同义替换(paraphrase)通俗来说就是试卷上的信息和录音中的信息在形式上不一致而在意思上是相同的,这就要求考生在做题时能够快速地对两者进行识别和匹配。听力中常见的同义替换有五种形式:
1 词性转换。 即同一词根衍生出的不同词性的词语间的转换,主要是名词、动词、形容词和副词之间的转换。这一类同义替换相对简单,下面我们通过真题来进行分析。
例:出自《剑桥雅思官方真题集13》Test 1-Part 4, Q31 。
the 31______—because of its general adaptability
原文 One species which is well known as being highly adaptable is the crow...
解析 本题的正确答案是crow。题干中的adaptability和原文中的adaptable就是词性的转换,从名词变成了形容词。
2 同义表达替换。 这是最常见的替换方式,可能是单词替换成词组,也有可能是词组替换成单词,可能是相同词性的同义词或词组的替换,也有可能是不同词性的同义词或词组之间的替换。有一点值得注意,题干和选项中出现的往往是学术词汇,而录音中往往是比较口语化的表达,所以听录音的时候一定要注意题目中复杂的学术词汇和录音中简单的口语表达之间的对应。
例1:出自《剑桥雅思官方真题集13》Test 2-Part 2, Q16
16 What should staff do if they want to take part in the Digital Inclusion Day?
A fill in a form
B attend a training workshop
C get permission from their manager
原文 If you’re interested in taking part, please go to the volunteering section of our website and complete the relevant form.
解析 本题的正确答案是选项A。fill in a form和complete a form是相同词性的词组的替换。
例2:出自《剑桥雅思官方真题集12》Test 1-Part 2, Q11
11 According to the manager, what do most people like about the job of kitchen assistant?
A the variety of work
B the friendly atmosphere
C the opportunities for promotion
原文 ...and they’re pleased that they have so many different things to do, which means they never get bored.
解析 本题的正确答案是选项A。录音中的so many different things和选项A中的the variety of work属于同义词组替换。
3 举例式的同义替换。 举例式的转换是指题干中出现一个较大的或者较抽象的概念,而听力原文中把这一概念具体化,用一个通俗易懂的例子来代替它。这一类同义替换难度较大,接下来我们用两个例子来解释一下。
例1:出自《剑桥雅思官方真题集12》Test 1-Part 2, Q12
12 The manager is concerned about some of the new staff’s
A jewellery.
B hair styles.
C shoes.
原文 ...but some of you’ll need to remove your rings and bracelets—just put them somewhere safe for today...as they can be a safety hazard.
解析 本题的正确答案是选项A。录音中的rings和bracelets与选项A中的jewellery属于举例式的同义替换,即在录音中出现的是例子,而题目中出现的是概括性词汇。
例2:出自《剑桥雅思官方真题集11》Test 3-Part 2, Q12
12 What change in the road network is known to have benefited the town most?
A the construction of a bypass
B the development of cycle paths
C the banning of cars from certain streets
原文 The new cycle paths, separating bikes from cars in most main roads, are being used far more than was expected, reducing traffic and improving air quality.
解析 本题的正确答案是选项B。原文中没有直接说cycle paths的发展,而是用一些具体的发展例子,例如缓解交通压力、提升空气质量,来进行说明。
4 句式转换。 常见的句式转换有疑问句和陈述句之间的转换、句子成分的重置、主动和被动之间的转换、句子结构的变化(如将分句变成非谓语独立结构)。
例:出自《剑桥雅思官方真题集11》Test 3-Part 2, Q11
11 In Shona’s opinion, why do fewer people use buses in Barford these days?
A The buses are old and uncomfortable.
B Fares have gone up too much.
C There are not so many bus routes.
原文 ...but not now, because the bus companies concentrate on just the routes that attract most passengers.
解析 本题的正确答案是选项C。原文中“the bus companies concentrate on just the routes that attract most passengers.”是用定语从句的句式来表达公交车公司只专注于一条路线,即一条能吸引更多乘客的路线,而选项There are not so many bus routes.则是一个简单句,意为没有这么多公交路线。这个例子属于句式转换类的同义替换。
5 词汇转换和句式转换相结合。 即既有词汇的同义替换,也有句式的转换,这是最复杂的一种同义替换。
例:出自《剑桥雅思官方真题集11》Test 1-Part 3, Q27
27 Greg and Lisa think Miyake’s results could have been affected by
A the length of the writing task.
B the number of students who took part.
C the information the students were given.
原文 ...And had they been told why they were doing the writing? That might have affected the results.
解析 本题的正确答案是选项C。原文中“And had they been told why they were doing the writing?”是疑问句式,意为他们是否被事先告知要进行写作的原因?后半句说这可能影响实验结果,而对应的答案是陈述句式,即the information the students were given,意为学生掌握的信息。这一例子中既出现了句式转换,也出现了词汇的同义替换。