托福听力中的举例细节题

 　　托福听力中细节题目庞杂，转折、对比、问答、强调、解释等等，整个听力过程中都需要高度戒备，以防掉入ETS挖的陷阱中去。本文就且集中探讨一下细节题中常见的一类：举例细节题。

　　首先来认识一下举例细节题。举例细节题就是用例子说明概念，很多时候ETS会考察所举例子和说话人的论点间的逻辑关系。所以我们经常看见的举例细节题是这样的：
　　Why does the professor mention/say/talk about/discuss…?
　　或少数时候，它们也可以跟重听结合：
　　Why does the speaker say this?
　　无论是那种形式的考察，要想做好举例细节题，就要听好例子，以及上下文逻辑，这就需要我们在听听力的时候要有足够的预判能力：哪里有可能出现这样的题目。那我们就一层一层剥开举例细节题的高频出题点：
　　第一层是比较明显的举例表达，比如：for example, for instance, take … for example, take…, like… 等。只要说话者说要举例，就一定注意例子部分，以及例子和上下文的关系。比如TPO 15 L1第10题：
　　Why does the professor mention a high way?
　　A. To compare two experiments designed to study distraction 1.
　　B. To give an example of when area V5 might be activated 2.
　　C. To describe a limitation in the brain’s processing capacity.
　　D. To make a point about the effect of distractions 3 on driving.
　　原文中，教授是这么说的：Lavie thinks the solution lies in the brain’ s ability to accept or ignore visual information. She thinks its capacity is limited. It’ s like a highway. When there are too many cars, traffic is stopped. No one can get on. So when the brain is loaded to capacity, no new distractions can be perceived .
　　笔记顺着教授讲的思路记下来的话，Lavie的想法是capacity is limited，然后用like类比，limited capacity就和highway建立了联系，而题目也正是考察这种联系，所以倒着推到like的前一句就是举例的逻辑答案。选C。
　　除了比较明显的直接用举例或类比的词句连接外，举例细节还会披上另一层马甲，那就是：“跑题”讲故事讲自己，或讲自己的故事。每当听力中的说话者想借助小故事让自己的想法更浅显易懂的时候，考生们就不得轻松了，这时要特别注意他们讲的故事和上下文的逻辑关系。比如TPO 34 C1第3题：
　　Why does the woman mention walking in the woods?
　　A. It is the possible topic of a story she will write.
　　B. It is what she does to get inspiration for writing.
　　C. It is an activity that she enjoys very much.
　　D. It is the setting of her favorite short story.
　　在原文中，教授想给学生解释一个道理：Well, in fact, I’d hope you’d see that. Of course, there are many levels to this story, but what I really want the class to take away from it was that you don’t need to write about the great, exciting world when you write your stories, uh, even writing about a memory can work.
　　学生表示明白：Like I could write about one of the times I took a walk in the woods when I was a kid.
　　教授表示赞同： Exactly!
　　这道题目中，学生自己的小经历I took a walk in the woods when I was a kid正是对前面教授想说的内容的具体说明，所以逻辑关系就是在前面一句：writing about a memory can work，所以选A答案。而B 答案中的inspiration与memory相差甚远，所以不选。
　　再比如TPO 17 L4 第13题：
　　Why does the professor first mention Proteus?
　　A. To explain how the octopus 4 got its scientific name
　　B. To introduce the octopus' exceptional abilities
　　C. To point out that the octopus played an important role in Greek mythology 5
　　D. To provide an example of a mythological 6 character that was part animal and part human
　　原文中，教授是想讲个故事给学生：Well, let me back up here a second. Anyone ever heard of Proteus? Proteus was a God in Greek mythology who could change form. He could make himself look like a lion or a stone or a tree, anything you wanted, and he could go through a whole series of changes very quickly. Well, the octopus is the real world version of Proteus. Just like Proteus, the octopus can go through all kinds of incredible transformations 7.
　　顺着教授的思路听下来的话，刚开始可能会疑惑，怎么刚讲的是octopus，现在又成了Proteus呢?跑题了吧?这时，“跑题”讲故事就是高频题点了。“跑题”的目的对应后面的总结句：Well, the octopus is the real world version of Proteus. 所以选B答案。
　　最后一层，也是举例细节题比较难识别的一层，就是教授讲课时把问题抛回给学生的表达，如：if you…, imagine…, consider…, think of…等等。教授在讲课时，有时会让学生设身处地想象一些场景，这样讲座会更多样。听力中若听到类似的表达，一定注意教授为什么让学生自己imagine/consider/think。比如TPO 19 L3第8题：
　　Why does the professor mention reddish mud on the roots of a spartina?
　　A. To illustrate 8 the high density 9 of salt-marsh soil
　　B. To explain how spartina rhizomes move through the soil
　　C. To point out the problems spartinas face in getting fresh water
　　D. To provide evidence that oxygen is present in the spartina’s roots
　　原文中教授是这么说的：
　　Soil there is dense 10 and very low in oxygen, so Spartinas have air tubes, air enters through tiny openings on the leaves, the tubes provide direct pipe line for oxygen, carrying it down the leaves through the stems and into the roots, where it is needed. If you pull up a Spartina, you might even notice some reddish mud on some of the roots, this is caused by oxygen reacting with iron sulfide in the soil, and it produces iron oxide 11 or rust 12.
　　让学生开始想象前，教授谈的是spartina怎么通过空气管把氧气运到根部的，所以让学生想象的场景：you might even notice some reddish mud on some of the roots，正是跟前面的理论the tubes provide direct pipe line for oxygen, carrying it down the leaves through the stems and into the roots, where it is needed 严格对应的;而教授在描述完场景If you pull up a Spartina 以后，又补充了类似的话：this is caused by oxygen reacting with iron sulfide in the soil, and it produces iron oxide or rust. 想象的场景前后都安插了oxygen，所以这道题严格的逻辑回答应该是D答案。
　　所以，要攻克举例细节题，要注意三类高频出题点：举例或类比for example时，“跑题”讲故事时，以及让学生想象一些场景时。听到类似的出题点，注意把握好例子和它前面的句子、或后面衔接句的逻辑关系，这样举例细节题就能迎刃而解了。