下面我们来看看TPO阅读考试中，你经常出错的难题点，以及老师对这些难题的解析，和备考的技巧等等。大家通过本篇文章的学习，相信再利用TPO备考考试，会有很大的帮助。
Saavedro再论TOEFL-iBT阅读做题方法论 (附上TPO19第一篇阅读题目详细分析)
在开始分析前，我把Saavedro’s Authentic Guide For TOEFL-iBT Reading Section中我曾 对IBT阅读做题方法和解决策略的部分复制过来，以供未曾看过Saavedro’s Authentic Guide For TOEFL-iBT Reading Section的考生朋友们了解下。
同时我必须再次强调一点：托福阅读只是ETS跟我们玩的一种Charade(字谜游戏)。 但这种游戏的规则看似复杂无穷，其实道理非常简单。我把最简单，但是最重要的规则再次说明如下：
1：阅读选项中大多数错误选项共有的特性之一：不是原文段落中原句的正确改写。或胡 乱拼凑以颠倒是非，混淆逻辑;或从语义上歪曲句意。前者是改写后混淆逻辑，但语言意 义上可能正确;后者是虽然逻辑关系正确，但是语言本意被严重歪曲。我发现在 TPO15-19这后面几套TPO阅读题目里，ETS在精心设计错误的且易被混淆的选项大都使 用了这种以假乱真的套路。正是ETS的精心设计，导致题目难度提升。再加上不少文章概 念抽象，所以大家开始叫苦不迭了。但是大家完全没有必要因此而自乱阵脚。ETS虽然诡 计多端，但是大道至简，真理往往是最简单的。那么真理是什么呢?
2：正确选项永远是文章段落中提及过的概念，或者根本就是原文段落中某句话的同义改 写。需要注意的是，这种改写不是句式完全的相同或者词汇完全重复的就一定是正确答 案。正确答案一般经过ETS进行同义词汇的替换，或者进行句式的改写和转述。所以正确 答案必须是100%出自原文的。绝对不是你看过原文后intuitive(直觉上)的记忆或者判 断，而是必须精确对应到原文中的一句话，然后正确答案是针对这句话的同义改写。ETS 的改写手法很简单：使用同义词汇替换关键词汇;变换句式加大句式复杂度以迷惑考生， 但是句子的意义不会改变，是原文某句话的精确的同义改写转述。
后面TPO19真题分析上，我会详细讲述如何运用上述两个原则辨别答案选项的真伪，从 而提高做题的正确率。
IBT阅读核心解题法
IBT阅读只有两种正确的做题法。第一种叫做：直选法——找到原文定位句信息出处，直 接选择正确答案。或单词题，指代题等直接选择答案。第二种叫做：排除法——直选法不 能做的时候则立即使用此法。排除法需要你阅读信息量远远大于直选法。只有你阅读到足 够多的信息支持，才能够使用排除法排除错误选项，进而选出正确选项。前面已经分析过 错误选项的特点了，排除法的成功使用除了建立在一个较好的阅读基本能力上外，还需要 你对错误选项的各种特征和ETS编制这些错误选项的各类手法相当娴熟，确保你在考场上 能很快识别出这些“冒牌货”。很多时候ETS是故意把正确选项做的十分隐晦，目的就是不 想让你用直选法一眼看出来，而是逼迫你用排除法做题。而排除法需要建立在高强的阅读 能力上。这就是ETS想要看到你的真实阅读实力高低。这也是为什么很多人抱怨IBT阅读 越来越难了，题目迷惑性强，读懂文章却不会做题找不到答案等等。根本原因就在这里， 很多时候你需要的是用你已掌握的信息去排除那些错误选项，而掌握信息量的大小则是你 排除法能不能成功施展的大前提——其实这才是ETS想要在你身上看到的实力。
IBT阅读常考考点总结
1. 主旨题：段落段首句或第二句话。整片文章主旨为各段TS(topic sentence)的高度总结和概述。
2. 以下考点除不涉及：词汇题，指代题，文章总结题，图表总结题外，其他类型题目均 包含在内。
(1) 主题后的解释说明部分处为考点，例如：人名原则，事物首次出现的地方。
(2) 两事物或对象对比，类比，比较处是考点。当出现此类语言叙述时，必须要弄清 楚两事物或几个事物间的相同点，相异点的特征分别是什么，他们之间有什么联系或者关 联。时间，空间，程度或者间接转折均能构成对比或者比较其相似或相异性。
(3) 事物叙述的缺陷处所在是考点。此时要弄清缺陷与所叙述的事物不足处是什么， 如果文章提出了改进方法，还必须知道改进和或弥补的方法又是什么，在众多方法中，作 者到底同意或者赞同哪一个，一般来说是最后一个观点。
(4) 构成因果处是考点，两事物或者多事物间的因果顺序关系要弄清楚。
(5) 举例，列举处是考点，尤其是同性质或者异性质处应予以特殊关注，因为它综合 了第(2)个考点，而多重考点的叠加是出题几率极其高的地方。所以平时练习阅读要对 此种类型考点所在处特别细读。要培养对考点的敏感性。
(6) 特殊语言处是考点，例如：最高级，比较级所在处，各种长难复合句，高级词汇 所在句子以及特殊易混的短语习语处。这个很好理解，因为IBT本就是语言能力的考试， 所以ETS在语言难点处出题也是理所当然的事。
(7) 强转折处是考点，引入新观点或者反驳前所叙述的主题处是考点，其中转折的方式很多，除了传统的however， but， yet外，其他方式的转折也必须注意，尤其是一个概念 向向另一个概念过渡的地方。
(8) 文章中起，呈，转，合的逻辑词汇或者短语处是考点，此类考点尤其针对句子插 入题这种题型。
Trade and the Ancient Middle East
Trade was the mainstay of the urban economy in the Middle East， as caravans negotiated the surrounding desert， restricted only by access to water and by mountain ranges. This has been so since ancient times， partly due to the geology of the area， which is mostly limestone and sandstone， with few deposits of metallic ore and other useful materials Ancient demands for obsidian (a black volcanic rock useful for making mirrors and tools) led to trade with Armenia to the north， while jade for cutting tools was brought from Turkistan， and the precious stone lapis lazuli was imported from Afghanistan. One can trace such expeditions back to ancient Sumeria， the earliest known Middle Eastern civilization. Records show merchant caravans and trading posts set up by the Sumerians in the surrounding mountains and deserts of Persia and Arabia， where they traded grain for raw materials， such as timber and stones， as well as for metals and gems.
Reliance on trade had several important consequences. Production was generally in the hands of skilled individual artisans doing piecework under the tutelage of a master who was also the shop owner. In these shops differences of rank were blurred as artisans and masters labored side by side in the same modest establishment， were usually members of the same guild and religious sect， lived in the same neighborhoods， and often had assumed (or real) kinship relationships. The worker was bound to the master by a mutual contract that either one could repudiate， and the relationship was conceptualized as one of partnership.
This mode of craft production favored the growth of self-governing and ideologically egalitarian craft guilds everywhere in the Middle Eastern city. These were essentially professional associations that provided for the mutual aid and protection of their members， and allowed for the maintenance of professional standards. The growth of independent guilds was furthered by the fact that surplus was not a result of domestic craft production but resulted primarily from international trading; the government left working people to govern themselves， much as shepherds of tribal confederacies were left alone by their leaders. In the multiplicity of small-scale local egalitarian or quasi- egalitarian organizations for fellowship， worship， and production that flourished in this laissez-faire environment， individuals could interact with one another within a community of harmony and ideological equality， following their own popularly elected leaders and governing themselves by shared consensus while minimizing distinctions of wealth and power.
The mercantile economy was also characterized by a peculiar moral stance that is typical of people who live by trade—an attitude that is individualistic， calculating， risk taking， and adaptive to circumstances. As among tribespeople， personal relationships and a careful weighing of character have always been crucial in a mercantile economy with little regulation， where one's word is one's bond and where informal ties of trust cement together an international trade network. Nor have merchants and artisans ever had much tolerance for aristocratic professions of moral superiority， favoring instead an egalitarian ethic of the open market， where steady hard work， the loyalty of one's fellows， and entrepreneurial skill make all the difference. And， like the pastoralists， Middle Eastern merchants and artisans unhappy with their environment could simply pack up and leave for greener pastures—an act of self-assertion wholly impossible in most other civilizations throughout history.
Dependence on long-distance trade also meant that the great empires of the Middle East were built both literally and figuratively on shifting sand. The central state， though often very rich and very populous， was intrinsically fragile， since the development of new international trade routes could undermine the monetary base and erode state power， as occurred when European seafarers circumvented Middle Eastern merchants after Vasco da Gama's voyage around Africa in the late fifteenth century opened up a southern route. The ecology of the region also permitted armed predators to prowl the surrounding barrens， which were almost impossible for a state to control. Peripheral peoples therefore had a great advantage in their dealings with the center， making government authority insecure and anxious.
Paragraph 1： Trade was the mainstay of the urban economy in the Middle East， as caravans negotiated the surrounding desert， restricted only by access to water and by mountain ranges. This has been so since ancient times， partly due to the geology of the area， which is mostly limestone and sandstone， with few deposits of metallic ore and other useful materials Ancient demands for obsidian (a black volcanic rock useful for making mirrors and tools) led to trade with Armenia to the north， while jade for cutting tools was brought from Turkistan， and the precious stone lapis lazuli was imported from Afghanistan. One can trace such expeditions back to ancient Sumeria， the earliest known Middle Eastern civilization. Records show merchant caravans and trading posts set up by the Sumerians in the surrounding mountains and deserts of Persia and Arabia， where they traded grain for raw materials， such as timber and stones， as well as for metals and gems.
1. According to paragraph 1， why has trade been so important throughout the history of the Middle East(这个题目我们用trade，important，history回原文定位寻读即 可，因为全文都涉及Middle East，所以这个词就不用其定位了。)
○The rare and valuable metals and stones found in Middle Eastern deserts have always been in high demand in surrounding areas.(原文没有提及在周边沙漠地区的有 着很高的需求问题。恰恰相反，正是因为这块desert资源紧缺，所以才需要贸易往来 满足自己的需要。 with few deposits of metallic ore and other useful materials Ancient demands for obsidian (a black volcanic rock useful for making mirrors and tools) led to trade with Armenia to the north，就是这个意思。
其中ancient demands for obsidian是useful materials的同位语作为并行解释。括号后 面的话是解释obsidian的。obsidian这个东西在
This has been so since ancient times， partly due to the geology of the area， which is mostly limestone and sandstone， with few deposits of metallic ore and other useful materials Ancient demands for obsidian (a black volcanic rock useful for making mirrors and tools) led to trade with Armenia to the north， while jade for cutting tools was brought from Turkistan， and the precious stone lapis lazuli was imported from Afghanistan.这句话的结构极具复杂，很有
○Growing conditions throughout the Middle East are generally poor， forcing Middle Eastern people to depend on imported grain.(ETS惯用手法，原文没有说poor的问 题。所以大家不要望文生义。记住我之前说过的，一定要会原文定位，必须切切实实 的找到ETS要你定位的那句话，然后再看选项哪个是这句话的精确同义改写。否则你 很容易就落入ETS实现挖好的陷阱。)
○Many useful and decorative raw materials cannot be found naturally in the Middle East but are available from neighboring regions.(正确选项。因为这句话体现了两个 重要信息点：第一：很多材料在中东地区匮乏;第二：但是这些匮乏资源在周边地区 都存在。 大家比较一下，是不是原文这句话的高度总结和精确改写： This has been so since ancient times， partly due to the geology of the area， which is mostly limestone and sandstone， with few deposits of metallic ore and other useful materials Ancient demands for obsidian (a black volcanic rock useful for making mirrors and tools) led to trade with Armenia to the north， while jade for cutting tools was brought from Turkistan， and the precious stone lapis lazuli was imported from Afghanistan.)从这里我们知道，ETS在托福阅读中考你的究竟是什么? 考你的就是能读懂这样“变态”句子的能力。对于高分GRE考生自然不在话下，但 是对于大多数toefl考生来说，你就知道，真正赢取高分toefl的资本是什么?我告诉你 吧，是能力，绝对是能力。能力这种东西绝对不是短期就能提高的。所以自己基础不 佳，但又企图速成的考生们请注意，请你们立即放弃这种天真的想法，因为这是不可 能存在的，也是绝对不能存在的。我且问你，你有什么办法能在自己基础不佳的情况 下，短期内让自己达到读懂上面这个句子的能力呢?这绝对是需要一定时间来让自己 适应的。所以越是想速成的人，到最后都发现自己会被这个速成的天真想法所欺骗。
○Frequent travel， due to limited water supplies in the Middle East， created many opportunities for trade with neighboring societies.(这是第一句话的改写，但可惜的
是你发现你用important和trade和history定位的时候就会发现第一句话讲的不是这个 概念，所以出题点不是第一句话。)
Paragraph 2： Reliance on trade had several important consequences. Production was generally in the hands of skilled individual artisans doing piecework under the tutelage of a master who was also the shop owner. In these shops differences of rank were blurred as artisans and masters labored side by side in the same modest establishment， were usually members of the same guild and religious sect， lived in the same neighborhoods， and often had assumed (or real) kinship relationships. The worker was bound to the master by a mutual contract that either one could，and the relationship was conceptualized as one of partnership.
2. The word
in the passage is closest in meaning to ○Respect
○Reject(repudiate的意思是：refuse to accept or be associated with )在
这我不能不说的是ETS有些难为人了，repudiate这个单词其实是GRE词汇，本就不 应该在
3. According to paragraph 2， how did Middle Eastern shop owners treat their
repudiate
repudiate
workers?(用shop owners treat workers 回原文定位，记住：托福阅读一定要回原文定 位确切的找到原文的那句话然后找到精确改写的答案选项就是正确答案。)
○Workers were ranked according to their skill level，(没有提及的概念，该选项错误直 接略去不看即可) with the most-experienced artisans becoming partial owners of the shop.
○Shop owners treated different workers differently depending on how much the workers had in common with their masters. (没有提及过的两个概念)
○Workers were bound to their masters by unbreakable contracts that strictly defined the terms of their partnership.( by a mutual contract that either one could)和这句话直接矛盾
○The shop owner worked alongside the workers and often considered them partner and members of the family.( In these shops differences of rank were blurred as
artisans and masters labored side by side in the same modest establishment， were usually members of the same guild and religious sect， lived in the same neighborhoods， and often had assumed (or real) kinship relationships.)正确答案， 因为是这句话的高度总结和概括改写。blur做动词相当于：neutralize。大家以后在 写作中可以尝试多总结同义词，提高自己的写作修辞能力。kinship的意思就是 relationship like family。大家看到了吧，ETS又在这种看上去“变态”的难句中隐藏出 题点了，所以还是我提到过的两个概念。托福阅读就两条：词汇，长难句。要想得高 分，这两点功夫必须绝对的过硬才行。否则你绝对在托福阅读中大大的吃不开。
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