北京朗阁论新托福阅读中修辞目的题的多变性

来源：朗阁雅思（北京）培训中心 时间：2016-10-12

论新托福阅读中修辞目的题的多变性

朗阁海外考试研究中心  金小洁

修辞目的题(rhetorical purpose questions)在新托福阅读考试中为考试题，每篇文章一般有0-2题，其题目表达形式常见为：

the author uses x as an example of…

why does the author mention x ?

why does the author use the word … in discussing…?

the author discusses x in paragraph x in order to…

在介绍具体的做题技巧前，我们先详细了解一下什么是所谓的修辞以及它所考察的考生的能力有哪些：托福阅读中的修辞含义很广，包括"举例子、下定义、阐述、解释、对比、反驳、强调、批评"等。根据指南(official guide)说法，这里的修辞是指"有效写作或演讲的艺术"，也就是说，某个具体信息可能是为了给某个观点举例子，下定义，或者是为了阐述、解释、对比、反驳、强调、批评某个观点。而这里说的具体信息可能是一个词、一句话甚至是一个段落。如果说事实信息题是问作者给出了哪个细节或信息的话，修辞目的题则是问为什么给出某个具体信息或细节。由此我们可以知道修辞目的题实际考察同学们在阅读中"角色转换"的能力，也就是把自己想成是作者，揣摩作者写某个词、某句话，或某一段的意图能力。所以考生一定要明白这类题目不是让你理解句意，千万不要以做细节题的思路来解决这类题型。那么如何正确解题？以及到底这类题型有哪些变化呢？接下来我们就来好好的讨论一番。

首先，根据上文论述，我们做的步就是要找出修辞的逻辑上一层信息。什么意思呢？我们可以发现修辞的目的就是为了一个信息点服务，而在逻辑上分析可以理解成下层信息为上层信息奠定基础。因此，我们需要找寻的答案就是修辞本身所支持的逻辑上一层信息。如何在文中正确的找寻上一层信息？本文将会讲解几个考生比较容易掌握的找寻方法。

1. 句子细节信息支持句子主干内容

对于这一类题目，答案基本上就在同一句话中，所以不需要往句子前或者句子后进行搜索，只要从句子本身分析出发，找出句子中的主干信息和细节信息。请看例子：

Note the word "net": measuring the actual amounts of groundwater seepage into the lake and out of the lake is a much more complicated matter than merely inferring their difference. (TPO 24 lake water)

4. Why does the author use the phrase Note the word "net" in the passage?

A. To emphasize the impact of seepage on water levels

B. To point out that seepage is calculated differently from river flows and atmospheric exchanges

C. To compare the different methods of calculating seepage

D. To emphasize the difficulty of obtaining specific values for seepage inputs and outputs

注意观察冒号这个符号，意为解释后面的句子主干信息，所以答案为D。

This facility was then in its third decade of production and was beginning to show signs of decline, perhaps because of over development. (TPO 21 Geothermal Energy)

6. In paragraph 3, why does the author mention that in the 1990s the Geysers was in its third decade of production?

A. To provide the historical context of the geothermal production of electricity in the United States

B. To imply that the Geysers was the first geothermal site to be put into production in California

C. To help explain the signs of decline shown by the Geysers

D. To explain why 70 new geothermal sites were put into electricity production in the late 1990s

句子前半句出现then, 可见前面内容是为了支持后半句and后面的内容。

2. 整个句子内容是为了论证所支持的逻辑上一层的论点

对于此类题目，答案基本上往修辞所在句子的前面或者后面搜索答案。按其特征来看，可以分为以下两类进行分别论述。

(1). 有明显的逻辑连接词或者态度词作为提醒，答案的位置基本上可以根据提醒词推出在修辞所在句子前面或者后面。逻辑连接词以及态度词有：

转折关系：however, but, although, instead, rather than等

因果关系：because, result in, result from, consequently, as a result等

递进关系：furthermore, also, moreover等

态度类词汇：happy, worried, panic, luckily, fortunately, unfortunately, impatient, curious, anxious, ridiculous, hopeless等

请看例子：One necessary condition seems to be a somewhat detached view of human problems. For example, one sign of this condition is the appearance of the comic vision, since comedy requires sufficient detachment to view some deviations from social norms as ridiculous rather than as serious threats to the welfare of the entire group. (TPO 1 the origins of theater)

11. Why does the author mention “comedy”?

A. To give an example of early types of theater

B. To explain how theater helps a society respond to threats to its welfare

C. To help explain why detachment is needed for the development of theater

D. To show how theatrical performers become detached from other members of society.

for example标志应该往前看，前面是观点后面是例子，所以答案为C

Forehead rubbing by male deer on buck rubs presumably sends a great deal of information to other members of the same species. First, the chemicals deposited on the rub provide information on the individual identity of an animal; no two mammals produce the same scent. For instance, as we all know, dogs recognize each other via smell. (TPO 28 Buck Rubs and Buck Scrapes)

5. Why does author mention that “dogs recognize each other via smell”?

A. To point out the similarities between dogs and deer

B. To argue that animals communicate through scent rather than through vision

C. To support the claim that the scent of a buck rub serves to identify its maker to other deer

D. To suggest that rubs can be detected by other species

这句话是由for instance引出的，那么如果要找这个例子的目的，要到前面去找论点。这一段的总论点，就是句话，主要是“send information to other members”; first后面是个分论点，所以答案应该跟这两句有关，因此选C气味可以帮助identify。

At greater depths within Earth, the pressure of the overlying rock causes pores and cracks to close, reducing the space that pore water can occupy, and almost complete closure occurs at a depth of about 10 kilometers. The greatest water storage, therefore, lies near the surface. (TPO 28 Groundwater)

1. In paragraph1, why does the author mention “the pressure of the overlying rock”?

A. To show how water can be forced deep under Earth’s surface

B. To show why groundwater is more plentiful than surface freshwater

C. To correct a commonly made error about the location of groundwater

D. To explain why most groundwater lies near Earth’s surface

在修辞的描写之后，本段的后一句出现了therefore。这里也是在说the pressure of the overlying rock导致的结果，也就是文章提到它的目的。其结果是，大部分的水储都在比较表面的地方。所以其目的就是要解释为什么水都在表面的地方，因此选D。

An even more exciting find was reported in 1994, also from Pakistan. The now extinct whale Ambulocetus natans ("the walking whale that swam") lived in the Tethys Sea 49 million years ago. It lived around 3 million years after Pakicetus but 9 million before Basilosaurus. The fossil luckily includes a good portion of the hind legs. (TPO 2 The origins of Cetaceans)

9. Why does the author use the word luckily in mentioning that the Ambulocetus natans fossil included hind legs?

A. Fossil legs of early whales are a rare find.

B. The legs provided important information about the evolution of cetaceans.

C. The discovery allowed scientists to reconstruct a complete skeleton of the whale.

D. Until that time, only the front legs of early whales had been discovered.

通过luckily可以看出逻辑上层应该在前面，所以通过对前面句子的理解可以知道修辞所在的句子所想服务的论点是这段句话，所以答案选择B。

(2). 当无明显连词作为提醒时，我们只能从整段的逻辑结构上把握。大部分常见答案位置为修辞所在句子前面的部分。

请看例子：The numbers of deer have fluctuated markedly since the entry of Europeans into Puget Sound country. The early explorers and settlers told of abundant deer in the early 1800s and yet almost in the same breath bemoaned the lack of this succulent game animal. Famous explorers of the north American frontier, Lewis and Clark had experienced great difficulty finding game west of the Rockies and not until the second of December did they kill their first elk. (TPO 4 Deer Populations of the Puget Sound)

5. The author tells the story of the explorers Lewis and Clark in paragraph 3 in order to illustrate which of the following points?

A. The number of deer within the Puget sound region has varied over time.

B. Most of the explorers who came to the Puget sound area were primarily interested than in the West.

C. There was more game for hunting in the East of the United States than in the West.

D. Individual explorers were not as successful at locating games as were the trading companies.

往前看，这两个人明显是早期探险家的一个例子，读前句说他们知道原本有很多鹿，但又没找到，很显然这句话不足以作为一个观点，本段中心句说鹿的数量变化很大，这是一个中心，而A选项刚好是这个中心，为正确答案。

But that is not all that changes. During all phases of sleep, several changes in the air passages have been observed. It takes twice as much effort to breathe during sleep because of greater resistance to airflow in the airways and changes in the efficiency of the muscles used for breathing. Some of the muscles that help keep the upper airway open when breathing tend to become more relaxed during sleep, especially during REM (the phase of sleep in which there is rapid eye movement). Without this muscular action, inhaling is like sucking air out of a balloon—the narrow passages tend to collapse. (TPO 24 Breathing During Sleep)

5. What is the author's purpose in stating that inhaling is like sucking air out of a balloon?

A. To refute the argument that additional effort is necessary for breathing during sleep

B. To argue that REM sleep is more important than NREM sleep

C. To illustrate the difficulty of breathing during sleep

D. To illustrate how blockage of narrow passages can be prevented during sleep

先看修辞点所在的句子，但原句整个都是一个例子，往前看，句仍然在说肌肉relax的事情，因此也是例子，所以看开头，开头说air passage在睡觉期间变了很多，紧接着就解释睡觉期间呼吸很难，也就是开头所指的变化是睡觉的时候呼吸变难，所以正确答案是C。A的refute与原文相反；B的比较和D的prevent blockage原文都没有提及。

★ 在无明显的逻辑连接词或者态度词作为提醒的情况下，极少部分答案往后面找寻

请看例子：Some of the world’s finest stone architecture can be seen in the ruins of the ancient Inca city of Machu Picchu high in the eastern Andes Mountains of Peru. The doorways and windows are made possible by placing over the open spaces thick stone beams that support the weight from above. A structural invention had to be made before the physical limitations of stone could be overcome and new architectural forms could be created. (TPO 3 Architecture)

10. Why does the author include a description of how the “doorways and windows” of Machu Picchu were constructed?

A. To indicate that the combined skeletons and skins of the stone buildings of Machu Picchu were similar to igloos and adobe structures

B. To indicate the different kinds of stones that had to be cut to build Machu Picchu

C. To provide an illustration of the kind of construction that was required before arches were invented

D. To explain how ancient builders reduced the amount of time necessary to construct buildings from stone.

读doorways and windows所在的一句话，说门窗是通过把石头横梁放在space上面形成的，读句的时候发现也是个例子，所以不是答案，往下句看，说想克服石头带给建筑的障碍，必须有一个新发明。按照原文，门窗的形成是一种克服石头带来的障碍的一种方法，所以答案是C。

On Mars, there are relatively few craters less than 5 kilometers in diameter. The Martian atmosphere is an efficient erosive agent, with Martian winds transporting dust from place to place and erasing surface features much faster than meteoric impacts alone can obliterate them. (TPO 25 the surface of Mars)

10. In the paragraph 4, why does the author point out that Mars has few ancient craters that are less than 5 kilometer?

A. To explain why scientists believe that the surface matter fill Martian craters is mostly dust

B. To explain why scientists believe that the impact craters on Mars were created by meteoroids

C. To support the claim that Martian atmosphere is an efficient erosive agent

D. To argue that Mans experienced fewer ancient I impacts than the Moon did

句为了说明后一句的观点，所以选择C。

以上就是本文所讨论的主要的一些找答案的技巧，当然并没有包含全部技巧，因为托福考试内容不是一成不变的，所以考生本身也要提高自身能力，在本文的基础上自己再进行巩固完善，这才是真正的对这门考试的掌握。不过对于分数要求较低的考生，这些原则可以让他们更加简单容易地做题。而对于有望考且对文章结构把握较好的考生，可以单纯从分析句子与句子间的逻辑关系来进行分析解题，而不需要通过强记上面的一些原则进行做题。

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