阅读量:
GRE阅读第【17】讲
破解话语逻辑本质 做题如有神助
我们看到如下一道题: The author refers to a hungry lizard primarily in order to (A) demonstrate the similarity between the hunting methods of mammals and those of nonmammals (B) broaden the application of his argument by including an insectivore as an example (C) make a distinction between higher and lower levels of consciousness (D) provide an additional illustration of the brutality characteristic of predators (E) offer an objection to suggestions that all animals lack consciousness 找到答案的依据在于稳重这样一句话: The predator is searchingly aggressive, inner-directed, tuned by the nervous system and the adrenal hormones, but aware in a sense closer to human consciousness than, say, a hungry lizard’s instinctive snap at a passing beetle. 于是,正确答案为选项 (C) make a distinction between higher and lower levels of consciousness 其实,许多同学依然无法通过这句话与选项产生联系,感觉找不到 a distinction,也找不到 higher and lower levels of consciousness。其实,我们首先把这句话简化到核心: The predator is … aware in a sense closer to human consciousness than, say, a hungry lizard’s instinctive snap at a passing beetle,然后我们发现句子的核心是一个比较级。closer to … than …那既然是比较,那是不是 a distinction(差别/区分)就出来了? 接下来,我们看到比较的两个主体:predator vs lizard。比较的方面是:与 human consciousness(人类意识作为意识)有多 close (靠近)。那么,很显然,哪个closer to(更靠近于) human consciousness(人类意识), 哪个就是higher levels of consciousness,对应的就是 lower levels of consciousness。 这道题结束了,但是通过这道题目,我们要摸索出一个逻辑模型:比较级和同级比较的本质是找异(distinction)同(similarity)。我们以这个逻辑举一反三、触类旁通:如果文本中给出的是 “A is as large as B.” 这样一个比较关系,是不是可以理解为 “find a similarity between A and B in terms of their size”。从此,我们再看到比较级或同级比较的时候,就可以不要局限于文字陈述出来的信息,而是摸索到“找异同”这个本质来破题了。