雅思閱讀中的邏輯關係詞

雅思閱讀題型多變，考點在文中飄忽不定。但是作爲國際化的學術英語考試，自然有其嚴肅穩定的考查目的和內容，始終會把對英語篇章結構和行文規律的理解作爲閱讀的一項基本要求重點考查。因此加強這方面的學習研究是從根本上提高應試能力的途徑。本文僅從英語行文結構中邏輯關係詞的作用及其閱讀功能這一具體方面作初步探討。
　　關於邏輯關係詞在閱讀中的作用，我們首先來看一段文字：
　　the discourse markers signal relationships: between different parts of the discourse … the main reason for studying them is their usefulness in helping the reader to work out the meaning of difficult text. They often show the relationship the writer intends between two parts of the text, so if you can understand one part, the discourse marker is a possible key to the other part. (Christine Nuttall, 1996. Teaching Reading Skills in a Foreign Language, Heinemann)
　　關於“discourse marker”，P.H.Matthews在其Oxford Concise Dictionary of Linguistics (Oxford University Press) 一書中是這樣描述的：Any of a variety of units whose function is within a larger discourse rather than an individual sentence or clause: e.g. but then in But then he might be late. “discourse marker”雖然範圍更加廣泛一些，但從以上文字不難看出，它包括了我們所熟悉的邏輯關係詞(即文章中用於表示並列，轉折，舉例，因果，遞進，讓步，總結等邏輯關係的固定單詞或詞組)。
      也由此可見，特別重視形式邏輯和思維分析的英語行文，在詞語之間和句子之間往往會藉助各種邏輯關係詞清楚表達思維邏輯和語意關係。因此瞭解和掌握邏輯關係詞可以幫助我們把握文章中語意的轉換和發展，理解文章重點表達的意思。
　　具體到雅思閱讀，邏輯關係詞在解題中體現出兩大功能 ：
　　一、語意推斷
　　語意推斷主要是運用於重點題型之一的摘要題(Summary)。具體是指根據空格所在句及前後句的邏輯關係詞，分析詞語之間，句子之間的語意關係，推斷出所缺單詞的大致含義。
　　例如：
　　1.劍4 / P77 / Q38
　　Some corpora include a wide range of language while others are used to focus on a particular linguistic feature.
　　根據while這個表示對比或轉折的邏輯關係詞，可以判斷它前後部分是對比或反義關係。“a wide range of language”指的是語言研究的廣泛的各個方面，可以預判空格處應是指具體的方面。
      2.劍1 / P20 / Q4-5
　　The very first fire-lighting methods involved the creation of friction by, for example, rapidly rotating a wooden stick in a round hole.
　　根據介詞“by”和“for example”這個表示舉例的邏輯關係詞，可以預判第二個空格應是和“creation of friction”(產生摩擦)的具體動作有關的詞。
　　3.劍1 / P20 / Q6
　　The use of percussion or persistent chipping was also widespread in Europe …
　　根據表示並列的邏輯關係詞or，可以判斷它前後部分是並列關係。Chipping是“削，鑿”的意思，可以預判空格處應是類似意思的詞。
　　二、定位
　　根據對歷年真題的總結分析，雅思閱讀考試的一個重要規律是：題幹中的句子之間，詞語之間的邏輯關係在原文中一般不變(但表現方式可能會變)。這一規律使得邏輯關係詞可以有效地協助題幹關鍵詞在原文中定位答案信息源。尤其在摘要題(Summary)中這一方法使用頻率很高。
　　例如：
　　1.劍5 / P50 / Q30-31
　　題幹：In Britain, moreover, scientists worried that English had neither the technical vocabulary nor the grammatical resources to express their ideas.
　　原文：First, it lacked the necessary technical vocabulary. Second, it lacked the grammatical resources required to represent the world … (Para.7)
　　題幹中出現的neither…nor…是連接兩個否定概念的並列邏輯關係詞。原文中對應出現了完全相同的邏輯關係，即first, it lacked …, second it lacked …(表現方式有所變化)。我們可根據這種對應的邏輯關係在原文中快速定位答案信息源。
　　2.劍5 / P50 / Q33-34
　　題幹：Although English was then overtaken by German, it developed again in the 19th century as a direct result of the industrial revolution.
　　原文：In the following century much of this momentum was lost as German established itself as the leading European language of science. … However, in the 19th century scientific English again enjoyed substantial lexical growth as the industrial revolution created the need for new technical vocabulary.
　　題幹中出現的兩種邏輯關係均在原文中對應出現。一是表示轉折關係的although, 對應於原文中的however;二是表示因果關係的as a direct result of 對應於原文中表因果的邏輯關係詞as。很顯然，這對於題幹信息的定位意義重大。
　　3.劍5 / P70 / Q25-26
　　題幹：To deal with this, Stanley suggests the use of artificial floods in the short term, and increasing the amount of water available through desalination in the longer term.
　　原文：In the immediate future, Stanley believes that one solution would be to make artificial floods to flush out the delta waterways, in the same way that natural floods did before the construction of the dams. He says, however, that in the long term an alternative process such as desalination may have to be used to increase the amount of water available.
　　題幹中出現了表示遞進的邏輯關係詞in the short term … in the longer term …。快速查讀原文，可定位於文中相同的邏輯結構in the immediate future … in the long term …。
　　另外，對雅思真題文章進行精讀訓練的同學會發現，除了以上兩大功能之外，邏輯關係詞在原文中的位置還常常是命題考點最集中的地方。因此學習和掌握邏輯關係詞在閱讀中的功能和作用，將對提高答題的速度起關鍵性的作用。同時，能夠熟練運用邏輯關係詞對於寫出條理清楚，層次分明的雅思作文也大有幫助。
　　附：雅思考試中常見的邏輯關係詞
　　1.表示並列關係
　　likewise once again/once more in (much) the same way (manner) similarly/similar to vice versa also/as well as not only … but also … both … and … neither … nor … like/just like as/just as equally namely or and
　　2.表示轉折關係
　　but/yet/whereas however otherwise in contrast (to) conversely though/although nevertheless unlike in spite of despite on the contrary even if/even though
　　on the one hand …, on the other hand … instead (of) not as … as … rather than even so vary different from differ from
　　while
　　3.表示舉例
　　for example/for instance/e.g. such as that is/namely/i.e.
　　in other words in general/in particular a case in point is especially specifically
　　4.表示因果關係
　　as a result as a consequence consequently so/therefore/thus then for this reason hence accordingly because/because of owing to thanks to on account of
　　since due to …, for as this is why
　　5.表示遞進關係
　　and then as well as again another also/too in addition (to) additionally additional besides (that) moreover furthermore not only … but also … what’s more
　　6.表示讓步關係
　　though/although while even though/even if nevertheless in spite of/despite admittedly
　　7. 表示總結
　　in a word in brief in short above all all in all on the whole in general to conclude/in conclusion to sum up/to summarize/in summary