Question

大学英语四级阅读理解概述3

Answer 1

例6
　　One of the most important weapons used during the Second World War was not a weapon used against people, but rather a drug used against disease. The wartime use of penicillin（青霉素）saved thousands of lives. In the First World War, for example, pneumonia （肺炎）was responsible for 18% of all the deaths in the United States army. In the Second World War, the rate went down to less than 1%. In addition, penicillin was helpful in keeping wounds from getting infected and in helping to speed the healing process of those wounds that did become infected.
　　Q: What was the pneumonia death rate of all the deaths in the United States army during the Second World War?
　　A) About 18%.
　　B) No more than 1%.
　　C) 1%.
　　D) About 17%.
　　该段短文中句子的逻辑功能可划分如下：第一句为主题引介句。第二句“在战时使用青霉素挽救了几千条人命”，应为主题句。余下三句为支撑主题的陈述细节的句子：
　　承接语for example提示，第三句为例解性的细节；第四句具有与之对比的含义，可视为同一细节；in addition是增补性的承接语，提示第五句为另一个细节。
　　显然，答案为B），二战其间美军中死于肺炎的人“不到百分之一”，选项用了”no more than ”，等同于原文的“less than”。
　　3.1.3 区分事实和看法(Distinguishing Between Facts and Opinions)
　　事实是直接陈述的客观事实，而看法则分为作者明说的看法或暗指的意思两种。
　　例 7
　　I remember thinking there was something absurdly melodramatic about screaming “Help, help!” at eight on a Tuesday evening in December and changing my plea to the more specific “Help, let me in, please let me in!” But the houses were cold, closed, unfriendly, and I ran on until I heard Jeremy’s screams behind me announcing that our attackers had fled.
　　The neighbors who had not opened their doors to us came out with baseball bats and helped Jeremy find his glasses and keys. In a group they were very brave. We waited for the cops to come until someone said to someone else that the noodles were getting cold, and I said politely, “Please go and eat. We’re O.K.”
　　I was happy to see them go. -------
　　这两段短文选自上外教出版社出版的《大学英语精读》第二册第七课《全靠运气》。
　　文中讲到作者某夜在住所附近遇到持枪歹徒，大声呼救，而邻居们却装聋作哑。待作者侥幸逃脱，歹徒亦逃去无踪后，邻居们才装模作样出来“帮忙”。
　　第一段中的“The houses were --- closed,” 是事实，而“The houses were cold, --- unfriendly,” 是作者的观点。第二段的第一句“The neighbors who had not opened their doors to us came out with baseball bats---”是事实，而“In a group they were very brave.”是作者的观点。还有，第二段的“--- someone said to someone else that the noodles were getting cold,” 也是事实，而第三段的“I was happy to see them go.”是作者的观点。当然，这里指出的都是作者直白的观点，而作者隐含的观点是：邻居们既懦弱、自私、和冷漠，又十分虚伪。
　　3.1.4 进行推论(Making Inferences)
　　在理解阅读材料的主旨大意及抓住其重要细节时，还需具备获得文章或句子所表达的隐含信息的能力，对所读内容进行一定的引申和推理。往往可以从作者带有感情色彩的语气、措辞等文体特征推断出作者的观点、态度、写作目的、文章风格和基调。
　　例8
　　Worldwide fame burst upon Albert Einstein on November 7, 1919, when British astronomers announced they found the first confirmation of Einstein’s general relativity theory. Einstein had already become known in scientific circles because of his two astonishing theories: the special theory of relativity, published in 1905 when he was only 26 and a minor clerk in the Swiss patent（专利）office, and the general theory of relativity, advanced between 1913 and 1915. He was considered so brilliant by other scientists that in 1914 he was invited to join the famous Royal Prussian Academy of Sciences and to become head of the research branch at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute. He accepted the offer and moved to Berlin.
　　Q: It can be inferred from the passage that the author ________.
　　A) is critical about Einstein
　　B) is indifferent to Einstein’s achievement
　　C) doesn’t think highly of Einstein
　　D) praises Einstein highly
　　本文简略地记叙了爱因斯坦获得学术成就和声望的经历。尽管短文没有直接陈述作者对爱因斯坦的评论，但从某些记叙的措辞中仍可窥见作者对爱因斯坦的称颂，如Worldwide fame burst upon---（---声震全球），--- so brilliant--- that---（---才华横溢---以致）等。由此可知，答案应为D），作者“高度评价爱因斯坦”。其余三项均不合作者的态度。
　　3.1.5 作结论(Drawing Conclusions)
　　要根据上下文的逻辑关系，有理有据地推断结论。结论应基于文章中的事实和证据，
　　而不是基于读者自己的观点和喜好。