例如:One’s first inclination might be to argue that there must be some sort of built – in animal aggression instinct that was activated by the experiment, and that Milgram’s teacher-subjects were just following a genetic need to discharge this pent-up primal urge onto the pupil by administering the electrical shock.
上述句子中,考生需要辨别出’One’s first inclination might be to argue’是主句部分,that引导的宾语从句中,teacher-subjects是主语,were just following充当谓语部分,a genetic need是宾语部分,to discharge this pent-up primal urge onto the pupil是后置定语,by administering the electrical shock作方式状语。
考生若能基本读懂各段落主题句(Topic Sentence),通常会对文章的大体结构有所认识,而这对于T / F / NG以及List of Headings中那些靠先读题的方法反而越加迷茫和纠结的题目和选项不啻为一种解脱。
例如,剑5中page 18/Passage 1 /Test 1/ Questions 1-3:
Which THREE of the following statements are true of Johnson’s Dictionary?
A. It avoided all scholarly words
B. It was the only English dictionary in general use for 200 years
C. It was famous because of the large number of people involved.
D. It focused mainly on language from contemporary texts.
E. There was a time limit for its completion.
F. It ignored work done by previous dictionary writers.
G. It took into account subtleties of meaning.
H. Its definitions were famous for their originality.
我们来看本篇文章(page 16-17 / Cambridge V):
Paragraph 1: For the century before Johnson’s Dictionary was published in 1775,…
(Topic Sentence)
第一段:介绍当时社会的语言使用背景。
Paragraph 2: There had, of course, been dictionaries in the past, the first of these…
(Topic Sentence)
第二段:讲述关于字典的历史。
Paragraph 3: Beyond the practical need to make order out of chaos, the rise of dictionaries is associated with the rise of the English middle class, who …
第三段:对于字典的需求的呼声。
Paragraph 4: Johnson was a poet and critic who raised common sense to the heights of genius.
第四段:引入字典的编撰者Johnson, 介绍其背景,为接下来的内容铺垫。
Paragraph 5: James Boswell, his biographer, described the garret where Johnson worked as ‘fitted up like a counting house’ with a long desk running down…
第五段:开始字典编撰工作,条件艰辛。
Paragraph 6: The work was immense: filling about…
第六段:具体工作的描述,字典的特点。
Paragraph 7: After many vicissitudes the Dictionary was finally published on 15 April 1775.
第七段:终于出版,功成名就
Paragraph 8: Johnson had worked for 9 years, ’with little assistance of the learned,…’
第八段:回顾9年艰辛历程,鲜有支持,低调晦暗。
The Final Paragraph: The Dictionary, together with his other writing, …