[托福阅读]快速突破托福考试句子简化题

句子简化题(sentence simplification questions)是托福阅读独有的一种题型。这一题型重在考查考生对长难句基本意思的把握程度，具有一定的难度。下面笔者就在介绍这一题型的基础上为考生讲解解题技巧，希望对考生解答这类题目有所帮助。

题型介绍

句子简化题的基本要求是要求考生对比文中标出的句子(以下简称“原句”)与选项，选出与原句基本意思最为接近的选项。这类题目的提问方式一般为：“Which is the following best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence? Incorrect answer choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.”一般来说，题目中干扰选项的错误主要体现在两个方面：一是从根本上改变了原句意思，二是漏掉了原句中包含的重要信息。

句子简化题的出题思路一般分为两类：一是对长难句的化繁为简，即原句比较长，逻辑关系复杂，选项只保留了原句的主要信息，而省略了原句的次要信息(如同位语、例子)等；二是对相对简单的句子的同义改写，即原句难度不大，逻辑关系简单，选项是原句的同义改写。从做题方法上来说，对于第二种出题思路的题目，考生应该采用通读的办法，在理解原句意思的基础上再答题。而针对种出题思路的题目，考生一般把握住原句的几个关键点就可以见微知著，找到破解句子简化题的良方。下面笔者就介绍两个以类出题思路为主的简化题的解题技巧，供考生参考。

技巧一：对比原句与选项，逻辑关系与原文一致者为正确选项

以化繁为简为出题思路的原句往往具有句子长、结构复杂的特点，考生把握住这类句子的逻辑对于解题非常关键。在句子简化题中，最常用到的逻辑关系有五种：因果关系、条件关系、转折关系、让步关系以及并列关系。考生应根据句中各成分间的逻辑关系分析出哪个是主句、哪个是从句。在选择选项时，选项句子的逻辑关系应该与原句的主逻辑关系保持一致。这里有两点需要指明。首先，转折和让步的逻辑关系可以互相转换。也就是说，如果原句是转折(让步)关系，那么正确选项有可能是让步(转折)关系。不过，考生要进一步确定选项句子的主句意思与原句的主句意思是否一致，因为题目很有可能会在两种逻辑的转换中设置陷阱。其次，如果原文句子既包含并列关系，又包含其他四种逻辑关系中的某一种，那么并列关系一般会显得次要些，而其他逻辑关系是主逻辑关系。

考生在使用这一技巧解题时需要注意两个要点：，当多个选项都与原句的逻辑关系一致时，要分别对照选项与原句，看两者主句的意思是否一致，一般主要看谓语动词的意思是否一致；第二，若多个选项不仅逻辑关系与原句一致，主句意思也都一致，则须进一步对比各选项与原句，看两者的从句意思是否一致。以下面一道托福真题为例。

例1：The highlighted sentence: He refused to develop projection technology, reasoning that if he made and sold projectors, then exhibitors would purchase only one machine—a projector—from him instead of several.

Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence from the passage? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.

A. Edison was more interested in developing a variety of machines than in developing a technology based on only one.

B. Edison refused to work on projection technology because he did not think exhibitors would replace their projectors with newer machines.

C. Edison did not want to develop projection technology because it limited the number of machines he could sell.

D. Edison would not develop projection technology unless exhibitors agree to purchase more than one projector from him.

解析：由原句中的reasoning和if可知，本句包含两种逻辑关系——因果关系和条件关系。但是由于if引导的条件从句是附属于reasoning引出的表示原因的从句中，因而本题原句的主逻辑关系是因果关系。所以，考生应首先考虑选择包含因果关系的选项B与C。由于单靠逻辑关系还判断不出正确选项，考生需进一步对比选项主句与原句主句，看两者的意思是否一致。原句中“He refused to develop projection technology”的谓语动词是refused；选项B主句的谓语动词也是refused；选项 C主句的谓语动词是did not want to，与原句的refused属于同义词范畴。也就是说，选项B与C的主句意思与原句的主句意思一致，因而考生还是不能找出答案。这时，考生便需要再进一步对比选项从句与原句从句的意思是否一致。从原句中的“… would purchase only one machine … instead of several”可知，原句主要讨论的是数量问题，对比选项B与选项C，只有选项C中的the number与数量有关，因而正确答案是选项C。

技巧二：对比原句中出现的例子与选项，不包含例子内容的选项为正确选项

这一策略主要适用于原句中出现例子的情况。出现例子的原句一般包含for example、for instance、such as、like、include、including等标志词(组)，或包含括号等特殊符号。由于正确选项都是对原句核心意思的概括，因而一般不会涉及到原句所举的例子。根据这一点，考生可以用例子的内容与选项对比，凡是含有例子内容的选项一般都不是正确答案。以下面两道真题为例。

例2：The highlighted sentence: Indeed, stability of the biological clock’s period is one of its major features, even when the organism’s environment is subjected to considerable changes in factors, such as temperature, that would be expected to affect biological activity strongly. (TPO 13: Biological Clocks)

Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in the passage? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.

A. Stability, a feature of the biological clock’s period, depends on changeable factors such as temperature.

B. A major feature of the biological clock is that its period does not change despite significant changes in the environment.

C. A factor such as temperature is an important feature in the establishment of the biological clock's period.

D. Biological activity is not strongly affected by changes in temperature.

解析：原句中出现了表示列举的标志词组such as，后面举的例子是temperature，那么根据上文所述，正确选项一般不会含有temperature这个词。考生可以利用这一点先排除选项A、C、D。也就是说，本题的正确答案很可能是选项B。为了安全起见，考生可以再对比选项B与原句，看两者的意思是否一致。原句主句的大意是“生物钟的一个主要特点是稳定(stability)，环境的巨大变化对生物钟的影响也不大”，而选项B的大意也是如此，因而可以确定本题的正确答案是选项B。

例3：The highlighted sentence: In the second case, pollinators (insects, birds) obtain food from the flowering plant, and the plant has its pollen distributed and seeds dispersed much more efficiently than they would be if they were carried by the wind only. (TPO 17: Symbiotic Relationships)

Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in the passage? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.

A. The relationship between flowering plants and pollinators provides pollinators with food and flowers with efficient reproduction.

B. In some cases birds obtain food from the seeds that are dispersed in the wind.

C. The wind not only helps the flowers distribute their seeds but enables birds to find more food.

D. Animals and insects are more effective in distributing pollen and seeds than the wind.

解析：本题原句中出现了括号，而且括号里面的内容是举例。根据上文所述，考生可以利用括号里出现的insects、birds与选项比对，如果选项中含有insects或birds，则可以暂时排除，由此考生可以排除选项B、C、D，重点考虑选项A。选项A强调的是pollinators与flowering plants的关系：flowering plants为pollinators提供food；而pollinators帮助flowering plants有效繁殖。由原句中的obtain food以及pollen distributed和seeds dispersed可知，原句所讲的意思也是pollinator与flowering plants的关系，因而原句的意思与选项A的基本意思一致。由此考生可以断定选项A作为正确答案。

技巧一与技巧二的综合运用

考生在考试中难免会遇到更为复杂的题目，有时候需要综合运用以上两种技巧才能快速解题。以下面一道托福阅读真题题为例。

例4：The highlighted sentence: Inequalities of gender have also existed in pastoralist societies, but they seem to have been softened by the absence of steep hierarchies of wealth in most communities, and also by the requirement that women acquire most of the skills of men, including, often, their military skills.

Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in the passage? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information. (TPO 14 Pastoralism in Ancient Inner Eurasia)

A. Despite the fact that wealth is relatively evenly distributed in pastoral societies, gender inequality still exists because only men can acquire military skills and social status.

B. Inequalities of gender existed in pastoralist societies until most communities began to require women to possess the same skills as men and take part in the military.

C. Inequalities of gender in pastoralist societies were caused by steep hierarchies of wealth and differences in military training between men and women.

D. In pastoral societies, gender inequality is comparatively mild because wealth is relatively evenly distributed and women have to learn most of the same skills that men do.

解析：很多考生看到原句中出现的转折逻辑词but，就会想到用逻辑吻合的技巧来解答。由于英语中的转折关系与让步关系可以相互转换，因而很多考生看到选项A出现的despite，会误以为其是正确答案，掉入前面提到的在逻辑转换时题目设置的陷阱中。所以，考生在利用技巧一解题时，遇到逻辑吻合的选项后，一定要对比一下该选项与原句的主句意思是否一致。在本题中，原句主句的重点在but之后，即“they seem to have been softened”，而选项A的主句是“gender inequality still exists”，两者的意思明显不一致，因而A不是正确选项。事实上，如果考生快速浏览原句，会发现后面句子出现了举例的标志词including，所举的例子就是military skills。根据这个例子，考生可以暂且排除A、B、C三个选项。然后再对比选项D与原句的意思是否一致，最后考生可以得出正确答案正是选项D。

综上所述，考生解答句子简化题时，并非一看到题目就要通读，而要视情况而定，聪明地做题。一般来说，原句越长越复杂，解题技巧发挥的作用会更大。熟练掌握文中所述的两个技巧，考生定能在解题时受到事半功倍之效。