托福口语TASK 3信息总结的实用技巧

2018-06-07 14:06

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托福口语的综合部分，非常考验学生在理解阅读与听力材料的基础上，对信息进行总结、概括、以及整合的能力。“总结”（summarize）信息是一项相对较难的能力，很多同学也对此有一定的误解。

在不同的词典中，对summarize做出了不同的解释，但有几个相关概念却是高度统一的“brief”，“main point”，以及“keywords”。在OG 中，也明确说明“在阅读文章和对话中有很多信息，考生无须在回答中一一总结所有信息。”换句话说，Task 3要求考生在理解材料的基础上，用自己的话简要说出要点即可，并不需要包含所有的细节。

同时，OG中又明确指出“回答应该尽可能完整，以使没有看过这则通知或没有听过对话的人在听了你的表达后，也能了解新的政策、学生的观点以及学生的理由”。信息尽量完整和上一条是否矛盾呢？其实不然。我们来看一下OG中的官方例子（关于一个女生支持学校增加学费），来找一找两个要求之间的平衡。

Reading:

We have also made a new commitment to research and technology and will be renovating and upgrading our laboratory facilities to better meet our students’ needs.

Listening:

Woman: And the other thing is, well, I'm kind of worried about not being able to get a job after I graduate.

Man: Why? I mean you're doing really well in your classes, aren't you?

Woman: I'm doing OK, but the facilities here are so limited. There are some great new experiments in microbiology that we can't even do here... there isn't enough equipment in the laboratories, and equipment they have is out of date. How am I going to compete for jobs with people who have practical research experience? I think the extra tuition will be a good investment.

理解上述125词的阅读和听力切片之后，我们不难找出关键点：update lab facilities, out of date, get practical lab experiences, find a good job。这些关键点的逻辑较为清晰，去掉一些细节和重复的表达，OG给了考生仅39词的参考回答。

Summary:

She agrees that money should be spent to improve laboratory facilities because they're out of date, and this has made it hard for her to get the practical laboratory experience she feels she needs to get a good job.

从OG给出的这个例子中，我们可以总结出一些实用技巧。尤其是遇到更为繁复的信息时，可以更好的做出总结和概括。

I. 个人理解是核心，关键信息不能变

综合口语的作答都建立在对材料理解的基础之上。TASK 3的个别篇章包含非常多琐碎的细节，这时候特别考验考生对于这些细节的归纳总结能力。“说出你的理解，而不是照搬听到的细节”，是一条实用的原则。我们来看TPO 48 TASK 3的一个切片。

Reading:

I think our university should create a similar museum on our own campus. Such a museum would give our students an opportunity to learn to appreciate high-quality fine art.

Listening:

Man: Well, first of all, you can get on the bus right here on campus and in half an hour, you are downtown in the county art museum.

Woman: That's true.

Key points - county art museum, close, convenient, by bus.

Man: And if you show your student ID card, it only cost like 2 bucks to get in.

Woman: Yeah, in fact on Mondays, students get in for free.

Summary - inexpensive for students

Man: Right. And you can see some of the greatest arts in the world there. For example, you know Rembrandt, the famous Dutch painter?

Woman: Yeah.

Man: Well, right now they are showing something like 20 of his paintings.

Woman: Wow.

Key points - world-class museum, eg: showing Rembrandt’s work.

上述切片中重点较多，细节非常琐碎，因此更需要考生在复述时对关键信息进行总结概括。有时使用原文中出现的原词并不是最好的转述方法，完全可以直接说出考生理解到的信息精髓。比如“half an hour”的巴士，可以理解出“close to campus”的意思；“2 bucks”，“Monday for free”可以归出“inexpensive”这个要点。

Summary - There is a county art museum close to campus. It’s really convenient to get there by bus and it’s inexpensive to get in for students. Also this museum is a world-class one. For example, it’s now showing 20 of Rembrandt’s work.

II. 顺序可以调整，把握“总分逻辑”是关键

关键信息的内容不能改变，但有时候我们适当的调整复述信息的顺序，可以让表达更加符合逻辑。比如在托福考试中非常推荐大家遵循“总分逻辑”。有时对话听力材料的要点并不是按照总分逻辑给出的，我们完全可以在复述时加以调整。“听到信息的顺序，并不一定是最好的复述顺序”。以TPO 40 TASK 3中的一个切片举例。

Reading:

University officials hope that this lounge, a place to socialize and relax, will give commuter students some of the same advantages that dormitory residents now have.

Listening:

Woman: Sure. I mean the dormitories all have their own lounges. And think about how much time students spend there and how many people they meet.

Key points - spend a lot of time and meet a lot of people in the lounges.

Man: Yeah. I got to know a lot of people in my dorm during my first semester, just watching TV and taking study breaks in the lounge.

Woman: Right. Those dorm lounges are really central to students' life. And I met people there. They really helped me with my schoolwork too. Students who live off campus don't have anything like that.

Mam: That's true.

Key points - watch TV, take breaks; central to students’ life; help schoolwork.

从上述材料提取出的关键信息中，我们不难看出其中有一句话提纲挈领的表达了主说话人的观点，“those dorm lounges are really central to students’ life”。而这句观点的表达是在两人对话的中间部分提到的。按照总分逻辑的原则，在复述这段内容时，我们完全可以把这个信息点的顺序调整到最开头的位置。

托福口语

Summary - Dormitory lounge is central to students’ life, because resident students spend a lot of time and meet a lot of people there. They watch TV, take breaks, and find help for schoolwork in the lounge. It’s necessary for commuter students to have a lounge like that.