托福閱讀中的細節(jié)題其實不難,但前提是定位的點要對,比如下面這個例題:
Two species of deer have been prevalent in the Puget Sound area of Washington State in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. The black-tailed deer, a lowland, west-side cousin of the mule deer of eastern Washington, is now the most common. The other species, the Columbian white-tailed deer, in earlier times was common in the open prairie country, it is now restricted to the low, marshy islands and flood plains along the lower Columbia River.
According to paragraph 1, which of the following is true of the white-tailed deer of Puget Sound
A. It is native to lowlands and marshes.
B. It is more closely related to the mule deer of eastern Washington than to other types of deer.
C. It has replaced the black-tailed deer in the open prairie.
D. It no longer lives in a particular type of habitat that it once occupied.
這是一個典型的細節(jié)題,在該題題干中,有的考生會選擇Puget Sound作為關(guān)鍵詞回原文定位,因為它是專有名詞,在文中會比較顯眼。但是如果一旦選擇了這個地名,勢必會定位在該段的第一句話,托福細節(jié)題往往是定位在哪句就在哪句找答案,這樣的話考生是選不出正確答案的,因為定位不精確。其實正確的關(guān)鍵詞應(yīng)該是white-tailed deer,這個用連字符連接的詞在文章中也是比較醒目的,按該詞定位應(yīng)是該段最后一句話。所以根據(jù)它的意思應(yīng)該選D項。其中A項與原句意思不符,B和C都與定位句信息無關(guān)。我們再來看另外一個否定事實細節(jié)題的例子:
Plant communities assemble themselves flexibly, and their structure depends on the particular history of the area. Ecologists use the term “succession” to refer to the changes that happen in plant communities and ecosystems over time. The first community in a succession is called a pioneer community, while the long-lived community at the end of succession is called a climax community. Pioneer and successional plant communities are said to change over periods from 1 to 500 years. These changes—in plant numbers and the mix of species—are cumulative. Climax communities themselves change but over periods of time greater than about 500 years.
According to paragraph 1, which of the following is NOT true of climax communities
A. They occur at the end of a succession.
B. They last longer than any other type of community.
C. The numbers of plants in them and the mix of species do not change
D. They remain stable for at least 500 years at a time.
這個題大家都會選擇用climax communities去定位,但在定位過程中會出現(xiàn)很多問題。首先考生要學(xué)會跳躍式定位,即根據(jù)文章中特殊的標點符號以及最醒目的詞來搜索我們真正需要的關(guān)鍵詞。文中的particular是加了陰影的,succession是在引號里面的,都非常醒目,通過看這兩個詞我們會發(fā)現(xiàn)它們附近沒有我們需要的東西;再比較突出的就是數(shù)字及破折號,在500的上方有a climax community,但它是單數(shù),與題干關(guān)鍵詞不完全匹配,細節(jié)題講究的是精確定位,所以我們應(yīng)該選擇500斜下方的Climax communities,即該段的最后一句話。否定事實細節(jié)題的出題思路有兩種:一是無中生有,即根據(jù)定位點的內(nèi)容,四個選項只有一個沒有提到,這種思路多適用于選項比較簡短的題目;二是張冠李戴,即根據(jù)定位點的內(nèi)容表述,只有一個選項與之矛盾,這種思路多適應(yīng)于選項比較長的題目。就這個例題而言,根據(jù)定位的最后一句話,從表述上來說跟它相關(guān)的只有C和D兩個選項,D項的意思與原句相符,而C項與原句矛盾,所以正確答案是C。