(单词翻译:单击)
1. 段落类型与篇章把握
段落是篇章的主体结构,是作者观点的主要表现单位。一篇结构严谨的文章,其内部的不同段落承担了不同的表达功能,如说明性文章中有段落来阐明现象,做出定义;而议论性文章中我们常常读到大量事实及数据占据主要篇幅的例证类型的段落。这些都是一个概念——功能段落的具体体现。熟悉这些段落的基本特征并在此基础上进行快速判断和预测,能有效提高雅思考试中应试者的阅读效率和准确性。
2. 段落阅读:各种功能段落
Contrast & Comparison型段落
比较和对比型段落多用于说明性文章。它的特点是通过对两个或更多的对象进行比较或对照,陈述它们的异同,从而说明作者的观点,引出结论。作者根据写作目的需要来分配笔墨的轻重稀浓。对于论述对象的描述有的平起平坐,有的则有所侧重。
The pure or theoretical scientist does original research in order to understand the basic laws of nature that govern our world. The applied scientist adapts this knowledge to practical problems. Neither is more important than the other, however, for the two groups are very much related.
由此段可知:作者无意厚此薄彼。首先分别介绍理论科学家和应用科学家的不同工作领域,然后指出他们是同等重要、相互依存。所以此段基本属于平起平坐一类。
At the University of Kansas art museum, investigators tested the effects of different colored walls on two groups of visitors to an exhibit of paintings. For the first group, the room was painted white, for the second, dark brown. The experiment revealed that those who entered the dark brown room walked more quickly, covered more area, and spent less time in the room than the people in the white environment. Dark brown stimulated more activity, but the activity ended sooner. 这一段便属于有所侧重的一类。作者指出实验在白、棕两种颜色的房间进行,但大多笔墨都用于描述深棕色房间对于人们刺激而带来多动行为的事实,并在说明中采用了一些含比较级的句子,这样白房间里的实验结论便不言而喻了。
对比、比较类段落的布局大致有三种:先比较,后结论,Example 1便是此类;先主题句子,再比较,后结论,Example 2属此类;第三类是先结论,后比较,下面的例子较典型。
Colors do influence our moods; there is no doubt about it. A yellow room makes most people feel more cheerful and more relaxed than a dark green one; and a red dress brings warmth and cheer to the saddest winter day. On the other hand, black is depressing...
掌握了上述三种布局类型,对于抓中心思想和领会文章精髓,无疑可起到事半功倍的作用。此外,我们可以通过抓关键词的方法来识别文章中的比较和对比型段落。在阐发比较对象的相同点时,same, like,similar,likewise,equal,identical这样的词语用得较多。而阐发相异之处时,则多用but,however,yet,nevertheless,whereas,although,despite,in spite of,even if,in contrast,by contrast,compared with,on the contrary等。
在Example 1 中的one... the other...,Example 2中的for the first... for the second...和Example 3的on the other hand这些词汇也都是些较常用的比较、对比指示词。另外,在Example 2中还使用了形容词和副词的比较级,这也是比较、对比型段落中常常使用的语言形式。
值得一提的是在比较、对比型段落中还有一种特殊的类型。
当作者试图介绍一个抽象的概念或不为人们熟悉的事物时,他往往是借助比喻或类比的方法,引入另一个具体的概念或人们所熟知的具体事物,然后进行比较。但这种比较或对比是有所侧重的,其最终目的是比较两种事物的异同点,把复杂抽象的概念通俗化、具体化。
When light encounters a cloud of small particles, it is diffused. This may be illustrated by a familiar example. When sunlight enters a darkened room through a gap in the blinds, it will appear as a brilliant ray of light. This is because there are tiny particles of dust suspended in the air. These, although normally invisible, catch and diffuse and strong light shining on them. Thus we can see that diffusion occurs owing to all sorts of impurities in the atmosphere. This explains all the delightfully varied shades of color seen at different times of the day. 这里,文章将光的漫射现象引起蓝天白云的景观和阳光穿透缝隙射进暗室的现象进行比较。前者是人们只知其表而不解其中的事物,可谓不熟悉的;后者是日常生活中常见的,可谓熟悉的。如此比较便使得文章生动形象,通俗易懂了。
比较对比型段落是雅思说明及论说形文章中较常见的一种段落形式,了解了有关它的一些基础知识,对提高你的阅读速度和准确性水平大有裨益。