托福阅读：读懂句间连贯的三个段位

广州新航道小编把托福阅读的十大题型分为了三大类型：

1. 语意细节类；

2. 语意连贯类；

3. 语意重心类。

这篇文章主要分享针对第二类题（语意连贯类）中涉及到的理解句间连贯的三个段位。

语意的连贯到底从哪来的？语意的连贯来自于对旧信息的重复。

每个句子的构成都是“旧信息+新信息”，其中旧信息是用来跟重复前文的内容，创建与前文的连接，也就是连贯，而新信息是句子真正的重心。

一个句子只有新信息的话，那这个句子就没有与前文的连接，听者就会不知道这句话到底跟前面聊的事情有什么关系，本质上就是“跑题”。而一个句子只有旧信息的话，那这个句子就是完全对前文的重复，就沦为一句废话，可以被删除。（这也是写作套路）

所以，基于对句子本质的这种思考，我们可以认为句间的连贯就是靠着对前文信息的重复来达到的。而这种重复的表现形式会有所不同，有时候这种重复显而易见，有时候则比较隐晦。这就产生了标题所说的理解句间连贯的不同段位。

段位一：

TPO 53-3 Paleolithic Cave Paintings

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In any investigation of the origins of art, attention focuses on the cave paintings created in Europe during the Paleolithic era (c. 40,000-10,000 years ago) such as those depicting bulls and other animals in the Lascaux cave in France. Accepting that they are the best preserved and most visible signs of what was a global creative explosion, how do we start to explain their appearance? Instinctively, we may want to update the earliest human artists by assuming that they painted for the sheer joy of painting. The philosophers of Classical Greece recognized it as a defining trait of humans to 'delight in works of imitation'—to enjoy the very act and triumph of representation. If we were close to a real lion or snake, we might feel frightened. But a well- executed picture of a lion or snake will give us pleasure. Why suppose that our Paleolithic ancestors were any different?

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This simple acceptance of art for art's sake has a certain appeal. To think of Lascaux as a gallery allows it to be a sort of special viewing place where the handiwork of accomplished artists might be displayed.

上文中第2段的首句中的指代关系（This simple acceptance of art for art's sake）就是句间连贯的标志：你应该能理解出这里的simple acceptance of art for art's sake（把艺术单纯地看作艺术）就是完全是重复段中painted for the sheer joy of painting（为了作画的乐趣而作画）。这种重复使得第二段和段之间有了过渡，而第二段首句后半部分的has a certain appeal（有某种吸引力）就是这句话的新信息，即这句话的重心。关于重心的确定，不属于本文的讨论范畴，所以我只是点明一下。我们还是回到语意连贯的理解上来。

再看一个例子：

TPO 1-2 The Origins of Theater

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But neither the human imitative instinct nor a penchant for fantasy by itself leads to an autonomous theater. Therefore, additional explanations are needed. One necessary condition seems to be a somewhat detached view of human problems.

上文中第六段中的因果关系逻辑标志Therefore（因此）就是句间连贯的标志：你应该理解出句（But neither the human imitative instinct nor a penchant for fantasy by itself leads to an autonomous theater）是原因，而第二句（Therefore, additional explanations are needed.）是结果，其实Therefore（因此）一词，已经包含了对前文的一种重复，本质上是对前文的内容推出一个结果来。所以，我们可以把Therefore（因此）理解为包含了对前文的重复。

以上两个例子都是通过明显标志的方式来实现句间连贯的，所以我们在阅读过程中能明显的看得到，相对比较容易，所以是段位。

段位二：

TPO 53-3 Paleolithic Cave Paintings

Paragraph 1

In any investigation of the origins of art, attention focuses on the cave paintings created in Europe during the Paleolithic era (c. 40,000-10,000 years ago) such as those depicting bulls and other animals in the Lascaux cave in France. Accepting that they are the best preserved and most visible signs of what was a global creative explosion, how do we start to explain their appearance? Instinctively, we may want to update the earliest human artists by assuming that they painted for the sheer joy of painting. The philosophers of Classical Greece recognized it as a defining trait of humans to 'delight in works of imitation'—to enjoy the very act and triumph of representation. If we were close to a real lion or snake, we might feel frightened. But a well- executed picture of a lion or snake will give us pleasure. Why suppose that our Paleolithic ancestors were any different?

上文中的If we were close to a real lion or snake, we might feel frightened. But a well- executed picture of a lion or snake will give us pleasure（如果我们靠近一头真实的狮子或蛇，我们会感到害怕。但是一幅狮子或蛇的精美画作则会给我们愉悦。）其实就是对前文delight in works of imitation（以画作为乐）的具体化，是从general到specific，其实本质上还是一种重复，因为说的是一个事情。

这种从宽到窄的重复虽然也没有明显标志，但是在阅读实践中，我们是相对比较容易把握的。

而还有一种从窄到宽的重复。在阅读中，我们可能会比较容易忽略，所以相对不容易把握，就是段位三：

段位三：

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Natural selection is the process in which organisms with certain traits survive and reproduce while organisms that are less able to adapt to their environment die off. As Darwin pointed out, natural selection does not necessarily produce evolutionary progress, much less perfection. The limits to the effectiveness of natural selection are most clearly revealed by the universality of extinction. More than 99.9 percent of all evolutionary lines that once existed on Earth have become extinct.

上文中的The limits to the effectiveness of natural selection（自然选择的有效性的局限）其实就是前文中natural selection does not necessarily produce evolutionary progress（自然选择不总是带来进化的进步）的同义改写，也就是重复。

但是，我们能看到的重复的词就只有natural selection（自然选择），而重复的关键并不是这个natural selection（自然选择）的重复，而是The limits to the effectiveness (自然选择有效性的局限)和does not necessarily produce evolutionary progress（不总带来进化的进步）。也就是说，“不总是带来进步”是一个具体体现，而“局限性”是一个抽象总结。可见这是一种从specific到general的重复。

这种重复在阅读中出现我们是最容易忽略的，其实在英文中是经常存在的。举个简单的例子：

She published her novel last year. The book has proven to be a successful one.

这里从her novel到the book就是一种段位三的句间连贯方式。

总结一下，三种段位的句间连贯方式：

1. 有明显标志地重复前文，比如指代关系或其他逻辑词

2. 无明显标志利用general-specific的方式来重复前文

3. 无明显标志利用specific-general的方式来重复前文

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