胡敏教授解密考研閱讀命題與對策
節(jié)選自胡敏編著《考研英語閱讀理解高分寶典》
閱讀理解題命題原則與應(yīng)試對策考生在復(fù)習(xí)備考時(shí)，會發(fā)現(xiàn)研究生英語試卷的
閱讀理解部分雖只有20道題，分?jǐn)?shù)值卻占總分的40%，而這一部分正是考生的難
點(diǎn)所在，所以能否在閱讀理解這一部分取得理想的成績，就成為考研英語成功
的關(guān)鍵所在。如何突破閱讀難關(guān)?怎樣迅速提高閱讀水平?能否找到一些切實(shí)可
行的應(yīng)試規(guī)律?面對考生提出的這些迫切的問題，筆者仔細(xì)研究了歷年考題，結(jié)
合自己多年的教學(xué)經(jīng)驗(yàn)，針對考研考試大綱所考核閱讀理解能力的八條要求，
并分析回顧歷年考研閱讀理解題目的大致規(guī)律，總結(jié)歸納出考研閱讀理解應(yīng)試
的十二大原則，希望能為正在求學(xué)之路上辛苦求索的學(xué)子們助一臂之力。
《英語考試大綱》在閱讀部分要求考生能夠讀懂不同類型的文字材料（生詞量
不超過所讀材料總詞匯量的3％)，包括信函、書刊和雜志上的文章，還應(yīng)能讀
懂與本人學(xué)習(xí)或工作有關(guān)的文獻(xiàn)、技術(shù)說明和產(chǎn)品介紹等。根據(jù)所讀材料，考
生應(yīng)能：
1． 理解主旨要義；
2． 理解文中的具體信息；
3． 理解文中的概念性含義；
4． 進(jìn)行有關(guān)的判斷、推理和引申；
5． 根據(jù)上下文推測生詞的詞義；
6． 理解文章的總體結(jié)構(gòu)以及單句之間、段落之間的關(guān)系；
7． 理解作者的意圖、觀點(diǎn)或態(tài)度；
8． 區(qū)分論點(diǎn)和論據(jù)。
基于對歷年考題閱讀部分的總體分析和對2005年考試閱讀部分的預(yù)測，筆者建
議考生在復(fù)習(xí)時(shí)注意把握以下幾點(diǎn)：
1.注重從總體把握文章，掌握作者的主要論點(diǎn)，把握文中的重要信息。拿到一
篇文章，不要急于做題，而是要先判斷文章的體裁和內(nèi)容，從而縮小理解范
圍。例如議論文中，作者一定會提出自己的觀點(diǎn)并加以解釋和說明，考生就應(yīng)
準(zhǔn)備去理解作者如何闡述觀點(diǎn)。把握文章大意，可以從理解段落大意著手，找
到段落的主題句，主題句一般位于段首或段尾。文章的作者一般都會直接或間
接地表達(dá)自己的觀點(diǎn)和傾向，許多作者會通過主題句來表達(dá)自己的論點(diǎn)，或是
間接地把自己的觀點(diǎn)在關(guān)鍵詞或行文的字里行間體現(xiàn)出來，考生要有意訓(xùn)練自
己在這方面的能力。
2.注重了解句與句、段與段之間的關(guān)系，特別是文章中的轉(zhuǎn)折關(guān)系，學(xué)會利用
上下文進(jìn)行必要的判斷、推理和引申。只有掌握句段之間的關(guān)系，才能摸清作
者深層思路上的邏輯關(guān)系。從句子與句子，段落與段落之間的過渡可以讀出作
者整個的思路及論證過程，才能做出正確的推理、判斷或引申。平時(shí)訓(xùn)練時(shí)，
考生應(yīng)多注意一些過渡詞。
3.積極擴(kuò)展詞匯量，注意動詞和名詞，訓(xùn)練理解一些難句、復(fù)雜句。擴(kuò)展詞匯
量的目的是避免詞匯的欠缺造成理解的失誤。動詞作為語句結(jié)構(gòu)的樞紐，意義
重大，可以幫助考生理解作者的思想意圖，而名詞常常是關(guān)于事實(shí)的，細(xì)節(jié)題
�？嫉膬�(nèi)容多與名詞有關(guān)。難句和復(fù)雜句多是具有深層含義的，學(xué)會解讀難
句、復(fù)雜句須從其結(jié)構(gòu)入手。考生應(yīng)抓住難句、復(fù)雜句的主干，找出主要信息
和深層含義。
4.閱讀時(shí)注意速度和解題順序。建議考生先快后慢、先易后難，先略讀文章，
總體上把握，再細(xì)讀搜尋答案，先解決容易的事實(shí)題再做較難的考深層含義的
題。
5.多閱讀時(shí)效性比較強(qiáng)的英美報(bào)刊文章。在歷年的考研閱讀文章中，時(shí)文占到
相當(dāng)大的比例。在備考初期就應(yīng)當(dāng)注意擴(kuò)大知識面，并熟悉此類文章的內(nèi)容、
語言風(fēng)格和篇章結(jié)構(gòu)。
一、 應(yīng)試總則
翻開考研英語試卷的閱讀部分，考生首先應(yīng)當(dāng)掌握的最基本的應(yīng)試總則可以概
括為12個字：文章思路、圈點(diǎn)到位、重疊原文。事實(shí)上這12個字已經(jīng)概括了閱
讀解題的全部過程。
第一步“文章思路”是指考生首先應(yīng)對文章總體的思路和結(jié)構(gòu)有一個大概的了
解，先不要急于去讀題目，而是應(yīng)當(dāng)將文章從頭到尾看一遍，弄清楚文章的中
心意思，這一遍閱讀的目的并不是要立即找到答題所需要的信息點(diǎn)。在閱讀的
時(shí)候還要有主次之分，文章的第一段是文章的靈魂和核心，也應(yīng)當(dāng)是第一遍閱
讀的重點(diǎn)所在�？忌M量將第一段的每一句話都理解透徹，因?yàn)檎莆樟说谝?BR>段，就已經(jīng)基本了解掌握了整篇文章的內(nèi)容，至于其他的段落可以加快速度，
看得懂就看，看不懂就暫時(shí)跳過去，在不懂的地方做出記號，留待以后解決。
讀完文章并理清思路后就可以接著閱讀試題，命題專家在設(shè)計(jì)考卷時(shí)，題目排
列的次序與文章的布局基本是相吻合的，也就是說題目所需要的信息點(diǎn)在文章
中應(yīng)當(dāng)是按順序出現(xiàn)的，這一點(diǎn)對于基礎(chǔ)差的考生相當(dāng)重要，因?yàn)榭忌耆?BR>以根據(jù)每篇文章題目的題干來推測文章大致的內(nèi)容和思路。 有些考生在把
握文章思路時(shí)常常會陷入困境，他們雖然也從頭到尾把文章讀了一遍，但還是
搞不清文章到底在講什么。如何掃清閱讀理解中出現(xiàn)的盲點(diǎn)?筆者建議考生在第
一遍閱讀時(shí)注意以下幾點(diǎn)：
1. 文章中有些信息可以忽略，例如有關(guān)職務(wù)、頭銜、社會地位等補(bǔ)充性
說明；
2. 第一遍閱讀時(shí)，可暫時(shí)不管句中破折號后所提供的旁支信息；
3. 復(fù)雜的難句看清主、謂、賓即可，其他輔助信息除非與解題有關(guān)，否
則亦可暫時(shí)不管；
4. 上下文中平行對稱的地方經(jīng)常內(nèi)容相同，所以這些互相對照的內(nèi)容也
可幫助考生消除盲點(diǎn)；
5. 做題時(shí)應(yīng)注意：因?yàn)槊}時(shí)要求選項(xiàng)部分的語言難度要低于文章語言
的難度，所以讀懂選項(xiàng)的語言常會幫助考生正確理解文章的內(nèi)容。
第二步“圈點(diǎn)到位”，是就審題而言，實(shí)質(zhì)上就是要求考生審題到位，弄清楚
題目針對文章的什么內(nèi)容提問。考生在讀完題目后通常會返回到文章里去尋找
答案，這時(shí)又會出現(xiàn)另一種情況，有些考生文章都看懂了，可就是找不到答案
在哪里。出現(xiàn)這種情況的根本原因是考生沒有審清題意，沒有弄清楚題目要求
考生在文章中尋找什么信息，因?yàn)榻^大部分題目是針對文章的具體內(nèi)容提問。
所以只要考生審題到位，返回原文搜索答案時(shí)，即可圈點(diǎn)出相應(yīng)的內(nèi)容，從而
縮小尋找范圍，大大提高正確率。2000年考研試題的20道閱讀題中只有4道題目
(3道主旨題，1道判斷題)無法依據(jù)題干語言在原文中圈點(diǎn)，其他的16道題目均
可根據(jù)題干命題語言在文中圈點(diǎn)出相應(yīng)的內(nèi)容，答案基本就在所圈語句的附
近。所以只要能在掌握文章思路的基礎(chǔ)上做到“圈點(diǎn)到位”，基本上所有的閱
讀題目都可以迎刃而解，特別是具體的細(xì)節(jié)題，可以說是手到擒來。
第三步“重疊原文”，即完成題目之后檢查所找到的答案是否正確。設(shè)計(jì)閱讀
題時(shí)，選項(xiàng)通常是這樣四種情況，假設(shè)選項(xiàng)內(nèi)容是一個圓，文章內(nèi)容也是一個
圓，第一種情況是兩者相距甚遠(yuǎn)，根本沒有相交的地方，內(nèi)容完全不一樣，這
種選項(xiàng)很容易就被排除掉；第二種情況是這兩個圓相切，即只有很小一部分互
相聯(lián)系，但會有一部分考生選這個選項(xiàng)，因?yàn)檫x項(xiàng)的內(nèi)容文中有所提及，有一
定的迷惑性；第三種情況是這兩個圓相交，有大部分內(nèi)容重疊，考生往往會選
擇這種選項(xiàng)。較之前者，這種情況的迷惑性更大，也是最危險(xiǎn)的干擾項(xiàng)；但只
有符合第四種情況，即兩個圓完全重合、內(nèi)容完全相符的選項(xiàng)才是正確答案。
因此在檢查時(shí)，考生要做的就是把所選的選項(xiàng)與文章中相應(yīng)的內(nèi)容做比較，看
其是否能與原文重疊。
在判斷選項(xiàng)是否能重疊原文時(shí)，考生常常也會感到迷惑，無法判斷選項(xiàng)是否與
原文內(nèi)容完全重疊，這是因?yàn)槊}專家在設(shè)計(jì)考題時(shí)會使用一些語言來迷惑考
生，從而測試考生的英語水平和閱讀能力。一般說來，事實(shí)上命題專家最常用
的有四種方式：“語言簡化”、“反話正說”、“正話反說”和“關(guān)鍵詞替
換”。
“語言簡化”是命題專家命題使用語言時(shí)所必須遵守的總則。在設(shè)置選項(xiàng)時(shí)，
四個選項(xiàng)的長度及句法不應(yīng)有太大差異，而選項(xiàng)所使用的語言難度必須低于文
章本身的難度。這一點(diǎn)對考生大有幫助，因?yàn)榭忌梢岳眠x項(xiàng)來理解文章。
這一原則幾乎在所有的閱讀試題中都有所體現(xiàn)，故此筆者在這里就不再列舉。
“反話正說”的命題方式是指選項(xiàng)用肯定的方式來表述文中用否定方式所表述
的內(nèi)容。僅在2000年的考研試卷中，就有四道題目采用了這種命題方式。
例
“Few Americans attribute this solely to such obvious causes as a
devalued dollar or the turning of the business cycle.”
The author seems to believe the revival of the U.S. economy in the
1990s can be attributed to the.
［A］ turning of the business cycle
［B］ restructuring of industry
［C］ improved business management
［D］ success in education［2000年54題］
A［正確答案］
第三種常用的命題方式“正話反說”，是指文中用肯定方式表述，而選項(xiàng)用否
定方式表述，兩者意義相吻合。這一命題方式在近年的試卷中也可找到例證。
例
How many men would have considered the possibility of an apple
falling up into the tree? Newton did because he was not trying to
predict anything. He was just wondering. His mind was ready for the
unpredictable. Unpredictability is part of the essential nature of
research. If you don't have unpredictable things, you don't have
research. Scientists tend to forget this when writing their cut and
dried reports for the technical journals, but history is filled with
examples of it.
The author asserts that scientists.
［A］shouldn't replace “scientific method” with imaginative thought
［B］shouldn't neglect to speculate on unpredictable things
［C］should write more concise reports for technical journals
［D］should be confident about their research findings［1999年第68
題］
B［正確答案］
“關(guān)鍵詞替換”是出現(xiàn)最頻繁的命題方式，幾乎每年都有一些用這種方式設(shè)置
的題目。
例
This speeding up of life, says the Futurist, receives a new form of
expression.
Futurists claim that we must.
［A］ increase the production of literature
［B］ use poetry to relieve modern stress
［C］ develop new modes of expression
［D］ avoid using adjectives and verbs［2000年61題］
C［正確答案］
命題專家常常采用“語言簡化”、“反話正說”、“正話反說”、“關(guān)鍵詞替
換”這四種方式設(shè)置考題，對考生進(jìn)行干擾。考生在了解這些方式后，就可以
反其道而行之，利用這四種命題方式來檢查所選選項(xiàng)是否與原文重疊。
總則中筆者介紹了考研閱讀理解應(yīng)試的基本步驟，下面將就具體題型提出相應(yīng)
的應(yīng)試原則。
二、 主題原則
主旨題型又叫主題原則，主要針對文章主題設(shè)問，考查考生對通篇文章的理解
和把握，但是要特別注意和下面這種題型區(qū)分開來。
筆者建議考生在做主題題型時(shí)遵循這樣的原則：因?yàn)榇祟愵}干擾性最大，難度
也最大，考生須讀完全文才能準(zhǔn)確把握文章主題。所以考生拿到這種題時(shí)，不
要急于去找答案，不論其出現(xiàn)在什么位置都把它作為最后一道題來做，因?yàn)樵?BR>做另外三道題時(shí)，無疑有助于加深對整個文章的理解。而且，事實(shí)上，首先做
主旨題，考生往往還會回過頭來核查答案，這樣耗時(shí)間，做題效率低。
主題題型分為以下兩種。
1.明確的主題題型
此類題型位置較為固定，一般是第一個問題或最后一個問題，要求考生為文章
選擇合適的標(biāo)題或是總結(jié)文章的中心思想。此類題型相對難度較小。
例
If you intend using humor in your talk to make people smile, you
must know how to identify shared experiences and problems. Your
humor must be relevant to the audience and should help to show them
that you are one of them or that you understand their situation and
are in sympathy with their point of view. Depending on whom you are
addressing, the problems will be different. If you are talking to a
group of managers, you may refer to the disorganized methods of
their secretaries; alternatively if you are addressing secretaries,
you may want to comment on their disorganized bosses.
Here is an example, which I heard at a nurses' convention, of a
story which works well because the audience all shared the same view
of doctors. A man arrives in heaven and is being shown around by St.
Peter. He sees wonderful accommodations, beautiful gardens, sunny
weather, and so on. Everyone is very peaceful, polite and friendly
until, waiting in a line for lunch, the new arrival is suddenly
pushed aside by a man in a white coat, who rushes to the head of the
line, grabs his food and stomps over to a table by himself. “Who is
that?” the new arrival asked St. Peter. “Oh, that's God” came the
reply, “but sometimes he thinks he's a doctor.”
If you are part of the group which you are addressing, you will be
in a position to know the experiences and problems which are common
to all of you and it'll be appropriate for you to make a passing
remark about the inedible canteen food or the chairman's notorious
bad taste in ties. With other audiences you mustn't attempt to cut
in with humor as they will resent an outsider making disparaging
remarks about their canteen or their chairman. You will be on safer
ground if you stick to scapegoat like the Post Office or the
telephone system.
If you feel awkward being humorous, you must practice so that it
becomes more natural. Include a few casual and apparently
off_the_cuff remarks which you can deliver in a relaxed and unforced
manner. Often it's the delivery which causes the audience to smile,
so speak slowly and remember that a raised eyebrow or an unbelieving
look may help to show that you are making a lighthearted remark.
Look for the humor. It often comes from the unexpected. A twist on a
familiar quote “If at first you don't succeed, give up” or a play
on words or on a situation. Search for exaggeration and
understatements. Look at your talk and pick out a few words or
sentences which you can turn about and inject with humor.
The best title for the text may be .
［A］ Use Humor Effectively
［B］ Various Kinds of Humor
［C］ Add Humor to Speech
［D］ Different Humor Strategies［2002年45題］
A［正確答案］
2.隱蔽的主題題型
這類題型在設(shè)問時(shí)較為隱蔽，不像明確的主題題型會直接問“文章的主題是什
么”，而且位置也很隨意，不會固定在第一道或最后一道。下列例題即為隱蔽
的主題題型經(jīng)常出現(xiàn)的形式，考生應(yīng)熟悉此類題型的語言形式，以利于審題時(shí)
準(zhǔn)確判斷題型。
例
When it comes to the slowing economy, Ellen Spero isn't biting her
nails just yet. But the 47_year_old manicurist isn't cutting, filing
or polishing as many nails as she'd like to, either. Most of her
clients spend $12 to $50 weekly, but last month two longtime
customers suddenly stopped showing up. Spero blames the softening
economy. “I'm a good economic indicator,” she says, “I provide a
service that people can do without when they're concerned about
saving some dollars.” So Spero is downscaling, shopping at
middle_brow Dillard's department store near her suburban Cleveland
home, instead of Neiman Marcus. “I don't know if other clients are
going to abandon me, too.” She says.
Even before Alan Greenspan's admission that America's red_hot
economy is cooling, lots of working folks had already seen signs of
the slowdown themselves. From car dealerships to Gap outlets, sales
have been lagging for months as shoppers temper their spending. For
retailers, who last year took in 24 percent of their revenue between
Thanksgiving and Christmas, the cautious approach is coming at a
crucial time. Already, experts say, holiday sales are off 7 percent
from last year's pace. But don't sound any alarms just yet.
Consumers seem only mildly concerned, not panicked, and many say
they remain optimistic about the economy's long_term prospects even
as they do some modest belt_tightening.
Consumers say they're not in despair because, despite the dreadful
headlines, their own fortunes still feel pretty good. Home prices
are holding steady in most regions. In Manhattan, “there's a new
gold rush happening in the $4 million to $10 million range,
predominantly fed by Wall Street bonuses,” says broker Barbara
Corcoran. In San Francisco, prices are still rising even as frenzied
overbidding quiets. “Instead of 20 to 30 offers, now maybe you only
get two or three," says John Tealdi, a Bay Area real_estate broker.
And most folks still feel pretty comfortable about their ability to
find and keep a job.
Many folks see silver linings to this slowdown. Potential home
buyers would cheer for lower interest rates. Employers wouldn't mind
a litter fewer bubbles in the job market. Many consumers seem to
have been influenced by stock_market swings, which investors now
view as a necessary ingredient to a sustained boom. Diners might see
an upside, too. Getting a table at Manhattan's hot new Alain
Ducasses restaurant used to be impossible. Not anymore. For that,
Greenspan&Co. may still be worth toasting.
To which of the following is the author likely to agree?
［A］ A new boom, on the horizon.
［B］ Tighten the belt, the single remedy.
［C］ Caution all right, panic not.
［D］ The more ventures, the more chance.［2004年55題］
C［正確答案］
