推断技巧简介

第一节　推断技巧简介

一、推断简介

推断是从已知事物出发，论述未知事物的存在，发生、变化和发展的可能性。日常生活中处处需要推断。例如，很久没有接到朋友的来信了，他是出差了，还是病了？你可能根据对他过去的了解，推断他不可能是工作太忙或别的什么原因，有可能是生病了。如果你在早晨向一位老朋友致早安时他没有作出反应，你就会推断：他一定心情不好，或是在考虑什么问题，或是没有注意到你。又如，你看见一个人穿着沾满油污的工作服，手上都是油污，你就会推断：这个人一定是一名汽车修理工。街上一长串车辆被阻，开不了。如果停的时间较短，那可能是交通高潮的阻塞；如果时间长则可能是出了事故。许多人在那里排队，你可能推测到那里有便宜货或紧俏商品出售。

以上的例子说明我们在日常生活中经常对我们周围发生的情况进行推断，而这些推断都是以平时积累的经验为基础的。因此可以说推断是以掌握的知识去获取未知的信息。推断能力在阅读理解中占据很重要的位置，因为一些文章的作者有时并不是明确陈述他们的观点和描写他们想解释的事物，而是通过暗示使读者从字里行间悟出言外之意。因此在阅读过程中，读者需要借助于自己的逻辑思考能力、背景知识对文章的主题、作者的意图等作出合乎逻辑的推断。

1.推断是阅读中达到完全理解的重要手段

在阅读中，只有从文字表面深入到字里行间，才有可能完全理解所读的内容。我们常常可以根据上下文，推想出文章未明显提出的问题，作出自己的结论或判断，如：

（1）The climbing team planned to begin the ascent on the 14 May if the weather was fine．They didn’t begin until June．

根据上文，我们可以推断，这段时间天气不好，登山日期推迟了。

作者常常不是把一切详情都叙述得一清二楚，有些地方略去了，而没有交代的东西，可通过推测而断定，如：

（2）The background to the development of the new towns is as follows：in 1960，the population density of the main city in the region was already one of the highest in the world and since then the population has grown by another several million．

从文中可推断出：①该城市的人口密度也许仍旧是世界上最高的，然而我们不敢肯定别的城市人口是否增长得更快；②此外，我们暂时可以认为该城市太拥挤，所带来的社会问题可能很大。这些情况文中虽然没有提供，但我们可以推想到。

下面的语句选自人物对话，让我们推断这些语句所表达的深层意义：

...The young man quickly answered，“yes，sir”．从quickly和“yes，sir”，我们可以推断：说话者似乎态度谦卑，甚至有点诚惶诚恐。

...“Lots of people think I’m just a green kid．”

在阅读时应注意用词造句的特点，并从这些特点推断未知事物和未知情况。如：

（3）A.I believe that smoking cigarettes is harmful.

B.It is believed that smoking cigarettes is harmful.

C.Smoking cigarettes is harmful．

三个句子都讲抽烟有害，却用不同的句型表示出来。这三个句子的语气是不同的。句A用的是I believe，表明作者肯定抽烟有害。句B用了It is believed的句型，我们读后无法得知作者究竟抱何态度，只不过是“据认为”，“人们认为”抽烟有害而已。而句C这个句型传达信息则是：抽烟是有害的，是一个医学上公认的事实。

还应注意词在词典中的解释和语流或上下文中的含义的不同，后者往往有所引申、发展。“Mother”这个词在词典上解释为“母亲”，而在语流中还有live，care，warmth和tenderness的含义。又如：

（4）The book really deals with applied mathematics but the emphasis is on the adjective there．

这个句子中，“adjective”原意为“形容词”，但显然是指“applied”一词的含义。这个句子的译文应该是：“本书是论述应用数学的，且重点在应用方面。”

（5）The old man staggered along the sidewalk.He grab bed at the picket fence to keep from falling.His torn gray overcoat flapped open in the winker wind．

有人看了上文以后作出这样的推断：The old mail is drunk。

显然这种推断缺乏足够的依据，staggered along...，grab bed...并不能说明这老人一定是喝醉了酒，倒有可能是“贫病”加上“老”，所以才这样虚弱，也可能有别的原因。

从上面的例子可以看出，要作出正确的逻辑判断既需要注意到文中的细节又要具有一定的归纳和演绎能力。有些题目就要求读者在解答问题时根据短文中提供的信息进行归纳总结。通常，读者可在短文中找到一些有关的信息或线索。例如：

The average person in psychoanalysis is young，generally not past his thirties.This means that he has yet to encounter some of those stages of life which are so revelatory of personality.For example，he may not yet have married，have children，achieved the peak of his career，and so on.Neither the analysis nor the patient knows how the patient will react to these events.Thus，certain aspects of the patient’s personality may remain inaccessible for purposes of examination and understanding.

The author implies that personality characteristics can often be most completely revealed by＿＿＿.

A.the patient’s behavior as a young person

B.interviewing the patient’s spouse，children and parents

C.how a patient handles life’s common stages

D.exploring the patient’s intellectual life

题目要求读者推断出作者暗示的怎样才能体现一个人的个性这一内容。从短文中可以看出，作者认为精神分析法的一般对象都是未过30岁的青年人。这意味着这些人还未经历有些能反映人的个性的生活阶段，如婚姻、生儿育女、达到事业的顶峰等。分析者甚至病人自己都不知道他们在面临这些问题时会作出何种反应。因此，就不可能观察到和理解病人的某些个性。作者认为精神分析法否定了所列举的事实，因此，我们可以得出结论：病人通过处理生活上所经历的几个阶段都暴露出他的个性。因此C项正确。

2.推断的注意事项

如何才能作出准确的推断呢？综合上一小节中所述，要作出合乎事实的、准确无误的推断，读者必须：①分析文中已提供的事实、资料；②注意用词造句的特点，特别是词在语流或语境中的含义；③阅读和思考时，必须透过表面的文字讯号而达到深层；④测知作者的立场观点或写作意图。另外，根据所读材料进行判断、推理和引申要注意以下几点：

（1）合乎逻辑。逻辑是正确推断的基础。它涉及有些有效的推理所必须遵循的原则。在进行推理前必须确立正确的论断或前提。有了正确的前提才能推导出合乎逻辑的结论。推理包括演绎和归纳。

演绎是从一般到具体的推理过程。如果我们所作的结论在逻辑上符合它的前提，这个结论就有效；反之，则无效。

例1：

Jane S.is a student at our college.

All students at our college must pass a special examination.

Therefore，Jane S.must have passed the entrance examination.

这句推断的前提是“All students at our college must pass a special examination.”由于Jane是我们学校的学生，因此可以根据这个前提推断出：“那么她一定通过了入学考试”，推断符合逻辑，因此正确。

例2：

All bipeds are humans.

Ducks are bipeds.

Therefore，ducks are humans.

“所有的两足动物都是人”，这个前提显然是错误的，不能成立。因此，得出的结论“鸭子有两条腿，所以鸭子也是人”，也无疑是错误的。

由具体到一般，对掌握的事实进行推断、总结称为归纳。正确的归纳基于可靠的数据。

例3：

Dr.Smith：“Every patient I’ve seen this week has symptoms of a disease that hasn’t been seen for four decades.”

Dr.Johnson：“I was just saying the same thing to the people at the Disease Center in Atlanta.At first I thought I was mistaken，but I have a steady stream of patients all week with the same symptoms.The people at Atlanta claim that they have been getting similar reports from all over the country.”

Dr.Smith：“It appears that we have an epidemic on our hands of a disease we thought we had virtually wiped out a long time ago.”

史密斯医生最后用了“It appears”来总结“多年前早已绝迹的流行病可能又死灰复燃”这一事实，表示可能性很大。根据两人对话中说到的看到许多病人得了几十年不见的疾病，以及各地都有类似的报道这些事实，这个结论合乎逻辑，可以成立。

（2）了解主题。正确的推断取决于对原文的正确理解。在阅读文章时首先应了解文章的主旨，然后对作者的观点、文章论述的事实进行合乎逻辑的推断，切莫望文生义，用自己的观点代替作者的观点。

（3）注意修饰语。推断题大都要求读者从字里行间领会作者暗示的意义。因此在阅读过程中，应特别注意作者使用的一些修饰语。忽略形容词和副词的作用常常会导致推断错误。因此，在答题时还需仔细观察文章提供的数据前后的词语搭配和句子。

（4）领会题意。解题时一定要看清题意和题型。如要求针对暗示的意义进行理解时，切莫把文章中列举的事实当做答案。推断能力强的读者在阅读过程中很自然地会去收集和捕捉各种线索。培养推断能力的过程也是培养好的阅读习惯的过程。它需要经过大量的实践和不懈的努力。

二、推断的主要题型及提问方式

1.推断的主要题型

在掌握了解题步骤之后，阅读者还应对这类推断、引申题所针对的内容有所了解。最常出现的两种就是数字推断和逻辑推断。

（1）数字推断。数字推断要求读者在阅读文章中出现数字时要仔细，先找到文章中题目针对的表示数字的部分，如时间、计量等，然后再进行推算。

例：

The development of the English language falls into three reasonably distinct periods：Old English，from about A.D.450，when the first Germanic tribes began to settle in England，until about 1100；Middle English，from about 1100 to about 1475；and Modern English，from about 1475 to the present.Of course the breaks were not as sudden and definite as these arbitrary（任意的）dates indicate.There has never been a year when the language was not changing or a time when it was spoken with anything like complete uniformity.Nevertheless，the characteristics of the three periods are so different that a person who knows both old and modern English well will find a good deal of difficulty in reading some of the Middle Eng1ish writings without additional training.

Question：

According to the passage，the English language probably has a history of＿＿＿.

A.2575 years　　B.1540 years　　C.1475 years　　D.1990 years

这篇短文的大意是英语的发展分为三个时期：古英语、中古英语和现代英语。没有一天英语不在变化，也没有任何时候说出来的英语是完全一样的。然而由于三个时期的英语特征完全不同，即使一个人精通了古英语和现代英语，如不经训练，在阅读一些中古英语文章时仍会有许多困难。

从短文中可以看出，古英语从450年发展到1100年，中古英语发展时期为1100年至1475年，1475年至今为现代英语发展时期。我们用1999年减去450年便可得出英语发展的历史，因此，正确的答案为B项：1540 years。

（2）逻辑推断。逻辑推断包含四个内容，它们是主题思想推断、作者态度推断和论调推断以及作者思路推断。这类问题要求读者有较强的概括能力和逻辑思考能力。对作者陈述的论点和事实进行推理，从而得出合乎逻辑的推断。

以下分别就主题思想推断和作者思路推断举例说明；关于作者态度推断和论调推断将在第七章里进行讨论。

主题思想推断

例：

The Greek’s lofty（高傲）attitude toward scientific research and the scientists’contempt of utility was a long time dying.For a millennium（千年）after Archimedes，this separation of mechanics from geometry hindered fundamental technological progress and in some areas repressed it altogether.But there was a still greater obstacle to change until the very end of the middle ages：the organization of society.The social system of fixed class relationships that prevailed through the Middle Ages（and in some areas much longer）itself stultified（使自相矛盾）improvement.Under this system，the laboring masses，in exchange for the bare necessities of life，did all the productive work，while the privileged few—princes，nobles，and kings—concerned themselves only with ownership and maintenance of their own position.In the interest of their prerogatives（特权）they did achieve considerable progress in defense，in war-making，in government，in trade，in the arts of leisure，and in the extraction of labor from their dependents，but they had no familiarity with the processes of production.On the other hand，the laborers，who were familiar with manufacturing techniques，had no incentive to improve or increase production to the advantage of their masters.Thus，with one class possessing the requisite knowledge and experiences but lacking incentive and leisure，and the other class lacking the knowledge and experience，there was no means by which technical progress could be achieved.

Question：

We may infer that a change in class relationships after the close of the Middle Ages produced greater productivity because＿＿＿＿.

A.freemen had incentive to produce more

B.masters had greater incentive to work their workers harder

C.slaves never starved，no matter what they produced

D.productivity could go in only one direction

这篇短文的大意是直至中世纪末，影响生产力发展的最大障碍依然是社会组织机构。中世纪普遍存在的固定阶级关系的社会制度妨碍了技术进步。在这个制度下，劳动人民懂得生产技术，但没有为他们的主人改进和提高生产力的积极性。而享有特权的极少数人却不掌握生产知识和经验，这就使得技术无法进步。

根据短文可以推断出，中世纪后随着阶级关系的变化，获得自由的人有了积极性便可以产生更大的生产力。因此正确答案为A项。

作者思路推断

这类推断主要针对与短文有关的上文或下文提出的问题。在作出此类推断时首先要求读者充分理解短文的主题思想，并应着重分析短文的开头和结尾部分。

例：

The mistake was made more than a hundred years ago in the British colony of Mauritius，a small island in the Indian Ocean.In 1847 an order for stamps was sent to a London printer—Mauritius was to become the fourth country in the world to issue stamps.

Before the order was filled and delivered，a ball was planned at Mauritius’Government House，and stamps were needed to send out the invitations.A local printer was instructed to copy the design for the stamps.He accidentally inscribed（刻写）the words“Post Office”instead of“Post Paid”on the several hundred stamps that he printed.Today there are only twenty-six of these misprinted stamps left—fourteen One Penny Orange-Reds and twelve Two penny Blues.Because of the Two penny Blue’s rareness and age，collectors have paid as much as$16，800 for it.

Question：

The paragraph preceding this one probably discusses＿＿＿＿.

A.what serious consequence a mistake might lead to

B.mistakes are often made unconsciously

C.any mistake made in the printing of a stamp raises its value to stamp collectors

D.mistakes are often made by the stamp printers

短文大意：

100多年前英国殖民地毛里求斯开始成为世界上第四个发行邮票的国家，总督官邸计划在邮票发行之时举行舞会，因此需要印刷邮票散发邀请书。地方印刷商错把几百张应印“邮资已付”的邮票上印上了“邮局”两字。这些错印的邮票流传至今仅剩26张，其中两便士兰票仅存12枚，因其稀少和年份久远，收藏者要花高达16，800元，才能买到一枚。

综观全文，作者列举了由于铅印造成邮票升值的例子，在文章一开始：“mistake”前用了“the”表示有所指的错误。可以推断出在这篇短文前很可能是讨论任何印刷错误都会提高邮票的价值，因此正确答案应是C项。

2.推断型题目的主要提问方式

（1）The last sentence of this passage implies that.

（2）If you...，which of the following will you go into？

（3）We can infer from the statement“...”that.

（4）Which of the following is not stated but implied in the last paragraph？

（5）It can be inferred from the passage that.

（6）What would the next paragraph most likely discuss if the text continues？

（7）The first paragraph implies that.

（8）What can we infer from the figures about...in the first paragraph？

（9）...most likely agrees that.

（10）Which might be inferred about...from the sentence at the beginning of the text？

（11）Which of the following statements best describes...？

（12）The sentence“...”suggests that.

（13）As to...，what can we infer from the passage？

（14）If the passage continues，what is the author most likely to discuss in the next paragraph？

（15）The passage is most probably taken from.

（16）What the author tries to suggest may best be interpreted as.

（17）Which of the following cannot be inferred from the passage？

（18）The author of the passage would most probably imply.

（19）Where would the paragraph most probably appear？

（20）The passage implies that.

（21）According to the author，what does the sentence in Line...suggest？

（22）The paragraph following this article would most probably mention.

练习1：

练习注意事项：

做多项选择题练习时应注意，供你选答的句子（或词组）有几个类型：

①原句的复述型，可选作答案。

②意思是由推想而得出的，与原句的句意不矛盾，也可选作答案。

③与原句的句意不合，不能选作答案。

④句子本身的逻辑完整，但原句中未涉及，也无法推知，不能算正确答案。

⑤正确的答案不限于一个。

下面有10道题，每题的前面是陈述事实的句子，在它后面是四个推断，请你选择符合句中提出的事实的推断。

例：

My car has a radio，a heater and defroster.It cost me about 3，000 dollars．But it is more beautiful than anyone else in the streets＿＿＿．

A.The radio was too costly．

B.The car is new．

C.The defroster is too expensive．

D.The car is cheap．

最佳答案应为B。虽然作者并未明指汽车是否新买的，但从它的新式设备、它的较大的花费，最后一句用了But，说它比大街上行驶的其他车辆都要漂亮，不难推出该车很可能是一辆新买的。其他A、C、D三个推论均缺乏依据。

1．Nine out of ten doctors responding to a survey said they recommend our product to their patients if they recommend anything＿＿＿．

A.Nine out of ten doctors recommend the product．

B.Of the doctors who responded to a survey，nine out of ten doctors recommend the product．

C.If they recommend anything，nine out of ten doctors responding to a survey recommend the product.

D.Most doctors recommend the product.

2．This organization may succeed marvelously at what it wants to do，but what it wants to do may not be all that important＿＿＿.

A.The organization is marvelous.

B.The organization may succeed.

C.Although the organization may reach its goals，the goals might not be important.

D.What the organization wants is marvelous.

3.This book contains a totally new outlook which combines the wisdom of the past with scientific knowledge to solve the problems of the present＿＿＿.

A.Problems of the past and present are solved in this book.

B.In this book，current knowledge and past wisdom are combined to solve current problems.

C.Only by using knowledge of the past and present can we solve problems.

D.None of today’s problems can be solved without scientific knowledge.

4.Like other timeless symbols flags have accompanied mankind for thousands of years，gaining everwider meaning，yet losing none of their inherent and original force＿＿＿.

A.In spite of losing some of their original force，flags are a timeless symbol which have accompanied main kind for thousands of years.

B.Flags have existed for thousands of years.

C.Timeless symbols typically gain wider meaning while not losing their inherent force.

D.Thousands of years ago flags accompanied mankind through time they have lost their force.

5.Where there is an absence of reliable information about drugs，the risks involved in using them are greatly increased＿＿＿.

A.There is no reliable information about drugs.

B.Using drugs is more dangerous when we don’t know what effects and dangers are involved.

C.The risks involved in using drugs have increased.

D.People should try to find out about drugs before using them.

6.The project of which this book is the result was first suggested in the summer of 1962，in the course of some leisurely conversations at the foot of and（occasionally）on top of the Alps of western Austria＿＿＿.

A.This book was written in 1962.

B.This book was written in Austria.

C.This book is a collection of conversations held in 1962.

D.This book is the end result of a project.

7.Los Angeles’safety record with school buses is generally a good one，but of course this record is only as good as the school bus drivers themselves＿＿＿.

A.In spite of a generally good safety record for their school buses，Los Angeles school bus drivers are not very good.

B.If school bus drivers are not very good，the town’s school bus safety record will not be very good either.

C.If cities wish to maintain good safety records with school buses，they should hire good school bus drivers.

D.With better school buses，drivers will be able to maintain better safety records.

8.Taxes being so high the descendents of the wealthy class of the nineteenth century are being forced to rent out their estates to paying guests＿＿＿.

A.In the nineteenth century，the wealthy class rented out its estates.

B.Because of high taxes，families which were rich one hundred years ago now rent out their estates.

C.Guests pay high taxes when they rent old estates.

D.Some families which were once wealthy are having trouble paying their taxes.

9.According to the definition of Chinese traditional medicine，acupuncture is the treatment of disease not just the alleviation of pain by inserting very fine needles into the body at specific points called loci＿＿＿.

A.The author believes some people do not know that acupuncture can be used to treat illness.

B.Finely pointed needles called lociare used in acupuncture.

C.In Chinese traditional medicine，acupuncture is known to treat disease and alleviate pain.

D.Those using acupuncture treat disease by placing needles into the body at specific points.

10.It would be difficult to overpraise this book＿＿＿.

A.This is a difficult book.

B.This book deserves much praise.

C.It is difficult not to overpraise this book.

D.It is difficult to praise this book.

练习2：

练习2中有七篇短文，每篇短文之后均附有几个问题和选项，请充分运用文中学过的推断的方法和步骤，选择正确的答案。

例：

Although commonly thought to be one of man’s feared deep-sea enemies，the octopus is generally a harmless animal that rarely bothers man.In fact，most types of this powerful，eight-armed creature are afraid of people.There have been some cases in which octopuses have attacked divers.But even these scattered attacks have not been very serious.In the mid-nineteenth century，Victor Hugo is said to have started the idea that the octopus is a vicious monster of the deep.In his Toilers of the Sea，he described how this devil fish eats a human being.The tale became so popular that other novelists，and later the movies，used episodes which depict a man struggling in the arms of this marine monster.And thus，the misconception of the octopus as a vicious，merciless killer was spread.

1.The reader can assume that＿＿＿.

A.the octopus is defenseless

B.Hugo was a popular novelist

C.Hugo was a marine biologist

D.the octopus is a friendly creature

2.The paragraph suggests that novelists＿＿＿.

A.always deal with facts

B.sometimes stretch the truth

C.intentionally distort the truth

D.like to write about violence

3.The author implies that＿＿＿.

A.deep sea diving is dangerous

B.many sea creatures are harmless

C.stories of the octopus have been exaggerated

D.sea stories were popular in the 1800s

问题1的答案为B。既然Toilers of the sea，是Hugo（雨果）写的一部小说，它又那么流行，甚至其他作者都来仿效，所以可以推断他是一个小说家。A、C和D均非正确答案，因为在文中缺乏事实根据。

问题2的答案为B。文中只提到小说家Hugo对octopus（章鱼）的描写不真实，以致谬误百出。可以推想sometimes stretch the truth这样的说法是成立的。A、C和D均非正确答案。因为文中已提出一个例子，证明小说家歪曲了事实，就不能说always deal with facts了。我们也不能说他们有意歪曲事实。此外，文中虽然写到有的小说家描写了暴力，但看不出有什么事实支持novelists like to write about violence的推断。一般常识也告诉我们，只有某些作者才喜欢描写暴力，不能泛指小说家都喜欢写暴力。

问题3的答案为C。事实是：octopus is generally a harmless animal that rarely bothers man，但是Hugo写的小说，以及他以后的许多作家，都夸大了octopus伤人的可能性。在这些作者笔下，octopus成了vicioler了。

Exercise 1

Visitors from space may have landed on our planet dozens，even hundreds of times during the long，empty ages while Man was still a dream of the distant future Indeed，they could have landed on 90 percent of the earth as recently as two or three hundred years ago，and we would never have heard of it.If one searches through old newspapers and local records，one can find，many reports of strange incidents that could be interpreted as visits from outer space.A stimulating writer，Charles Fort，has made a collection of U.F.O.（Unidentified Flying Object）sightings in his book Lo l one is tempted to believe them more than any modern reports，for the simple reason that they happened long before anyone had ever thought of space travel.Yet at the same time，one cannot take them too seriously，for before scientific education was widespread，even sightings of meteors，comets，auroras，and so on，gave rise to the most incredible stories，as they still do today.

Questions：

1.The author implies that＿＿＿.

A.all observations of U.F.O.are unreliable

B.visitors from space could not live on Earth

C.no books have been written about U.F.O.

D.older civilizations may exist on other planets

2.If visitors from other planets have actually landed on Earth，one can assume that they came to＿＿＿.

A.make war B.explore

C.settle down D.communicate

3.The author implies that the space age has＿＿＿.

A.weakened the authenticity of reported sightings

B.increased the number of U.F.O.sightings

C.allowed more scientific study of U.F.O.

D.solved the age-old mystery of U.F.O.

Exercise 2

The most remarkable weapon invented by primitive man is the boomerang.It is still used by the natives of Australia.Made of hard wood，it is shaped into a curve over hot coals.It is from two to four feet long，flat on one side and rounded on the other，with a sharp edge.There are several kinds of boomerangs.They are used for war，for hunting，and for amusement.The well-known“return”boomerang is really a toy.Instead of going straight forward，it slowly rises in the air.It whirls around in a curved line until it reaches a certain height，after which it returns to the thrower.This effect is produced by the action of the air on the bulging side of the boomerang.The other types are effective weapons because of their size and irregular motion.It is said that with one of these weapons，a native can cut a small animal almost in two at a distance of 400 feet.

Questions：

1.The boomerang is“remarkable”probably because of＿＿＿.

A.its unusual and varied performance

B.its great size and weight

C.its ability to withst and stress

D.its manner of construction

2.The reader may assume that＿＿＿.

A.the boomerang is not useful beyond 400 feet

B.the boomerang is the only weapon invented by primitive man

C.boomerangs used for hunting and war are similar

D.many boomerangs are lost in hunting

3.The“toy”boomerang is probably＿＿＿.

A.made by native children

B.smaller and lighter

C.made from a different wood

D.accurate and deadly

Exercise 3

My first encounter with rattlesnakes was a fortunate experience.The big rattler was old，and had led too easy a life.There was not much fight left in him.He had probably lived there for years，with a fat prairie dog for breakfast whenever he felt like it.He had a sheltered home，even an owl-feather bed，perhaps，and he had forgotten that the world doesn’t owe rattlers a living.So in reality，it was a mock adventure.The game was fixed for me by chance，as it probably was many a dragon-slayer.I had been adequately armed.The snake was too content to move very fast，and I had Antonia beside me，to appreciate and admire me.

That snake hung on our corral fence for several days.Some of the neighbors came to see it and agreed that it was the biggest rattler ever killed in those parts.This was enough for Antonia.She liked me better from that time on，and she never took a superior tone with me again.I had killed a big snake—I was now a big fellow.

Questions：

1.The paragraph infers that the rattler was most probably＿＿＿.

A.famous for its size and ferocity

B.discovered in a rarely frequented area

C.imagined by the young boy

D.tamed by neighborhood children

2.Evidence within the paragraph suggests that the events took place in＿＿＿.

A.the deep couth

B.the Pacific Coast

C.New England

D.the West

3.The narrator appears to be＿＿＿.

A.responsive to admiration

B.indifferent to success

C.unusually heroic

D.highly opinionated

Exercise 4

Animals in the desert have a problem getting water and keeping it.Insect-eaters get their liquids from their food.Most desert dwellers avoid the drying heat as much as possible，spending their time in burrows，where the damp earth and coolness cut down the amount of evaporation from their breathing.With the exception of the coyote which is apt to have its home in the shelter of rocks or in dense vegetation，nearly all mammals have burrows of one sort or another.All birds seek whatever shade they can find.Reptiles have an added reason for avoiding the desert sun.They are cold-blooded creatures which lack the protection of fur，feathers，and other cooling devices.They can be killed by a relatively short exposure to full sunshine.Many desert animals have an additional source of water through the breakdown of body fats.Lizards，for example，store fat in their tails much as the camel stores it in his hump.

Questions：

1.As a whole the paragraph suggests that＿＿＿.

A.desertanimals survive without water

B.desert animals are cold-blooded

C.animals adapt to their surroundings

D.heredity does not affect survival

2.The opening sentence suggests that＿＿＿.

A.desertanimals live short lives

B.water cannot be found in the desert

C.rain never falls on the desert

D.water is scarce and evaporates quickly

3.The author implies that on the desert＿＿＿.

A.reptiles are harmless during daylight

B.birds sleep by day and hunt by night

C.coyotes are vegetarians

D.insects store water in their bodies

Exercise 5

In the beginning the penalty for smuggling food into the ghetto was six months in jail.Later the authorities increased it to ten thousand zlotys and one year in jail.Then an order was issued making death the penalty for leaving the ghetto without authorization.once most forms of smuggling required periodic visits outside the ghetto，this was a severe blow.Many were shot.Children used to sneak over to the“free”side by digging holes under the walls or by hiding near the ghetto gates and sneaking through when the guard momentarily turned his back.Then they would make their way to an apartment，timidly knock on the door，and with eloquent eyes，beg for food.Occasionally，they would get a crust of bread or a few potatoes.With their hard-earned treasure they would crawl back through breaks or chinks in the ghetto barrier.Parents would sit home all day nervously awaiting the return of their children.In tears they would gulp down the morsels of food.

Questions：

1.The situation described in tile paragraph suggests＿＿＿.

A.am onarchy B.a police state

C.the birth of democracy D.a communistic community

2.The sentence“In tears they would gulp down the morsels of food”implies＿＿＿.

A.fear B.illness

C.joy D.confusion

3.Taken as a whole，the paragraph suggests that＿＿＿.

A.corruption in government is common

B.parents are cruel when they are hungry

C.children are naturally deceptive

D.circumstances influence behavior

Exercise 6

One application of the use of radioactive materials of particular interest to westerners，especially those who live near rivers，is radio cobalt.It is used to measure the depth of snow in the Sierra Nevadas.For some years，a group of cooperating agencies has taken measurements of the snow-pack throughout the range.This required trips on snowshoes and skis by snow surveyors.The radio cobalt station now being tested at the sierra Nevada Snow Laboratory may do away with most of this hard work.A tube of radio cobalt is placed at ground level and its signals are picked up by a detector directly above it.As snow piles up，the strength of the signal decreases with the quantity of water stored in the pack.Theoretically，a network of these installations would make it possible to keep an accurate record of the snow depth from one central station.

Questions：

1.Radio cobalt installations can help＿＿＿.

A.advise the public about skiing conditions

B.melt excessive snow depths

C.prevent major climate changes

D.predict possible spring floods

2.The paragraph suggests that＿＿＿.

A.cobalt is not dangerous

B.man is basically lazy

C.science is helpful to man

D.winters are mild in the Sierra Nevadas

3.The sentence，“As snow piles up，the strength of the signal decreases，...the pack，”infers that＿＿＿.

A.the radio signals will be weakest in March

B.mountain snows are unusually heavy and wet

C.no one really expects the system to work

D.the network might also record rainfall

Exercise 7

The development of Jamestown in Virginia during the second half of the seventeenth century，was closely related to the making and use of bricks.There are several reasons why bricks became important to the colony.Although the forests could initially supply sufficient timber，the process of lumbering was extremely difficult，particularly because of the lack of roads.Later，when the timber on the peninsula had been depleted，wood had to be brought from some distance.Building stone was also in short supply.However，as clay was plentiful，itwas inevitable that the colonists would turn to brick-making.

In addition to practical reasons for using brick as the principal construction material，there was also ideological reason.Brick represented durability and permanence.The Virginia Company of London instructed the colonists to build hospitals and new residence out of brick.In 1662，the Town Act of the Virginia Assembly provided for the construction of thirty-two brick buildings and prohibited the use of wood as a construction material.Had this law ever been successfully enforced，Jamestown would have been a model city.Instead，the residents failed to comply fully with the law，and by 1699 Jamestown had collapsed into a pile of rubble with only three or four habitable houses.

Questions：

1.It can be inferred from the passage that Jamestown was established on＿＿＿.

A.a rocky peninsula with a small forested area

B.a barren peninsula near other towns

C.an uninhabitable peninsula with few natural resources

D.a wooded peninsula with a clay soil

2.It can be inferred from the passage that settler who built with bricks in the 1600’s were＿＿＿.

A.planning to return to England

B.obeying the laws

C.not concerned about durability

D.interested in larger residences

3.It can be inferred that the Virginia assembly，by passing a law regarding building construction，hoped to＿＿＿.

A.increase the manufacture of bricks

B.prevent the destruction of trees in the area of Jamestown

C.establish a city that would be an example for the future

D.discourage people from settling in Jamestown

4.It can be inferred from the passage that prior to the action of the Virginia Company of London，Jamestown had insufficient number of＿＿＿.

A.colonists　　　 B.medical facilities

C.clay sources　　D.bricklayers

答案：

练习1：

1.C　　2.B，C　　3.B　　4.B，C　　5.B，D　　6.D　　7.B，C　　8.B，D　　9.A，C，D　　10.B

练习2：

Exercise 1

1.D　　2.B　　3.A

Exercise 2

1.A　　2.C　　3.B

Exercise 3

1.B　　2.D　　3.A

Exercise 4

1.C　　2.D　　3.D

Exercise 5

1.B　　2.C　　3.D

Exercise 6

1.D　　2.C　　3.A

Exercise 7

1.D　　2.B　　3.C　　4.B