托福閱讀細(xì)節(jié)題“陷阱”分析

細(xì)節(jié)題（factual information question 又稱“事實(shí)信息題”）是托福閱讀中極為常見(jiàn)的一種題型，要求考生準(zhǔn)確定位原文信息，并核對(duì)選項(xiàng)找到答案。與其它一些題型相比，細(xì)節(jié)題的考查形式和解題思路相對(duì)單純，更接近于中國(guó)國(guó)內(nèi)英語(yǔ)考試中大多數(shù)的閱讀單選題。但在教學(xué)實(shí)踐中不難發(fā)現(xiàn)，這種貌似簡(jiǎn)單的題型卻往往滿布“陷阱”，如下例：

e.g. ：Perhaps so much time has passed that there will never be satisfactory answers to the cave images, but their mystique only adds to their importance. Certainly a great art exists, and its existence reveals that ancient human beings were not without intelligence, skill, and sensitivity.

According to paragraph 6, why might the puzzling questions about the paintings never be answered?

(A) Keeping the paintings a mystery will increase their importance. 
　　(B) The artists hid their tools with great intelligence and skill. 
　　(C) Too many years have gone by since the images were painted. 
　　(D) Answering the question is not very important to scholars. 

該題常有不少同學(xué)選擇A項(xiàng)，原因是原文中有出現(xiàn)同義語(yǔ)句（mystery替換mystique，increase替換adds to）。但C項(xiàng)同樣符合這點(diǎn)（too many years替換so much time，have gone by替換has passed）。細(xì)讀題干不難發(fā)現(xiàn)，該題的考點(diǎn)在于因果關(guān)系（why），因此答案所在語(yǔ)句中必然含有相應(yīng)的連接詞。而原文第一句中便含有so...that...（如此……以至于……），that后的結(jié)果部分也符合題干要求（never will be answered替換there will never be answers），因此答案必在此處。核對(duì)選項(xiàng)后便可選出C項(xiàng)。

事實(shí)上，OG在對(duì)該題型講解中便提示Do not select an answer just because it is mentioned in the passage. Your choice should answer the specific question that was asked.（不要僅僅因?yàn)橐粋�(gè)選項(xiàng)在原文中被提及就選擇它。你的選項(xiàng)應(yīng)該回答題目提出的特定問(wèn)題。）因此，考生在做細(xì)節(jié)題時(shí)務(wù)必要注意審題，否則極易犯“答非所問(wèn)”的錯(cuò)誤。

但是，僅僅仔細(xì)審題并不能保證我們?cè)谧黾?xì)節(jié)題時(shí)百發(fā)百中，因?yàn)榧?xì)節(jié)題的選項(xiàng)中也常有玄機(jī)。

e.g. It should be obvious that cetaceans — whales, porpoises, and dolphins — are mammals. They breathe through lungs, not through gills, and give birth to live young. Their streamlined bodies, the absence of hind legs, and the presence of a fluke and blowhole cannot disguise their affinities with land dwelling mammals...

In paragraph 1, what does the author say about the presence of a blowhole in cetaceans? 

(A) It clearly indicates that cetaceans are mammals. 
　　(B) It cannot conceal the fact that cetaceans are mammals. 
　　(C) It is the main difference between cetaceans and land-dwellingmammals.
　　(D) It cannot yield clues about the origins of cetaceans.

根據(jù)題干可迅速定位到原文第二句（尾鰭和頭頂鼻孔的存在不能掩蓋它們與陸生哺乳動(dòng)物的密切關(guān)系），但核對(duì)選項(xiàng)后發(fā)現(xiàn)，A項(xiàng)（它清晰地指出鯨類是哺乳動(dòng)物）和B項(xiàng)（它不能掩蓋鯨類是哺乳動(dòng)物的事實(shí)）的意思幾乎完全相同，難以區(qū)分。該題選項(xiàng)有一個(gè)明顯的特點(diǎn)：全部以人稱代詞it為主語(yǔ)。

結(jié)合題干不難看出，it的指代對(duì)象就是the presence of a blowhole。將其代回選項(xiàng)中，A項(xiàng)就變成了“頭頂鼻孔的存在清晰地指出鯨類是哺乳動(dòng)物”，但這顯然不符合常理，因?yàn)轭^頂鼻孔絕非哺乳動(dòng)物的一般特征；而B項(xiàng)“頭頂鼻孔的存在不能掩蓋鯨類是哺乳動(dòng)物的事實(shí)”符合原文（conceal替換disguise）。

從上面兩個(gè)例子我們發(fā)現(xiàn)，考生在解答細(xì)節(jié)題時(shí)，不能單純流于對(duì)文章意思的理解，而是要注意題干、原文和選項(xiàng)三者之間的邏輯關(guān)系、詞匯同義替換和指代關(guān)系等方面，才能選出正確答案。 

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