托福阅读推理题实例解析

托福阅读的推理题，虽然大家了解了具体的方法，但是在实际的解题过程中，到底如何运用这些技巧来答题，也是非常关键的,下面小编就和大家分享，来欣赏一下吧。

托福阅读推理题实例解析

例一：Paragraph 1: It should be obvious that cetaceans—whales, porpoises, and　dolphins—are mammals. They breathe through lungs, not through gills, and give birth to　live young. Their streamlined bodies, the absence of hind legs, and the presence of a　fluke1 and blowhole2 cannot disguise their affinities with land dwelling mammals.　However, unlike the cases of sea otters and pinnipeds (seals, sea lions, and walruses,　whose limbs are functional both on land and at sea), it is not easy to envision what the first　whales looked like. Extinct but already fully marine cetaceans are known from the fossil　record. How was the gap between a walking mammal and a swimming whale bridged?　Missing until recently were fossils clearly intermediate, or transitional, between land　mammals and cetaceans

Which of the following can be inferred from paragraph 1 about early sea otters?　○It is not difficult to imagine what they looked like.

○There were great numbers of them.

○They lived in the sea only.

○They did not leave many fossil remains.

例二：Another major discovery was made in Egypt in 1989. Several skeletons of another　early whale, Basilosaurus, were found in sediments left by the Tethys Sea and now　exposed in the Sahara desert. This whale lived around 40 million years ago, 12 million　years after Pakicetus. Many incomplete skeletons were found but they included, for the　first time in an archaeocyte, a complete hind leg that features a foot with three tiny toes.　Such legs would have been far too small to have supported the 50-foot-long Basilosaurus　on land. Basilosaurus was undoubtedly a fully marine whale with possibly nonfunctional,　or vestigial, hind legs.

It can be inferred that Basilosaurus bred and gave birth in which of the following locations　○On land

○Both on land and at sea

○In shallow water

○In a marine environment

例三：Nearly any kind of plant of the forest understory can be part of a deer's diet. Where　the forest inhibits the growth of grass and other meadow plants, the black-tailed deer　browses on huckleberry, salad, dogwood, and almost any other shrub or herb. But this is　　fair-weather feeding. What keeps the black-tailed deer alive in the harsher seasons of　plant decay and dormancy? One compensation for not hibernating is the built-in urge to　migrate. Deer may move from high-elevation browse areas in summer down to the　lowland areas in late fall. Even with snow on the ground, the high bushy understory isexposed; also snow and wind bring down leafy branches of cedar, hemlock, red alder, and　other arboreal fodder.

It can be inferred from the discussion in paragraph 2 that winter conditions

○ Cause some deer to hibernate

○ Make food unavailable in the highlands for deer

○ Make it easier for deer to locate understory plants

○Prevent deer from migrating during the winter

托福阅读推理题考察点解析

托福阅读考试中，不同的题型考察的目的和重点是不一样的。所以在实际的备考中，针对各种考试题型，大家也要掌握考察的重点。那么关于阅读推理题部分，具体的考察内容是什么?下面小编为大家整理了详细的内容，供大家参考!

一、托福阅读推理题的两大分类：有共性的推理题和无共性的推理题。

这里所谓的有共性推理题就是说题干中有和原文内容相同的关键词(也叫线索)。根据关键词回原文定位，然后进行推理。一般来说，大多数的推理题都属于这类题目。对于无共性的推理题，也就是题干中无线索，一般使用排除法，即根据各个选项的关键词回原文定位，通过排除法得出正确答案。返回原文找信息点，采用排除法是解决这两类题型解决的共同策略。

二、托福阅读推理题的三个具体的解题思路：

1、一般对比推理：根据两个事情的对比特征，问其中一个事物的特征，只要将与之形成对比的另外一个事情的特征否定掉就可以。

2、时间对比推理：在这种推理中，一般有两个形成对比的时间段，它们所具有的特征一般相反。当题干问一个时间段的特征时，只要将与之相反的时间段的特征否定掉就可以了。

3、集合概念推理 ：一个大的集合的两个方面形成对比，两者之间存在着互补性关系，也就是一个的增加意味着另一个的减少。反之，相同。这个比较抽象，我们来看一个例子：

例如：Both the number and the percentage of people in the United States involved in nonagricultural pursuits expanded rapidly during the half century following the civil war, with some of the most dramatic increases occurring in the domains of transportation, manufacturing, and trade and distribution.

What can be inferred from the passage about the agricultural sector of the economy after the Civil War?

(A) New technological developments had little effect on farmers.

(B) The percentage of the total population working in agriculture declined.

(C) Many farms destroyed in the war were rebuilt after the war.

(D) Farmers achieved new prosperity because of better rural transportation.

文中指出：非农业人口的数量和比例都增加了。由此可知农业人口的数量和比例下降，所以(B)为正确答案。

三、解答这类题目需要注意的信息点：

1.日期和数字。

2.关键词： 表示多少的副词: many , some, much of, several , a few ,most …;情态动词：may, can , could…;表示过去的：used to be , was, were , at one time, previously ;表示不是唯一的： not only ,not exclusively等

托福阅读推理题例子解析

推理题大概有三个解题思路：一般对比推理、时间对比推理、集合概念推理。一般对比推理：根据两个事情的对比特征，问其中一个事物的特征，只要将与之形成对比的另外一个事情的特征否定掉就可以。时间对比推理：在这种推理中，一般有两个形成对比的时间段，它们所具有的特征一般相反。当题干问一个时间段的特征时，只要将与之相反的时间段的特征否定掉就可以了。集合概念推理 ：一个大的集合的两个方面形成对比，两者之间存在着互补性关系，也就是一个的增加意味着另一个的减少。反之，相同。

在这里我们先来看一个例子：

Passage：…The nineteenth century brought with it a burst of new discoveries and inventions that revolutionized the candle industry and made lighting available to all. In the early-to-mid-nineteenth century， a process was developed to refine tallow (fat from animals) with alkali and sulfuric acid. The result was a product called stearin. Stearin is harder and burns longer than unrefined tallow. This breakthrough meant that it was possible to make tallow candles that would not produce the usual smoke and rancid odor. Stearins were also derived from palm oils， so vegetable waxes as well as animal fats could be used to make candles...

Which of the following can be inferred from paragraph 1 about candles before the nineteenth century?

a.They did not smoke when they were burned.

b.They produced a pleasant odor as they burned.

c.They were not available to all.

d.They contained sulfuric acid.

正确答案是C.这一段的第一句就告诉我们：19世纪的一些新发明和发现也对蜡烛工业产生了一次巨大的革命，这次革命使得所有的人都使用上了照明。从这句话中我们可以得到两层信息：19世纪蜡烛工业有了一次革命性的变化;在没有这次变革之前，也就是在19世纪以前，照明并不是所有人都能使用的。因为作者在谈论的是蜡烛的变革，所以这里所说的“lighting照明”一定是与蜡烛有关的照明，其实也就是告诉我们19世纪以前并不是所有人都能够使用到蜡烛带来的照明，这一推论出的信息正好与选项C吻合。文章第一句同时也是一个时间的分水岭，告诉我们19世纪蜡烛工业的变革是怎么样的。“在19世纪早期到中期，蜡烛处理工艺使用alkali 和 sulfuric acid 来提炼 tallow，提炼后的产品就是 stearin，stearin 比未经提炼的tallow坚硬而且燃烧得更久。这一巨大的变化意味着制造出不产生烟和rancid味道的蜡烛是可能的。”在这里的一个关键词是 rancid，意思是(油脂食物，其味道、气味)不新鲜的;腐臭的;正好与选项b的pleasant odor相反。19世纪前的蜡烛产生usualsmoke(经常有烟)，这与选项a相反。Sulfuric acid是19世纪用来处理fallow的材料，在19世纪以前是没有使用的，这与选项d相反。

解答这类题目时要注意这些关键信息点：日期和数字、关键词： 表示多少的副词: many , some, much of, several , a few ,most …;情态动词：may, can , could…;表示过去的：used to be , was, were , at one time, previously ;表示不是唯一的： not only ,not exclusively等。

在此，我们再来看一道例题：

It should be obvious that cetaceans-whales , porpoises, and dolphins-are mammals. They breathe through lungs, not through gills, and give birth to live young. Their streamlined bodies, the absence of hind legs, and the presence of a fluke3 and blowhole4 cannot disguise their affinities with land-dwelling mammals. However, unlike the cases of sea otters and pinnipeds (seals, sea lions, and walruses, whose limbs are functional both on land and at sea), it is not easy to envision what the first whales looked like. Extinct but, already fully marine cetaceans are known from the fossil record. How was the gap between a walking mammal and a swimming whale bridged? Missing until recently were fossils clearly intermediate, or transitional, between land mammals and cetaceans.

Which of the following can be inferred from paragraph 1 about early sea otters?

a. It is not difficult to imagine what they looked like

b.There were great numbers of them.

c. They lived in the sea only.

d.They did not leave many fossil remains.

首先我们来对题目的出题范围进行定位，题干的blowhole可以作为定位词汇，定位到原文的第四句话：“However, unlike the cases of sea otters and pinnipeds (seals, sea lions, and walruses, whose limbs are functional both on land and at sea), it is not easy to envision what the first whales looked like.” 在这句话里交代了“unlike the casess of sea otters”，即与sea otters 不一样的是，whales 的陈述是：it is not easy to envision what the first whales looked like. 即，不容易看出第一头鲸长什么样子。而sea ottter 是和鲸鱼相反，所以选择A选项，即不难看出第一头sea otter 长什么样子。所以实际上，这种题目虽然叫做推理题，但是并不需要同学们在做题的时候推的过远，基本考察的还是对原文信息概括和总结的能力。

如何应对托福阅读推理题

一、题型分类

对于托福阅读来说，词汇是根本。在阅读中词汇题(vocabulary questions)的数量很多，每篇存在三至五题不等。

接下来就是阅读中的句子。句子细节在托福中的考察形式和内容相比词汇更为深入。有对于单个句子结构和主干意思理解做出的考察，即句子简化题(sentence simplification questions)。有对于文中明确表述的细节信息的考察和理解，即事实信息题(factual information questions)。还有对于文中明确表述信息真伪的识别和理解，也就是否定事实信息题(negative factual information questions)。除此之外，阅读还会考察对于文中强烈暗示而未明确表述的信息的识别和理解能力，即推理题(inference questions)。

在阅读中，对于段落的考察往往侧重于句子之间的关系。句与句之间的连接往往会有名词的重复以及代词的指代，所以有了指代题(reference questions)。内容的衔接除了代词指代之外，还有逻辑关系的递进，所以又有了修辞目的题(rhetorical purpose questions)。如果说指代题和修辞目的题是对于句间关系的识别的话，那么句子插入题(insert sentence questions)则是两者的升级版，是对于句间关系的逻辑的应用。

当然，托福阅读也涉及篇章中段落的主旨以及段间的关系的考查。若是顺承的关系往往出的是总结题(prose summary questions)，若是对比分类的关系往往出的是表格题(fill in a table questions)。

二、题型难度

通过以上的分类讲解，相信大家对于托福阅读十大题型考察的能力有了了解。那么十大题型里，哪种题型相对比较难呢?如果说其他题型是通过词汇积累或者对于文章里的信息的透彻理解就可以掌握的话，那么更侧重于考察出题人的逻辑思维模式的题型就是推理题了。

我们再来看一下托福官方指南里对于推理题的表述：对于文中强烈暗示而未明确表述信息的识别和理解。大家重点关注强烈暗示这几个词，言下之意就是通过一些相关信息的表述来传递内在的意思，所以体会出题人传达相关信息的模式就变成了解题的关键。

三、推理题中的对比取反

解答推理题应从识别题型入手。推理题题干中常见表示推理或暗示的词汇：infer，imply，indicate，suggest。然后，仔细阅读题干。最后，根据题干信息研读文章信息以做出推理。

接下来我们通过以下四个例子来层层深入解析推理题中对比取反的情况。

1. Paragraph: Two other developments presaged the end of the era of turnpikes and started a transportation revolution that resulted in increased regional specialization and the growth of a national market economy. First came the steamboat; although flatboats and keelboats continued to be important until the 1850s, steamboats eventually superseded all other craft in the carrying of passengers and freight. Steamboats were not only faster but also transported upriver freight for about one tenth of what it had previously cost on hand-propelled keelboats.

1. Which of the following can be inferred from the paragraph about flatboats and keelboats?

A. They ceased to be used as soon as the first turnpikes were built.

B. They were slower and more expensive to operate than steamboats.

C. They were used for long-distance but not for regional transportation.

D. They were used primarily on the Erie Canal.

根据题干信息flatboats and keelboats对应到原文句子Steamboats were not only faster but also transported upriver freight for about one tenth of what it had previously cost on hand-propelled keelboats. 从句子里steamboat以及keelboats之间的faster 以及one tenth of很容易得出B选项。解出答案之后，希望大家思考，这样一道推理题透露了出题人设置题目时的逻辑思维，那就是信息的对比，而且有对比的时候，答案往往会取反面。

2. Paragraph: A symbiotic relationship is an interaction between two or more species in which one species lives in or on another species. There are three main types of symbiotic relationships: parasitism, commensalism, and mutualism. The first and the third can be key factors in the structure of a biological community – that is, all the populations of organisms living together and potentially interacting in a particular area.

1. Which of the following statements about commensalism can be inferred from the paragraph?

A. It excludes interactions between more than two species.

B. It makes it less likely for species within a community to survive.

C. Its significance to the organization of biological communities is small.

D. Its role in the structure of biological populations is a disruptive one.

根据题干信息commensalism对应到原文句子There are three main types of symbiotic relationships: parasitism, commensalism, and mutualism.该句得不出答案，接着看到The first and the third can be key factors in the structure of a biological community;该句告诉我们first and third指代上句中的parasitism和mutualism, 而题干中被问及的commensalism(共栖)恰是三者之中剩余的部分，根据例一中出题人对于对比取反的逻辑设置，显然该题同样取反，既然文中给出一三重要，那么强烈暗示的就是处于第二的commensalism不重要，所以选C。

3. Paragraph: Isotopic analysis of shells allowed geologists to measure another glacial effect. They could trace the growth and shrinkage of continental glaciers, even in parts of the ocean where there may have been no great change in temperature – around the equator, for example. The oxygen isotope ratio of the ocean changes as a great deal of water is withdrawn from it by evaporation and is precipitated as snow to form glacial ice. During glaciations, the lighter oxygen-16 has a greater tendency to evaporate from the ocean surface than the heavier oxygen-18 does. Thus, more of the heavy isotope is left behind in the ocean and absorbed by marine organisms. From this analysis of marine sediments, geologists have learned that there were many shorter, more regular cycles of glaciation and de-glaciation than geologists had recognized from the glacial drift of the continents alone.

1. It can be inferred from paragraph 5 that foraminifera fossil shells containing calcite with high percentages of oxygen-16 were deposited at times when…

A. polar ice extended as far as equatorial regions of land and sea.

B. extensive glaciation was not occurring.

C. there were no great increases in ocean temperature.

D. there was heavy snowfall on continental glaciers.

同样根据题干信息oxygen-16对应到原文During glaciations, the lighter oxygen-16 has a greater tendency to evaporate from the ocean surface than the heavier oxygen-18 does. 句中给出during glaciations的时候oxygen-16会蒸发离开，题干问什么时候oxygen-16 were deposited, 同样还是对比取反，即not during glaciations，对应选项B。

4. Paragraph 2: The areas covered by this material were so vast that the ice that deposited it must have been a continental glacier larger than Greenland or Antarctica. Eventually, Agassiz and others convinced geologists and the general public that a great continental glaciation had extended the polar ice caps far into regions that now enjoy temperate climates. For the first time, people began to talk about ice ages. It was also apparent that the glaciation occurred in the relatively recent past because the drift was soft, like freshly deposited sediment. We now know the age of the glaciation accurately from radiometric dating of the carbon-14 in logs buried in the drift. The drift of the last glaciation was deposited during one of the most recent epochs of geologic time, the Pleistocene, which lasted from 1.8 million to 10,000 years ago. Along the east coast of the United States, the southernmost advance of this ice is recorded by the enormous sand and drift deposits of the terminal moraines that form Long Island and Cape Cod.

1. It can be inferred from paragraph 2 that Agassiz and other geologists of his time were not able to determine…

A. which geographic regions had been covered with ice sheets in the last ice age.

B. the exact dates at which drifts had been deposited during the last ice age.

C. the exact composition of the drifts laid during the last ice age.

D. how far south along the east coast of the United States the ice had advanced during the last ice age.

通过以上的例子，相信大家已经熟悉了推理题中对比取反的逻辑思维。那么最后这一道题，是否能够应用讲解的规律顺利得出正确答案呢?

首先读题干，很多考生会选择Agassiz and other geologists这一信息去对应原文，结果发现无法根据文中对应信息得出正确答案。此时要牢记对比取反的逻辑思维，重新审题发现了of his time这一时间短语与文中的We now know the age of the glaciation accurately from radiometric dating of the carbon-14 in logs buried in the drift.一句里的now构成对比关系。所以根据对比取反的逻辑，既然我们现在才e799bee5baa6e78988e69d8331333363393661精确知道冰川形成的时间，那么在当时是不知道的，顺利选出B选项。

在托福阅读中，希望考生可以通过分析真题仔细体会出题人的思维逻辑，掌握考试规律，这样才能百战百胜。