尹文一
SAT考試自2016年起正式啟用改革新題,就SAT語法部分來說,命題者摒棄了那些死摳語法規(guī)則的題目,鼓勵(lì)考生去扮演一個(gè)小編輯,來潤(rùn)色文章,使之更通順。那么,我們要如何應(yīng)對(duì)這一改變呢?之前備考?xì)w納的那些語法點(diǎn)還有用嗎?其實(shí),新舊SAT考題考查的語法點(diǎn)還是基本相似的,只不過有四個(gè)新增考點(diǎn)需要大家加以重視。
論據(jù)是否恰當(dāng)
這個(gè)考點(diǎn)要求考生檢驗(yàn)文章中的信息(如細(xì)節(jié)、事實(shí)、數(shù)據(jù))是否可以支持文章觀點(diǎn)。
【樣題】His broader brush strokes and sponge-painted shapes create majestic city skylines, with skyscrapers towering in the background, bridges connecting neighborhoods on either side of a river, and delicately painted creatures, such as a tiny, barely visible cat prowling in the bushes of a park.
Question: The writer wants to complete the sentence with a third example of a detail Kingman uses to create his majestic city skylines. Which choice best accomplishes this goal?
A. NO CHANGE
B. exquisitely lettered street and storefront signs.
C. other details that help define Kingman's urban landscapes.
D. enormous ships docking at busy urban ports.
【分析】此題問的是四個(gè)選項(xiàng)中哪個(gè)例子更能體現(xiàn)Kingman的創(chuàng)作取材。原文中的majestic是關(guān)鍵詞,這位畫家擅長(zhǎng)描繪“宏偉的”城市景觀,所以例子也必須體現(xiàn)“宏偉”。如此一來,原句(cat)和B (street和signs)、C (details)兩項(xiàng)都不夠大氣,只有D項(xiàng)“泊入繁忙市區(qū)港口的大船”才能體現(xiàn)宏偉。故答案為D。
【啟示】這道題中的原句并沒有語法錯(cuò)誤,其真正考的是論據(jù)的恰當(dāng)性,因此在做此類題時(shí),考生不能把注意力停留在語法層面,而必須讀懂上下文,體會(huì)作者意圖,找到支持觀點(diǎn)的證據(jù)或例子。
用詞是否準(zhǔn)確
此考點(diǎn)要求考生判斷文章中某個(gè)詞的措辭是否恰當(dāng),是否符合上下文語境。
【樣題】As Kingman developed as a painter, his works were often compared to paintings by Chinese landscape artists dating back to CE 960, a time when a strong tradition of landscape painting emerged in Chinese art. Kingman, however, vacated from that tradition in a number of ways, most notably in that he chose to focus not on natural landscapes, such as mountains and rivers, but on cities.
Question: The writer wants to indicate that Kingman deviated from the tradition of Chinese landscape painting. Which version of the underlined part makes the most sense in the context?
A. NO CHANGE B. evacuated
C. departed D. retired
【分析】題目問的是要不要把劃線的vacated換掉。原文大意是:人們常常拿Kingman的作品和中國(guó)傳統(tǒng)風(fēng)景畫作比較??墒?,他不畫山水自然景觀,而是專攻城市風(fēng)情,不走尋常路。由此可以猜出劃線部分的詞語應(yīng)該表達(dá)“偏離”之意。通過觀察可以發(fā)現(xiàn),四個(gè)選項(xiàng)都有“離”的含義,但是原詞vacate指的是“騰出(地方或場(chǎng)所);辭去(職位)”,不符合原文語境;B項(xiàng)evacuate指“撤離;疏散”,也是風(fēng)馬牛不相及;D項(xiàng)retire指“退休;撤退”,更是離題萬里;只有C項(xiàng)depart可表示“背離(傳統(tǒng))”。故答案為C。
【啟示】有的同學(xué)可能會(huì)驚嘆:“這還是語法題嗎?”其實(shí),新SAT語法部分改名叫“Writing and Language”,增設(shè)了對(duì)考生字詞應(yīng)用能力的考查。想象一下,作者在寫文章時(shí)想找個(gè)大詞來彰顯文采,一看詞典里表示“離”這個(gè)含義的有十幾個(gè),于是隨意挑一個(gè),也不去琢磨這些同義詞的細(xì)微差別,結(jié)果非但沒能彰顯文采,可能還會(huì)鬧出笑話。因此,意思相近或相關(guān)的詞語大家要注意區(qū)分,不要不管三七二十一隨便用,否則就會(huì)貽笑大方。
圖表和文字是否關(guān)聯(lián)
這個(gè)考點(diǎn)要求考生檢查文字和圖表是否相關(guān),以及文字描述是否精準(zhǔn)。
【樣題】The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts steady job growth in this field, projecting that 16 percent of new jobs in all occupations will be related to urban and regional planning.
Question: Which choice completes the sentence with accurate data based on the graph?
A. NO CHANGE
B. warning, however, that job growth in urban and regional planning will slow to 14 percent by 2020.
C. predicting that employment of urban and regional planners will increase 16 percent between 2010 and 2020.
D. indicating that 14 to 18 percent of urban and regional planning positions will remain unfilled.
【分析】題目問的是哪個(gè)選項(xiàng)準(zhǔn)確描述了圖表上的數(shù)據(jù)。原文中出現(xiàn)了16%,我們要找16%對(duì)應(yīng)的內(nèi)容,從圖表可以發(fā)現(xiàn)其對(duì)應(yīng)的是中間Urban and Regional Planners的橫條。圖表的標(biāo)題是“預(yù)計(jì)2010~2020年城市和地區(qū)規(guī)劃師的就業(yè)增長(zhǎng)百分比”,也就是說2010~2020年這個(gè)職業(yè)就業(yè)人數(shù)增長(zhǎng)16%,而這與劃線部分的意思“預(yù)計(jì)所有新增工作中16%是跟城市和地區(qū)規(guī)劃相關(guān)”大相徑庭,因此A項(xiàng)不可選。再來分析剩余三個(gè)選項(xiàng),不難發(fā)現(xiàn),C項(xiàng)的描述與圖表相吻合,故為正確答案。
【啟示】做此類題并不需要數(shù)學(xué)知識(shí),而是要將數(shù)據(jù)和文字關(guān)聯(lián)起來。如果考生對(duì)讀圖表不太熟練,可以參考雅思作文部分Task 1圖表寫作題的范文,從中學(xué)習(xí)如何捕捉圖表信息,積累描述數(shù)據(jù)趨勢(shì)走向的詞匯和句型。
標(biāo)點(diǎn)使用是否規(guī)范
這個(gè)考點(diǎn)要求考生判斷標(biāo)點(diǎn)使用是否規(guī)范且是否符合上下文的邏輯。
【樣題】People who pursue careers in transportation planning have a wide variety of educational backgrounds.
Question: Which is the best version of the underlined part of the sentence above?
A. NO CHANGE
B. People, who pursue careers in transportation planning,
C. People who pursue careers, in transportation planning,
D. People who pursue careers in transportation planning,
【分析】我們首先可以把C和D排除,因?yàn)榫渲械亩禾?hào)不符合語法規(guī)則。而A和B在語法上沒有問題,區(qū)別在于A是限定性定語從句,而B是非限定性定語從句。限定性定語從句用來修飾先行詞,是句中的重要信息;而非限定性定語從句是起補(bǔ)充說明作用的,少了也不影響原句的意思。那么who pursue careers in transportation planning這個(gè)信息重要嗎?來看看原句的意思:從事交通規(guī)劃職業(yè)的人教育背景各不相同。假設(shè)這個(gè)信息不重要,那么把定語從句刪去后就變成:People have a wide variety of educational backgrounds. 這里的people是指哪些人?是不是讓人一頭霧水?所以,這個(gè)定語從句是重要信息,應(yīng)該看做限定性定語從句,故答案為A。
【啟示】在這道題中,標(biāo)點(diǎn)的作用被突顯出來,標(biāo)點(diǎn)除了要符合語法規(guī)范,還起到了區(qū)別句中重要信息和次要信息的作用。SAT新增標(biāo)點(diǎn)這個(gè)考點(diǎn)是對(duì)ACT考試的借鑒,因此,考生不妨做做ACT的語法改錯(cuò)題,里面有大量類似的考題可以用來練習(xí)。
綜上可見,新SAT更加強(qiáng)調(diào)實(shí)際語境、上下文邏輯關(guān)聯(lián)和例證的相關(guān)性。同學(xué)們除了要掌握英語書面語法知識(shí),還要增加對(duì)高級(jí)英語寫作范疇中的遣詞造句、謀篇布局、思維連貫、例證使用等的練習(xí)和運(yùn)用,這樣才能在考試中做到處變不驚。