问题形式
托福听力主旨题(gist question; main idea questions)考查考生对托福听力对话或讲座的主旨大意的理解。每一个托福听力对话或讲座都一定会出一道主旨题。主旨题分为内容主旨题(gist-content question)和目的主旨题(gist-purpose question),即考查主要内容和主要目的,但是二者的差别不大。内容主旨题常出现在讲座中,但偶尔也会出现在对话中,而目的主旨题常出现在对话中,但偶尔也会出现在讲座中。
内容主旨题的常见形式:
1. What is the lecture mainly about?
2. What is the main topic of the lecture?
3. That are the speakers mainly discussing?
4. What aspect of ... does the professor mainly discuss?
5. That problem does the man have?
目的主旨题的常见形式:
1. Why does the student visit/see/speak with the professor?
2. Why does the student visit the registrar’s office?
3. Why did the professor ask to see the student?
4. Why does the professor explain ...?
5. What is the purpose of the lecture?
做题技巧
托福听力对话的主旨题相对简单,做题的关键是把握对话的开头。托福听力对话通常是学生有某一问题向教授请教或学校服务人员询问,偶尔是教授找学生商议某事。如果是学生找教授或学校服务人员,那么学生会在对话的一开始寒暄后就明确提出自己的目的,即在对话中学生会提供主旨题的答案。如果是教授找学生,那么教授会在对话一开始寒暄后就明确找学会的原因,即在对话中教授提供主旨题的答案。
托福听力讲座主旨题有难有易,做题的关键是注意首尾,概括总结。就托福听力讲座而言,较简单的主旨题,往往可以在讲座的开头直接找到答案。这时教授会在讲座的一开始寒暄后直接明确提出讲座的主旨。中等难度的难度的主旨题,往往可以根据讲座中教授重复的关键词或讲座末段的主要内容总结找到主旨题的答案。较难的主旨题,则需要考生在听完讲座之后,自己根据笔记概括总结讲座的主旨。
总之,主旨题答案长出现的位置为开头与结尾,或者对应重复的关键词,当然有时还需要自己总结。总结时,根据手中的笔记,确定与笔记的内容最为贴切的主题,选择与这个主题最接近的选项。此外,还要注意时态,如果是过去时,就是上节课的内容。如果是将来时或现在进行时,即是本次讲座的内容。内容主旨题考查讲座或对话的总体内容,因此应排除那些只涉及局部听力材料的选项。
做题步骤
1. 查看笔记:
要注意笔记开始时所及的句子宾语,尤其是表示目的的不定式中的宾语。
2. 分析选项:
将选项与笔记进行比较,看选项是否属于下列各式:
主要方面of that + 具体事物
主要名词(概念名词)分类选项
To +主要目的
3. 确定答案
正确选项的特征是:
选项概念为原文的主题概念;
选项包含原文反复出现的词;
选项包含原文中的原词货可以和原词替换的词。
错误选项的特征是:
概念范围缩小,细节进入;
概念范围扩大,没有锁定主旨。
下面来看一个例子:
TPO2 C1
Narrator: Listen to a conversation between a student and a professor.
Student: Uh,excuse me, Professor Thompson. I know your office offers are tomorrow, but I was wondering if you had a few minute free now to discuss something..
Professor: Sure, John. What did you want to talk about?
Student: Well. I have some quick questions about how to write up the research project I did this semester --- about climate variations.
Why does the man go to see his professor?
A. To borrow some charts and graphs from her
B. To ask her to explain some statistical procedures
C. To talk about a report he is writing
D. To discuss a grade he got on a paper
解析:
该对话开头寒暄后出现主旨题答案的信号句 “I have some quick questions about ”,确认信号就后的核心词为主旨题答案,记笔记:write → research project。因此正确选项是“To talk about a report he is writing”,选项为原文改写。