成人学位英语阅读理解解题方法：比较题

比较题型的表现形式主要有以下几种：

　　(一)比较级与含有比较意义的词汇手段和句型结构

　　1.表示比较级的more+形容词(或副词)和形容词(或副词)+er形式;

　　2.表示最高级的most+形容词(或副词)和形容词(或副词)+est形式;

　　3.表示比较的词汇手段：parallel，rival，match，differ from，like，unlike，different from等;

　　4.表示比较的句型结构：in the same way;as…as等。

　　(二)表示绝对意义的字眼

　　first(第一)，least(最少，最少)，always(老是)，never(永不)，foremost(最)， uttermost(最)，all(所有)，none(一个也不)，any(任何)。

　　(三)表示惟一性的词汇

　　only，sole，unique，simply(只要)，just(只要)。

　　阅读时最好能圈划表示最高级、惟一性和绝对意义的词汇，便于做题时回原文定位。

　　例1

　　Britain almost more than any other country in the world must seriously face the problem of building upwards, that is to say, of accommodating a considerable propor-tion of its population in high blocks of flats. It is said that the Englishman objects to this type of existence, but if the case is such, he does in fact differ from the inhabit- ants of most countries of the world today. In the past our own blocks of flats have been associated with the lower-income groups and they have lacked the obvious provi- sions, such as central heating, constant hot water supply, electrically operated lifts from top to bottom, and so on, as well as such details important not withstanding(然而), as easy facilities for disposal of dust and rubbish and storage places for baby car-riages on the ground floor, playgrounds for children on the top of the buildings, and drying grounds for washing. It is likely that the dispute regarding flats versus(对，对抗)individual houses will continue to rage on for a long time as far as Britain is con-cerned. And it is unfortunate that there should be hot feelings on both sides whenever this subject is raised. Those who oppose the building of flats base their case primarily on the assumption(设想)that everyone prefers an individual home and garden and on the high cost per unit of accommodation. The latter ignores the higher cost of provi- ding full services to a scattered community and the cost in both money and time of the journeys to work for the suburban resident.

　　We can infer from the passage that

　　A. English people, like most people in other countries, dislike living in flats

　　B. people in most countries of the world today are not opposed to living in flats

　　C. people in Britain are forced to move into high blocks of flats

　　D. modern flats still fail to provide the necessary facilities for living

　　本题考核根据上下文进行推断的能力。虽然题目说we can infer from the passage that…，但实际上答案出在本篇开头的两句话。第二句话强调指出，英国人(在住房问题上)确实与当今世界上许多国家的居民有着不同的看法。如果英国人反对住高层公寓，那么世界上许多国家的居民便不反对住高层公寓，因此答案是B。假如阅读时能注意到表示比较的词组“differ from”和最高级“most”，就知道英国人与世界上许多国家的居民在住高层公寓方面形成对比，做这道题时就容易多了。

　　例2

　　A rapid means of long-distance transportation became a necessity for the United States as settlement(新拓居地)spread over farther westward. The early trains were impractical curiosities, and for a long time the railroad companies met with trouble-some mechanical problems. The most serious ones were the construction of rails able to bear the load, and the development of a safe, effective stopping system. Once these were solved, the railroad was established as the best means of land transportation. By 1860 there were tho~usands of miles of railroads crossing the eastern mountain ranges and reaching westward to the Mississippi. There were also regional southern and west-ern lines.

　　The major problems with America's railroad system in the mid 19th century lay in

　　A. poor quality rails and unreliable stopping systems

　　B. lack of financial support for development

　　C. limited railroad lines

　　D. lack of a transcontinental railroad

　　本题问的是19世纪中叶美国铁路系统存在的问题。作者在第三句中指出，当时最严重的技术问题是the construction of rails able to bear the road和the development ofa safe，effective stopping system，所以答案为A项。这个问题与该句的比较考点(最高级)相联系The most serious ones were…