时间点在托福阅读文章中是一个非常小的信息点，但它可以为我们解答托福阅读题目提供一些线索。下面小编结合具体的例子为大家讲解如何利用“时间”线索来解答托福阅读题目，大家一起来学习一下吧。
一、利用抽象时间线索解题
抽象时间一般是对过去或现在某段时间的笼统表达，比如表示过去的“several years ago”、“in the past”、“in the past X years”等等;表示现在的“nowadays”、“at present”、“today”等等。在托福阅读中，命题人往往以今昔对比为切入点来出题。下面我们结合TPO3-Architecture中的一道例题来看一下如何利用抽象时间这一线索来解题。
Even development in architecture has been the result of major technological changes. Materials and methods of construction are integral parts of the design of architecture structures. In earlier times it was necessary to design structural systems suitable for the materials that were available, such as wood, stone, brick. Today technology has progressed to the point where it is possible to invent new building materials to suit the type of structure desired. Enormous changes in materials and techniques of construction within the last few generations have made it possible to enclose space with much greater ease and speed and with a minimum of material. Progress in this area can be measured by the difference in weight between buildings built now and those of comparable size built one hundred years ago.
In paragraph 4, what does the author imply about modern buildings?
A. They occupy much less space than buildings constructed one hundred years ago.
B. They are not very different from the building of a few generations ago.
C. They weigh less in relation to their size than buildings constructed one hundred years ago.
D. They take a long time to build as a result of their complex construction methods.
解答托福阅读题目的第一步就是根据关键词回到原文进行定位，本题题干中的关键词是“modern buildings”，但是通过阅读本段话我们并没有在原文中发现类似的字眼。那么我们如何定位它在文中的位置呢?这时我们就可以利用时间这一线索来解题了。关键词中含有“modern”一词，因此考生在阅读时需要特别注意文中含有时间的句子。通过阅读我们发现，本段最后一句话中含有明显的时间对比，而且“modern buildings”对应句中的“buildings built now”，这句话的意思是“这一领域的进步体现在现在的建筑和100年前同规模的建筑之间的重量差异。”据此可以推断，选项中应该也会涉及重量差异的问题。通过对比原文和选项我们不难发现，C选项就是正确答案。
二、利用具体时间线索解题
具体时间指的就是事件发生的世纪或者年月份等等。如果考生定位到含有具体时间的句子时要特别注意，命题人往往会在和时间搭配的介词上做文章。下面我们结合TPO3-Depletion of the Ogallala Aquifer中的一道例题来看一下如何利用具体时间这一线索来解题。
The vast grasslands of the High Plains in the central United States were settled by farmers and ranchers in the 1880s. This region has a semiarid climate, and for 50 years after its settlement, it supported a low-intensity agricultural economy of cattle ranching and wheat farming. In the early twentieth century, however, it was discovered that much of the High Plains was underlain by a huge aquifer (a rock layer containing large quantities of groundwater). This aquifer was named the Ogallala aquifer after the Ogallala Sioux Indians, who once inhabited the region.
According to paragraph 1, which of the following statements about the High Plains is true?
A. Until farmers and ranchers settled there in the 1880s, the High Plains had never been inhabited.
B. The climate of the High Plains is characterized by higher-than-average temperatures.
C. The large aquifer that lies underneath the High Plains was discovered by the Ogallala Sioux Indians.
D. Before the early 1900s there was only a small amount of farming and ranching in the High Plains.
题干中的关键词是“High Plains”，通过阅读我们发现本段话中有两处提到了这一名词，其中第二处前面出现了转折词“however”，是我们应该重点关注的地方。而且这句话开头还有一个表示时间的概念“In the early twentieth century”，所以我们就可以以时间为突破口来解答这个问题。四个选项中只有A和D含有时间概念，并且只有D选项中的时间和原文中的时间“the early twentieth century”是一致的。但是D选项中时间点前面的介词“before”和原文中的“in”是不一致的，这就表明D选项在原文中对应的信息应该在“In the early twentieth century”这句话前面，也就是文中的“This region has a semiarid climate, and for 50 years after its settlement, it supported a low-intensity agricultural economy of cattle ranching and wheat farming.”意思是“这里有着半干旱的气候，在人们定居50年后，它支撑了一个以畜牧业和小麦种植为主的低密度农业经济。”和D选项的内容是相符的，因此正确答案就是D选项。
以上就是小编为大家分享的利用时间线索来解答托福阅读题目的方法，希望能给大家的学习带来帮助。最后，小编祝愿各位考生在托福考试中取得好成绩!
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