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一想到閱讀，第一個念頭就是「唸吧，讀吧，看吧，要不然又要怎麼辦。」話是不錯，想來也是如此，所以一臉三分苦，加上七分無奈，還有十二萬分的不情願。孕婦接受產前之超音波檢查，看著產科醫生，拿著掃瞄器，在便便大腹上來回移動。監視銀幕上，看到光點處處，顯出胎兒捲屈其中。孕婦難免會問是男是女，好奇心之下，難免也會問：「請問醫生，你怎麼看出是男是女？」醫生往往露出一絲狡黠微笑，只說一句：「要看對地方。」閱讀文章如同超音波掃描，重點之處，就是「要看對地方」。以下列文章為例，文長2段10句215字6題，以一般閱讀速度而言，約略在5至7分鐘結束：
Naturally the audiences that support various kinds of music are not identical.1 There are separate audiences, of widely differing tastes and musical receptivity, for opera, symphony and chamber music.2 The oratorio audience is a very special group made up of the most conservative tastes and opinions.3One suspects that it is recruit- ed largely from friends and families of the singers.4 Now a stage full of happy and earnest oratorio singers must represent considerable potential ticket sales, and if this is true, it does not make much difference what work the singers select to perform.5 Any- one who has ever sung in a chorus knows what fun it is to sing Handel.6 The music is easy to grasp, fits the voice well, and fine effects are achieved with a minimum of professional skill.7
The plan of the Handel oratorio is ideal for ordinary amateur singing group.8 All the hard parts are taken by professional soloists, who can be imported for the occa- sion.9 Therefore, the chorus can make a public appearance after long, leisurely pre- paration and add on at the last moment the final professional touches.10 Thus the never-ending vogue of the oratorio and its unchanging aspect must be attributed, at least partially, to the amateur choral societies that are to be found in almost every community. 11
- What does the passage mainly discuss?
(A) Differences in music audiences
(B) The popularity of Handel’s music
(C) The rise of amateur choral societies
(D) Oratorio performers and their audiences
- The author indicates that the oratorio audience is probably composed of
(A) music composers.
(B) traveling musicians.
(C) amateur theater groups.
(D) performers’ relatives and friends.
- The author implies that the oratorio audience would buy tickets to performances
(A) if the stage were full of singers.
(B) if the singers were professional.
(C) no matter who was selling the tickets.
(D) if the singers performed Handel’s music.
- The author states that anyone who has ever sung in a chorus
(A) prefers opera to Handel’s oratorios.
(B) can compose oratorio like Handel’s.
(C) agrees that Handel’s music is difficult to sing.
(D) agrees that singing Handel’s music is enjoying.
- The author implies that the professional soloists mentioned in the passage do which of the following?
(A) Engage singers for choral societies
(B) Memorize all of Handel’s solo oratorios.
(C) Practice with amateur choruses every week.
(D) Give professional support to amateur groups.
- What can be concluded from the passage about the characteristics of oratorios?
(A) They are carelessly scheduled.
(B) They are composed entirely of solos.
(C) They are primarily performed by professionals.
(D) They vary little from one performance to another.
面對閱讀測驗，可以先看文章，求其主要概念。也可反其道而行，不妨先分析題目之重點為何，引導定點閱讀策略。每題視之為「點」，連「點」成「線」再構成「面」。
- What does the passage mainly discuss?
(A) Differences in music audiences
(B) The popularity of Handel’s music.
(C) The rise of amateur choral societies
(D) Oratorio performers and their audiences
本題為通論題，常常最先出現，答案(A)之重點為music audiences (音樂聽眾)；答案(B)之重點為Handel’s (韓德爾的音樂)；答案(C)之重點為choral societies (合唱團)；至於答案(D)則是Oratorio (神劇，清唱劇)。單字儘管不懂，先記其形，回頭看文章再找線索。由上述四個答案，可以約略知道本文交集為「音樂」，並屬於「面」的問題。
- The author indicates that the oratorio audience is probably composed of
(A) music composers.
(B) traveling musicians.
(C) amateur theater groups.
(D) performers’ relatives and friends.
本題認為oratorio (神劇，清唱劇) 的聽眾是(A) composers (作曲家)；還是(B) musicians；還是(C) theater groups；或是(D) relatives and friends。抓住主要名詞即可，屬於「點」的問題。
- The author implies that the oratorio audience would buy tickets to performances
(A) if the stage were full of singers.
(B) if the singers were professional.
(C) no matter who was selling the tickets.
(D) if the singers performed Handel’s music.
本題認為oratorio的聽眾會購票入場，主要因為(A)舞台有人，或是(B)專業歌手，或是(C)售票，或是(D)Handel之故。本題仍屬於「線」的問題。
- The author states that anyone who has ever sung in a chorus
(A) prefers opera to Handel’s oratorios.
(B) can compose oratorio like Handel’s.
(C) agrees that Handel’s music is difficult to sing.
(D) agrees that singing Handel’s music is enjoying.
作者認為合唱團的團員，以(A) (B) (C) (D)而言，皆和Handel有關，屬於更具體細緻的「點」問題，比較容易回答。
- The author implies that the professional soloists mentioned in the passage do which of the following?
(A) Engage singers for choral societies.
(B) Memorize all of Handel’s solo oratorios.
(C) Practice with amateur choruses every week.
(D) Give professional support to amateur groups.
作者暗示professional soloists (專業獨唱人士)，和(A) choral societies有關；或是和(B) Handel’s solo oratorios有關，或是和(C) amateur choruses有關，或是和(D) amateur groups有關。屬於「線」的思考問題，必需費心看出其句意暗示 (to imply) 之處。
- What can be concluded from the passage about the characteristics of oratorios?
(A) They are carelessly scheduled.
(B) They are composed entirely of solos.
(C) They are primarily performed by professionals.
(D) They vary little from one performance to another.
本文可得出結論，認為oratorios之特色為(A) carelessly scheduled，或是(B) solos，或是(C) professionals，或是(D) performance。本題屬於「線」的問題。
上述六題掃瞄之後，不妨簡單整理如下：第一題之通論描寫；第二三兩題都提到…oratorio audience…；第四題提到…a chorus…和Handel’s…之關係；第五題為…the professional soloists…；第六題則是…the characteristics of oratorios…。現在可以回頭看本文找答案，並逐句分析重點如下：
第一句點出「音樂聽眾不同」Naturally the audiences that support various kinds of music are not identical.1。不妨特別注意完整句子之結構和其否定語氣。
第二句點出「音樂不同，聽眾也不同」There are separate audiences, of widely differing tastes and musical receptivity, for opera, symphony and chamber music.2。需要多多注意句尾之…for opera, symphony and chamber music.，引用列舉描寫，進而引導開放語氣。
第三句點出「尤其是神劇聽眾」The oratorio audience is a very special group made up of the most conservative tastes and opinions.3。語氣強烈之形容詞，如本例句之… special…，或是其他如important, necessary, incredible, critical等等，自然點出重點所在。至於最高級形容詞…the most conservative…，更是如同上了濃妝，絕不可忽視。上一句 (第二句) 開放，本句則收縮，提出閱讀焦點。開合轉折之處，最值得特別用心注意。
第四句描寫「神劇的聽眾都是自己人」One suspects that it is recruited largely from friends and families of the singers.4。形容詞子句雖然最容易拖長句子，但仍屬於枝節結構，不妨先略過，而抓住句子之主要結構。但是若以名詞子句而言，名詞子句不是主詞就是受詞，地位非常重要，不可忽視，本句即為一例。本句之主結構只是短短兩字之One suspects…，並非重點所在。受詞之名詞子句，才看出內涵。代名詞it最容易置之不理，在閱讀上，最容易形成漏洞。本例句之…it…即指上一句之The oratorio audience is a very special group…。再以語意而言，所謂「觀眾或是聽眾」當然是其他人等，結果本句居然是「動員，徵召」…recruited…而來的「親朋好友」… from friends and families...。聽眾之「外人」居然只是「自己人」而已，語意衝突之處，當然就是出題所在。所以第2題的答案就是 (D)：
2. The author indicates that the oratorio audience is probably composed of
(A) music composers.
(B) traveling musicians.
(C) amateur theater groups.
(D) performers’ relatives and friends.
第五句描寫「舞台上站滿一堆人，唱什麼都可以，大家自然捧場」Now a stage full of happy and earnest oratorio singers must represent considerable potential ticket sales, and if this is true, it does not make much difference what work the singers se- lect to perform.5。本句文法結構比較複雜，以…and…連接前簡單句之Now a stage full of happy and earnest oratorio singers must represent considerable potential ticket sales,…，以及後複雜句…if this is true, it does not make much difference what work the singers select to perform.，其中包含表示條件之副詞子句…if this is true,…，和句尾之形容詞子句…what work (which) the singers select to perform. (…what…為形容詞，修飾…work…，而…what work...，則是…select…之受詞)。再以…if this is true,…而言，其指示代名詞…this…，即指前句之Now a stage full of…oratorio singers must represent…ticket sales,…。代名詞之擴張用法，不容易看出真正內涵，尤須再三小心。句尾之…it does not make much difference what work the singers se- lect to perform.，如此it句型可還原如下：…what work the singers select to perform does not make much difference.。
本句長達34字，本文全長215字，按照比例，本句佔六分之一，所以當然要出題。句子之所以拖長，就是文法結構複雜所致，語意自然也豐富，所以長句就是出題句，並不為過。其次，否定語氣點出讀者不知之處，因而特別值得注意。所以第3題的答案就是 (A)：
3. The author implies that the oratorio audience would buy tickets to performances
(A) if the stage were full of singers.
(B) if the singers were professional.
(C) no matter who was selling the tickets.
(D) if the singers performed Handel’s music.
第六句描寫「只要參加合唱團，就知道合唱Handel歌曲之樂趣所在」Anyone who has ever sung in a chorus knows what fun it is to sing Handel.6。凡以「任何人如何如何」Anyone who…帶頭，有一網打盡之意，如此通論描寫，值得注意。本句包含形容詞子句之…who has ever sung in a chorus…，和名詞子句之…what fun it is to sing Handel.。如再細究，可得知…what fun it is to sing Handel.，根本就是感嘆句之What fun it is to sing Handel!，換言之，本句轉換感嘆句為名詞子句，再成為…knows…之受詞。以一般閱讀習慣而言，若提及人事物之專有名詞，往往一眼帶過，鮮少注意，也因而造成閱讀漏洞。本句提及音樂家韓德爾Handel，目的就是測驗其專有名詞之特性，換言之，專有名詞必須視之為測驗重點，不得忽視，所以第4題答案為 (D)。：
4. The author states that anyone who has ever sung in a chorus
(A) prefers opera to Handel’s oratorios.
(B) can compose oratorio like Handel’s.
(C) agrees that Handel’s music is difficult to sing.
(D) agrees that singing Handel’s music is enjoying.
第七句只是簡單描寫「要合唱Handel oratorio，全不費工夫」The music is easy to grasp, fits the voice well, and fine effects are achieved with a minimum of profess- sional skill.7。注意兩關鍵字之…fine…minimum…，襯托…easy…之「易」；其次，效果能夠「好」，而工夫卻下得「少」，如此不勞而獲，違反「業精於勤」之常理，因此，反常理描寫有其伏筆作用，值得注意。
第八句描寫「業餘合唱團最適合練習Handel oratorio」The plan of the Handel oratorio is ideal for ordinary amateur singing group.8。形容詞「業餘的」amateur往往隱含負面語意，暗指「不夠格的，拿不出手的，端不上台面的」，值得注意。
第九句描寫「合唱Handel oratorio之難處，就交由專業獨唱即可」All the hard parts are taken by professional soloists, who can be imported for the occasion.9。本句之「專業的」…professional…和上一句的…amateur…，正好形成對比。此外，本句之…hard…，和第七句之The music is easy…，又形成對比。不論閱讀或是寫作，其正反對比描寫之處，非常值得注意。其次，所謂…imported…不過「進口」之意，也就是「自外地輸入物品」，以「物」為準；然而本句「進口」…imported…的卻是「人」之…professional soloists…，也就是「借將」之意，也就是「業餘人士唱不出來的話，就找專業獨唱來幫忙」。字意變化也最常引用為測驗之處。第7, 8, 9三句，一氣呵成，點出「要合唱Handel oratorio並不難，業餘人士撐表面，專業獨唱挑大樑」，所以第5題答案為 (D)：
5. The author implies that the professional soloists mentioned in the passage do which of the following?
(A) Engage singers for choral societies.
(B) Memorize all of Handel’s solo oratorios.
(C) Practice with amateur choruses every week.
(D) Give professional support to amateur groups.
凡「暗示」to imply之題，宜多多注意其陷阱，以本題為例，答案(C) Practice with amateur choruses every week.，引用了關鍵字之…amateur…，得出正確之前半段「和業餘人士練習」，但本文並未提及時間之…every week.，因而不宜過份推論，以免犯錯。
第十句描寫「業餘合唱團稍事練習之後，即因專業獨唱之助，而能公開演出」Therefore, the chorus can make a public appearance after long, leisurely preparation and add on at the last moment the final professional touches.10。本句以句首「所以」Therefore,…，並以…last…final…輔助引導結論描寫。至於句尾之…touches.，亦即「修飾」之意。
第十一句描寫「業餘之oratorio合唱團，不論何地，使終不變」Thus the never- ending vogue of the oratorio and its unchanging aspect must be attributed, at least partially, to the amateur choral societies that are to be found in almost every commu- nity. 11。本句之…unchanging…，已明示「不變」之意，十分吻合第6題答案(D)之「少有變化」…vary little...。
6. What can be concluded from the passage about the characteristics of oratorios?
(A) They are carelessly scheduled.
(B) They are composed entirely of solos.
(C) They are primarily performed by professionals.
(D) They vary little from one performance to another.
此外，句尾程度副詞「幾乎」…almost…，雖然很不起眼，但其強調之意，卻不容忽視。至於動詞片語之「歸功於」to be attributed to，因插入表程度之介系詞片語…at least partially,…，而告短暫中斷，並不影響閱讀語氣。如果其介系詞片語拖長為…at least partially in terms of heritage shared with people across cultures…， 如此長串之斷裂描寫，最容易引起閱讀斷層現象，而看得一頭霧水。應付之道無他，不上當而已，直接跳過長串之斷裂描寫，抓住原形之動詞片語即可。
本文兩段11句，前後出現四次oratorio，因此能充份支持第1題答案(D)之關鍵字Oratorio…，而雀屏中選：
1. What does the passage mainly discuss?
(A) Differences in music audiences
(B) The popularity of Handel’s music
(C) The rise of amateur choral societies
(D) Oratorio performers and their audiences
本題若留到最後才回答，當然能有十分把握。全文如果「看對地方」，掃瞄如下，一樣可以有相當把握回答本題：
…The oratorio audience is a very special group…friends and families of the singers.4Now a stage full of…oratorio singers must represent considerable potential ticket sales,…Anyone who has ever sung in a chorus knows…to sing Handel.6…the Handel oratorio is ideal…. Thus the never-ending vogue of the oratorio and its unchanging aspect must be attributed,…, to the amateur choral societies….
閱讀要有心得，還有許多技巧，不妨再試試下列兩句51字，以20秒為限，是不是「看對了地方」：
As the power of exchange gives rise to the division of labor, so the extent of this division must always be limited by the extent of the power of the market. When the market is very small, no person can have any encouragement to dedicate him- self entirely to one employment.
(大意是說「市場大，才可能分工；市場小，談不上分工」。)
閱讀閱讀，讓汎美名師幫助你越來越能讀 |
