(单词翻译:单击)
(1) 若在GRE文章中看到虚拟语气,考虑直接取非反义理解,迅速把握作者态度。
如下面这句话:
例一:Perhaps, some scientists thought, migrants determine their geographic position on Earth by celestial navigation, almost as human navigators use stars and planets, but this would demand of the animals a fantastic map sense. (选自N0.6题第一套section 1短文章)
这句话看似很长,翻译成为中文的意思是:“有些科学家认为,就像人类采用恒星和行星来定位一样,候鸟或许也是采用天体的导航才得以确定它们所处的地理位置,但这要求这类动物具有令人难以置信的地图感。”中文读过去都让人头疼。其实我们用虚拟语气取非的思想来处理,其要表达的意思就很简单,对前半句话取非,说白了就是前半句话是行不通的,也就是“migrants cannot determine their geographic position on Earth by celestial navigation.”可以知道作者对这种解释持负评价。
我们再来看个例子:
例二:According to natural selection theory, a worker would enhance her fitness—or ability to propagate her genes—by hatching her own eggs in addition to or in place of the queen's.(选自国内题1993年10月考题section 5短文章)
这句话也是虚拟语气,我们直接取反理解,作者想要表达的就是 “a worker will not enhance her …”
运用这种取非的思想我们可以迅速的把握作者的态度,以及作者想要表达的真实意思。就不用先翻译成绕口的中文,再拼命的思索其中的含义,可以有效地为考试争取时间。
(2)在题干中看到虚拟语气,大多需要用到取非思想,与之相对应的一种题型是GRE阅读题中常见的一种,叫做“改进型取非题”。看例子之前,先简单解释下什么是“改进型取非题”。很简单,如果题干问“如果一个对象怎样会更好”则是改进型取非题,来看具体的例子:
例:It can be inferred from the passage that the “first theories” of grazer control mentioned in line 3 would have been more convincing if researchers had been able to(选自NO.6第二套section 1长文章),这是一个典型的改进型取非题题干,问的是第三行第一个理论怎样会更好。
逻辑思路:既然是改进,原文肯定说到了它的不好之处或者有unless的句子,我们把造成不好的原因取非,就是所要的答案了。
按照此思路定位原文三行,看到后面有这样一句话“A low number of algal cells in the presence of a high number of grazers suggested, but did not prove, that the grazers had removed most of the algae.”注意看插入语部分的“but did not prove”,这个就是缺点,取非就是“prove”再看五个选项:
(A) observe high phytoplankton numbers under natural lake conditions
(B) discover negative correlations between algae and zooplankton numbers from their field research
(C) understand the central importance of environmental factors in controlling the growth rates of phytoplankton
(D) make verifiable correlations of cause and effect between zooplankton and phytoplankton numbers
(E) invent laboratory techniques that would have allowed them to bypass their field research concerning grazer control
一眼扫过去就只有一个选项在讲证明,就是D中的verifiable。所以答案选D。很快解完此题。