解密新托福閱讀考試指代類問題題型

　　指代類問題（Reference Questions）是新托福閱讀考試每次必考題型，因此每次IBT考試我們都能看到一個熟悉的詞組“refer to ”,這是指代類問題的標志。一般來說，3篇IBT閱讀題目中會有2至3道這種類型的題目。本文將帶領廣大IBT考生解密Reference Questions ，以助考生考到理想成績。

　　問題形式

　　考試的到文章中會有一個單詞或短語用陰影標識出來，這個詞通常是一個代詞。然后考生會被問到：

　　◆ The word X in the passage refers to

　　四個選項都來自于文章中的單詞或短語，但只有一個選項是被陰影標識出來的單詞或短語所指代的內容(referent)。

　　考查目的

　　此類問題考查考生辨認文章中但此間指代關系的能力。通常這種關系是代詞與其先行詞之間的關系，有時也考查其他語法的指代關系（如：which或this）。

　　解題步驟

　　1. 看題干，確定指代詞類型。

　　2. 帶著題干主線索回原文找到陰影代詞，根據上下文內容確定答案。（注意：在文章中，指代內容通常在代詞之前出現，但有時也會出現在帶代詞后。指代內容可能與代詞在同一個句子，也可能在另一個句子中出現。）

　　3. 將所選的答案替代被標識的單詞或短語放回原文，利用語法檢驗它能否使句子表達通順。

　　我們以OG Practice Set 6中的question 2為例：

　　Passage: Tunas, mackerels, and billfishes have made streamlining in to an art form. Their bodies are sleek and compact. The body shapes of tunas, in fact, are nearly ideal from engineering point of view. Most species lack scales over most of the body, making it smooth and slippery. The eyes lie flush with the body and do not produce at all. They are also covered with a slick, transparent lid that reduces drag. The fins are stiff, smooth, and narrow, qualities that also help cut drag. When not in use, the fins are tucked into special grooves or depressions so that they lie flush with the body and do not break up its smooth contours…

　　The word they in the passage refers to

　　○ qualities

　　○ fins

　　○ grooves

　　○ depressions

　　解題：首先根據題干我們可以看出此題中考查的是人稱代詞they的指代內容；然后在文中定位到陰影they 所在句子。而我們都知道在主從句中，從句的代詞主語通常指代主句的名詞主語，而主句的代詞主語通常指代從句的名詞主語，因此我們可以初步得出答案為 fins；把fins放回原文利用語法檢查，它能夠使句子表達通順，因此可以確定正確答案為fins。

　　解題技巧

　　◆     就近原則。所謂就近原則即為代詞(尤其關系代詞)一般指代離它最近的名詞或代詞。例：

　　Passage: … The first weekly newspaper in the colonies was the Boston Gazette, established in 1719, the same year that marked the appearance of Philadelphia’s first newspaper, the American Mercury, where the young Benjamin Franklin worked. By 1760, Boston had 4 newspapers and 5 other printing establishments; Philadelphia, 2 newspapers and 3 other presses; and New York, 3 newspapers. The distribution, if not the sale, of newspapers was assisted by the establishment of a postal service in 1710, which had a network of some 65 offices by 1770, serving all 13 colonies…

　　The word which in the passage refers to

　　○ distribution

　　○ sale

　　○ newspaper

　　○ postal service

　　解題：首先根據題干我們可以看出此題中考查的是關系代詞which的指代內容；然后在文中定位到陰影which所在句子，根據就近原則搜索，我們會發現指代內容在代詞之前出現，并且與代詞在同一句子中，postal service可以初步定為答案；把postal service放回原文檢查，語法正確并且符合語義和邏輯，因此可以確定正確答案為postal service。

　　◆     數格一致原則。所謂數格一致原則即為被指代對象通常與指代詞在數(單數或復數)和格（第一人稱、第二人稱、第三人稱）兩方面相同。如單數代詞it指代第三人稱的單數名詞，復數代詞they指代第三人稱的復數名詞。例：

　　Passage: Most Americans still get married at some point in their lives, but even that group, is shrinking. Among current generations of adults – starting with those born in the 1920s – more than 90 percent have married or will marry at some point in their lives. However, based on recent patterns of marriage and mortality, demographers calculate that a growing share of the younger generation is postponing marriage for so long that an unprecedented number will never marry at all. Data on cohabitation and unmarried childbearing suggests that marriage is becoming less relevant to Americans. 2.8 million of the nation’s households are unmarried couples, and one-third of them are caring for children , according to the Census Bureau.

　　The word them in the passage refers to

　　○ younger generations

　　○ data

　　○ Americans

　　○ unmarried couples

　　解題：首先根據題干我們可以看出此題中考查的是人稱代詞them的指代內容，them為復數人稱代詞，而選項中在原文出現的單詞data為單數，根據數格一致的原則，我們可以直接排除data；然后在文中定位到陰影them所在句子，根據上下文內容，我們會發現指代內容在代詞之前出現，而且與代詞在同一個句子中，unmarried couples可以初步定為答案；把unmarried couples放回原文檢查，語法正確并且符合語義和邏輯，因此可以確定正確答案為unmarried couples。