打开“七选五”的七把“钥匙”

四川

一、引言

根据《考试说明》的要求，“七选五”的目的是“主要考查考生对文章的整体内容和结构以及上下文逻辑意义的理解和掌握。”这其中的关键是结构，因为结构的本质就是在一篇文章中什么内容该放在什么地方，而这恰恰是学生在做这个题时需要完成的任务。篇章结构是语篇知识的重要组成部分。若学生掌握了英语文本的结构特点和文章内容的基本组织范式，“七选五”的问题自然就迎刃而解了。

二、英文文本的基本组织范式

描述英文文本的结构特征或者范式主要有两个维度——宏观维度和微观维度。宏观上可将文本结构分为四种类型：记叙、说明、描述、议论。而英文文本微观层面上的结构范式广泛运用于各种类型的文本中，而且同一文本常常综合运用几种范式。在以英语为母语国家的K12教育中，以上这些属于阅读教学的基本内容。熟练掌握这些文本结构知识不但有助于优化学生的阅读技巧，提高学生的阅读能力，而且能够帮助学生在阅读类考试中有更好的表现。

1.时间先后

按时间顺序叙述事件发展的过程是记叙文最常用的一种结构范式，在非小说类文本中尤其如此。常用来连接这些先后发生的事件的连接词或短语有first,second,third,always,then,next,later,soon,before,finally,earlier,afterwards,meanwhile,eventually,next week,tomorrow,after,during,immediately,preceding,initially,not long after,now,today,as soon as,until,follow ing,on (date),when等。

掌握了记叙文的这一特点，就可以很容易地确定每个句子在文本中的正确位置。比如在下面这篇短文中，“ I just threw on some clothes and ran out the door.”这个句子的正确位置只能是在（1）处，放在（2）或（3）处都不合适。

This morning was crazy.My alarm clock was set for PMinstead of AM,so I woke up really late.（1）I rode my bike as fast as I could and thought that I was going to be late for sure,but when I got there everyone was outside and there were fire trucks all lined up in front of school.（2）I guess somebody pulled the fire alarm before class started.（3）It worked out though,because nobody really noticed or minded that I was tardy.

2.空间布局

当需要描述某个事物或场景时，常按事物所处的位置以及空间顺序，比如从上到下、从左到右等，来呈现有关内容。这一结构范式常用于说明文。在记叙文中，时间顺序与空间顺序经常交替使用，比如当作者在讲故事的过程中暂时停下来对某个特定的人或物进行描述时常会切换到空间顺序。空间顺序常用的连接词或短语有in front of,behind,next to,nearest,above,below,outside,underneath,on the left/right,in the m iddle,in between,across,down,over,along,in the back of,on top of,beside等。

空间顺序的选择有一定的随意性，可以是从左到右，也可以是从右到左。但顺序一旦确定，就会一直按这一顺序展开，例如下面的这篇短文就是一直按照“从下到上”的顺序来描述volcano的，由此就决定了每个句子的正确顺序。

Volcanoes are a feared and destructive force for good reason.A volcano is like a pressure valve for the inner earth,but they can also be very beautiful.One part of the volcano that people rarely see is the magma chamber.The magma chamber is beneath the Earth's bed rock.It is tremendously hot.Running from the magma chamber to the crater of the volcano is the conduit.The conduit connects the magma chamber to the outer world.At the top of the volcano is the crater.This is where the magma exits.Volcanoes are a beautiful yet dangerous natural phenomenon.

3.原因与结果

“原因—结果”或者“结果—原因”的结构范式广泛应用于各种文体，用来解释为什么某事会发生或者阐明某事导致了什么样的结果。在实际应用中既可以先说原因也可以先说结果。在说服性的议论文中这样的结构比较明显，但在记叙文中有时可能比较隐晦，发生在前面的情节可能被误认为是原因。因为在记叙文中情节的展开一般都伴随着时间的流逝，而“原因与结果”结构中则没有时间上的推进。因果结构常见的标志词有because,as a result,resulted,caused,affected,since,due to,thus,therefore,so,as a consequence,accordingly,for this reason，in order to，effect等。例如，下文第二句中的reason和最后一句中的why就明显表明本段文章是一个“原因与结果”结构。

Students are not allowed to chew gum in my class.While some students think that I am just being mean,there are many good reasons for this rule.First,some irresponsible students make messes with their gum.They may leave it on the bottoms of desks,drop it on the floor,or put it on other peop le's property.Another reason why I don't allow students to chew gum is because it is a distraction.When they are allowed to chew gum,students are more worried about having it,popping it,chew ing it,and snapping it when they are in listening,w riting,reading,and learning.This is why I don't allow students to chew gum in my class.

4.对比与对照

对比与对照结构用来阐释两个或两个以上事物的异同。需要注意的是，这种结构范式一定包含“异”与“同”两个方面，只说了“异”叫contrast，只说了“同”叫compare。例如：

Apples and oranges are both fruits,which means that they have seeds inside of them.Each has a skin,but orange skins are thick and easy to peel.Apple skins are thinner and do not peel easily.Oranges also contain more acid than apples,but both fruits are delicious.

正是黄昏，落日美丽地悬挂在西边天宇，慢吞吞地望着我这个初来乍到的陌生人在小镇上穿行。一切刚刚安顿下来，在食堂吃完晚饭，一人吃饱全家不饿。闲来无事，我走出政府大院，出去走一走，熟悉下这个我将要为奋斗的地方，也许是一年二年，也许五年十年，也许是我的一生。

此文本中的对比与对照结构比较容易辨认，因为作者会在“异”和“同”之间反复转换，常见的标志词有like,unlike,both,neither,similar,different等。

5.分类与排序

这种结构范式按照内容的属性分类，根据事件的重要性或严重性按照由大到小或者由小到大的顺序排列，比如下文对组织机构的描写：

The company has a clearly laid out hierarchy.All major decisions go through the president,who controls the entire operation,but most daily decisions go to the board.Beneath the board members are the regional managers,who oversee the branch managers running each local branch.

6.问题与办法

这种结构范式是先提出一个问题，然后再给出解决问题的方法。“问题与办法”有时容易与“原因与结果”混淆，但需要注意的是后者只探求问题的原因，而不给出解决问题的方案。常见的标志词有propose,solution,answer,issue,problem,problematic,remedy,prevention,fix等，例如：

Thousands of people die each year in car accidents involving drugs or alcohol.Lives could be saved if our town adopts a free public taxi service.By providing such a service,w e could prevent intoxicated drivers from endangering themselves or others.

7.步骤与程序

这种结构范式是按事件发生的先后描述过程或程序中的每一个步骤的发展，它与“时间先后”的区别在于“时间先后”中的事件有确定的发生时间，而“步骤与程序”没有，只有相对的先后次序。常见的标志词有first,next,before,lastly,then等。例如：

How to Make Cookies.First,get your materials.Then,make your dough.Lastly,cook your dough at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.

三、利用文本结构知识破解“七选五”

下面以近年高考真题为例，简要阐述如何运用七把“钥匙”打开“七选五”的“大门”。

【例1】（2015年全国卷Ⅱ“七选五”）

Training for a marathon requires careful preparation and steady, gradual increases in the length of the runs., buy the best-fitting, best-built running shoes you can find. No one can say which brand will work best for you or feel best on your feet, so you have to rely on your experience and on the feel of each pair as you shop. When you have found shoes that seem right, walk in them for a few days to double-check the fit..As always, you should stretch （伸展）at least ten minutes before each run to prevent injuries.

During the first week, do not think about distance, but run five minutes longer each day., it is wise to take a day off to rest. But during the next week, set a goal of at least a mile and a half per run.. After two weeks, start timing yourself.. Depending on the kind of race you plan to enter, you can set up a timetable for the remaining weeks before the race.

本文的主体结构范式为“步骤与程序”。整个过程包括两个大步骤：选鞋与训练。前者分为“选”与“试”两个小步骤，后者按时间划分为第一周、第二周和尔后的正式训练三个阶段。第一阶段只关注time不关注distance，第二个阶段只关注distance不关注time，第三阶段开始计时跑，既关注time又关注distance。

厘清了这一基本架构后，各选项的大体位置就基本可以固定下来了。36题后面是逗号，符合这一特征的选项只有A、B、C三个。整句说的第一大步骤，只能选C；37题是个难点，似乎F项也说得过去（在准备阶段多花点时间可以提高训练的质量）。但按照“步骤与程序”的要求，这里的步骤还没说完，前一句（穿几天看看是不是真的合适）还没有结果，而E项则正好补全了这个结果，有了这个结果才能过渡到下一句里的“run”，故37题只能选E；38题后也是逗号，只有A、B可选，承接前面的first week，只能选A；39题谈的是第二个大步骤中的第二个阶段，只谈distance的只有D；40题选G，其中既有时间又有里程。

需要特别强调的是，“七选五”命题为了保证每个选项的长度不超过一行，开始允许挖半句（一句话的前半句），其标志是空后面的逗号（如36、38题），这为破解“七选五”，提供了新的维度。

【例2】（2018年全国卷Ⅰ“七选五”）

Color is fundamental in home design — something you'll always have in every room.A grasp of how to manage color in your spaces is one of the first steps to creating rooms you'll love to live in.Do you want a room that's full of life?Professional? Or are you just looking for a place to relax after a long day?,color is the key to making a room feel the way you want it to feel.

Over the years,there have been a number of different techniques to help designers approach this important point.,they can get a little complex.But good new s is that there're really only three kinds of decisions you need to make about color in your home：the small ones,the medium ones,and the large ones.

Medium color choices are generally furniture pieces such as sofas,dinner tables or bookshelves..They require a bigger commitment than smaller ones,and they have a more powerful effect on the feeling of a space.

The large color decisions in your rooms concern the walls,ceilings,and floors.Whether you're looking at wallpaper or paint,the time,effort and relative expense put into it are significant..

这一篇文章的结构范式比较复杂。第一段通过“原因与结果”的方式来证实color之于家装的重要性。第二段是“问题与办法”，其中“问题”是“they can get a little complex”，“办法”是“three kinds of decisions”。文章的其余部分通过“分类与排序”方式“由小到大”详细地陈述了问题的解决方法。

36、37题后面都是逗号，可供选择的选项有A、B、C三个。36题的前面陈述了两种情况，其中的核心词是looking for,只有B做出了很好的照应，配合主句再次强调本段的“结果”；37题所在句陈述“问题”， C明显不合适，故选A； 从38题起开始“由小到大”排序，故38题选D；39题进入“中”这个环节，选项G中的a step up from the small ones是一个明显的提示；最后一段实际上是典型的“原因与结果”，F所说的就是其中的结果。

四、结语

尽管英文文本结构纷繁复杂，但还是有章可循的。老师把英文文本结构知识融入到平时的阅读教学中，让学生逐步熟悉句子构成文本的基本规律，学生的英语阅读理解能力的提高就有了坚实的基础。语言是思维的工具、文化的载体，英文文本结构的基本范式实际上体现的是英语独特的思维方式，老师只有让学生熟悉这些体现英语特点的思维方式，才能从根本上提高学生的英文文本解读能力，同时又可以锤炼和丰富学生的思维品质。