快速阅读解题攻略：就业和教育题材

爱思英语编者按：所谓攻略,第一要务是弄清楚攻的目标是什么?有什么特点?应当采取哪些措施?新四级考试的快速阅读部分频繁出现网上求职、找工作、教育国际化等方面的文章,比如2007年12月份快速阅读文章的主题就是大学教育的国际化趋势。只要掌握了正确的方法,快速阅读相对来说是个比较容易得分的部分。一般来说,快速阅读部分考查考生面对大量信息时迅速找到所需信息的能力。可分以下几个步骤来应对:

1、读懂题目要求,找出题目中的题眼,即考查的信息点;

2、找出题目中最中心的词或者短句;

3、根据从题目中获得的信息回到原文,寻找答案。针对本文中讨论的就业类和教育类文章有何特定的解题技巧,下面将结合真题对之进行分析,以求提出实际的解决方案。

一、就业类例:

Protect Your Privacy When Job-Hunting Online...

1. Check for a privacy policy. ... Remember, the longer your resume remains posted on a job board, the more exposure, both positive and not-so-positive ...

2. Take advantage of site features. ... CareerBuilder.com, for example, offers three levels of privacy from which job seekers can choose. The first is ...The second is ...The third is ...

3. Safeguard your identity. ... Replace your name on your resume with a generic identifier, such as "Intranet Developer Candidate", or "Experienced Marketing Representative"...

4. Establish an email address for your search. ...

5. Protect your references. ...

6. Keep confidential (机密的) information confidential. ...

这是2007年6月快速阅读真题,主题为"如何在上网找工作时保护隐私"。此篇为较典型的针对就业中遇到的问题提出解决方案的选文,其结构为标准的总分模式,即在中心意思描述清楚之后分述各个分论点。因此,熟悉就业类选材的这种特点,考生便可抓住分论点、"题眼"以及分论点中描述内容的中心句或句中的中心词大做文章了。

题1:It is important that your resume not stay online longer than is necessary.

解析:此题根据题眼"resume not stay ... longer"锁定第一小点中的"Remember, the longer your resume remains posted on a job board, the more exposure, both positive and not-so-positive ..."可知,简历在网上放置的时间越长,隐私暴露的时间也越长。故为Y。

题2:Of the three options offered by Career Builder.com in Suggestion 2, the third one is apparently most strongly recommended.

解析:此题根据题眼"Career Builder.com in Suggestion 2"锁定第二小点中提到的三个"隐私保护等级"可知,文章只是介绍这三种等级,并未强烈推荐第三种等级。故为NG。

题3:Applicants are advised to use generic names for themselves and their current employers when seeking employment online.

解析:此题根据题眼"generic names"锁定第三小点中"Replace your name on your resume with a generic identifier, such as "Intranet Developer Candidate’, or "Experienced Marketing Representative’"可知,应聘者应该把名字设置为泛指的名字,比如"网络研发应聘人"或"资深市场销售代表"等。故为Y。

二、教育类

例:

Universities Branch Out...

people has made universities a powerful force for global integration,...

In response to the same forces that have driven the world economy, universities have become more self-consciously global

... ... Over the past three decades the number of students leaving home each year to study abroad has grown at an annual rate of 3.9 percent,

...... Yale and Harvard have led the way, offering every undergraduate at least one international study or internship opportunity —and providing the financial resources to make it possible

.... Yale professor and Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator Tian Xu directs a research center focused on the genetics of human disease at Shanghai’s Fudan University, in collaboration with faculty colleagues from both schools ...... Silicon Valley was intentionally created by Stanford University,

......, but support for research funding has been unsteady. The budget of the National Institutes of Health dou-bled between 1998 and 2003, but has risen more slowly than inflation since then

... ... In the wake of September 11,changes in the visa process caused a dramatic decline in the number of foreign students seeking admission to U.S. universities, ...Most Americans recognize that universities contribute to the nation’s well-being

..., but many fear that foreign students threaten American competitiveness ...

这是2007年12月快速阅读真题,主题为"教育国际化"。相对于以上总结的就业类选文没有呈现出明显的逐个论述小论点的模式,但是把文章的整体结构尤其每段的中心句提炼出来,会发现此类选文的结构十分类似,即总论之后从各个方面进行分论阐述。故考生在做题时也是有章法可循的。

题1:Over the past three decades, the enrollment of overseas students has increased _____.

A) by 2.5 million

B) by 800,000

C) at an annual rate of 3.9 percent

D) at an annual rate of 8 percent

解析:由于选文的行文格式不是很明显的数字排列模式,故设题多以数字、年代、专有名词等为考点。此题的题眼为"three decades, enrollment, overseas students",故锁定第三段中"Over the past three decades the number of students leaving home each year to study abroad has grown at an annual rate of 3.9 percent, ..."即在过去的30年中,离开家乡到海外求学的学生人数以每年3.9%的比率增长。故选C)。

题2:The dramatic decline in the enrollment of foreign students in the U.S. after September 11 was caused by ________.

解析:此题根据专有名词"September 11",锁定倒数第二段中"In the wake of September 11,changes in the visa process caused a dramatic decline in the number of foreign students seeking admission to U.S. universities, ..."即"9.11事件"之后,签证程序有了变化,赴美求学的学生减少了很多。故此题答案应该是changes in the visa process。总之,快速阅读的解题核心技巧是用最快的速度抓住文章最重要的内容以及题目所涉及到的内容。这要求考生在阅读时要有选择性:该读的读,不该读的跳。具体来说,首要的是要掌握不同题材选文的篇章结构特点,在篇章的层次上能够判断一篇文章重要的段落在哪儿,跳过不重要的段落;在句子的层面上能够分清哪部分重要,哪些应该略过。

Try out

1. How do Yale and Harvard prepare their undergraduates for global careers?

A) They organize a series of seminars on world economy.

B) They offer them various courses in international politics.

C) They arrange for them to participate in the Erasmus program.

D) They give them chances for international study or internship.

2. An example illustrating the general trend of universities’ globalization is_______.

A) Yale’s collaboration with Fudan University on genetic research

B) Yale’s helping Chinese universities to launch research projects

C) Yale’s student exchange program with European institutions

D) Yale’s establishing branch campuses throughout the world

3. What do we learn about Silicon Valley from the passage?

A) It houses many companies spun off from MIT and Harvard.

B) It is known to be the birthplace of Microsoft Company.

C) It was intentionally created by Stanford University.

D) It is where the Internet infrastructure was built up.

答案&解析

1. 选D)。此题根据"Yale and Harvard"锁定第四段中"Yale and Harvard have led the way, offering every undergraduate at least one international study or internship opportunity —and providing the financial re-sources to make it possible."即"耶鲁与哈佛两所著名学府在这方面做出了表率,为每位在校生提供至少一次去外国学习或者实习的机会,为使之成行还提供经济支持。"

2.选A)。根据选项可以确定信息定位点在Yale,带着这个信息点回到第五段中"Yale professor and Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator Tian Xu directs a research center focused on the genetics of human disease at Shanghai’s Fudan University, in collaboration with faculty colleagues from both schools."即"耶鲁负责的人类疾病基因研究中心设在上海的复旦大学,来自两所大学的研究人员共同合作致力于这方面的研究。"更多信息请访问：http://www.24en.com/

3. 选C)。Silicon Valley是此题的题眼。找到第六段中"Silicon Valley was intentionally created by Stanford University, ..."即"硅谷是斯坦福大学特意创建的"。