【例二】2000年1月四級Passage Two
Some studies suggest that straight, horizontal bars painted across roads can initially cut the average speed of drivers in half. However, traffic often returns to full speed within months as drivers become used to seeing the painted bars.
30. What does the author say about straight, horizontal bars painted across roads?
A) They cannot be applied successfully to traffic circles.
B) They tend to be ignored by drivers in a short period of time.
C) They are falling out of use in the United States.
D) They are applicable only on broad roads
請用心體會一下initially 這個詞的內涵，其實，你一看到這個詞，就必須準確predict出后面可能會有考點，而且肯定會出現but, however, ultimately 一類的轉折、對比詞。答案B)。
【例三】六級2001年6月Passage Two
For centuries, explorers have risked their lives venturing into the unknown for reasons that were to varying degrees economic and nationalistic. ……
Although their missions blended commercial and political-military imperatives, the explorers involved all accomplished some significant science simply by going where no scientists had gone before.
Today Mars looms as humanity’s next great terra incognita. And with doubtful prospects for a short-term financial return, with the cold war a rapidly fading memory and amid a growing emphasis on international cooperation in large space ventures, it is clear that imperatives other than profits or nationalism will have to compel human beings to leave their tracks on the planet’s reddish surface. Could it be science, which has long played a minor role in exploration, is at least destined to take a leading role? ……
With Mars the scientific stakes are arguably higher than they have ever been. …..
36. According to the passage, the chief purpose of explorers in going to unknown places in the past was_____ .
A) to display their country’s military might
B) to accomplish some significant science
C) to find new areas for colonization
D) to pursue commercial and state interests
37. At present, a probable inducement for countries to initiate large-scale space ventures is _____ .
A) international cooperation B) nationalistic reasons
C) scientific research D) long-term profits
同學們有沒有發現：economic / commercial / financial / profit ; nationalistic / political / military / cold war / nationalism; science / scientist/ scientific 都是近義詞或同一范疇的詞，也就是閱讀文章中經常出現的同義換詞現象。如果一個詞的同義詞、相關詞在一篇文章中多次重復出現，必定是這篇文章的強調的地方，必定和考題相關。另外，請注意這兩到題的考法，先考過去，再考現在，一個是was, 一個是is。答案D、C。
【例四】考研2004年 Text 1
Hunting for a job late last year, lawyer Gant Redmon stumbled across CareerBuilder, a job database on the Internet. He searched it with no success but was attracted by the site’s “personal search agent”. It’s an interactive feature that lets visitors key in job criteria such as location, title, and salary, then emails them when a matching position is posted in the database.
….
Some sites design their agents to tempt job hunters to return. When CareerSite’s agent sends out messages to those who have signed up for its service, for example, it includes only three potential jobs – those it considers the best matches. There maybe more matches in the database; job hunters will have to visit the site again to find them – and they do.
44. Why does CareerSite’s agent offer each job hunter only three job options?
A) To focus on better job matches.
B) To attract more returning visits.
C) To reserve space for more messages.
D) To increase the rate of success.
請各位同學仔細看一下下面這句話中them是指代什么：then emails them when a matching position is posted in the database. 有的輔導書上是這么翻譯的：然后給網上貼出的對應崗位發個郵件/ 當……時，你就通過EMAIL給這些人寄去相關的資料。其實，這里them指visitors。比如說你訪問某個求職網站，登記了你的要求，那么該網站可能會根據你的要求給你發email通知你，這就是所謂的interactive feature.
44題答案B, 實際上考的是一個例證題，但是表面上不很容易看出來，這就是考研難的地方。如果你平時注意分析第一句話和后面句子的關系，那么你就會知道， 例證題的答案經常指向段落第一句話。答案中attract替換原文tempt。如果你在解題的時候只注意后面幾句話，就可能會做錯答案或者速度慢了。
