2016考研英语备考:阅读技巧之破折号的作用
破折号在考研文章中经常起到解释说明的作用。各位考生可以充分利用破折号起解释说明的作用,提高阅读速度。破折号前面如果读懂了,破折号后面就可以直接省略不读了。反之,如果破折号前面的句子如果生词太多太难,读不懂,可以读懂破折号后面的句子,从而达成理解全句的目的。 【例题1】
Donovan believed in using whatever tools came to hand in the “great game” of espionage -- spying as a “profession.”(2003 Text1)
该句运用了单破折号,破折号起解释说明的作用。破折号前面的句子中有生词“espionage”,造成句子理解起来很困难,但是同学们发现破折号后面的句子spying as a “profession.”很好理解,(spying as a “profession. ”即间谍行业),由此可以推断出espionage就是“间谍行业”。 【例题2】
If its message were confined merely to information -- and that in itself would be difficult if not impossible to achieve, for even a detail such as the choice of the color of a shirt is subtly persuasive -- advertising would be so boring that no one would pay any attention.(1995 Text1)
该句运用了双破折号,双破折号后面之间的内容很长,考生理解起来既费时又费力,因此考生可以直接省略不读,这样考生可以迅速理解句子的意思,即广告不能仅仅限于传播信息,否则就没人愿意看广告了。