雅思阅读9分之List of Headings题

雅思阅读9分之List of Headings题

在自己多年的教学过程中见过无数的考生因雅思阅读中一些复杂的题型而挣扎，其中有T/F/NG题，List of Headings题，和Which paragraph contains the following information题等等。在这里我想首先传达一个信息—万事万物都有捷径，都有方法，关键在于寻找。就像初中解答平面几何时，一些看似无解的题目往往会在一道，两道辅助线的作用下使自己豁然开朗。同样，雅思阅读中这些所谓的难题其实并不难，关键在于掌握正确的思路、方法。这里我要启发大家思考，传授一种解答雅思阅读中List of Headings题的“2.0版本”的解法。

List of Headings题也叫做小标题题，顾名思义就是为文章中每个段落选择合适的能够概括段落大意的小标题来。这种题型在雅思阅读考试中经常出现。然而这种题型却往往因为解题方法的错误被误认为是难题。其实，只要掌握正确的解题方法，该种题型一定会变得很简单并且可以全部做对。

大多数考生认为这种题型较难，因为他们采用了如下错误的解题思路：

第一，大多数考生解答这种题型的思路在于寻找段落的中心句或主题句。

第二，他们还认为段落的中心句或主题句通常段落的首句，次句或尾句。

第三，根据判断出来的中心句或主题句确定正确选项。

但是，雅思阅读所有文章都有主题句或中心句吗？就算有主题句或中心句，它一定出现在首句，次句或尾句吗？答案是否定的。

所以，使用这种方法，考生常常常会有这样的经验：看完一个段落的首句发现刚好有一个标题与这句话对应，于是就把它选出来，但是这个选项偏偏是错误选项。这样一来，考生做10道题就经常会做错其中的5-6道，而通常去蒙的话，也基本上能对4-5道，所以这种做题方法非常不可取，因为一旦判断错误主题句就一定会选错答案。这是第一代的做题方法。

那么，我们应该如何避免错误判定主题句、中心句的尴尬或者干脆直接跳过主题句或中心句的判断呢？

关键在于看动脑筋，积极思考，寻找出路—答案就是List of Headings题“第二代”，“2.0版本”的解题方法。

第二代的做题方法采用了完全不同于第一代的解题思路。因为我们知道，主题句一旦判定错误就肯定导致选择错误的选项，所以我们尝试避开判定主题句的障碍，转而寻找其他的解法。利用主题句去判定段落标题的尝试是从文章到标题的过程，现在我们反其道而行之，采取从标题到文章的解题思路。具体做法如下：

第一步：阅读题目要求，把例题所选小标题从小标题列表中划掉。（因为，一个段落所选标题其他段落是不会重复的）

第二步：阅读所有小标题，判定反向思维词，并进行反向思维。

第三步：浏览段落。

第四步：比较段落与小标题，并利用排除法解答。

这里首先解释一下何谓“反向思维”和“反向思维词”。

“反向思维”是解答这种题型和解答雅思阅读难题—段落信息搭配题（which paragraph contains the following information）—的关键。其实，大多数人对反向思维并不陌生，它就是大家中学期间都练习过的命题作文。换句话说，反向思维就是把每一个小标题看成一个命题作文的标题，然后去想按照这个标题，这个段落会写什么样的内容，会出现什么词汇。而“反向思维词”就是标题中能够提醒“反向思维”的词汇。

例如，如果现在有一篇文章，全文标题为《新航道记事》，按照反向思维该文章中一定会出现新航道，而且会围绕新航道而展开。如果所有小标题中有一个选项为“我的雅思阅读老师王毅”，该标题中至少有两个反向思维词“雅思”和“王毅”，按照反向思维如果某个段落选择这个小标题，该段落一定至少会出现“雅思”和“王毅”这两个词。如果这个段落没有这两个信息，那么该段落肯定不会选这个小标题，该小标题便可以排除。

采用这样“反向思维”的方法就可以巧妙的避开寻找主题句或中心句。尽管文章看不太懂，但是每一个小标题每位考生都能读懂，并且可以进行反向思维。这也就是我授课中经常提到的“如果英文不好就用中文来补足”。然后，只需要简单的应用排除法便可以轻松把题目全部做对。

在看一些例题之前，我先总结一下小标题中常见的反向思维词。

1. 细节词。如果某段落选择这个标题，该段落会出现这个细节词。例如：The connection between health-care and other human rights中的human rights（剑四96页）

2. 表达变化的词如：change, increase, growth, rise等。如果某段落选择这个标题，该段落一般会出现数据。例如：The impact of recent change中的change（剑四96页）

3. future, past, recent这样表达时间的词。如果某段落选择这个标题，该段落会出现日期，年代或时间。例如：The impact of recent change中的recent（剑四96页）

4. 复数（-s, -es）。如果某段落选择这个标题，该段落会出现列举这个名词。例如：The connection between health-care and other human rights中human rights的复数（剑四96页）

5. 不定冠词a/an。如果某段落选择这个标题，该段落会写到一个具体的案例。例如：A successful exercise in people power中的a（剑六40页）

6. some。和a/an相似，如果某个段落选择这个标题，该段落会出现多个具体的案例。例如Some poor selection decisions（例题）

7. 表达流程的词汇process，procedure等。如果某个段落选择这个标题，该段落会出现first, second, third这样的序数词或in the beginning, afterwards, finally等表达顺序关系的词汇。（例题）

8. first。如果某段落选择这个标题，该段落会讲述该事物的诞生，一般会出现诞生的时间，地点或人物。例如：The first rocket（剑三40页）

9. development。如果某段落选择这个标题，该段落会出现时间。例如：The development of fire （剑三40页）

当然除了以上列举的9种反向思维词外还有很多，这里就不在一一赘述。下面便以一篇文章为例来讲解这种全新的第二代的做题方法。文章及题目如下：

READING PASSAGE 1

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-5 which are based on Reading Passage 1.

Questions 1-5

Reading Passage 1 has seven paragraphs A-G.

Choose the most suitable headings for paragraphs B-E and G from the list of headings below Write the appropriate numbers (i-x) in boxes 1-5 on your answer sheet.

NB There are more headings than paragraphs so you will not use all of them.

You may use any of the headings more than once.

List of Headings

(i) The effect of changing demographics on organisations

(ii) Future changes in the European workforce

(iii) The unstructured interview and its validity

(iv) The person-skills match approach to selection

(v) The implications of a poor person-environment fit

(vi) Some poor selection decisions

(vii) The validity of selection procedures

(viii) The person-environment fit

(ix) Past and future demographic changes in Europe

(x) Adequate and inadequate explanations of organizational failure

Example Paragraph A Answer (x)

1. Paragraph B

2. paragraph C

3. Paragraph D

4. Paragraph E

Example Paragraph F Answer (ix)

5. Paragraph G

PEOPLE AND ORGANISA TIONS: THE SELECTION ISSUE

A In 1991, according to the Department of Trade and Industry, a record 48,000 British companies went out of business. When businesses fail, the post-mortem analysis is traditionally undertaken by accountants and market strategists. Unarguably organizations do fail because of undercapitalisation, poor financial management, adverse market conditions etc. Yet, conversely, organizations with sound financial backing, good product ideas and market acumen often underperform and fail to meet shareholders’ expectations. The complexity, degree and sustainment of organizational performance requires an explanation which goes beyond the balance sheet and the“paper conversion”of financial inputs into profit making outputs. A more complete expla nation of “what went wrong”necessarily must consider the essence of what an organization actually is and that one of the financial inputs, the most important and often the most expensive, is people.

B An organization is only as good as the people it employs. Selecting the right person for the job involves more than identifying the essential or desirable range of skills, educational and

professional qualifications necessary to perform the job and then recruiting the candidate who is most likely to possess these skills or at least is perceived to have the ability and predisposition to acquire them. This is a purely person/skills match approach to selection.

C Work invariably takes place in the presence and/or under the direction of others, in a particular or ganizational setting. The individual has to “fit”in with the work environment, with other employees, with the organizational climate, style of work, organization and culture of the organization. Different organizations have different cultures (Cartwright & Cooper, 1991; 1992). Working as an engineer at British Aerospace will not necessarily be a similar experience to working in the same capacity at GEC or Plessey.

D Poor selection decisions are expensive. For example, the costs of training a policeman are about ￡20,000 (approx. US $30,000). The costs of employing an unsuitable technician on an oil rig or in a nuclear plant could, in an emergency, result in millions of pounds of damage or loss of life. The disharmony of a poor person-environment fit (PE-fit) is likely to result in low job satisfaction, lack of organizational commitment and employee stress, which affect organizational outcomes i.e. productivity, high labour turnover and absenteeism, and individual outcomes i.e. physical, psychological and mental well-being.

E However, despite the importance of the recruitment decision and the range of sophisticated and more objective selection techniques available, including the use of psychometric tests, assessment centers etc., many organizations are still prepared to make this decision on the basis of a single 30 to 45 minute unstructured interview. Indeed, research has demonstrated that a selection decision is often made within the first four minutes of the interview. In the remaining time, the interviewer then attends exclusively to information that reinforces the initial“accept”or“reject” decision. Research into the validity of selection methods has consistently demonstrated that the unstructured interview, where the interviewer asks any questions he or she likes, is a poor predictor of future job performance and fares little better than more controversial methods like graphology and astrology. In times of high unemployment,! Recruitment becomes a“buyer’s market”and this was the case in Britain during the 1980s.

F The future, we are told, is likely to be different. Detailed surveys of social and economic trends in the European Community show that Europe’s population is falling and getting older, The birth rate in the Community is now only three-quarters of the level needed to ensure replacement of the existing population. By the year 2020, it is predicted that more than one in four Europeans will be aged 60 or more and barely one in five will be under 20. In a five-year period between 1983 and 1988 the Commu nity’s female workforce grew by almost six million. As a result, 51% of all women aged 14 to 64 are now economically active in the labour market compared with 78% of men.

G The changing demographics will not only affect selection ratios. They will also make it increasingly important for organizations wishing to maintain in their competitive edge to be more responsive and accommodating to the changing needs of their workforce if they are to retain and develop their human resources. More flexible working hours, the opportunity of work from home

of job share, the provision of childcare facilities etc., will play a major role in attracting and retaining staff in the future.

首先按照我们做题的第一步，把例题段落A和F所选的x和ix选项从小标题列表中划掉，避免干扰我们。然后我们再按照第二步，阅读所有小标题，判定其中所有反向思维词，分析所有小标题并进行反向思维。

标题i: The effect of changing demographics on organizations

其中的反向思维词有两个：第一是demographics，是一个细节词。这是第一种反向思维词，也是最常见的反向思维词。如果某个段落选这个标题，该段落一定会出现demographics这个词，否则不会选择这个标题。第二是changing。作为一个表达变化的词和increase, growth, rise一样，如果标题中出现了这样的词，该段落一般会出现数据。综上所述，选择标题i的段落应该会出现demographics这个词并出现数据，否则排除。

标题ii: Future changes in the European workforce

这个标题中出现了三个反向思维词：其一是European。如果某段落选这个标题，该段落一定会出现European。其次是changes，该段落会出现数字。再次是future（同类的还有past 和recent），该段落会出现年代或时间，而且一定是未来的年代或时间。如果以上信息均未出现则排除。

标题iii: The unstructured interview and its validity

该标题中只有一个反向思维词—unstructured interview。如果某段落选这个标题，这个段落一定会出现unstructured interview，否则排除。

标题iv: The person-skills match approach to selection

整个标题都是反向思维词，该段落应该会出现person-skills match，如果没有出现则不会选这个标题。

标题v: The implications of a poor person-environment fit

该标题中的第一个反向思维词是personal-environment fit，该段落一定会出现这个词。其次是implications。因为这个词是复数形式，按照反向思维考虑，该段落应该会出现多个结果的列举。最后一个反向思维词是不定冠词“a”，该段落一般会出现一个具体的案例。如果没有出现以上信息则排除。

标题vi: some poor selection decisions

该标题中只有一个反向思维词—some。当标题中出现some的时候，段落中应该会出现多个具体的实例，例如：IBM做了一个错误的选择决定，HP也做了一个错误的选择决定，Dell 也做了一个错误的选择决定等等类似的具体的实例。如果没有出现以上信息则排除。

标题vii: The validity of selection procedures

这里出现了一个表达流程的反向思维词procedures（与此类似的还有process）。如果某段落要把process或者procedures写出来，该段落应该会出现大量的表达顺序的词汇例如：first，second，third等这样的序数词或in the beginning, afterwards, after that, finally等这样的词汇。如果没有出现则排除。

标题viii: The person-environment fit

此标题和标题v相似，也出现了反向思维词person-environment fit，所以该段落也至少应该出现这个词汇，否则排除。

现在所有的反向思维工作都已经完成。接下来的工作就是浏览段落并和所有小标题一一比较并利用排除法解答了。

B段落：浏览完之后发现，该段落没有出现标题i的demographics，排除。也没有出现标题ii的European，排除。也没有出现标题iii的unstructured interview，排除。标题iv中的person-skills match出现了，待选。标题v中的person-environment fit没有出现，排除。也没有标题vi中应有的具体实例，排除。也没有标题vii中应出现的表达顺序的词汇，排除。标题viii也没提到，排除。这样一来，其他选项全部排除，该段落应该选择的正确标题就是iv。

C段落：先把段落从头到尾浏览一遍，像B段落一样排除了所有可以排除的选项只剩下v 和viii两个选项。这时有两种解决方案：其一，把这两个选项全部选出来，如果其余的某段落选择v，则该段落应该选择viii，反之亦然。其二，可以把这两个段落再次进行反向思维，并再次和C段落进行比较—该段落如果选v，则应该提到一个具体的poor person-environment fit的实例，并且讲述它所导致的多个结果；如果选viii，则应该介绍person-environment fit 是什么。很明显，段落浏览完之后发现，标题v的信息没有提到，所以viii是非常合适的选择。

D段落：全段浏览完之后发现除了v和vi这两个标题，其它标题都可以被排除掉。此时比较标题v和vi，该段明显以一半以上的篇幅描写了a poor person-environment所导致的多种不同结果，而只在第一句话提到了poor selection decisions。所以选择标题v是更为明智的选择。

E段落：全段浏览完之后，除了标题iii之外，其余标题的信息都未提到，所以可以直接判定该段的正确选项为iii。

G段落：该段只提到了标题i的信息，其余标题全部排除，所以正确选项为i。

至此，这篇文章所有的List of Headings题就利用新的解题方法完全解答出来了。这种第二代、2.0版本的解题方法优点至少有三：

1. 巧妙的避开了寻找主题句或中心句

2. 以每位考生都具备的思维能力为基础化解英文阅读

3. 迅速正确的解答所有题目