閱讀分為三種境界，第一種是讀懂文章中的字面的意思，一方面指把握單詞和句子(尤其是長難句)的意思，另一方面，讀清楚說的是什麼，而不是等老師講解之後才感嘆“我第一遍不小心看錯了”，第二種境界是句子與句子之間，上下文聯絡起來看，讀清楚段落內的結構和段落間的結構，第三種境界是不僅把握了文章的內容，而且掌握了作者的態度和想法，可以做出各種推論。一般來說，託福閱讀很少考到第三種層次，一般只需達到第二層即可。我們可以來看一道經典的`託福閱讀真題。
【第一層】
Just as significant were changes in thegeopolitics of the Mediterranean world. The decline of the Byzantine Empire,which had dominated the eastern Mediterranean, meant the interruption of traderoutes to central and eastern Asia. The rise of new political powers signaled anew era in Mediterranean connections, one in which religious loyalty and ethnicfidelity mattered more than commercial ties. Consequently themovement of goods and services between east and west began to slow. Europeaninterest in circumnavigating Africa and exploring westward into the AtlanticOcean, in fact, originated in the desire into the trade with eastern Asia thathad long sustained Europe’s economic growth.
4. In paragraph 2, the author implies that Byzantine Empire
A. allowed international trade from whichEurope benefited
B. became a dominated force during thefourteenth century
C. centered its rule on religion and ethnicties
D. interrupted trade routes to Asia thathad already been established
答案：【此題並不難，但比較典型，請先思考一下，然後再往下拉，可以診斷一部分同學的典型問題】
答案選A。請注意The decline of the Byzantine Empire,which had dominated the eastern Mediterranean, meant the interruption of traderoutes to central and eastern Asia中的decline和interruption，interruption表示之前有之後無，答案不言自明，沒有選擇A的同學是原文沒有讀清楚，第一層次尚未達到。
【第二層】
paragraph 2
Geologists working during the nineteenth century understood rock bodies, they would have to concentrate on natural processes that continue at a constant rate and that also leave some sort of tangible record in the rocks. Evolution is one such process, and geologist Charles Lyell (1797-1875) recognized this. BY comparing the amount of evolution exhibited by marine mollusks then, Lyell estimated that 80 million years had elapsed since the beginning of the Tertiary Period. He came astonishingly close to the mark, since it was actually about 65 million years. However, for older sequence of evolutionary development, estimates based on parts in the fossil record. Rates of evolution for many orders of plants and animals were not well understood.
2. It can be inferred form paragraph 2 that Charles Lyell based his study of the marine mollusk fossils on which of the following assumptions?
A. The Tertiary Period was separated into division of time that were equal in length.
B. Mollusks lived under rocks in the sea during the Tertiary period.
C. Evolution of mollusks proceeded at a uniform rate over time
D. Mollusks have evolved less rapidly with the passing of time
答案：【此題並不難，但比較典型，請先思考一下，然後再往下拉，可以診斷一部分同學的典型問題】
許多同學讀到Evolution is one such process，沒有意識到such process是指前一句所說的natural processes that continue at a constant rate and that also leave some sort of tangible record in the rocks，所以such process是滿足continue at a constant rate和留下痕跡與continue at a constant rate and that also leave some sort of tangible record in the rocks。後面舉了Evolution of mollusks的例子，比如也滿足continue at a constant rate-勻速進行，故C正確。
如何運用論點-論據理論來指導和幫助我們做題，將在四箭齊發真題班課上用真題進行講解。現在報名真題班還送真題班講義，有對託福詞彙與長難句的梳理與總結。