关于GRE阅读比较级[分享]

DendisUID: 158017

比较级其实一直以来，无论是早期的NO题，还是此后的国内题，对于它的考察一直是gre阅读中的重点。我想对于比较级的强调可能是历来大家都有所关注的。关涉比较级的核心内容在于文中没有做比较的不可随便加以比较，一定要注意有明确比较过后才能成其为比较。

很多错误选项的设置就是利用做题人想当然和模糊印象的思维弱势，来以次达到其混淆视听的目的，大家一定要准确对应原文，仔细辨别选项，没有的决不可妄自加之，否则就中ets之圈套矣。

这是NO9中的一篇阅读，我想就拿1题来作个简单说明。

Of the thousands of specimens of meteorites found on Earth and known to science, only about 100 are igneous; that is, they have undergone melting by volcanic action at some time since the planets were first formed. These igneous meteorites are known as achondrites because they lack chondrules—small stony spherules found in the thousands of meteorites (called “chondrites”) composed primarily of unaltered minerals that condensed from dust and gas at the origin of the solar system. Achondrites are the only known samples of volcanic rocks originating outside the Earth-Moon system. Most are thought to have been dislodged by interbody impact from asteroids, with diameters of from 10 to 500 kilometers, in solar orbit between Mars and Jupiter.

Shergottites, the name given to three anomalous achondrites so far discovered on Earth, present scientists with a genuine enigma. Shergottites crystallized from molten rock less than 1.1 billion years ago (some 3.5 billion years later than typical achondrites) and were presumably ejected into space when an object impacted on a body similar in chemical composition to Earth.

While most meteorites appear to derive from comparatively small bodies, shergottites exhibit properties that indicate that their source was a large planet, conceivably Mars. In order to account for such an unlikely source, some unusual factor must be invoked, because the impact needed to accelerate a fragment of rock to escape the gravitational field of a body even as small as the Moon is so great that no meteorites of lunar origin have been discovered.

While some scientists speculate that shergottites derive from Io (a volcanically active moon of Jupiter), recent measurements suggest that since Io’s surface is rich in sulfur and sodium, the chemical composition of its volcanic products would probably be unlike that of the shergottites. Moreover, any fragments dislodged from Io by interbody impact would be unlikely to escape the gravitational pull of Jupiter.

The only other logical source of shergottites is Mars. Space-probe photographs indicate the existence of giant volcanoes on the Martian surface. From the small number of impact craters that appear on Martian lava flows, one can estimate that the planet was volcanically active as recently as a half-billion years ago—and may be active today. The great objection to the Martian origin of shergottites is the absence of lunar meteorites on Earth. An impact capable of ejecting a fragment of the Martian surface into an Earth-intersecting orbit is even less probable than such an event on the Moon, in view of the Moon’s smaller size and closer proximity to Earth. A recent study suggests, however, that permafrost ices below the surface of Mars may have altered the effects of impact on it. If the ices had been rapidly vaporized by an impacting object, the expanding gases might have helped the ejected fragments reach escape velocity. Finally, analyses performed by space probes show a remarkable chemical similarity between Martian soil and the shergottites.

21.        The passage implies which of the following about shergottites?
I.        They are products of volcanic activity.
II.        They derive from a planet larger than Earth.
III.        They come from a planetary body with a chemical composition similar to that of Io.
(A) I only
(B) II only
(C) I and II only
(D) II and III only
(E) I, II, and III

选项I是可以确定正确的，而偏偏在II这个比较级上却出问题了。

自以为抓住细节的我看到文章中关于起源的内容：
shergottites exhibit properties that indicate that their source was a large planet, conceivably Mars.  Shergottites起源于大行星，可以想象的到的是火星。

没有仔细看究竟是large还是larger，也没确定究竟有无和地球做过比较，只是想到火星似乎比地球大，我就贸然推出了They derive from a planet larger than Earth.，而且还确信在文中找到定位。汗啊~~~

III选项与原文内容完全相反，比较好排除。所以上题的正确答案是 A

任何人都可能会在0.619秒之内错选一个自认为很正确而且似乎找到定位的选项，只要你还不是足够精确。——取非，如果你完全理性地、细致地对待这样的定位，你就有可能辨析出其中的隐含杀机。

其实行文至此，大家应该对比较极有一大致了解。当然，本来大家就都知道，但也许我们的了解还远远不够。我想再用我的一点切身体会和大家做一些分享。引用一篇国内93.10的文章再深入一下

One of the simplest and best known kinds of crystal is the ionic salt, of which a typical example is sodium chloride or ordinary table salt. The fundamental components of an ionic salt are ions: atoms or molecules that have become electrically charged by gaining or losing one or more electrons. In forming sodium chloride, for example, sodium atoms give up an electron (thereby becoming positively charged) and chlorine atoms gain an electron (thereby becoming negatively charged). The ions are attracted to one another by their opposite charges, and they stack together compactly, like tightly packed spheres.

Recently, scientists at Michigan State University created a new kind of crystal called an electride. In electrides, the anions (negative ions) are completely replaced by electrons, which are trapped in naturally formed cavities within a framework of regularly stacked cations (positive ions). Electrides are the first examples of ionic salts in which all these anionic sites are occupied solely by electrons.

Unlike other types of anions, anionic electrons do not behave as if they were simple charged spheres. In particular, because of their low mass and their tendency to interact with one another over great distances, they cannot be “pinned down” to any one location. Instead, they wander close to and among the atoms lining the cavity and interact with electrons in nearby cavities, perhaps changing places with them.

The properties of an electride depend largely on the distance between the cavities that hold trapped electrons. When the trapped electrons are far apart, they do not interact strongly, and so behave somewhat like an array of isolated negative charges. When they are closer together, they begin to display properties associated with large ensembles of identical particles. When they are still closer, the ensemble properties dominate and the electrons “delocalize”: they are no longer tightly bound within individual cavities but are more or less free to pass through the spaces within the frame-work of positive ions.

By synthesizing electrides from a variety of materials, one can vary the geometry of the anionic cavities and their relation to the surrounding cations. The resulting properties may make it possible for electrides to become a basis for economically useful new materials and devices. For instance, because the electrons in some electrides are very weakly bound, these crystals could be effective as photosensitive detectors, in which an impinging photon liberates an electron, resulting in a small electric current. The same weak binding could also make electrides useful in solar-energy converters and as cathodes in batteries. One obstacle is the tendency of electrides to decompose through reaction with air and water. Researchers are seeking ways to increase their stability.

23.        It can be inferred from the passage that the differences between the behavior of anionic electrons and normal anions result from which of the following features of electrons, as compared to normal anions?
I.        The much lower mass of electrons
II.        The much greater tendency of electrons to interact with one another over large distances
III.        The much greater likelihood of electrons to remain trapped in naturally formed anionic cavities
(A) I only
(B) II only
(C) I and II only
(D) I and III only
(E) II and III only

这道题目倒是不难，与众不同之处是它把我们原先对比较级的理解加以完善，加以统一。

看完题干后我首先是到原文中去定位信息，而且我也很快找到相关内容because of their low mass and their tendency to interact with one another over great distances，但是问题又一次萦绕我的心头，这里似乎没有比较啊？？？low是不是就能够推倒出lower？tendency能够推出The much greater tendency吗？

而且看到III又关涉具体内容，一时也找不到具体信息确定是非，我彻底陷入一种两难境地。毫不夸张地说，我当时在这个问题上想了足有3分钟，结果还是做错了。但回头想来却也是收获颇丰：

话说当局者迷，旁观者清，这个道理同样适用于gre应试者身上。在限时的压力下，你真的会忽略很多重要信息。比如这道题的关键考点，它其实还不是比较级的问题，而是更重要的一个强对比后所做的逻辑推理。明眼人可能早就发现了unlike, in particular的词汇，而通过这样一种强对比取非后，我们应该可以理解它所推得的逻辑比较。

anionic electrons是low mass和tendency to interact with one another over great distances，而normal anions是Unlike anionic electrons，所以取非得到它们不是low mass，也没有tendency to interact with one another over great distances。一个是有，一个是无，这样自然可以作出比较，形成比较级。

这个题目我想可以作为比较级问题的一个经典判定，上面的推理其实人人都会，关键在于突破思维的定势，达到更高的层面。这道题目提醒我们不要一味苛求于完美的比较再现，而是形成一种全局和细节的综合把握，这才是gre阅读的最高境界吧。

其实以上随笔是一时兴致写成，很多地方想法也许不成熟或准确，希望大家提出批判，当然贴出本文也是为大家一起分享我的一点经验，少走弯路，共同攻克gre 阅读！

wells3UID: 175456

thanks

天地一沙鸥UID: 170796

XIEXIE楼主
好好把握

lakeqianUID: 157560

dendis出洞啦 :D
呵呵，搞下来好好看看~~