就应注意运用这几种阅读方法。
此外,应试者可充分利用试题册,在相关处做记号。看文章时最好随时在文章各段的关键词句上做标记,尤其对带有特殊标点符号的地方、大写的人名地名和某些重要地方,如主题句、关联词语(因果、转折、列举、举例)等处画线,答题时能帮助应试者理解文章,省去查找的时间。
在做题时,应试者应遵循先易后难的原则。一般来说,一篇文章的选择题的先后顺序是根据文章内容的先后安排的。除了推理性问题,跳蹦现象很少。因此,提倡一口气做完。遇到暂时做不了的,先在题上打上记号,继续往下做。这样,可大大节省时间,而将难题留在检查时再重点击破。对某词或某句不甚理解时,不要停留在原处反复阅读,应对整段迅速再读一遍,了解整体意义,结合上下文进行推测。对做不出的题,在前后上下文语言环境的烘托下再思考,找出正确答案,绝不留空题。
最后,应试者应切记:一切从原文出发。回答问题一定要严格遵照文章中直述的或隐含的观点,绝不要根据自己的主观想象去臆断。阅读理解部分的解题方法与其他测试项目的解题方法一样,主要采用直接确定法或排除法。直接确定法适用于考生能在原文中直接找到或推测出问题的答案,然后做出正确的选择;排除法要求考生必须结合问题及原文,将四个选择项一一检验,排除各个干扰项,最后得出正确信息。特别对于难题可采取排除法,把不可能成为答案的选项逐一排除,剩下的一个可能就是正确答案。
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