论文部分内容阅读
课堂阅读活动,至少要实现三个方面的目标:一是充分获得语言信息,这是最主要的目标;二是理解文章的篇章结构;三是理解课文中的词汇和句子结构。高考试题主要侧重对语言信息的考查。但是最近两年,对语篇结构的考查试题也频繁出现在各地高考英语阅读理解题中,而且已经成为了一种独立的命题形式——结构命题。结构命题的题型首先源于TOEFL阅读。从结构上讲,它是一种形式,是结构构成的形式基本单位;同时它又是文章中相对独立的一部分内容,是文章内容构成的基本单位。就其考查内容而言,可分为三种:考查考生对整个文章结构的理解能力;考查考生对后文内容的预测能力;考查考生对文章写作手法、修辞手段的赏析能力。下面结合近几年高考试题,谈谈这一题型在高考中的表现。
结构型命题表现之一文章的篇章结构
文章的结构,是文章段落与段落、段落与整体之间的内在联系和外部形式的统一。文章的结构是文章的“骨架”,是谋篇布局的手段,是运用材料反映中心思想的方法。这种考查方式主要体现在议论文和说明文文体上。从段落组织方式上讲,常见的文章结构有三种:总分式结构(总→分;总→分→总;分→总)、并列式结构(段落之间是平行关系,并且相对独立)、对照式结构(结构形式上是一正一反);从论证方法上讲,常见的议论文结构有以下两类: Put forward a question→Analyze the question→Solve the question 即“提出问题、分析问题、解决问题”的过程;Argument / idea→Evidence→conclusion / restating the idea即“由论点到论据到结论或者强调论点”的过程。从命题角度来讲,常见的提问方式有:
Which of the following best shows the structure / organization of the passage?
The author develops the passage mainly by .
In the next part, the author would most probably discuss with you .
A. 考查段落的组织方式
例(1)2009(北京)
How Room Designs Affect Our Work and Feelings Architects have long had the feeling that the places we live in can affect our thoughts, feelings and behaviors. But now scientists are giving this feeling an empirical(经验的,实证的) basis.
They are discovering how to design spaces that promote creativity, keep people focused and lead to relaxation.
Researches show that aspects of the physical environment can influence creativity. In 2007, Joan Meyers-Levy at the University of Minnesota, reported that the height of a room’s ceiling affects how people think. Her research indicates that higher ceilings encourage people to think more freely, which may lead them to make more abstract connections. Low ceilings, on the other hand, may inspire a more detailed outlook.
In addition to ceiling height, the view afforded by a building may influence an occupant’s ability to concentrate. Nancy Wells and her colleagues at Cornell University found in their study that kids who experienced the greatest increase in greenness as a result of a family move made the most gains on a standard test of attention.
Using nature to improve focus of attention ought to pay offacademically, and it seems to, according to a study led by C. Kenneth Tanner, head of the School Design & Planning Laboratory at the University of Georgia. Tanner and his team found that students in classrooms with unblocked views of at least 50 feet outside the window had higher scores on tests of vocabulary, language arts and maths than did students whose classrooms primarily overlooked roads and parking lots.
Recent study on room lighting design suggests than dim(暗淡的) light helps people to loosen up. If that is true generally, keeping the light low during dinner or at parties could increase relaxation. Researchers of Harvard Medical School also discovered that furniture with rounded edges could help visitors relax.
So far scientists have focused mainly on public buildings. “We have a very limited number of studies, so we’re almost looking at the problem through a straw(吸管),” architect David Allison says. “How do you take answers to very specific questions and make broad, generalized use of them? That’s what we’re all struggling with.”
67. Which of the following shows the organization of the passage?
CP: Central Point P: pointSp: Sub-point(次要点) C: Conclusion
【解析】选C。考查学生分析文章篇章结构的能力。第一段为总要点,最后一段为结论,要点1、2、3共同服务于结论,重要的是要点二又包含了两个次要点。综上分析可知答案为C。
B. 考查段落的论证方法
例(2)2005(浙江)
In the course of working my way through school, I took many jobs I would rather forget. But none of these jobs was as dreadful as my job in an apple plant. The work was hard; the pay was poor; and, most of all, the working conditions were terrible.
First of all, the job made huge demands on my strength. For ten hours a night, I took boxes that rolled down a metal track and piled them onto a truck. Each box contained twelve heavy bottles of apple juice. I once figured out that I was lifting an average of twelve tons of apple juice every night.
I would not have minded the difficulty of the work so much if the pay had not been so poor. I was paid the lowest wage of that time—two dollars an hour. Because of the low pay, I felt eager to get as much as possible. I usually worked twelve hours a night but did not take home much more than $ 100 a week.
But even more than the low pay, what made me unhappy was the working conditions. During work I was limited to two ten-minute breaks and an unpaid half hour for lunch. Most of my time was spent outside loading trucks with those heavy boxes in near-zero-degree temperatures. The steel floors of the trucks were like ice, which made my feet feel like stone. And after the production line shut down at night and most people left, I had to spend two hours alone cleaning the floor.
I stayed on the job for five months, all the while hating the difficulty of the work, the poor money, and the conditions under which I worked. By the time I left, I was determined never to go back there again.
52. How is the text organized?
A. Topic—Argument—Explanation
B. Opinion—Discussion—Description
C. Main idea—Comparison—Supporting
examples
D. Introduction—Supporting examples—
Conclusion
【解析】选D。考查学生对文章论证方法的理解。通读全文不难发现本文采取的论证方法是:Argument / idea→Evidence→conclusion / restating the idea。因此选D。
C. 考查对段落、篇章的主题的把握和段落发展的预测
例(3)2006(重庆)
The flag, the most common symbol(象征) of a nation in the modern world, is also one of the most ancient. With a clear symbolic meaning, the flag in the traditional form is still used today to mark buildings, ships and other vehicles related to a country.
The national flag as we know it today is in no way a primitive(原始的) artifact. It is,rather, the product of thousands of years’ development. Historians believe that it had two major ancestors, of which the earlier served to show wind direction.
Early human beings used very fragile houses and boats. Often strong winds would tear roofs from houses or cause high waves that endangered travelers. People’s food supplies were similarly vulnerable. Even after they had learned how to plant grains, they still needed help from nature to ensure good harvests. Therefore they feared and depended on the power of the wind, which could bring warmth from one direction and cold from another.
Using a simple piece of cloth tied to the top of a post to tell the direction of the wind was more dependable than earlier methods, such as watching the rising of smoke from a fire. The connection of the flag with heavenly power was therefore reasonable. Early human societies began to fix long pieces of cloth to the tops of totems(图腾) before carrying them into battle. They believed that the power of the wind would be added to the good wishes of the gods and ancestors represented by the totems themselves.
These flags developed very slowly into modern flags. The first known flag of a nation or a ruler was unmarked: The king of China around 1000 B.C. was known to have a white flag carried ahead of him. This practice might have been learned from Egyptians even further in the past, but it was from China that it spread over trade routes through India, then across Arab lands, and finally to Europe, where it met up with the other ancestor of the national flag.
75. What will the author most probably talk about next?
A. The role of China in the spread of the national flag.
B. The second ancestor of the national flag.
C. The use of modern flags in Europe.
D. The importance of modern flags.
【解析】选B。考查对篇章结构中段落发展的预测。文章首段很明显是对“flag”做了一个整体介绍,而从第2段开始推出文章要介绍的主要内容“national flag”,同时,根据第2段尾句可知national flag有两个ancestors。再结合尾段内容,特别是尾段最后一句“where it met up with the other ancestor of the national flag”,很容易推测出作者即将要讲到的内容,另外一种 ancestor。所以选B。
结构型命题表现之二文章的写作手法
写作手法指更好地表现作品的艺术表现手法,包括表达方式、修辞手法、表现手法等方面。表达方式常见的有五种:记叙、议论、抒情、描写、说明。不同的文体有不同的表达方式,如记叙文中常用的插叙、倒叙;议论文和说明文中常用的下定义、分类说明、列举例证、比较等手法。修辞手法种类很多,中学阶段需要掌握的常见几种是:双关、比喻,借代,夸张,对偶,比拟,排比,设问,反问。表现手法较多,较复杂,常见的有: 联想、想像、象征、对比、衬托、抑扬、前后照应。在高考阅读中主要考查下定义、分类说明、列举例证和对比等写作手法。这类命题的常见的提问方式有:
The author develops the passage mainly by_______.
The example of ... is given to show / illustrate that_______.
The experiment / study suggests / shows that _______.
A. 考查文章的常用修辞手法:分类说明、列举例证和对比
例(4)2009(重庆)
Liverpool, my hometown, is a unique city. It is so unique that in 2004 it became a World Heritage(遗产) Site.
I recently returned to my home city and my first stop was at a museum on the River Mersey. Blanketed in mist(薄雾), Victorian architecture rose from the banks of the river, responded to the sounds of sea-birds, and appeared unbelievably charming. When I headed toward the centre, I found myself surrounded by buildings that mirror the best palaces of Europe. It is not hard to imagine why, on first seeing the city, most visitors would be overpowered by the beauty of the noble buildings, which are solid signs of Liverpool’s history.
As if to stress its cultural role, Liverpool has more museums and galleries(美术馆) than most cities in Britain. At Walker Art Gallery, I was told that it has the best collections of Victorian paintings in the world, and is the home of modern art in the north of England. However, culture is more than galleries. Liverpool offers many music events. As Britain’s No.1 music city, it has the biggest city music festival in Europe, and its musicians are famous all over the world. Liverpool is also well-known for its football and other sports events. Every year, the Mersey River Festival attracts thousands of visitors, making the city a place of wonder.
As you would expect from such a city, there are restaurants serving food from around the world. When my trip was about to complete, I chose to rest my legs in Liverpool’s famous Philharmonic pub(酒馆). It is a monument to perfection, and a heritage attraction itself.
Being a World Heritage Site, my home city is certainly a place of “outstanding universal value”. It is a treasure house with plenty of secrets for the world to explore.
69. The third paragraph is developed mainly by _______.
A. providing different examples
B. following the order of space
C. making comparisons
D. analyzing causes
【解析】选A。考查文章的写作手法。从第三段话我们可以知道作者举了“博物馆、音乐和运动”作为例子,所以该题答案为A。
B. 考查文章首段的功能和目的:引入话题
例(5)2009(浙江)
In ancient Egypt, the pharaoh(法老) treated the poor message runner like a prince when he arrived at the palace, if he brought good news. However, if the exhausted runner had the misfortune to bring the pharaoh unhappy news, his head was cut off.
Shades of that spirit spread over today’s conversations. Once a friend and I packed up some peanut butter and sandwiches for an outing. As we walked light-heartedly out the door, picnic basket in hand, a smiling neighbor looked up at the sky and said, “Oh boy, bad day for a picnic. The weatherman says it’s going to rain.”I wanted to strike him on the face with the peanut butter and sandwiches. Not for his stupid weather report, for his smile.
Several months ago I was racing to catcha bus. As I breathlessly put my handful of cash across the Grey hound counter, the sales agent said with a broad smile, “Oh that bus left five minutes ago. Dreams of head-cutting!” It’s not the news that makes someone angry. It’s the unsympathetic attitude with which it’s delivered. Everyone must give bad news from time to time, and winning professionals do it with the proper attitude. A doctor advising a patient that she needs an operation does it in a caring way. A boss informing an employee he didn’t get the job takes on a sympathetic tone. Big winners know, when delivering any bad news, they should share the feeling of the receiver.
Unfortunately, many people are not aware of this. When you’re tired from a long flight, has a hotel clerk cheerfully said that your room isn’t ready yet? When you had your heart set on the toast beef, has your waiter mainly told you that he just served the last piece? It makes you as traveler or diner want to land your fist right on their unsympathetic faces.
Had my neighbor told me of the upcoming rainstorm with sympathy, I would have appreciated his warming. Had the Greyhound salesclerk sympathetically informed me that my bus had already left, I probably would have said, “Oh, that’s all right I’ll catch the next one.” Big winners, when they bear bad news, deliver bombs with the emotion the bombarded(被轰炸的) person is sure to have.
53. In Paragraph 1, the writer tells the story of the pharaoh to _______.
A. make a comparison
B. introduce a topic
C. describe a scene
D. offer an argument
【解析】选B。考查文章首段的功能和目的。本文主要围绕“好消息使人高兴,坏消息令人气愤”来论述,所以第一段应该是本文作者用于引入主题的段子,选B。
C. 考查“引用”和“例证”的功能:为表现段落或语篇主题服务的“引用”即引用论证,是用权威性的话语,使说理更加深刻、透彻、具有说服力,着力体现理论的力量和文章的思想深度。“例证”即举例论证,是用确凿、典型的事实来证明观点,会增强文章的说服力。“引用”和“例证”是议论文和说明文中最常用的写作手法之一。是历年高考阅读试题中必不可或缺的命题方向。“引用”和“例证”的共同目的就是增强说服力,以更好的达到说理、说明的目的。“引用”和“例证”的共同功能就是服务于段落或篇章的主题。
例(6)2008 (北京)
Domestic(驯养的) horses now pull ploughs, race in the Kentucky Derby, and carry police. But early horses weren’t tame (驯服的) enough to perform these kinds of tasks. Scientists think the first interactions humans had with horses were far different from those today.
Thousands of years ago, people killed the wild horses that lived around them for food. Over time, people began to catch the animals and raise them. This was the first step in domestication.
As people began to tame and ride horses, they chose to keep those animals that had more desirable characteristics. For example, people may have chosen to keep horses that had a gentle personality so they could be ridden more easily. People who used horses to pull heavy loads would have chosen to keep stronger animals. Characteristics like strength are partly controlled by the animals’ genes. So as the domesticated horses reproduced, they passed the characteristics on to their young. Each new generation of houses would show more of these chosen characteristics.
Modern day horse breeds come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. This variety didn’t exist in the horse population before domestication. The Shetland horse is one of the smallest breeds—typically reaching only one meter tall. With short, strong legs, the animals were bred to pull coal out of mine shafts (矿井) with low ceilings. Huge horses like the Clydesdale came on the scene around 1700. People bred these heavy, tall horses to pull large vehicles used for carrying heavy loads.
The domestication of horses has had great effects on societies. For example, horses were important tools in the advancement of modern agriculture. Using them to pull ploughs and carry heavy loads allowed people to farm more efficiently. Before they were able to ride horses, humans had to cross land on foot. Riding horses allowed people to travel far greater distance in much less time. That encouraged populations living in different areas to interact with one another. The new form of rapid transportation helped cultures spread around the world.
60. The author uses the Shetland horse as an example to show _______.
A. it is smaller than the Clydesdale horse
B. horse used to have gentle personalities
C. some horses have better shapes than others
D. horses were of less variety before domestication
【解析】选D。考查例证的功能。第四段第二句说明,在人们开始驯养马之前,马的种类并不多。本段第三句就以The Shetland horse 这种马为例来解释本段第二句的观点。
以上仅仅从两个方面谈了结构型命题在高考阅读理解中的表现,其实关于字、词、句、语段、语篇的考查也是结构型命题的范畴,此处不再赘述。总之,要想很好的理解一篇文章,彻底领会作者的思想意图,必须要学会把握文章的篇章结构。同时,也要切记文章的篇章结构归根到底是为文章的内容服务的。任何文体的的作品,只有从整体上把握了篇章结构,理清了文章的脉络,才能洞悉作者的行文思路,掌握文章的内容要点,进而准确理解文章的主旨。因此,我们要善于总结阅读经验,掌握篇章结构的梳理方法,以提高阅读效率,保证阅读质量。
结构型命题表现之一文章的篇章结构
文章的结构,是文章段落与段落、段落与整体之间的内在联系和外部形式的统一。文章的结构是文章的“骨架”,是谋篇布局的手段,是运用材料反映中心思想的方法。这种考查方式主要体现在议论文和说明文文体上。从段落组织方式上讲,常见的文章结构有三种:总分式结构(总→分;总→分→总;分→总)、并列式结构(段落之间是平行关系,并且相对独立)、对照式结构(结构形式上是一正一反);从论证方法上讲,常见的议论文结构有以下两类: Put forward a question→Analyze the question→Solve the question 即“提出问题、分析问题、解决问题”的过程;Argument / idea→Evidence→conclusion / restating the idea即“由论点到论据到结论或者强调论点”的过程。从命题角度来讲,常见的提问方式有:
Which of the following best shows the structure / organization of the passage?
The author develops the passage mainly by .
In the next part, the author would most probably discuss with you .
A. 考查段落的组织方式
例(1)2009(北京)
How Room Designs Affect Our Work and Feelings Architects have long had the feeling that the places we live in can affect our thoughts, feelings and behaviors. But now scientists are giving this feeling an empirical(经验的,实证的) basis.
They are discovering how to design spaces that promote creativity, keep people focused and lead to relaxation.
Researches show that aspects of the physical environment can influence creativity. In 2007, Joan Meyers-Levy at the University of Minnesota, reported that the height of a room’s ceiling affects how people think. Her research indicates that higher ceilings encourage people to think more freely, which may lead them to make more abstract connections. Low ceilings, on the other hand, may inspire a more detailed outlook.
In addition to ceiling height, the view afforded by a building may influence an occupant’s ability to concentrate. Nancy Wells and her colleagues at Cornell University found in their study that kids who experienced the greatest increase in greenness as a result of a family move made the most gains on a standard test of attention.
Using nature to improve focus of attention ought to pay offacademically, and it seems to, according to a study led by C. Kenneth Tanner, head of the School Design & Planning Laboratory at the University of Georgia. Tanner and his team found that students in classrooms with unblocked views of at least 50 feet outside the window had higher scores on tests of vocabulary, language arts and maths than did students whose classrooms primarily overlooked roads and parking lots.
Recent study on room lighting design suggests than dim(暗淡的) light helps people to loosen up. If that is true generally, keeping the light low during dinner or at parties could increase relaxation. Researchers of Harvard Medical School also discovered that furniture with rounded edges could help visitors relax.
So far scientists have focused mainly on public buildings. “We have a very limited number of studies, so we’re almost looking at the problem through a straw(吸管),” architect David Allison says. “How do you take answers to very specific questions and make broad, generalized use of them? That’s what we’re all struggling with.”
67. Which of the following shows the organization of the passage?
CP: Central Point P: pointSp: Sub-point(次要点) C: Conclusion
【解析】选C。考查学生分析文章篇章结构的能力。第一段为总要点,最后一段为结论,要点1、2、3共同服务于结论,重要的是要点二又包含了两个次要点。综上分析可知答案为C。
B. 考查段落的论证方法
例(2)2005(浙江)
In the course of working my way through school, I took many jobs I would rather forget. But none of these jobs was as dreadful as my job in an apple plant. The work was hard; the pay was poor; and, most of all, the working conditions were terrible.
First of all, the job made huge demands on my strength. For ten hours a night, I took boxes that rolled down a metal track and piled them onto a truck. Each box contained twelve heavy bottles of apple juice. I once figured out that I was lifting an average of twelve tons of apple juice every night.
I would not have minded the difficulty of the work so much if the pay had not been so poor. I was paid the lowest wage of that time—two dollars an hour. Because of the low pay, I felt eager to get as much as possible. I usually worked twelve hours a night but did not take home much more than $ 100 a week.
But even more than the low pay, what made me unhappy was the working conditions. During work I was limited to two ten-minute breaks and an unpaid half hour for lunch. Most of my time was spent outside loading trucks with those heavy boxes in near-zero-degree temperatures. The steel floors of the trucks were like ice, which made my feet feel like stone. And after the production line shut down at night and most people left, I had to spend two hours alone cleaning the floor.
I stayed on the job for five months, all the while hating the difficulty of the work, the poor money, and the conditions under which I worked. By the time I left, I was determined never to go back there again.
52. How is the text organized?
A. Topic—Argument—Explanation
B. Opinion—Discussion—Description
C. Main idea—Comparison—Supporting
examples
D. Introduction—Supporting examples—
Conclusion
【解析】选D。考查学生对文章论证方法的理解。通读全文不难发现本文采取的论证方法是:Argument / idea→Evidence→conclusion / restating the idea。因此选D。
C. 考查对段落、篇章的主题的把握和段落发展的预测
例(3)2006(重庆)
The flag, the most common symbol(象征) of a nation in the modern world, is also one of the most ancient. With a clear symbolic meaning, the flag in the traditional form is still used today to mark buildings, ships and other vehicles related to a country.
The national flag as we know it today is in no way a primitive(原始的) artifact. It is,rather, the product of thousands of years’ development. Historians believe that it had two major ancestors, of which the earlier served to show wind direction.
Early human beings used very fragile houses and boats. Often strong winds would tear roofs from houses or cause high waves that endangered travelers. People’s food supplies were similarly vulnerable. Even after they had learned how to plant grains, they still needed help from nature to ensure good harvests. Therefore they feared and depended on the power of the wind, which could bring warmth from one direction and cold from another.
Using a simple piece of cloth tied to the top of a post to tell the direction of the wind was more dependable than earlier methods, such as watching the rising of smoke from a fire. The connection of the flag with heavenly power was therefore reasonable. Early human societies began to fix long pieces of cloth to the tops of totems(图腾) before carrying them into battle. They believed that the power of the wind would be added to the good wishes of the gods and ancestors represented by the totems themselves.
These flags developed very slowly into modern flags. The first known flag of a nation or a ruler was unmarked: The king of China around 1000 B.C. was known to have a white flag carried ahead of him. This practice might have been learned from Egyptians even further in the past, but it was from China that it spread over trade routes through India, then across Arab lands, and finally to Europe, where it met up with the other ancestor of the national flag.
75. What will the author most probably talk about next?
A. The role of China in the spread of the national flag.
B. The second ancestor of the national flag.
C. The use of modern flags in Europe.
D. The importance of modern flags.
【解析】选B。考查对篇章结构中段落发展的预测。文章首段很明显是对“flag”做了一个整体介绍,而从第2段开始推出文章要介绍的主要内容“national flag”,同时,根据第2段尾句可知national flag有两个ancestors。再结合尾段内容,特别是尾段最后一句“where it met up with the other ancestor of the national flag”,很容易推测出作者即将要讲到的内容,另外一种 ancestor。所以选B。
结构型命题表现之二文章的写作手法
写作手法指更好地表现作品的艺术表现手法,包括表达方式、修辞手法、表现手法等方面。表达方式常见的有五种:记叙、议论、抒情、描写、说明。不同的文体有不同的表达方式,如记叙文中常用的插叙、倒叙;议论文和说明文中常用的下定义、分类说明、列举例证、比较等手法。修辞手法种类很多,中学阶段需要掌握的常见几种是:双关、比喻,借代,夸张,对偶,比拟,排比,设问,反问。表现手法较多,较复杂,常见的有: 联想、想像、象征、对比、衬托、抑扬、前后照应。在高考阅读中主要考查下定义、分类说明、列举例证和对比等写作手法。这类命题的常见的提问方式有:
The author develops the passage mainly by_______.
The example of ... is given to show / illustrate that_______.
The experiment / study suggests / shows that _______.
A. 考查文章的常用修辞手法:分类说明、列举例证和对比
例(4)2009(重庆)
Liverpool, my hometown, is a unique city. It is so unique that in 2004 it became a World Heritage(遗产) Site.
I recently returned to my home city and my first stop was at a museum on the River Mersey. Blanketed in mist(薄雾), Victorian architecture rose from the banks of the river, responded to the sounds of sea-birds, and appeared unbelievably charming. When I headed toward the centre, I found myself surrounded by buildings that mirror the best palaces of Europe. It is not hard to imagine why, on first seeing the city, most visitors would be overpowered by the beauty of the noble buildings, which are solid signs of Liverpool’s history.
As if to stress its cultural role, Liverpool has more museums and galleries(美术馆) than most cities in Britain. At Walker Art Gallery, I was told that it has the best collections of Victorian paintings in the world, and is the home of modern art in the north of England. However, culture is more than galleries. Liverpool offers many music events. As Britain’s No.1 music city, it has the biggest city music festival in Europe, and its musicians are famous all over the world. Liverpool is also well-known for its football and other sports events. Every year, the Mersey River Festival attracts thousands of visitors, making the city a place of wonder.
As you would expect from such a city, there are restaurants serving food from around the world. When my trip was about to complete, I chose to rest my legs in Liverpool’s famous Philharmonic pub(酒馆). It is a monument to perfection, and a heritage attraction itself.
Being a World Heritage Site, my home city is certainly a place of “outstanding universal value”. It is a treasure house with plenty of secrets for the world to explore.
69. The third paragraph is developed mainly by _______.
A. providing different examples
B. following the order of space
C. making comparisons
D. analyzing causes
【解析】选A。考查文章的写作手法。从第三段话我们可以知道作者举了“博物馆、音乐和运动”作为例子,所以该题答案为A。
B. 考查文章首段的功能和目的:引入话题
例(5)2009(浙江)
In ancient Egypt, the pharaoh(法老) treated the poor message runner like a prince when he arrived at the palace, if he brought good news. However, if the exhausted runner had the misfortune to bring the pharaoh unhappy news, his head was cut off.
Shades of that spirit spread over today’s conversations. Once a friend and I packed up some peanut butter and sandwiches for an outing. As we walked light-heartedly out the door, picnic basket in hand, a smiling neighbor looked up at the sky and said, “Oh boy, bad day for a picnic. The weatherman says it’s going to rain.”I wanted to strike him on the face with the peanut butter and sandwiches. Not for his stupid weather report, for his smile.
Several months ago I was racing to catcha bus. As I breathlessly put my handful of cash across the Grey hound counter, the sales agent said with a broad smile, “Oh that bus left five minutes ago. Dreams of head-cutting!” It’s not the news that makes someone angry. It’s the unsympathetic attitude with which it’s delivered. Everyone must give bad news from time to time, and winning professionals do it with the proper attitude. A doctor advising a patient that she needs an operation does it in a caring way. A boss informing an employee he didn’t get the job takes on a sympathetic tone. Big winners know, when delivering any bad news, they should share the feeling of the receiver.
Unfortunately, many people are not aware of this. When you’re tired from a long flight, has a hotel clerk cheerfully said that your room isn’t ready yet? When you had your heart set on the toast beef, has your waiter mainly told you that he just served the last piece? It makes you as traveler or diner want to land your fist right on their unsympathetic faces.
Had my neighbor told me of the upcoming rainstorm with sympathy, I would have appreciated his warming. Had the Greyhound salesclerk sympathetically informed me that my bus had already left, I probably would have said, “Oh, that’s all right I’ll catch the next one.” Big winners, when they bear bad news, deliver bombs with the emotion the bombarded(被轰炸的) person is sure to have.
53. In Paragraph 1, the writer tells the story of the pharaoh to _______.
A. make a comparison
B. introduce a topic
C. describe a scene
D. offer an argument
【解析】选B。考查文章首段的功能和目的。本文主要围绕“好消息使人高兴,坏消息令人气愤”来论述,所以第一段应该是本文作者用于引入主题的段子,选B。
C. 考查“引用”和“例证”的功能:为表现段落或语篇主题服务的“引用”即引用论证,是用权威性的话语,使说理更加深刻、透彻、具有说服力,着力体现理论的力量和文章的思想深度。“例证”即举例论证,是用确凿、典型的事实来证明观点,会增强文章的说服力。“引用”和“例证”是议论文和说明文中最常用的写作手法之一。是历年高考阅读试题中必不可或缺的命题方向。“引用”和“例证”的共同目的就是增强说服力,以更好的达到说理、说明的目的。“引用”和“例证”的共同功能就是服务于段落或篇章的主题。
例(6)2008 (北京)
Domestic(驯养的) horses now pull ploughs, race in the Kentucky Derby, and carry police. But early horses weren’t tame (驯服的) enough to perform these kinds of tasks. Scientists think the first interactions humans had with horses were far different from those today.
Thousands of years ago, people killed the wild horses that lived around them for food. Over time, people began to catch the animals and raise them. This was the first step in domestication.
As people began to tame and ride horses, they chose to keep those animals that had more desirable characteristics. For example, people may have chosen to keep horses that had a gentle personality so they could be ridden more easily. People who used horses to pull heavy loads would have chosen to keep stronger animals. Characteristics like strength are partly controlled by the animals’ genes. So as the domesticated horses reproduced, they passed the characteristics on to their young. Each new generation of houses would show more of these chosen characteristics.
Modern day horse breeds come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. This variety didn’t exist in the horse population before domestication. The Shetland horse is one of the smallest breeds—typically reaching only one meter tall. With short, strong legs, the animals were bred to pull coal out of mine shafts (矿井) with low ceilings. Huge horses like the Clydesdale came on the scene around 1700. People bred these heavy, tall horses to pull large vehicles used for carrying heavy loads.
The domestication of horses has had great effects on societies. For example, horses were important tools in the advancement of modern agriculture. Using them to pull ploughs and carry heavy loads allowed people to farm more efficiently. Before they were able to ride horses, humans had to cross land on foot. Riding horses allowed people to travel far greater distance in much less time. That encouraged populations living in different areas to interact with one another. The new form of rapid transportation helped cultures spread around the world.
60. The author uses the Shetland horse as an example to show _______.
A. it is smaller than the Clydesdale horse
B. horse used to have gentle personalities
C. some horses have better shapes than others
D. horses were of less variety before domestication
【解析】选D。考查例证的功能。第四段第二句说明,在人们开始驯养马之前,马的种类并不多。本段第三句就以The Shetland horse 这种马为例来解释本段第二句的观点。
以上仅仅从两个方面谈了结构型命题在高考阅读理解中的表现,其实关于字、词、句、语段、语篇的考查也是结构型命题的范畴,此处不再赘述。总之,要想很好的理解一篇文章,彻底领会作者的思想意图,必须要学会把握文章的篇章结构。同时,也要切记文章的篇章结构归根到底是为文章的内容服务的。任何文体的的作品,只有从整体上把握了篇章结构,理清了文章的脉络,才能洞悉作者的行文思路,掌握文章的内容要点,进而准确理解文章的主旨。因此,我们要善于总结阅读经验,掌握篇章结构的梳理方法,以提高阅读效率,保证阅读质量。