Lesson 05 : Inference Questions & Purpose Questions¶
Skills¶
Inference Questions¶
- 寻找 Topical Word
- Reverse Thinking（逆向思维）
- Think Positive
Purpose Questions¶
- Identify the reason why the author includes something in a particular way, or why a passage is organized the way it is.
- Stay focused on the context！
- Find answer in proceeding or succeeding sentences
- Find out the topic sentence of the paragraph
Examples¶
Inference Questions¶
Example 01
It should be obvious that cetaceans -- whales, porpoises, and dolphins -- are viviparous. They breathe through lungs, not through gills, and give birth to live young.Their streamlined bodies, the absence of hind legs, and the presence of a fluke and blowhole cannot disguise their affinities with terrestrial mammals. However, unlike the cases of sea otters and pinnipeds (seals, sea lions, and walruses whose limbs are functional both on land and at sea), it is challenging to envision what the first whales looked like.
- Which of the following can be inferred about early sea otters?
- A) Their appearance is not hard to visualize.
- B) They were massive in size.
- C) They lived only in aquatic environments.
- D) They did not leave many fossil remains.
A) Their appearance is not hard to visualize.
根据原文 "Unlike the cases of sea otters and pinnipeds, it is challenging to envision what the first whales looked like." 说明对于 sea otters 是很好想象的。（逆向思维）
Example 02
Accustomed though we are to speaking of the films made before 1927 as "silent", the film has never been silent as such. From the very beginning, music was deemed an indispensable accompaniment; when the Lumiere films were shown at the first public film exhibition in the United States in February 1896, they were accompanied by piano improvisations on popular tunes. At first, the music played had little bearing on the films; an accompaniment of any kind would suffice. Within a very brief time, however, the incongruity of playing lively music to a solemn film became pronounced, and film pianists began to take some care in matching their pieces to the mood of the film.
- What can be inferred about the majority of films made after 1927?
- A) They were truly “silent."
- B) They were accompanied by symphonic orchestras.
- C) They incorporated vocal sounds.
- D) They corresponded to specific musical compositions.
C) They incorporated vocal sounds.
文章一直提及 music 这个词，可以得知 1927 之前已经有了音乐，可以推断 1927 之后加入人声配音。
Example 03
The story of the westward movement of population in the United States is, in the main, the story of the expansion of American griculture, of the development of new areas for the raising of livestock and the cultivation of wheat, corn, tobacco, and cotton.After 1815 improved transportation enabled more and more western farmers to break free from a self-sustaining way of life and tap into the national market economy. During periods when commodity prices were high, the rate of westward migration increased spectacularly. "Old America seemed to be breaking up and moving westward," observed an English visitor in 1817, during the first great wave of migration.
- What can be inferred from the passage about western farmers prior to 1815?
- A) They confined their crop production to wheat, corn, tobacco, and cotton.
- B) They were able to sell their produce at steep prices.
- C) They were not successful in tending cattle.
- D) They practiced subsistence farming.
D) They practiced subsistence farming.
从原文 "self-sustaining way" 可以推断出 D)
Example 04
Samuel Henry Kress, the founder of the chain, opened his first five-and-dime in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1896 and quickly expanded to other locations. One of the things that, from the very beginning, set his stores apart from the competition was his use of high-quality, aesthetically appealing materials in their construction. Everything was meticulously implemented to draw customers in and encourage them to linger in the store. Display windows of curved glass gave way to ornamental interiors of marble, fine woods, and brightly lit chandeliers. This exquisite setting was then filled with an enormous selection of products, from clothing to groceries to various other household goods.
- It can be inferred that most owners of discount stores around 1900
- A) stocked the same fundamental inventory of products
- B) did not concentrate as much on their stores' appearances as Kress did
- C) provided a wide spectrum of items
- D) decided to duplicate the success of Kress stores
B) did not concentrate as much on their stores' appearances as Kress did
由原文 "aesthetically appealing materials in their construction" 逆向思维可知 B）
Example 05
The nervous system of vertebrates is characterized by a hollow, dorsal nerve cord that ends in the head region as an enlargement, the brain. Even in its most primitive form this cord and its attached nerves are the result of evolutionary specialization, and their further evolution from lower to higher vertebrate classes is a process that is far from fully understood. Nevertheless, the basic arrangements are similar in all vertebrates, and the study of lower animals gives insight into the form and structure of the nervous system of higher animals. Moreover, for any species the study of the embryological development of the nervous system is a prerequisite for an understanding of adult morphology.
- The author implies that a careful investigation of a biological structure in an embryo may lead to
- A) improved research into the same structure in other species
- B) a better command of the fully developed structure
- C) discovering ways in which poor development can be corrected
- D) a method by which scientists can document the various stages of development
B) a better command of the fully developed structure
原文最后一句 "is a prerequisite for an understanding of adult morphology" 和 B) 相似
Example 06
The history of clinical nutrition, or the study of the relationship between health and how the body take in and utilizes food substances, can be divided into four distinct eras: the first began in the nineteenth century and extended into the early twentieth century when it was recognized for the first time that food contained constituents that were essential for human function and that different foods provided different amounts of these essential agents. Near the end of this era, research studies demonstrated that rapid weight loss was associated with nitrogen imbalance and could only be rectified by providing adequate dietary protein associated with certain foods.
- It can be inferred that which of the following discoveries was made during the first era in the history of nutrition?
- A) Protein was recognized as an essential component of diet.
- B) Vitamins were synthesized from foods.
- C) Effective techniques of weight loss were determined.
- D）Certain foods were found to be harmful to good health.
A) Protein was recognized as an essential component of diet.
由原文 "it was recognized for the first time that food contained constituents" 可推断出 A)
Purpose Questions¶
Example 01
Astronomers have gauged the abundance of helium throughout our galaxy and in other galaxies as well. Helium has been detected in old stars, in relatively young ones, in interstellar gas, and in the distant objects known as quasars. Helium nuclei have also been found to be constituents of [cosmic rays] that fall on the earth(cosmic "rays" are not really a form of radiation; they consist of rapidly moving particles of numerous different kinds).It doesn't seem to make very much difference where the helium is found. Its relative abundance never seems to vary much.In some places, there may be slightly more of it; in others, slightly less, but the ratio of helium to hydrogen nuclei always remains about the same.
- Why does the author mention "cosmic rays"'?
- A) As part of a list of things containing helium.
- B) As an example of an unsolved astronomical puzzle.
- C) To explain the genesis of the universe.
- D) To explain the abundance of hydrogen inthe universe.
A) As part of a list of things containing helium.
根据前面 be constituents of 可以与 A) 中的 containing 对应。
Example 02
Sensitivity to physical laws is thus an important consideration for the maker of applied-art objects. It is often taken for granted that this is also true for the maker of fine-art objects. This assumption overlooks a substantial distinction between the two disciplines. Fine-art objects are not constrained by the laws of physics in the same way that applied-art objects are. Because their primary purpose is not functional, they are only limited in terms of the materials used to fabricate them. Sculptures must, for example, be stable, which requires an understanding of the properties of mass, weight distribution, and stress. Paintings must have rigid stretchers so that the canvas will be taut, and the paint must not deteriorate, crack, or discolor. These are problems that must be addressed by the artist because they tend to intrude upon his or her conception of the work. For example, [in the early Italian Renaissance, bronze statues of horses] with a raised foreleg usually had a cannonball under that hoof. This was done because the cannonball was needed to support the weight of the leg.
- Why does the author discuss the bronzestatues of horses created by artists in the earlyItalian Renaissance?
- A) To provide an example of a problem related to the laws of physics that a fine artist must overcome.
- B) To argue that fine artists are unconcerned with the laws of physics.
- C) To contrast the relative sophistication of modern artists in solving problems related to the laws of physics.
- D) To note an exceptional piece of art constructed without the aid of technology
A) To provide an example of a problem related to the laws of physics that a fine artist must overcome.
根据前面 "These are problems that must be addressed by the artist because they tend to intrude upon his or her conception of the work." 可以与 A) 对应。
New Words¶
| Words | Part of Speech | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| pinniped | n. | 鳍足类动物 | -ped/-pod 表示和脚有关的 |
| biped | n. | 双足动物 | |
| quadruped | n. | 四足动物 | |
| centipede | n. | 百足虫，蜈蚣 | |
| pedal | n. | 踏板 | pedalist 骑自行车的人 |
| peddle | v. | 挨户销售 | |
| pedestrian | n./adj. | 行人/普通的 | |
| expedition | n. | 探险队 | |
| impede | v. | 阻碍 | syn. hinder n. impediment |
| expedient | n. | 权宜之计 | |
| expeditious | adj. | 迅速的 | |
| pedicab | n. | 人力黄包车 | |
| pedicure | v. | 修脚 | |
| pedometer | n. | 计步器 | |
| tripod | n. | 三脚架 | |
| arthropod | n. | 节肢类动物 | |
| terrestrial | adj. | 陆生的 | syn. land-dwelling |
| amphibian | adj. | 两栖的 | |
| aquifer | n. | 含水层 | |
| aqueduct | n. | 导水管 | |
| arboreal | adj. | 树栖的 | |
| crustacean | n. | 甲壳纲动物 | |
| cetacean | n. | 鲸类 | |
| viviparous | n. | 哺乳类动物 | viv- 表示与生命有关的 |
| oviparous | n. | 卵生动物 | |
| vivisect | v. | 活体解剖 | n. vivisection |
| dissect | v. | 解析 | |
| viable | adj. | 可行的 | n. viability |
| invigorate | v. | 使生机勃勃 | |
| revitalize | v. | 使恢复 | n. revitalization the revitalization of rural areas 乡村振兴 syn. rejuvenation |
| improvise | v. | 即兴表演 | impromptu speech 即兴演讲 |
| incongruity | n. | 不协调 | |
| suffice | v. | 足够 | |
| utility | n. | 实用 | |
| utilitarian | adj. | 功利主义的 | utilitarianism |
| helium | n. | 氦 | heli- 表示和太阳有关的 |
| heliocentrism | n. | 日心说 | geocentrism 地心说 |
| nuclei | pl. | nucleus 单数 | |
| fungus | n. | 真菌 | pl. fungi |
| stimulus | n. | 刺激物 | pl. stimuli |
| cactus | n. | 仙人掌 | pl. cacti |
| focus | n. | 焦点 | pl. foci |
| syllabus | n. | 教学大纲 | pl. syllabi/syllabuses |
| alumnus | n. | 校友 | pl. alumni |
| interstellar | adj. | 星际的 | |
| constellation | n. | 星座 | a constellation of 一群 a galaxy of 星系璀璨般的 |
| stellar | adj. | 星球的，精彩的 | give a stellar performance 表现精彩 |
| quasar | n. | 类星体 | quasi- 表示类似的 |
| pacify | v. | 抚慰 | pacifier 安慰奶嘴 |
| circumscribe | v. | 限制 | |
| intrude | v. | 侵入 | intrude on/upon = infridge on/encroach on/invade/violate n. intrusion = incursion/invasion adj. intrusive |
| obtrude | v. | 强行闯入 | |
| protrude | v. | 突出 | |
| extrude | v. | 挤压出 |