六级变相考查阅读理解--简短回答
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阅读理解
大学英语四六级考试，自1992年1月到1999年6月连续3年出现了一种新题型--简短回答题(short answer question)。此类题一般被安排在阅读理解之后。一方面考查考生的短文阅读能力，另一方面是侧重考核考生的书面表达能力。此类题型出现后，一些考生不太适应，往往是束手无策，结果在此题的得分率较低。鉴于此，我们通过近几年六篇简答短文及三十道试题的深入研究、总结、归纳简短回答题的命题倾向，并向考生提供各种相应的应试技巧。
一、简答题与阅读理解题的异同
这两类题型，既有相同点，又有各自的特点。相同点都是对短文材料进行阅读，并要理解内容。因此，阅读能力的培养，贵在平时。四六级英语考试，是一难度较大级别较高的测试，其阅读材料一般来源于英语国家主要是美国当代作品，其中又以报刊杂志为主。因此，建议考生平时一定要看看《新闻周刊》(Newsweek)、《时代周刊》(Time)和《商业周刊》(Businessweek)等。只有在阅读好，理解好短文材料基础上，才谈得上应试技巧。不同点在于，简答题主要是考查学生语言组织能力和表达能力，它要求学生用简短的词组或句子回答提问或补充完整句子，而阅读理解题是在四个选项中作出唯一正确地选择。它有三个干扰项，考生易被干扰项引入歧途。因此，我们研究真题后发现，简答题虽说表面上量大而且要求宽，但其实质却是降低了考试难度。因此，考生对这种新题型不必担忧。只要考生掌握了下面的应试技巧，在平时稍加注意，此题得分率必将提高。
二、命题倾向剖析及应试技巧
近三年简答题主要考三种题型：主旨大意题、事实细节题、推理题，而以事实细节题考得最多(约70%)。
1、主旨大意题
此类题型在三年中考得较少。做此类题要求考生用最简洁而又内涵丰富的词或短语高度概括文章的中心思想。许多考生的难处是短文看懂了，中心意思也知道，就是不知如何表达出来。此时，考生关键是找到主题句，通过对主题句进行"手术"，就能找到最佳答案。而主题句通常都在段首或段末，有时是一疑问句或一简单句，且具有语法上的独立性。关键词有“in short”、“in my opinion”、“that is”、“therefore”、“I believe/suggest/think”、 “in fact”等。
例(1)What is the passage mainly about? (1997年1月六级简答真题)
分析：文章相信大多数考生都能看懂，主要讲美国的偷车现象及其解决办法。考生阅读完毕，很容易发现几个关键句子，如Vehicle, theft is a common phenomenon, which has a direct impact on over four million victims a year. How can you protect your car?
考生对这两个句子进行巧妙裁剪、嫁接，就能做许多满意答案，如(1)Vehicle theft and security systme in U.S. (2) Car thefts in the U.S.A. (3)Theft of Car. (4) Stolen-vehicle phonomenon and solution等。这些答案中关键词都可以在主题句或原文中找到，考生的技巧是如何把它们很好地结合起来。一些考生不擅此道，而在那苦思冥想，总想找个新鲜词或另外的短语来表达，结果浪费时间，甚至表达错误。
例(2) Apart from personal preferences, what determines one’s choice of the media and media content? (1998年6月六级题S4)
(分析：文中第三段首句即点明主旨：Quite a different sort of factor that affects your media experiences is the social context of exposure. 故答案为the social context of exposure)
2、 事实细节题
此类题型是简答题考查最多题型，考查形式多样，下面一一剖析。
(1)描述性题目能直接从原文中找到答案。此类细节题答案一般是句子谓语或宾语等主干成分，考生略做变化即能写出答案。
例(1)How serious did the author predict the annual vehicle theft could be in the United States in 1989? (1997年1月六有题73)
(分析:答好此题的关键，是考生一定要看到课文中的一句话，即：
In 1987, ……If current trends continue, experts predict annual vehicle thefts could exceed two million by the end of the decade.
前面提到了1987，可知the end of the decade指80年代末，即1989年；exceed two million 是关键词。因此答案可以为：Over two million vehicles could be stolen.)
例(2) What belief about pet behavior was unacceptable to experts of animals behavior? (1997年7月六级简答题S4)
(分析：此题答案在短文最后一段第二、第三句话中就能直接找到。In short, do household pets really have a mental and emotional life? Their owners think so, but until recently, animal-behavior experts would have gone mad on hearing such a question. 此两句话中，前一句"have a mental and emotional life"是关键词句，后一句话："have gone mad"表示动物专家的态度，"such a question"指前一句话内容。考生找到这些关键词句，答案就出来了：That animals have a mental and emotional life.)
例(3)What type of security system can help the police track down a stolen car? (1997年1月六级题75)
(分析：此题属叙述、描述性事实细节题，短文最后一句提供了答案：In some states, you may be able to use a device that transmits radio signals, allowing stolen cars to be tracked by police. 句中"allowing stolen cars to be tracked by police" 和题干中"help the police track down a stolen car"意义相近，只是句式、用词作了变换，"transmits radio signals"是关键词，故答案：The transimitting radio signals.)
(2)因果型的题目短文中能直接找到原因或结果。通常表原因的关键词有：for that reason, for, as, because, since, as a result of, owing to, thanks to等。表结果的关键词有：as a result, therefore, consequently, thus, accordingly, so。考生阅读时要注意这些词后面的内容。
例(1)Why are newspaper considered as an important medium according to the passage? (1998年6月六级简答题S2)
(分析：此题用why来提问，短文中似乎没有because……回应句。但考生在第一段应该会看到这样一句话：Of all the media, television is clearly dominant, with newspapers a close second, at least as a source of news and other information. 此句中直接谈到"newpapers"的作用"as a source of news and other information"，as是重要标志，因而题干答案即为：Because they are a source of news and other information.
例(2)Why was it easy for boats to tumble over in the Colorado? (1998年1月六级简答题S2)
(分析：此题在短文第一段中没有出现任何表因果关系的连词，但文中有两处关键的话，即，all of us naturally set aside any pretenses(矫饰) and put out backs into ever stroke to keep the boat from tumbling over. <此处考生要知道keep … from … 之意，防止…被…>，……working together to cope with the unpredictable twists and turns of the river. 前一句话暗示出小船极易"tumble over"，后一句话表明河流有："the unpredictable twists and turns"，故答案为：Because the rivers is full of twists and turns.)
(3)范例型题目：需要概括答案的。表示举例的关键词有：for example, such …as, for instance, that is, as follow等。考生对这些词后面的内容要注意。
例(1)For one reasons or another, people’s exposure to the media is often _______. (1998年6月六级简答题3)
(分析：此题文中第二段首句就突出了主题：There are various factors that can cause you to expose yourself to the media selectively, ……. 然后指出原因：…… is probably due to the psychological pressure …. However, … but to other factors, such as….考生只要找到"selectively"、"due to …"、"other factors"、"such as"等词，就能够填完题干句，即 … is often selective and influenced by different factors.)
例(2) What caused the sharp conflict in the GM plant in the late 1970s? (1998年1月六级简答题S4)
(分析：此题的答案需要从文中所举例子前后经过的描述中才能概括出来。文中用For example道出事情经过：For example, in the late 1970s a General Motor plant in Fremont, Calif, was the scene of constant warefare between labor and management. Distrust ran so high that the labor contract was hundreds of pages of tricky legal terms. ……关键词有"Distrust"、"high"、"tricky"。此外，上一段"the teamwork is the key to making dreams come ture"也很重要，因为所举例子是论证此观点的，故考生可概括出答案：Distrust and lack of teamwork)
(4)对照比较型题目：对照比较目的在于所涉及的两个事物之间的不同或相似之处,进而说明主题.表对照的关键词有：however、nevertheless、in contrast、 on the other hand、but、yet、while等。表比较的词有：likewise、in the same way、as if、as等。
例(1) Developing children’s self-confidence helps bring them up to be _______ (1999年1月六级简答题S5)
(分析：此题答案在短文最后一句能直接找到。Giving children the opportunity to develop new resources, to enlarge their horizons and discover the pleasures of doing things on their own is, on the other hand, a way to help children develop a confident feeling about themselves as capable and intersting people. 句中on the other hand表对照，暗示出与前面相反的结果，故答案为：capable and interesting people)
一、简答题与阅读理解题的异同
这两类题型，既有相同点，又有各自的特点。相同点都是对短文材料进行阅读，并要理解内容。因此，阅读能力的培养，贵在平时。四六级英语考试，是一难度较大级别较高的测试，其阅读材料一般来源于英语国家主要是美国当代作品，其中又以报刊杂志为主。因此，建议考生平时一定要看看《新闻周刊》(Newsweek)、《时代周刊》(Time)和《商业周刊》(Businessweek)等。只有在阅读好，理解好短文材料基础上，才谈得上应试技巧。不同点在于，简答题主要是考查学生语言组织能力和表达能力，它要求学生用简短的词组或句子回答提问或补充完整句子，而阅读理解题是在四个选项中作出唯一正确地选择。它有三个干扰项，考生易被干扰项引入歧途。因此，我们研究真题后发现，简答题虽说表面上量大而且要求宽，但其实质却是降低了考试难度。因此，考生对这种新题型不必担忧。只要考生掌握了下面的应试技巧，在平时稍加注意，此题得分率必将提高。
二、命题倾向剖析及应试技巧
近三年简答题主要考三种题型：主旨大意题、事实细节题、推理题，而以事实细节题考得最多(约70%)。
1、主旨大意题
此类题型在三年中考得较少。做此类题要求考生用最简洁而又内涵丰富的词或短语高度概括文章的中心思想。许多考生的难处是短文看懂了，中心意思也知道，就是不知如何表达出来。此时，考生关键是找到主题句，通过对主题句进行"手术"，就能找到最佳答案。而主题句通常都在段首或段末，有时是一疑问句或一简单句，且具有语法上的独立性。关键词有“in short”、“in my opinion”、“that is”、“therefore”、“I believe/suggest/think”、 “in fact”等。
例(1)What is the passage mainly about? (1997年1月六级简答真题)
分析：文章相信大多数考生都能看懂，主要讲美国的偷车现象及其解决办法。考生阅读完毕，很容易发现几个关键句子，如Vehicle, theft is a common phenomenon, which has a direct impact on over four million victims a year. How can you protect your car?
考生对这两个句子进行巧妙裁剪、嫁接，就能做许多满意答案，如(1)Vehicle theft and security systme in U.S. (2) Car thefts in the U.S.A. (3)Theft of Car. (4) Stolen-vehicle phonomenon and solution等。这些答案中关键词都可以在主题句或原文中找到，考生的技巧是如何把它们很好地结合起来。一些考生不擅此道，而在那苦思冥想，总想找个新鲜词或另外的短语来表达，结果浪费时间，甚至表达错误。
例(2) Apart from personal preferences, what determines one’s choice of the media and media content? (1998年6月六级题S4)
(分析：文中第三段首句即点明主旨：Quite a different sort of factor that affects your media experiences is the social context of exposure. 故答案为the social context of exposure)
2、 事实细节题
此类题型是简答题考查最多题型，考查形式多样，下面一一剖析。
(1)描述性题目能直接从原文中找到答案。此类细节题答案一般是句子谓语或宾语等主干成分，考生略做变化即能写出答案。
例(1)How serious did the author predict the annual vehicle theft could be in the United States in 1989? (1997年1月六有题73)
(分析:答好此题的关键，是考生一定要看到课文中的一句话，即：
In 1987, ……If current trends continue, experts predict annual vehicle thefts could exceed two million by the end of the decade.
前面提到了1987，可知the end of the decade指80年代末，即1989年；exceed two million 是关键词。因此答案可以为：Over two million vehicles could be stolen.)
例(2) What belief about pet behavior was unacceptable to experts of animals behavior? (1997年7月六级简答题S4)
(分析：此题答案在短文最后一段第二、第三句话中就能直接找到。In short, do household pets really have a mental and emotional life? Their owners think so, but until recently, animal-behavior experts would have gone mad on hearing such a question. 此两句话中，前一句"have a mental and emotional life"是关键词句，后一句话："have gone mad"表示动物专家的态度，"such a question"指前一句话内容。考生找到这些关键词句，答案就出来了：That animals have a mental and emotional life.)
例(3)What type of security system can help the police track down a stolen car? (1997年1月六级题75)
(分析：此题属叙述、描述性事实细节题，短文最后一句提供了答案：In some states, you may be able to use a device that transmits radio signals, allowing stolen cars to be tracked by police. 句中"allowing stolen cars to be tracked by police" 和题干中"help the police track down a stolen car"意义相近，只是句式、用词作了变换，"transmits radio signals"是关键词，故答案：The transimitting radio signals.)
(2)因果型的题目短文中能直接找到原因或结果。通常表原因的关键词有：for that reason, for, as, because, since, as a result of, owing to, thanks to等。表结果的关键词有：as a result, therefore, consequently, thus, accordingly, so。考生阅读时要注意这些词后面的内容。
例(1)Why are newspaper considered as an important medium according to the passage? (1998年6月六级简答题S2)
(分析：此题用why来提问，短文中似乎没有because……回应句。但考生在第一段应该会看到这样一句话：Of all the media, television is clearly dominant, with newspapers a close second, at least as a source of news and other information. 此句中直接谈到"newpapers"的作用"as a source of news and other information"，as是重要标志，因而题干答案即为：Because they are a source of news and other information.
例(2)Why was it easy for boats to tumble over in the Colorado? (1998年1月六级简答题S2)
(分析：此题在短文第一段中没有出现任何表因果关系的连词，但文中有两处关键的话，即，all of us naturally set aside any pretenses(矫饰) and put out backs into ever stroke to keep the boat from tumbling over. <此处考生要知道keep … from … 之意，防止…被…>，……working together to cope with the unpredictable twists and turns of the river. 前一句话暗示出小船极易"tumble over"，后一句话表明河流有："the unpredictable twists and turns"，故答案为：Because the rivers is full of twists and turns.)
(3)范例型题目：需要概括答案的。表示举例的关键词有：for example, such …as, for instance, that is, as follow等。考生对这些词后面的内容要注意。
例(1)For one reasons or another, people’s exposure to the media is often _______. (1998年6月六级简答题3)
(分析：此题文中第二段首句就突出了主题：There are various factors that can cause you to expose yourself to the media selectively, ……. 然后指出原因：…… is probably due to the psychological pressure …. However, … but to other factors, such as….考生只要找到"selectively"、"due to …"、"other factors"、"such as"等词，就能够填完题干句，即 … is often selective and influenced by different factors.)
例(2) What caused the sharp conflict in the GM plant in the late 1970s? (1998年1月六级简答题S4)
(分析：此题的答案需要从文中所举例子前后经过的描述中才能概括出来。文中用For example道出事情经过：For example, in the late 1970s a General Motor plant in Fremont, Calif, was the scene of constant warefare between labor and management. Distrust ran so high that the labor contract was hundreds of pages of tricky legal terms. ……关键词有"Distrust"、"high"、"tricky"。此外，上一段"the teamwork is the key to making dreams come ture"也很重要，因为所举例子是论证此观点的，故考生可概括出答案：Distrust and lack of teamwork)
(4)对照比较型题目：对照比较目的在于所涉及的两个事物之间的不同或相似之处,进而说明主题.表对照的关键词有：however、nevertheless、in contrast、 on the other hand、but、yet、while等。表比较的词有：likewise、in the same way、as if、as等。
例(1) Developing children’s self-confidence helps bring them up to be _______ (1999年1月六级简答题S5)
(分析：此题答案在短文最后一句能直接找到。Giving children the opportunity to develop new resources, to enlarge their horizons and discover the pleasures of doing things on their own is, on the other hand, a way to help children develop a confident feeling about themselves as capable and intersting people. 句中on the other hand表对照，暗示出与前面相反的结果，故答案为：capable and interesting people)