七、阅读顺序——先读文章？还是先读题？
阅读的顺序很有讲究，仁者见仁，智者见智，有多种方法：
*大多数考生在阅读时采用下面最传统的三部曲：
第一部：读文章
第二部：做题目
第三部：有拿不准的再回头读文章
有的时候还可能重复循环下去，这种做题准确率较高，缺点是速度慢，效率很低。
*先浏览题，记住大致考点，再读文章，划下重点位置，最后做题，一气呵成。我比较喜欢此种方式。
*直接从问题入手，边读题边到前面的文章中寻找答案。
*不读文章，只做题目。本法仅适用于“狗急跳墙”的时候。
八、不良的阅读习惯
考生平时阅读文章时应注意克制以下常犯的毛病：
*“指读”：用手指、铅笔、尺子指着文章，一个单词一个单词地读。这样无形中限制了眼睛“扫描”的速度，从而降低了阅读速度。
*“头读”：每次换行读时，头作相应的摇动动作。这样时间长了，不仅人的颈部很容易出现疲劳的症状，也限制了阅读速度。
*“声读”：必须读出声音才能理解，也就是必须将书面上的字符转化成声音才能使脑子理解，这样也会影响阅读速度。因此，考生庆多进行“默读”训练，学会直接将字符转化成意思的技能。
*“回读”：一遇到生词或不熟悉的短语的时候，返回句首段首重读。
*“译读”：又称母语阅读。在阅读的过程中，不断进行单词、短语、至句子的翻译，通过译成母语来达到理解。
九、常规命题思路
中心+细节=文章
*文章中心常考：常于主题句中表现出来，主题句可以出现于文章的首句或篇中，一篇文章也可以没有明确的主题句。
*段中心常考：可以在段子的首句和末句，也可以没有明显的段中心句，需要自己概括出来。
*细节题的实质：细节题针对文章的某个局部命题，通俗地说，所谓细节题就是将文章中的一句话拿出来单考。
*指代（信息传递）常考：文章中的指代常作为考察内容。
命题模式：B指代A，B具有X特点，结论为A具有X特点。有时只是简单地提问指代关系。
*倒着考：即是将文章中的某句话，倒过来考一遍。
命题模式：文章中A导致B；问题：有B这一结果，为何？答案：因为A。
*反着考：即是将文章中的某句话，反过来考一遍。
命题模式：文章中A具有X属性，B与A不同；
问题：B有何属性？答案：非X属性。
十、阅读题类型及其特点
考研阅读题目一般有五种题型，分别是：
*主题性问题
*细节怀问题
*态度性问题
*推断性问题
*词汇性问题
下面详细介绍这5种题型的特点、解题思路：
（一）主题性问题
主题性问题，顾名思义，要求考生找到一篇文章的中心思想。命题形式有以下3种：
1. Main Idea 类型
典型问题形式：What is the main idea/point of this passage?
选项形式为陈述句。要求考生选择表达作者思想、观点的句子。
2.Main topic类型
典型问题形式：What is the main topic of this passage?
选项形式为名词或名词词组。要求考生指出文章的Topic（论题），或Subject(主题),或title（标题）等。
3.Purpose类型
典型问题形式：What is the author’s main purpose in the passage?
选项形式多为动宾结构。要求考生找到主要的写作目的。
抓主题句是概括中心思想的一个常见方法，主题句表达中心思想，其他的句子均围绕其展开说明或议论。它通常以判断句的形式出现，在文章的通常位置为第一段首句、第一段末句和全文末句等地方。
*第一段首句 许多文章开门见山，一开始就摆出要说明的主要对对象或要论述的主要观点。接下去的句子和段落都说明或论述它。这样，文章的结构就属于一般 具体，主题句也就在首段首句。
*首段末句 也是主题句常出现的地方，在这种情况下，这个主题句不仅是对全文的总结，也是对第一段的总结，而且开启第二段及以后的说明或论述。简而言之，这种文章的结构是：具体说明或论述（一段）总结（一段末的主题句）后文的具体说明和论述。这种形式的主题句之前通常有表示总结的提示词，如：in consequence, to conclude, in summary to sum up, in short, in brief; 或表推断的提示词：therefore, thus, as a result, accordingly; 或表示转折的提示词：but, yet, however等。转折之后出现主题句的情况比较多，对于这种谋篇套路编写的文章，笔者给它起个名字叫新老观点对应性文章。文章中出现诸如a popular belief, frequently assumed, universally accepted 等词句提示作者将要在下文提出一个标新立异的与之不同的新观点，那么新观点就是主题大意，而作者对老观点的态度则是批判的。
*文章首末两段均有主题句 主题句到末段才出现的情况较少，常见的情况是文章开门见山提出主题句，中间加以论述，文末复述首段主题，这也是写作的方法之一。
主题性问题干扰项的特征：
*局部信息：是主旨题干扰项最常见的特点，是指选项中出现之涉及文章的细节，如一句无展开论述的话；某自然段的大意，此种选项干扰性很强，做题时尤其需要留神。有超过一半的文章中心在文章的首句和末句。从解的特征来看一般符合“概括性的是解；中心思想是解”。参见解是特征节。
*概括范围太宽：指选项包含的内容超出或多于文章阐述的内容。提问标题的干扰项常有此特点。此种干扰项是“概括性的是解”的克星，需要注意。
*无关信息：即文章中未提到、或找不到语言依据的信息。
（二）细节性问题
细节性问题为阅读考题的基本问题，占很大比重。此类考题比较简单，因此是我们拿分的部分，有必要争取全部细节性考题答题正确。体会：大部分细节题体现“中心思想是解”。下面将细节性考题分类进行讨论。
1.According题型
此题型为最基本题，由According to the passage或The passage states that引导，考查学生对于文章中Factual（事实）内容的掌握，如时间、地点、事件等细节问题。
对策：利用题目中的关键词寻找文中对应词，在对应词周围查找到答案。
2.数字题型
此种题型为比较基本的题目，考查学生对数字的理解能力，一般有如下3种考查方法：
*运算型：通过四则运算（主要是加减法）求解。
对策：注意原始数据不是解。
*多个选一个题型：文中出现多个时间或数字，对应不同的事物，问题只考其中一点。
对策：对号入座。
*域型：文中时间后数字为一区域／范围，求最高、最低或其中某一点。
*世纪型：已知某一年份，求其为哪个世纪。如已知1906年，问其为19世纪初。这种题极易做错，请考生注意。
*文字表达型：文章并未出现数字，只有表示数字概念的文字，求其表示的数量。此种题目稍难，因为文章中没有现成的数字，要求考生通过表达数字要领的文字加以推断，如：一个圆被两条相交直线分割，分成几部分？
3.是非题型
*三误一正
该题型指三项错误，只有一项符合原文内容。典型提问方式：
Which of the following is true?
根据题干或选项中的关键词回返原文，找到相关句与选项相比较就能得到答案。如果定位困难，可以考虑运用排除法，不符合解的特征及“含有原文中未提到的新概念”等选项可以排除，这样找到正确答案的可能性就大。
*EXCEPT题型
该题型俗称“三缺一”题型，即题目四个选项中有三个符合文章内容，剩下一个不符合，题目便是要求选出这个不符合文章内容的选项。典型提问形式如：
Which of the following is true except……？
Which of the following is mentioned except……？
Which of the following is not mentioned?
这种题型有两种考法，一种是考并列、列举句，只考一个句子，考局部。这是因为它要求其三个选项中的每一个都是文章中并列或列举句中出现的。利用这一特点，我们在读文章的时候就多留意，如看到并列、列举句，可预想到它有可能考到，如发现题目中有“三缺一”题型，则应到并列、列举外找答案。另一种是篇章性的考法：三个干扰英在文章中不同部分出现，难度很大。这种题目难度大于TOEFL，接近GRE。做EXCEPT题时需注意不要漏看题干中的EXCEPT，NOT等词。
4.例证题型
例子是考研的阅读理解常考点之一，典型提问方式如下：
The author provides in Line…(Paragraph…) an example in order to…
例子是中心思想的体现，解的特征符合“中心思想是解”。文章出现例子无非是为了说明一定的道理，关键在于这个例子在文章中出现的位置，但不管如何，这个例子之前或之后不远处通常总有一句总结说明就是答案，即被例证对象。如果例子与全文主题有关，则例证主题，“中心思想是解”；如果例子与段落主题有关，则例证明段落主题，“段中心是解”。
细节题干扰项的特征
细节题有难有易，较容易的可以根据题干或选项的线索回原文定位，然后由相关句得到正确答案。细节题干扰项有如下几种：
*无：选项中所讲内容在原文中根本不存在，或找不到语言依据：如本身正确但在原句中无语言依据的无关选项，原文中没有提到甲，但选项中有甲；原文中有甲与乙，但未对甲与乙做比较，而选项中说明甲比乙如何；原文中说甲有乙特征，但选取项中说甲有乙之外的特征；选项中的限定词表示的范围或程度大于或小于文中提到的范围或程度。
*反：选项的内容与原文相矛盾一原文说西，选项说东；原文说低，选项说高。
*混：原文说甲事物有某特征，但选项却张冠李戴，挪乙事物上。
*偏：原文中说某事物有诸多特征，而且题干要求多种特征，但选项仅讲了一个特征，这就属于偏。
（三）态度性问题
态度性问题考查学生是否了解文章作者或文中某人对某事物所持观点或态度。命题形式为The attitude of the author towards something is one of …？
态度性问题的选项一般分为以下三种：
*褒义词：positive, wonder, support, useful, interesting, enthusiasm, admiring 等；
*中性词：indifferent, impassive, uninterested, ambivalent, neutral, apathetic, humor, disinterested, disinterested, disinterest等；
*贬义词：disgust, critical, negative, tolerant, disappointment 等。
策略：
*遇到这样的词，要用笔画下来，以免以后不好找。
*根据文中有典型褒贬含义的词汇判断。
*当题目要求找出作者对某人的态度时，答案多为褒义词，其他词类可能性较小。
(四)推断性问题
典型提问方式t can be inferred from the passage that 。
此类型问题考查学生根据已知内容推断引伸含义的能力。命题形式包括下列五个动词：infer, inply, suggest, conclude 和assume。
此类型问题要求考生根据文章中的关键词、短语、结构等进行推断，或要求考生通过阅读某段或几段内容，推断出一个结论，类似于主题性问题。注意防止不依据关键词而凭空进行推断，这是许多考生存在一的个通病。
（五）词汇性问题
根据上下文判断大纲词汇表以外某些词汇和短语的意义，主要考察两种情况：
*熟词僻义或具体词义在特定语言环境的场合考法。注意在这种情况下，常规含义不是解。
*超出词汇表的生词含义的推断。
主要策略：
*根据构词法推测超纲词的含义：熟读王争《词汇的奥秘》，不但可以使你速记考研词汇，熟悉词汇考试要点，而且通过由此掌握的构词法对临场推测超纲词汇很有价值。
*心里一定要清楚，只有根据上下文来判断该词真正具有合理性的词义，才是您唯一的出路。这里的上下文指该词所在句子本身，也包括句子的上下句或更远的上下文。一般而言，上下文线索所提示的意义与所考词汇的关系要么为同义关系，要么为反义关系。例如二者为同义关系，那么所考词汇的意思就是线索提示词的意思 假如二者为反义关系，所考词汇的意思就是线索提示词的反义。提示词与所考词汇关系的形式与结构如下：
同义关系：所考词汇在文章中被同义词、同位语、定语从句等解释或定义时，那么它与提示词构成同义关系，这些解释有时伴随过渡词，如namely, in other word, this means.
下定义的典型方式如下：
名词（被定义对象）+定语从句（定义内容）
名词（被定义对象）+be+名词（定义内容）
名词（被定义对象）+be called +（定义内容）
by+名词（被定义对象）+be meant+名词（定义内容）
反义关系：凡是所考词汇与线索提示词之间以下列结构表示转折或对立关系的，二者可构成反义关系。例如：but, yet, however, although, while, whereas, despite, in site of, in contrast, on the contrary等。
利用逻辑和语法：有时根据上下文提供的线索或其他方法，仍不能得到唯一答案，就可以利用语法和逻辑的规则来判断。
十一、阅读的路标-----文章十大命题原则
任何事物的运作都有其一定的规律，考研阅读理解试题也不例外，它完全体现测试法的理论，表现在命题上便是依据一定的命题原则进行题目设计。我们将这种规律归纳总结成以下十条原则，即十大考试要点：
（一）列举处常考
列举指的是First,… Second,…Third,…等逐条出，并列指的是A、B、C逐项列出。它们共同的特征是列出三点或三点以上的条目。本书统称为“列举处常考”。该类型语句常考的题型是“细节性问题”，主要有两种：
* Which 题型
该题型只要求从并列的三项中选一项作为答案，其它选项与题目无关。
*EXCEPT题型
该题型要求考生通过核对文章内容，排除满足文章内容的三个选项，而留下“不”符合文章的“错误”选项，作为答案，通常称为“三缺一”题型。参见阅读类型与特点节EXCEPT题型。
（二）转折处与强对比处常考
转折处常常是语义的重点，命题常常要涉及，转折一般通过however, but yet, in fact等引导。
强对比常由 unlike, until, however, but…引导。命题模式如下：文章中说A具有X属性，B与A不同。问题是B有可属性?参见常规命题思路节“反着考”。
（三）例子常考
句中由as, such as , for example, for instance等引导的短语或句子为举例句，需要注意的是例子一般是和文章的中心或段中心紧密相关的，常考“推断性问题”和“细节性问题”，而大多数这类问题的解都符合“中心思想是解”的解题思路。参见解的特征节“中心思想是解”。
（四）数字与年代常考
文中的数字、年代、日期等常常是命题者的命题点。参见数字题型。
（五）最高级及绝对性词汇常考
文章中常出现first, must, all, only, anyone, always, never, none等绝对性词汇或 most +形容词（副词）和形容词（副词）+est等最高级词汇，或only, sole, unique, simply（只要），just（只要）等表示唯一的词汇往往是考题要点，一般出“细节性问题”。这是因为它们都有一个共同的特点，那就是概念绝对，答案唯一，无论是命题还是答题，不会产生歧义和疑问，因此很容易命题，答案绝对正确。相反地，如果文章中出现相对性的词汇，就很难有唯一的答案的。请大家琢磨一下下边的例题，文中：Some of the people chose red hats, some chose green hats, and others blue ones. 问题：What color hats did some people choose? 因为其中some为相对性词汇，所以就没有唯一正确的答案，答案可能为red，green或blue，这样就会给评卷造成了困难。大家体会一下，其实命题也受到许许多多的限制，要按照一个固定套路进行。
（六）专有名词常考
包括人名、地名、或其他的专有名词。当您阅读之前，先扫视一下文章后的题，如果有专有名词，划下来，这样在阅读的时候才能有的放矢。
（七）隐蔽处常考
隐蔽处顾名思义，即是指句子中隐蔽之处、容易忽视之处，包括：
*同位语 *插入语 *定语 *长句后半句 *从句 *副词 *不定式
（八）因果句常考
句中含有如下结构或词汇的称为因果句：
*表示因果的连词：because, since, for, as, therefore, so, consequently等；
*表示因果的动词：cause, result in, originate form等;
*表示因果的名词：base, basis, result, consequence等。
这些因果句都是指明某两个事件之间因果关系的，尤为命题者所青睐，因为通过命题可以考查文中两个事件内在的因果关系。
此种句型一般出“推断性问题”。
（九）段落句常考
文中首段第一句（段首句）和末段最后一句（文尾句）都是十分重要的地方，往往是文章作者表达中心思想，进行总结综述的地方，因此常出主题性问题、细节性问题，和结构性问题。
二、阅读的顺序——先读文章还是先读题？
这个问题可以说因人而异，各有利弊。常见的有三种阅读方法：
1) 先读问题，读完一题然后去文章相应的地方找答案，看一题做一题。优点是：针对性强，阅读时无关内容可略过，阅读速度快，省时间。教研阅读题总体来看，题目的先后顺序与其对应于文章中的先后顺序大致相同。但肯定有少数题目不按原文的顺序出现。这种情况往往出现在下列题目上：段落大意题、个别句子题、词汇题。缺点是：对文章的整体把握差。对于下列题型可能会感到无从下手：主旨题、上下文逻辑关系题、作者观点/态度题、判断推理题。
2) 通读文章后看题，然后再回来读有关段落。优点是：对文章有一个总的概念和印象。对于下列题型有利：文章主旨题、上下文逻辑关系题、作者观点/态度题、判断推理题。缺点是费时间，对文章的细节记不清楚。
3) 读一层意思做几道题，阅读和做题交叉进行。优点是：速度适中，对于刚读完的内容印象深，记忆效果好。特别当考题集中在前面的段落时，优越性最明显。缺点是：对文章的整体理解不如第二种方法强。如果出题者不按文章内容顺序出题，此方法就行不通了。请大家试用上述三种方法做下面的的阅读理解题。
It’s a rough world out there. Step outside and you could break a leg slipping on your doormat. Light up the stove and you could burn down the house. Luckily, if the doormat or stove failed to warn of coming disaster, a successful lawsuit might compensate you for your troubles. Or so the thinking has gone since the early 1980s, when juries began holding more companies liable for their customers’ misfortunes.
Feeling threatened, companies responded by writing ever-longer warning labels, trying to anticipate every possible accident. Today, stepladders carry labels several inches long that warn, among other things, that you might — surprise! — fall off. The label on a child’s Batman cape cautions that the toy “does not enable user to fly”.
While warnings are often appropriate and necessary — the dangers of drug interactions, for example — and many are required by state of federal regulations, it isn’t clear that they actually protect the manufacturers and sellers from liability if a customer is injured. About 50 percent of the companies lose when injured customers take them to court.
Now the tide appears to be turning. As personal injury claims continue as before, some courts are beginning to side with defendants, especially in cases where a warning label probably wouldn’t have changed anything. In May, Julie Nimmons, president of Schutt Sports in Illinois, successfully fought a lawsuit involving a football player who was paralyzed in a game while wearing a Schutt helmet. “We’re really sorry he has become paralyzed, but helmets aren’t designed to prevent those kinds of injuries,” says Nimmons. The jury agreed that the nature of the game, not the helmet, was the reason for the athlete’s injury. At the same time, the American Law Institute — a group of judges, lawyers, and academics whose recommendations carry substantial weight — issued new guidelines for tort law stating that companies need not warn customers of obvious dangers or bombard them with a lengthy list of possible ones. “Important information can get buried in a sea of trivialities, ” says a law professor at Cornell Law School who helped draft the new guidelines. If the moderate end of the legal community has its way, the information on products might actually be provided for the benefit of customers and not as protection against legal liability. [390 words 阅读舒适度：46.5(非常不舒服) 难度：11.5(较难)]
1. What were things like in 1980s when accidents happened?
[A] Customers might be relieved of their disasters through lawsuits.
Injured customers could expect protection from the legal system.
[C] Companies would avoid being sued by providing new warnings.
[D] Juries tended to find fault with the compensations companies promised.
2. Manufacturers as mentioned in the passage tend to
[A] satisfy customers by writing long warnings on products.
become honest in describing the inadequacies of their products.
[C] make the best use of labels to avoid legal liability.
[D] feel obliged to view customers’ safety as their first concern.
3. The case of Schutt helmet demonstrated that
[A] some injury claims were no longer supported by law.
helmets were not designed to prevent injuries.
[C] product labels would eventually be discarded.
[D] some sports games might lose popularity with athletes.
4. The author’s attitude towards the issue seems to be
[A] biased. indifferent. [C] puzzling. [D] objective.
答案和解析
注意：为简明起见，在本书中规定第一段用 <1 >表示，第二段用 <2 >表示，依此类推；某段中的第一句用①表示，第三句用②表示，依此类推。
1. 。细节题。 <1 >④⑤“幸运的是，假如门口的擦鞋棕垫或炉灶上没有警示语告诉你可能遭受的危害，那么就可以提起诉讼，官司打赢就可获得赔偿，以弥补你所遭受的损害。自20世纪80年代初以来，陪审团成员开始认为更多的公司应对其顾客所遭受的不幸负法律责任。”可见“受伤的消费者可望得到法律制度的保护”正确。[A]不对，因为文章没有说“通过法律诉讼可以减轻他们所受的灾难”，灾难是无法减轻的。[C]、[D]均与文章明显不符。
2. [C]。细节题。 <2 >①“公司感觉受到了威胁，便作出了反应，其做法是写出越来越长的警示标识语，力图将种种可能发生的事故预先标明。”可见，许多厂商往往“利用标签避免法律方面的责任”，故[C]正确；写标签并非为了“让顾客满意”，故[A]错。、[D]均与文章不符。
3. [A]。逻辑细节题。问作者在文中援引Schutt头盔案例是何用意。作者举这样一个例子，肯定是为了证明自己所要表达的某个观点。在相关的上下文中，即 <4 >①②“现在看来这种潮流正在转变。尽管人身伤害索赔一如既往，但有些法庭已开始站到被告一方，特别是在那些有警示标语可能也改变不了什么的案件中。”可见下文所举Schutt头盔安案例是为了表明“某些受伤索赔已得不到法律的支持”，故[A]正确。、[C]、[D]皆错。
4. [D]。态度题。纵观全文，作者客观地叙述了从80年代初至今美国法律在这一问题上的态度变化，并没有表明自己的主观意图，因此，作者的态度是不偏不倚的是，是“客观的”，故[D]正确。[A]“有偏见的”；“冷漠的”；[C]“令人迷惑的”，皆不正确。
这篇文章属于报刊类文章，文章各段的大意清晰，细节部分为具体事例，适合看题做题阅读法，但最后一题可能会出错，所以没有十全十美的阅读方法。我们建议先花30秒钟看题，最好用笔划上题干中的关键词：
1. What were things like in 1980s when accidents happened?
[A] Customers might be relieved of their disasters through lawsuits.
Injured customers could expect protection from the legal system.
[C] Companies would avoid being sued by providing new warnings.
[D] Juries tended to find fault with the compensations companies promised.
2. Manufacturers as mentioned in the passage tend to
[A] satisfy customers by writing long warnings on products.
become honest in describing the inadequacies of their products.
[C] make the best use of labels to avoid legal liability.
[D] feel obliged to view customers’ safety as their first concern.
3. The case of Schutt helmet demonstrated that
[A] some injury claims were no longer supported by law.
helmets were not designed to prevent injuries.
[C] product labels would eventually by discarded.
[D] some sports games might lose popularity with athletes.
4. The author’s attitude towards the issue seems to be
[A] biased. indifferent. [C] puzzling. [D] objective.
如果题干中没有关键词，如：Which of the following is true?就要看选项中反复提到的词汇。浏览完选项头脑中留下关键词的痕迹再去看文章，效果就比较好。
三、如何在文章中做记号
善于阅读的人往往在文章的某些句子或词语下面划线，表示重要，以便以后查找方便。实践证明，这种方法在考试中是非常有效的。因为通过标出重点，你的阅读更活跃，思维更积极，注意力集中，减少大脑“走私”。考研文章较长(450词左右)，考生很难记住所有的内容，甚至段落大意都可能忘记，而考题只有五个，不可能所有的句子都重要，都被考到。实际上看懂大部分句子就可以了。对主要句子，如表达中心思想、段落大意的句子，应该标出并重点阅读。
1． 文章主旨句
主旨句也就是中心思想句，通常在第一段，可以是第一句，也可能是最后一句，据有人统计位于最后一句的几率高于第一句。主旨句偶尔出现在末段，有的主旨句甚至是文章中间某段中的某句。主旨句的特点是：1)是作者的观点(不是他人的观点，不是描写/说明，也不是事实)。2)该观点可能是作者提倡的，也可能是作者对他人观点的批驳。3)作者的观点只能有一个，其他的内容都起说明/论证作用。4)主旨句具有归纳性、概括性、抽象性的特点。5)常常结构复杂(命题者有意安排所致)。
例1
An invisible border divides those arguing for computers in the classroom on the behalf of students’ career prospects and those arguing for computers in the classroom for broader reasons of radical educational reform. Very few writers on the subject have explored this distinction — indeed, contradiction — which goes to the heart of what is wrong with the campaign to put computers in the classroom. (可读性：33 难度：12级)
①是说明句，交代背景“计算机走进课堂的支持者有两派，这两派之间的界限是无形的。”②是主旨句，说明主题——两派之间的这种差异说明“计算机走进课堂的运动”本质上是错误的。
例2
Few creations of big technology capture the imagination like giant dams. Perhaps it is humankind’s long suffering at the mercy of flood and drought that makes the ideal of forcing the waters to do our bidding so fascinating. But to be fascinated is also, sometimes, to be blind. Several giant dam projects threaten to do more harm than good. (可读性：58.5 难度: 8.7级)
①引出话题“巨型水坝”。②解释修水坝的原因。③转折。④是主旨句“一些巨型水坝弊大于利。”
例3
Exceptional children are different in some significant way from others of the same age. For these children to develop to their full adult potential, their education must be adapted to those differences. (可读性：45 难度：10.9级)
①引出话题“超常儿童”。②是主旨句“为了充分发展超常儿童的潜力，对他们的教育必须适应他们的特点”。
例4
Money spent on advertising is money spent as well as any I know of . It serves directly to assist a rapid distribution of goods at reasonable price, thereby establishing a firm home market and so making it possible to provide for export at competitive prices. By drawing attention to new ideas it helps enormously to raise standards of living. By helping to increase demand it ensures an increased need for labour, and is therefore an effective way to fight unemployment. It lowers the costs of many services: without advertisements your daily newspaper would cost four times as much, the price of your television licence would need to be doubled, and travel by bus or tube would cost 20 per cent more.
And perhaps most important of all, advertising provides a guarantee of reasonable value in the products and services you buy. Apart from the fact that twenty-seven acts of Parliament govern the terms of advertising, no regular advertiser dare promote a product that fails to live up to the promise of his advertisements. He might fool some people for a little while through misleading advertising. He will not do so for long, for mercifully the public has the good sense not to buy the inferior article more than once. If you see an srticle consistently advertised, it is the surest proof I know that the article does what is claimed for it claimed for it ,and that it represents good value.
Advertising does more for the material benefit of the community than any other force I can think of.
There is one more point feel I ought to touch on. Recently I heard a well-known television personality declare that he was against advertising because it persuades rather than informs. He was drawing excessively fine distinctions. Of course advertising seeks to persuade.
If its message were confined merely to information — and that in itself would be difficult if not impossible to achieve, for even a detail such as the choice of the colour of a shirt is subtly persuasive — advertising would be so boring that no one would pay any attention. But perhaps that is what the well-known television personality wants.(360 words 可读性：49.8 难度：11.5级)
文章话题是广告。这篇文章主旨句显然不在第一段，而是在第三段。该段是前两段的内容的总结：广告是带来前所未有的物质上的好处的力量。后两段(4、5段)话题为与他人争辩广告的劝说作用，认为广告就是要劝另人购买。
2． 段落主题句(TOPIC SENTENCE)
除了标出篇章的主旨句外，标出各段的主题句同样重要。每一段都有一个段的中心句，也有人叫它段落大意句、段中心思想句等等。主题句是考试重点，很多题目都是围绕着段中心设计的。确定主题句不仅有利于确定文章主旨，还有利读懂细节题，因此主题句的确定是阅读的关键。
主题句的特点：1)通常是第一句话，偶尔是最后一句，段中少见。2)是观点(不是描写/说明、不是事实)。可能是作者的观点，也可能是他人的观点。3)该观点可能是作者提倡的，也可能是作者认为其他人的观点是错误的/偏激的等等。4)作者的观点只能有一个。主题句只能有一个，其他的内容都起说明/论证作用。5)具有归纳性、概括性、抽象性等特点。
例1
And yet, the myth of controlling the waters persists. This week, in the heart of civilized Europe, Slovaks and Hungarians stopped just short of sending in the troops in their contention over a dam on the Danube. The huge complex will probably have all the usual problems of big dams. But Slovakia is bidding for independence from the Czechs, and now needs a dam to prove itself. (可读性：68.6 难度：7.8级)
Q：What is the myth concerning giant dams?
[A] They bring in more fertile soil.
They help defend the country.
[C] They strengthen international ties.
[D] They have universal control of the waters.
解析：主题句为①“控制该河段水域的神话依然继续着。”下面的句子是两个个体例子说明主题句。所以[D]“他们有对河流水域的完全控制权”正确。
例2
You can begin to think of yourself as truly intelligent on the basis of how you choose to feel in the face of trying circumstances. The life struggles are pretty much the same for each of us. Everyone who is involved with other human beings in any social context has similar difficulties. Disagreements, conflicts and compromises are a part of what it means to be human. Similarly, money, growing old ,sickness, deaths, natural disasters and accidents are all events which present problems to virtually all human beings. But some people are able to make it , to avoid immobilizing depression and unhappiness despite such occurrences, while others collapse or have an N.B.D. Those who recognize problems as a human condition and don’t measure happiness by an absence of problems are the most intelligent kind of humans we know; also,the most rare. (可读性：51.4 难度：11.1级)
1. In the paragraph, the author tells us that
[A] difficulties are part of everyone’s life.
depression and unhappiness are unavoidable in life.
[C] everybody should learn to avoid trying circumstances.
[D] good feelings can contribute to eventual academic excellence.
2. According to the passage, what kind of people are rare?
[A] Those who don’t emphasize bookish excellence in their pursuit of happiness.
Those who are aware of difficulties in life but know how to avoid unhappiness.
[C] Those who measure happiness by an absence of problems but seldom suffer from N.B.D.’S.
[D] Those who are able to secure happiness though having to struggle against trying circumstances.
分析：①为主题句“知道如何面对逆境才是真正的聪明人。”②~⑦支持主题句：②③④⑤说“对于所有人来说困难和矛盾是人生的不可避免的一部分”。⑥但有些人成功地避免了不幸，而有些人却精神崩溃。⑦重申主题句。“那些认识到困难是人生必然存在的事物，不以有无困难来衡量愉快与否，是最聪明的人，也是很罕见的人。”答案：1.[A] 2.
3． 题干与选项中的关键词
仔细读考题，从考题中找出关键词，目的是确定考的是什么，考文章中的哪一段、哪一句。常见的关键词包括题干中重要的普通名词或专有名词，形容词、副词的最高级，四个选项中相同、相近词或者相关内容。在这些关键词的指引下寻找对应的句子或段落。有的时候关键词可以是各种词类，非常隐蔽，需要非常细心才能找到。
例1
“I have great confidence that by the end of the decade we’ll know in vast detail how cancer cells arise,” says microbiologist Robert Weinberg, an expert on cancer. “But ,” he cautions, “some people have the idea that once one understands the causes, the cure will rapidly follow. Consider Pasteur. He discovered the causes of many kinds of infections, but it was fifty or sixty years before cures were available.”(可读性：57.3 难度：9.6)
Q: The example of Pasteur in the passage is used to
[A] predict that the secret of cancer will be disclosed in a decade.
indicate that the prospects for curing cancer are bright.
[C] prove that cancer will be cured in fifty to sixty years.
[D] warn that there is still a long way to go before cancer can be conquered.(实考试题)
解析：Pasteur是关键词，在文章中先找到Pasteur很容易，这样就确定了所考的段落。由于篇幅所限，本文没有引证所有的段落(请参看1994年全国统考试题Passage4)。纵读全文，大家会进一步体会到这种方法的好处的。正确理解提到Pasteur的相关句子便可知道：治愈癌症还要等很多年。所以答案是[D]。
例2
Cars account for half the oil consumed in the U.S., about half the urban pollution and one fourth the greenhouse gases. They take a similar toll of resources in other industrial nations and in the cities of the developing world. As vehicle use continues to increase in the coming decade, the U.S. and other countries will have to deal with these issues or else face unacceptable economic, health-related and political costs. It is unlikely that oil prices will remain at their current low level or that other nations will accept a large and growing U.S. contribution to global climatic change. (可读性：47.47 难度：12级)
Q：From the passage we know that the increased use of cars will
[A] consume half of the oil produced in the world.
have serious consequences for the well-being of all nations.
[C] widen the gap between the developed and developing countries.
[D] impose an intolerable economic burden on residents of large cities.
解析：关键词是increased use of cars, 并且和③中vehicle use continues to increase相呼应，确定考点在此句。③“美国和其他国家将不得不做出选择，或者处理这些问题，或者面临不堪设想的经济、健康以及政治后果。”可见答案为。
四、正确选项和错误选项的特点
在本书中，正确的选项称为解，错误的选项称为干扰项。了解这两种选项的特点就是要了解命题者的思路。命题者都是英语水平相当高的英语专家，专门研究过英语测试理论，有丰富的命题经验，对中国考生的英语水平和特点有非常深的了解。这些特点，是外国专家所难以具备的。
出题者命题碰到的第一个问题是选材。文章的来源决不可能是学生学过的教材，或者市场上出售的教辅和模拟题。他们要从考生不易得到的、不熟悉的、不经常读的材料中选择。这些材料包括英语国家的报刊杂志，以及众多的普通读物。命题要考虑到文章要有一定的难度，对于话题考生不能太陌生，当然太熟悉也不行。文章要有一定的完整性，即使是从一篇长文章摘下来的一部分，其本身也要相对独立，要有中心思想等。然后就是确定题眼(考点)，一篇文章只考5道题，不可能所有内容都考，这就要确定考什么。总的原则是文章哪里难就考哪。特别是中国学生不易理解之处就可能成为考点。常考的包括长难句的理解、逻辑推测能力以及段落或文章的中心思想等。考点确定之后，就是写解和设置干扰项。两者的特点如下：
1． 正确选项的特点
设置正确选项(解)的一个常用方法就是同义替换或释义(paraphrase)，即把文中语言改头换面，运用与原文不同的结构、不同的词汇，来表达相同或类似的意思。常见的形式有：
1)正确选项大量使用原文的同义词或同义结构
例1
Useful as half-sleeping might be, it’s only been found in birds and such water mammals as dolphins, whales, and seals. Perhaps keeping one side of the brain awake allows a sleeping animal to surface occasionally to avoid drowning. (可读性：56.8 难度：10.1)
Q：While sleeping, some water mammals tend to keep half awake in order to
[A] alert themselves to the approaching enemy.
emerge from water now and then to breathe.
[C] be sensitive to the ever-changing environment.
[D] avoid being swept away by rapid currents.(实考试题)
解析：解是②的改写，原文和答案词汇比较如下：
答案中的词汇实际上是文中词汇的英语释义。答案是。
例2
We live in a society in which the medicinal and social use of substances (drugs) is pervasive: an aspirin to quiet a headache, some wine to be sociable, coffee to get going in the morning, a cigarette for the nerves. When do these socially acceptable and apparently constructive uses of a substance become misuses? First of all, most substances taken in excess will produce negative effects such as poisoning or intense perceptual distortions. Repeated use of a substance can also lead to physical addiction or substance dependence. Dependence is marked first by an increased tolerance, with more and more of the substance required to produce the desired effect, and then by the appearance of unpleasant withdrawal symptoms when the substance is discontinued. (可读性：42.4 难度：12级)
Q：Physical dependence on certain substances results from
[A] uncontrolled consumption of them over long periods of time.
exclusive use of them for social purposes.
[C] quantitative application of them to the treatment of diseases.
[D] careless employment of them for unpleasant symptoms.(实考试题)
解析：解是④的改写，原文和答案词汇与结构比较如下：
解中词汇比文中词汇难而且长。答案是[A]。
例3
There is, as Robert Rubin, the treasury secretary, says, a “disjunction” between the mass of business anecdote that points to a leap in productivity and the picture reflected by the statistics. (可读性：37.8 难度：12级)
Q：The official statistics on productivity growth
[A] exclude the usual rebound in a business cycle.
fall short of businessmen’s anticipation.
[C] meet the expectation of business people.
[D] fail to reflect the true of economy.
解析：原文和答案词汇与结构比较如下：
答案词汇比文中词汇简单，主要考查对原文词汇是否真正理解了。答案是。
2)正确选项频繁使用原文的反义词加上反义结构来表达与原文相同的意思，如：
He is old. He is no longer young. 句子结构一个是肯定形式，一个是否定形式，考查考生对这两种结构的理解。
例
Experts suggest that speech stages are reached in a fixed sequence and at a constant age, but there are cases where speech has started late in a child who eventually turns out to be of high IQ. At twelve weeks a baby smiles and makes vowel-like sounds; at twelve months he con speak simple words and understand simple commands; at eighteen months he has a vocabulary of three to fifty words. At three he knows about 1,000 words which he can put into sentences, and at four his language differs from that of his parents in style rather than grammar. (可读性：73.2 难度：8.0级)
Q：If a child starts to speak later than others, he will
[A] have a high IQ.
be less intelligent.
[C] be insensitive to verbal signals.
[D] not necessarily be backward.(实考试题)
解析：解是①后半句双重否定的改写，原文和答案词汇比较如下：
答案是[D]
3)正确选项是原文的总体或局部
总体和局部(或称一般和特殊)的关系主要表现为：一般是特殊的总和，特殊为一般的属性。这种题型考查类比推理能力。
例
There are two basic ways to see growth: one as a product, the other as a process. People have generally viewed personal growth as an external result or product that can easily be identified and measured. The worker who gets a promotion, the student whose grades improve, the foreigner who learns a new language — all these are examples of people who have measurable results to show for their efforts. (可读性：51.9 难度：11.6级)
Q: A person is generally believed to achieve personal growth when
[A] he has given up his smoking habit.
he has made great efforts in his work.
[C] he is keen on learning anything new.
[D] he has tried to determine where he is on his journey. (实考试题)
解析：题干中generally是关键词，与②中generally相对。②：“人们通常认为个人的成长是外在的成果或产物，是容易辨别和衡量的”，正确答案必须符合“外在”、“易辨别和衡量”这两个一般特征。[A]“当一个人戒了烟”，烟戒了是一种易辨别的、外在的“成果”，与“升职”等相似，属于特殊的情况。故[A]正确。
4)正确选项常常是原文长难句的简单化解释
难句是所有考试必考的内容。难句之所以难有三方面的原因：A)句子结构复杂；表达抽象；C)词难。所以很多题目都围绕着难句做文章，通常使用简单的结构或词汇对难句做浅显、具体的解释。
例1
Whether the eyes are “the windows of the soul” is debatable, that they are intensely important in interpersonal communication is a fact. During the first two months of a baby’s life, the stimulus that produces a smile. Significantly, a real human face with eyes covered will not motivate a smile, nor will the sight of only one eye when the face is presented in profile. This attraction to eyes as opposed to the nose or mouth continues as the baby matures. In one study, when American four-year-olds were asked to draw people, 75 percent of them drew people with eyes. In Japan, however, where babies are carried on their mother’s back, infants do not acquire as much attachment to eyes as they do in other cultures. As a result, Japanese adults make little use of the face either to encode or decode meaning. In fact, Argyle reveals that the “proper place to focus one‘s gaze during a conversation in Japan is on the neck of one’s conversation partner.” (可读性：58.1 难度：10.6级)
Q: Babies will not be stimulated to smile by a person
[A] whose front view is fully perceived.
whose face is covered with a mask.
[C] whose face is seen from the side.
[D] whose face is free of any covering.
解析：本题考查对④的理解。特别是presented in profile。profile这里的词义是“侧面像”，所以[C]whose face is seen from the side“从侧面看去”正确。
例2
But my own worry today is less that of the overwhelming problem of elemental literacy than it is of the slightly more luxurious problem of the decline in the skill even of the middle-class reader, of his unwillingness to afford those spaces of silence, those luxuries of domesticity and time and concentration, that surround the image of the classic act of reading. It has been suggested that almost 80 percent of America’s literate, educated teenagers can no longer read without an accompanying noise (music) in the background or a television screen flickering at the corner of their field of perception. We know very little about the brain and how it deals with simultaneous conflicting input, but every commonsense intuition suggests we should be profoundly alarmed. This violation of concentration, silence, solitude goes to the very heart of our notion of literacy; this new form of part-reading, of part-reading, of part-perception against background distraction, renders impossible certain essential acts of apprehension and concentration, let alone that most important tribute any human being can pay to poem or a piece of prose he or she really loves, which is to learn it by heart. Not by brain, by heart; the expression is vital. (可读性：35.7 难度：12级)
1.The author’s biggest concern is
[A] elementary school children’s disinterest in reading classics.
the surprisingly low rate of literacy in the U.S.
[C] the musical setting American readers require for reading.
[D] the reading ability and reading behavior of the middle class.
2.A major problem with most adolescents who can read is
[A] their fondness of music and TV programs.
their ignorance of various forms of art and literature.
[C] their lack of attentiveness and basic understanding.
[D] their inability to focus on conflicting input.
解析：
1.本题考查对①的理解。该句长达62个词。全句主干结构为my worry…is less that of…than…“与其说……不如说……”。作者说“我虽然担心初级读者在读写方面存在的问题，但我更担心的是中等阶层读者阅读技能的问题”。接着作者描述了问题所在，从of his unwillingness开始，作者说“他们不能在安静的环境下读书，不能专心……”。所以[D]“中等阶层的阅读能力和阅读行为”是整句的概括。
2.本题考查对倒数第二句的理解，该句长达66个词，有两个分句，用分号隔开。第一个分句大意为：这种阅读时不专心、不安静、不独处的情况是读写最大的问题。go to the heart of 是固定短语，意为“（问题）最重要的方面”。第二个分句更复杂，难点为作者把render sth. +adj.(使什么怎么样)句型倒装，形容词提前，名词退后，因为名词部分较长。难词有apprehension“理解”，pay tribute to “崇敬”。大意为：这种伴随着背景音乐边读边理解的阅读方式是不可能做到真正理解和专心致志的，更不用说我们欣赏诗歌时还需要的崇敬之情了。所以[C]“他们不专心，缺乏基本的理解”是两个分句的综合，是答案。
5）正确选项是对原文引语的解释
文章的引语通常较难，因为作者之所以引述他人的话是因为自己的话无论怎么说都没有他人说得准确、说得好。引语的目的不是夸耀他人，而是用来论证说明自己的观点。引语是经常考查的内容，题干形式有两种：The author quotes…because…;the author quotes…to illustrate…
例
“Creative thinking may mean simply the realization that’s no particular virtue in doing things the way they have always been done,”wrote Rudolph Flesch, a language authority, this accounts for our reaction to seemingly simple innovations like plastic garbage bags and suitcases on wheels that make life more convenient:“How come nobody thought of that before?”
The creative approach begins with the proposition that nothing is as it appears. Innovators will not accept that there is only one way to do anything. Faced with getting from A to B, the average person will automatically set out on the best-known and apparently simplest route. The innovator will search for alternate courses, which may prove easier in the long run and are bound to be more interesting and challenging even if they lead to dead ends.(可读性：473 难度：12级)
Q：The author quotes Rudolph Flesch in paragraph 1 because
[A] Rudolph Flesch is best-known expert in the study of human creativity.
the quotation strengthens the assertion that creative individuals look for new ways of doing things.
[C] the reader is familiar with Rudolph Flesch’s point of view.
[D] the quotation adds a new idea to the information previously presented.(实考试题)
解析：这句引语含义：“创造性的思维也许仅仅意味着认识到按常规做事并没有什么不寻常的素质”，下一段的前两句说“创造性思维起始于这样一个命题：一切东西都不是它表现出来的那样。革新家们认为做任何事都不是只有一种方法。”将这两点综合考虑可知，作者引用Rudolph只不过是为了进一步证明自己的观点，即创新者总是寻找做事的新方法，这与完全一致。
正确选项的下面的几个特点是考研英语的重点和难点。这些特点总的特征是答案具有高度概括性、归纳性、总结性、抽象性和推理性。这或许就是考研英语为什么比六级难的原因。
6）正确选项是文中例证或事实的归纳总结
例1
Given all these disadvantages, central bankers seem to have had much to boast about of late. Average inflation in the big seven industrial economies fell to a mere 2.3% last year, close to its lowest level in 30 years, before rising slightly to 2.5% this July. This is a long way below the double-digit rates which many countries experienced in the 1970s and early 1980s.
It is also less than most forecasters had predicated. In late 1994 the panel of economists which The Economist polls each month said that America’s inflation rate would average 3.5% in 1995. In fact, it fell to 2.6% in August, and expected to average only about 3% for the years as a whole. In Britain and Japan inflation is running half a Percentage point below the rate predicted at the end of last year. This is no flash in the pan; over the past couple of years, inflation has been consistently lower than expected in Britain and America.(可读性：49 难度：10.9级)
Q：From the passage we learn that
[A] there is a definite relationship between inflation and interest rates.
economy will always follow certain models.
[C] the economic situation is better than expected.
[D] economists had foreseen the present economic situation.(实考试题)
解析：综合推断题。这两段并不难，有大量数据，问题考查从这些数据可以归纳出什么。第二句说通货膨胀率降到了2.3%;第三句：这（低膨胀率）比多数经济学家预测的还要低，综合这一切可以推断：经济形势比预计的要好。故[C]正确。
例2
One hundred and thirteen million Americans have at least one bank-issued credit card. They give their owners automatic credit in stores, restaurants, and hotels, at home, across the country, and even abroad, and they make many banking services available as well. More and more of these credit cards can be read automatically, making it possible to withdraw or deposit money in scattered locations, whether of not the local branch bank is open. For many of us the “cashless society”is not on the horizon-it’s already here.（可读性：45.3 难度：12级）
Q：According to the passage, the credit card enables its owner to
[A] withdraw as much money from the bank as he wishes.
obtain more convenient services than other people do.
[C] enjoy greater trust from the storekeeper.
[D] cash money wherever he wishes to.(实考试题)
解析：对②、③概括，信用卡使持卡者比其他人享有更多的便利服务，可知正确。[A]、[D]两项均过于绝对，且与文意不符；[C]“持卡者得到店主更大的信任”文中未提及，也应排除。
例3
For a long period of time and in many parts of the country,a traveler was a welcome break in an otherwise dull existence. Dullness and loneliness were common problems of the families who generally lived distant from one another. strangers and travelers were welcome sources of diversion, and brought news of the outside world.(可读性：54.2 难度：10.2级)
Q：Families in frontier settlements used to entertain strangers
[A]to improve their hard life.
in view of their long-distance travel.
[C]to add some flavor to their own daily life.
[D]out of a charitable impulse.(实考试题)
解析：大意为：过去很长一段时间，在美国很多地方，旅行者的到来对居民们单调生活是一种可喜的调节。无聊、孤独对相距很远的家庭来说是普遍存在的问题。陌生人和旅行者给他们的生活带来了娱乐消遣，因而受欢迎；同时还带来了外面世界的信息。可见，边远地区的人们对陌生人（游客）如此热情是因为这给他们的生活增添了乐趣，所以[C]正确。[A]“为了改善他们的艰苦生活”言过其实；“于由游客漫长的旅途”不够确切。
7）正确选项是对段落中心/大意，或者篇章中心的归纳总结
例1
Few people doubt the fundamental importance of mothers in child rearing, but what do fathers do? Much of what they contribute is simply the result of being a second adult in the home. Bringing up children is demanding, stressful and exhausting. Two adults can support and make up for each other’s strengths.(可读性：65.7 难度：7.7级)
Q：The paragraph points out that one of the advantages of a family with both parents is
[A] husband and wife can share house work.
two adults are always better than one.
[C] the fundamental importance of mothers can be fully recognized.
[D] husband and wife can compensate for each other’s shortcoming.
解析：本段的话题是子女抚养中母亲或父亲的作用，如果双方互相支持，可以弥补对方的缺陷。可见[D]“夫妇可互相补偿彼此缺点”是段落中心的概括，符合题意。[A]“夫妇可共同做家务劳动”和 “两个总比一个好”都是根据生活常识编造的选项（合理项，参见本书“错误选项的特征”一节）；[C]“母亲的重要性可以得到充分认可”，表达片面。
例2
Levin would not comment on the debate last week, but there were signs that the chairman was backing off his hard line-stand, at leas to some extent. During the discussion of rock singing verses at last month’s stockholders’ meeting, Levin asserted that “music is not the cause of society’s ills” and even cited his son, a teacher in the Bronx, New York, who uses rap to communicate with students. But he talked as well about the “balanced struggle” between creative freedom and social responsibility, and he announced that the company would launch a drive to develop standards for distribution and labeling of potentially objectionable music. (可读性：39.2 难度：12级)
Q: In face of the recent attacks on the company, the chairman
[A] stuck to a strong stand to defend freedom of expression.
softened his tone and adopted some new policy.
[C] changed his attitude and yielded to objection.
[D] received more support from the 15-member board.
解析：①由于上周发生的争执，Levin可能放弃强硬立场。③Levin宣布，公司将尽力对可能招致人们反对的音乐制定各种发行和标识的标准。综合这两镍可推断“Levin缓和了语气并采取一些新政策”正确。[A]正反倒置，错误；[C]说的程度太过了，Levin还不至于会改变态度，屈服于对方；[D]论据不足。
8)正确选项是原文某段文字的推理
例
Kitcher is a philosopher, and this may account, in part, for the clarity and effectiveness of his arguments. The non-specialist will be able to obtain at least a notion of the sorts of data and argument that support evolutionary theory. The final chapter in the creationists will be extremely clear to all. On the dust jacket of this fine book, Stephen Jay Gould says: “This book stands for reason itself.” And so it does — and all would be well were reason the only judge in the creationism/ evolution debate. (可读性：57.2 难度：9.6级)
Q: From the passage we can infer that
[A] reasoning has played a decisive role in the debate.
creationists do not base their argument on reasoning.
[C] evolutionary theory is too difficult for non-specialists.
[D] creationism is supported by scientific findings.
解析：本段意思是：金切尔是位哲学家，这也许能部分说明他的立论所以明确而有说服力。非专业人士起码可以了解支持进化论的各种数据和观点。关于神造论者的最后一章对每个人来说都阐述得极为清楚。这部优秀作品的护封上引用了斯蒂芬.杰.古尔德的一句话，“本书代表的是理性”。的确——如果理性是神造论和进化论之争的惟一裁判，一切问题就已解决了。最后一句是个带有倒装结构的虚拟语气句子，转换成正常语序是：If reason were the only judge in the creationism/evolution debate, all would be well. 推断神造论是非理性的，故正确。
2． 干扰项的特点
错误选项，也叫干扰项，也戏称陷阱，是出题者(中国出题专家)的拿手好戏。对错选项的分析从某种角度来说比正确选项更有意义。因为在实际做题时，考生做的大部分工作是排除三个错误选项。有时问题集中在两个选项上，考生明明知道答案就在这两个选项中，可是很难判断究竟哪个是错的。
总的来说，干扰项从语言和内容两方面欺骗考生。虽然花样很多，但总是有些规律可循的。出题者在编错误选项时，就像一个大骗子，试想骗子的伎俩有哪些呢？首先是把假的说成真的，所谓以假乱真，其次是真真假假，虚虚实实，所谓掉包，再次是夸大其词，或以偏概全，一会儿把苹果说成灵丹妙药，一会儿又说灵丹妙药根本不存在。对干扰项的对策有以下7种：
1． 合理项：文章中没提到，利用生活常识编造出来的选项同。对策：做题不可凭空想象，一切都要从文中找依据。在相当多的情况下“项不是解”。
2． 断章取义：使用文章中出现的词语或类似的结构仿造。对策：原词越多，对的可能性越小。
3． 小动作：错误选项和原文句子几乎一样，但在细微之处做了手脚，改动了几个小词，使得意思和原文不相符。对策：仔细，仔细，再仔细！不仅要看大意，更要看细节。
4． 以偏概全：就是用文章中的细节片面的、次要的观点回答问题。对策：时刻要有一种博大的胸襟。
5． 张冠李戴(把一个事物的特征说成是另一个事物的特征，把他人的观点说成是作者的观点)、正反倒置(把作者观点的反面说成是作者的观点)、因果倒置(把因说成果，把果说成因)。对策：头脑清楚。
6． 过度引申：考研测试推理能力是很正常的，但有相当多的选项，过度推理，超出文章的范围。对策：掌握好分寸。
7． 字面意思：被测试的单词或短语，实际(深层)含义和表面上个别词汇的意思不同。出题者经常用表面意思作为干扰项。对策：字面意思不是解。
例
Aimlessness has hardly been typical of the postwar Japan whose productivity and social harmony are the envy of the United States and Europe. But increasingly the Japanese are seeing a decline of the traditional work-moral values. Ten years ago young people were hardworking and saw their jobs as their primary reason for being, but now Japan has largely fulfilled its economic needs, and young people don’t know where they should go next.
The coming of age of the postwar baby boom and an entry of women into the male-dominated job market have limited the opportunities of teen-agers who are already questioning the heavy personal sacrifices involved in climbing Japan’s rigid social ladder to good schools and jobs. In a recent survey, it was found that only 24.5 percent of Japanese students were fully satisfied with school life, compared with their jobs than did their counterparts in the 10 other countries surveyed.
While often praised by foreigners for its emphasis on the basics, Japanese education tends to stress test taking and mechanical learning over creativity and self-expression. “Those things that do not show up in the test scores — personality, ability, courage or humanity — are completely ignored,” says Toshiki Kaifu, chairman of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s education committee. “Frustration against this kind of thing leads kids to drop out and run wild.” Last year Japan experienced 2,125 incidents of school violence, including 929 assaults on teachers. Amid the outcry, many conservative leaders are seeking a return to the prewar emphasis on moral education. Last year Mitsuo Setoyams, who was then education minister, raised eyebrows when he argued that liberal reforms introduced by the American occupation authorities after World War Ⅱ had weakened the “Japanese morality of respect for parents.”
But that may have more to do with Japanese life-styles. “In Japan,” says educator Yoko Muro, “it’s never a question of whether you enjoy your job and your life, but only how much you can endure.” With economic growth has come centralization; fully 76 percent of Japan’s 119 million citizens live in cities where community and the extended family have been abandoned in favor of isolated, two generation households. Urban Japanese have long endured lengthy commutes (travels to and from work) and crowded living conditions, but as the old group and family values weaken, the discomfort is beginning to tell. In the past decade, the Japanese divorce rate, while still well below that of the United States, has increased by more than 50 percent, and suicides have increased by nearly one-quarter. (可读性：34.9 难度：12级)
1． In the Westerner’s eyes, the postwar Japan was
[A] under aimless development. a positive example.
[C] a rival to the West. [D] on the decline.
2. According to the author, what may chiefly be responsible for the moral decline of Japanese society?
[A] Women’s participation in social activities is limited.
More workers are dissatisfied with their jobs.
[C] Excessive emphasis has been placed on the basics.
[D] The life-style has been influenced by Western values.
3. Which of the following is true according to the author?
[A] Japanese education is praised for helping the young climb the social ladder.
Japanese education is characterized by mechanical learning as well as creativity.
[C] More stress should be placed on the cultivation of creativity.
[D] Dropping out leads to frustration against test taking.
解析：
1． <1 >①“缺乏目标从来就不是战后日本的典型特征，日本国的生产率和社会的和谐令欧美人羡慕”，可见战后日本是一个正面榜样，故正确。[A]小动作：把 <1 >①关键词保留下来，但hardly去掉了，结果意思大相径庭，原文的否定变成了肯定；[C]字面意思：envy(羡慕，嫉妒)的字面意思；[D]断章取义：使用②中“decline”编造。
2． 题干关键词为chiefly 和be responsible for。 <3 >末句：日本教育大臣说过，二战后占领日本的美国当局进行自由化改革削弱了日本人尊敬父母的道德观。 <4 >①：但是，这(道德)也计与日本人的生活方式关系更大。将两句联在一起看，作者认为日本社会道德下降的主要原因是[D]“生活方式受了西方价值观的影响”，故[D]正确。[A]正反倒置。 <2 >①提到女性进入男性占主导地位的人才市场，和[A]正好相反，而且[A]也是符合生活常识的合理项。以偏概全。借用了 <2 >末句的完整意思，但是该句不是观点，而是一次调查结果，是具体的事实，并非全部。[C]以偏概全。 <3 >①：由于重视基础知识，所以忽视了其他方面的教育。 <4 >①：但是，这(道德下降)也许与日本人的生活方式关系更大。所以[C]是次要原因。
3． <3 >①：“尽管由于强调基础教育而受到外国人的赞赏，但是日本教育往往强调应试和机械性学习而忽视创造性及自我表现”，作者暗示日本教育更应该强调创造能力的培养，所以[C]正确。[A]断章取义。将 <2 >①中“climbing…social ladder”和 <3 >①中“often praised by foreigners for”拼在一起唬人。小动作。将 <3 >①中over改成as well as。失之毫厘，谬以千里。[D]因果倒置。 <3 >③：考试失败导致学生辍学。[D]颠倒了因果关系。