众所周知，GRE填空分为Text Completion和Sentence Equivalence两大类题型，本文中这两类题型统称为“GRE填空”，或者是“填空”。2014年暑期，ETS官方发布了Official GRE Verbal Reasoning Practice Questions一书，国内中译版翻译为《新GRE语文官方指南》。这是截止目前，ETS官方推出的最新的对于Verbal Reasoning部分的解读文件。书中，ETS简要地指出了GRE填空的题型分布，做题建议与注意事项，为大家指明了复习的方向。然而书中有些信息比较含糊，与2015年实际考试题目有些许出入。所以笔者结合自己的实际教学与考试经验，为大家全面解读GRE填空的官方文件。
一，ETS对于Text Completion的概述
Skilled readers do not simply absorb the information presented on the page; instead, they maintain a constant attitude of interpretation and evaluation, rea- soning from what they have read so far to create a picture of the whole and revising that picture as they go. Text Completion questions test this ability by omitting crucial words from short passages and asking the test taker to use the remaining information in the passage as a basis for selecting words or short phrases to the blanks and create a coherent, meaningful whole.
意思是：出色的考生并不只是吸收字面信息;相反，他们始终保持着阐述和评估的态度，对于已阅读的内容展开推理，形成一幅整体画面，并且在阅读过程中新获得信息不断修正这幅画面。Text Completion 通过遗漏较短篇章中的关键词来考查考生的这种能力，它要求考生根据篇章中的现有信息选择合适的单词或者短语填入空格，从而形成一个连贯的，有意义的整体。
这段话说白了就是要求我们必须建立在理解整体句意的基础之上来做题，边读边完善自己的逻辑线索，去推测作者想要表达的主旨，而不能片面的忽略语境，仅根据单独一句话，就盲目下结论。比如说下面这个题目
It is refreshing to read a book about our planet by an author who does not allow facts to be (i)______ by politics: well aware of the political disputes about the effects of human activities on climate and biodiversity, this author does not permit them to (ii)______ his comprehensive description of what we know about our biosphere. He emphasizes the enormous gaps in our knowledge, the sparseness of our observations, and the (iii)______, calling attention to the many aspects of planetary evolution that must be better understood before we can accurately diagnose the condition of our planet.
我们在读题的时候仅读到第一空格附近是根本无法得知作者想要表达什么，仅仅知道an author不允许“facts”被“politics”给怎么样。所以就继续往后面看，边读遍完善我们的逻辑线索，我们发现第二空格在说this author不允许“them”(即“political disputes)去怎么样他的全面描述。二空所在这句话是对第一空格的解释，一二空格紧密相关。继续往后面读，作者的态度就出来即“calling attention to the many aspects of planetary evolution that must be better understood”，从中确定了作者对于“comprehensive description of what we know about our biosphere”是持有正面的态度，所以一二空格就迎刃而解了，那么他就不允许别人去“破坏”这个“全面描述”。所以所以一二空格我们可以选择AE两个选项。
还需要强调一点，原句中官方提及了一个概念“crucial words”，在实际做题过程中，我们发现“crucial words”以动词，形容词，抽象名词居多。所以在背诵单词的时候这么一类词语要尤为注意。
二，ETS对于Text Completion题型结构的描述
● Passage composed of one to five sentences
● One to three blanks
● Three answer choices per blank (five answer choices in the case of a single blank)
● The answer choices for different blanks function independently; that is, selecting one answer choice for one blank does not affect what answer choices you can select for another blank
● Single correct answer, consisting of one choice for each blank; no credit for par tially correct answers
即：
● 由1~5个句子组成的短文
● 1~3个空格
● 每个空格有3个选项(如果只有1个空格，则有5个选项)
● 每个空格的选项是独立发挥作用的;也就是说，一个空格的选项选择不影响另一个空格的选项选择
● 每个空格只有一个正确选项;全部空格选出正确选项才得分，部分正确不得分
上述官方说明涵盖了我们常见题型即单空题，双空题，三空题。但是需要说明的是第四条，官方说“每个空格的选项是独立发挥作用的;也就是说，一个空格的选项选择不影响另一个空格的选项选择”，这句话在2015年看来已经有些与事实不符，现在实际做题环节中会出现很多的“双空联动题”，一个空格填入的概念直接影响到了另外一个空格的判断。举个例子来说：
While people complain about their hectic lives and demanding schedules, one might be justified in suspecting that they are being somewhat (i) _____: compulsive busyness seems to be, for many, a source of (ii) ______.
Blank (i) Blank (ii)
A. disingenuous D. pride
B. guarded E. despair
C. dilatory F. irritation
这个题目当中，很明显，第一空格所填入的概念，直接关系到第二空格的内容。这一类题在2015年的考试当中非常常见。所以我们不必迷信官方内容，时代在变，题型也在变要顺应变化。
三，ETS对于Text Completion题型的答题建议
Do not merely try to consider each possible combination of answers; doing so will take too long and is open to error. Instead, try to analyze the passage in the following way:
● Read through the passage to get an overall sense of it.
● Identify words or phrases that seem particularly significant, either because they emphasize the structure of the passage (words like although or moreover ) or because they are central to understanding what the passage is about.
● Think up your own words for the blanks. Try to fill in the blanks with words or phrases that seem to you to fit and then see if similar words are offered among the answer choices.
● Do not assume that the first blank is the one that should be filled first. Perhaps one of the other blanks is easier to fill first. Select your choice for that blank, and then see whether you can complete another blank. If none of the choices for the other blank seem to make sense, go back and reconsider your first selection.
● Double-check your answers. When you have made your selection for each blank, check to make sure that the passage is logically, grammatically, and stylistically coherent.
即：
不要仅仅考虑选项的各种可能组合;这样做既浪费时间又容易出错。相反，应借助一下方法对文本进行分析：
● 通读短文，整体把握全文。
● 找出特别重要的单词或短语，因为它们强调了短文的整体结构(类似although或moreover之类的词语)，或是理解短文的关键。
● 自己思考空格应该填什么词。把自己想出来的认为合适的单词或短语填入空格，然后看看选项中是否有与其类似的单词或短语。
● 没必要一定得先解决第一个空格。或许先解决其他空格更容易一些。先解决更容易解决的空格，然后看看能否完成另一个空格。如果剩余选项填入最后一个空格都不能构成有意义的整体，那么回过头去重新做题。
● 检查选项的正确性。在完成每个空格后，检查并确保全文在逻辑上，语法上和风格上是连贯统一的。
这里需要提醒的是第二步中，“找出特别重要的单词或短语”，这一点笔者认为有些许不妥，因为从2015年的考题中我们发现，有的所谓线索词如“although, but, however”等在很多题目里不是考点，如果考生拿到题干就去寻找所谓的线索词的话，很容易产生误解。举例来说：
Readers may initially be irked by the book’s apparent (i) __ but, once immersed in the author’s prose, they may come to regard the work’s (ii) __ as an asset.
Blank (i) Blank (ii)
A. flippancy D . subtlety
B. aimlessness E. discursions
C. tendentiousness F. exhaustiveness
这个题目当中，如果考生看到but就想到前后取反的话，那么就错了。这里but引导的转折点不在空格而在前后读者们的态度上。所以一空二空都表示的是这本书的一个特点，所以这里两个空格是一对儿同义词而不是反义词。应选择BE。
四，ETS对于Sentence Equivalence的概述
Like Text Completion questions, Sentence Equivalence questions test the ability to reach a conclusion about how a passage should be completed on the basis of partial information, but to a greater extent they focus on the meaning of the completed whole. Sentence Equivalence questions consist of a single sentence with just one blank, and they ask you to find two choices that both lead to a complete, coherent sentence and that produce sentences that mean the same thing.
即：与Text Completion一样，Sentence Equivalence也是考查考生利用现有的不完整信息把句子补充完整的能力，但其更为注重整句话的意义。此类题目题干为一个只有一个空格的句子，要求考生从六个选项中选出两个选项，这两个选项都能使这句话构成完整的连贯的句子，并且整句话有着一样的含义。
从中看来sentence equivalence测试的能力点和之前的text completion大致相同，只不过是让我最后选择一对选项进行填空。这里需要注意，题干也是只有一个空格，但是选项有六个。
五，ETS对于Sentence Equivalence的题型结构的描述
● Consists of: a single sentence; one blank ; six answer choices
● Requires you to select two of the answer choices; no credit for partially correct answers. These questions are marked with square boxes beside the answer choices, not circles or ovals.
即：
● 组成:一个句子;一个空格;六个选项
● 要求选出两个选项：全部答对才得分，部分正确不得分。
● 这类问题的选项旁标有正方块图形，而不是圆形或椭圆形。
这里需要我们注意的是，不要把六选二和单空题目搞混了。
六，ETS对于Sentence Equivalence的答题建议
Do not simply look among the answer choices for two words that mean the same thing. This can be misleading for two reasons. First, the answer choices may contain pairs of words that mean the same thing but do not fit coherently into the sentence, and thus do not constitute a correct answer. Second, the pair of words that do constitute the correct answer may not mean exactly the same thing, since all that matters is that the resultant sentences mean the same thing.
● Read the sentence to get an overall sense of it.
● Identify words or phrases that seem particularly significant, either because they emphasize the structure of the sentence (words like although or moreover) or because they are central to understanding what the sentence is about.
● Think up your own words for the blanks. Try to fill in the blank with a word that seems to you to fit and then see if two similar words are offered among the answer choices. If you find some word that is similar to what you are expecting but cannot find a second one, do not become fixated on your interpretation; instead, see whether there are other words among the answer choices that can be used to fill the blank coherently.
● Double-check your answers. When you have selected your pair of answer choices for the blank, check to make sure that each one produces a sentence that is logically, grammatically, and stylistically coherent, and that the two sentences mean the same thing.
即：
不要轻易的在选项中找同义词，这样很可能会被误导。主要有两大原因：第一，选项中含有的同义词对或许不能使整句话意义连贯，不能成为正确选项。第二，构成正确选项的词对未必就是同义词，因为在此类问题中，最为关键的是填入两个不同的选项要能使整句话的含义一样。
● 读句子，整体把握句子
● 找出特别重要的单词或短语，因为他们强调了句子的整体结构(类似although或moreover之类的词语)，或是理解句子的关键。
● 自己思考空格应该填什么词。把自己想出来的认为合适的单词填入空格，然后看看是否有与该词含义相近的两个选项。如果只有一个选项与自己的推测类似，要灵活变通，看看有没有其它选项能填入空格并保证整句话意义连贯。
● 检查选项的正确性。在选出两个单词之后，检查并确保每个单词都能使整句话在逻辑上，语法上和风格上是连贯统一的，并且填入这两个单词，句子的含义完全一样。
需要我们注意的是，在做六选二题目的时候，我们可以先从题干本身推理出未知空格，然后带着自己的预判与选项做匹配。不过，有的时候由于六选二题目的特殊性，在考生是在读不懂题干，走投无路的情况下，我们可以采用下下策，即直接看选项选同义词往题干本身带，哪个能说的通就选哪个。举个例子：
It is hardly _______ the committee calls for: rudimentary competence would be an improvement on the current chaos.
A. accountability
B. faultlessness
C. disarray
D. loyalty
E. unrichness
F. perfection
这个题目在实际教学过程中发现绝大多数的学生根本读不懂题干，尤其是很多同学会把competence理解成竞争。所以这个题目我就可以看选项去选同义词，我们发现其中BF是为一对同义词，那么我们就可以优先考虑他们，注意这是在走投无路的情况下才使用的策略。所以题干本身在说“委员会的要求并不高：一个基本的能力就可以改善当前的混乱”。
以上就是对于GRE填空官方文件的详细解读，当然更为具体的做题方法不是只言片语就能培养起来的，离不开循序渐进的系统化训练。
最新热文推荐：
更多关于GRE考试2015年终盘点及2016备考规划的内容，请关注新东方网GRE频道，也可通过下方二维码关注我们的微信平台(微信号：GRE-XDF)。
微信号：GRE-XDF
(编辑：马荟)
版权声明：本文系新东方网独家稿件，版权为新东方网所有。转载须注明来源及作者，否则必将追究法律责任。
