託福閱讀：修辭目的題的解法
看到標題，有些同學的問題就來了。在託福閱讀中，什麼是修辭目的題?修辭目的題該如何解決呢?今天，小編就帶大家來複習一下這些託福閱讀的知識點。
託福閱讀：修辭目的題的解法
本質上講：對作者意圖的提問
形式上講：
Why does the author mention/discuss …?
The author mentions/discusses … in order to ______.
The author uses … as an example of_____.
等等
做這類題目時有些同學往往會出現黑人問號，我怎麼知道作者怎麼想的!
其實，這類題目和託福其他題目一樣，都是有套路的。至少，託福閱讀裏的修辭目的題是不會要求考生們對鍋裏的魚眼裏“詭異的光”進行理解的。
言歸正傳，那麼做這類題目的套路究竟是什麼呢?
首先我們要知道託福文章結構有一個規律，就是claim(觀點)+detail(s)，換句話說就是給出一個觀點，然後用一個或者若干個細節或者例子來支撐前面的觀點。
不論是從文章整體架構，段落結構，還是更微觀的行文結構來看，一般來說這個規律都成立。而修辭目的題實質上就是出題人把一個detail拎出來問你，作者爲什麼要提到這個detail。到這裏，問題的關鍵就變成了找到這個detail對應的claim究竟在哪裏。
最簡單的模型就是，claim後面就一個detail支撐，這種情況下，自然detail前面緊挨着的那句話就是作者的觀點，即提到這個detail的目的是爲了說明前面的這個觀點。
然而有時候，作者會用不止一個detail來支撐最前面的claim，模型視圖如下
Claim+ detail 1 + detail 2 + detail 3
這種時候，如果出題人把detail 3拎出來問你它的目的，顯然答案就不是爲了支持緊挨着它的前面那句話了，而應該是遙相支持前面的前面的前面的那個claim。
根據以上原理，我們總結出了一個做題步驟，幫助大家高效地找到這個claim。
簡言之，
1. 找出題目中的關鍵詞
2. 用關鍵詞定位原文
3. 按照原句 -- 前面1~2句 -- 段落第一句的順序找到claim
4. 根據原文claim找到對應選項
可以看出，步驟1和2是在文章中找到題目裏提到的detail的位置，當然，如果文中已經給你highligh出來了的話這兩個步驟就省掉了
而步驟3纔是在找claim
下面，我們來進行一個實操應用：
In paragraph 1, what is the author's purpose in providing examples of how organisms are destroyed?
○To emphasize how surprising it is that so many fossils exist
○To introduce a new geologic theory of fossil preservation
○To explain why the fossil record until now has remained incomplete
○To compare how fossils form on land and in water
很明顯，這道題需要我們自己去找到detail的位置，所以我們要從第1個步驟開始做起：找出題目中的關鍵詞
examples of how organisms are destroyed(生物被摧毀的例子)
第2步，我們要拿着關鍵詞到段落裏面去找detail對應的原句，即哪裏有提到生物被摧毀的例子
Paragraph 1: When one considers the many ways by which organisms are completely destroyed after death, it is remarkable that fossils are as common as they are. Attack by scavengers and bacteria, chemical decay, and destruction by erosion and other geologic agencies make the odds against preservation very high. However, the chances of escaping complete destruction are vastly improved if the organism happens to have a mineralized skeleton and dies in a place where it can be quickly buried by sediment. Both of these conditions are often found on the ocean floors, where shelled invertebrates (organisms without spines) flourish and are covered by the continuous rain of sedimentary particles. Although most fossils are found in marine sedimentary rocks, they also are found in terrestrial deposits left by streams and lakes. On occasion, animals and plants have been preserved after becoming immersed in tar or quicksand, trapped in ice or lava flows, or engulfed by rapid falls of volcanic ash.
我們看下來後會發現有且僅有紅色部分是一些摧毀生物的具體例子，清道夫、細菌、化學侵蝕等等，至此我們完成了第2步，定位出了detail對應的原句。
第3步，到這句話的前面找它對應的claim，這道題裏，它前面只有一句話，那讓我們來驗證一下這是不是這個detail所支撐的觀點呢?
When one considers the many ways by which organisms are completely destroyed after death, it is remarkable that fossils are as common as they are.
(當一個人知道生物死後會被如此多的方式所完全分解毀滅，那他就會感嘆世界上化石如此普遍有多不可思議)
看起來邏輯上可以成爲生物被摧毀的例子所支撐的對象吧
那我們現在來做第4步，根據找出來的claim去選出最接近的選項
In paragraph 1, what is the author's purpose in providing examples of how organisms are destroyed?
○To emphasize how surprising it is that so many fossils exist
○To introduce a new geologic theory of fossil preservation
○To explain why the fossil record until now has remained incomplete
○To compare how fossils form on land and in water
選項1是不是就是我們找出來的claim的同義複述呀?答案就是它了!
All in all，只要把握好題型背後的原理，媽媽再也不用擔心你做不好修辭目的題了!
託福閱讀考試舉例解析：修辭目的題
託福閱讀的十種題型中，修辭目的題，跟其他題型不相比，別具一格。託福閱讀考試中修辭目的題注重考察單詞，短語或是句子在句子之內或句子之間起到的作用和邏輯。這要求大家在閱讀中，要有意識地注意句子之間的邏輯關係以及段落的結構。
此次目的題參考的內容基本可以分爲三類，其一，作者在句中提到一些單詞或短語或是句子是爲了舉例說明之前的相關信息點，輔助讀者更好地理解原文的信息。其二，作者提供相關信息目的在於解釋說明某一現象或是事件，本質與舉例說明較爲類似，也是爲了幫助讀者更好地理解信息，其三，作者在提出某些重要的觀點時，爲了突出個別的信息點，而引入一些單詞短語或句子，目的是爲了強度。基於對修辭目的題作者寫作目的本身的分析和理解，我們可以更好地解決相關題目。以下以第一種舉例說明的情況爲例，重點講解如何解決此類題目。
我們來看一道題，此題出自TPO14--children and advertising中的第10題，題幹問why does the author mention a show about a cartoon lion in which an advertisement appears featuring the same lion character?根據題幹關鍵詞定位到文中對應的句子，Host selling occurs, for example, when a children's show about a cartoon lion contains an ad in which the same lion promotes a breakfast cereal.讀完句子看到句中的插入短語for example，知道此句式爲例子，屬於舉例說明，我們都知道例子是用來證明之前的信息，所以向前反推，看到緊接其前這樣的內容In the recent past, the role of celebrities in advertising to children has often been conflated with the concept of host selling. Host selling involves blending advertisements with regular programming in a way that makes it difficult to distinguish one from the other.這兩句第一句解釋了host selling，第二句提到host selling的影響，所以得知緊接其後的句子是爲了例證這兩點信息，即host selling的概念以及它產生的影響。得出正確選項To help explain what is meant by the term "host selling" and why it can be misleading to children。
再比如TPO16中trade and the ancient middle east一文中第12題考到In paragraph 5, why does the author mention the new trade route opened up by Vasco da Gama's fifteenth century voyage around Africa?根據題幹關鍵詞定位到原文句子：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.讀句子as表示正如…得知此處爲舉例說明，例證之前的信息，看到前半句since the development of new international trade routes could undermine the monetary base and erode state power。得知提到Vasco da Gama's fifteenth century voyage around Africa目的是爲了證明新的國際貿易路線的發展可能破壞貨幣基礎並且侵蝕國家權力。得出答案爲To present an instance in which Middle Eastern states lost money and power because of their reliance on long-distance trade。
再如TPO25 The surface of mars一文中的第6題In paragraph 3, why does the author compare Maxwell Mons on Venus to the Hawaiian shield volcanoes on Earth?根據題幹關鍵詞定位到原文句子It is no accident that Maxwell Mons on Venus and the Hawaiian shield volcanoes on Earth rise to about the same height (about 10 kilometers) above their respective bases-Earth and Venus has similar surface gravity.通過句中短語It is no accident that得知此處爲舉例論證，所以向前看，緊接其前的句子爲The lower the gravity, the lesser the weight and the greater the height of the mountain.可知原文想要闡述的信息是地心引力和山脈高度直接的關係，而且地心引力越低則重量越低，隨之山的高度越高，所以緊接其後比較Maxwell Mons on Venus 和the Hawaiian shield volcanoes on Earth完全是爲了論證這個信息，由此容易選得正確選項爲To help explain the relationship between surface gravity and volcano height。
修辭目的題中，舉例論證是常考點，常見的表示舉例的提示性的單詞或短語有：for example/for instance/such as/as/as a example of/one of…/this is the case…等。如果題幹中關鍵詞對應原文的句子裏有相關的表示例證的單詞，短語出現，則向前看前面的句子，答案也就隨之浮現出來。所以在平時的閱讀練習中，大家一定要注意句子之間邏輯關係，句與句之間不是互相獨立的，而是緊密聯繫，互相支撐，構建段落，甚至是全文。
託福閱讀修辭目的題之特殊題型趨勢解析
修辭目的題，是我們常見的一道題目。衆所周知，是尋找所提及的片段在文章當中的地位，也就是如何反對或者支持某一個主旨。今天我們一起說一下幾個比較抽象的修辭目的題的發展趨勢：暗修辭目的題型和段落結構題型。希望大家在做題目的時候能夠及時確認題型並且針對題型迅速給出處理辦法。
(一) 類細節題目
TPO 27 Crafts in the Ancient near East
Paragraph 4: Objects themselves suggest that they were the work of skilled professionals. In the late Uruk period (3500-3100 B.C.E.), there first appeared a type of object that remained characteristic for Mesopotamia throughout its entire history: the cylinder seal.
This was a small cylinder, usually no more than 3 centimeters high and 2 centimeters in diameter, of shell, bone, faience ( a glassy type of stoneware), or various types of stones, on which a scene was carved into the surface.
11. Paragraph 4 suggests which of the following about the significance of Mesopotamian cylinder seals?
○ They were designed more for home than for legal use
○ They demonstrate that their creators were professionals
○ They were the first example of seals made from materials other than stone
○ They were the first example of carved seals
這個題乍一看是一個細節題，問的是M的重要性，定位原文，並沒有關於它很重要的表述;實質上這屬於一個修辭目的題，問的是例子存在的價值：支持主旨：這樣我們向前找主旨，主旨在段首，關鍵詞是were the work of skilled professionals，也就是技術問題：因此定位答案B.通過這個題目，我們知道，問例子的重要性的，除非原文有專門表達，否則就要考慮修辭目的題。
(二)結構類題目變體：
以往見到的是：what is the structure of paragraph_? 或者是 What is the purpose of paragraph 3? 再或者是 How does paragraph _ relate to _? 根據結構的讀法，我們基本就能確定結構的發展方向。現在我們看一個這樣問的題目:
TPO27 The Formation of Volcanic Islands
Paragraph 3：How can volcanic activity occur so far from a plate boundary? The Hawaiian Islands provide a very instructive answer. Like many other island groups, they form a chain. The Hawaiian Islands Chain extends northwest from the island of Hawaii. In the 1840s American geologist James Daly observed that the different Hawaii Islands seem to share a similar geologic evolution but are progressively more eroded, and therefore probably older, toward the northwest. Then in 1963, in the early days of the development of the theory of plate tectonics, Canadian geophysicist Tuzo Wilson realized that this age progression could result if the islands were formed on a surface plate moving over a fixed volcanic source in the interior. Wilson suggested that the long chain of volcanoes stretching northwest from Hawaii is simply the surface expression of a long-lived volcanic source located beneath the tectonic plate in the mantle. Today’s most northwest island would have been the first to form.
6. In paragraph 3, what is the relationship between the scientific contribution of James Daly and Tuzo Wilson?
○ Wilson provided an explanation for the observations made by Daly
○ Wilson challenged the theory proposed by Daly
○ Wilson found numerous examples of island chains that supported Daly’s theory
○ Wilson popularized the explanation of volcanic island formation formulated by Daly
乍一看，這是一個細節題，尤其像關係類細節題。但是定位讀完之後，相關專家JD 的理論是“island 分享同樣板塊並且…因此 更老older…。”專家TW說 this age progression could result ,也就是說這個過程是可以出現的，明顯是支持並進一步說明了前邊專家的理論。因此關係它們的關係實質是一種支持，是個結構題，正確答案A. 進一步解釋。專家W沒有用例子證明，無例子一類詞彙，排除C;原文沒有說理論一有什麼weakness之類的缺陷詞彙,排除B。原文也沒有說他如何普及之前的學說，排除D。
新題中出現了較多段落與細節相互依存的題目，在此不一一詳述，希望大家在做題時密切注意段落結構，宏觀考慮，才能及時辨認題目類型，準確預測大致答案。
