2006年六級改革后,聽力部分所占分值比例大幅上升。2008年之后,聽力題目難度增大。面對難度不斷提高的六級聽力題目,考生該如何應對呢?
對于聽力錄音中的信息,考生要做到以下幾點:“聽到”“聽清”“聽懂”,并在“聽懂”的基礎上,結(jié)合解題技巧得出正確答案。除非考試時出現(xiàn)錄音故障,否則一般情況下,考生做到“聽到”是沒問題的。而“聽到”之后,是否可以“聽清”,除了取決于錄音是否清晰外,還與考生是否熟悉英語的發(fā)音規(guī)則,是否適應音頻語速,是否做過大量聽力真題練習有直接關系。絕大多數(shù)考生能“聽清”錄音原文70%~90%的內(nèi)容。而“聽清”之后是否可以“聽懂”,就要看考生對單詞、語法、習慣表達和固定搭配等基礎知識的掌握情況了。這些基礎知識需要考生在前期復習階段下大力氣掌握。不過,在實際考試中,大多數(shù)聽力題目不用考生逐詞吃透,考生只要能聽懂大部分內(nèi)容,再結(jié)合有效的技巧,同樣可以得出正確答案。下面筆者就針對六級聽力考試中的對話題、短文理解和復合式聽寫來講解和分析具體的解題技巧。
對話題解題技巧
對話題包括短對話和長對話,采用選擇題的形式進行考查。一般短對話有八個,每個為一輪對話,對應一道題;長對話有兩個,每個為7~10輪對話,對應3~4道題。對話部分共有l(wèi)5道題。每個對話均朗讀一遍,每個問題后留有13秒的答題時間。
技巧一:短對話之“同義替換優(yōu)先”
所謂“同義替換優(yōu)先”,是指如果某個選項中的單詞或短語是錄音原文中考生聽到的單詞或短語的同義形式,則該選項多數(shù)情況下為正確答案。以2010年6月六級聽力真題短對話第18題為例。
18. What do we learn from the conversation?
A) The speakers will dress formally for the concert.
B) The man will return home before going to the concert.
C) It is the first time the speakers are attending a concert.
D) The woman is going to buy a new dress for the concert.
錄音原文:
M: Honey, I’ll be going straight to the theatre from work this evening. Could you bring my suit and tie along?
W: Sure, it’s the first performance of the State Symphony Orchestra in our city, so suit and tie is a must.
解析:選項A中dress formally和錄音原文中的suit and tie在語義上屬于同義替換,所以正確答案為A。
技巧二:短對話之“選項邏輯助答題”
所謂“選項邏輯助答題”,是指考生在審題時可以先對四個選項之間的邏輯關系進行比較。如果考生發(fā)現(xiàn)兩個選項說的是同一話題,但表達的評價觀點和態(tài)度卻截然相反,那么答案很可能就在這兩個選項之中。如果考生發(fā)現(xiàn)兩個選項所表述的意思基本相同,那么這兩個選項通??梢耘懦?。對各選項之間邏輯關系的比較和分析在一定程度上縮小了考生尋找答案的范圍,對于觀點相反的兩個選項,考生在聽錄音時只需重點聽兩個選項的差異點即可。以2010年6月六級聽力真題短對話第15題為例。
15. What does the woman suggest the man do?
A) Leave Daisy alone for the time being.
B) Go see Daisy immediately.
C) Apologize to Daisy again by phone.
D) Buy Daisy a new notebook.
錄音原文:
M: Daisy was furious yesterday because I lost her notebook. Should I go see her and apologize to her again?
W: Well, if I were you, I’d let her cool off a few days before I approach her.
解析:選項A的意思是“暫時不要去看Daisy”,選項B的意思是“馬上就去看Daisy”,選項A和選項B提出的主張正好相反,選項C和選項D談的不是一個話題,所以考生可以推斷出答案就在選項A和B中??s小答案范圍后,考生再根據(jù)錄音原文內(nèi)容,就會發(fā)現(xiàn)正確答案為選項A。
技巧三:長對話之“視聽基本一致結(jié)合同義替換”
所謂“視聽基本一致結(jié)合同義替換”,是指考生在做長對話題目時,如果發(fā)現(xiàn)某個選項中的大部分信息在錄音原文中出現(xiàn),而且少部分信息還是原文相應內(nèi)容的同義替換時,該選項很可能就是正確答案。以2010年12月六級聽力真題長對話第19題為例。
19. What is the key to writing a good classical detective story according to the man?
A) Unique descriptive skills.
B) Good knowledge of readers’ tastes.
C) Colorful world experiences.
D) Careful plotting and clueing.
解析:這道題目對應的錄音原文為“Yes, you must, really, if you are writing a classical detective story, because it must be so carefully plotted and so carefully clued.”根據(jù)“視聽基本一致”原則,再結(jié)合單詞間詞性轉(zhuǎn)換,考生可以得出正確答案為選項D。
技巧四:長對話之“重點邏輯關系詞定位出題點”
所謂“重點邏輯關系詞定位出題點”,是指在錄音原文中,比較重要的邏輯關系詞出現(xiàn)的地方多是出題點所在處??忌犱浺魰r對這些地方要多留意,最好能記下該詞所在句子的大致意思。其中重點邏輯關系詞主要包括因果關系詞、轉(zhuǎn)折關系詞、讓步關系詞等。需要說明的是,這一技巧也適合短對話答題。以2010年12月六級聽力真題長對話第21題為例。
21. What does the man say about writers?
A) They rely heavily on their own imagination.
B) They have experiences similar to the characters’.
C) They look at the world in a detached manner.
D) They are overwhelmed by their own prejudices.
錄音原文:
W: You are very lucky. Someone once said that there is a bit of ice at the heart of every writer.
M: Yes, I think this is true. The writer can stand aside from the experience and look at it, watch it happening. This is the “detachment” and I realize that there are obviously experiences which would overwhelm everyone. But very often, a writer can appear to stand aside, and this detachment makes people feel there’s a bit of ice in the heart.
解析:本題所對應的錄音原文正是男士話語中but后面的文字:“… very often, a writer can appear to stand aside, and this detachment makes people feel there’s a bit of ice in the heart.”這段文字表明“作家總是能夠顯得置身事外,有一種超脫感”。通過看四個選項,考生會發(fā)現(xiàn)選項C是對原文的同義替換,所以正確答案為選項C。
短文理解和復合式聽寫解題技巧
短文理解采用選擇題的形式進行考查,共有三篇短文,每篇短文長度為240~260個詞,對應3~4道題,共10道題。該部分的每篇短文朗讀一遍,每個問題后留有13秒的答題時間。復合式聽寫是一篇240~260個詞的短文,采用填空題的形式進行考查,包括七個單詞題和三個句子題。該部分的短文朗讀三遍,其中第一遍和第三遍朗讀時使用常規(guī)語速,第二遍朗讀時使用常規(guī)語速,但在所填句子后有較長停頓。復合式聽寫要求考生根據(jù)聽到的內(nèi)容填寫所缺信息,當空缺處為單詞時,考生必須用原詞填寫,當空缺處為一個句子時,考生既可按原文填寫,也可用自己的語言表達。
技巧五:短文理解之“選項信息互通”
所謂“選項信息互通”,是指一篇文章不同題目的選項之間會有相關答案信息的提示。考生可以根據(jù)一道題的四個選項所涉及的內(nèi)容,猜出另一道題的答案。以2009年6月六級聽力真題短文理解第27題為例。
26. For what purpose did the Allstate Foundation sponsor the Keep-The-Drive Summit?
A) To help young people improve their driving skills.
B) To alert teenagers to the dangers of reckless driving.
C) To teach young people road manners through videotapes.
D) To show teens the penalties imposed on careless drivers.
27. What causes the greatest number of deaths among American teens according to the presentation?
A) Road accidents.
B) Street violence.
C) Drug abuse.
D) Lung cancer.
解析:如果考生對錄音原文聽得一塌糊涂,那么做第27題時,可以試著通過第26題選項中的黑體部分猜出答案。由第26題四個選項的黑體部分考生可知,這四個選項所涉及的內(nèi)容都與“交通、駕駛”有關,考生由此可以猜出文章談論的內(nèi)容涉及的主要是“交通、駕駛”方面,再結(jié)合第27題的題干信息“什么是最嚴重危害美國青少年生命安全的因素?”考生可推斷出正確答案應該為A。下面我們回到錄音原文中進行驗證:“According to the presentation, more teens die in automobile crashes in the United States each year than from drugs, violence, smoking and suicide. An average of 16 teens die every day in motor vehicle crashes and nearly forty percent of those are caused by speeding.”根據(jù)“more teens die in automobile crashes”,考生可斷定答案確實是選項A。
技巧六:短文理解之“特殊詞定位出題點”
“特殊詞定位出題點”是指錄音原文中某些表示“全部”“唯一”“特別”等特殊詞出現(xiàn)的地方,經(jīng)常是出題點,所以考生聽錄音時對出現(xiàn)這些詞匯的語句要格外認真聽。這些特殊詞主要包括only、all、anything、everything、never、mainly、specifically、especially、particularly、absolutely等。以2010年6月六級聽力真題短文理解第30題為例:
30. What did Juan Louis learn from the analysis of his audience?
A) Some of them had once experienced an earthquake.
B) Most of them lacked interest in the subject.
C) Very few of them knew much about geology.
D) A couple of them had listened to a similar speech before.
錄音原文:
Juan Louis, a junior geology major, decided to give an informative speech about how earthquakes occur. From his audience and analysis he learned that only 2 or 3 of his classmates knew much of anything about geology …
解析:考生在聽錄音原文時,對含有特殊詞only、anything等的句子要重點聽。這道題目所對應的錄音原文是“only 2 or 3 of his classmates knew much of anything about geology”,根據(jù)“視聽基本一致”原則,考生可以得出本題正確答案為選項C。
技巧七:復合式聽寫之“審題猜答案”
所謂“審題猜答案”,是指考生在聽錄音之前先審題(即復合式聽寫的短文),根據(jù)上下文的意思猜出空格處所需填入的答案。填完后,放錄音時,考生再將填入的答案與錄音中所讀的內(nèi)容進行核對,然后作出最終選擇。這種猜答案的方法需要考生對一些詞組和固定搭配十分熟悉。以2009年6月六級聽力真題復合式聽寫第36和37題為例。
English is the leading international language. In different countries around the globe, English is acquired as the mother (36) ; in others it’s used as a second language. Some nations use English as their (37) language, performing the function of (38) administration …
解析:在聽錄音之前,考生在審題時可根據(jù)上下文把個別空填上。通過上文首句,考生對段落大意有了一個了解:本段主要談論英語的應用。通過第36題空格后的in others it’s used as a second language和空格前的mother一詞,考生很容易就可以猜出空格處所填單詞和mother構(gòu)成的短語應是“母語”的意思。在英文中,帶有mother的表達“母語”的說法,我們常用的是mother tongue或mother language,經(jīng)過與錄音原文核對,空格處應填入單詞tongue。接下來,我們再看第37題的空,根據(jù)句意“一些國家把英語作為他們的 語言”,考生可以猜出此處應為“官方語言”,所以空格處應填入單詞official。考生再與錄音原文核對,果然如此。