例题分析:选项中的these figurer提示我们前句一定出现了三个或三个以上的数字,figure/number/data 等都表示“数字,数据”,空格前面出现了三个百分数,属于数字的一种,是上下义词次的关系。
例2:Certain key products have been subject to a thorough review, most notably menswear , where significant advances have been made in product design and manufacture. ____________.All of these have reported an increase in market share.
正确选项:Other areas where product innovation has been particularly effective are in lingerie, gifts and homeware.
例题分析:空格后句开头all of these 提示我们空格里面肯定出现三个或三个以上并列的名词概念,正是选项中的lingerie(女士内衣),gifts(礼品)and homeware(家居用品),这三个名词与前句中的menswear(男士服装)属于同一范畴类的事物,都是百货商店里的常见商品类别。从这道例题我们还能得出这样一个有用的结论:很多题目的衔接可能不止一个,我们可以从不同的角度来解题或对答案进行验证。
逻辑衔接根据前后句之间的逻辑关系又细分为:解释关系、例证关系、因果关系、顺逆关系。
1. 解释关系
前后句之间含有解释的逻辑关系,这样的逻辑关系是很隐蔽的。
例题:By 1995, the year she died, the business had grown so much that she had decided to remain involved only in the area of design. ______.
正确选项:The creative side of things was what she had always enjoyed most.
例题分析:design这个词的中文意思大家肯定很熟悉,但笔者如果提个问题,不知道有多少读者能回答出来:What is the essential quality(nature) of a successful designer?(一个成功的设计师的基本素质是什么?究竟怎样的人可以被称之为设计师?)答案是:He or she must have original mind.(必须具有创新思维。)选项中的the creative side of things 是对前句中the area of design的最好解释。其实任何语言学习的最高境界就是对语言所表达的思想的精确理解,而不是表面的语言现象。笔者留一个简单的问题给读者思考:Who can be called entrepreneurs(企业家)?
2. 例证关系
前后句的某句是为了证明另一句而举的例子。例证的形式多样,但就其本质而言无非是思维上的形象(例子、类比等)和抽象(观点)的辩证关系,用到的思维过程无非就是基本的归纳(从形象到抽象)和推理(从抽象到形象)。
例题:Manager should provide regular feedback to their staff._____.
正确选项:For example, when good work has been done it must be praised.
例题分析:选项是对前句举了一个十分明显的例子。
3. 因果关系
前后句的逻辑是因果关系,常见的逻辑表达有:because, for , since, as, the reason is that,
result in /from , be due to , be attributed to 等等。还有一些表示因果逻辑关系的表达是比较隐蔽的,如:underlie (前者构成后者的基础,实际是前者是因,后者是果),再如:in response to(前者作为后者的回应,即后者是因,前者是果)。希望考生在平日英语学习中多作总结,这对考研各个部分的解题都有好处。
例题:There is no doubt that, in an increasingly competitive trading environment , we are better equipped than ever to compete and to win and we feel increasingly optimistic.______.
正确选项:This is due to our now having a clear strategy with a focus on the customer, product improvement and store refurbishment.
例题分析:选项句中有一个非常重要的形容词clear,这个词足以说明该公司的strategy(战略)是正确的,一家公司有着清晰而正确的战略思想当然会使其蒸蒸日上。空格前面一句正是讲的该公司踌躇满志,十分乐观。空格句开头的this is due to 反映出这样的因果逻辑关系。
4.顺逆关系
英语行文中后句对前句不是顺承逻辑关系就是逆转逻辑关系,这是显然的常识。如果空格前后两句话之间是逻辑上的逆转,则空格处很有可能是个转折逻辑的句子。
例题:Company both large and small have spend large sums of money on improving office computer facilities._________. It seems that business have failed to apply the developments in technology to greater effect.
正确选项:However , this enormous investment has not improved productivity as expected.
例题分析:空格前句作者如果不是正面也至少可以说是中性的描述:公司无论大小都在改进自己的办公室的硬件方面不惜血本投资。空格后面的一句中有一个明确的表示负面评价的词fail to。如果没有空格中的这句话,前后两句的逻辑出现了断层(logical gap)。所以考生可以在备选项中搜寻转折逻辑的各种表达法,很快就能找出正确的选项。
总-分结构关系
英语文章绝大多数都是总分结构,无论是全篇的逻辑,还是每一个独立的意群(一般以自然段的形式出现)的逻辑都是总分结构。 利用总句和分句中可能存在的上述各种衔接关系可以迅速地解题。由于篇幅有限,这里就不举例说明了。
下面让我们来用上述总结的方法巧解2006年真题。
On the north bank of the Ohio river sits Evansville, Ind, home of David Williams, 52, and of a riverboat casino, a place where gambling games are played. During several years of gambling in that casino, Williams, a state auditor earning $35,000 a year, lost approximately $175,000. He had never gambled before the casino sent him a coupon for $20 worth of gambling.
He visited the casino, lost the $20 and left. On his second visit he lost $800. The casino issued to him, as a good customer, a “Fun Card”, which when used in the casino earns points for meals and drinks, and enables the casino to track the user’s gambling activities. For Williams, these activities become what he calls “electronic heroin”.