託福閱讀：正確率優先，速度然後
有好多人在平時做託福題目的時候總是做了一套又一套，只見數量不見質量。這樣持續下來，做了好多題，我們的分數依然沒有提高，這是什麼原因呢?下面我們來看看筆者對此種情況的分析。
託福閱讀：正確率優先，速度然後
託福閱讀有的時候真的是很惱人，不管我們怎麼背單詞，不管我們怎麼做題，他的分數就是在那裏像吃了秤砣一樣，巍然不動，其實很多時候，不是我們不努力，而是我們做事的順序做反了，有點欲速則不達的感覺。
其實當我們在準備託福的時候，很多考友只是很機械的，將新託福突破口TPO做了一遍又一遍，又一遍。但是托福考試與物理化學是不一樣的，做物理化學題的時候，我們每做一道題，有可能就會掌握一種新的解題思路。但是託福是個英語考試，英語考試其實我們可以把它想象成一個飯盒，它需要掌握的知識是非常有限的，這些只是其實我們早就學過了，托福考試並沒有考到什麼新的知識，托福考試要求的，僅僅是要求我們將之前的知識熟練運用即可!
但是，各位考友需要注意的是，托福考試所需要的知識，其實應該是對於“單詞、語法、邏輯”的“快速、準確、細緻”的理解，託福閱讀的核心其實就是這些，也就這麼簡單!但是問題是不管你做多少遍題，本身都是不可能去幫助你掌握“單詞、語法、邏輯”的，因爲做題做一遍就是過了，裏面的單詞我們是沒有背下來的，裏面考到了什麼語法呢?讓我們說，我們也真的說不出來?同樣的，與語法相關的邏輯我們也沒有得到任何的提高。因爲我們看到的都是一句一句單獨的句子，這些句子是已經將“單詞、語法、邏輯”整合起來了。我們做題看到的一個一個的句子，這就好比是我們看到的馬路上的一臺一臺的汽車，托福考試考的核心是這些汽車裏面的零部件的工作原理，可是如果我們只坐在路邊看汽車的話，是根本看不到這些汽車裏面的工作原理的。我們做多少遍題，我們就看了多少遍汽車在我們的面前飛馳而過，但是仍然是不可能知道這些車裏面的工作原理的。
請注意，這裏並不是說不可以做題，我們是可以做題的。但是我們並不應該僅僅是去掐時間20分鐘做完題這麼簡單。
其實當我們在前期做題的時候，應該是不限時做題的，我們應該把做題的時間拉長，換句話說，就是我們就會有充分的時間，去研究裏面每一個單詞，每一個語法點的邏輯，以及弄懂每一句話是什麼意思，當然還包括弄懂前後文的邏輯發展，這都是很重要的。這就好像把我們自己想象爲《黑客帝國》裏面的基努裏維斯的非常經典的子彈時間一樣，我們把時間都停下來，就像基努裏維斯仔細觀察那個子彈一樣，仔細的觀察每一個句子，只有把裏面的單詞和裏面的語法和邏輯關係都搞定了，我們纔有成績提升的可能。當然，這是指在一開始做題的時候，我們要這麼做。
做完題之後，也不是把題一下就扔在一邊，我們還應該，去反思裏面的錯題，因爲我們都已經不限時做題了，那麼我們爲什麼還會做錯題呢?原因很簡單!就是因爲我們掌握的知識裏面是有錯誤的地方，或者我們有的知識根本學的不紮實!因此我們就要把那些題目做對了，但是我們不知道爲什麼，以及做錯了的題弄清楚，我們爲什麼錯了，到底是有什麼知識點我們不清楚?!自己弄不懂就去求教高手，只有這樣我們才能一點一點提升我們的分數。
託福閱讀真題1
In eighteenth-century colonial America, flowers and fruit were typically the province of the botanical artist interested in scientific illustration rather than being the subjects of fine art. Early in the nineteenth century, however, the Peale family of Philadelphia established the still life, a picture consisting mainly of inanimate objects, as a valuable part of the artist's repertoire. The fruit paintings by James and Sarah Miriam Peale are simple arrangements of a few objects, handsomely colored, small in size, and representing little More than what they are. In contrast were the highly symbolic, complex compositions by Charles Bird King, with their biting satire and critical social commentary. Each of these strains comminuted into and well past mid-century.
John F. Francis (1808-86) was a part of the Pennsylvania still-life tradition that arose, at least in part, from the work of the Peales. Most of his still lifes date from around 1850 to 1875. Luncheon Still Life looks like one of the Peales' pieces on a larger scale, with greater complexity resulting from the number of objects. It is also indebted to the luncheon type of still life found in seventeenth-century Dutch painting. The opened bottles of wine and the glasses of wine partially consumed suggest a number of unseen guests. The appeal of the fruit and nuts to our sense of taste is heightened by the juicy orange, which has already been sliced. The arrangement is additive, that is, made up of many different parts, not always compositionally integrated, with all objects of essentially equal importance.
About 1848, Severin Roesen came to the United States from Germany and settled in New York City, where he began to paint large, lush still lifes of flowers, fruit, or both, often measuring over four feet across. Still Life with fruit and champagne is typical in its brilliance of color, meticulous rendering of detail, compact composition, and unabashed abundance. Rich in symbolic overtones, the beautifully painted objects carry additional meanings — butterflies or fallen buds suggest the impermanence of life, a bird's nest with eggs means fertility, and so on. Above all, Roesen's art expresses the abundance that America symbolized to many of its citizens.
1. What does the passage mainly discuss?
(A) The artwork of James and Sarah Miriam Peale
(B) How Philadelphia became a center for art in the nineteenth century
(C) Nineteenth-century still-life paintings in the United States
(D) How botanical art inspired the first still-life paintings
2. Which of the following is mentioned as a characteristic of the still lifes of James and Sarah
Miriam Peale?
(A) simplicity
(B) symbolism
(C) smooth texture
(D) social commentary
3. The word biting in line 8 is closest in meaning to
(A) simple
(B) sorrowful
(C) frequent
(D) sharp
4. The word It in line 13 refers to
(A) Luncheon Still Life
(B) one of the Peales' pieces
(C) a larger scale
(D) the number of objects
5. The word heightened in line 16 is closest in meaning to
(A) complicated
(B) directed
(C) observed
(D) increased
6. The word meticulous in line 23 is closest in meaning to
(A) careful
(B) significant
(C) appropriate
(D) believable
7. Which of the following terms is defined in the passage ?
(A) repertoire (line 5)
(B) satire (line 8)
(C) additive (line 17)
(D) rendering (line 23)
8. All of the following are mentioned as characteristics of Roesen's still lifes EXCEPT that they
(A) are symbolic
(B) use simplified representations of flowers and fruit
(C) include brilliant colors
(D) are large in size
9. Which of the following is mentioned as the dominant theme in Roesen's painting?
(A) Fertility
(B) Freedom
(C) Impermanence
(D) Abundance
PASSAGE 89 CADAD ACBD
託福閱讀真題2
Perhaps one of the most dramatic and important changes that took place in the Mesozoic era occurred late in that era, among the small organisms that populate the uppermost, sunlit portion of the oceans — the plankton. The term plankton is a broad one, designating all of the small plants and animals that float about or weakly propel themselves through the sea. In the late stages of the Mesozoic era, during the Cretaceous period, there was a great expansion of plankton that precipitated skeletons or shells composed of two types of mineral: silica and calcium carbonate.
This development radically changed the types of sediments that accumulated on the seafloor, because, while the organic parts of the plankton decayed after the organisms died, their mineralized skeletons often survived and sank to the bottom. For the first time in the Earth's long history, very large quantities of silica skeletons, which would eventually harden into rock, began to pile up in parts of the deep sea. Thick deposits of calcareous ooze made up of the tiny remains of the calcium carbonate-secreting plankton also accumulated as never before. The famous white chalk cliffs of Dover, in the southeast of England, are just one example of the huge quantities of such material that amassed during the Cretaceous period; there are many more. Just why the calcareous plankton were so prolific during the latter part of the Cretaceous period is not fully understood. Such massive amounts of chalky sediments have never since been deposited over a comparable period of time.
The high biological productivity of the Cretaceous oceans also led to ideal conditions for oil accumulation. Oil is formed when organic material trapped in sediments is slowly buried and subjected to increased temperatures and pressures, transforming it into petroleum. Sediments rich in organic material accumulated along the margins of the Tethys Seaway, the tropical east-west ocean that formed when Earth's single landmass (known as Pangaea) split apart during the Mesozoic era. Many of today's important oil fields are found in those sediments — in Russia, the Middle East, the Gulf of Mexico, and in the states of Texas and Louisiana in the United States.
1. What does the passage mainly discuss?
(A) How sediments were built up in oceans during the Cretaceous period
(B) How petroleum was formed in the Mesozoic era
(C) The impact of changes in oceanic animal and plant life in the Mesozoic era
(D) The differences between plankton found in the present era and Cretaceous plankton
2. The passage indicates that the Cretaceous period occurred
(A) in the early part of the Mesozoic era
(B) in the middle part of the Mesozoic era
(C) in the later part of the Mesozoic era
(D) after the Mesozoic era
3. The passage mentions all of the following aspects of plankton EXCEPT
(A) the length of their lives
(B) the level of the ocean at which they are found
(C) their movement
(D) their size
4. The word accumulated in line 8 is closest in meaning to
(A) depended
(B) matured
(C) dissolved
(D) collected
5. According to the passage , the most dramatic change to the oceans caused by plankton during
the Cretaceous period concerned
(A) the depth of the water
(B) the makeup of the sediment on the ocean floor
(C) the decrease in petroleum-producing sediment
(D) a decline in the quantity of calcareous ooze on the seafloor
6. The white chalk cliffs of Dover are mentioned in line 14 of the passage to
(A) show where the plankton sediment first began to build up
(B) provide an example of a plankton buildup that scientists cannot explain
(C) provide an example of the buildup of plankton sediment
(D) indicate the largest single plankton buildup on Earth
7. The word prolific in line 17 is closest in meaning to
(A) fruitful
(B) distinct
(C) determined
(D) energetic
8. The word ideal in line 20 is closest in meaning to
(A) common
(B) clear
(C) perfect
(D) immediate
9. The word it in line 22 refers to
(A) biological productivity
(B) oil
(C) organic material
(D) petroleum
PASSAGE 90 CCADB CACC
託福閱讀真題3
The term art deco has come to encompass three distinct but related design trends of the 1920's and 1930's. The first was what is frequently referred to as zigzag moderne — the exotically ornamental style of such skyscrapers as the Chrysler Building in New York City and related structures such as the Paramount Theater in Oakland, California. The word zigzag alludes to the geometric and stylized ornamentation of zigzags, angular patterns, abstracted plant and animal motifs, sunbursts, astrological imagery, formalized fountains, and related themes that were applied in mosaic relief, and mural form to the exterior and interior of the buildings. Many of these buildings were shaped in the ziggurat form, a design resembling an ancient Mesopotamian temple tower that recedes in progressively smaller stages to the summit, creating a staircase-like effect. The second manifestation of art deco was the 1930's streamlined moderne style — a Futuristic-looking aerodynamic style of rounded corners and horizontal bands known as speed stripes. In architecture, these elements were frequently accompanied by round windows, extensive use of glass block, and flat rooftops.
The third style, referred to as either international stripped classicism, or simply classical moderne, also came to the forefront during the Depression, a period of severe economic difficult in the 1930's. This was a more conservative style, blending a simplified modernistic style with a more austere form of geometric and stylized relief sculpture and other ornament, including interior murals. Many buildings in this style were erected nationwide through government programs during the Depression.
Although art deco in its many forms was largely perceived as thoroughly modern, it was strongly influenced by the decorative arts movements that immediately preceded it. For example, like art nouveau (1890-1910), art deco also used plant motifs, but regularized the forms into abstracted repetitive patterns rather than presenting them as flowing, asymmetrical foliage, like the Viennese craftspeople of the Wiener Werkstatte, art deco designers worked with exotic materials, geometricized shapes, and colorfully ornate patterns. Furthermore, like the artisans of the Arts and Crafts Movement in England and the United States, art deco practitioners considered it their mission to transform the domestic environment through well-designed furniture and household accessories.
1. What aspect of art deco does the passage mainly discuss?
(A) The influence of art deco on the design of furniture and household accessories
(B) Ways in which government programs encouraged the development of art deco
(C) Architectural manifestations of art deco during the 1920's and 1930's
(D) Reasons for the popularity of art deco in New York and California
2. The word encompass in line 1 is closest in meaning to
(A) separate
(B) include
(C) replace
(D) enhance
3. The phrase The first in line 2 refers to
(A) the term art deco
(B) design trends
(C) the 1920's and 1930's
(D) skyscrapers
4. In line 9, the author mentions an ancient Mesopotamian temple tower in order to
(A) describe the exterior shape of certain art deco buildings
(B) explain the differences between ancient and modern architectural steles
(C) emphasize the extent of architectural advances
(D) argue for a return to more traditional architectural design
5. The streamlined moderne style is characterized by all of the following EXCEPT
(A) animal motifs
(B) flat roofs
(C) round windows
(D) speed stripes
6. The phrase came to the forefront in line 16 is closest in meaning to
(A) grew in complexity
(B) went through a process
(C) changed its approach
(D) became important
7. According to the passage , which of the following statements most accurately describes the
relationship between art deco and art nouveau?
(A) They were art forms that competed with each other for government support during the
Depression era.
(B) They were essentially the same art form.
(C) Art nouveau preceded art deco and influenced it.
(D) Art deco became important in the United States while art nouveau became popular in
England.
8. According to the passage , a building having an especially ornate appearance would most
probably have been designed in the style of
(A) zigzag moderne
(B) streamlined moderne
(C) classical moderne
(D) the Arts and Crafts Movement
9. According to the passage , which of the following design trends is known by more than one
name?
(A) Zigzag moderne
(B) Streamlined moderne
(C) International stripped classicism
(D) Arts and Crafts Movement
10. The passage is primarily developed as
(A) the historical chronology of a movement
(B) a description of specific buildings that became famous for their unusual beauty
(C) an analysis of various trends within an artistic movement
(D) an argument of the advantages of one artistic form over another
PASSAGE 91 CBBAA DCACC
