在今年的考試中,Use of English(即完形填空部分)考察了一篇關于人類智能的文章。
首先,就文章題材而言,本文屬生命科學類,與95年關于睡眠的完型相仿。 其寫作思路也基本一致,都是理論結合實踐的體系,以事實舉例來證明理論的常規套路。95年關于睡眠一文以rat的例子闡述了睡眠的意義,而本文以Ashkenazim的例子說明了人與人智商間的差別及其導致原因和副作用等。
其次,從文章結構來說,還是一如既往地秉持了結構明晰的特點,所以仍然以文章邏輯為主導考察考生通過尋找線索來解決問題的能力。
The idea that some ethnic groups may be more intelligent than others is one of those hypotheses that dare not speak its name. But Gregory Cochran is prepared to say it anyway. He is that rare bird, a scientist who works independently of any institution. He helped popularize the idea that some diseases not previously thought to have a bacterial cause were actually infections, which arouse much controversy when it was first suggested.
第一段中就以一個But連接了文章手將speak前的dare not與say前的is prepared to構造成鮮明轉折關系,所以考生可以通過But與dare not直接推得答案is prepared to。接著文中又用了一個表示弱轉折含義的actually來引導考生對previously一詞的把握。
類似independent of之類的詞組中介詞考察的考點在近幾年倒是罕有發生,不過考生可以在94年完型第1題of utmost importance以及98年完型第18題specialists in等題中找到淵源。
Even he, however, might tremble at the thought of what he is about to do. Together with another two scientists, he is publishing a paper which not only suggests that one group of humanity is more intelligent than the others, but explains the process that has brought this about. The group in question are Ashkenazi Jews. The process is natural selection.
本段開篇一個however就形成與上文的轉折,故可直接排除表結果的So與Hence選項,而上文說GC區別于眾多敢想不敢言的人挺身而出(由第一段But可知),所以在第二段再次轉折后,說明GC與眾人仍有共性,故可排除Only一詞,從而選擇Even作為段首詞。之后,文中一組not only … but …,使suggests賴explains而生。
Ashkenazim generally do well in IQ tests, scoring 12-15 points above the mean value of 100, and have contributed disproportionately to the intellectual and cultural life of the West, as the careers of Freud, Einstein and Mahler, pictured above, affirm. They also suffer more often than most people from a number of nasty genetic diseases, such as Tay-Sachs and breast cancer. These facts, however, have previously been thought unrelated. The former has been put down to social effects, such as a strong tradition of valuing education. The latter was seen as a consequence of genetic isolation. Even now, Ashkenazim tend to marry among themselves. In the past they did so almost exclusively. Dr Cochran, however, suspects that the intelligence and the diseases are intimately linked. His argument is that the unusual history of the Ashkenazim has subjected them to unique evolutionary pressures that have resulted in this paradoxical state of affairs.
末段中以also連接了第一、二句,從而促成了disproportionately與more often than的呼應。之后又以The former與The latter這樣簡單的對應結構促成了put down to與as a consequence of的呼應關系。文末,一個however將GC觀點與之前former、latter對立觀點進行轉折,從而不難推導出linked一詞的選擇,繼而后一句中對GC觀點詳細闡述中paradoxical一詞也就不難從“矛盾統一論”中獲得證明。
最后,從文章整體措辭風格看,作者的一些慣有風格不難捕捉,文中3次用到however插入主謂結構間,2次將現有情況與先例或先見進行比較,均用到表示轉折的actually和however等詞,且指代“之前“時2次使用previously一詞。經過仔細的觀察,不難發現這些多次的重復與作者用詞習慣、思維習慣以及表達習慣等都息息相關,因此善于從文章總體脈絡入手的同學在解這類題中也不免占點小便宜。
考研考試與完型題型本身向來秉承嚴謹邏輯思維的特點在本次考試中再次得以完美體現,所以筆者認為考研完型解題仍需從大的文章框架結構體系入手,以庖丁解牛之技沿邏輯脈絡肢解全文,挖掘相應線索,方能做到游刃有余。