别被托福阅读“绝对化表达不选” 忽悠了

在众多口口相传的托福阅读做题技巧中，“绝对化表达不选”一定是出现频率很高的一条。不知道最早想出这条规律的大神原话是什么，其实任何事情都没有那么绝对，很多人都被忽悠了。举个栗子，官方真题Official当中有这么一道题，其中B选项里有个大大的best，很多人就在心里把这个选项枪毙了。不凑巧，偏偏这个绝对的选项就是正确答案。下面我们来看一下原题重现。

Paragraph 1 indicates which of the following about ::Roman pottery::?

A Roman amphorae were of much higher quality overall than other Roman pottery.

B Roman pottery can **best** be appreciated when actual pieces are handled.

C Roman pottery declined slightly in quality when the use of fast wheels and kilns was introduced.

D Roman practical tableware spread more rapidly across the Mediterranean than amphorae did.

The pottery of ancient Romans is remarkable in several ways. **The high quality of Roman pottery is very easy to appreciate when handling actual pieces of tableware or indeed kitchenware and amphorae (the large jars used throughout the Mediterranean for the transport and storage of liquids, such as wine and oil). However, it is impossible to do justice to Roman wares on the page, even when words can be backed up by photographs and drawing. **Most Roman pottery is light and smooth to touch and very tough, although, like all pottery, it shatters if dropped on a hard surface. It is generally made with carefully selected and purified clay, worked to thin-walled and standardized shapes on a fast wheel and fired in a kiln (pottery oven) capable of ensuring a consistent finish. With handmade pottery, inevitably there are slight differences between individual vessels of the same design and occasional minor blemishes (flaws). But what strikes the eye and the touch most immediately and most powerfully with Roman pottery is its consistent high quality.

这个题目相关的句子我已经加粗标记了，这句话比较明显的有一个逻辑连接词however，所以对比的意思非常的明确。而四个选项里也有三个都表现了对比，而这三个选项在内容上还都集中在标红那一段。所以这个题目来势汹汹其实一点都不难，错误选项迷惑度低，但让人遗憾的是，这道题错误率很高。而且大多数学生是在这样的一种情况下错的：我知道我选的不太对，但我不知道选什么。但是大家又都坚定地认为B选项里面的BEST太过于绝对，坚决不选。

其实标记的句子写得很清楚，……is very easy to appreciate……However, it is impossible to do……我先大致翻译一下这句话：罗马的瓷器的高品质在你亲手碰触到实物的时候是很容易感受的，但是通过图片就不可能做出公正的评价。这句话中两者对比语气很强烈，语意也很清楚，就是想表达罗马瓷器你要把玩实物才能感受它的高品质，就是handling actual pieces好，page不好。

B选项是很合适的。

对于这种大段落考查细节题的情况，同学们往往会紧张，越紧张越慌乱，什么都找不到。其实我们仔细分析一下这段话，第一句总起，说罗马瓷器在很多方面都很出众。然后就是一个大对比，表明它的好的好是图片表现不了的，你得亲手去感触。再往下就是关于它如何好更细致的内容了。在更细节的内容里，还有一个对比，**like all pottery, it shatters if dropped on a hard surface. **这也就是第二题的答案出处。

其实ETS还是比较套路滴，第一段的后半部分中有大量关于罗马瓷器的细节描述，这种情况下最容易出EXCEPT的题目，而第二题的答案句也不是意外的落在一个对比表达上。给大家附上第二题哈：

All of the following are mentioned in paragraph 1 as characteristics of Roman pottery EXCEPT:

A It was usually made with high-quality clay.

B It generally did not weigh much.

C It did not break as easily as other ancient pottery.

D It sometimes had imperfections.

我平时没事儿的时候喜欢把官方真题Official的文章拿出来细细地读，然后跟题目进行对比，有些文章类型，题目简直就是固定搭配。后来我再做真题或者新的官方真题Official，我都先猜一猜这个段落会怎么出题，我也会直接通过看题目，直接猜答案，结果竟然八九不离十。不是在炫技，也不是教大家投机取巧，是觉得多多分析文章的结构对做题目帮助很大，所谓的题感大概就是这样吧。