偵探技能：從閱讀中你能推論出什麼

“I can’t stop shivering.” Lucy had to speak louder than normal so Gary could hear her over the wind’s caterwaul.

“我不停地打哆嗦。”露西用比平時更大的聲音對蓋裏說道，好讓他在狂風呼嘯下也能聽到。

“Move closer,” Gary said as he tugged gently at her light jacket. The material felt alarmingly flimsy in his hand. He wondered how much longer they’d have to wait until help would come.

“靠過來一點。”蓋裏輕輕攏了攏她的淺色夾克說道。夾克的料子在他手中顯得異常單薄。他想知道，他們還得等多久才能得到解救。

Although you may not realize it, you have made several inferences from the passage above without even trying very much.

雖然你可能沒有意識到，你也可以毫不費力地從以上的文章中推論出一些內容。

For example, you probably concluded from the conversation that Lucy and Gary were cold, and that they may be in serious trouble. However, if you look back, you’ll see that there is not direct statement about temperature in the passage. You have determined the information from several clues.

例如，你可以從對話中得出，露西和蓋裏很冷，他們可能陷入了困境。但是，如果你回顧之前的內容，你會發現文中沒有直接交代出溫度有多少。你可以從一些線索中斷定出一些信息。

What else can you infer from the passage?

你還可以從文中推論出什麼？

Are the two inside or outside? Do you think Lucy has prepared herself for this situation? What might her lack of preparedness say about her personality? What do you think of Gary’s personality?

他們兩人是在室內還是室外？你覺得露西受得了這個環境嗎？她的準備不足說明了她有什麼性格特點？你覺得蓋裏是一個什麼樣的人？

Most of the information you believe about Gary and Lucy has come from inference.

你得到的關於蓋裏和露西的大多數的信息都是源於推論。

What Is Inference?

推論是什麼？

Inference is what we do when we draw conclusions based on observations and experience.

推論就是我們通過自己的觀察和經驗得出的結論。

Any time you read, you make inferences about the characters, scenes, and actions. You can do this because you bring a pretty large vocabulary and some life experience with you as you read.

每一次閱讀，你都可以對人物、場景和動作做出推論。因爲你有相當大的詞彙量，以及生活經驗，因此閱讀的時候可以做出推論。

As you read the passage above, you made inferences about the following:

當你閱讀以上的文章時，你可以推論出以下內容。

Pronoun antecedents: In the last sentence (He wondered . . .), you have most likely inferred that the pronoun “he” refers to Gary.

代詞：最後一句（he wondered…），你很可能就推論出代詞he指代的就是蓋裏。

Meaning of words from context: Can you define the word caterwaul? You have most likely concluded that it means something similar to howl or scream. If you weren’t familiar with the word before reading the passage, you probably made a conclusion because you are familiar enough with the words that came before and after to determine the meaning of this new word.

文中詞語的意思：你能對詞語caterwaul下定義嗎？你很可能得出結論，它跟嗥叫或尖叫的意思類似。如果你在閱讀這篇文章之前對這個詞還不熟悉，那麼你會在對新詞下定義之前或之後得出結論，因爲你已經足夠熟悉了。

In other words, You determined this from the context of the sentence. You put the clues together to make an educated guess about an unfamiliar word.

換句話說，你可以從文中的句子裏得出結論。將線索歸在一起，然後對不熟悉的詞語做出有根據的推測。

Determine character traits through words, thoughts, and actions: How would you describe Gary’s personality, based on the few sentences above? Is he a cruel person or a kind person? Is he sensitive or uncaring? What clues have led you to your conclusions?

通過詞語、觀點和動作推斷出角色的特點：你會根據以上的句子怎樣描述蓋裏的性格呢？他是一個殘忍的人，還是一個和善的人？他是敏銳還是心不在焉？什麼樣的線索是你得出結論？

Pick up on clues about setting and mood: Is Gary happy, sleep, or worried in the passage? You probably think he’s worried, right? So try to identify the clues that left you with this impression.

手機關於設定和情緒的線索：文中的蓋裏是高興的、睡覺的還是焦慮的？你很可能認爲他是焦慮的，是嗎？所以試着去確認一下給你留下這些印象的線索。

Did you come up with these clues?

你得出這些線索了嗎？

1. Lucy’s coat feels alarming flimsy.

露西的外套很單薄。

2. He’s waiting for help to come.

他在等待救援。

Pick up on character flaws or weaknesses: What can a reader conclude from the fact that Lucy is wearing a light jacket that seems to be inadequate for the situation at hand? Not much, to be fair.

找出角色的缺陷或弱點：讀者從露西穿着和和環境不協調的淺色外套中可以得出什麼結論？不用太多，從公平的角度說即可。

There is simply not enough information in this short passage to help the reader make a reasonable conclusion about Lucy’s personality. However, your brain is doing something interesting as you read. It stores clues.

這篇短文中可能沒有足夠的信息來幫助讀者對露西的性格做出一個合理的結論。但是，你的大腦在你閱讀時在作者一些有趣的事，它在儲存線索。

As you read long passages, you pick up on subtle hints and store them in your memory. You accumulate these clues and add them together to make further inferences as you read.

當你閱讀長篇文章時，你可以收集一些細小的提示，然後將它們記在腦子裏。將這些線索聚集起來，放在一起，從而閱讀時做出進一步的推論。

Why Does Inference Matter?

推論有什麼作用？

Inference is an important ingredient for reading comprehension, but it is impossible to isolate inference as a factor alone. You can’t make inferences if you don’t possess other reading skills, like a strong vocabulary, an understanding of paragraph structure, and a knowledge of the parts of speech.

推論是閱讀理解中的一箇中藥成分，但是它不可能獨立而存在。如果你不具備其他的閱讀技巧，例如強大的詞彙量，對段落的理解以及對詞類的瞭解，你就不能做出推論。

All of your reading skills work in unison as you practice reading. And the more you read, the more you build your reading skills.

在你練習閱讀的時候，你所有的閱讀技巧都是一致的。你讀的越多，建立起來的閱讀技巧也就越多。

聲明：本雙語文章的中文翻譯系原創內容，轉載請註明出處。中文翻譯僅代表譯者個人觀點，僅供參考。如有不妥之處，歡迎指正。