一、概念解释
从交流角度出发，说话者在发言的过程中使用的“信号弹”被证明能大大提高听者对所听内容的理解或把握度。新托福口语六个问题的后四个都属于综合题(Integrated Speaking Tasks)，能否对阅读和听力材料的重要信息进行合理转述是评分的一项重要指标。其中的Task4，是要求用听力中的具体例子来解释阅读中所涉及的某一抽象概念。考官在评分时，会以此为要求，着重关注考生是否在录音中按要求完成了“解释”这一任务。作为考生，当然就要故意去释放一些“信号弹”，引导考官快速理解自己的答案，识别出答案中符合要求的部分，进而给出相应得分，这才算是力气用在了刀刃上。那么如何做到这一点，到底什么是信号弹?读到这里，相信大家都已经有了答案，那就是逻辑词的使用，包括表示句与句之间让步转折、因果、递进、举例、解释、条件、比较和对比等关系的词。由此就产生出相应的几大状语从句。需要提出的是，由于Task4话题会有不同，那么答题过程中用到各种状语从句的概率也就不同，切不可一概而论。下面，通过两个不同类型的Task4考题实例，讲解以上从句的用法，以此体现以状语从句在新托福口语答题中的重要作用。
For thousands of years, humans have been able to domesticate, or tame, many large mammals that in the wild live together in herds. Once tamed, these mammals are used for agricultural work and transportation. Yet some herd mammals are not easily domesticated. A good indicator of an animal’s suitability for domestication is how protective the animal is of its territory. Non-territorial animals are more easily domesticated than territorial animals because they can live close together with animals from other herds. A second indicator is that animals with a hierarchical social structure, in which herd members follow a leader, are easy to domesticate, since a human can function as the “leader.”
听力材料：
So we’ve been discussing the suitability of animals for domestication . . . particularly animals that live together in herds. Now, if we take horses, for example . . . in the wild, horses live in herds that consist of one male and several females and their young. When a herd moves, the dominant male leads, with the dominant female and her young immediately behind him. The dominant female and her young are then followed immediately by the second most important female and her young, and so on. This is why domesticated horses can be harnessed one after the other in a row. They’re “programmed” to follow the lead of another horse. On top of that, you often find different herds of horses in the wild occupying overlapping areas—they don’t fight off other herds that enter the same territory. But it’s exactly the opposite with an animal like the uh, the antelope . . . which . . . well, antelopes are herd animals too. But unlike horses, a male antelope will fight fiercely to prevent another male from entering its territory during the breeding season, OK—very different from the behavior of horses. Try keeping a couple of male antelopes together in a small space and see what happens. Also, antelopes don’t have a social hierarchy—they don’t instinctively follow any leader. That makes it harder for humans to control their behavior.
问题：
The professor describes the behavior of horses and antelope in herds. Explain how their behavior is related to their suitability for domestication.
参考答案：
According to the lecture, herd animals can be easily domesticated if they have a hierarchical social structure and are not territorial, and that this is why it is easier to domesticate horses than antelopes. As in the example of horses, their hierarchical social structure makes them willing to follow one another and thus allows a human being to act as their leader. It is also because horses are not territorial that they can be harnessed together without fighting. By comparison, although antelopes are herd animals too, they cannot be easy to domesticate. As a matter of fact, male antelopes fight if they are together, which means they are territorial, and because antelopes do not have a social hierarchy, humans can’t control them by acting as their leader.
答案分析：
该Task4为动物类话题，从阅读到听力，材料都很学术化。对于这种题目，我们组织答案时用得较多的通常是两种状语从句：条件和原因。
第一句话对听力材料主要内容的总结和概括是通过if条件状语从句实现的。条件状语从句常用于开头或结束陈述结论，为的是给结论提供合理的情境支撑。在结论给出之后，便要提供细节作为论证理由。这个时候，又要使用到原因状语从句。事实上，多数考生在口语答题中都没有少用原因状语从句。大家在进行托福口语练习的时候，发现很多考生的录音中频繁出现because，so等词。似乎已经成为了口头禅，而并非是用得恰到好处。要记住，凡事过犹不及，我们应该在回答中体现的是丰富多样的逻辑关系，而非从头至尾让考官只听到原因，结果，原因，结果。就算要表示因果关系也可以有变化的方法。如第一句中that is why…的使用，实际上等同于“so”，该名词性从句的使用不仅体现了句型的灵活多样，还起到了强调原因的作用。
按照答题要求，在论据陈述的过程中，需要引用听力中的例子。很多情况下听力材料会给出两个相反的例子，于是举例、让步、对比，等逻辑关系一一派上了用场。如范例回答中的第二句(举例)，第四句(对比、让步)。最后一句话再次用到了条件和原因状语从句，由此可见这两大句型在解答此类话题的实用之处。
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