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——探析推理性問題二之二
上期向同學介紹了推論性問題的4種考法中的其中兩種：True/false/not given questions（對/錯/沒提及問題）和Multiple-choice questions（多項選擇題）。這一期將繼續介紹剩下兩種考法：Cloze summary questions（撮要題）和Short-response questions（簡短回應問題）。
2012 Part 1 paper中也有不少short-response question。其中一題要用上inference skills的簡短回應。問題是這樣的：According to Pat, why do parents want to keep their children away from the TV and computer?
大家請看以下這段文字去找線索：
"Parent want leisure activities that will keep their children away from the TV and computer," says Pat. "They're more into interactive games at present. The way a child behaves reflects how his or her parents treat him. Activities like this that get families together can only be rewarding."
首先，他們想要一些「more into interactive games at present」。此外，他們認為那些interactive activities可以「get families together」。所以答案應該是「to get families together by doing interactive activities」。雖說答案淺顯，但若考生只照抄答案就會「零分」收場。所以同學切記要捉緊重點並重新組合key words成為句子，這樣才可答對問題。
最後一種考inference questions的題種就是Cloze summary questions（撮要題）。雖說是撮要，但主要就是要考生在一段已撮要了的文字中做fill in the blanks，所以難度不算太高。
請先看從2012年DSE卷一閱讀卷節錄的一段文字：
「China is suffering a glut of university graduates who can't find appropriate jobs, and a shortage of blue-collar workers. These jobless university graduates comprise an unusual underclass, they're educated, white-collar, net-savvy yet broke. China's higher-education system is churning out too many university graduates with high-paying expectations and not enough practical skills. Cross-national employers privately complain the fresh Chinese university graduates are often without a clue when it comes to working in an office environment. Tellingly, last year there was a drop in college entrance examinations, the all-important rite of path by which university freshmen are chosen. By contrast, applications to blue-collar vocational schools jumped.」
簡單來說，這兩段文字講的就是中國現今的大學生難找工作，而且更面對不如藍領工人的苦況。這班大學生都期望有高人工，但他們缺乏實際辦事技巧。正因如此，國內的高中生不考以往認為重要的高考而轉去報讀一些藍領職業學院。
若同學們看完上述兩段文字能得到以上的大意，作答以下的問題就不難了：Below is a summary of the ideas found in the two paragraphs. Fill in the blanks using words that can be found in the paragraph. Write ONE word per blank.
The new underclass is China's ______ ______ . As educated professionals, they expect __________ jobs on completion of their studies, but managers complain that many lack even the basic______needed in the workplace. The excess of white-collar workers has resulted in a ______ of blue-collar workers. As a consequence, this has encouraged _____ _____ students to skip _____ _____ ______ and apply directly to _____ _____ .
「underclass」是指下層階級。從文中所指，當然是指大學畢業生（university graduates）了，因為他們都找不到工作。通過這麼多考核，才畢業的大學生，當然期望有高薪的工作（high-paying jobs）。不過老闆卻投訴他們沒有基本技巧（basic skills）。「excess」一字解「過多」。所以，過多的白領工人令到藍領工人短缺（a shortage of blue-collar workers）。這變相鼓勵了______學生去跳過_____ ______ _______而直接去報讀______ ______呢？當然是鼓勵高中生（high school students）去跳過大學試（college entrance examinations）而直接去報讀職業學院（vocational schools）了。文中雖然有不少深字，但大多也不阻同學們了解其段意，只要不被難字嚇怕，其實cloze summary並不是太艱難。
推論性問題的4種考法已全部介紹完畢，希望對大家對閱讀卷的備考有所裨益。 ■馬漪楠 培正中學英文科副主任
作者簡介：曾獲行政長官卓越教學獎(2009/2010)，與岑皓軒合著暢銷書《Slang：屎爛英語1&2》。
逢星期五見報
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