雅思阅读篇章的特点是“特长”,尤其是与广大考生熟悉的四六级考试和高考
英语文章相比,不仅生词量大,而且里面涉及很多长难句,若考生语法基础薄弱,则很容易读了长句不知其所云,哪怕大部分单词都了解,或者读了若干遍才能正确理解,这极大地影响阅读速度和题目正确率。要解决这个问题,我们先换个角度来思考:为什么雅思阅读文章这么长?出题人的用意何在?
其实,雅思阅读的长文设置,根本目的是考察考生有目的性的寻找重点信息(定位),和排除干扰性信息的能力(识别替换及证据对比),因为这两项能力在大学中的学术阅读是很常见的:学生若需写报告或论文,需要看完若干名家专著并提炼出自己写论文所需的核心信息(identify),并转述(paraphrase)至自己论文中,并对这些信息进行辩证分析(analysis of evidence)。因此,在阅读中懂得提炼核心信息尤其必要,这就需要考生具备句子结构识别和简化提炼的能力。
本章主要跟大家分享长难句的核心信息提炼和如何理解长句,涉及的语法知识有句子基本结构、后置定语、定语从句、同位语、非谓语作状语等中英思维差异中式思维在表达上喜欢先说细节后说重点,把核心信息后置。而英式思维则喜欢先说重点或结论,再呈现其解释或修饰。
举个例子,当我们表述“埃及的未来前景不明朗是由于经济增速缓慢,这主要是因为现在的政策无法激发大众消费的欲望,这一解释有待证实。”这个句子时,我们真正想说明的核心信息其实是其最后半句,即关于埃及前景未卜的解释有待被证实,但在英文表述中,核心信息会前置,因此该句子的英文翻译为:Egypt's future isclouded by slow economic growth and one major reason for this conclusion that current policy fails to stir public's desire for consumption remained to beproved. 不难发现,其核心信息就是该句子的“主干”,即去掉多余修饰后的句子基本结构:one major reasonremained to be proved,that后面引导的句子" current policy fails to stir public's desire for consumption"是one major reason的具体化内容,即该原因说的是当今政策无法激发大众消费的欲望。所以,了解句子基本结构,提炼主干,对于我们理解长句的核心信息是非常重要的。
句子基本结构
英文中句子的基本结构有五种,主谓、主谓宾、主系表、主谓双宾、主谓宾宾补,其实真正核心只有三种:主谓、主谓宾、主系表。以下为这三种的简化理解:
主谓:主语(对象) 谓语(动作为)
主谓宾:主语(对象) 谓语(动作) 宾语(对象)
主系表:主语(对象) 系动词(是) 表语(修饰)
所以,主谓/主谓宾强调某对象做了什么事情(行为),而主系表则强调某对象是什么样的(修饰)。那么,如何找句子主干呢?
下面用一个小小的例子帮助大家理解。
相信大家都听过一首神曲:“我在人民广场吃炸鸡”,那么这个歌名句子的主干是?
【分析】
我 在人民广场 吃 炸 鸡
主语 地点状语 谓语 定语 宾语
所以,主干就是:我吃鸡。从这个句子的例子我们可以发现,介词后接的名词很多时候是充当时间/地点等状语,对句子补充说明,而非充当其核心成分,因此找主干时,我们可以在介词前写一斜杠/ , 以表示断句,从而更好帮助我们寻找句子主干。
方法1:逢介必断
例句1:(C1T4P3)
One tool forassessing the impact of forestry on the ecosystem is population viabilityanalysis(PVA)【主干填写】_________________________________________【分析】
One tool / for assessing the impact/ of forestry /on theecosystem /is population viability analysis.
即主干为:One tool is population viability analysis主干翻译:一种工具就是种群生存力分析或种群生存力分析是一种工具for assessingthe impact of forestry是介词结构修饰one tool,即一种工具其目的是评估森林的影响,on the ecosystem是impact of forestry的固定搭配,即是森林对生态系统的影响全句翻译:
种群生存力分析(PVA)是评估森林对生态系统的影响的一种工具方法2:去掉从句定语从句例句2:(C5T4P3)Short-dayplants that flower in the autumn in the temperate zone are able to build upfood reserve over the growing season and over winter as seeds【主干填写】________________________________________【分析】
Short-day plants /that flower in the autumn in the temperatezone /are able to build up foodreserve/ over the growing season and over winter /as seeds主干为:Short-day plants are able to build up food reserveas seeds主干翻译:短日照植物能够储存食物作为种子划线部分that flower in the autumn in the temperate zone是定语从句修饰主语short-day plants, over the growing season and over winter是时间状语修饰build up food reserve as seeds全句翻译:
在温带地区秋季开花的短日照植物在其生长季节和冬季能够储存食物作为种子例句3:(C7T2P3)The conceptof integrated rural transport is now well established in Tanzania, where amajor program of rural transport is just about to start.
【主干填写】_______________________________________【分析】
The concept of integrated rural transport is now well establishedin Tanzania, wherea major program of rural transport is just about to start.
主干:The concept is now well established主干翻译:概念已经形成介词结构of integrated rural transport修饰the concept,划线部分where a major program of rural transport is justabout to start修饰前面的Tanzania全句翻译:
综合农村交通的概念在坦桑尼亚已经形成,在那里一项重大的农村交通项目即将开始介词 which很多情况下关系副词用“介词+which/who”来代替,介词由先行词或定语从句中谓语动词的形式来决定例句4:(C9T1P1)The treesfrom which quinne is derived grow only in South America【主干填写】____________________________________________【分析】
The trees /from which /quinne is derived/ grow only in South America主干:The trees grow only in South America主干翻译:这种树只生长在南美洲这个句子其实可以分拆为两个句子:
① The treesgrow only in South America 这种树只生长在南美洲② Quinne is derived from the trees Quinne来源于这种树句子①和②的共同对象为the trees,因此可以以the trees为主语,用定语从句将quinne is derived from插入到主语后作为修饰成分:The trees whichquinne is derived from又因英文中习惯将介词提前,因此该句变成:
The trees /from which/quinne is derived/ grow only inSouth America全文翻译:quinne来源的那种树只生长在南美洲同位语/同位语从句一个名词(或其它形式)对另一个名词或代词进行解释或补充说明,这个名词(或其它形式)就是同位语。同位语与被它限定的词的格式要一致,并常常紧挨在一起,其一个突出的标志为逗号,因此可以简化为A, B例句5:(C9T1P3)Perkinwas attempting to manufacture quinine from aniline, an inexpensive and readilyavailable coal tar waste product.
【主干填写】_________________________________________【分析】
Perkin was attempting to manufacture quinine /from aniline, an inexpensive and readilyavailable coal tar waste product.
主干:Perkin was attempting to manufacture quinine主干翻译:Perkin企图生产出quininefromaniline是介词结构修饰manufacture quinne, 即从aniline中生产出quinine,划线部分an inexpensive and readily available coal tar wasteproduct是aniline的同位语,即aniline是一种coal tar waste product注意,此处的quinne和aniline不用翻译,凡是这种陌生名词术语,理解为某东西即可全文翻译:Perkin试图从aniline这种廉价易得的煤焦油废料中生产出quinine例句6(C4T1P1)For example, onegraphic illustration to which children might readily relate is the estimatethat rainforests are being destroyed at a rate equivalent to one thousandfootball fields every forty minutes---about the duration of a normal classroomperiod【主干填写】________________________________________【分析】
For example, one graphic illustration / to which / children might readily relate / is the estimate /that rainforests are being destroyed at a rate / equivalent toone thousand football fields every fortyminutes---about the duration of a normal classroom period主干: one graphic illustration is the estimate主干翻译:这样一个图例是一种估计划线部分to which children might readily relate 为介词 which结构的定语从句修饰主语one graphic illustration,其中“relate to sth”为固定搭配,意思为“了解”,即一个孩子们很容易理解的图例。
粗体the estimate后面that引导的划线部分句子充当estimate的同位语从句,即热带雨林正遭到破坏以这样一个速度(at a rate),其后面的equivalent to one thousand football fields everyforty minutes为中心词rate的后置定语,破折号引导的内容充当every forty minutes的同位语全句翻译:
例如,孩子们很容易就能理解这样一个图例,即平均每四十分钟,也就是一节课的时间,世界上就会有一个相当于一千个
足球场大小的热带雨林遭到破坏状语从句(非谓语作状语)非谓语概念定义:
一般而言,在没有连词且无从句的情况下,一个简单句只有一个谓语动词其他动词只能以非谓语的形式出现:不定式(to do)、动名词(doing)、分词(done)I sat there and read books. 有连词and,sat和read为谓语动词,是主语I发出的动作I sat there reading books. 无连词,无从句,sat为该句的谓语动词,其他出现的动词只能以非谓语形式出现-reading,sat、reading均为主语发出的动作其他例子有:
My dream is to be a teacher.
My question is when to leave.
I enjoy playingbasketball
Not receiving any letter from him, I gave him a call.等不一一举例。
非谓语充当状语
很多时候由非谓语作状语时,提炼句子主干时可删除该状语例句7 (C6T1P2)At the turn of the 20th century,agriculture and manufacturing were the two most important sectors almosteverywhere, accounting for about 70% of total output in Germany, Italy andFrance, and 40%-50% in America, Britain and Japan.
【主干填写】____________________________________________【分析】
At the turn of the 20th century,agriculture and manufacturing were the two most important sectors almosteverywhere, accounting for about70% of total output in Germany, Italy and France, and 40%-50% in America,Britain and Japan.
主干:agriculture and manufacturing were thetwo most important sectors almost everywhere主干翻译:农业和制造业几乎在所有地方都是是最重要的两大支柱产业划线部分是非谓语(现在分词)作状语,粗体部分等同于which accounted for,其修饰的主语是sectors全句翻译:在20世纪初,农业和制造业几乎是各地的两大最重要的产业,占德国意大利和法国总产值的70%,美国英国日本的40%-50%