这里讲一下我的理解,不限于阅读、包括选择、作文等等。
无论高考、考研、雅思托福笔试、GMAT、GRE、LSAT,为什么要这么排序呢?因为其实所有的英语笔试考试考察的方面都是一样的,可能有两个方面:
第一个是基础语言知识,这里大部分是学校里老师教的语法、单词等等,如果基础一般(就是题目不怎么能看懂),要从这方面努力;
第二个是别人教不了但通过训练可以具备的高级语言知识,这里有逻辑、文化知识背景储备、包括更高的哲学常识,如果发现自己可能往满分冲刺,但遇到瓶颈,可以从这方面努力。
高考、考研、雅思托福笔试、GMAT、GRE、LSAT,这几种考试题目不是乱出的,出题人要保证能考察这两类知识来设计题目,怎么保证难度呢?
从基础知识出发,用更生僻的单词,用更复杂破碎的句式;从高级知识出发,用更多的逻辑转折递进扩大缩小范围,用更广泛的文化背景,用更深层次的哲学思辩。
很多人学英语天天背单词,背长短句,背到最后只能是abandon,他们忽略了对高级知识的理解,学到的都是零碎的语句,形不成系统;还有的人苦心钻研技巧,却忘了自己单词量太小,没有基础知识的高级能力发挥不出来,这就是道理我都懂但我一做还是懵逼;
基础语言知识:我只能说这方面谁也帮不了你,只能一遍一遍重复,很多记忆法其实没有用,顶多是让你更有兴趣学下去,不如一遍一遍的重复形成的肌肉记忆更牢固;
高级语言知识:逻辑方面有很多套路,下面会说;文化背景如果你不是参加排序雅思以上的考试其实不需要过多准备,参加雅思以上考试的网上也有很多的总结,主要就是知道西方思潮大概的走向和代表人物就够了;哲学知识不需要太深,马哲基本的原理知道就可以了,毕竟不是哲学专业考试。因为语言不仅仅是语言本身,他只是其他知识经验的载体,所以避免不了有其他知识的加入考察。
说这么多出题人的心思是为什么呢,一是知道自己努力的方向,二是知道每道题目主要考察的难点在哪,做题时脑袋里就会更清晰不是一团浆糊,把你搞晕了出题人的目的就达到了;
先说背单词,我可能有个方法比较能帮你减少痛苦,提高效率。如果你拿本单词说从a背到z,我估计坚持下来的不多;其实笔试考试有很多空子可以钻,因为出题人毕竟也是人,虽然可能是一群人,但他们的高频词汇库是差不多的,这就给了我们机会。
比如高考考研就是近二十年的阅读,雅思GRE就是官方的不官方的各种题库,拿来做第一遍。每个不认识的单词和意思,注意是每个!都要记在Excel里记成一列。
怎么样才是认识这个单词呢,你必须一看到这个单词脑袋里不超过2秒就要想起来这个单词的意思,反应的时间会极大的影响做题的速度。
第二天把意思那一列隐藏起来,检查自己忘了哪个,后面标个1,代表你忘记了这个单词一次。第三天再来,又忘了就标2,第四天忘了标3,如此重复。如果你用了心记,第五遍左右你应该就能记住了。当然也存在那种天生和你犯冲的单词,多少遍都不记得,这样的单词可能一千个单词里有那么七八个。
这个方法比单纯背单词高效的多,很多背单词的APP也是这个原理,但APP会把背单词的时间拉的很长,而且重复的过于频繁浪费时间。一天重复一次是合适的,艾宾浩斯曲线那个重复频率不实用,也会加重痛苦,早早放弃。
这里插一句,做题必须计时,具体时间多长可以看各个考试的难度,但要注意的是你得越做越快,越做越慢就白做了。做得快你才能做更多,到最后如果一场考试能把卷子做两三遍,拿高分就很简单了。
说完了基础的背单词小技巧,我就选用考研和GRE的题作为实例,我会尽量讲清楚做题的思路,原文用正体,思路用斜体:
哇,先来看整篇阅读有多长,心里有个数。
2017年考研英语一阅读:
Text 2
"The ancient Hawaiians were astronomers," wrote Queen Liliuokalani, Hawaii's last reigning monarch, in 1897. Star watchers were among the most esteemed members of Hawaiian society. Sadly, all is not well with astronomy in Hawaii today. Protests have erupted over construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope(TMT), a giant observatory that promises to revolutionize humanity's view of the cosmos.
At issue is the TMT's planned location on Mauna Kea, a dormant volcano worshiped by some Hawaiians as the piko , that connects the Hawaiian Islands to the heavens. But Mauna Kea is also home to some of the world's most powerful telescopes. Rested in the Pacific Ocean, Mauna Kea's peak rises above the bulk of our planet's dense atmosphere, where conditions allow telescopes to obtain images of unsurpassed clarity.
Opposition to telescopes on Mauna Kea is nothing new. A small but vocal group of Hawaiians and environments have long viewed their presence as disrespect for sacred land and a painful reminder of the occupation of what was once a sovereign nation.
Some blame for the current controversy belongs to astronomers. In their eagerness to build bigger telescopes, they forgot that science is the only way of understanding the world. They did not always prioritize the protection of Mauna Kea's fragile ecosystems or its holiness to the island's inhabitants. Hawaiian culture is not a relic of the past; it is a living culture undergoing a renaissance today.
Yet science has a cultural history, too, with roots going back to the dawn of civilization. The same curiosity to find what lies beyond the horizon that first brought early Polynesians to Hawaii's shores inspires astronomers today to explore the heavens. Calls to disassemble all telescopes on Mauna Kea or to ban future development there ignore the reality that astronomy and Hawaiian culture both seek to answer big questions about who we are, where we come from and where we are going. Perhaps that is why we explore the starry skies, as if answering a primal calling to know ourselves and our true ancestral homes.
The astronomy community is making compromises to change its use of Mauna Kea. The TMT site was chosen to minimize the telescope's visibility around the island and to avoid archaeological and environmental impact. To limit the number of telescopes on Mauna Kea, old ones will be removed at the end of their lifetimes and their sites returned to a natural state. There is no reason why everyone cannot be welcomed on Mauna Kea to embrace their cultural heritage and to study the stars.
*好的,这里结束,然后看题目,不要先看原文,因为出题人想要让你的顺序是原文-题目-原文,这样会浪费时间,打乱思路,直接看题目,不用看题目下面的选项,把题目问的是什么记下来,所以我们的顺序是题目主干-原文,比如第一小问:
- Queen Liliuokalani's remark in Paragraph 1 indicates
哇,看到这个人名有的英语不好的同学就脑袋有点乱了,GRE里更是这样人名很复杂,不用管它,大脑里看到的是Queen's remark in Paragraph 1 indicates,就是第一段的女王的评价表明。
如果出题人要提高一点难度就把第一段去掉,你就得找这个Queen's remark在哪,但考研英语很简单,会告诉你在哪,而且题目顺序都是按照段落顺序来的。
我们这个时候去第一段找。*
"The ancient Hawaiians were astronomers," wrote Queen Liliuokalani, Hawaii's last reigning monarch, in 1897. Star watchers were among the most esteemed members of Hawaiian society. Sadly, all is not well with astronomy in Hawaii today. Protests have erupted over construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope(TMT), a giant observatory that promises to revolutionize humanity's view of the cosmos.
*如果你看第一段是这样一整段看的话,完了,脑袋里就又开始混乱了。你得加工一下,从感情走向和删掉不影响意思的部分入手,你看的要是这样:
"The ancient Hawaiians were astronomers," wrote Queen Liliuokalani, Hawaii's last reigning monarch, in 1897. Star watchers were among the most esteemed members of Hawaiian society.~~ Sadly~~BUT, all is not wellBAD with astronomy in Hawaii today. Protests have erupted over construction of the Thirty Meter , Telescope(TMT)a giant observatory that promises to revolutionize humanity's view of the cosmos.
变成:
"The ancient Hawaiians were astronomers," wrote Queen. Star watchers were the esteemed members of Hawaiian society. BUT all is BAD with astronomy in Hawaii today. Protests have erupted over construction of the Telescope.
清爽多了,其实第一段的意思就是两句话。女王说古代夏威夷人可是天文学家,看星星的是夏威夷社会崇敬的人;但是今天不行了,都有人抗议建望远镜了。*
其实如果是我做的话会更快一点,只要看几个单词就可以了,其他的单词会占据脑容量。就是The ancient Hawaiians were the esteemed astronomers。BUT today。(远古夏威夷是受人尊敬的天文学家,但是今天。)但是后面肯定接现在不是了。即使句子删减成这样,意思还是没有变,具体是什么望远镜,哪个女王就是出题人加进去,用来占据本来就不多的脑容量,然后就读完不知道什么意思了。
有人说道理我都懂要精简,那怎么精简呢?
还记得以前英语课老师会让你分析句子结构主谓宾定状补,其实分析句子结构的威力就在这,只要保留主谓宾你就可以读懂它的意思。
那这个方法是放在一个句子里的,那一段话呢?
我们要知道这个段落是怎么写出来的,就像编曲里的模进一样,就是换个说法重复写一遍,有个词与词对应关系。
The ancient Hawaiians astronomers****对应****Star watchers****,然而第二句递进一下,什么样的天文学家呢,受人尊敬的天文学家。
这类考试还有一个很明显的特点就是先陈述一个观点,然后在反转感情反驳它,所以陈述一个观点之后肯定有一个BUT,这点很关键。这个BUT就是我们快速读懂文章的关键!因为BUT后面的你可以不用读了,就是前面的观点加NOT,这也就是我又为什么BUT后面写个TODAY就可以了,因为后面的就是否定。但是!一般来说,这个BUT后面才是作者的意思。因为作者写反对的观点就两种心理,一种是他也*****赞同*****,一种是他也*****反对*****,还有一种他*****无感只是说出来给你分享一下*****。
用这个方法你看看你读完一篇文章要不要两分钟,做的快不快关键就在这,你得会省略。举个例子,看网络小说的时候没有人逐字逐句的看,都是一目十行,但你为什么还是知道他在写什么。
知道意思了我们来看选项,选项不能精简,因为有很多陷阱在里面。我们按照常理想一下,为什么这一段要在别人反对建望远镜的时候提一下女王的这句话,是不是这一段的感情色彩就出来了,古代女王都说夏威夷人是棒棒的天文学家,你们现在居然反对建望远镜了。每个选项都要看:
[A] her conservative view on the historical role of astronomy.
备选,作者想说的点在BUT后面, 现在的人反对,conservative这个词如果翻译成保守又不知道什么意思了,所以得看英英释义,holding to traditional attitudes and values and cautious about change or innovation, typically in relation to politics or religion. 其实就是态度,价值观和之前一样,没有改变就是保守,这一段不是反对建望远镜的人们,所以某种意义上这一段也是conservative的。
[B] the importance of astronomy in ancient Hawaiian society.
不选,作者想说的点在BUT后面,所以不是强调古代多重视,而是现在不重视。
[C] the regrettable decline of astronomy in ancient times.
不选,作者想说的点在BUT后面,所以不是说古代衰落了,而是现在衰落了。
[D] her appreciation of star watchers' feats in her time.
不选,作者想说的点在BUT后面,所以不是说女王欣不欣赏,现在人们不欣赏了。
这题其实是比较简单的,因为错误选项都是一个错误,他们强调的是BUT前的,但BUT后的最重要。
正确选项其实就是正确的对应,不是相反的对应或者是无关的对应。
再看一题:
- It can be inferred from Paragraph 5 that progress in today's astronomy
*还是那个顺序,先看题干再看第五段。我们快速改写一下:
BUT science has a cultural history, too. The same curiosity inspires astronomers today to explore the heavens. Calls to disassemble telescopes or to ban future development ignore the reality (to answer big questions). That is why we explore the starry skies.
开头就是熟悉的BUT(用的YET,转折连词要很敏感),所以后面的是这一段的观点,答题的观点就是这个观点,是这份好奇让我们探索天空去回答那些宏大的问题。这里有个很经典的对应,disassemble telescopes对应ban future development,这两个是递进关系,后者包括前者,我给他起个名字叫递进对应(当然还有平行对应,反差对应等)。来看选项:*
[A] is fulfilling the dreams of ancient Hawaiians.
备选,今天的天文学的进步实现古代夏威夷人的梦想去回答那三个大问题,和第五段感情色彩契合。
[B] helps spread Hawaiian culture across the world.
不选,这里的错误叫无关选项,第五段的主旨句没说传不传播文化。
[C] may uncover the origin of Hawaiian culture.
不选,这里的错误也是无关选项,这一段也不是来文化溯源的。
[D] will eventually soften Hawaiians' hostility.
不选,这里的错误也是无关选项,这一段不是为了缓和敌意的。
那些直接能找到原句的我就不说了,你读懂了就不会错。
还有一个错误是相反选项,很简单我就不举例了,如果读懂了,不会把作者的意图搞反了。选项设置通常是这样的,一个正确选项,一个相反选项,两个无关选项。所以分析错题的时候,你如果选相反选项说明没读懂作者的感情色彩;如果选无关选项说明没有找到精确的对应。
总结一下,重要的就是三点,一是正确改写句子,二是找到精确的对应,三是错误选项知道是哪种错误。
然后说说作文。作文比起阅读,要求说低也低,因为不要求你写出阅读题那样的文章;要求说高也高,因为要求你对世界形形色色的事有一定的理解。看个例子:
Write an essay of 160-180 words based on the following picture.
In your essay, you should
1) describe the picture briefly.
2) interpret its intended meaning, and
3) give your comments.
我看过很多考研机构写的东西,真的我觉得他们可能就是单纯保证你这一项不会很扣很多分,但写的和初中作文没有区别。
每年的考研作文其实就是马哲里的一对矛盾,比如上图17年英语一的漫画反应的就是一对矛盾,数量和质量的矛盾。你是支持数量还是支持质量,还是在一定数量的基础上追求数量。想通了这个你就知道我的观点是选一定量的书籍进行精读,读很多书不消化,一本书精读会让思想变得狭隘,这样一篇文章就出来了。考研作文要求不高,但GMAT,GRE,LSAT的作文就要求你要体现出这种思考了,所以说考研可能是MINI版的GRE。
然后我们来看GRE的题,其实和考研题一样,毕竟都是研究生入学考试嘛,只不过单词更难,逻辑更绕,背景知识更多。
Passage 1
A divide between aesthetic and technical considerations has played a crucial role in mapmaking and cartographic scholarship. Since nineteenth century cartographers, for instance, understood themselves as technicians who did not care about visual effects, while others saw themselves as landscape painters. That dichotomy structured the discipline of the history of cartography. Until the 1980s, in what Blakemore and Harley called “the Old is Beautiful Paradigm,” scholars largely focused on maps made before 1800, marveling at their beauty and sometimes regretting the decline of the pre-technical age. Early mapmaking was considered art while modern cartography was located within the realm of engineering utility. Alpers, however, has argued that this boundary would have puzzled mapmakers in the seventeenth century, because they considered themselves to be visual engineers.
步骤还是一样,先看多长,因为GRE限时更短,文章虽短但难度更大,没有时间逐字逐句。然后看题干:
- According to the passage, Alpers would say that the assumptions underlying the “paradigm” were
题干的意思就是A这个人说p这个词是什么?不认识就不去追究,只要知道有这么个词就够了。再在大脑里改写这段话,记住只看主谓宾:
A divide has played a crucial role in mapmaking and cartographic scholarship.
19 century cartographers, understood themselves as technicians, while others saw themselves as painters. That dichotomy structured the discipline of the history of cartography.
Until the 1980s, “Paradigm”, focused on maps before 1800.
Early mapmaking was considered art while modern cartography was located within engineering utility.
Alpers, BUT, this boundary would puzzled mapmakers because they considered themselves to be visual engineers.
GRE的对应就写的很工整所以看起来很舒服,可以看的更快。
整段总分总,先总起说明有一个技术和审美对比。
所以SINCE后面的是什么意思呢,找主谓宾,cartographers understood themselves as technicians,while others saw themselves as painters,这里又有一个小转折,很工整的对应,cartographers- others,understood themselves as- saw themselves as,technicians- painters(这里是反差对应),意思是制图员认为他们是技术人员,有的认为自己是画家。
出题人怕你看不懂,又加了一句,也属于递进,这里不是说制图员了,说制图术,Early mapmaking was considered art while modern cartography was located within engineering utility.也是一个工整的对应。Early mapmaking- modern cartography,art- engineering utility。意思和之前的一样,只不过换个说法。
A出来了,BUT是告诉你我后面要加一些不得了的东西了仔细看,因为他们认为自己是视觉工程师(但80s之前的有的觉得自己是技工有的是画家,不是全部都觉得自己是视觉工程师)。来看选项:
A. inconsistent with the way some mapmakers prior to 1800 understand their own work
备选,和80s之前的人不一致,是一个转折逻辑。
B. dependent on a seventeenth-century conception of mapmaking visual engineering
不选,和1800之前的一样,这是个相反选项。
C. unconcerned with the difference between the aesthetic and technical questions of mapmaking
不选,无关选项,他不关心为什么要对制图学发表想法呢。
D. insensitive to divisions among cartographers working in the period after 1800
不选,无关选项,同上。
E. supported by the demonstrable technical superiority of mapmaking made after 1800
不选,相反选项,他和1800之前的人想的不一样。
来看第二题:
- It can be inferred from the passage that, beginning in the 1980s, historians of cartography
找到1980s那句,BUT the 1980s, “Paradigm”, scholars focused on maps before 1800.
A. placed greater emphasis on the beauty of maps made after 1800
不选,范围缩小的选项,这题从改写的看不出来,说明我们省略了重要的东西,再看原句:Until the 1980s, in what B and H called “the Paradigm,” scholars largely focused on maps made before 1800, marveling at their beauty and sometimes regretting the decline of the pre-technical age.这是个递进,有的人惊叹他的美丽,还有点惋惜。直到80s,说明80s后和之前不一样了,80s之前关注1800年之前地图的美,80s后关注1800后的地图,但不仅仅是关注美。
B. expanded their range of study to include more material created after 1800
正确,范围也正确。
C. grew more sensitive to the way mapmakers prior to 1800 conceived of their work
不选,相反选项。
D. came to see the visual details of maps as aesthetic objects rather than practical cartographic aids
不选。
E. reduced the attention they paid to the technical aspects of mapmaking
不选。