想提升閱讀速度？先放慢速度看！ - 英檢

各位同學好, 我是J2.

同學在閱讀托福文章時常會有一個問題，就是慢慢看看得懂，但在20分鐘內
要看完文章＋作題目，就有困難，到底要怎麼提升閱讀速度呢？

其實同學應該在看完每句話時（尤其是每段的第一句主題句），應該要放慢
速度想想作者的目的，想想作者為何要寫這段？又或是為何要在這裡分段？
以下用TPO 9 Colonizing the Americas via the Northwest Coast 這篇文
章當範例來示範一下文章該怎麼慢慢看、想想作者的目的。

首先是首段第一句話：
It has long been accepted that the Americas were colonized by a
migration of peoples from Asia, slowly traveling across a land
bridge called Beringia (now the Bering Strait between northeastern
Asia and Alaska) during the last Ice Age.

簡單翻譯一下：「一直以來大家普遍接受美洲是在上次冰河期間，由亞洲人
慢慢從白令陸橋遷徙佔據。」

看到這句同學不要急著往下讀，不妨花個十秒鐘想想這句話作者到底想表達
什麼？或是作者的重點是什麼？


可能抓到的重點有以下幾個部分：

1) 從一開始It has long been accepted可以知道這裡作者想要提出一個
理論，因為他用的是普遍接受，不是It has been proved也不是study
shows等等。

2) 這句話作者應該是要強調：由亞洲人慢慢「從白令陸橋」遷徙佔據。所
以接下來的幾句話應該會針對「為何覺得是從白令陸橋」呢？」「為何不是
其他地方或其他方式過來？」來作解釋。下一句話作者果然繼續解釋：The
first water craft theory about this migration was that around
11,000-12,000 years ago there was an ice-free corridor stretching
from eastern Beringia to the areas of North America south of the
great northern glaciers. 「一萬一千到一萬兩千年前有個無冰的走廊從
白令陸橋東邊延伸到北美。」

3) 而且可以知道的是It has long been accepted這種句子通常後面都會
推翻，常見的類似說法有It’s long been thought that…, long-held
view, long-lasting, traditional theory等等。所以在接下來的幾句話解
釋完Beringia這個理論後，馬上提出一位學者反駁：But belief in this
ice-free corridor began to crumble when paleoecologist Glen
MacDonald demonstrated that some of the most important radiocarbon
dates used to support the existence of an ice-free corridor were
incorrect.

可以再用第二段第一句話來練習。
Support is growing for the alternative theory that people using
watercraft, possibly skin boats, moved southward from Beringia
along the Gulf of Alaska and then southward along the Northwest
coast of North America possibly as early as 16,000 years ago.

（同學也一樣自己先花幾秒鐘想想這句話重點，再往下看）

關鍵字：Support is growing

聰明的你應該已經猜到了，既然剛剛在第一段最後推翻了原本理論，那在第
二段應該要提出第二個理論(alternative theory)，但除此之外，這句話最
主要的重點應該還有support is growing, 所以作者接下來應該會提哪些證
據來支持這個along the Gulf of Alaska and then southward along the
Northwest coast of North America. 也終於在第二段第一句話對應到文章
標題：Colonizing the Americas via the Northwest Coast

同學可再用第三段主題句練習：
The most influential proponent of the coastal migration route has
been Canadian archaeologist Knut Fladmark.

(同學一樣想一下再往下看)

應該也抓到重點了：proponent, Canadian archaeologist Knut Fladmark

那也可以想到既然提到了這個考古學家，想必接下來的重點一定是這個考古
學家有哪些論點可以支持coastal migration這個理論， 因為這句話有提到
他是proponent支持者。往後面看確實有提到的支持論點有greatest
diversity in native American languages occurs along the west coast
of the Americas.

再用第四段試試看：
More recent geologic studies documented deglaciation and the
existence of ice-free areas throughout major coastal areas of
British Columbia, Canada, by 13,000 years ago.


主題句重點：geologic studies

上一段講了一個考古學家支持coastal migration route這個理論，這段換
用地質研究來支持。後面的支持論點包含：
inner continental shelf were not covered by ice toward the end of
the last Ice Age.
the Northwest Coast of North America was largely free of ice by
approximately 16,000 years ago.

同學或許會想如果每一句話都要先想過作者想表達的意思，不是更耗時間？
當然在考試當下要用可能來不及，但只要平常多用幾篇文章多練習幾次，培
養能快速看完每段主題句即猜到接下來文章重點，其實久而久之就會讓你的
閱讀速度越來越快，且更能夠抓到句子、段落關連性，讓你能夠預期的更多
更準，才是提升閱讀速度的關鍵喔！

希望以上方法對大家有幫助!

Cheers,

J2


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