托福阅读：作者目的题例题解题方法

 　　托福阅读考试是托福考试当中的第一个部分，托福阅读题型包括词汇题，指代题，句子简化题，句子插入题，细节题，否定信息题，推理题，作者目的题，小结题和图表填空题。

　　本期主要给大家介绍一下托福作者目的题以及它的解题方法。

　　托福阅读题型：作者目的题例题解题方法：

　　Rhetorical Purpose questions目的题

　　? 目的题的提问方式一般为：

　　? Why does the author mention/include/use …?

　　? The author …in order to …

　　? The author uses the example to ?

　　? …for … purpose?

　　这种题目一般问的是作者举某个例子，说某句话的目的是什么，判断好题干是第一步。一般的阅读文章的思路，作者在举例子的时候的主要目的都是为了证明自己的观点，所以在做这类题目的时候，真正的解题关键在于，所问例子前方的观点，我们来看一道例题：

　　The first generation to experience these changes did not adopt the new attitudes easily. The factory clock became the symbol of the new work rules. One mill worker who finally quit complained revealingly about "obedience¹ to the ding-dong of the bell-just as though we are so many living machines." With the loss of personal freedom also came the loss of standing² in the community. Unlike artisan workshops in which apprentices³ worked closely with the masters supervising them, factories sharply separated workers from management. Few workers rose through the ranks to supervisory positions, and even fewer could achieve the artisan's dream of setting up one's own business. Even well-paid workers sensed their decline in status.

　　4. In paragraph 4, the author includes the quotation⁴ from a mill worker in order to○Support the idea that it was difficult for workers to adjust to working in factories○To show that workers sometimes quit because of the loud noise made by factory machinery○Argue that clocks did not have a useful function in factories○Emphasize that factories were most successful when workers revealed their complaints题目问，作者为什么引用工人的话。工人的话“One mill worker who finally quit complained revealingly about "obedience to the ding-dong of the bell-just as though we are so many living machines."”在文章的第三句出现，作为和例子一样的目的，来支持本段的观点句，即第一句，The first generation to experience these changes did not adopt the new attitudes easily.(第一代经历这些变化的人没有轻易的适应新的观点)。所以正确选项应该为观点句的同义替换。正确答案选择A，即支持一种观点，对于工人来说很难调整在工厂工作。B选项里面的工人退出(workers sometimes quit)没有提到，C选项里面的clocks did not have a useful function(钟表不能发挥有效作用)不对，最后D选项里面说到当工人抱怨的时候工厂最成功，显然是不正确的。

　　但是不是所有的作者目的题，都只是段落的第一句话。每个段落的topic sentence位置不一样，或者说，每个例子对应的topic sentence位置不一样。我们再来看一个例子：

　　Sensitivity to physical laws is thus an important consideration for the maker⁵ of applied-art objects. It is often taken for granted that this is also true for the maker of fine-art objects. This assumption misses a significant difference between the two disciplines. Fine-art objects are not constrained⁶ by the laws of physics in the same way that applied-art objects are. Because their primary purpose is not functional⁷, they are only limited in terms of the materials used to make them. Sculptures must, for example, be stable, which requires an understanding of the properties of mass, weight distribution, and stress. Paintings must have rigid⁸ stretchers so that the canvas will be taut⁹, and the paint must not deteriorate¹⁰, crack, or discolor. These are problems that must be overcome by the artist because they tend to intrude¹¹ upon his or her conception of the work. For example, in the early Italian Renaissance¹², bronze statues of horses with a raised foreleg usually had a cannonball under that hoof¹³. This was done because the cannonball was needed to support the weight of the leg. In other words, the demands of the laws of physics, not the sculptor's aesthetic¹⁴ intentions, placed the ball there. That this device was a necessary structural¹⁵ compromise is clear from the fact that the cannonball quickly disappeared when sculptors¹⁶ learned how to strengthen the internal structure of a statue with iron braces¹⁷ (iron being much stronger than bronze).

　　6. Why does the author discuss the bronze statues of horses created by artists in the early Italian Renaissance?

　　○To provide an example of a problem related to the laws of physics that a fine artist must overcome○To argue that fine artists are unconcerned with the laws of physics○To contrast the relative sophistication of modern artists in solving problems related to the laws of physics○To note an exceptional piece of art constructed without the aid of technology在这道题目当中，我们需要先确定例子的位置，即加了阴影的地方。这个题目的特色是，出题点是一个非常长的自然段，一般这种比较长的自然段往往会有段落分层或者段中的转折，这样的话我们需要确定例子所在的位置在哪一层或者是在转折前还是转折后。我们先来分析一下这个段落的结构：

　　Sensitivity to physical laws is thus an important consideration for the maker of applied-art objects. It is often taken for granted that this is also true for the maker of fine-art objects. This assumption misses a significant difference between the two disciplines.这句话对前面的内容作了否定，即：这种假设忽视了两个规律之间的重要差别。 Fine-art objects are not constrained by the laws of physics in the same way that applied-art objects are. Because their primary purpose is not functional, they are only limited in terms of the materials used to make them. Sculptures must, for example, be stable, which requires an understanding of the properties of mass, weight distribution, and stress. Paintings must have rigid stretchers so that the canvas will be taut, and the paint must not deteriorate, crack, or discolor. These are problems that must be overcome by the artist because they tend to intrude upon his or her conception of the work.这句才是例子真正对应的核心句，作者举例子是为了证明这个观点 For example, in the early Italian Renaissance, bronze statues of horses with a raised foreleg usually had...

　　在这个段落当中，例子所对应的topic sentence变成了第八句，即These are problems that must be overcome by the artist because they tend to intrude upon his or her conception of the work.(这些都是艺术家必须克服的问题...)根据关键句的同义替换，我们选择第一个选项作为正确答案，即To provide an example of a problem related to the laws of physics that a fine artist must overcome (举一个关于艺术家必须跨越的关于物理学规律的例子)托福阅读题型之作者目的题的解题方法你了解了吗?我相信这次举例说明多多少少都能够帮助到你。最后希望大家能够好好的复习托福阅读，做好新托福考试当中的第一部分。

 

1 obedience   

n.服从，顺从

参考例句：

• Society has a right to expect obedience of the law.社会有权要求人人遵守法律。
• Soldiers act in obedience to the orders of their superior officers.士兵们遵照上级军官的命令行动。

2 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

3 apprentices   

学徒，徒弟( apprentice的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They were mere apprentices to piracy. 他们干海盗仅仅是嫩角儿。
• He has two good apprentices working with him. 他身边有两个好徒弟。

4 quotation   

n.引文，引语，语录；报价，牌价，行情

参考例句：

• He finished his speech with a quotation from Shakespeare.他讲话结束时引用了莎士比亚的语录。
• The quotation is omitted here.此处引文从略。

5 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

6 constrained   

adj.束缚的,节制的

参考例句：

• The evidence was so compelling that he felt constrained to accept it. 证据是那样的令人折服，他觉得不得不接受。
• I feel constrained to write and ask for your forgiveness. 我不得不写信请你原谅。

7 functional   

adj.为实用而设计的，具备功能的，起作用的

参考例句：

• The telephone was out of order,but is functional now.电话刚才坏了，但现在可以用了。
• The furniture is not fancy,just functional.这些家具不是摆着好看的，只是为了实用。

8 rigid   

adj.严格的，死板的；刚硬的，僵硬的

参考例句：

• She became as rigid as adamant.她变得如顽石般的固执。
• The examination was so rigid that nearly all aspirants were ruled out.考试很严，几乎所有的考生都被淘汰了。

9 taut   

adj.拉紧的，绷紧的，紧张的

参考例句：

• The bowstring is stretched taut.弓弦绷得很紧。
• Scarlett's taut nerves almost cracked as a sudden noise sounded in the underbrush near them. 思嘉紧张的神经几乎一下绷裂了，因为她听见附近灌木丛中突然冒出的一个声音。

10 deteriorate   

v.变坏；恶化；退化

参考例句：

• Do you think relations between China and Japan will continue to deteriorate?你认为中日关系会继续恶化吗？
• He held that this would only cause the situation to deteriorate further.他认为，这只会使局势更加恶化。

11 intrude   

vi.闯入；侵入；打扰，侵扰

参考例句：

• I do not want to intrude if you are busy.如果你忙我就不打扰你了。
• I don't want to intrude on your meeting.我不想打扰你们的会议。

12 renaissance   

n.复活，复兴，文艺复兴

参考例句：

• The Renaissance was an epoch of unparalleled cultural achievement.文艺复兴是一个文化上取得空前成就的时代。
• The theme of the conference is renaissance Europe.大会的主题是文艺复兴时期的欧洲。

13 hoof   

n.(马，牛等的)蹄

参考例句：

• Suddenly he heard the quick,short click of a horse's hoof behind him.突然间，他听见背后响起一阵急骤的马蹄的得得声。
• I was kicked by a hoof.我被一只蹄子踢到了。

14 aesthetic   

adj.美学的，审美的，有美感

参考例句：

• My aesthetic standards are quite different from his.我的审美标准与他的大不相同。
• The professor advanced a new aesthetic theory.那位教授提出了新的美学理论。

15 structural   

adj.构造的，组织的，建筑（用）的

参考例句：

• The storm caused no structural damage.风暴没有造成建筑结构方面的破坏。
• The North American continent is made up of three great structural entities.北美大陆是由三个构造单元组成的。

16 sculptors   

雕刻家，雕塑家( sculptor的名词复数 )； [天]玉夫座

参考例句：

• He is one of Britain's best-known sculptors. 他是英国最有名的雕塑家之一。
• Painters and sculptors are indexed separately. 画家和雕刻家被分开，分别做了索引。

17 braces   

n.吊带，背带；托架( brace的名词复数 )；箍子；括弧；（儿童）牙箍v.支住( brace的第三人称单数 )；撑牢；使自己站稳；振作起来

参考例句：

• The table is shaky because the braces are loose. 这张桌子摇摇晃晃，因为支架全松了。
• You don't need braces if you're wearing a belt! 要系腰带，就用不着吊带了。