GMAT作为世界上最难的语法考试,对语法改错的考查早已超过语言知识本身,与其说它是在考察语言,不如说它是在考察能力,具有很强的综合性和很大的迷惑性。由于考查范围广、出错点多、原则多样化,虽然语法改错部分看起来容易把握,但在实际解题过程中,考生经常顾此失彼,在几个选项间徘徊犹豫半天依然难以确定最终答案。GMAT语法改错的难度一方面来自题干,另一方面来自选项,因为我们要依靠选项之间的差别来获得信息、寻求提示,其实这就反映了GMAT语法改错答案的特点--永远只有相对正确而不寸在绝对正确,也就是需要我们善于运用排除法,挑选出相对准确而有效的那一个。很有可能几个选项都是错误的,我们就需要找出一个错误相对来说比较轻微的选项来作为正确答案。下面我们通过几个例子深入体会一下这种思路。
1.Downzoning, zoning that typically results in the reduction of housing density, allows for more open space in areas where little water or services exist.
(A) little water or services exist
(B) little water or services exists
(C) few services and little water exists
(D) there is little water or services available
(E) there are few services and little available water
这是一道典型的难题,充分体现了GMAT语法相对正确性的原则。A选项中little这个词既修饰了water又修饰了services,但是little只能修饰不可数名词,所以它只能修饰water而不能修饰services, 所以A选项语法是不对的,而这是个正确性的错误。同样B和D都犯了类似的错误。C选项中主语few services and little water是复数,而谓语却是单数,也错了。E选项其实也有错,首先用了there be的句型,这在GMAT语法中一般是不允许的,其次又加了available这个词,把原文的意思也改变了,但这些错误从性质上来看只是有效性的错误,起码它语法是正确的,而A,B,C,D语法都错了,所以答案选E。
我们再看一道非常类似的题目:
2.The commission acknowledged that no amount of money or staff members can ensure the safety of people who live in the vicinity of a nuclear plant, but it approved the installation because it believed that all reasonable precautions had been taken.
(A) no amount of money or staff members
(B) neither vast amounts of money nor staff members
(C) neither vast amounts of money nor numbers of staff members
(D) neither vast amounts of money nor a large staff
(E) no matter how large the staff or how vast the amount of money
这道题目和刚才那题非常类似,amount of 这个短语可以修饰不可数名词但不能修饰可数名词,而A和B选项中amount of同时修饰了money这个不可数名词和staff members这个可数名词,所以都是错误选项。C选项中出现了numbers of,这是个错误的表达方式,表示某物的数量应该用the number of,所以也错了。E选项no matter how 罗嗦,首先用however会显得更为简洁,而其实即使改用however还是错,因为这是个强烈语气表达,原文中没有解题的同学会觉得D选项看上去很不顺眼,但解GMAT语法题千万不能凭语感,而要靠扎扎实实的语法分析。A,B,C,E都存在着一定程度的错误,所以答案选D。
最后我们再看一道题来说明从几个都是错误的选项中来找出一个相对正确答案的应用。
3.The modernization program for the steel mill will cost approximately 51 million dollars, which it is hoped can be completed in the late 1980's.
(A) The modernization program for the steel mill will cost approximately 51 million dollars, which it is hoped can be completed in the late 1980's.
(B) The modernization program for the steel mill, hopefully completed in the late 1980's, will cost approximately 51 million dollars.
(C) Modernizing the steel mill, hopefully to be completed in the late 1980's, will cost approximately 51 million dollars.
(D) The program for modernizing the steel mill, which can, it is hoped, be completed in the late 1980's and cost approximately 51 million dollars.
(E) Modernizing the steel mill, a program that can, it is hoped, be completed in the late 1980's, will cost approximately 51 million dollars.
这道题目中A选项的it is hoped是个插入语,应该前后用两个逗号隔开。而且A中的which语法上看指代了dollar美圆,而从逻辑来分析其实是应该指代program项目的,所以A错了。B选项和C选项用了hopefully这个词,这不符合商业英文的用法,一般是错误的,应该改为it is hoped。D选项犯了个非常严重的语法错误,它缺少谓语,所以肯定是错误选项。最后答案选E,而其实E选项也只是个相对最佳而非绝对最优,因为它放了Modernizing the steel mill这个分词结构做主语,应该把它改成the modernization of the steel mill名词形式来做主语会更好一点,但由于这只是个不简洁的错误,属于有效性的错误,与A,B,C,D的错误性质比较起来显得轻微许多,所以答案选E。
通过这几题的讲解,相信大家已经掌握了相对正确性的用法。在下一次我们将会给大家介绍如何从几个都是正确的选项中找出一个最符合正确答案特征的选项来做为正确答案。
上次我们和大家讨论了GMAT语法改错答案的特点——永远只有相对正确而不存在绝对正确,也就是需要我们善于运用排除法,挑选出相对准确而有效的那一个。并且我们举了几个例子,说明题目中很有可能几个选项都是错误的,我们就需要找出一个错误相对来说比较轻微的选项作为正确答案。其实相对正确还有另外一种情况,也就是有可能几个选项都是正确的,我们就需要找出一个最符合正确答案特征的选项作为正确答案。下面我们通过几个例子深入体会一下这种思路。
1.The proposed urban development zones do not represent a new principle; it was employed in “Operation Bootstrap” in Puerto Rico.
(A) do not represent a new principle; it
(B) represent not a new principle, but one that
(C) are not a new principle; the same one
(D) are not a new principle, but one that(B)
(E) are not new in principle; it
首先这是一道考逻辑的题目,题目说城市发展区并没有代表一个新原则,但是C, D, E把represent改成了be动词,意思就变成城市发展区是一个新原则了,我们只能说城市发展区代表一个原则,而不能说城市发展区是一个原则,所以这三个选项逻辑都错了。A, B两个选项其实逻辑和语法都正确,但是选项B使用了not…but这个使句子更为对称的结构,而根据正确答案一般都是符合对称性的选项的原则,所以答案选E。
我们再看一道非常类似的题目:
2.For almost a hundred years after having its beginning in 1788, England exiled some 160,000 criminals to Australia.
(A) For almost a hundred years after having its beginning in 1788
(B) Beginning in 1788 for a period of a hundred years
(C) Beginning a period of almost a hundred years, in 1788
(D) During a hundred years, a period beginning in 1788
(E) Over a period of a hundred years beginning in 1788
这道题目和刚才那道题目非常类似,A,B,C三个选项都有逻辑上的错误,分词结构beginning用来修饰England,这样就变成英格兰建国于1788年了,虽然说我们在考场上可能不知道英格兰建国于哪一年,但肯定不是1788年而应该更早,所以A,B,C都错了。D选项和E选项其实语法和逻辑都正确,但是D选项犯了个很小的语法习惯上的错误。一般同位语只用来修饰句子的主语或宾语,而不能修饰句子的从属部分。D中a period作为同位语,修饰了前面的状语a hundred years, 所以错了。但这个错误非常之小,脱离了这道题目一般不用考虑。
最后我们再看一道题来说明从几个都是正确的选项中来找出一个相对正确答案的应用。
3.At the time of the Mexican agrarian revolution, the most radical faction, that of Zapata and his followers, proposed a return to communal ownership of land, to what had been a pre-Columbian form of ownership respected by the Spaniards.
(A) land, to what had been a pre-Columbian form of ownership respected by the Spaniards
(B) land, a form of ownership of the pre-Columbians and respected by the Spaniards
(C) land, respected by the Spaniards and a pre-Columbian form of ownership
(D) land in which a pre-Columbian form of ownership was respected by the Spaniards(A)
(E) land that had been a pre-Columbian form of ownership respected by the Spaniards
这道题目中A选项的what引导的从句是作为同位语出现的,而一般同位语出现都是正确答案的标志,因为它很简洁,指代对象也很清楚。有些同学可能会疑惑为何加了个to,其实这个to正是一个正确答案的标志,它符合了介词尽量补出的原则。由于前面的结构是to communal ownership of land,为了使what修饰communal ownership,所以前面补了个to ,这样就消除了任何歧义,what只能修饰ownership了。B选项and前后不对称,前面是一个名词而后面是一个分词,C选项前面是个分词后面是个名词也不对称,所以都错了。D和E语法与逻辑没有大问题,但是考虑到它们都用了定语从句,而A中的同位语是优于定语从句的,更何况A还用了介词尽量补出的原则,所以答案选A。
由上面的分析可以看出,GMAT语法的相对正确不仅包括从几个都是错误的选项中去选出一个错误相对来说比较轻微的选项作为正确答案,还包括从几个都是正确的选项中找出一个最符合正确答案特征的选项作为正确答案,这样就体现了GMAT考试的能力性,增加了它的难度。但只要大家对真题进行反复的练习,相信大家一定能够对相对正确性有一个很好的理解和把握。
【责编:lq 纠错】