1)时间与数字题型
时间、数字和计算是听力测试中最常见的题型,几乎每年都有,而且题型也比较多。历年试题中虽然涉及的数字或数目并不多,但考生的答对率却不高。究其原因,一是对数字的表达方法不够熟悉,二是对技巧的运用不够熟练。
● 卷面线索
时间题的四个选项一般都是表达时刻的数字,或是星期、年、月等词,偶尔会有介词后跟数字。
数字题的选项则有可能为纯粹的数字或带有货币符号的数字。
● 解题要点
一般来说,正确答案不会是直接听到的数字,而往往是在意思上与这相同或相近,或换了一种表达方式,或要求对听到的数字进行简单的四则运算。做这类题时,听清这些数字和它们之间的关系是解题的关键。
这些数字之间的关系往往用more/less, late/early, fast/slow, before/after之类的形容词、副词或介词短语来表示,多为时间题。
【例1】
M: Could you tell me the timetable of the school bus?
W: Well, the bus leaves here for the campus every two hours from 6:30 am But on weekends it starts half an hour later.
Q: When did the second bus leave on Saturday?
A) 7:30 B) 8:00 C) 8:30 D) 9:00
答案D)。这是一道较为复杂的转换题。考生应听懂对话中的every two hours from 6:30
和half an hour later两处,同时还要细心,捕捉到问题中的the second bus和Saturday。
【例2】
W:Have you heard about the air crash that occurred last Wednesday?
M:Yes The newspaper said six crew members and sixty four passengers were killed, and fifteen others were injured.
Q: How +many people suffered in the air crash?
A) 85. B)70 C)64. D)31.
这是一道简单的数字运算题,解题的关键是要听懂问句中的“suffer”一词,受害者应包括
死者和伤者,故答案应为6+64+15=85,A)。
【例3】
W:Sorry,Mr Smith is not in May I have him return your call?
M:Yes, thank you I’m at 6330872…Sorry It’s 6338720.
Q: What’s the man’s telephone number?
A) 6330872. B)6380372. C) 6338720. D)6338726.
这道题要注意的是电话号码在口语中的读法。6338720的最常见的读法是:six double thre
e eight seven two zero (或o)。另外还要注意不要受干扰信息的影响,如本题中的6330872以及其后的话语停顿。
【例5】
W: I’d like to make two reservations one Flight 651 for June 8th.
M: I’m sorry We’ve booked up on the 8th But we still have a few seats available on the 9th
Q: When does the man want to leave?
A) On the 6th of June B) On the 8th of June.
C) On the 9th of June D) On the 19th of June.
答案为(B)。与上一题类似,本题是考察考生抗干扰的能力。对话中干扰因素有Flight 651和the 9th两个数词。考生还要理解两个词:reservation意为“预定”,而book up则指“订完”。此外,还要熟悉日期的不同表达方法。
2) 地点与方向题型
在地点型试题中,有的地点在对话中直接提到,有的则需要根据对话内容来判断(这类问题
一般是问对话发生在何处),还有的则是两者兼而有之。
● 卷面线索:选项通常由(介词+)地点名词构成,提问可分为两种情况。第一种问对话发生在何处,选项的形式通常为表示方位的介词(如in, at等)加上一个地点名词构成;第二种问的是方向,选项的形式通常为表示方向的介词(如to, from, out of等)加上一个地点
名词或者只有地点名词构成。
● 解题要点:
(1) 首先要根据卷面线索判断出试题的类型。对于第一种试题,要重点听对话中的与特定地
点有关的常用词或词组(即关键词),例如听到reserve,check in,check out,room之类
的词的话即可判断对话是发生在旅馆里,听到size,color,pay,discount之类的词即可判
断对话地点是在商店等。
(2) 与方向有关的词和词组并不多,所提出的问题在形式上也可能比较简单,但是这类问题
出现时,往往需要几经思考才能得出答案。在这类问题中,务必要注意录音中的内容细节,
不要单凭从对话中获得的孤立信息来确定答案。建议在听音的同时用笔在纸上画一些草图以
帮助理解。
(3)与时间题不同,有的地点题可通过逻辑判断猜出正确的答案,平时要注意这方面能力的
培养。
【例1】
M:Good afternoon This is Edward Miller at the Sun Valley Health Center I’d like to speak to Mr Adams, please.
W:Mr Miller, my husband isn’t at home I can give you his business phone if you’d like to call him at work.
Q:Where is Mr Adams now?
A)At the Sun Valley. B) At the Health Center.
C) At home D) At Work.
答案D)。本题表面是很简单,因为对话中有直接提示词At work,它与D)项完全相同。此外,his buisness phone(他的办公电话)也能给我们一定的提示。
【例2】
M: I’ve just got back from the holiday you arranged for me, but I must tell you the hotel was really awful! It was miles from the sea. The food was awful too. The bedroom was dirty.
W: Sorry about that but it’s not really our fault. The contract does say that the hotel accommodation is not our responsibility
Q: Where is the conversation most probably taking place?
A) At the airport. B) In a travel agency.
C) In a hotel D) At home
此题对话中虽有地点名词出现(hotel),但明显不是答案。本题考的是推理能力。根据hot
el等关键词,可推断对话的话题与旅行有关。而从W的话中的arrange, contract等词,可以
判断出这是一家旅行社(B)。本题说明,在听对话时,要对关键词特别注意,但又不能认
为关键词就是答案。
【例3】
M:Now, Miss, do you feel all right now? What happened?
W:Yes, I’m fine now. I was just at the motorway I was driving along the main road when suddenly right before the crossroads I met the car came out at the side street I didn’t see him until he hit me.
Q: Where was the car before it hit the woman?
A)In the side street. B) At the crossroads.
C) On the main road D) On the motorway.
本题属于较为特殊的地点题,考生不仅要听懂对话发生的地点,而且要能理解I met the car came out at the side street这句语法上有错误的话并推断出在汽车撞上W之前,它正在the side street (A)中。其他选项在对话中都曾出现过,但它们都是描述W本人所在的位置,而非肇事车辆所处的位置。
【例4】
W: I just stopped by at your office in the bank. They told me that you had quit where are you working now?
M: I am working for a lawyer now.The pay is better and the work is much more interesting.
Q: Where did the man work before?
A) In a court. B) On the farm.
C) In a bank. D) In a shop.
答案C)。此题的关键词bank在对话中出现了两次,考生不但可以从女士的话(…at your o
ffice in the bank,They told me that you had quit:),也可以从男士的回答(The pay is better than in the bank…)中得出本题的正确答案。而a lawyer 仅仅是一个难度不大的干扰词,考生只要听懂now这一词就可以排除,B)D)两项与本题对话明显无关。
3)观点、态度与反应题型
观点、态度与反应题是指对话双方对某事或某人的观点和看法。有时这种观点和看法在对话
中直接表达出来了,但绝大部分情况需要考生从说话人的语调、语气以及所使用的词汇、短
语等方面来进行推理和判别的。这种题型的卷面特征通常表现在以下两个方面:
(1) 选项一般为完整的句子。
(2) 某一选项可能含有think, should, agree (disagree), share … opinion , like (dislike), will等词。
其提问方式有:
What did the woman/man say about …?
What’s the woman’s/man’s attitude towards / opinion about …?
What does the woman/man mean/imply (by saying …)?
What did the woman/man think of …?
What does the man think the woman should do?
等等。这类题由于说话者表达观点和看法的方式比较含蓄,不能为选择书面答案提供直接的
信息,而是需要考生听懂录音并利用逻辑思维来进行推理和判断,因此往往被认为较难(在
托福听力中这种题居多,在近几年的六级考试题中亦多见)。为此,从卷面的角度考虑,我
们建议采取以下策略:
(1)凡在选项中出现agree (disagree), share … opinion , like (dislike)之类的词语的题是判断第二个说话的人是否同意第一个说话的人的观点的,在听的时候要重点注意第二个人所说的话,尤其是言外之意 。平时还要掌握表示赞同和反对的习语,如:
You can say it again.
I can’t agree more.
I’m not sure…
I doubt …
I’d rather …
(2)选项中出现should, ought to等词语的题,其答案多出现在第一个人说的话里,但是要随机应变。例如,第一个人是女声,如果选项都是He should / the man should …的话,则重点在女声的话中;而如果选项中出现的是She should …的话,重点又在男声的话中了。
(3)对于选项中出现mean, think, will (表意愿)的题,通常有两种情况,其一是说话人用了虚拟语气来表达其愿望;其二是找一个借口(用but来引导)来拒绝对方的邀请、建议等。因此平时要对虚拟语气非常熟悉,考试时才能听得出来。
此外,对话者的语调也可提供重要的信息,但要求较高,此处不予推荐,读者如有兴趣,可
参考有关书籍。
【例1】
M: Isn’t that a new brand of typewriter you are working at?
W: Oh, Bill This isn’t the first time you’ve asked me about it.
Q: What does the woman imply?
A) The man is a forgetful person.
B) The typewriter is not new.
C) The man can have the typewriter later.
D) The man misunderstood her.
答案为A)。本题是一道间接回答的典型题。W并没有直接回答M的话,而是说:你已问了多次了。言外之意,是说M太健忘。捕捉言外之意是一项要求较高、难度较大的能力,它不仅要求具有扎实的语言基础与听的能力,还需要经过反复实践才能掌握。
【例2】
W: Now, would you please fill out these customs forms for each package? Please state clearly the contents and value of each, and the name and address of the returnee Better in block letters.
M: There I think I’ve filled out everything correctly.
Q: What’s the woman’s occupation?
A) Doctor B) Clerk.
C) Professor D) Waitress.
答案为B)。本题的关键词包括fill out … forms, customs, state the contents and value等。从以上的关键词中我们可以知道W是海关人员,所以其余选项皆不可能。
【例3】
W: Some people know a lot more than they tell.
M: Unfortunately the reverse is also true.
Q: What does the man mean?
A) Some people pretend to know what they really don’t.
B) What the woman said is true.
C) What the woman said is wrong.
D) He knows more than the woman does.
答案为A)。由于对话极短,仅就对话内容而言,本题难度较大。考生不仅要理解W所说的话,同样要理解M说的the reverse is also true (相反的情况同样存在,即说的比懂的多,不懂装懂)。所以,他不仅肯定了W的话,还提出了自己的观点,这样,只选B)就不够准确
了。
【例4】
M: May I ask the nature of your business, please?
W: I’m from the State Administration, and I need to talk with Mr Jones about his building project on 20 Street.
Q: What is the man’s probable occupation?
A) Waiter. B) Secretary.
C) Tailor D) Professor.
本题略难,对话中男士的职业要从女士的回答中去推断,女士说她来找Mr Jones是要与他
谈在20号大街上的建筑项目,由此可知对话中的男士应该是Mr Jones的同事或下属,只有B)符合。
Industry Keeps the body healthy ,the mind clear,the heart whole,the purse full.
——C Simmons
勤奋使身体健康,使心情开朗,使思想专注,使经济充裕。
——C?西蒙斯
4)职业与身份题型
职业与身份类型的题包括人物的职业、身份以及与他人的关系。此类对话经常提供一个情节
,反应所涉及的人物的关系或身份。大部分情况下,这类题的选择项是有固定格式的,要么
是四个不同的职业,要么是四对不同身份的人。与地点题类似的是,我们在听音时要善于捕
捉关键词,以便抓住简短对话中所提供的信息,作出准确的判断。因此,除了要熟悉选项出
现的形式,还要对其相应的设问做到心中有数。常见的设问有:
1 Who (what) is the man/woman?
2 What is the man’s/woman’s profession/occupation?
3 What is the probable relationship between the two speakers?
对于前两种提问,其选项通常为四个表示职业的名词。而对于第三题,其选项则为由and连接起来的四对名词或名词复数。
5)原因与结果题型
原因与结果题与大多数其他类型的题所不同的是,听音前较难通过卷面线索判断出这一题属
于原因与结果题,要想判断出正确答案就更困难了。
但是题型判断对于捕捉关键信息非常重要,考生应通过平时大量的训练和细致的分析争取尽
快地抓住一些蛛丝马迹,作出准确的判断。这类题的卷面特征可概括如下:
(1)四个选项通常都是完整的陈述句;
(2)至少有一个选项暗示出该事实能导致某种结果,通常有好几个选项的事实能导致同一
结果;
(3)选项中可能出现can’t, not be able to, too(… to), have to等词或词组。
对于因果题,只要判断出题的类型就足够了,不宜浪费时间推测正确答案。
此外,因果题主要集中在原因上,而且一般由对话中的第二个人说出,因此应试时要格外注
意第二个人说的话。提问通常以why、what reason等引导。以下各例对考试中出现过的各种形式逐一分析。
【例1】
M: Mary, why isn’t Jane teaching here this term?
W: She can’t she was fired.
Q: What reason was given for Jane’s not teaching?
A) She is tired of teaching.
B) She was dismissed from her job.
C) She’s changing jobs.
D) The school is too hot.
请读者结合本题,理解上面所讲的卷面特征。本题中的D显然没有道理,剩下的三个选项都能引起Jane不再教书这一结果。判断出题型以后,就不会错过W话中的she was fired这一信息,答案B)自然就呼之欲出了。
【例2】
W:Suppose the company offered you a pay rise of 50%, would you be so determined to leave and look for a job elsewhere?
M:Yes I’ve set my mind on it, I’d like to find a job with scope to show my ability.
Q:Why has the man decided to leave the company?
A) He is not equal to the job.
B) He is not well paid for his work.
C) He doesn’t think the job is challenging enough.
D) He can not keep mind on his work.
本题要求根据表面话语推断出隐含的意义。在对话中,M最关键的一句是:I’d like to …
ability。言外之意就是目前的工作对他来说缺乏挑战性,即C)项为正确。
【例3】
M: Helen isn’t here yet. Did you forget to invite her?
W: She was going to come, but then changed her mind.
Q: Why isn’t Helen present?
A) She decided not to come.
B) She forgot to come.
C) She wasn’t invited.
D) She altered her decision.
本题尽管没有出现具有提示作用的关键词,但综合四个(尤其是前三个)选项,明显可以看
出,问题必然是why doesn’t Helen come这样的句子,这样在听懂第二个人的话语之后,
这一题就很容易做出来了。正确答案为D。
【例4】
W: George, where were you yesterday evening? I expected to see you at the concert.
M: Oh, I waited for you at the corner of your street. Then I looked for you at your flat, but the housekeeper said you were out.
Q: Why didn’t they meet that evening?
A) They were both busy doing their own work.
B) They waited for each other at different places.
C) They went to the street corner at different times.
D) The man went to the concert but the woman didn’t.
尽管因果题的答题线索通常都出现在第二个人说的话中,即第一个人说出结果,第二个人解
释原因,但本题是个例外,双方都说出了部分原因。这是为什么呢?我们看一下选项就明白
了。在本题的选项中每一项都牵扯到了对话的双方,所以听的时候要注意双方话。
6)事件情景题型
在听力考试中,最令考生头疼的莫过于事件情景题,但恰恰这类题在六级考试中出现得最多
,这也是四、六级听力考试的区别之一。事件与情景题是针对对话所涉及的事件、对话所发
生的情景及谈话内容存在的背景等设计而成的考题。这种题的形式一般是:对话双方围绕某
件事、某个主题进行讨论,在谈话中涉及情景、背景或描述环境,然后针对谈话内容提问,
其设问通常由what、why、how等引出,如:
What are the two speakers discussing?
What does the man/woman say about …?
What can you learn from the conversation? 等。
事件与情景题可分为事件细节题、综合理解题和推理题。对于细节题,考生要听清整个谈话
的内容以至个别的词语;对于其他两种题,考生还要能够将这些内容和细节连贯起来进行整
体的综合理解和进行逻辑推理。
由于其选项多为完整的句子,因此有效利用这种题的卷面线索的方法是:做题前对选项进行
快速浏览,找出重复率较高的词,并对对话的内容和背景进行预测,甚至可用逻辑分析猜出
正确答案。
【例1】
M: Did you hear Mike is in hospital with head injuries and a broken arm?
W: Yes, apparently he was struck by another vehicle and turned completely over.
Q: What happened to Mike?
A) His car was hit by another car.
B) He was hurt while playing volleyball.
C) He fell down the stairs.
D) While crossing the street, he was hit by a car.
答案为A)。此题考的是判断事实、关注细节的能力,有一定的难度。其实,考生如果听懂
了M说的he was struck by another vehicle,就能推断出Mike在被撞时是开着车子的,否则就不可能说是another vehicle了,更何况选项A)实际上就是此句话的同义重复。就卷面来说,本题有两个选项与车祸有关(A、D),另外两个则是各自独立的,事先可基本确定答案将在A、D中产生。
【例2】
M: This has been the worst flood for the past 20 years It has caused much damage and destruction.
W: Look at the prices of fruits and vegetables. No wonder they are so expensive.
Q: What are they talking about?
A)The effects of the flood.
B) The heroic fight against a flood.
C) The cause of the flood
D) Floods of the past twenty years.
答案为A) 。本题要求根据对话内容推断所谈论的主题——洪水造成的影响。考生可从两方
面得出答案,一是M的后一句话It has caused many damage and destruction,二是W话中涉及的事实,它们实际上就是由洪水引起的。
【例3】
W: I have to think about your offer I can’t say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ at the moment.
M: You can take your time It will do if you let me know your decision in a day or two.
Q: Which of the following is true?
A) The man thinks the woman is wasting her time.
B) The man thinks the woman should make full use of her time.
C) The man is eager to know the woman’s answer.
D) The man can wait and there is no need for her to hurry.
本题的选项极象观点、态度与反应题,但实际考的是把握细节的能力。当年(1991年6月)
很多考生都没能做对,主要原因是对take one’s time没有理解,而将其与选项B)的意思混淆了,而且也没能用M的后半句话来加以验证。事实上,M的话可分为两部分,把握住任何一个就足以选出正确答案D),如能相互验证那就更有把握了。从卷面的角度分析,我们可以看出,C)、D)两项为完全排斥的反义关系,而A)、B)并非如此。在这种情况下,可基本排除A)、B),本题的难度也就降低了50%。