托福阅读作为一门语言性考试，主要从句子和段落的角度考察考生的语言能力。句子简化题需要考生理解句子逻辑关系，把握句子主要信息。
那么，如何抓住句子的主要信息，提取句子的主干就是本类题型重点内容
一、题干特征
Which of the sentences below best expresses the essentialinformation in the highlighted sentence in the passage? In correct choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.
※原文段落中会有一个阴影句子出现，就是考察句。
二、解题方法
1.阅读原句——理清句子逻辑结构，抓住句子主要信息。
2.分析选项——正确选项逻辑结构与原句相似。
3.句意相同——主要信息相符—细节尽量相符。
※尽量保证选项的逻辑关系和选项的主要信息与原文相符，没有明显逻辑结构
特征时，直接找句意与原文相同的选项。
三、正确选项特征
1. 逻辑结构相似.(√)
2. Essential meaning相同. (√)
※句意和逻辑完美结合的同义改写就是答案。 错误选项通常添加了原文没有的内容，或与原文表述不一致，以及遗漏句子主要信息等。
四、常用逻辑关系(逻辑连接词)
常见逻辑连接词：
1. 转折：however, but, even though, even if, although, while,whereas, yet, despite, in spite of;
2. 因果：because, since，therefore,thus, hence;
3. 否定：none, never, deny, fail to, lack,refuse, merelyhardly,little,few;
4. 绝对词/最高级：all , only, maximum, the first/last/most/best/worst,minimum, top, peak，--est;
5. 条件：if, only if, except, unless, provide that, as long as;
6. 并列： and, also, or, neither……nor,either……or, not only……but also, as well as, same……as;
7. 对比： while, whereas, as, / rather than, instead of, not….. but
例题解析
Paragraph 5: An even more exciting find was reported in1994, also from Pakistan. The now extinct whale Ambulocetus natans ("thewalking whale that swam") lived in the Tethys Sea 49 million years ago. Itlived around 3 million years after Pakicetus but 9 million before Basilosaurus.The fossil luckily includes a good portion of the hind legs. The legs werestrong and ended in long feet very much like those of a modern pinniped. Thelegs were certainly functional both on land and at sea. The whale retained atail and lacked a fluke, the major means of locomotion in modern cetaceans. Thestructure of the backbone shows, however, that Ambulocetus swam like modernwhales by moving the rear portion of its body up and down, even though a flukewas missing. The large hind legs were used for propulsion in water. Onland, where it probably bred and gave birth, Ambulocetus may have moved aroundvery much like a modern sea lion. It was undoubtedly a whale that linked lifeon land with life at sea.
10.Which of the sentences below best expresses theessential information in the highlighted sentence in the passage? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways orleave out essential information.
A. Even though Ambulocetus swam by moving its body up anddown, it did not havea backbone.
B. The backbone of Ambulocetus, which allowed it to swim,provides evidence of its missing fluke.
C. Although Ambulocetus had no fluke, its backbone structureshows that it swam like modern whales.
D. By moving the rear parts of their bodies up and down,modern whales swim in a different way from the way Ambulocetus swam.
解析：
1. 阅读原句，理清逻辑和句子主要信息：The structureof the backbone show that Ambulocetus swam like modern whales (by moving) even though a fluke was missing. 句子主要信息为：even though尽管它没有fluke，脊椎的结构表明A像现代鲸鱼一样游泳(通过上下移动身体后面部分)。其中由that引导的宾语从句，脊椎的结构表明它的游泳方式。
2. 分析选项，正确选项保证原文主要信息。
A. Even thoughAmbulocetus swam by moving its body up and down, it did not have a backbone
B. The backboneof Ambulocetus, which…, provides evidence of its missing fluke.
C. Although Ambulocetushad no fluke, its backbone structure shows that it swam like modern whales.
D. By moving…,modern whales swim in a different way from the way Ambulocetus swam.
通过逻辑结构选取AC为备选项。
3. 句意相同，正确选项的主要信息与原文相符。A选项中说Ambulocetus没有脊椎，与原文不符。通过句意判断C选项与原文相符为正确答案。其中， B脊椎证实了Ambulocetus没有fluke，这是原文没有提到的内容。D 现代鲸鱼和Ambulocetus的游泳方式不同，是与原文表述相反的错误选项。※阅读句子的要求：通过逻辑结构和句子的主干(主要包括句子主谓宾和定语从句)来抓住句子的主要信息。分对比原文与选项，也是通过抓住选项的主要信息来进行的。句子简化题考查我们分析长句主要信息的能力。句子简化的题频虽然不高，但是抓住句子主干(判定从句类型和作用)，分析句子逻辑这种能力对于其他题型，以及长难选项都是至关重要的。语言类的考察中，词汇是基础，词汇之上就是句子的分析能力了，因此句子简化的能力是非常重要的。
作者简介
教师姓名：刘佳微
教授科目：TOEFL阅读
教学特色：英语基础扎实，高考英语142分，具有丰富的托福备考经验。2010年10月至2012年5月间，加入北京新东方学校北美项目部，先后担任远大路校区SAT基础培训班助教和昌平校区美国加州研究生TOEFL直通车冲90分班助教老师。热爱教书，相信认真能把事情做对，用心才能把事做好。坚信教学相长，做事全力以赴，对生活充满活力。上课风格灵活，为人幽默开朗。重视语言基础的巩固，细心了解学生心理，针对学生存在的难点，善于启发引导。
(编辑：Joe)
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