高考英语阅读理解“指代推断”题研究

第九节　高考英语阅读理解“指代推断”题研究

在高考英语测试阅读理解部分，有一类以“refer to..”为标志的考题，常被叫作“指代理解”题^[26]，本节称其为“指代推断”题。此类考题要求考生通过阅读理解，推断出文中特定指代词所指代的对象。“指代”是一种非常普遍的语言现象，为了使行文简练，在文中使用一些替代词语来表示文中某处提到的人或事物（词或词语），以避免重复（吕吉尔，2008）。这些替代词语叫作指代词，指代词所指向的内容叫作指代对象，两者构成指代关系。本节就高考英语阅读测试^[27]中“指代推断”题展开专题研究，旨在找出该题型的命题规律和答题难点，提供相应的解题思路和对策，以帮助读者提高阅读理解的深度和准确性。

一、“指代推断”题的呈现形式

1.题干呈现形式

高考英语“指代推断”题的考题主要可归纳为以下一些表现形式。

The“..”in the nthparagraph refers to______.

In the nthparagraph，the underlined words“..”most probably refer to______.

In the nthparagraph，“..”refers to______.

In the nthparagraph，the underlined word“..”refers to______.

The underlined“..”（Paragraph n）refers to______.

The underlined part“..”（Paragraph n）refers to______.

The underlined part“..”in Paragraph nrefers to______.

The underlined word“..”refers to______.

The underlined word“..”in the last sentence of the nth paragraph refers to______.

The underlined word“..”in the last sentence refers to______.

The underlined word“..”（Paragraph n）refers to______.

The underlined word“..”in Paragraph nrefers to______.

The underlined word“..”in the nthparagraph refers to______.

The underlined words“..”in the nthparagraph refer to______.

The word“..”underlined in the nthparagraph refers to“______”.

What does the underlined word/phrase/part“..”（Paragraph n）refer to？

What does the word“..”underlined in the text/in the nthparagraph refer to？

（其中“..”表示被提问的指代词，“n”和“nth”分别表示指代词所在段落位置序号，“/”表示“或者”。）

2.指代词呈现形式

高考“指代推断”试题中被提问的指代词以人称代词或名词为主。典型举例如下。

What does the underlined word“it”in Paragraph 5refer to？（2008年辽宁卷D篇第70题）

What does the word“this”underlined in the last sentence refer to？（2007年安徽卷C篇第66题）

In the last paragraph，the underlined word“which”refers to______.（2006年陕西卷E篇第58题）

The underlined word“them”（Paragraph 3）most probably refers to______.（2008年浙江卷D篇第53题）

The underlined word“one”in the 3rd paragraph refers to______.（2004年全国卷ⅢC篇65题）

The underlined word“shorts”in Paragraph 4refers to______.（2008年山东卷A篇58题）

The underlined part“this tinyhuman”in Paragraph 2refers to______.（2006年湖南D篇第68题）

3.选项呈现形式

根据指代关系的特点，指代词总是指向指代对象，而能够被指代的对象一般包括人物、事物或行为。因此，高考“指代推断”题的备选项形式多以名词、名词性短语（名词＋修饰成分）或动名词短语的形式呈现。典型考题举例如下。

2008年陕西卷B篇第45题:

The underlined word“They”in the first paragraph refers to______.

A.beauties　　　B.photos　　　C.goods　　　D.events

2008年浙江卷D篇第53题:

The underlined word“them”（Paragraph 3）most probably refers to______.

A.heart attacks　　　　B.back problems

C.famous joggers　　　 D.physical weaknesses

2007年浙江卷E篇第59题:

What does the underlined phrase“this battle”（last paragraph）refer to？

A.The war between the boy’s parents.

B.The arguing between the boy and his mother.

C.The quarrel between the boy and his customers.

D.The fight between the boy and his father.

2002年全国卷A篇第57题:

What does the underlined word“it”（Paragraph 2）refer to？

A.Discovering the moon’s inner space.

B.Using the earth’s inner space.

C.Meeting the“moon people”again.

D.Traveling to outer space.

4.指代关系呈现形式

根据指代词与指代对象所处位置和指代方式的不同，指代关系呈现多种形式。

（1）前指和后指

根据指代词和指代对象呈现顺序的不同，指代关系可划分为前指和后指两种。指代对象出现在指代词出现之前称为“前指”，指代对象出现在指代词出现之后称为“后指”。例如:

Parents should stop blaming themselves because there’s not a lot they can do about it.I mean the teenager（十几岁的孩子）problem.Whatever you do or however you choose to deal with it，at certain times a wonderful，reasonable and helpful child will turn into a terrible animal.

I’ve seen friends deal with it in all kinds of different ways...（2005年安徽卷E篇）

文中三个代词it都指代the teenager problem。第一个it出现在指代对象之前，所以属于“后指”，后两个it均在指代对象之后，故为“前指”。

（2）句内指代和句间指代

根据指代词与指代对象所处位置的不同，指代关系可划分为句内指代和句间指代两种。指代词和指代对象出现在同一个句子中称为“句内指代”，指代词和指代对象不在同一个句子中称为“句间指代”。例如:

Dave rowed steadily ahead，relying of a mental picture of the surroundings.Then the mist began to rise，slowly.It soon rested inches above the still surface of the lake.The heavy silence was now being broken by the fish breaking through the surface as they leaped out of the water for low－flying insects.（2006年天津卷B篇）

文中画线单词It指代前面一句中的the mist，属于“句间指代”。画线单词they指代同一句中前面提到的the fish，属于“句内指代”。

（3）代词指代和词汇指代

根据指代词词类的不同，指代关系可划分为“代词指代”和“词汇指代”两种。顾名思义，以代词为指代词的指代关系称为“代词指代”，指代词为代词以外其他词类的指代关系称为“词汇指代”。例如:

The next day my dad pulled out his childhood pictures and told me quite a few stories about his own childhood.Although our times together became easier over the years，I never felt closer to him at that moment.After so many years，I’m at last seeing another side of my father.And in so doing，I’m delighted with mynew friend.My dad，in his mew home in Arizona，is back to me from where he was.（2008年全国I卷A篇）

段落中画线的him和my new friend均指向my dad，前者为“代词指代”，而后者则属于“词汇指代”。

二、“指代推断”题难点分析

虽然指代现象普遍存在，但多数指代关系直观易懂，不难理解。经过深入仔细的比较分析研究，高考英语阅读测试“指代推断”题中主要存在以下几种疑难现象。

1.分隔指代

指代关系大多存在于本句内部或相邻句子之间，但有时指代词与指代对象之间被别的句子分隔，无法在本句或相邻句子确定指代关系，这就是本节所谓的“分隔指代”。有时候，指代词与指代对象之间会相隔几个段落，很不容易找到所指对象，例如2006年湖南卷D篇。此类考题还有2005年安徽卷E篇，2004年湖南卷D篇等。分隔指代多为“前指”，在高考中出现频率不高。

典型实例（1）:2006年湖南卷D篇

The discovery of a dwarfed“human being”who lived in Flores，Indonesia，up to 18，000years ago is changing the way we think about the human family.This“Flores Human”was three foot tall and her brain was smaller than that of the average chimp.Yet she and her relatives apparently lived fully human lives.They seem to have made tools，worked together to find food and cook it，and perhaps even buried their dead with ceremony.

It was a major surprise to find tools associated with the new human family member.The tools are like those formerly seen only with European fossils from our own species，Homo sapiens；and the oldest of them were made 94，000years ago.Homo sapiens is thought to have arrived in the island about 40，000years ago，much too late to be responsible for the tools.If this tiny human made the tools，then the inside structure of its brain must have been more like our own than a chimp’s，despite being just a third the size of ours.

This“new human”was suspected to be a dwarfed ranch of Homo erectus（直立人）。When creatures are separated in regions with rare resources but few enemies，being big is a disadvantage，and evolution tends to shrink them，a process known as island dwarfing.Could natural selection make a human smaller while keeping—even improving—mental ability？Quite possibly，believes Christopher Wills of the University of California.

Has the“Flores Human”even shown the ability of language？“I find it difficult to imagine that people could make tools，use fire，and kill large animals without fairly advanced communication.”Wills says.Did“Flores Human”possess the basic components of human culture—such as the burying of the dead with ceremony？Emiliano Bruner of the Italian Institute points out that Indonesia’s hot，wet environment is bad for fossilization.It is reasonable to assume，he says，that the 18，000－year－old bones of the most complete Flores woman were well－preserved because she was buried with special care.68.The underlined part“this tinyhuman”in Paragraph 2refers to______.

A.a chimp　　　　　　B.Flores Human

C.Homo sapiens　　　 D.Homo erectus

从最后两句所表达的意思可看出this tiny human不是指Homo sapiens。从第1段可看出，也不是指a chimp。而语篇的主题涉及的是“Flores Human”，从第1段的They seem to have made tools和第2段的If this tiny human made the tools可以互相印证this tiny human指的是Flores human。正确答案为B。

2.链式指代

“链式指代”是一种比较复杂的句间指代现象。指代词指代一个名词，而被指代名词又进一步指代另一个更具体的词语，甚至句子，层层指代，形成一个指代链条。破解此类指代关系时要仔细耐心，“顺藤摸瓜”“一查到底”。高考中的例子有:2007年安徽卷C篇、2006年浙江卷D篇、2004年重庆卷A篇、2002年全国卷A篇、1999年全国卷B篇、1992年全国卷C篇等。

典型实例（2）:2002年全国卷A篇

In 1901，H.G.Wells，an English writer，wrote a book describing a trip to the moon.When the explorers（探险者）landed on the moon，they discovered that the moon was full of underground cities.They expressed their surprise to the“moon people”they met.In turn，the“moon people”expressed their surprise.“Why，”they asked，“are you traveling to outer space when you don’t even use your inner space？”

H.G.Wells could only imagine travel to the moon.In 1969，human beings really did land on the moon.People today know that there are no underground cities on the moon.However，the question that the“moon people”asked is still an interesting one.A growing number of scientists are seriously thinkingabout it.

Underground systems are already in place.Many cities have underground car parks.In some cities，such as Tokyo，Seoul and Montreal，there are large underground shopping areas.The“Chunnel”，a tunnel（隧道）connecting England and France，is now complete.

But what about underground cities？Japan’s Taisei Corporation is designing a network of underground systems，called“Alice Cities”.The designers imagine using surface space for public parks and using underground space for flats，offices，shopping，and so on.A solar dome（太阳能穹顶）would cover the whole city.

Supporters of underground development say that building down rather than building up is a good way to use the earth’s space.The surface，they say，can be used for farms，parks，gardens，and wilderness.H.G.Wells’“moon people”would agree.Would you？

57.What does the underlined word“it”（Paragraph 2）refer to？A.Discovering the moon’s inner space.B.Using the earth’s inner space.

C.Meeting the“moon people”again.

D.Traveling to outer space.

科学家认真考虑的显然是一个问题，而问题只有一个，那就是月球人所提出

的“为什么不利用地球内部空间”。由此可推定B为正确答案。

3.隐性指代

有的指代关系，或者说，有的指代词所指对象并没有在上下文中直接显现出来，而是隐含在字里行间，需要读者去体会、推理、判断。由于代词指代往往有比较明确指代对象，所以“隐性指代”多为词汇指代。此类指代现象是“指代推断”题中最难的一种，而且出现频率较高，例如:2008年四川卷E篇、山东卷A篇、湖北卷D篇；2007年浙江卷E篇；2005年全国II卷C篇、山东卷A篇；2004年浙江卷B篇、D篇，全国III卷B篇、天津卷B篇等。

典型实例（3）:2008年四川卷E篇

At a certain time in our lives we consider every place as the possible sites

（地点）for a house.I have thus searched the country within a dozen miles of where I live.In imagination I have bought all the farms，one after another，and I knew their prices.

The nearest thing that I came to actual ownership was when I bought the Hollowell place.But before the owner completed the sale with me，his wife changed her mind and wished to keep it，and he offered me additional dollars to return the farm to him.However，I let him keep the additional dollars and sold him the farm for just what I gave for it.

The real attraction of the Hollowell farm to me were its position，being about two miles from the village，half a mile from the nearest neighbor，bounded（相邻）on one side by the river，and separated from the highway by a wide field.The poor condition of the house and fences showed that it hadn’t been used for some time.I remembered from my earliest trip up the river that the house used to be hidden behind a forest area，and I was in a hurry to buy it before the owner finished getting out some rocks，cutting down the apple trees，and clearing away some young trees which had grown up in the fields.I wanted to buy it before he made any more of his improvements.But it turned out as I have said.

I was not really troubled bythe loss.I had always had a garden，but I don’t think I was ready for a large farm.I believe that as long as possible it is better to live free and uncommitted（无牵挂的）.It makes but little difference whether you own a farm or not.54.The underlined words“the loss”in the last paragraph refer to______.

A.the money the author lost in buying the farm

B.the sale of the garden in the Hollowell place

C.the removal of the trees around the house

D.the failure to possess the Hollowell place

从上文可以看出，本文作者非常想拥有Hollowell农场，因为这个地方有诸多吸引作者之处。但由于农场主妻子改变了主意，导致作者不得不将已经购得的农场退还给农场主。由此可见作者所言的the loss是指没能拥有Hollowell农场这件事。正确答案为D。

三、指代规律及解题策略

1.“指代”的若干规律

虽然学界对指代现象的表现规律尚无定论，但指代中存在一些普遍性的规律却是不争的事实。

规律1:从句中往往用代词主语指代主句的名词主语或宾语等。例如:

Computer and video systems，for example，could be used by professional dog trainers to determine the mood of dogs that they were required to approach.（2007年福建卷E篇）

代词they前面的that引导定语从句，其先行词是dogs，可见that代表dogs。既然they被要求接近dogs，they不可能指代dogs。因此they应该指代professional dog trainers，因为他们需要经常接近dogs。而计算机和视频系统只是为trainers提供了确定dogs心情的手段，而这一方法则是研究人员通过实验发现的。

规律2:前指时，后句的代词主语常常指代前句的名词主语或宾语等。后指时，则相反。例如:

The scientists’next research job was clear:Find out what in the fish’s blood kept it from freezing.Their search led to some really strange thing made up of a protein（蛋白质）never before seen in the blood of a fish.When it was removed，the blood froze at seawater temperature.When it was put back，the blood again had its antifreeze quality and a lowered freezing point.（2008年辽宁卷D篇）

科学家的研究目的是找到鱼血中有什么东西起到了抗冻的作用，结果发现鱼血中有一种前所未见的蛋白质，它的存在与否起到了决定性的作用，可见it指代的就是前句中提到protein。

Parents should stop blaming themselves because there’s not a lot they can do about it.I mean the teenager（十几岁的孩子）problem.Whatever you do or however you choose to deal with it，at certain times a wonderful，reasonable and helpful child will turn into a terrible animal.（2005年安徽卷E篇）

前句画线代词it指代后句中的名词宾语the teenager problem。

规律3:两个及物动词共有同一宾语时，前一动词用名词宾语，后一动词用代词宾语。例如:

First of all，jogging is very hard on the body.Your legs and feet a real pounding（追击）ruining down a road for two or three miles.I developed foot，leg，and back problems.Then I read about a nationally famous jogger who died of a heart attack while jogging，and I had something else to worry about.Jogging doesn’t kill hundreds of people，but if you have any physical weaknesses，jogging will surely bringthem out，as they did with me.（2008年浙江卷D篇）

前面动词have以名词physical weaknesses为宾语，后面动词bring则以代词them为宾语。

指代关系的呈现规律远不止这些，有待进一步研究。

2.解题策略

策略1:“中心拓展”法

识别指代关系的关键是找准指代对象的位置。多数情况下，指代对象离指代词不会相隔很远，尤其是在后指关系中，指代对象往往离指代词比较接近，大多可“就近”找到指代对象。因此，以指代词为中心，向前或向后逐步扩大寻找范围，直至找到正确的指代对象。在“分隔指代”中，指代对象与指代词相隔较远，无形中给识别带来了困难。理清人物或事物之间的逻辑关系是关键所在。可循上下文逐步扩展寻找指代对象的范围，最终根据语义和逻辑关系确定指代对象。分隔指代大多为前指。

策略2:“对象代入”法

既然指代词代替的是指代对象，那么，把担任指代对象的词语代入句子中指代词所在的位置，句子应该照样成立，意义不变。反之，则说明该词语不是指代词所指代的对象，即可排除该选项。这一方法应该适用于所有“显性”指代关系（除隐性指代以外）。具体而言，指代词与指代对象在语句中的表现形式上应该符合句子成分的一致，数量概念的一致，和语义逻辑的一致等，否则就不可能是正确答案。

策略3:“语义串联”法

对于一些复杂的指代现象，比如“链式指代”，其指代词与最终指代对象之间常常有别的词语作为过渡，这一“过渡”词语本身既担任指代对象，又担任指代词，同时具有双重身份。识别此类指代关系的要领是理清各指代成分之间的语义关系，形成一条正确的语义链，从而“顺藤摸瓜”将终极指代对象找出来，这样问题就会迎刃而解。

策略4:“逻辑推理”法

在有些指代现象中，例如“隐性指代”（在高考试题中比较多见），其指代对象并没有直接在字面上显露出来，而是隐含在字里行间，这给正确理解和识别指代关系造成了相当的困难。在这种情况下，可以通过仔细分析上下文语境，理顺人物或事物之间的语义关系，再结合考题所提供的备选项进行合乎逻辑的推理，真正的指代对象还是可以被挖掘出来的。正确的逻辑思维能力和判断能力是破解此类考题的钥匙。

指代现象在任何语言中都普遍存在。相对而言，英语使用指代词的频率要高于汉语。语篇中的指代关系多种多样，虽然难以识别的指代关系不在多数，但对于阅读理解而言，有一个指代关系不搞清楚就会影响对整个语篇的正确理解。而正确识别指代关系的能力是阅读理解能力的重要组成部分，对正确、深刻理解语篇含义有着直接的影响。由此可见，正确理解指代关系在阅读理解中举足轻重，不可等闲视之。