Hyperbole(夸张)
试比较以下TOEFL听力短对话的两种回答方式：
Have you asked your brother to do the dishes?
1)Yes, many times.(很多遍了。)
2)Yes, a thousand times.(无数次了。)
很明显，第一种回答方式不如第二种生动，因为a thousand times(无数次)使用了Hyperbole(夸张)的修辞手法。Hyperbole一词源于希腊语的huperbole，意思是exceed(超过)，是一种故意夸大其词(overstatement)或言过其实的修辞手法;其特点是对表达对象进行有违常识或不合逻辑的夸张性描写，以达到强烈的修辞效果。如：a river of tears (泪河)、a mountain of coal (煤山)、oceans of people (人海)...Hyperbole(夸张)在TOEFL听力中的运用也可谓炉火纯青。
比如：
1)You are my lifesaver.(你是我的“救命恩人”。)
2)You are 100% right.(你“百分之百”的正确。)
3)My back killed me.(我的腰痛的厉害。)
4)You make me feel guilty. (你让我感觉像是在犯罪。)
5)I haven't seen you for ages. (好久不见了呀!)
6)I could sleep for a whole year. (我太困了。)
7)We're all tired to death. (我们快累死了。)
当然，除了TOEFL听力，Hyperbole(夸张)的修辞手法在英语语言文学中的经典范例不胜枚举：
1)One father is more than a hundred schoolmasters. (George Herbert) (一个父亲的作用大于100个教师。)
2)It's a crime to stay inside on such a beautiful day. (今天阳光明媚，躲在家中实在太遗憾了。)
3)A drop of ink may make a million think.(George G Byron)(一滴墨水写成的文字可让千万人思索。)
Simile(明喻)
试比较以下两种TOEFL听力表达方式：
1)He spent a lot of money.(他花了大笔的钱。)
2)He spent a lot of money, like water.(他花钱如流水。)
很明显，第二种表达方式比第一种更加生动和形象。因为like water(如流水)使用了Simile(明喻)的修辞手法，这样以来，无疑使语言更加精彩和完美，听力考试也不再单纯是一门考试，而变成了一种享受。Simile(明喻)一词源于拉丁语similes,其意为like(象)。他借助人们的想象力，使用一定的比喻词如：like, as等加以连接，从而清楚的表明两种事物之间的相似之处，使得表达更加新鲜有趣。其典型形式是A is like B. Simile(明喻)的修辞手法在TOEFL听力中的运用可谓炉火纯青。
比如：(划线部分为明喻之处)
1.Like引导
1) He sweats like a pig.(他像猪一样流汗。)
2) They slept like babies.(他们像婴儿一样熟睡着。)
3) Living without an aim is like sailing without a compass.(John Ruskin)(生活没有目标犹如航行没有指南针。)
4) Records fell like ripe apples on a windy day.(E.B. White)(被打破的记录犹如刮风天成熟的苹果——纷纷坠落。)
2.As引导
1)She is as beautiful as a flower.(她像花一样的美丽。)
2)“I am as light as a feather, I am as happy as am angel, I am as merry as a school boy. I am as giddy as a drunken man...”(Charles Dickens)(我像羽毛一样轻，我像天使一样幸福，我像小学生一样快活，我像喝醉了酒的人一样飘飘然……)
3)The first time I read an excellent book, it is to me as if I had gained a new friend.
(我头一回读到一本好书，对我来说好象交了一位新朋友。)
注意：As引导的as...as结构在英语中得到了广泛应用，若能在口语交流或各种作文考试(如：TWE等)中用上一个，定会得到意想不到的效果，常用的as结构有：
(as) firm as a rock坚如磐石
(as) light as a feather轻如鸿毛
(as) close as an oyster守口如瓶
(as) mute as a fish噤若寒蝉
(as) strong as a horse强壮如牛
(as) cool as a cucumber泰然自若
(as) sober as a judge十分清醒
(as) sure as a gun千真万确
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