SAT的阅读竟然比托福难？这是真的！

　　SAT是美国的高考，而托福是英语水平的测试，因此，据常理而言，SAT应该比托福更难。托福高分，仅仅是证明了考生的英语流利程度，而SAT高分则能够证明学生的学识、智商、和未来发展潜力。

　　本文例子都是科技文章，讲解打哈欠yawning的原理。那么就让我们看看SAT和托福分别是如何展示这样一个话题的。

　　托福的版本：（仅给出一个自然段来举例）

　　According toconventional theory, yawning takes place when people are bored or sleepy and serves the function of increasing alertness by reversing, through deeper breathing, the drop in blood oxygen levels that are caused by the shallow breathing that accompanies lack of sleep or boredom.Unfortunately, the few scientific investigations of yawning have failed to find any connection between how often someone yawns and how much sleep they have had or how tired they are. About the closest any research has come to supporting the tiredness theory is to confirm that adults yawn more often on weekdays than at weekends, and that school children yawn more frequently in their first year at primary school than they do in kindergarten.

　　解析：这一段的难点包括以下几点：

　　1. 长句的句式结构要读懂。

　　例如第一句话就是一个长句：According toconventional theory, yawning takes place when people are bored or sleepy and serves the function of increasing alertness by reversing, through deeper breathing, the drop in blood oxygen levels thatarecaused by the shallow breathing that accompanies lack of sleep or boredom.

　　对于长句，我们要拆解。这句话一点一点拆解，可以变成以下一段话：

　　There is a conventional theory of yawning.

　　Yawning takes place when people are bored or sleepy. (打哈欠的两个条件：无聊、困倦）

　　Yawning serves the function of increasing alertness. （打哈欠的作用是提高警觉程度。）

　　Yawning serves the function of increasing alertness by reversing the drop in blood oxygen levels. （怎么做呢？就是要扭转血液含氧水平的降低）

　　...by reversing, through deeper breathing, the drop in blood oxygen levels (两个逗号之内的through deeper breathing是补充说明，通过深呼吸来扭转血液含氧水平的降低）

　　the drop in blood oxygen levels thatarecaused by the shallow breathing(由浅呼吸导致的血液含氧水平的降低）

　　...the shallow breathing that accompanies lack of sleep or boredom. (通过定语从句的修饰，知道浅呼吸伴随着睡眠不足或者是无聊）。

　　事实上，对于长句的理解是托福考核的一个重点，而上述的对于长句的拆解，是每一个考生一定要做到的基本功训练。

　　2. 原文结构要读懂。

　　本段的结构还比较清晰简单。首先是介绍了一下关于打哈欠的传统理论。当我们看到了conventional theory,就知道这个文章一定要驳斥这种理论。因为科技文章的职责和使命就是要推陈出新。

　　果不其然，在第二句开头的Unfortunately，就奠定了本段的基调，也昭示着传统理论的命运。传统理论被诟病的原因是：the few scientific investigations of yawning havefailed to find any connection betweenhow often someone yawnsandhow much sleep they have hadorhow tired they are. 科学研究调查没有发现打哈欠和困倦或者疲惫之间的关系。

　　因此可见，对于托福文章，单词、长句、结构读懂，文章整体的脉络就清晰了。

　　那么对于SAT的阅读，具体情况怎么样呢？我们看下面的例子。

　　SAT的版本：（仅给出一个自然段来举例）

　　In most people’s minds, yawning—that slow, exaggerated mouth opening with the long,deep inhalation of air, followed by a briefer exhalation—is the most obvious sign of sleepiness. It is a common behavior shared by many animals, including our pet dogs and cats but also crocodiles, snakes, birds, and even some fish.It is certainly true thatsleepy people tend to yawn more than wide-awake people.It is also true thatpeople who say they are bored by what is happening at the moment will tend to yawn more frequently.However, whether yawning is a sign that you are getting ready for sleep or that you are successfully fighting off sleep is not known.Simply stretching your body, as you might do if you have been sitting in the same position for a long period of time, will often trigger a yawn.

　　解析：这一段的难点包括以下几点：

　　1. 给出定义。

　　定义是非常简洁浓缩并且抽象的语言，对于定义的理解需要学生迅速的具体化很多原本很抽象的描述，这需要强大的想象力、理解力，等等。在这一段的两个破折号之间的部分，that slow, exaggerated mouth opening with the long,deep inhalation of air, followed by a briefer exhalation（缓慢、夸张的口部张开并伴随以长久深入的吸气以及随后的简短的呼气）就是对于打哈欠的定义。好在我们每个人都打过哈欠，我们对于这个定义的理解就没有太大难度。如果是考天文、地质、生物医药等方面，并且给出的术语是我们没有见到过的、没有接触过的，那么对于该定义的理解就需要大费周章。

　　2. 原文结构要读懂。

　　这一段的结构是：

　　先给出定义

　　然后给出该定义的适用范围

　　然后，给出了两个让步：It is certainly true that, it is also true that...当然确实是这样，同时也确实是那样。

　　果不其然，在让步之后，下一句话的however就奠定了全段的悲剧色彩基调。

　　但是，仔细读这句however转折句：However, whether yawning is a sign that you are getting ready for sleep or that you are successfully fighting off sleep is not known. （然而，人们不知道打哈欠究竟是准备睡觉的信号，还是成功的抵制了瞌睡。）我们本来这一段说：打哈欠是困倦的标志。那么转折的时候，后面的话应该说“打哈欠不是困倦的标志”。可是作者在这里却说“打哈欠到底是困倦的标志呢？还是我们打败了困倦呢？”显然，他在一个概念的内部又做了细分，颇有点“白马非马”的味道。

　　可见，即使是SAT阅读中难度最低的文章，科技文章，其原文结构也比托福难懂。因为作者很少言简意赅、开门见山。相反，闪烁其词、莫衷一是。更多SAT培训班、SAT数学考点题等问题，可以咨询我们。