閱讀理解除了要求正確能力外，還經(jīng)常需要考生根據(jù)一定上下文對(duì)某些詞匯的意義進(jìn)行推斷、根據(jù)所讀材料理解文章隱含的意義和深層次的含義、歸納文章主題思想、通過概括得出結(jié)論、綜合判斷作者態(tài)度等，這就要求考生具備相應(yīng)的閱讀理解微技能，與四級(jí)考試密切相關(guān)的一些微技能包括詞匯的理解、預(yù)測(cè)、判斷、歸納和推理。

　　詞匯的理解

　　對(duì)于閱讀中碰到的生僻詞，我們首先要學(xué)會(huì)識(shí)別哪些情況下即使不了解詞義也不影響對(duì)短文的理解;其次是轉(zhuǎn)變對(duì)生僻詞義認(rèn)識(shí)上的態(tài)度，即在許多情況下不必了解該詞的確切意義，尤其沒有必要了解它在英漢辭典中的中文釋義，而只需對(duì)該詞詞義的大概而籠統(tǒng)的理解就行。實(shí)踐中，在確定了短文中哪些生僻詞的詞義有必要作一大概了解后，我們可以從以下兩個(gè)角度來猜度詞義：

　　構(gòu)詞知識(shí)

　　即利用單詞的構(gòu)詞要素詞根，前后綴來識(shí)記單詞。

　　詞根是一個(gè)單詞的根本部分，代表詞的基本意義;前綴是加在詞根或單詞前面的部分，通常也有一定含義;后綴是加在詞根或單詞后面的部分，通常在增加詞義的同時(shí)還改變?cè)~性。通過詞根詞綴構(gòu)詞的方式有多種，現(xiàn)簡(jiǎn)單歸納如下：

　　①前綴+詞根：inter+veneintervene

　　②詞根+后綴：circl+瞝etcirclet

　　③詞根+詞根：tele+scopetelescope

　　④前綴+詞根+后綴：in+aud+瞚bleinaudible

　　⑤雙前綴+詞根：re+dis+coverrediscover

　　⑥詞根+雙后綴：care+瞝ess+瞝ycarelessly

　　⑦前綴+雙詞根：tri+gono+metrytrigonometry

　　⑧雙詞根+后綴：biblio+phil+瞚stbibliophilist

　　⑨雙前綴+詞根+后綴：ir+re+sist+瞚bleirresistible

　　前綴+詞根+雙后綴：se+greg+瞐tion+瞚stsegregationist

　　雙前綴+詞根+雙后綴：un+pre+ced+瞖nt+瞖dunprecedented

　　上下文線索

　　利用上下文線索猜測(cè)詞義的方法很多，但其核心是尋找與該生僻詞相關(guān)的上下文意義線索，這些線索主要可歸納為以下幾種：

　　①同義定義為了便于讀者理解作者本義，作者有時(shí)會(huì)對(duì)文中的生僻詞或?qū)I(yè)性較強(qiáng)的詞直接給出定義。在下定義時(shí)，作者常使用一些信號(hào)詞，如：is/are，means，can

　　be defined as，refer to，is/are known as，signify等，例：

　　Food fallacies refer to beliefs about food that are not true.

　　或標(biāo)點(diǎn)符號(hào)，如，等，例：

　　Multiplexing transmitting independent signals at the same time in

　　the same channelincreases the efficiency of radio channels.

　　有時(shí)，作者用同位語形式或連詞or給出定義，例：

　　Nerve cells evidently first appeared in coelenterates,hollow瞘utted organisms like hydra and the sea anemone.Intelligent behavior remained impossible until the appearance of relatively big，complex types of brainthe types we find among the vertebrates，or backboned animals.

　　②近義復(fù)述同一短文中上下毗鄰的句子通常有互釋作用，我們可以從上下文的復(fù)述中獲取與某一單詞相關(guān)的信息來猜度詞義。例：

　　Mr. and Mrs. Firth had a long courtship. They dated for nine years before they got married. Although he often had the opportunity，Mr. Tritt never stole money from a customer. This would have endangered his position at the bank，and he did not want to jeopardize his future.

　　③反義對(duì)照在表示對(duì)照的上下文中，常包含有意義相反的詞語或概念，這些意義相反的概念可以互為線索，幫助我們猜度詞義。常有以下一些信號(hào)詞：although，but，however，though，whereas，while，yet，on

　　the contrary，on the other hand等。

　　例：Chimpanzees in the wild use simple objects as tools，but in laboratory situations they can use more sophisticated items. Most dentists-offices are drab places，while Emilios new office is a bright，cheerful place.

　　④搭配集合利用詞與詞的搭配或該詞所出現(xiàn)的語境，我們也能推知詞義的大概輪廓。例：

　　People gathered to look. Three fine streams of hot water sprouted from holes in the jacket of the radiator. A man is watering his lawn just as an attractive，well dressed girl walked by. As he ogles her，he accidentally turns the hose on his ugly，dowdy wife.

　　⑤比較舉例上下文中的比較和舉例，能揭示比較物或列舉物之間的共性，我們可根據(jù)這些共性來推知有關(guān)詞語的意思。例：

　　The consequences of epochal events such as wars and great scientific discoveries are not confined to a small geographical area. Doctors believe that smoking cigarettes is detrimental to your health. They also regard drinking as harmful.

　　⑥因果時(shí)間因與果、時(shí)間的先與后都是事物發(fā)展變化過程中的必然關(guān)系，在利用上下文推測(cè)詞義時(shí)，這些關(guān)系也至關(guān)重要。例：

　　Robert is considered peremptory administrator because he makes decisions without seeking the opinions of others.When Mark was in pedantic mood，he assumed the manner of a famous professor and gave long lectures on boring, insignificant topics.

　　⑦常識(shí)包括我們的生活經(jīng)歷、經(jīng)驗(yàn)常識(shí)以及自己專業(yè)方面的知識(shí)，在閱讀到與自己專業(yè)相近的文章時(shí)，我們都會(huì)感到相對(duì)容易，這正是我們的專業(yè)知識(shí)在幫我們理解。例：

　　An apple falls down instead of up because of gravity. An atomic clock is so precise that it can be used to check the accuracy of predictions based on Einsteins relativity theories.

　　預(yù)測(cè)

　　在對(duì)付難文的閱讀時(shí)，一定要善于在理解已知信息的基礎(chǔ)上對(duì)隨之可能出現(xiàn)的信息進(jìn)行積極預(yù)測(cè)。預(yù)測(cè)時(shí)，應(yīng)學(xué)會(huì)借助主題句、關(guān)聯(lián)詞語等篇章信息來提高預(yù)測(cè)的準(zhǔn)確性。

　　如，有一篇短文以這樣一句開頭：

　　Many people believe the glare from snow causes snowblindness.

　　Yet這里根據(jù)表示轉(zhuǎn)折的關(guān)聯(lián)詞Yet，預(yù)測(cè)到下面可能出現(xiàn)的是主題句，又必然要否定本句中許多人的觀點(diǎn)，即snowblindness可能由glare

　　from snow以外的其它原因引起。原文緊接著的是：Yet，dark glasses or not，they find themselves suffering from headaches and watering eyes，and even snowblindness，when exposed to several hours of snow light.

　　據(jù)此主題，我們可以比較有把握地預(yù)測(cè)到下文將著墨于引起雪盲的真正原因，原文如下：

　　The United States Army has now determined that glare from snow does not cause snowblindness in troops in a snow-covered country. Rather，a mans eyes frequently find nothing to focus on in a broad expanse of barren snow-covered terrain. So his gaze continually shifts and jumps back and forth over the entire landscape in search of something to look at. Finding nothing hour after hour，the eyes never stop searching and the eyeballs become sore and the eye muscles ache. Nature offsets this irritation by producing more and more fluid which covers the eyeball. The fluid covers the eyeball in increasing quantity until vision blurs，then is obscured，and the result is total，even though temporary，snowblindness.

　　但預(yù)測(cè)不一定總是正確，它需要在繼續(xù)閱讀中予以肯定、否定或修正。上例中下文的內(nèi)容與預(yù)測(cè)相近，表示理解過程正確。如預(yù)測(cè)與下文不一致，則可能：①對(duì)前面內(nèi)容的理解有偏差;②據(jù)以預(yù)測(cè)的那部分語言信息可能有多種不同理解，因而可據(jù)以作出多種不同的預(yù)測(cè)。

　　預(yù)測(cè)有順向預(yù)測(cè)和逆向預(yù)測(cè)兩種，上面提到的為順向預(yù)測(cè)。所謂逆向預(yù)測(cè)，實(shí)為預(yù)測(cè)的一種特殊形式，應(yīng)用于已知下文要推知上文的場(chǎng)合。閱讀中積極運(yùn)用順向和逆向預(yù)測(cè)，除了上面談到的能提高對(duì)文章的理解深度外，還可幫助我們讀懂本來難以讀懂的章節(jié)。

　　判斷

　　在閱讀中，我們有時(shí)需要對(duì)文章內(nèi)容的正誤作出判斷，有時(shí)需要借助上下文對(duì)個(gè)別詞語的大意作出判斷，有時(shí)需要根據(jù)關(guān)聯(lián)，對(duì)上下文進(jìn)行預(yù)測(cè)性判斷，有時(shí)需要在綜合分析的基礎(chǔ)上，通過判斷得出結(jié)論，有時(shí)還需要對(duì)作者語氣態(tài)度、思想傾向等等作出判斷。判斷貫穿于閱讀的全過程，也滲透在各種閱讀微技能中。例：

　　判斷推測(cè)句中omnivorous一詞的大意

　　She has a wide interest and is an omnivorous reader.

　　根據(jù)句中她興趣廣這一上文和被修飾的reader一詞，可大概判斷omnivorous具有興趣廣、什么書都喜歡讀等含義。

　　根據(jù)前文，判斷下文

　　Laziness is a sin, everyone knows that. Nevertheless

　　A) laziness can actually be helpful

　　B) laziness is a sign of mental illness

　　C) laziness is immoral and wasteful

　　D) you must be careful when you see someone lazy

　　根據(jù)第一分句的語義傾向和Nevertheless一詞，我們可得出這樣的判斷，即下文要談的內(nèi)容必然與之相反，即談?wù)揕aziness也有其有利、肯定的一面，故A最有可能。

　　判斷作者觀點(diǎn)

　　Which of the following statements was written by someone who prefers

　　small cars to large ones?

　　A) Their excellent gas mileage and even their improved interior

　　design notwithstanding，todays compact cars simply fail to provide

　　the feel a traditional motorist yearns for.

　　B) They lack some of the size and even the character of the

　　full-sized autos we were accustomed to; but todays compacts more

　　than make up for this with their excellent gas mileage.

　　本題要求我們對(duì)A、B中哪種觀點(diǎn)贊成小汽車作出判斷。A句中主句對(duì)小汽車予以否定，句首對(duì)小汽車的肯定性陳述又被notwithstanding一詞否定。答案是B，第一分句講到小汽車的缺陷：缺乏大汽車的空間和氣派;第二分句則認(rèn)為小汽車的緊湊及其優(yōu)秀的低耗油特征能遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)彌補(bǔ)上述不足，前面以轉(zhuǎn)折連詞將作者觀點(diǎn)轉(zhuǎn)向第二分句。

　　歸納

　　歸納是一種由特殊到一般的概括，從閱讀理解角度說，所謂個(gè)別即具體細(xì)節(jié)，所謂一般即章節(jié)段落的大意或主題，歸納是由特殊細(xì)節(jié)推向一般主題的概括過程。

　　我們可以借助詞的上下義關(guān)系來領(lǐng)會(huì)掌握并運(yùn)用歸納這一方法。

　　句子的歸納

　　A) Microwave ovens have eliminated many of the inconveniences previously associated with the preparation of meals.

　　B) Many foods can go directly from the freezer to the microwave oven without being defrosted.

　　C) Many microwave ovens can be pre-set to cook food while you are away from the kitchen.

　　D) The microwave oven has greatly reduced the amount of time it takes to cook a meal.

　　題中四句話都提到微波爐的好處，其中B、C、D

　　分別從方便、解凍、定時(shí)三個(gè)不同的方面具體講述微波爐不同于傳統(tǒng)炊具的優(yōu)勢(shì)，而A則從整體上覆蓋了上述三句的內(nèi)容，故A是對(duì)B、C、D的概括，上述分析、尋找最具概括意義之選項(xiàng)的過程即為歸納過程。推而廣之，我們可用之于段落和短文主題的歸納。

　　段落大意的歸納

　　Although most universities in the United States are run on a semester system, which offers classes in the fall and spring, some schools observe a quarter system comprised of fall, winter, spring, and summer quarters. The academic year, September to June, is divided into three quarters of eleven weeks each beginning in September, January, and March, the summer quarter, June to August is composed of shorter sessions of varying length. Students may take advantage of the opportunity to study year around by enrolling in all four quarters, Most students begin their programs in the fall quarter, but they may enter at the beginning of any of the other

　　quarters.

　　A) Universities in the United States

　　B) The Academic Year

　　C) The Quarter System

　　D) The Semester System

　　本段由四個(gè)句子組成，各句大意分別為：1)有些學(xué)校實(shí)行四學(xué)期制;2)學(xué)年從9月至下年7月，前三個(gè)學(xué)期各長(zhǎng)11周，夏季學(xué)期最短;3)學(xué)生可于任何學(xué)期注冊(cè)入學(xué);4)但大多數(shù)學(xué)生秋季入學(xué)。通過上述四句大意的歸納，可知本段落主要講述美國(guó)大學(xué)的一種學(xué)期制，即Quarter

　　System，答案為C。

　　短文主題的歸納

　　①Proponents of father-attended childbirth assert that the fathers experience encourages him to develop a closer bond with his child

　　②As a father of three teenagers from a previous marriage, one man compared his past experience as a new father to being in the delivery room during the birth of his newborn daughter

　　③ Women report that they are much less anxious and more aware of what is going on when their husbands are with them when they give birth

　　A) The Father-Daughter Relationship

　　B) Babys First View of Life

　　C) Dad in the Delivery Room

　　文章共三段，分別給出了各段的主題句。第一段談贊成女子分娩時(shí)丈夫陪在其身邊的觀點(diǎn)并認(rèn)為這一經(jīng)歷有利于將來父子關(guān)系的發(fā)展;第二段從男子的角度談妻子分娩時(shí)陪在其身邊的感受;第三段則從女子自身的角度提到分娩時(shí)有丈夫在身邊會(huì)感到踏實(shí)、放心。通過對(duì)三段主題句的綜合概括，全文共同討論的是：女子分娩時(shí)要不要未來的父親候在產(chǎn)房，因此答案為C。

　　推理

　　閱讀除了需要理解文章的字面語義外，更需要透過字里行間領(lǐng)悟言外之意及作者的語氣、態(tài)度，這就要求讀者具有一定的推理能力。推理的前提就是閱讀到的有關(guān)文字可能是短語或句子或整個(gè)段落甚至整篇短文。

　　讀者必須由表及里、由此及彼，從字里行間悟出合乎作者本意的言外之意。推理的結(jié)果應(yīng)是既來自于字里行間、又高于字里行間;既符合原文實(shí)際內(nèi)涵，又超越實(shí)際內(nèi)涵;既基于已知事實(shí)，又不僅僅是已知事實(shí)。

　　正確的推理要求：

　　1切忌用自己的觀點(diǎn)取代作者原意;

　　2客觀推測(cè)作者立場(chǎng)、觀點(diǎn)和寫作意圖;

　　3庇賞一已知事實(shí)可推出不止一個(gè)正確的結(jié)論。

　　例：Apart from the obvious fact that rioters tend to come from the less well-off section of the community, there is no evidence that economic circumstances have any causal relationship with street

　　violence.

　　A) There is some evidence for relating economic circumstances to street violence.

　　B) Not all the people in the community referred to are poor.

　　C) There is no evidence that economic circumstances result from street viloence.

　　D) All rioters come from the poorer section of the community.

　　本例中，只有A可由原文推知，其中Apart from所引述的正是經(jīng)濟(jì)環(huán)境與暴力的一種相關(guān)性;C否定了這一相關(guān)性，故與原文相悖;D與原句中rioters tend to come from的原意不符：往往不等于總是B則是原文第一部分的重述，不屬推論。