先给个学生眼中看似不错的分数。
距离第一次考6级已经有整7年了。
2009年第一次考六级,今年有幸以学生身份回到母校,又考了一次六级。当了几年机构的培训老师,难免有些自信心爆棚,结果听力题型的改变着实让我差点没找到感觉,事实证明这次改革后的题目不太容易。 分数出来之后也证明了我的判断,听力整整比阅读低了40分,充分说明听力的训练是不可以间断的。这些年读外文书、看外文报告没有间断,所以阅读能力没有下降,但是听力确实大不如前,至少离2010年考托福时差了很远(这里没有任何自夸的意思,本人从事四六级教学6年,一直教的项目是四六级考研写作)。
分析完分数之后,我仔细研究了一下新改革的六级听力,得出了一些新改革题型的窍门:讲座题。特别分享给听力一直摸不着头脑的考生。(以下内容摘自本人公众号,个人感觉是市面比较详细且踏实的解读。)
第一部分
改革动向:
1. 取消短对话
2. 取消单词及词组听写
3. 短文听力由3篇缩减至2篇
4. 新增讲座、讲话听力(3篇)
调整后的六级听力结构:
至此我们可知,新四六级听力保留了长对话和短文听力两类题型,只在题目数量上有所调整,而此次主要的变动在于新增了四级的“短篇新闻听力”和六级的“讲座/讲话听力”,而且删除掉了听写部分的题型。
第二部分
长对话听力
1.长对话选材特点
有了充分的听前预测,听时的主要任务就是抓住考点,且掌握如下两个原则:
首先,长对话后设的3-4个小题一般均匀地分布在对话的每个回合,极少出现某一个回合包含两个考点的情况。这样,我们在一个对话回合中找到一个考点后,剩余的部分就可不做详听,让紧张的神经稍做放松,有利于将精力集中于下面的考点。
其次,考点的位置多是话轮转换的时候。具体的说,就是对话一方某段发言的开头和结尾部分,这也完全符合西方人的思维习惯,即在发言伊始多是开门见山,而在发言结尾处又总括强调。
例:
M: Hi, Miss Rowling, how old were you when you started to write? And what was your first book?
W: I wrote my first story when I was about six. It was about a small animal, a rabbit, I mean, and I've been writing ever since. (22题考点)
M: Why did you choose to be an author?
W: If someone asked me how to achieve happiness, step one would be finding out what you love doing most and step two would be finding someone to pay you to do this. I consider myself very lucky indeed to be able to support myself by writing. (23题考点)
M: Do you have any plans to write books for adults?
W: My first two novels were for adults. I suppose I might write another one, but I never really imagine a target audience when I'm writing. The ideas come first, so it really depends on the ideas that grasp me next. (24题考点)
M: Where did the ideas for the Harry Potter books come from?
W: I've no idea where the ideas came from. And I hope I'll never find out. (25题考点) It would spoil my excitement if it turned out I just have a funny wrinkle on the surface of my brain, which makes me think about the invisible train platform.
2.听力技巧:
1)更多单词或短语被读到的选项就是正确选项
2)原文经常会把正确选项的词用同义词来替换
3)第一题经常对应原文第一句或第一回合
4)顺序出题,边听边做,不等问题。
5)一方询问,另一方作答时,关键信息多出现在作答一方,考点自然也就多出于此。分清对话双方的主次对于我们预测考点出现的位置很重要。
例:
23. A) She is thirsty for promotion.
B) She wants a much higher salary.
C) She is tired of her present work.
D) She wants to save travel expenses.
首先通过promotion, salary和work可得出本对话的大致主题是有关职业,再联系两次出现的wants,想到或许与求职有关,并顺理成章地想到可能会谈到离职的原因、新职位的性质以及薪酬等等。。
此后我们可对选项中较长的词语做标注,如下划线所示。通过听录音我们发现本题答案的对应信息在原文中是"I'm fed up with my job.", 正是"tired of"的同义置换。
第三部分
短文听力
听力技巧
.1.预览选项,预测主题,区分文体。
在听录音之前,考生应将所有题目和选项浏览一遍,这样可以对短文内容和文体有个大致的了解和判断。通过纵向、横向比较能发现一些解题的重要信息,如否定词、转折词、重复出现的单词和短语,这些都能够帮助推断短文内容及问题类型。很多的考查内容是有关细节的,选项中给出的正确答案与原文内容保持基本一致。同时,考生要特别注意试题的排列次序,因为这类题型常常是将小题按所对应的录音材料内容的顺序排列。如果没有时间预先阅读选项或时间不宽裕,考生可以边听录音边依次浏览选项,同时进行思考、答题。
比如:
1)选项均为by开头.的介词短语表明,本题可能考查做某事的方法或手段。
A.By seeking help from the card reader maker Verifone.
B.By covering the credit card with a layer of plastic.
C.By calling the credit card company for confirmation.
D.By typing the credit card number into the cash register.
Q:How did Sam Azar manage to complete the sale?
2)选项均为动词短语,其中的give birth to many new和change the lifestyle表明,本题可能考查某事带来的影响。
A.Produce many low-tech fixes for high—tech failures.
B.Give birth to many new technological inventions.
C.Change the lifestyle of many Americans.
D.Affect the sales of high—tech appliances.
Q:What is today’s shaky economy likely to do?
2. 在听短文时,要注意捕捉每篇文章或每一段开头的一句话
因为它们往往是该篇或该段落的主题句,概括了文章的主要内容或对下文做出了重要提示。同时,要密切注意短文中事件发生的时间、地点、人物和情节这些要素,因为短文后的问题通常会以what, when, where, which, who, why, whose, how等疑问词开头。另外,考生要从整体上了解短文的中心内容,根据题目的要求把握主要情节或论点,在不影响听的前提下做笔记,把回答问题的关键词语及内容记录下来。
3. 根据文章体裁寻找具体信息。
不同文体的文章其内容的侧重点以及考题的偏重点也各不相同,所以考生在预测时最好估计一下文章的属性,根据所设问题有针对性地去听内容。如名人传记类侧重人物的出生年月、地点、家庭背景、个人经历、突出贡献及轶闻趣事等。说明文是用于说明事物的,它主要介绍事物的性质、特点、成因、形态和功能。所以在听这类文章时,我们要注意“是什么”、“怎么样”、“为什么”等具体信息。
4.注意标志性细节:逻辑词。
听力材料中出现的时间、数字、地点等信息以及表示原因和转折关系的词汇和句子经常是标志性的出题点所在。所以,考生在听的时候要特别留意这些细节,做好笔记。
5.避免掉坑:听到什么不一定选什么。
长对话和短文都以考同意替换为主。
例如:
原文:“卡森医生每周只能看两个电视节目,放学以后完成作业才能和朋友们一起玩,and had to read two books a week, and write book reports about them.”等于选项A.
A)Write two book reports a week.
B)Keep a diary.
C)Help with housework.
D)Watch education.
第四部分
讲座/讲话听力:
1.选材特点
选取讲座或演讲的录音作为听力素材,基于内容设置单选题,一共三篇讲座或演讲,共10题。
从官方提供的样题中可见其特点:
新六级样题讲座/讲话听力第三段:
样题题干:
Now listen to the following recording and answer questions 23 to 25.
23. A) The guaranteed quality of its goods.
B) The huge volume of its annual sales.
C) The service it provides to its customers.
D) The high value-to-weight ratio of its goods.
24. A) Those having a taste or smell component.
B) Products potentially embarrassing to buy.
C) Those that require very careful handling.
D) Services involving a personal element.
25. A) Those who live in the virtual world.
B) Those who have to work long hours.
C) Those who are used to online transactions.
D) Those who don’t mind paying a little more.
样题原文:
Now listen to the following recording and answer questions 23 to 25.
I’d like to look at a vital aspect of e-commerce, and that is the nature of the product or service. There are certain products and services that are very suitable for selling online, and others that simply don’t work.
23.Suitable products generally have a high value-to-weight ratio. Items such as CDs and DVDs are obvious examples. Books, although heavier and so more expensive to post, 23.still have a high enough value-to-weight ratio, as the success of Amazon, which started off selling only books, shows. Laptop computers are another good product for selling online.
Digital products, such as software, films and music, can be sold in a purely virtual environment. The goods are paid for by online transactions, and then downloaded onto the buyer’s computer. There are no postage or delivery costs, so prices can be kept low.
Many successful virtual companies provide digital services, such as financial transactions, in the case of Paypal, or means of communication, as Skype does. The key to success here is providing an easy-to-use, reliable service. Do this and you can easily become the market leader, as Skype has proved.
Products which are potentially embarrassing to buy also do well in the virtual environment. Some of the most profitable e-commerce companies are those selling sex-related products or services. For a similar reason, online gambling is highly popular.
24. Products which are usually considered unsuitable for selling online include those that have a taste or smell component. Food, especially fresh food, falls into this category, along with perfume. Clothes and other items that need to be tried on such as diamond rings and gold necklaces are generally not suited to virtual retailing, and, of course, items with a low value-to-weight ratio.
There are exceptions, though. Online grocery shopping has really taken off, with most major supermarkets offering the service. The inconvenience of not being able to see the food you are buying is outweighed by the time saved and convenience of having the goods delivered. 25.Typical users of online supermarkets include the elderly, people who work long hours and those without their own transport.
23 What is important to the success of an online store?D
24. What products are unsuitable for selling online?A
25. Who are more likely to buy groceries online? B
2.听力技巧
1)逻辑词/语气词后出题频繁
新六级的讲座/讲话听力素材来源比较复杂,样题中第一篇来自托福原题,第二篇来自VOA,最长的一篇原文字数达到了450词。讲座/讲话听力题型的内容往往会比较专业,但是在形式上,由于是演讲内容,很多时候更偏向于口语表达。这类题型同样有着特定的行文方式和风格,考生需要靠日常多积累,多练习,方能轻松应对。
增加讲座测试的意义在于,假设学生走进英语国家的大学课堂,你是否能听懂真正的外国教授的英文授课,这种题型的设计更加接近于托福考试中的lecture,命题设计也和托福考试十分相似,其出题点在于:
1.段首段尾句:任何一个篇章第一句话往往是重点
2.设问句:一般疑问听升调,特殊疑问听特殊疑问词(5w+1h)
3.总结性质的词汇:in brief, in particular, in short, all in all, generally speaking, conclude, conclusion, in a word, so , you see, in fact, we can say, ok, anyway
4.重复性质的信息:指实词重复
5.首段转折:在第一段中出现but,however, yet, instead, today 后往往是正确答案
6.转折对比处:passage中出现转折对比的词汇,往往被转折对比的后面为正确答案。
Although, though, even though, despite, in spite of, however, but, yet, well, not…but…, instead, on the other hand, unexpected, unexpectedly, unfortunately, fortunately
7.因果关系:重因轻果
because, cause, for, as, since, be due to, lead to, result from, result in, as a result
8.定义处:something can be defined as something, that is so called, we call it... the definition of ... is...
9.强调处:语气强硬的词汇,形容词,副词最高级
10.特殊修辞:排比处、举例处、比喻处
2)一开始的强调主题处
比如:
Today, we are going to discuss…….
3)下定义处经常有考点。
比如:define, concept, what I mean is .
生单词过多处,未必是考点,其后解释为考点。这是平时我们在整个听力部分反复强调的观点:如果听力中遇到听不懂、听不出来的生单词,千万不要纠结,从而导致没有跟上节奏,听懂接下来的内容。结果生单词处,未必是考点。尤其是在讲座听力当中,对一个新的概念提出以后,紧跟着会有简单的语言来对讲座中的术语进行解释,而这些解释的内容,才是考点真正的出处。
4)同意替换较小,听到什么选什么的概率占80%。前提是:不是只听到个别词。
以上是六级考试的整个解题思路。然而六级听力绝非靠技巧可以提升,大部分考生考前捉襟见肘都是因为平常不愿意踏实听写的缘故。如果有时间准备,非常推荐扎实精听的方式来提升。