托福阅读中因果关系在细节题中的应用

根据TPO真题统计，托福阅读中的细节题在十大题型中占了大概40%，所以掌握细节题对想要取得较大进步的基础段学生是十分重要的。而细节题考察的主要内容是同义替换和逻辑关系，通常来说，逻辑关系作为一个框架或者信号来装载原文和选项之间同义替换的内容或者提示人们关键信息已经出现。因此，识别、会用重要的逻辑关系也可以促进做题的效率。本文将重点讲解因果关系在细节题中的应用。下面，先介绍一下细节题和因果关系：

一、细节题

通常来说，细节题分为肯定型细节题（或事实信息题/细节题）和否定型细节题（或非事实信息题/排除题），它们的做题套路简言之：找关键词  回文定位  细读匹配选项。

区别：

（1）肯定型细节题正确答案是原文的同义替换；

否定型细节题正确答案①与原文信息相违背，或②原文中没有出现。在不知道正确答案出现方式的情况下，通常会用排除法来对付第②种情况

（2）关键词位置：肯定型细节题通常在题目中查找；否定型细节题通常要借助选项匹配查找；

（3）定位范围：肯定型细节题通常是原文中的1-2句话；否定型细节题通常定位范围较广，分为密集型定位和分散型定位。

二、因果关系

需要用信号词来判定因果关系，信号词如下：

设A = 原因，B=结果

Group1 – 引起/导致/所以：

A   so / so… that… / so that… / therefore / thus / hence / whereby /   consequently /    cause / motivate / determine / necessitate / support/   enable/ permit / allow /   result in / lead to / contribute to / be responsible for …… B

Group2 – 因为/为了/归因于：

B because / since / for / as /    follow /   in that /    due to / owing to /   result from / derive from / come from / initiate from /    in response to / in order to / be attributed to / be ascribed to / be subjected to / be determined by/ take advantage of/ rely on / depend on …… A     (attribute / ascribe / subject B to A; determine B by A)

Group3 – 联系/有关：

A/B be relevant with / be associated with / be related to / with respect to  B/A

名词类：

原因/因素/动机：factor, element, cause, reason; motivation, incentive, stimulation, motive, contribution ……；

结果/结论/结束/影响：result, consequence; effect, influence, impact ……

下面我们来看这个方法在两道真题中的应用：

1.肯定型细节题 – 选自TPO1 Passage2 第7题：

原文：

Stories (myths) may then grow up around a ritual. Frequently the myths include representatives of those supernatural forces that the rites celebrate or hope to influence. Performers may wear costumes and masks to represent the mythical characters or supernatural forces in the rituals or in accompanying celebrations. As a people becomes more sophisticated, its conceptions of supernatural forces and causal relationships may change. As a result, it may abandon or modify some rites. But the myths that have grown up around the rites may continue as part of the group’s oral tradition and may even come to be acted out under conditions divorced from these rites. When this occurs, the first step has been taken toward theater as anautonomous activity, and thereafter entertainment and aesthetic values may gradually replace the former mystical and socially efficacious concerns.

题目：

7. According to paragraph 2, what may cause societies to abandon certain rites?

Emphasizing theater as entertainment 

Developing a new understanding of why events occur

Finding a more sophisticated way of representing mythical characters

Moving from a primarily oral tradition to a more written tradition

解析：可以看到题目中定位词是rites；因果信号词“cause”，跟着的to do结构表示目的是abandon。由rites定位到原文第一次出现的地方也就是第5句，其中关机键对应：

也就是说A cause B = A as a result B。A属于原因，所以答案应该在前一句“As a people becomes more sophisticated, its conceptions of supernatural forces and causal relationships may change.”，匹配选项，其中关键对应：

答案即为C选项

 2.否定型细节题 – 选自TPO1 Passage2 第8题：

原文：

In addition to exploring the possible antecedents of theater, scholars have also theorized about the motives that led people to develop theater. Why did theater develop, and why was it valued after it ceased to fulfill the function of ritual? Most answers fall back on the theories about the human mind and basic human needs. One, set forth by Aristotle in the fourth century B. C. , sees humans as naturally imitative—as taking pleasure in imitating persons, things, and actions and in seeing such imitations. Another, advanced in the twentieth century, suggests that humans have a gift for fantasy, through which they seek to reshape reality into more satisfying forms than those encountered in daily life. Thus, fantasy or fiction (of which drama is one form) permits people to objectify their anxieties and fears, confront them, and fulfill their hopes in fiction if not fact. The theater, then, is one tool whereby people define and understand their world or escape from unpleasant realities.

题目：

8. All of following are mentioned in paragraph 5 as possible reasons that led societies to develop theater EXCEPT

Theater allows people to face that they are afraid of.

Theater gives an opportunity to imagine a better reality.

Theater is a way to enjoy imitating other people.

Theater provides people the opportunity to better understand the human mind.

读题可以发现其中因果关系信号词有reasons, led…to…，跟着的结果是develop theater。回文定位可以发现第二句用why提问已经对应了题目，下文回应why的answers即为相关原因解释。接下来又用了One具体展开原因，需要动用选项匹配，其中关键对应：

因此不选C；

下一句用another与one表示并列，同理，其中关键对应：

 因此不选B；

最后一句用Thus表示结论，实际上里面也含原因，信号词是permits，同理，与选项的关键对应：

因此也不选A；

通过排除法，可知正确答案是D，出题方式是原文中未提及。

总之，学生如果熟悉因果关系，通常可以促进细节题正确率的提高。