在阅读中，人们首先理解的是语言的字面意义。然而，语言所表达的内容常常超过其字面意义。这就需要我们掌握逻辑判断和推理的方法，根据事物发展的自然规律以及语言本身的内在联系，从一定的文字符号中获得尽可能多的信息。
有时，作者在文中并未把需要读者理解的所有意思直接表达出来，而期待读者能领悟文章的内在含义，即从字里行间来体会他想表达的意思。由于有的意思文中没有直接说明，读者必须根据文中所陈述内容的逻辑发展，上下文的联贯以及文中有关部分的暗示，作出判断或进行推理。
在阅读中，判断和推理的能力是十分重要的。只有具备这种能力，才有可能真正地弄懂文章中语言上没有明确表达却又隐含的意思，达到真正的理解。
一、判断
在阅读中，有时要求我们对文章中阐述的事实或细节，按照逻辑发展的规律进行分析和概括，并以此为依据得出结论。我们将这个过程称作“判断”。为了对所读材料作出正确的判断，以得出合乎逻辑的结论，我们必须仔细地阅读，准确地掌握事实，并对其进行认真的分析和思考。
例一：
The male and female mosquitoes make an odd couple. The female is a vampire and lives on blood. The male is a vegetarian that sips nectar and plant juices. Females of different species choose different hosts on which to dine. Some feed exclusively on cattle, horses, birds, and other warm-blooded creatures. Some favor cold-blooded animals. Still others prefer man.
While the female's menu varies, her bite remains the same. She drives her sharp tubular snout through the skin, injects a fluid to keep the blood from thickening, and drinks her fill, which takes a minute or less. It is the fluid she injects that carries disease. After her blood meal, she rests while her eggs develop. She then looks for a moist or flooded place to lay them.
根据文中the male is a vegetarian that sips nectar and plant juices我们可以得出结论：雄蚊相对地说对人类无害。根据文中The female is a vampire and lives on blood. Some feed on... warm-blooded creatures. Some favour cold-blooded animals. Still others prefer man. 我们可以得出结论：雌蚊对多数动物构成威胁。纵观全文，我们可作出判断：“蚊子应该被消灭。”
二、推理
推理就是以已知的事实为依据，来获得未知的信息。在阅读中，我们要善于利用文章中明确表示的内容，进行正确的推理，以挖掘作者的隐含意思。要求进行推理的问题，在文中均找不到直接答案。如果问题要求理解某句或某段的含蓄意义，我们必须在文中找到所涉及的关键词语，仔细阅读一至两遍，吃透意思，并以此为根据，进行分析和推理。然后，再逐个考虑选择项，选出答案。如果需要进行推理判断的内容涉及全文，则必须在理解通篇中心思想、掌握全文逻辑发展过程的基础上，才能进行正确的推理判断。答题时，还应认真审题，特别是注意原文中的意思在题目中的表达形式，准确理解题意和要求。
例二：
The telephone rang and I picked it up and the voice said, “Block party tonight.”Right then, I knew summer had arrived in North Dakota.
I'll tell you ,there is nobody who enjoys summer more than North Dakotan, possibly because it takes such a long time getting here. We emerge from our cocoons into the sun and ready to go. We take to summer like a chorus girl takes to diamonds. We flood to the parks and the swimming pools and the golf courses and the hiking trails and the lakes. You ask a dozen North Dakotans what summer means to them and you will get a dozen different answers.
根据文中Right then I knew summer had arrived,我们可以推断the block party 通常是夏
季举行的活动，这表明‘夏天来临了’。根据文中...there is nobody who enjoys summer more than the North Dakotans. Summer takes such a long time getting here.我们可以推断这个地区的冬天是漫 长而枯燥无味的。根据文中We flood to the parks and the swimming pools and the golf courses and the hiking trails and the lakes. 我们还可以推断出当地的人们非常喜欢户外活动。
例三：
Like other opinions about the situation, Burke's predictably, and sensibly, fore casts a rise in unemployment among the young.
从此句我们可以推断出：1) 说话者同意Burke的年青人失业现象要增多的看法(根据predict ably, and sensibly); 2) Burke 不是唯一持这种看法的人(根据like other opinions...)
例四：
Directions: Read the following passage and choose the statement(s) which can definitely be inferred.
In 1980, Canada announced strict additional limits on ownership of energy companies by foreign institutions and individuals. Since these may no longer own more than 50 percent of such companies, sources of capital for these corporations are now sharply restricted.
(A) Before 1980, foreigners were allowed to own a majority of shares in Canadian energy companies.
(B) Canada's 1980 limitations on energy — company ownership have caused some problems for these enterprises.
(C) After 1980, foreigners may not own a majority share in a Canadian company.
(D) Before 1980, there were no limitations on foreign individuals owning Canadian energy companies.
选择项(A)符合题意，因为文中谈到这一限制是80年宣布的，据此可以推断80年前尚无此规定。选择项(B)也符合题意，因文中谈到这些企业资金来源将受到限制，据此可以推断该限制将会给这些企业带来问题。(C)项不符合题意，因文中指的是energy companies，而不是所有的公司。(D)项也不符合题意，因为文中谈到80年宣布的是additional limits, 据此可以推断在此以前已有其它限制。
三、预测
根据上文中已出现的语言信息，预测下文即将出现的信息，这也是我们必须掌握的一项阅读技能。也就是说，在理解已知信息的基础上，对随之可能会出现的信息，作出初步推测。(这一推测，在进一步阅读过程中可能会被肯定、修改或否定)。例如，当我们读到Though progress on the subway has not actually stopped...(虽然修建地铁的工程尚未完全停止……)。我们根据Though所引出的让步状语从句的意义，应能推测到Something is wrong with the project.(修建工程出了问题。)；同时从not actually中推测到progress on the subject has almost stopped.(工程几乎已经停止了。)；据此预测，下文可能会出现it is likely that the completion of the project will be delayed(这项工程的竣工很可能要推迟)，却不可能出现the project will be completed ahead of time(工程将提前完成)。
若下文与预测一致或基本一致，则证明自己对上文理解正确，可以继续阅读；若不一致，则说明对已读信息的理解有偏误，或这里有特殊含义，需要调理自己的思路，或应给予特别的注意。
通常，我们可以借助于语法结构、常用句型进行预测：通过标题或主题句进行预测：结合自己的背景知识进行预测；根据语篇标志的提示词或者联接上下文的承接手段(Transitional Devices)来进行预测等等。
同样，我们也可根据所给的某一段文章的内容，来推测上文讨论的是什么话题，或已经谈到过什么事情。以“Though progress on the subway has not actually stopped, it is likely that the completion of the project will be delayed.”为例。根据该句所提供的信息，我们可以推测到上文讨论的内容可能是“Strikes have severely hampered the project.”(罢工已经严重影响了工程的进展)；而不可能是“The boss has promised to give his men a pay rise.”(老板同意给工人增加工资。)
例五：
Directions: Choose the item which best describes what came immediately before the statement given.
(A) Why the position is hazardous.
(B) How to make necessary repairs.
(C) In what circumstances staying in the car might be a good idea.
(D) In what circumstances getting out of the car is recommended.
...In most cases, however, it is best to get out of the car and make necessary repairs quickly so that you can move away from your hazardous position.
题中，however表明前面所述部分的内容必定是与后文中的内容相对立的。(A)，(B)，(D)项都不能表现这种语义上的连贯，正确的答案是(C)。
例六：
Directions: Choose the sentence which best follows the statement given.
Valium and related drugs have recently been suspected of causing cancer or speeding the growth of existing tumors...
(A) Approximately 42 percent of American women have used valium since it
came on the market in 1963.
(B) Cyclamate is one of the many drugs already banned because of a possible link with cancer.
(C) A recent Canadian study showed that breast tumors in experimental rats treated with valium were about three times larger than those found in untreated rats.
该题中，C项对上文的论点加以说明并提供了数据，表现了意思上的连贯，(A)，(B)项都不能表现这种意思上的连贯，正确的答案是(C)。
在阅读理解测试中，要求进行判断和推理的问题，通常有以下几种形式：
1. The writer (author, passage) implies (suggests) that ___________ .
2. It can be inferred from the passage that ___________ .
3. An inference which may not be made from this passage is ___________ .
4. Which of the following can be readily inferred from the passage?
5. It can be concluded from the passage that ___________ .
6. What does the author conclude about...?
7. We may conclude from reading the passage that ___________ .
8. The passage is intended to ___________ .
9. The paragraph preceding (following) this one would most likely (probably) state (discuss, deal with) ___________ .
10. Where would this paragraph most probably appear (be found)?
|
