如何解读英语阅读理解中的“驳论文”

薛晓星

议论文可分为两大类，立论文和驳论文。立论文，就是作者提出一个观点，然后用例子、数据等来论证这一观点的正确性，这类文章主旨一般出现在文章的开始。所谓驳论文就是指作者先提出一个前人的或他人的观点，或者大家目前普遍认同的观点，然后再用例子、数据、后来某人或某些人的观点等对这个观点进行反驳，在反驳的过程中阐述自己的观点。这两类议论文在高考阅读理解中都经常出现，其中，驳论文学生更难把握。笔者以具体的阅读文段为例，分析驳论文中主旨大意题、词义猜测题和写作意图题的解答技巧。

一、如何解答驳论文中的主旨大意题

主旨大意题是高考英语阅读理解中常考的题型之一，在一般的立论文中作者往往在文章开头就直接提出自己的观点。学生如果在阅读驳论文时受这种思维定势的影响把作者在文章开头提出的观点当作是整篇文章的主旨，那么他将无法选出正确的选项。

应对的方法是，我们在看到一篇文章开头处提出一个观点，或者举出一个例子的时候，不要想当然地认为这就是作者的观点，他们有可能是作者所要批判的观点或者反例。在驳论文中，作者会在第一段的后半部分或第二段用but， however， although， though， in fact等表示转折的词或表示让步的句型引出自己的观点，即文章的主旨。

[例1]（2013广东） Some people think that success is only for those with talent or those who grow up in the right family， and others believe that success mostly comes down to luck. Im not going to say luck， talent， and circumstances dont come into play because they do. Some people are born into the right family while others are born with great intelligence， and thats just the reality of how life is.

However， to succeed in life， one first needs to set a goal and then gradually make it more practical. And， in addition to that， in order to get really good at something， one needs to spend at least 10，000 hours studying and practicing. To become great at certain things， itll require even more time， time that most people wont put in.

...

35. What is the main theme of the passage？

A. Having a goal is vital to success.

B. Being good is different from being great.

C. One cannot succeed without time and practice.

D. Luck， talent and family help to achieve success.

解析：本题是问文章的主题思想。由第二段开头的However可知，第一段的观点不是本文的中心论点，而是作者要反驳的观点。本文的中心论题在第二段，且重点落在And in addition to that， ...one needs to spend at least 10，000 hours studying and practicing，其后的内容都是说明在确定目标后，要成功，就必须投入大量时间去学习和实践。换句话说，就是不花时间和实践是不可能取得成功的。故选C。

[例2]（2010浙江） The term “multitasking” originally referred to peoples ability to carry out several tasks one time. For many people， multitasking has become a way of life and even a key to success. In fact， some excellent mental aerobic exercises （大量训练） involve engaging the brain in two or more challenging activities at a time. Although checking email while taking on a phone and reading the newspaper may be second nature for some people， many times multitasking can make us less productive， rather than more. But studies show that too much multitasking can lead to increased anxiety and memory loss.

…

52. What is the main idea of the passage？endprint

A. Multitasking has become a way of life.

B. Multitasking often leads to efficiency decline.

C. Multitasking describes need to be improved.

D. Multitasking enables people to remember things better.

解析：通读全文可知这是一篇驳论，文章对之前的理论进行了驳斥。根据句子Although checking email while taking on a phone and reading the newspaper may be second nature for some people， many times multitasking can make us less productive， rather than more，可知作者想要表达的观点是此句的主句部分，即many times multitasking can make us less productive， rather than more（许多时候多任务处理会使我们工作效率较低），故选B。

二、如何解答驳论文中的词义猜测题或指代题

在解答驳论文中的词义猜测题或代词指代题时，我们同样可以利用驳论文特有的文章结构进行解答。应对方法就是，充分理解驳论文中作者先提出一个前人的观点，再接着利用例子、后人观点等对这个观点进行反驳，从而提出自己观点的这一特点，从而认真解读作者在文中先后列出的两个观点的关系。

[例3]（2012广二模） Many psychologists in the early twentieth century believed that humans use only 10 percent of their brains， and even the great Albert Einstein once wrote that most people use only a small portion of the grey matter between their ears. Its a theory that has often been put forward in television documentaries， magazines， advertisements and books over the past century.

But nearly all scientists now agree the 10 percent theory is completely unfounded. In fact， they question how this figure was ever arrived at in the first place and what areas of the brain are supposed to be unneeded. The theory supposes that if 90 percent of the brain were removed， a person would still be able to function normally， while in reality it is known that damage to even a small area of the brain can result in extremely serious physical injury different activities and that many areas of the brain are used at the same time for some complex activities or thought processes.

...

42. The underlined word “unfounded” is close in meaning to _________.

A. undiscovered B. unproven C. unknown D. unnecessary

解析：作者在文章第一段文章开头提出了许多心理学家甚至爱因斯坦也认同的观点：我们人类在日常活动中只使用了大脑中的10%或一小部分。但从第二段but将话锋一转，点明文章主题，“现在差不多所有科学家都认为10%的理论是完全_______的”；第二句In fact， they question how this figure was ever arrived at in the first place and what areas of the brain are supposed to be unneeded（事实上，他们质疑10%这个数字最早是如何得出来的，大脑的哪些部分被认为是不需要的）以及随后几句，都表明对这个理论提出了质疑，可见现在的科学家认为它是“未经证实的”，故选B。

[例4]（2014湖北）For most city people， the elevator is an unremarkable machine that inspires none of the enthusiasm or interest that Americans afford trains， jets， and even bicycles. Dr. Christopher Wilk is a member of a small group of elevator experts who consider this a misunderstanding. Without the elevator， they point out， there could be no downtown skyscrapers or tall buildings， and city life as we know it would be impossible. In that sense， they argue， the elevators role in American history has been no less significant than that of cars. In fact， according to Wilk， the car and the elevator have been locked in a “secret war” for over a century， with cars making it possible for people to spread horizontally （水平地）， and elevators pushing them toward life in close groups of towering vertical （垂直的） columns.endprint

...

67. What does the underlined word “this” in Paragraph 1 refer to？

A. The general view of elevators.

B. The particular interests of experts.

C. The desire for a remarkable machine.

D. The enthusiasm for transport vehicles.

解析：作者在文章第一句提出了大部分人认为电梯是不起眼的机器的看法，紧接着第二句描写了Dr. Christopher Wilk对之前观点的反驳，认为这是对电梯的误解，所以此处this指代前面大家对电梯的普遍观点，故选A。

三、如何解答驳论文中的写作意图题

在解答驳论文的写作意图题时，只要我们能肯定的判断所阅读文章是一篇驳论文，那么文章的写作意图是非常清晰明了的。应对方法是，驳论文的写作意图往往就是反驳某种观点或者提出一个新的观点。

[例5]（文章节选略，请见[例3]）

45. What is the main purpose of the passage？

A. To present two sides of brain theory.

B. To criticize the 10 percent theory.

C. To explain how brain works.

D. To describe the history of brain research.

解析：通读全文可知这是一篇驳论文，文章对之前的理论进行了驳斥。由第二段首句（but...） 及其后内容，是质疑批评10%理论的，对比四个选项，只有选项B正确。

[例6] Many of us mistakenly believe that its wrong to think we have any good qualities. We may spend a lot of time blaming ourselves for our negative qualities， thinking that self criticism is the key to improving our performance. However， a constant focus on our supposed shortcomings can stop our efforts to make friends with other people. How can we believe that others could like us if we believe our inner being is flawed？

If someone seems to dislike you， the reason for that dislike might have little or nothing to do with you. The person who doesnt like you might be fearful， or shallow or busy or shy. Perhaps you and that person are simply a mismatch for each other at this particular time.

...

△The main purpose of the passage is to tell us plays an important role in making friends.

A. admitting your shortcomings B. self criticism

C. modesty D. confidence

解析：通过阅读全文可知，这是一篇驳论，文章通过反驳人们错误的理论而提出自己的观点，根据第一段However， a constant focus on our supposed shortcomings can stop our efforts to make friends with other people可知，要有自信才能广交朋友。故选D。

总之，当我们在完成驳论文的阅读理解过程时，我们必须充分了解驳论文的特点，并在此基础上不断体会作者的意图，确定文章中心思想，不要主观臆断。

（作者单位：梅州市曾宪梓中学）

责任编校 蒋小青endprint