英语四六级短文理解四招攻略

一、真题
52.   The "so-called fight-or-flight response" (Line 2, Para. 1) refers to "________".
       A) the biological process in which human beings' sense of self-defense evolves
       B) the instinctive fear human beings feel when faced with potential danger
       C) the act of evaluating a dangerous situation and making a quick decision
       D) the elaborate mechanism in the human brain for retrieving information
53.   From the studies conducted by LeDoux we learn that _________.
       A) reactions of humans and animals to dangerous situations are often unpredictable
       B) memories of significant events enable people to control fear and distress
       C) people's unpleasant memories are derived from their feelings of fear
       D) the amygdala plays a vital part in human and animals responses to potential danger
54.   From the passage we know that ________.
       A) a little worry will do us good if handled properly
       B) a little worry will enable us to survive a recession
       C) fear strengthens the human desire to survive danger
       D) fear helps people to anticipate certain future events
55.   Which of the following is the best way to deal with your worries according to Hallowell?
       A) Ask for help from the people around you.
       B) Use the belt-tightening strategies for survival.
       C) Seek professional advice and take action.
       D) Understand the situation and be fully prepared.
56.   In Hallowell's view, people's reaction to the terrorist threat last fall was ________.
       A) ridiculous                              B) understandable
       C) over-cautious                        D) sensible
二、秘诀
1．快速浏览全文，把握文章脉络
文中阴影部分皆为具体阐释或举例，所以无需仔细阅读，可快速浏览甚至跳过不看。而下划线部分的成分则需读者特别注意，如第三段的this，它表明该段是上文的总结；that is表明后文为前文的解释，所以读者如果前文看懂了，后文也就没有太大作用了。
Passage One
       In a purely biological sense, fear begins with the body's system for reacting to things that can harm us -- the so-called fight-or-flight response. "An animal that can't detect danger can't stay alive," says Joseph LeDoux. Like animals, humans evolved with an elaborate mechanism for processing information about potential threats. At its core is a cluster of neurons (神经元) deep in the brain known as the amygdala (扁桃核).
       LeDoux studies the way animals and humans respond to threats to understand how we form memories of significant events in our lives. The amygdala receives input from many parts of the brain, including regions responsible for retrieving memories. Using this information, the amygdala appraises a situation - I think this charging dog wants to bite me - and triggers a response by radiating nerve signals throughout the body. These signals produce the familiar signs of distress: trembling, perspiration and fast-moving feet, just to name three.
       This fear mechanism is critical to the survival of all animals, but no one can say for sure whether beasts other than humans know they're afraid. That is, as LeDoux says, "if you put that system into a brain that has consciousness, then you get the feeling of fear."
       Humans, says Edward M. Hallowell, have the ability to call up images of bad things that happened in the past and to anticipate future events. Combine these higher thought processes with our hardwired danger-detection systems, and you get a near-universal human phenomenon: worry.
       That's not necessarily a bad thing, says Hallowell, "When used properly, worry is an incredible device," he says. After all, a little healthy worrying is okay if it leads to constructive action -- like having a doctor look at that weird spot on your back.
       Hallowell insists, though, that there's a right way to worry. "Never do it alone, get the facts and then make a plan," he says. Most of us have survived a recession, so we're familiar with the belt-tightening strategies needed to survive a slump.
       Unfortunately, few of us have much experience dealing with the threat of terrorism, so it's been difficult to get facts about how we should respond. That's why Hallowell believes it was okay for people to indulge some extreme worries last fall by asking doctors for Cipro (抗炭疽菌的药物) and buying gas masks.
2．仔细研析题干，确定关键词语
　　选择题的解答成功与否，主要取决于对题干的充分挖掘。如第53题，该题定位并不难，因为人名是最为容易确定的线索，再加上study一词便可确定答案所在地。但该题的关键在于learn一词，它决定了正确答案肯定不是原文直接言明，而是间接暗示的，所以由此可先排除文章直接言明的选项B)和C)。选项A)与所在段的内容不相干，所以正确答案为D)。
53.   From the studies conducted by LeDoux we learn that _________.
       A) reactions of humans and animals to dangerous situations are often unpredictable
       B) memories of significant events enable people to control fear and distress
       C) people's unpleasant memories are derived from their feelings of fear
       D) the amygdala plays a vital part in human and animals responses to potential danger

3．理性分析失效，投机技巧登场（提示：技巧不可不看）
1）答案项中有绝对语气词的一般不是正确答案项。这些语气词有： must, always, never, the most, all, only, have to, any, no, very, completely, none, hardly等。
2）选项中含有不十分肯定的语气词一般是正确答案项。这些语气词有： can, could, may, should, usually, might, most，more or less, relatively, be likely to, possible, whether or, not necessarily 等。
3）选项中照抄原文的一般不是答案项，而同义替换的一般是选项。此外，正确选项往往其词汇对应数量在3个或3个以上。
4）较全面、有针对性地表达文章中心思想的选项一般是答案项。
5）选项中表达意义较具体的、肤浅的（字面意思）一般不是答案项，而概括性的、抽象的、含义深刻的一般是答案项。
6）选项中较符合常识的、易明白的一般不是选项，而似乎不太合理、一时较难理解的往往是正确选项。
4．时间紧张之时，略看文章答题
1）针对主旨大意题只读段首、段尾句。一般来说，一篇文章的中心思想或某一段主题思想往往通过段首、段尾句表达出来。考生迅速找到了这些主题句，也能答题。
2）若针对举例子、引用名人言论、特殊符号（如冒号、引号、破折号）后内容出题，考生可只读例子、名人言话、符号前后句内容，然后答题。 
3）如果题目只是针对某一段内容而提问，考生可只看该段内容即可答题，而不必等把文章全看完才做，以防到时要交卷，而能做出的题因时间不足而瞎猜。
4）针对词汇题，考生可只看词汇所在句和前后句内容即可答题，因为对单词字义的揣测，一般只通过单词所在句或前后句内容就能猜出。