在雅思考试的四个科目中，阅读是技巧性较强的一个单项，要求考生在有限的时间内将答题正确率发挥到“最大值”。换言之，时间的控制和分配是广大考生在阅读环节中需要面临的一项挑战。关于如何地完成雅思阅读考试，可以说是“众说纷纭”;但唯独不变的一项技能便是---关键词定位。毕竟，时间是考生们大的“敌人”，因此准确划分关键词则会有助于考生们从容应对阅读考试，并在这场“与时间赛跑”的过程中如虎添翼。我们将详细说明关键词的等级划分，以及它们所起到的不同作用。

　　首先，需要向大家明确Key Words(关键词)可分为：定位词和考点词。

　　一、定位词(大方向)

　　此类关键词通常不容易被替换，俗称“简单粗暴”词;便于考生们在答题时形成位置感，避免因迷失方向而紧张或耗时。但需要注意，定位词的作用只是定位，而非解题。

　　1. 人名/职位/大写缩写

　　在雅思阅读文章中这类定位词是显而易见的，且几乎不会被替换;考生们可以轻松地在文中定位到大致位置，提升信心。请看以下三题：C9T1P1

　　1. Michael Faraday was the first person to recognise Perkin's ability as a student of chemistry.

　　2. Michael Faraday suggested Perkin should enrol in the Royal College of Chemistry.

　　3. Perkin employed August Wilhelm Hofmann as his assistant.

　　通过题干内容，我们可以清晰看到有许多可以定位的“资源”，涵盖了人名、大写和职业。这三题中都出现了Perkin(即文章主题词)，因此可以忽略;另外，题和第二题都出现了人名Michael Faraday，因此第二题中的此人名不必划出。第三题中出现了新的人名August Wilhelm Hofmann，则务必划出。参考文章：

　　Paragraph 2

　　As a student at the City of London School, Perkin became immersed in the study of chemistry. His talent and devotion to the subject were perceived by his teacher, Thomas Hall, who encouraged him to attend a series of lectures given by the eminent scientist Michael Faraday at the Royal Institution. Those speeches fired the young chemist's enthusiasm further, and he later went on to attend the Royal College of Chemistry, which he succeeded in entering in 1853, at the age of 15.

　　Paragraph 3

　　At the time of Perkin's enrolment, the Royal College of Chemistry was headed by the noted German chemist August Wilhelm Hofmann. Perkin's scientific gifts soon caught Hofmann's attention and, within two years, he became Hofmann's youngest assistant. 因此，通过定位我们可以将前两题的位置划分在第二段，而第三题的位置确定在第三段。

　　2. 数字(时间/金额/百分比)

　　阿拉伯数字是另一种易于在文中“捕捉”到的信息，因为它们的表现形式不同于英语单词，所以考生们会觉得更有“亲和力”。请看以下三题：C7T4P2

　　18. More than 320,000 tonnes of salmon were caught in Alaska in 2000.

　　19. Between 1940 and 1959, there was a sharp decrease in Alaska's salmon population.

　　20. During the 1990s, the average number of salmon caught each year was 100 million.

　　这三题中出现许多数字，可以便于考生们确定每题所在位置，了解各题信息分布情况。参考文章：

　　Paragraph 3

　　......During 2000, commercial catches of Pacific salmon in Alaska exceeded 320,000 tonnes, with an ex-vessel value of over $US260 million.

　　Paragraph 4

　　Catches have not always been so healthy. Between 1940 and 1959, overfishing led to crashes in salmon populations so severe that in 1953 Alaska was declared a federal disaster area...... Over the next few decades average catches steadily increased as a result of this policy of sustainable management, until, during the 1990s, annual harvest were well in excess of 100 million, and on several occasions over 200 million fish.

　　根据这些数字来定位，我们可以明确18题在第三段结尾;19题在第四段开头;20题在第四段结尾。但是，需要注意某些另类的数字和单词的变化，比如25%或50%(quarter/half)、in 2000(at the beginning of the 21st century)、10 years(a decade)等。请看以下题目：C10T1P2

　　26. By the end of this decade, CO2 emissions from transport are predicted to reach 739 billion tonnes.

　　参考文章：

　　Paragraph E

　　......According to the latest estimates, if nothing is done to reverse the traffic growth trend, CO2 emissions from transport can be expected to increase by around 50% to 1,113 billion tonnes by2020, compared with the 739 billion tonnes recorded in 1990......

　　本题需要我们对比两个十年末(1990和2020)的二氧化碳排放量。考生务必要注意，10年(decade)是雅思阅读考试中的一个高频考点。

　　3. 名词(总称VS分类)

　　此类定位词被称作“藏龙卧虎”，也就是说它们在文中非常善于“伪装”自己。通常题目中若没有数字、人名或大写时，我们往往会将普通名词作为“替补队员”去文中找位置，因为相比形容词或动词，名词被替换的概率较低;然而，考生们要谨防名词在总称与分类上的相互替换。请看以下题目：C10T4P1

　　10. California has replaced a range of firefighting tools.

　　此判断题中，tool(工具)是一个总称，考生们会利用这个词到文中定位;然而，文中并没有这个原词存在。参考文章：

　　Paragraph 8

　　State promises to provide more up-to-date engines, planes, and helicopters to fight fires have been fulfilled......

　　通过文章内容不难发现，题目中tool被转换成了其分类形式：engines(引擎), planes(飞机)和helicopters(直升机)。

　　让我们再看一个例子：C11T1P1

　　4. The consumption of ...................... would be cut because agricultural vehicles would be unnecessary.

　　此填空题中出现了能作为定位词的名词词组agricultural vehicles(务农工具)，但文中却并没有原词，这会让考生感到迷茫，甚至影响到后面题目的定位。参考文章：

　　Paragraph 4

　　......It would also dramatically reduce fossil fuel use, by cutting out the need for tractors, ploughs and shipping.

　　第四段最后一句话其实出现了agricultural vehicles的分类举例：tractors(拖拉机), ploughs (犁)和 shipping(船舶)，考生们对这些分类名词可能会陌生，从而忽略其在文中的位置，所以建议大家在备考阶段多积累归纳名词在总称与分类方面的相互转换。

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