雅思阅读经验分享:遇到复杂的长难句该怎么办?
雅思阅读考试主要考查考生们定位所需信息,理解并且掌握的能力。为了能够准确定位,很多考生片面强调了词汇的重要性,在备考雅思阅读考试的过程中仅仅关注了词汇量的提高,而忽略了语法的掌握和提高。这样在雅思阅读考试中,考生们虽然能够准确定位,却由于语法方面的问题,在理解原文对应内容时出现差错,本末倒置,主从句判断错误,最终断章取义,导致题目做错。
其实了解雅思的人都知道,雅思阅读考试中有很多长难句,而考生如果语法方面有任何一点差错,或者不擅长于长句短读(迅速找出一个长句的主句即主谓宾/主系表),都会在雅思阅读考试中失利。因此考生们在备考的过程中,对于英语中的从句必须要有很好的掌握。
那么在实战练习中,面对雅思阅读中的难点:长难句理解(long sentence understanding),如何有效提高阅读速度并迅速理解句意?今天就来教你如何轻松征服雅思阅读长难句!
英文中的基本句型是由主语、谓语和宾语构成的,也就是所谓的“核心意群” (core meaning),突破长难句最有效的方法就是“拎出主谓宾,之后定状补”!
我们先来看一个长难句:
Behaviorists suggest that the child who is raised in an environment where there are many stimuli which develop his or her capacity for appropriate responses will experience greatly intellectual development.
这个句子看起来非常复杂,但不难辨认出整个句子的主语是Behaviorists (行为学者),谓语是紧跟在后面的动词suggest,宾语是一个较长的宾语从句。在这个宾语从句中,不难发现主语就是the child,接着出现了三个代词———who, where和which,这些是非常明显的定语从句的关系代词,所以这里可以判断出连着出现了三个定语从句,一个套着一个,修饰了三个名词成分。而在这三个定语从句后面出现的唯一一个动词无疑就是整个宾语从句的谓语了,也就是will experience,当然后面接的development也就是宾语从句中的宾语了。到这里,这个较长的由三个定语从句构成的宾语从句的意思已基本分析出来。
Behaviorists suggest that the child (who is raised in an environment where there are many stimuli which develop his or her capacity for appropriate responses) will experience greatly intellectual development.
由此可见,只要我们能够正确分析分句间的关系,找出主谓宾,再分清楚修饰的成分,这种长难句的理解似乎也没有那么困难。而如果能够高效率地解决长难句的理解,那么阅读速度必然也会登上一个新的台阶。
以下一些长难句供学习参考:
1. The greeting stage includes greeting everyone courteously, using waiting-room smarts, using your time wisely, and applying proper protocol when meeting the interviewer.
译文:问候阶段包括礼貌地向每个人问候,在等候室灵活使用一些交往技能,合理地使用自己的时间,同面试你的人会面时恰如其分地使用一些礼节。
2. The consultation stage includes responsiveness and enthusiasm, knowing when to interject key points, showing sincerity, highlighting your strengths, and listening intently.
译文:商洽阶段包括反应机敏、热情,知道何时应该(在交谈中)插入一些关键信息,要表现得诚恳,突出自己的优点,注意倾听。
3. If the company doesn’t respond in two weeks, call back or write a follow-up letter. You may get turned down. If so, try to find out why as a means of self-improvement.
译文:如果公司两周内没有反应,打个电话或再写封信过去。你可能没有被雇用,如果是这样的话,找出原因,以便进行自我改进。
4. I have sought it, next, because it relieves loneliness — that terrible loneliness in which one’s shivering consciousness looks over the rim of the world into the cold unfathomable lifeless abyss.
译文:我追求爱,其次是因为爱使我摆脱孤独。在这种可怕的孤独时刻,人们似乎处于世界的边缘,颤抖的意识面对着冷酷而死寂的无底深渊。
5. Non-traditional students, overwhelmingly female, began to study on a part-time basis, the numbers of women going to graduate school increased, and women sought entry to the non-traditional position of university faculty member.
译文:新类型的学生——绝大多数是女生——开始半工半读式的学习,攻读研究生的女生数量增加了,妇女开始从事大学教师这样的非传统职业。
6. This decline occurred in both coeducational and women’s colleges where women faculty declined from 72% in 1940 to 50% in 1955 and dropped to a low of 45% in 1978.
译文:人数的减少普遍存在于男女同校的大学,也存在于女子学校。在女子学校,女教师的比例从1940年的72%减少到1955年的50%,到1978年降低到45%的低点。
7. More than one-third of employers in a new survey say they would probably cut off health benefits to their workers if Congress passes a law allowing patients to sue managed care plans for malpractice.
译文:在一项新的调查中,有超过三分之一的雇主表示:如果国会通过一项使病人可以因管理不善起诉管理医疗保健计划的法律,雇主可能会削减工人的医疗补贴。
8. The employers apparently fear the legislation could open the door to the same kinds of suits against them. Companies are already struggling to contain rising health costs and deal with workers who complain that managed care blocks their access to care.
译文:雇主显然担心这样的立法会为对他们类似的起诉打开大门。公司已经在竭力支付日益增长的医疗费用,处理工人们的投诉,这些工人认为管理医疗计划阻碍了他们享受医疗服务。
9. Although companies have relied on health maintenance organizations and other types of managed care firms to control costs through most of the 1990s, the Hewitt survey showed employers have serious concerns about the health plans.
译文:在九十年代的大部分时间里,虽然公司依靠保健机构和其他类型的管理医疗公司来控制花费,Hewitt调查显示,雇主们很关心保健计划。