：“频道切换”能力与GMAT/SAT考试————谈母语特征对GMAT/SAT考试文本处理的消极影响

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从立志出国深造，选择摆平各项出国考试这一刻开始，中国考生实际上已经处于一个起点的不公平状态，美帝的考试，你得用英文去考，哪怕号称是考察思维，智商的GMAT与SAT考试，也是以英文为载体的，这样一来，母语并非英文的中国学生，在信息处理的速度和精确度上，已经先吃一亏。我们整天说，英语基础，英语实力，那么，到底是什么因素，在拖我们处理英文信息能力的后腿？本文着重分析母语，也就是汉语的语言表达习惯，对考生处理出国考试文本的影响。

在处理简单、基础的英文句子时，实际上母语带来的负面影响并不突出，但是在处理结构较为高级，语言结构比较复杂的文本的时候，母语的习惯对学生辨析选项的错误，尤其是GMAT的句子改正和SAT的improving sentence等题型时，就会产生“浮云遮望眼”的功能，使得考生对符合母语表达习惯却不符合英语表达习惯的语言点，缺乏敏感，失去了轻易发现选项错误的机会，或者错判句子意思，直接导致解题的障碍。

以下以从宏观到微观，具体到抽象为脉络，列举分析几种影响最突出的语言习惯区别，供考生引起警惕。

1 句子之间，中文不必然需要连词，要求松散，连词数目可以是一个，两个或者0个，当没连词的时候，逻辑关系可以自己揣测。英文有且仅有一个连词

例Charles Lindbergh, for his attempt at a solo transatlantic flight, was very reluctant to have any extra weight on his plane, he therefore refused to carry even a pound of mail, despite being offered $1,000 to do so.

1.     Charles Lindbergh, for his attempt at a solo transatlantic flight, was very reluctant to have any extra weight on his plane, he therefore

2.    When Charles Lindbergh was attempting his solo transatlantic flight, being very reluctant to have any extra weight on his plane, he

3.    Since he was very reluctant to carry any extra weight on his plane when he was attempting his solo transatlantic flight, so Charles Lindbergh

4.    Being very reluctant to carry any extra weight on his plane when he attempted his solo transatlantic flight was the reason that Charles Lindbergh

5.    Very reluctant to have any extra weight on his plane when he attempted his solo transatlantic flight, Charles Lindbergh

题中A选项两句之间连词缺失，C选项重复使用连词，本来是非常基础的错误，但中文习惯的影响会让这2个选项读起来很流畅。因为（since）。。。。。。所以（so）。。。。 不正是中文的表达法吗？

2 中文的代词使用松散，英文代词使用必须有严格的指代对象，即不能空指.这种严格程度会让中国学生很不适应

例 The electronics company has unveiled what it claims to be the world’s smallest network digital camcorder, the length of which is that of a handheld computer, and it weighs less than 11 ounces.

1.     to be the world’s smallest network digital camcorder, the length of which is that of a handheld computer, and it weighs

2.    to be the smallest network digital camcorder in the world, which is as long as a handheld computer, weighing

3.    is the smallest network digital camcorder in the world, which is as long as a handheld computer, and it weighs

4.    is the world’s smallest network digital camcorder, which is as long as a handheld computer and weighs

5.    is the world’s smallest network digital camcorder, the length of which is that of a handheld computer, weighing

注意A选项中的it，中文里面，“一个东西XXXXX，它啊，还怎么怎么样”这种表达非常流畅，感觉自然，但英语书面表达里面，会反而让句子意思产生模糊，到底是指camcorder，还是computer？

更严重的是中文中代词随意的“虚指”，即代词完全没有指代对象的现象，会对英文表达造成极大影响：

例 Because the Earth's crust is more solid there and thus better able to transmit shock waves, an earthquake of a given magnitude typically devastates an area 100 times greater in the eastern United States than it does in the West.

1.     A. of a given magnitude typically devastates an area 100 times greater in the eastern United States than it does in the West

2.    B. of a given magnitude will typically devastate 100 times the area if it occurs in the eastern United States instead of the West

3.    C. will typically devastate 100 times the area in the eastern United States than one of comparable magnitude occurring in the West

4.    D. in the eastern United States will typically devastate an area 100 times greater than will a quake of comparable magnitude occurring in the West

5.    E. that occurs in the easternUnited Stateswill typically devastate 100 times more area than if it occurred with comparable magnitude in the West

读者能想明白为神马ABE的it用法都是错的，没有指代对象吗？

3 中文的动词不发生变化，动词扮演不同的角色的时候长相不变，通过一些副词等手段体现性，态的变化。而所有欧洲语系语言以及英语，动词都是最敏感和富于变化的句子组成部分。很多情况下，动词的长相稍一变化，句子意思就完全不同了。

Past assessments of the Brazilian rain forest have used satellite images to tally deforested areas, where farmers and ranchers have clear-cut and burned all the trees, but such work has not addressed either logging, which is the removal of only selected trees, as well as surface fires, burning down individual trees but do not denude the forest.

1.     which is the removal of only selected trees, as well as surface fires, burning

2.    which removes only selected trees, or surface fires that burn

3.    which removes only selected trees, along with surface fires that burn

4.    removing only selected trees, or surface fires, burning

E removing only selected trees, as well as surface fires that burn

注意remove和burn两个动词在不同选项中的不同长相，意识到这点，你就能决定选项的对错。在gmat和sat中，对动词的考察核心是其逻辑上的发出者。

4 中文的修饰成分习惯前置，英语的修饰成分放置灵活，可前可后

A study of food resources in the North Pacific between 1989 and 1996 revealed that creatures of the seabed were suffering from dwindling food supplies, possibly resulting from increasing sea surface temperatures during the same period.

a) that creatures of the seabed were suffering from dwindling food supplies, possibly resulting from increasing

b) that creatures of the seabed were suffering because food supplies were dwindling, possibly as a result of an increase in

c) that creatures of the seabed were suffering because of food supplies, which were dwindling possibly as a result of increasing

d) creatures of the seabed that were suffering from food supplies that were dwindling, possibly resulting from an increase in

e) creatures of the seabed that were suffering because food supplies were dwindling, which possibly resulted from increasing

DE选项中，只能翻译为reveal 了 生物，而不能翻译为reveal了生物在遭殃，而这两个意义上是完全不同的。但是很多考生由于DE选项里面creature这个单词长长的后置成分，按中文习惯一直读过去，结果读出来的意思和ABC是一样的，就变得无法下手了。

5 中文没有非谓语动词一说，所有感觉所有动词都能传达动作的概念，而英文有非谓语动词。很多动词不能理解成某个动作，不能看到某个物体后面有个动词，就翻译成某物体干了什么

Q13:

Like the grassy fields and old pastures that the upland sandpiper needs for feeding and nesting when it returns in May after wintering in the Argentine Pampas, the sandpipers vanishing in the northeastern United States is a result of residential and industrial development and of changes in farming practices.

1.     the sandpipers vanishing in the northeasternUnited Statesis a result of residential and industrial development and of changes in

2.    the bird itself is vanishing in the northeasternUnited Statesas a result of residential and industrial development and of changes in

3.    that the birds themselves are vanishing in the northeasternUnited Statesis due to residential and industrial development and changes to

4.    in the northeasternUnited States, sandpipers’ vanishing is due to residential and industrial development and to changes in

5.    in thenortheasternUnitedStates, the sandpipers’ vanishing, a result of residential and industrial development and changing

选项A本来是一个非常低级的错误，主语是sandpipers，谓语是is，所以主谓不一致。但是中国学生普遍对非谓语动词和谓语动词感觉模糊看不出vanishing是后置分词作为定语而已，结果忽略了真正的谓语is。

6 中文习惯把信息分成一截一截表达，会形成更多的分句，英文习惯把若干信息以各种语法手段附加在一个核心句上面，尽量避免少写句子，所以会见到大量的前置，插入，后置成分

Nikola Tesla, the inventor of alternating current, because he was excited with the prospects of harnessing Niagara Falls for producing electric power, he predicted in the mid-1890's that electricity generated at Niagara would one day power the streetcars ofLondonand the streetlights ofParis.

(A) Nikola Tesla, the inventor of alternating current, because he was excited with the prospects of harnessing Niagara Falls for producing electric power, he
(B) The prospects of harnessing Niagara Falls to produce electric power was exciting to Nikola Tesla, the inventor of alternating current, and so he
(C) Excited about the prospects of harnessing Niagara Falls to produce electric power, Nikola Tesla, the inventor of alternating current,
(D) Nikola Tesla, the inventor of alternating current, excited about the prospects of harnessing Niagara Falls for the production of electric power and
(E) The inventor of alternating current, excited with the prospects of harnessing Niagara Falls for producing of electric power, Nikola Tesla

句子其实在传递三段信息，NT是交流电发明者,NT对于某前景很激动，NT预测XXXXXX。选项其实就是对这三段信息进行组合以寻求最合理的摆放方式。C选项取材的正是把其中一段信息设为主句，其它两个信息分别插入开头与中间的方式。而中文则会倾向于设计为N个独立单句。

7 中文对被动的感觉不强烈，很多实际上是被动意义的表达会以主动的面目出现。而英文对主动被动表达非常敏感。

实际上，欧洲语言里面对被动和主动表达的区分非常严格，我想起了今年诺贝尔文学奖得主，瑞典诗人和他作品的中文翻译者，诗人李笠的交往中的一个细节，李诗人回忆：

“整整一下午，我俩坐在12平方米的简陋的小屋里。当沟通遇到障碍时（当时我的口语还不允许探讨问题），托马斯就用笔在纸上涂画起来：“这句‘我路过一棵倒下的树’，你用的是fallet，fallet是自己倒下的意思，你的诗中树好像是在砍伐后倒下的，这时，就应该用fallt（被砍倒）。”他说着，寥寥数笔便在纸上勾出一棵树，一把卡在树躯中央的锯子。显然，我的瑞典文受着汉语思维模式的影响。汉语里，“倒下”可以是主动和也可以是被动”

PREP 32. (26187-!-item-!-188;#058&002462)

The state has proposed new rules that would set minimum staffing levels for nurses, rules intended to ensure that at least one nurse is assigned for every four patients put through triage in a hospital emergency room.

很多学生把这个句子判断为2个单句，从而判断两个句子之间没有连词而排除这个选项。实际上，这个句子的第二节根本不是单句，它是一个单词“rules”后面加上intended to XXX作为定语，而造成误判的原因，还是根深蒂固的中文习惯：见着动词就以为是谓语，实际上intend这个动作常做被动用，写成句子的话表达应该是 sth is intended to do sth。类似的情况还是excite，worry， interest，等等。

总的来说，英文是一门“法治”语言，用规则保证语意的单一性，中文则相对松散，语言理解的歧义和不确定性可能较高，有点“人治”的味道。这，是否又是社会，民族的文化特质的投射？