研究生英语入学考试系列谈（三）

四、阅读理解的考试内容、考试重点、难点和复习方法：
1．考试内容主要包括：所读材料的主旨的事实和有关细节；根据上下文判断大纲附录“词汇表”以外的某些词汇和短语的意义；既理解单句的意义，也理解上下句之间的逻辑关系；根据所给材料进行一定的判断、推理和引申；领会作者的观点和态度。
2．考试重点：在形式上，考试注重语篇中的段落理解，在句子层次上的理解，整篇的理解及词语的理解；从命题实质上讲，绝大部分是考句子的理解，即题干加上正确选项等于段落中的某一句或两句的意思。另外就是考整篇的理解。
3．考试难点：
（1）联系上下文的能力。这主要是考察考生在词语、句子、段落慰次上对词义、词的复现、词的同现、语法和语篇的理解，从而得出正确判断的能力。如：We live a society in which the medicinal and social use of substances (drugs) is pervasive: an aspirin to quiet a headache, some wine to be sociable, coffee to get going in the morning, a cigarette for the nerves.
Question: The word “pervasive” might mean棗
A widespread B overwhelming C piercing D fashionable
本题的正确答案是A项。本句是说药物的医用性和社会性“pervasive”：阿司匹林可以缓解头痛，饮用少量酒有助于社交，咖啡使大脑凌晨清醒，抽烟可提神等。可是41.2%的考生选了正确项A项。这说明考生在对句子层次的理解上缺少联系上下文的能力。
Discoveries in science and technology are thought by “untaught minds” to come in blinding flashes or as the result of dramatic accidents. Sir Alexander Fleming did not, as legend would have it, look at the mold（霉）on a piece of cheese and get the idea for penicillin there and then. He experimented with antibacterial substances for mine years before he made his discovery. Inventions and innovation is like soccer; even the best players miss the goal and have their shots blocked much more frequently than they score.
Question: What does the author probably mean by “untaught mind” in the first paragraph?
A. A person ignorant of the hard work involved in experimentation.
B. A citizen of a society that restricts personal creativity.
C. A person who has had no education.
D. An individual who often come up with new ideas by accident.
本题的正确选项是A，但大多数考生选了D项。这些考生根本没有联系上下文，就望文生义地选了D项。但也有考生选了C项。考生选A项的只有20.8%。
（2）概括力，是指考生根据上下文对词语、句子、段落和语篇进行理解，从而对它们进行概括的能力。如：
And even more incredible is the young brain’s ability to pick out an order in language from the mixture of sound around him, to analyze, to combine and recombine the parts of a language in new ways.
Question: What is exceptionally remarkable about a child is that .
本题的正确选项是C项。但大多数考生没有对题干里exceptionally remarkable 多加思考就选了A项和B项。如果考虑到原文中的“… and recombine the parts of a language in new ways”，考生就会选C项。但只有23.8%的考生选对了此项。这说明对句子的概括力是我们的难点。