一、命题规律
四级考试中,自1997年1月开始出现了简答题.评分标准是:在评分时同时考虑内容和语言,每题为2分.
简短回答问题一般放在试卷二上,每次为一篇300字左右的短文.短文后附五个问题或不完整的句子,要求在阅读后用正确、简短的英文回答问题或完成句子.与阅读理解一样,简答题的题型也是多种多样的,但总的说来,可以分为:主旨大意题、逻辑推理题和事实细节题。在回答问题时,一定要根据题型及提问方式采取相应的对策.
二、答题技巧
一般来说,做简答题可以遵循以下几个步骤(含注意事项):
1)阅读要有的放矢.可先用1分钟左右来大致了解一下文章后面提出的问题及其所问的内容,做到阅读文章时心中有数,带着问题去阅读.这样就节约了时间,又提高了效率,同时还把握住了回答问题的准确度.
2)然后,用5分钟左右来仔细阅读.不宜过急过快,以免欲速则不达.阅读时凭脑中对各问题的印象,随时捕捉与问题有关的信息词.同时可适当做些记号,以便做题时查找.
3)原则上,读一遍原文即可回答问题.如果遇到有难度的问题,难以立刻找到答案,可有选择的再仔细阅读原文与该题有关的内容.切忌凭自己主观臆断来答题.
4)答题是尽量使用自己的语言,不要过多照抄文中的语句.如原封不动照抄一句扣0.5分,照搬两句及以上扣2分,因此即便是肯定原文中的某句就是正确答案,也不能完整地抄下来,而应做些变动.
5)答案要简洁、扼要,书写要工整清晰,争取以最简单易懂的词句来说明问题.要学会抓住关键词,问什么答什么,不要有任何多余的、拖泥带水的废话.
例:1997年1月真题
In Britain,the old Road Traffic Act restricted speeds to 2 m.p.h(miles per hour) in towns and 4 m.p.h. in the country.Later Parliament increased the speed limit to 14 m.p.h..But by 1903 the development of the car industry had made it necessary to raise the limit to 20 m.p.h..By 1903,however,the law was so widely ignored that speeding restrictions were done away with altogether.For five years motorists were free to drive at whatever speeds they liked.Then in 1935 the Road Traffic Act imposed a 30 m.p.h. speed limit in built-up areas,along with the introduction of driving tests and pedestrian crossing.
Speeding is now the most common motoring offence in Britain,offences for speeding fall into three classes:exceeding the limit on a restricted road,exceeding on any road the limit for the vehicle you are driving,and exceeding the 70 m.p.h. limit on any road. A restricted road is one where the street lamps are 200 yards apart,or more.
The main controversy surrounding speeding laws is the extent of their safety value.The Ministry of Transport maintains that speed limits reduce accidents.It claims that when the 30 mp.p.h. limit was introduced in 1935 there was a fall of 15 percent in fatal accidents.Likewise,when the 40 m.p.h. speed limit was imposed on a number of roads in London in the late fifties,there was a 28 percent reduction in serious accidents.There were also fewer casualties in the year after the 70 m.p.h. motorway limit was imposed in 1966.
In America,however,it is though that the reduced accident figures are due rather to the increase in traffic density.This is why it has even been suggested that the present speed limits should be done away with completely,or that a guide should be given to inexperienced drivers and the speed limits made advisory,as is done in parts of the USA.
【分析】这篇文章属于没有明显主题句的类型.针对这类文章出的题目主要是细节题.因为它不涉及作者个人的观点、看法,也推不出什么显而易见的结论.只是就事论事,不带主观偏见的陈述一些事实.遇到这类文章时一定要读得细些,以加快做题中回扫定位的速度和准确度.
全文共分四段.首段回顾了英国历史上交通法规对行车速度的限制.第二段谈现状,说超速是目前英国最常见的交通违规行为.第三段讲围绕限制超速的一些争论,主要摆出了英国交通部的观点.第四段讲美国人对限制速度意义的不同认识.
Question:
1. During which period could British motorists drive without speed limits?
【参考答案】From 1930 to 1934. / Between 1930 and 1934.
2. What measures were adopted in 1935 in addition to the speeding restrictions?
【参考答案】Driving tests and pedestrian crossings. / The introduction of driving tests and pedestrian crossingd.
3. Speeding is a motoring offence a driver commits when he ____.
【参考答案】exceeds the different speed limits in different areas.
4. What is the opinion of British authorities concerning speeding laws?
【参考答案】Speed limits reduce accidents.
5. What reason do Americans give for the reduction in traffic accidents?
【参考答案】The increase in traffic density.
三、题型分析
(一)主旨大意题
做此类题要求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.但难点往往在于:虽然看懂了短文,也知道中心意思,但却不知如何表达.此时,关键是找主题句,通过对主题句进行必要的改动,就能找到最佳答案.而主题句通常都在段首或段尾,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等等.
(二)事实细节题
①描述性题目
该类题能从原文中直接找出答案。此类细节题答案一般是句子谓语或宾语等主干成分，只需略做变化即能写出答案。
②因果型题目
该类题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等.阅读时要注意这些词后面的内容.
③范例型题目
该类题需要概括答案的.表示举例的关键词有:for example,such…as,for instance,that is,as follow等.
④比较对照型题目
比较对照目的在于所涉及的两个事物之间不同或相似之处,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
⑤描写叙述型题目
该类题需要变换词法或句型.此类题句子内容和表达此再原文中能找到,关键是进行时态的变换,句型的转换.在替换过程中一定要特别注意时态,单、复数和动名词等.
(三)逻辑推理题
主要包括：描述事实基础上的推理和逻辑上的推理
⒈在描述事实基础上的推理题.只要在描述细节句子范围内进行推理,不必顾及整体文章主旨,以防干扰.
⒉通过前后句以及上、下文内在逻辑进行推理.此类题一般针对主题思想、作者意图而设计的.所以要特别注意首句、段尾句和表示转折或因果关系的一些词,如:but,however,yet,in short,as,although,as a result,because,since,therefore,thus,so等
