【例二】2000年1月四级Passage Two
Some studies suggest that straight, horizontal bars painted across roads can initially cut the average speed of drivers in half. However, traffic often returns to full speed within months as drivers become used to seeing the painted bars.
30. What does the author say about straight, horizontal bars painted across roads?
A) They cannot be applied successfully to traffic circles.
B) They tend to be ignored by drivers in a short period of time.
C) They are falling out of use in the United States.
D) They are applicable only on broad roads
请用心体会一下initially 这个词的内涵，其实，你一看到这个词，就必须准确predict出后面可能会有考点，而且肯定会出现but, however, ultimately 一类的转折、对比词。答案B)。
【例三】六级2001年6月Passage Two
For centuries, explorers have risked their lives venturing into the unknown for reasons that were to varying degrees economic and nationalistic. ……
Although their missions blended commercial and political-military imperatives, the explorers involved all accomplished some significant science simply by going where no scientists had gone before.
Today Mars looms as humanity’s next great terra incognita. And with doubtful prospects for a short-term financial return, with the cold war a rapidly fading memory and amid a growing emphasis on international cooperation in large space ventures, it is clear that imperatives other than profits or nationalism will have to compel human beings to leave their tracks on the planet’s reddish surface. Could it be science, which has long played a minor role in exploration, is at least destined to take a leading role? ……
With Mars the scientific stakes are arguably higher than they have ever been. …..
36. According to the passage, the chief purpose of explorers in going to unknown places in the past was_____ .
A) to display their country’s military might
B) to accomplish some significant science
C) to find new areas for colonization
D) to pursue commercial and state interests
37. At present, a probable inducement for countries to initiate large-scale space ventures is _____ .
A) international cooperation B) nationalistic reasons
C) scientific research D) long-term profits
同学们有没有发现：economic / commercial / financial / profit ; nationalistic / political / military / cold war / nationalism; science / scientist/ scientific 都是近义词或同一范畴的词，也就是阅读文章中经常出现的同义换词现象。如果一个词的同义词、相关词在一篇文章中多次重复出现，必定是这篇文章的强调的地方，必定和考题相关。另外，请注意这两到题的考法，先考过去，再考现在，一个是was, 一个是is。答案D、C。
【例四】考研2004年 Text 1
Hunting for a job late last year, lawyer Gant Redmon stumbled across CareerBuilder, a job database on the Internet. He searched it with no success but was attracted by the site’s “personal search agent”. It’s an interactive feature that lets visitors key in job criteria such as location, title, and salary, then emails them when a matching position is posted in the database.
….
Some sites design their agents to tempt job hunters to return. When CareerSite’s agent sends out messages to those who have signed up for its service, for example, it includes only three potential jobs – those it considers the best matches. There maybe more matches in the database; job hunters will have to visit the site again to find them – and they do.
44. Why does CareerSite’s agent offer each job hunter only three job options?
A) To focus on better job matches.
B) To attract more returning visits.
C) To reserve space for more messages.
D) To increase the rate of success.
请各位同学仔细看一下下面这句话中them是指代什么：then emails them when a matching position is posted in the database. 有的辅导书上是这么翻译的：然后给网上贴出的对应岗位发个邮件/ 当……时，你就通过EMAIL给这些人寄去相关的资料。其实，这里them指visitors。比如说你访问某个求职网站，登记了你的要求，那么该网站可能会根据你的要求给你发email通知你，这就是所谓的interactive feature.
44题答案B, 实际上考的是一个例证题，但是表面上不很容易看出来，这就是考研难的地方。如果你平时注意分析第一句话和后面句子的关系，那么你就会知道， 例证题的答案经常指向段落第一句话。答案中attract替换原文tempt。如果你在解题的时候只注意后面几句话，就可能会做错答案或者速度慢了。
