大学英语四级考试(CET-4)的第二部分，也就是作文之后的快速阅读，往往是各位考生普遍比较头痛的部分。快速阅读的难度最主要表现在文章的篇幅巨大，字数太多，时间又太短，很难做完。快速阅读的篇幅字数在以往考试中始终保持在1060--1070词左右，本篇例文的字数是1061词，但如果再加上题干与选项就达到了1452词，快速阅读在考试中的时间限制是15分钟，其中还有1分钟用来填写机读卡，所以真正的时间只有14分钟，完成一篇1452词的文章的阅读并准确做出10道题，对于考生的压力可想而知。对于快速阅读的解答，考生需要从两个途径共同提升，一是正确的解题方法与技巧，二是懂得取舍的心态。在本文中，笔者将会围绕这两点，以2013年6月四级考试的其中一篇快速阅读为例，为考生们做出解析与指导。

　　● 正确的解题方法与技巧

　　快速阅读本质上考察的是考生的“文字材料处理”与“信息查找比对”的能力。因此，不需要考生对文章中所有信息事无巨细的完整把握，而是根据题干中的问题回到文章中进行查找比对，正确答案也往往是对文章信息的直接照抄或轻微改写。考察的重点是放在查找比对上，而不是深入理解，这也正是应和了快速阅读的题型要求skimming and scanning(略读与寻读)。

　　建议考生可以按照“三步走”的思路来进行解题：

　　1. 浏览大标题和小标题(了解文章主题结构)

　　2. 精读文章的开头(准确把握文章的主题)

　　3. 看一题做一题，关键词定位配合顺序原则

　　我们以2013年6月四级考试真题为例，看看长篇阅读的解题方法具体是什么样的：本篇例文的大标题是"Can Digital Textbooks Truly Replace the Print Kind?"(电子教科书是否真正可以取代印刷版的教科书呢?)这篇文章出自于TIME《时代周刊》2011年8月29号的科技板块，作者Chris Gayomali 。

　　本文只有大标题没有小标题，而且文章段落非常多，达到了惊人的24段。小标题的作用是建构文章的逻辑框架，如果有小标题，不光可以用来理解文章还可以用来帮忙定位甚至是解题，本文因为没有小标题，因此阅读和定位的难度都会相对加大;文章段落如果只有10段左右的话，按照顺序原则，也就是出题顺序与文章行文顺序基本一致的原则，定位找答案都会比较简单，而本文段落过多且松散，无形中给定位也增加了难度。好在大标题写的很完整，运用一些文章的基本逻辑框架就可以基本预知文章的主题和结构。大标题《电子教科书是否真正可以取代印刷版的教科书呢?》，这种新生事物取代旧事物的文章是四级常考的类型，文章结构也很套路化，通常会在文章开始首先引述旧事物曾经的辉煌，但随着时间的推移逐渐暴露出了弱点或跟不上时代的发展，紧接着会罗列旧事物现有的弱点或问题，并给出一个可能的解决方案，要么是对旧事物进行改造，要么是出现一个新事物来替代老事物，并通过新老对比的方式体现新事物的优点，最后要么是对新事物目前遇到的困难进行简单的评述，要么是对新事物的未来做光明的展望。

　　本文非常符合上述的写作套路。第1、2两段引述了traditional print edition textbooks传统印刷版的教科书的缺点作为背景，第3-7段马上引出本文的主题digital textbooks电子教科书并同时介绍了目前的应用情况以及遇到的问题，第8-18段用了大量的篇幅给出了解决的方案，第19-22段引述digital textbooks电子教科书仍然面对的challenge挑战，最后的23、24两段对digital textbooks电子教科书进行了未来光明的展望。文章主题明确，结构框架清晰，情节内容符合传统的套路没有出新出怪。因此，尽管没有小标题而且段落很多，但只要考生对考试类文章的基本套路和框架有很好的掌握，可以说这篇文章并不算难懂。

　　当通过标题和文章开头已经对全文主题有了一个基本把握之后，就要毫不犹豫的停止精细阅读文章，转向题干，开始看一题做一题。首先看懂题目的问法，同时划出题干中可以用来定位的关键词，紧接着就回到文章找定位找答案。

　　本文只有第2和第6题相对较难，其余8题都可以根据定位直接得出答案。

　　1. The biggest problem with traditional print textbooks is that __________.传统印刷版本的教科书的最大问题是什么?本题最重要定位信息是biggest problem，文中一定同时交代了多个问题，本题要求找出其中biggest的。文章首段罗列了heavy和expensive两个problem，但都不是biggest的，2段开始的But提示着重要的出题点，紧接着的the worst part与题干biggest problem直接对应，原文But the worst part is that print versions of textbooks are constantly undergoing revisions. Many professors require that their students use only the latest versions in the classroom, essentially rendering older texts unusable.最糟糕的部分是打印版本的教科书经常要修订，很多教授要求他们的学生在上课时只能使用最新一版，这基本上使得老版本是不能用的。对应的正确选项是A选项，they are not reused once a new edition comes out. 一旦新版出现老版本就不能用了。

　　3. According to Kalpit Shah, some students still use paper and pencil because __________.KP认为，一些学生任然使用纸张和铅笔的原因是什么?本题可以用人名KP来定位。答案出自第6段，"They weren't using it as a source of communication because they couldn't read or write in it. So a third of the people in my program were using the iPad in class to take notes, the other third were using laptops and the last third were using paper and pencil."他们不用iPad作为沟通的来源，是因为他们不能在iPad上面读或写。所以，在我的课堂里，有三分之一的用iPad做笔记，三分之一用笔记本电脑，剩下的三分之一用纸和铅笔。对应A选项they find it troublesome to take notes with an iPad，他们发现用iPad记笔记太麻烦。

　　4. Inkling CEO Matt MacInnis explains that the problem with Course Smart's current digital textbooks is that __________.CEO MM认为CS的问题是什么?定位关键词可以用CEO MM，定位在第9段，What I mean by that is the current perspective of the digital textbook is it's an exact copy of the print book. There's Course Smart, etc., these guys who take an image of the page and put it on a screen.我的意思是，从目前来看，电子教科书就是印刷版本的复制品，像CS等等的，就是把书籍扫描下来放在屏幕上。对应D选项they are no more than print versions put on a screen，他们就仅仅是把印刷版本放在了屏幕上。

　　5. Matt MacInnis describes the updated version of Inkling as __________.MM把升级后的Inkling描述为什么?根据顺序原则，在第4题后找第5题的出处，尽管在题干中出现了大写专有名词MM，但因为从第10段起就没有MM了，所以要耐心细心的寻找MM的替换出现。在第10的开头就出现了He calls Inkling a platform for publishers to build rich multimedia content from the ground up，当一句话的主语换成代词的情况下，说明这句话的主语与上文一致，上一段第9段出现的正是男人正是MM，因此本句的He就是MM，答案就是这句话对应C选项a platform for building multimedia content一个创建多媒体内容的平台。

　　6. The author is most excited about Inkling's notation system because one can __________.作者最兴奋于Inkling的标记系统可以怎样?还是要注意题干中问到的是most excited，注意在文中找对应的最高级，定位在第14段，But the most exciting part about Inkling, to me, is its notation (批注) system. Here's how it works:表面看好像定位很简单，但14段根本没有做任何有用的交代，也没法做题，需要耐心细心的往下看，15段交代了纸质书的标记特点与题干的要求不一致，继续往下看到16段的最后一句The best comments are then sorted democratically by a voting system, meaning that your social learning experience is shared with the best and brightest thinkers.最好的评论会通过投票制民主的挑选出来，这就意味着你的社会学习经验是可以与最棒最精英的思想家来分享的。对应A选项share his learning experience with the best and brightest thinkers. 本题难点在于定位与真正答案的出处相隔的非常远，能否踏实下心来耐心的查找比对，是做对本题的关键所在。

　　7. One additional advantage of the interactive digital textbook is that __________.电子互动教科书的另一个优点是什么?定位在17段，As a bonus, professors can even chime in (插话) on discussions. 另外，教授甚至可以在讨论中插话。对应C选项professors can join in students' online discussions. 教授可以参与到学生的在线讨论中。本题难点在于bonus是超纲词，考生可能因为不认识而不敢定位在这里，但因为从18段开始讲到的shortcoming，与题干中的advantage明显不符，而且17段还出现了中文注释，中文注释在文中是非常重要的信息，可以帮助我们看懂文章甚至是做对题，一定要重视。基于这两点原因，第7题的答案可以确定是在第17段来找。

　　后3道填空题仍然延用前7题定位、比对的解题思路，通过原文与选项的对比得出答案。

　　8. One of the challenges to build an interactive digital textbook from the ground up is that it takes a great deal of __________.从头开始创建一个电子互动教科书的其中一个挑战在于它需要大量的什么?定位在第19段，There are, however, challenges.顺序往下接着看，在21段可以看到and you can tell that it takes a respectable amount of manpower to put together each one.原文中takes a respectable amount of对应的是题干中的takes a great deal of，答案很清晰，就只有一个词manpower之后的to put together each one目的不定时做状语是修饰成分，非主干内容，不必抄写。

　　9. One problem for students to replace traditional textbooks with interactive digital ones is the high __________ of the hardware. 学生用电子互动教科书来替换传统教科书的其中一个困难在于硬件的高什么?按照顺序定位在22段for other students who don't have such a luxury it's an added layer of cost-and an expensive one at that.对于其他没有这种奢侈品的学生来说，这是一种叠加的昂贵的花费。经过原文和选项的比对，答案仍然只有一个词cost.

　　10. According to the author, whether digital textbooks will catch on still __________.电子教科书是否可以流行开来仍然是什么?按照顺序定位在23段Whether digitally interactive ones like Inkling actually take off or not remains to be seen 原文中take off 和题干中catch on都有流行的意思直接对应，比对原文选项之后，答案仍然可以直接照抄原文不必做任何修改remains to be seen拭目以待。

　　● 懂得取舍的心态

　　在做快速阅读的时候，保持能够懂得取舍的心态非常重要。

　　一是在看文章的时候懂得取舍，文章的标题要仔细慢慢看，文章的开头要细细看，都是为了把握文章主题，理清文章结构思路，一旦主题结构明确了必须要放弃精细阅读，马上转向题干，根据题干要求在文章中先找关键词的定位出处，有了定位再读定位附近的信息，凡是与题干没有直接关系的信息，不必精读细读，舍得跳读，才能争取到更多的时间来读真正与题目相关有用信息，才能有更多的时间来做题。

　　二是在做题中懂得取舍，如果在做题中发现某一题定位非常困难，根本找不到的话，千万不要恋战，千万不要在文章中漫无目的的反复精读。一道题定位找不到，马上跳到下一题，一道题很犹豫选哪个选项，一定把犹豫的两个选项都写在题号前，就马上开始做下一题，等其他题目都做完了，还有时间做就再回文章中找，没时间做，就一定选一个和文章主题最接近的选项，正确的几率很大。比如本文的第2题：

　　What does the author say about digital textbooks? 作者认为电子教科书怎样?这道题可以是一道细节题直接在文章找到定位就直接出答案，也可以是一道主旨题，需要找作者的观点和立场。Digital textbooks第一次出现在第3段Which is why digital textbooks, if they live up to their promise, could help ease many of these shortcomings. But till now, they've been something like a mirage (幻影) in the distance, more like a hazy (模糊的) dream than an actual reality. Imagine the promise: Carrying all your textbooks in a 1.3 pound iPad? It sounds almost too good to be true. 这就是为什么电子教科书可以帮助解决很多缺点的原因。但是，截止到目前为止，它们仍然是一个远处的幻影，与其说是现实不如说更像是个模糊的梦。想象一下它的承诺吧，"把所有的教科书都放在一个1.3磅的iPad里"，听上去好得难以置信。

　　如果仅仅根据第3段的表述，A和B选项很难取舍，A) It is not likely they will replace traditional textbooks.它们不可能在未来取代传统教科书，B) They haven't fixed all the shortcomings of print books.它们并没有解决印刷版教科书的所有缺点。当两个选项很难取舍，而且作者在下文中也没有作进一步解释的话，不妨先把AB两个选项都写在第2题的题号前，考生可以试着通过下文的阅读进一步加深对文章的理解，通过更精确把握作者的观点和立场来解题。这时，考生一定要舍得跳到下一题，而不要在这一道题上停留太长的时间。

　　当把第10题做完时，还剩下全文的最后一段However, the solution to any problem begins with a step in a direction. And at least for now, that hazy mirage in the distance? A little more tangible (可触摸的), a little less of a dream.但是，解决任何问题都要从朝着这个目标迈进的第一步开始。至少目前来看，这个远方的海参蜃楼，又朝着现实迈进了一小步。可以看出，作者对于digital textbooks明显持一个乐观支持的态度，那么，第2题的A选项认为不可能取代传统教科书明显是与作者立场相悖，利用排除法，第2题答案选B。

　　在做题中学会取舍，才不会造成因为一两道题导致大量题目没时间做的人间悲剧。

　　● 综述

　　从2006年6月至今，出题人也在不断探索快速阅读的难度，到2012年开始就已经基本稳定了。

　　目前，快速阅读的文章篇幅很稳定，但确实超出了大多数考生的速度极限，因此，考生在平时练习中不光要练习精读细读，同时还要训练自己泛读的能力;

　　快速阅读的难度很稳定，前7题中至少有一道题比较难，要么是定位难，要么是选项难，只要考生学会取舍，就可以把这道题的杀伤力降到最低;

　　快速阅读的解题方法很稳定，关键词定位后比对原文与选项就可以出答案，但题干中的关键词不一定全都是大写专有名词、数字、时间这种特别好找的有明显特征的信息，也会用一些类似仔细阅读的不太好找的关键词，但好在10道题的普遍都是按照顺序在文章中出现，当关键词不好找的时候，顺序原则就是一个很好地辅助定位的方法。

　　快速阅读更像是一种水到渠成的题型，只要考生在仔细阅读中有了很好的突破，并稳定在一个较高的正确率上，快速阅读只要通过正确的方法稍加练习就可以突破。相反地，如果考生没能在仔细阅读中很好地突破，那快速阅读的练习也很难见到成效。建议考生在复习的前半段把重心放在仔细阅读上，突破并稳定后再进行快速阅读的练习。

　　同时，建议考生在平时多进行广泛的阅读，类似Time、USA today、Washington post、Guardian等媒体都是很好地泛读素材。

　　附：2013年6月四级阅读真题

　　Can Digital Textbooks Truly Replace the Print Kind?

　　The shortcomings of traditional print edition textbooks are obvious: For starters they're heavy, with the average physics textbook weighing 3.6 pounds. They're also expensive, especially when you factor in the average college student's limited budget, typically costing hundreds of dollars every semester.

　　But the worst part is that print versions of textbooks are constantly undergoing revisions. Many professors require that their students use only the latest versions in the classroom, essentially rendering older texts unusable. For students, it means they're basically stuck with a four pound paperweight that they can't sell back.

　　Which is why digital textbooks, if they live up to their promise, could help ease many of these shortcomings. But till now, they've been something like a mirage (幻影) in the distance, more like a hazy (模糊的) dream than an actual reality. Imagine the promise: Carrying all your textbooks in a 1.3 pound iPad? It sounds almost too good to be true.

　　But there are a few pilot schools already making the transition (过渡) over to digital books. Universities like Cornell and Brown have jumped onboard. And one medical program at the University of California, Irvine, gave their entire class iPads with which to download textbooks just last year.

　　But not all were eager to jump aboard.

　　"People were tired of using the iPad textbook besides using it for reading," says Kalpit Shah, who will be going into his second year at Irvine's medical program this fall. "They weren't using it as a source of communication because they couldn't read or write in it. So a third of the people in my program were using the iPad in class to take notes, the other third were using laptops and the last third were using paper and pencil."

　　The reason it hasn't caught on yet, he tells me, is that the functionality of e-edition textbooks is incredibly limited, and some students just aren't motivated to learn new study behavior.

　　But a new application called Inkling might change all that. The company just released an updated version last week, and it'll be utilized in over 50 undergraduate and graduate classrooms this coming school year.

　　"Digital textbooks are not going to catch on," says Inkling CEO Matt MacInnis as he's giving me a demo (演示) over coffee. "What I mean by that is the current perspective of the digital textbook is it's an exact copy of the print book. There's Course Smart, etc., these guys who take an image of the page and put it on a screen. If that's how we're defining digital textbooks, there's no hope of that becoming a mainstream product."

　　He calls Inkling a platform for publishers to build rich multimedia content from the ground up, with a heavy emphasis on real-world functionality. The traditional textbook merely serves as a skeleton.

　　At first glance Inkling is an impressive experience. After swiping (触击) into the iPad app (应用软件), which you can get for free here, he opens up a few different types of textbooks.

　　Up first is a chemistry book. The boot time is pretty fast, and he navigates through (浏览) a few chapters before swiping into a fully rendered 3D molecule that can be spun around to view its various building blocks. "Publishers give us all of the source media, artwork, videos," he says. "We help them think through how to actually build something for this platform."

　　Next he pulls up a music composition textbook, complete with playable demos. It's a learning experience that attacks you from multiple sensory directions. It's clear why this would be something a music major would love.

　　But the most exciting part about Inkling, to me, is its notation (批注) system. Here's how it works:

　　When you purchase a used print book, it comes with its previous owner's highlights and notes in the margins. It uses the experience of someone who already went through the class to help improve your reading (how much you trust each notation is obviously up to you).

　　But with Inkling, you can highlight a piece of content and make notes. Here's where things get interesting, though: If a particularly important passage is highlighted by multiple Inkling users, that information is stored on the cloud and is available for anyone reading the same textbook to come across. That means users have access to notes from not only their classmates and Facebook friends, but anyone who purchased the book across the country. The best comments are then sorted democratically by a voting system, meaning that your social learning experience is shared with the best and brightest thinkers.

　　As a bonus, professors can even chime in (插话) on discussions. They'll be able to answer the questions of students who are in their class directly via the interactive book.

　　Of course, Inkling addresses several of the other shortcomings in traditional print as well. Textbook versions are constantly updated, motivating publishers by minimizing production costs (the big ones like McGraw-Hill are already onboard). Furthermore, students will be able to purchase sections of the text instead of buying the whole thing, with individual chapters costing as little as $ 2.99.

　　There are, however, challenges.

　　"It takes efforts to build each book," MacInnis tells me. And it's clear why.

　　Each interactive textbook is a media-heavy experience built from the ground up, and you can tell that it takes a respectable amount of manpower to put together each one.

　　For now the app is also iPad-exclusive, and though a few of these educational institutions are giving the hardware away for free, for other students who don't have such a luxury it's an added layer of cost-and an expensive one at that.

　　But this much is clear: The traditional textbook model is and has been broken for quite some time. Whether digitally interactive ones like Inkling actually take off or not remains to be seen, and we probably won't have a definite answer for the next few years.

　　However, the solution to any problem begins with a step in a direction. And at least for now, that hazy mirage in the distance? A little more tangible (可触摸的), a little less of a dream.

　　1. The biggest problem with traditional print textbooks is that __________.

　　A) they are not reused once a new edition comes out

　　B) they cost hundreds of dollars every semester

　　C) they are too heavy to carry around

　　D) they take a longer time to revise

　　2. What does the author say about digital textbooks?

　　A) It is not likely they will replace traditional textbooks.

　　B) They haven't fixed all the shortcomings of print books.

　　C) Very few of them are available in the market.

　　D) Many people still have difficulty using them.

　　3. According to Kalpit Shah, some students still use paper and pencil because __________.

　　A) they find it troublesome to take notes with an iPad

　　B) they are unwilling to change their study behavior

　　C) they have got tired of reading on the iPad

　　D) they are not used to reading off the screen

　　4. Inkling CEO Matt MacInnis explains that the problem with Course Smart's current digital textbooks is that __________.

　　A) they have to be revised repeatedly

　　B) they are inconvenient to use in class

　　C) they are different from most mainstream products

　　D) they are no more than print versions put on a screen

　　5. Matt MacInnis describes the updated version of Inking as __________.

　　A) a good example of the mainstream products

　　B) a marvelous product of many creative ideas

　　C) a platform for building multimedia content

　　D) a mere skeleton of traditional textbooks

　　6. The author is most excited about Inkling's notation system because one can __________.

　　A) share his learning experience with the best and brightest thinkers

　　B) participate in discussions with classmates and Facebook friends

　　C) vote for the best learners democratically

　　D) store information on the cloud

　　7. One additional advantage of the interactive digital textbook is that __________.

　　A) students can switch to different discussions at any point

　　B) students can download relevant critical comments

　　C) professors can join in students' online discussions

　　D) professors can give prompt feedback to students' homework

　　8. One of the challenges to build an interactive digital textbook from the ground up is that it takes a great deal of __________.

　　9. One problem for students to replace traditional textbooks with interactive digital ones is the high __________ of the hardware.

　　10. According to the author, whether digital textbooks will catch on still __________.

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