大部分學生反映指代題看似簡單，但是很容易選錯，遇到模棱兩可的答案情況較多，不知從何下手。再加上時間限制，越簡單的題，反而越容易做錯。并且指代題出題頻率比較高，托福官方指南給出考試的機率大概是0-2題，所以對于想在閱讀上拿高分的考生來說至關(guān)重要，不可掉以輕心。那么我們?nèi)绾卧诙虝r間內(nèi)攻破指代題呢?朗閣海外考試研究中心的老師將針對這個問題，具體分析指代題的考試特點，涵蓋內(nèi)容以及解題方法。
一、考試的特點
我們先看一下托福官方指南對指代題這一題型的描述：These questions ask you to identify referential relationships between the words in the passage. Often the relationships is between pronoun and its antecedent (the word to which the pronoun refers). Sometimes other kinds of grammatical reference are tested (like which or this).
The four answers choices will be words or phrases from the passage. Only one choice is the word to which the highlighted word refers.
總結(jié)起來指代題有以下三個特點：
1. 問題除了常規(guī)代詞(it/they/them/these)外，還有which, this等語法指代;
Which是定語從句或者非限制定語從句的關(guān)系指代詞，此外新托福閱讀真題出現(xiàn)過this + problem/view等非常規(guī)語法指代題。
2. 代詞所指必須是前面提到過的詞;
代詞指代在英語里面可分為前指和后指，在新托福閱讀考試里面只考前指，也就是指代前文提到過的事物。
3. 答案可以是詞、短語或者前面談到的一件事情;
新托福閱讀指代題突破我們常規(guī)的指代概念，不局限于指代單個詞，它可以是短語，甚至是完整的一句話。
問題形式：The word “X” in the passage refers to……
二、考試的內(nèi)容
托福閱讀�？疾榈拇�詞包括：they, them, it, this, these, which, others, some, none, this + n等。
首先同學們要掌握這些詞本身的意思，考查的內(nèi)容雖然是指代，但我們要追溯起源頭，也就是這些代詞本身的意思，這和詞匯題是一個概念，只有知道詞本身的意思，才能在此基礎(chǔ)上推導(dǎo)出來該詞的同義詞。下面我們就逐一分析一下每個代詞本身的意思。
1.They: 他(它)們，復(fù)數(shù)代詞，注意這個代詞既可以指代有生命的東西，也可以指代無生命的東西。
eg: My father and mother are here. Theyvisit every week.
Take your books, they might be useful.
2.Them: 他(它)們，是they的賓格，所以同樣這個詞即可以指代有生命的東西，也可以指代無生命的東西。
eg: My father and brother are playing basketball, I bought drinks for them.
Where are my shoes? I can’t find them.
3.It: 指代單數(shù)名詞，可以指代無生命的東西，也可以指代有生命的東西(指代動物)，一般是特指(the + n); 此外還可以指代前面所說的整件事情。
eg: I pick up the plate and putit on the table.
Where is the mouse? The cat ate it.
He said he can swim across that big river, but I don’t believeit.
4.This: 這個，可以指代前面說的事物(單數(shù)可數(shù)名詞或者不可數(shù)名詞)、動作、過程等，通常是指代離它最近的東西。在托福閱讀里面通常用作限定詞，形式：this + n
eg: Many millions of years after ferns evolved (but long before the Hawaiian Island were born from the sea), another kind of flora evolved on Earth: the seed-bearing plants. This was a wonderful biological invention.
This根據(jù)詞本身的意思，是指離它最近的事物，所以答案是the development of plants that produce seeds
Thekilling of birds of prey by wind turbines has pitted environmentalists who champion wildlife protection against environmentalists who promote renewable wind energy. Researchers are evaluating how serious this problem is and hope to find ways to eliminate or sharply reduce this problem.
這題考的是限定詞this + problem, 那么所指的就是前面提到離這句話最近的問題：The killing of birds of prey…
5.These: 這些, this的復(fù)數(shù)形式，指代復(fù)數(shù)名詞，其它用法同this一樣
eg: They carried on their farm operations with mules and they had no surplus of these, seldom more than four.
6. Which:(非限制)定語從句中的關(guān)系代詞，指代前面的先行詞，先行詞可以是單個名詞、短語或者一個句子
eg: He has a bookwhich is written by Hemingway.
He likes reading books,which is a good habit.
She said she’d been waiting for an hour, which was true.
7.不定代詞：托福閱讀�？疾欢ù�詞有both, some, other, and none etc. 不定代詞顧名思義就是不指明代替任何特定名詞，用在句子中可以做主語、賓語、表語和定語等。
eg: Some of his stories were quite amusing.(主語)
They are both doctors.(表語)
These trousers are wet—I’ll change into my other ones.(定語)
She had none of her mother’s beauty.(賓語)
所以不定代詞在新托福閱讀里面的指代，要具體看不定代詞在句子中所充當?shù)恼Z法成分。
三、解題方法
做對指代題要考慮三個因素：指代詞本身的意思、句與句之間的語義關(guān)系和句子的結(jié)構(gòu)(語法)。指代詞本身意思是基礎(chǔ)，語義關(guān)系和句子結(jié)構(gòu)都是以指代詞本身意思為基礎(chǔ)的，我們已經(jīng)分析了各類指代詞的意思，所以這里我們會著重以句子語義和句子結(jié)構(gòu)為出發(fā)點，并把指代詞的意思嵌入到語義和句子結(jié)構(gòu)分析中。
1. 語義關(guān)系
語義關(guān)系要求所指代詞帶入句子中要符合句子意思。
Since the laws of physics, not some arbitrary decision, have determined the general form of applied-art objects, they follow basic patterns, so much so that functional forms can vary only within certain limits.
The word they in the passage refers to
a. applied-art objects
b. the laws of physics
c. containers
d. the sides of pots
托福指代題的考試特點是必須指代前面提到過的詞，所以可以排除c和d兩個選項。剩下a和b選項代入句子，原文譯為：因為物理原理，而不是任意想法，決定了應(yīng)用藝術(shù)品的普遍形式，應(yīng)用藝術(shù)品/物理原理需要遵守基本的模式，這樣它們的功能形式才不會相差太遠。根據(jù)句子意思，應(yīng)該是應(yīng)用藝術(shù)品需要遵守基本的模式，而不是物理原理，所以我們可以推斷出來答案是a。
It has been suggested that Pakicetus fed on fish in shallow water and was not yet adapted for life in the open ocean. Itprobably bred and gave birth on land.
The word it in the passage refers to
a. pakicetus
b. fish
c. life
d. ocean
根據(jù)句子語義It probably bred and gave birth on land(它可能在陸地上繁殖養(yǎng)育下一代)可以推導(dǎo)出來it是指有生命的動物，所以排除c和d,b選項“魚”是不可能在陸地上繁殖和養(yǎng)育下一代的，所以答案只能是a。
2.句子結(jié)構(gòu)
大部分同學在做指代題時感覺詞匯太難，很難從語義上去推導(dǎo)出來正確答案，那么我們可以從句子結(jié)構(gòu)分析入手。
The fins are stiff, smooth, and narrow, qualities that also help cut drag. When not in use, the fins are tucked into special grooves or depressions so that they lie flush with the body and do not break up its smooth contours.
The wordtheyin the passage refers to
a. qualities
b. fins
c. grooves
d. depressions
They在句子中作主語，so that表遞進，前后主語應(yīng)該一致，所以答案是b。
表遞進邏輯的關(guān)系詞還有such that。
Workers were united in resenting the industrial system and their loss of status, but they were divided by ethnic and racial antagonisms, gender, conflicting religious perspectives, occupational differences, political party loyalties, and disagreements over tactics. For them, the factory and industrialism were not agents of opportunity but reminders of their loss of independence and a measure of control over their lives.
The wordthemin the passage refers to
a. workers
b. political party loyalties
c. disagreements over tactics
d. agents of opportunity
them是they的賓語，they是but引導(dǎo)的轉(zhuǎn)折句子主語，轉(zhuǎn)折關(guān)系前后主語一致所以they指workers, 進而我們可以推導(dǎo)出來them也指workers, 所以答案是a。
In Southwest France in the 1940’s, playing children discovered Lascaux Grotto, a series of narrow cave chambers that contain huge prehistoric paintings of animals. Many of these beasts are as large as 16 feet (almost 5 meters). Some follow each other in solemn parades, but others swirl about, sideways and upside down.
The word others in the passage refers to
a. chambers
b. paintings
c. beasts
d. parades
根據(jù)邏輯關(guān)系詞but可以推導(dǎo)出來前后主語一致，那么others與前面半句話主語some所指代的內(nèi)容應(yīng)該是一樣的。Some指前一句主語beasts,所以答案是c。
表轉(zhuǎn)折邏輯的關(guān)系詞：however, yet, while and whereas etc.
Pots played an important part in some religious ceremonies. Long and often lyrical deions of the different types of ware exist that assist in classifying pots, although these sometimes confuse an already large and complicated picture.
The word these in the passage refers to
a. religious ceremonies
b. deions
c. types of ware
d. pots
although表讓步，主從句主語需一致，所以these應(yīng)與前面主句的主語一致，主句主語是deions, 所以答案是b。
表讓步的邏輯關(guān)系詞：though, even if/though, despite and in spite of etc.
If all of one’s money is spent on clothes, there may be none left to buy food or go to the movies. Similarly, a plant or animal cannot squander all its energy on growing a big body if none would be left over for reproduction, for this is the surest way to extinction.
The word none in the passage refers to
a. food
b. plant or animal
c. energy
d. big body
none在這里是被動語態(tài)主語，那么也就是主動語態(tài)賓語，同樣if引導(dǎo)從句不定代詞賓語應(yīng)與主句賓語一致，主句賓語是energy, 所以答案是c。
表條件的邏輯關(guān)系詞：if, when and unless etc.
Animals need natural periodic signals like sunrise to maintain a cycle whose period is precisely 24 hours. Such an external cue not only coordinates an animal’s daily rhythms with particular features of the local solar day but also—because it normally does so day after day-seems to keep the internal clock’s period close to that of Earth’s rotation.
The word it in the passage refers to
a. an external cue such as sunrise
b. the daily rhythm of an animal
c. the local solar day
d. a cycle whose period is precisely 24 hours.
Because引導(dǎo)原因狀語從句，前后邏輯主語應(yīng)該一致，所以it指前面主語an external cue, 所以答案是a。
表原因的邏輯關(guān)系詞：because, because of, therefore, so, hence, thus and since etc.
四、總結(jié)
有些情況我們需要結(jié)合這三種因素來綜合考慮指代題。
In classic research Paul Ekman took photographs of people exhibiting the emotions of anger, disgust, fear, happiness, and sadness. He then asked people around the world to indicate what emotions were being depicted in them.
The wordthemin the passage refers to
a. emotions
b. people
c. photographs
d. cultures
them是they的賓格，它指代的是賓語，而且是復(fù)數(shù)的。在句子中做賓語的有b和c選項，那么代進去，符合語義的只有c,譯為：然后他讓來自世界各地的人指出照片上的人所呈現(xiàn)出來的情感。
通過以上分析我們可以知道，有的指代題可以從語義上去分析，有的指代題可以以句子結(jié)構(gòu)為出發(fā)點，無論是哪種方法都是以代詞本身的意思為基礎(chǔ)的，此外，每一種方法都有各自的優(yōu)點。在做題時，同學們要善于把這三種方法結(jié)合起來使用，以達到在最短時間內(nèi)做對此類題型。