天博体育入口-关键比赛中，冰川之巅稳扎稳打拿下比赛，选手当场怒吼

　　不论是细节题、句子简化题还是排除题，我们都会经常遇到比较级的描述。当我们在托福阅读原文或者题目的对应选项中遇到比较级时，朗阁托福培训中心的老师认为应重点关注句子的哪部分，则成为选择正确答案的关键。那么，我们通过一个例句来具体了解，对于比较级，我们可以获取的信息有哪些。

　　比较级，即comparative, 根据维基百科的描述，“A comparative is a form of an adjective or adverb indicating greater degree”, 牛津词典的描述“comparative means grammar (of an adjective or adverb) expressing a higher degree of a quality, but not the highest possible (e.g. braver; more fiercely)”, 它是英语语法中的一种常见语法，有一般比较级和特殊比较级之分，在托福阅读的考察过程中，我们常见的是一般比较级，即形容词/副词的比较级形式（通常单音节以原单词其后加-er表示，多音节词则以more + 原单词表示），用来表达某一性质的较高程度。

　　例句：Edison was more interested in the sale of Kinetoscopes (for roughly $1,000 a piece) to these parlors than in the films that would be run in them (which cost approximately $10 to $15 each).

　　信息点拆分：我们从比较级的角度把这句话的内容从比较级的存在性、比较对象、比较内容和比较方向四个方面作一个具体拆分。（1）本句话中，比较级存在性的描述判断较为明显，主要体现在两点，第一是形容词的比较形式more interested in的存在，第二是than的存在。（2）在确定句子存在比较级后，我们再来分析下比较对象，即谁同谁比较，同样可以通过两点来发现，第一，than其后的对象结构形式，in the films that would be run in them; 第二，than前面同in the films that would be run in them相同的结构形式即in the sale of Kinetoscopes。（3）对于比较内容当然是从形容词interested入手了，关于兴趣多少的比较。（4）比较方向是这四者中最容易判断的了，因为从more interested来看明显前者多于后者。

　　综合句意：比起活动电影放映机放映的电影（每部电影大概需花费10-15美元）内容而言，Edison对于影院中的活动电影放映机（一台的售价为大约1000美元）的销售更感兴趣。

　　接下来，我们通过具体的例题（原汁原味TPO）来探讨这四点在实际考题中的具体应用。

　　（一）存在性

　　对于比较级存在性，最重要的是要弄清楚两点：第一，原文相关句子有比较级的情况下，选项是否必须出现同样的比较级描述；第二，在原文没有明显比较级描述的情况下，选项是否可以出现比较级描述。

　　1. 原文存在明显比较级描述

　　例1. 【Paragraph 5】Mathematical models of ecosystems likewise suggest that diversity does not guarantee ecosystem stability—just the opposite, in fact. A more complicated system is, in general, more likely than a simple system to break down. A fifteen-speed racing bicycle is more likely to break down than a child’s tricycle. (TPO3 The Long-Term Stability of Ecosystems)

　　In paragraph 5, why does the author provide the information that “A fifteen-speed racing bicycle is more likely to break down than a child’s tricycle”?

　　○ To illustrate a general principle about the stability of systems by using an everyday example

　　○ To demonstrate that an understanding of stability in ecosystems can be applied to help understand stability in other situations

　　○ To make a comparison that supports the claim that, in general, stability increases with diversity

　　○ To provide an example that contradicts mathematical models of ecosystems

　　【题型判断】意图题

　　【题目解析】带引号的意图题easy point在于定位，原文原词，可定位到本段最后一句话；意图题的重要考点在于观点同例子的关系，本题特定信息点明显为例子，故而重点在于前面的观点“A more complicated system is, in general, more likely than a simple system to break down”。我们发现，前面的观点描述重点在于比较级，即“通常，一个更复杂的系统比一个简单的系统更容易瓦解”。观察选项我们发现，并没有一个选项直接体现出了比较级，这说明，当原文关联句存在比较级时，选项并不一定要求出现比较级，只要求能够准确反映出这句话的主要内容即可，而本句话比较级反映出来的是系统的复杂性更容易导致系统瓦解，故而，B选项的“应用到其他情况”，C选项的稳定性同多样性的关系，D选项的contradict都不能反映其主要信息，故正确答案为A。

　　2. 原文不存在明显比较级描述

　　例1. 【Paragraph 5】Throughout most of Earth's history, glaciers did not exist, but at the present time about 10 percent of Earth's land surface is covered by glaciers. Present-day glaciers are found in Antarctica, in Greenland, and at high elevations on all the continents except Australia. In the recent past, from about 2.4 million to about 10,000 years ago, nearly a third of Earth's land area was periodically covered by ice thousands of meters thick. In the much more distant past, other ice ages have occurred. (TPO15 Glacier Formation)

　　According to paragraph 5, in what way is the present time unusual in the history of Earth?

　　○ There are glaciers.

　　○ More land is covered by glaciers than at any time in the past.

　　○ There is no ice age.

　　○ No glaciers are found in Australia.

　　【题型判断】细节题

　　【题目解析】对于细节题，我们首先要确定的是本文主题——Glacier Formation, 问题中的关键词present time和the history of Earth, 考点词——unusual, 当我们做好这一步基础准备的时候，就可以开始定位分析相关句子（即本段第一句）了。通过第一句的描述，学生的答案普遍集中于两个选项——A选项和B选项。我们一起来看一下这句话的意思，“在地球大部分的历史时期，冰川是不存在的，但是现在，大约10%的地球陆地表面被冰川覆盖”，由这句话，我们可以明确的得到，现在跟过去的区别是过去没有冰川现在有冰川。那么，现在问题来了，在一有一无的情况下，我们能使用比较级描述吗？就好比你有十本书，我没有书，能够使用比较级说你的书比我多吗？答案是否定的，我们前面强调过，比较级是用来表达某一性质的较高程度，意味着比较双方首先得有这个性质，如果一方有该性质而另一方没有，是无法进行比较的，清楚这一点的话，那么B选项就不在选择范围内了，答案为A。

　　例2. 【Paragraph 4】Wind power is most economical in areas with steady winds. In areas where the wind dies down, backup electricity from a utility company or from an energy storage system becomes necessary. Backup power could also be provided by linking wind farms with a solar cell, with conventional or pumped-storage hydropower, or with efficient natural-gas-burning turbines. Some drawbacks to wind farms include visual pollution and noise, although these can be overcome by improving their design and locating them in isolated areas. (ONLINE TEST Electricity from Wind)

　　According to paragraph 4, what can be inferred about the problems of visual pollution and noise associated with wind farms?

　　○ Both problems affect the efficiency of wind farms.

　　○ Possible solutions are known for both problems.

　　○ Wind power creates more noise than visual pollution.

　　○ People are more concerned about visual pollution than noise.

　　【题型判断】推断题

　　【题目解析】对于推断题，在确定题目类型后要做的事情同细节题，确定主题，找关键词和考点，定位，分析。通过问题关键词我们可以定位到本段最后一句，“风车农场的一些缺点包括视觉污染和噪音，尽管这些缺点可以被克服，通过提高它们的设计和建在远一些的地方”，A选项的效率未提及；C选项的比较级，我们可以确定的是，原文不存在明显的比较级描述，意思转换上的也不存在；D选项比起噪音人们更担心视觉污染，此处人们对两个缺点的担心情况并没有比较，因而也不可以选；B选项可以对应，因为文中有提出可能的解决措施，属于特殊和普遍的转换（此点我们后期会在推断题专题进一步阐释）。由此可见，当原文不存在明显的比较级和隐含比较级时，选项的比较级是不用纳入考虑范围的。

　　例3. 【Paragraph 2】By far the most abundant form of geothermal energy occurs at the relatively low temperatures of 80° to 180° centigrade. Water circulated through heat reservoirs in this temperature range is able to extract enough heat to warm residential, commercial, and industrial spaces. More than 20,000 apartments in France are now heated by warm underground water drawn from a heat reservoir in a geologic structure near Paris called the Paris Basin. Iceland sits on a volcanic structure known as the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland, is entirely heated by geothermal energy derived from volcanic heat. (TPO 21 Geothermal Energy)

　　According to paragraph 2, which of the following is true about heat reservoirs with a temperature in the range of 80° to 180° centigrade?

　　○ They are under international control.

　　○ They are more common than reservoirs that have a higher temperature.

　　○ Few of them produce enough heat to warm large industrial spaces.

　　○ They are used to generate electricity.

　　【题型判断】细节题

　　【题目分析】通过数字80° to 180°我们可以很快定位到本段第一句话，“到目前为止，地热能源最丰富的形式出现在相对低的温度从80°到180°”, 依据这句话及比较级和最高级转换这一考点（既然80度到180度是最丰富的，那么这个区间的地热能源肯定比80度以下的和180度以上的都要多），因此我们可以直接对应B选项。

　　例4. 【Paragraph 1】Before 1815 manufacturing in the United States had been done in homes or shops by skilled artisans. As master craft workers, they imparted the knowledge of their trades to apprentices and journeymen. In addition, women often worked in their homes part-time, making finished articles from raw material supplied by merchant capitalists. After 1815 this older form of manufacturing began to give way to factories with machinery tended by unskilled or semiskilled laborers. Cheap transportation networks, the rise of cities, and the availability of capital and credit all stimulated the shift to factory production. (OG Artisans and Industrialization)

　　Which of the following can be inferred from the passage about articles manufactured before 1815?

　　○ They were primarily produced by women.

　　○ They were generally produced in shops rather than in homes.

　　○ They were produced with more concern for quality than for speed of production.

　　○ They were produced mostly in large cities with extensive transportation networks.

　　【题型判断】推断题

　　【题目解析】在本段第一句明显出现了同样的时间点，根据这句话的描述，1815年前的生产是被熟练的工匠在家里或者商店中制作的，而我们浏览选项，并没有明显一致的对应内容，反而可以排除掉B选项（它们通常被生产在商店而不是在家里）与第一句话矛盾；而后，女性在家中兼职的工作并不一定能够得出她们是生产工艺品的主力军，故而A选项错；最后一个选项“工艺品主要在大城市中制作并伴有广泛的交通网络”这点也是在1815年后才出现的，因而排除D。同时，1815年后手工业生产工艺品的方式让位给了工厂，工厂的机器都是由不熟练或半熟练的劳动力照料的，通过这点和前面的第一句话，一个是熟练的工匠的手工生产，一个是不熟练的劳动力操作的大机器生产，前者重视质量多过重视效率，后者重视效率多过重视质量，因此，可以得出比较级“（在1815年前）工艺品的制作更多的关心的是质量而非生产速度”。由此可见，在原文不存在明显比较级的时候，我们也可以通过文中句子意思的描述综合得出隐含比较级。

　　3. 关于存在性小结

　　当原文和问题相关联的句子中出现明显比较级形式（出现形容词或副词的比较级和than）时，选项可以不出现比较级形式描述，只要该选项内容和此句主要意思相一致即可；当原文和问题相关联的句子中不存在明显的比较级描述时，需要注意原文是否存在最高级（可由最高级转化得到比较级），同时也要留意原文的描述中是否存在间接的隐含的比较级，如superior（优于）、inferior（劣于）及通过意思综合得到比较级的情况，如果存在，则选项中的比较级可以考虑，如果不存在，则选项中的比较级不比考虑，果断排除。

　　（二）比较对象

　　当我们确定了原文存在明显的或者隐含的比较级时，第二步则是对比两处的比较对象，最重要的在于原文的比较对象和选项的比较对象是否一致。

　　例1. 【Paragraph 3】…Darwin held that many more individuals are produced than can find food and survive into adulthood. A struggle for survival follows…. (OG: Aggression)

　　According to Darwin's theory of evolution, members of a species are forced to struggle for survival because

　　○ not all individuals are skilled in finding food

　　○ individuals try to defend their young against attackers

　　○ many more individuals are born than can survive until the age of reproduction

　　○ individuals with certain genes are more likely to reach adulthood

　　【题型判断】细节题

　　【题目解析】根据关键词及文章的定位句子，“达尔文认为，更多的个人被创造出来比实际能够找到食物并生存到成年的人。”这里的比较对象是被创造出来的个人和成长到成年的个人，比较内容是这两类人群的数量，比较结果是前者比后者多。由此，对应的同义替换的选项为C选项。也就是说，当原文与该问题相关的句子中描述的比较对象、比较内容和比较方向都和选项一致时，该选项无疑为该题的正确选项。

　　例2. 【Paragraph 5】In the second case, pollinators (insects, birds) obtain food from the flowering plant, and the plant has its pollen distributed and seeds dispersed much more efficiently than they would be if they were carried by the wind only. (TPO 17: Symbiotic Relationships)

　　Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence from the passage? Incorrect answer choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.

　　○ Animals and insects are more effective in distributing pollen and seeds than the wind.

　　○ The relationship between flowering plants and pollinators provides pollinators with food and flowers with efficient reproduction.

　　○ In some cases birds obtain food from the seeds that are dispersed in the wind.

　　○ The wind not only helps the flowers distribute their seeds but enables birds to find more food.

　　【题型判断】句子简化题

　　【题目分析】原句意思：在第二个例子中，授粉生物（昆虫、鸟类等）从开花植物中获取食物，而植物则可以使自己的花粉和种子传播更有效率，比起仅仅依靠风来传递。在这句话中，存在明显的比较级，我们不妨一起来看一下这句话中的比较对象、比较内容和比较方向。很多学生会认为比较对象一方为授粉生物，另一方为风，比较内容为两方传播花粉的效率，比较方向为前者比后者更有效率，因此很开心的选择了A选项，比较的对象、内容和方向与原文完全一致。我们先抛开句子简化题的做题方式，来考虑下A选项关于比较级的三个方面真的同原文一模一样吗？其实不然，问题就出在了比较对象上。关于比较对象，我们可以确定的是，than其后的对象是仅仅依靠风来传播花粉和种子，前面的那个对象呢？植物使自己的花粉和种子传播得更有效率比仅仅依靠风，其后为仅仅依靠风，前面呢？只有授粉生物，还是授粉生物和风一起？两种都有可能吧。所以，如果只把前面的对象认为是授粉生物，那么就忽略了第二种可能，而第二种可能的存在意味着A选项的描述就不可能是正确的了，A+B当然大于B, 但我们不能由此得到A>B, 不是吗？

　　小结：在寻找比较级的比较对象时，比较容易确定的是than后的比较对象之一，而前一个对象的寻找一种方式是依靠结构，寻找与than后结构一致的内容，一种是依靠句子意思理解，寻找符合文意的合理对象。当原文与该问题相关的句子中描述的比较对象、比较内容和比较方向都和选项一致时，该选项无疑为该题的正确选项，而当原文的比较对象和选项的比较对象不一致时，该选项的准确性就有待进一步考察了。

　　（三）比较内容

　　对于比较内容，重点在于原文的比较内容和选项的比较内容是否一致。比如，原文是A和B的人口密度的比较，而选项是A和B的经济发展的比较，那么很明显，选项的信息并不能根据原文得到，故而非原文提及的正确信息。

　　例1. 【Paragraph 2】Glaciers are open systems, with snow as the system’s input and melt water as the system's main output. The glacial system is governed by two basic climatic variables: precipitation and temperature. For a glacier to grow or maintain its mass, there must be sufficient snowfall to match or exceed the annual loss through melting, evaporation, and calving, which occurs when the glacier loses solid chunks as icebergs to the sea or to large lakes. If summer temperatures are high for too long, then all the snowfall from the previous winter will melt. Surplus snowfall is essential for a glacier to develop. A surplus allows snow to accumulate and for the pressure of snow accumulated over the years to transform buried snow into glacial ice with a depth great enough for the ice to flow. Glaciers are sometimes classified by temperature as faster-flowing temperate glaciers or as slower-flowing polar glaciers. (TPO 15 Glacier Formation)

　　According to paragraph 2, surplus snow affects a glacier in all the following ways EXCEPT:

　　○ It provides the pressure needed to cause glacial ice to flow.

　　○ It offsets losses of ice due to melting, evaporation, and calving.

　　○ It brings about the formation of glaciers in the snow it buries.

　　○ It results in temperate glaciers that are thicker than polar glaciers.

　　【题型判断】细节题（排除题）

　　【题目解析】对于排除题而言，首先确定题目内容，然后，根据物以稀为贵的原则考虑先看原文或先看选项，此处明显选项内容少于原文内容，因此，我们先看选项，然后去原文找寻对应出处。选项中划线部分为该选项的关键词，我们可以看到D选项的关键词temperate glaciers和polar glaciers集中出现在最后一句，由于该选项有比较级，我们确认了原文也有比较级，且两处的比较对象是相同的，当我们看到比较内容时会发现，原文是“faster-flowing temperate glaciers or as slower-flowing polar glaciers”, 即流动速度快慢的比较，而选项是“thicker than”厚度的比较，比较内容不一样，因此为不正确信息，而排除题要的就是原文未提及的信息或与原文信息不符的内容，因此D选项为正确答案。

　　小结：在寻找比较级的比较内容时，关注的是具有比较级形式的形容词或副词，由其体现出来的内容就是比较内容，当原文的比较内容与选项的比较内容不一致时，我们可以确定该选项是与原文不符的信息。

　　（四）比较方向

　　正所谓行百里者半九十，当我们确认到这一步时，前面已经花了大量的时间和精力，这些精力花费的值不值，就在于最终我们能否获得正确答案了，因此，此点的准确判断就显得至关重要，而准确判断比较方向的要点就在于两个字——细心。

　　例1. 【Paragraph 2】From north to south in the Yucatan Peninsula, where the Maya lived, rainfall ranges from 18 to 100 inches (457 to 2,540 millimeters) per year, and the soils become thicker, so that the southern peninsula was agriculturally more productive and supported denser populations. But rainfall in the Maya homeland is unpredictably variable between years; some recent years have had three or four times more rain than other years. As a result, modern farmers attempting to grow corn in the ancient Maya homelands have faced frequent crop failures, especially in the north. The ancient Maya were presumably more experienced and did better, but nevertheless they too must have faced risks of crop failures from droughts and hurricanes. (TPO 14 Maya Water Problems)

　　Which of the following is NOT mentioned in paragraph 2 as a difference between the northern and southern Yucatan Peninsula?

　　○ The annual rainfall was greater in the south.

　　○ The population density was lower in the north.

　　○ Agricultural productivity was greater in the south

　　○ Rainfall was more unpredictable and variable in the south.

　　【题型判断】细节题（排除题）

　　【题目解析】排除题做题原则同上例，此题选项中比较突出的特定在于A, B和C三个选项中存在明显的比较级，D选项不存在比较级，前三个选项的关键词高度集中于本段第一句话，比较级选项需要注意的存在性已经有了很明显的描述，A选项降水量多少的比较出现于前半句，从北到南降水从18到100 inches故而南多过北，选项描述方向正确；B选项人口密度的比较在第三行，“因此南部支持更密集的人口”，此处与选项有些许差异，但不意味着选项信息错误，因为南北比较，南较多，自然北较少，故而选项描述方向与原文一致，注意这种转换要细致处理才能保证准确率；C选项农业生产力的描述也对应第三行，南部农业产量更高，选项描述方向与原文一致，故C选项也为正确信息，那么答案就是D, 当前面的分析都准确无误时，后面无需再找D选项相关描述。

　　小结：在寻找比较级的比较方向时，主要是从原文比较对象的位置和形容词比较级的呈现方式来确定的，当比较级方向同原文存在差异时，若比较对象此时位置也发生相应变化，则该描述正确，而当比较级方向同原文存在差异而比较对象位置不变时，那么该信息就属于与原文不符的信息。

　　朗阁海外考试研究中心的专家提醒各位考生，以后凡是选项中涉及到比较级的题目，我们都要从原文对应点体现的比较级的存在性、比较对象、比较内容和比较方向四个方面进行逐一考察。其中，最重要的在于比较级存在性的判断，注意明显带than的比较形式，挖掘隐含比较级（最高级转换、本身带有比较含义的单词和句意转换）。而后，注意比较对象、比较内容和比较方向的逐一对应。搞定比较级，离阅读高分还远吗？路漫漫其修远兮，朗阁海外考试研究中心的老师陪大家一起上下而求索。

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