托福阅读指代题四大类代词关系梳理

托福阅读指代题四大类代词关系梳理

托福阅读指代题虽然考的是代词，却暗含着对指代关系、语篇逻辑的深层考察，并非单纯词汇层面的考察。根据代词的不同类别，我们把托福阅读指代题分成四大类型：人称代词类、指示代词类、关系代词类和不定代词类。具体请看下文!

托福阅读指代题四大类代词关系梳理

托福阅读考试中指代题是不可忽视的一大题型，虽然考的是代词，却暗含着对指代关系、语篇逻辑的深层考察，并非单纯词汇层面的考察。通常的提问形式体现为“The word they/their/it/its/some in the passage refers to______”，然后给出四个选项，这四个词通常都是原文中出现过的生词，并且往往都是在they/their/it/its/some这几个词的附近，需要考生经过严密思考推测，选出一个既符合行文逻辑又符合上下文意思的选项。

那么我们如何明确判断代词所指代的对应内容呢?我们可以根据代词的不同类别，把指代题分成四大类型：人称代词类、指示代词类、关系代词类和不定代词类。然后就可以根据不同类别的代词特征一一解答了。下面我们来具体看一下四大类代词的特征及辅助解答托福阅读指代题的策略。

第一类，人称代词

人称代词主要包括：I，you，he，she，it，we，they，me，him，them，yours，his，her，its，their等。此类题型应在做题时根据代词的单复数及其所能指代的名词来判断，通常是往前找最近的核心名词。

例如：

“An auction is a popular way of buying and selling. It is a useful way of deciding the value of things。”

The word It in the passage refers to __________。

A. theory B. price

C. process D. auction

往前追溯单数形式的核心名词，并且能用在第二句的主语位置的词，就只能是第一句中出现的auction一词了，所以正确答案选D。

第二类，指示代词

指示代词主要包括this, that, these, those等。在这种 句子 中，this和that通常指代某个观点事物或现象，而these和those通常指复数形式下的某些观点事物或意见，并且该类题也遵循往前找的原则。

例如：

“The dragon also has large claws that are used when it is younger. It uses these to climb trees to escape from the jaws of older dragons. But when they get older，these claws are used mainly as weapons。”

The word these in the passage refers to __________。

A. claws B. trees

C. jaws D. weapons

该题中的these一定是指之前已经出现过的名词，所以现在才能用代词进行指示，因此我们首先可通过往前追溯的原则进行排出，B、C、D瞬间就都被排除了。再将A选项带入原句验证，看逻辑和意思是否与句意相符，最终验证表明，答案正是A选项。

第三类，关系代词

主要包括which, that, who, whom等。在这种句子中，通常采用就近原则。尤其是由“，which”格式引导的从句，一般都是非限制性定语从句，通常就是指该词前面紧挨着的名词。但需要注意的是，当关系代词前有插入语时，需要先去掉插入语，再使用就近原则。

例如：

“Scientists have been looking for energy sources to replace oil. They have studied wind，ethanol，and nuclear energy. They have also started to look at coal again. Coal，which is the cheapest energy source，is found in many parts of the world. However，it is dangerous to mine. It also pollutes the environment。”

The word which in the passage refers to __________。

A. nuclear energy B. ethanol

C. wind D. coal

一看词句考察的是由which引导的非限制性定语从句，则毫不犹豫得把答案定位到which前的名词“coal”上，所以一眼就能选出该题的正确答案D选项。

第四类，不定代词

主要包括some，any，every，each，none，some...others...，one...,another等。这类代词通常指的都是该词前后与其关系最紧密的名词主语，并且注意词的单复数形式。

例如：

“Some studies show that one in eight plant species is threatened with extinction. It is estimated that 140000 species of plants are lost each year. Many of these lost plants could have been very useful in creating new drugs to combat disease。”

The word Many in the passage refers to __________。

A. studies B. plant species

C. lost plants D. new drugs

首先确定该题的“Many”所在句主语应该是指“lost plants”，并且“of”是表示所属的关系，所以“Many”应该是属于“these lost plants”中的一部分，所以很显然“Many”指的就应该是“lost plants”，因此答案选C。

需要注意的是这四大类代词只能大致涵盖托福阅读指代题中所涉及的大致类型，要想全面把握托福阅读指代题，我们还是需要把握好真题，结合解题技巧与策略进行有针对性的练习与 总结，循序渐进提高托福阅读水平与分数。

托福阅读指代题解题思路及步骤

一、问题形式

被考的 文章 中有一个词或词组被加亮，这个词通常是一个代词或名词。指代题的形式如下：

The word (or phrase) X in the passage refers to

二、解题步骤

1. 根据解题技巧确定答案

2. 代入原文验证，看语义、逻辑和语法上是否通顺

三、基本原则

1. 就近指代

所谓就近指代，就是被指代对象通常在指代词前不远处，如本句或上一句中。有时也出现在更前面的一句中。例如，

Large wind farms might also interfere with the flight patterns of migratory birds in certain areas, and they have killed large birds of prey (especially hawks, falcons, and eagles) that prefer to hunt along the same ridge lines that are ideal for wind turbines. The killing of birds of prey by wind turbines has pitted environmentalists who champion wildlife protection against environmentalists who promote renewable wind energy. Researchers are evaluating how serious this problem is and hope to find ways to eliminate or sharply reduce this problem.

The phrase this problem in the passage refers to interference with the flight patterns of migrating birds in certain areas building ridge lines that are ideal for wind turbines the killing of birds of prey by wind turbines meeting the demands of environmentalists who promote renewable wind energy

本题涉及的是一个词组this problem。寻找这一词组的指代对象时只需向上搜索就行。根据就近原则，前一句中的主语the killing of birds of prey by wind turbines可以初步确定为答案。将其代入原文，符合语义和逻辑，因此第三个选项为正确答案。第一个选项和第三个选项都和this problem相距较远，而且代入时语义和逻辑上不通，因此为干扰选项。

2. 数格一致

被指代对象通常与指代词在数(如单数或复数)和格(主格或宾格)两方 面相 同。如单数代词one指代单数名词，复数代词they指代复数名词。

四、主要思路

1. 主从复合句中的指代

在主从复合句中，第二句的代词主语经常指代第一句的名词主语。例如，

The fins are stiff, smooth, and narrow, qualities that also help cut drag. When not in use, the fins are tucked into special grooves or depressions so that they lie flush with the body and do not break up its smooth contours.

The word they in the passage refers to

?qualities

?fins

?grooves

?depressions

在这一例子中，从句so that they…中的代词主语they指代主句的名词主语the fins，因此第二个选项为正确答案。

新托福阅读背景知识：植物适应沙漠

Plant adaptation to the desert(背景材料)

Cactus adaptations.

The secret to the superior endurance of cacti lies in their adaptations. Over millions of years, through natural selection, only the strongest and best adapted species survived.

As you know, it is very dry in the desert. Plants that adapt to this are known as xerophytes (from zeros, dry and python, plant). There are plants that avoid the dry season by sprouting from seed just after the spring rain and growing very fast so that by the time the dry season comes, they have already produced a lot of seeds and died. These seeds lie on the soil for the dry season and sprout again in spring and the cycle repeats. Other xerophytes simply drop their leaves and stay dormant for the winter. But there is another special type of xerophytes which stores water in its fleshy tissues. Such plants are called succulents (from success, juicy). The cactus is a typical example of a succulent.

If you cut a cactus open, you see a juicy, slimy tissue. This is where the moisture is stored for the dry season. The part between the middle circle (and pith) and just under the very green part of the plant (or palisade parenchyma) just under the skin is allocated for the storage of water and food for the plant. This is a type of spongy parenchyma and can take up to 85% of the plant's volume. This is a major adaptation in the desert. Because the plant remains completely alive during the dry season and there is no need for it to dry up and lose everything, makes it possible for the plant to grow to large sizes. Another advantage is that the plant retains supplies (in the form of starch) for the winter so that it can flower right away in spring without accumulating more supplies (as most plants need to do in spring). The whole purpose of storing supplies for the winter is mostly to energize flowering in spring but it also lets the cactus start growing much sooner.

Flowering plants breathe and transpire (evaporate water from their surface) through closeable microscopic pores called stoats on the leaves or stems. To do this, their pores have to be open. In most plants these are open all day and on warm nights. But for cacti this is inconvenient as in daytime it is very hot and thus the plant would lose a lot of water through evaporation. So the cactus must close them in the daytime. But then it cannot breathe or photosynthesize (the process where sugars are made from carbon dioxide and water and releasing oxygen using the sun's energy). Succulents have an adaptation to that. Their stoats are closed during the day and are open at night, when it is not that hot and store carbon dioxide in its tissues as crass lean acid and then turn it back to carbon dioxide in the daytime. This process is called crass lean acid metabolism or CAM and it is a very smart way of respiring in the desert.

If we look at the outside of the plant, we notice that there is a tough leathery skin covering the plant, we can also notice the presence of ribs and spines and sometimes fur. These are all very smart adaptations. They serve mainly for surviving heat but are also used as defense.

The tough leathery skin is very impermeable to water, thus reducing evaporation from the surface of the plant. This skin often has a layer of plant wax on it which is often lightly colored (Pilosocereus azures is an example of a plant with such wax), white or blue. This reflects light and also reduces evaporation from the inside.

The ribs are special structures that are also used for enduring extreme heat. The ribs (and spines) trap wind so that the plant is enveloped in a layer of extremely still air, and this is a very important factor in reducing evaporation. On very windy days even the ribs don't help and cacti sometimes wilt because of high water loss.

The spines have different functions. They not only help shade the plant from the sun but are also known to help the cactus absorb water. They do it like this. On cool nights, dew settles on the spines of the plant. The spines are actually known to draw droplets of water towards the areole (the point out of which the spines grow) and here the droplets are absorbed. You can try this at home. Spray the plants with a very fine mist of water and watch what happens to the droplets that settle on the spines. They literally get attracted to the areole along the spine. The spine's structure allows them to do this. Even spines pointing downwards seem to suck the droplets up themselves.

Adaptation features are visible in this Pilosocereus glauchochorous. Notice the spines, ribs, fur and wax (the blue coloration). The top of a typically adapted plant.

Some plants have fur; sometimes all over the plant, sometimes only near the top. This fur shades the plant even further and is also known to attract water towards the areole. Some plants only have fur near the top. This is very beneficial because the top of the plant is very sensitive to sunlight, new tissues get formed there. Young areoles, with their spines not even wooded yet can get dried up completely in the sun. When an areole is born near the top of the plant, it starts developing spines. At this time the fur appears as well. This fur accompanies the areole as it moves down the plant, shading the growing point inside. By the time the areole is about 15cm away from the top, the fur wears out completely and the now inactive areole gets exposed to the sun.

As for the roots of cacti, they are also fully adapted to living in the desert. Some species (especially plants from very dry deserts) have very shallow root systems that spread very far from the plant. This way the plant can take advantage of tiny amounts of moisture from dew or light rain as the roots spread far away and are very shallow (less than 10cm deep while spreading up to 5 meters from the parent plant). On the other hand, some cacti send their roots deep down (like many Echinocacti) to reach the ground water.

Rainforest cacti often have aerial roots that can collect water all the time when it rains (and it rains very often in South American forests).

The shape of cacti itself is an adaptation. You may have noticed that cacti have a barrel like or candle like shape. This allows for maximum internal volume with a minimum surface area, which is also very smart adaption as a cactus can store a lot of water and have a small external surface area to reduce water loss.

推荐一本好的新托福（ibt）辅导材料

《TOEFL词汇词根+联想记忆法》和张红岩的《词以类记》
《官方指南》（OG）
《新托福考试备考策略与模拟试题》（即DELTA）
《高分新托福阅读120》和《高分新托福听力120》
《新托福考试口语胜经》
《挑战TOEFL .iBT满分作文》

托福阅读材料之行星和恐龙灭绝的关系

托福阅读：
小行星对恐龙灭绝的影响。一个科学家发现土层中里有很多Ir元素，而Ir元素在地球上少见，因此推断是小行星导致了恐龙灭绝。后面又说了小行星使得气温降低，空气化学组成改变等等也导致恐龙的灭绝，但是一些小的啮齿类动物则存活了下来。
托福阅读相关背景：
参考文章：Meteorite Impact and Dinosaur Extinction
Extinction of the Dinosaurs
Mass Extinctions
背景知识：
Impact event
Biospheric effects
The effect of impact events on the biosphere has been the subject of scientific debate. Several theories of impact related mass extinction have been developed. In the past 500 million years there have been five generally accepted, major mass extinctions that on average extinguished half of all species. One of the largest mass extinction to have affected life on Earth was in the Permian-Triassic, which ended the Permian period 250 million years ago and killed off 90% of all species; life on Earth took 30 million years to recover. The cause of the Permian-Triassic extinction is still matter of debate with the age and origin of proposed impact craters, i.e. the Bedout High structure, hypothesized to be associated with it are still controversial. The last such mass extinction led to the demise of the dinosaurs and coincided with a large meteorite impact; this is the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event (also known as the K–T or K–Pg extinction event); This occurred 66 million years ago. There is no definitive evidence of impacts leading to the three other major mass extinctions.
In 1980, physicist Luis Alvarez; his son, geologist Walter Alvarez; and nuclear chemists Frank Asaro and Helen V. Michael from the University of California, Berkeley discovered unusually high concentrations of iridium in a specific layer of rock strata in the Earth's crust. Iridium is an element that is rare on Earth but relatively abundant in many meteorites. From the amount and distribution of iridium present in the 65-million-year-old "iridium layer", the Alvarez team later estimated that an asteroid of 10 to 14 km (6 to 9 mi) must have collided with the earth. This iridium layer at the Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary has been found worldwide at 100 different sites. Multidirectionally shocked quartz (coesite), which is only known to form as the result of large impacts or atomic bomb explosions, has also been found in the same layer at more than 30 sites. Soot and ash at levels tens of thousands times normal levels were found with the above.
Anomalies in chromium isotopic ratios found within the K-T boundary layer strongly support the impact theory. Chromium isotopic ratios are homogeneous within the earth, therefore these isotopic anomalies exclude a volcanic origin which was also proposed as a cause for the iridium enrichment. Furthermore the chromium isotopic ratios measured in the K-T boundary are similar to the chromium isotopic ratios found in carbonaceous chondrites. Thus a probable candidate for the impactor is a carbonaceous asteroid but also a comet is possible because comets are assumed to consist of material similar to carbonaceous chondrites.
Probably the most convincing evidence for a worldwide catastrophe was the discovery of the crater which has since been named Chicxulub Crater. This crater is centered on the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico and was discovered by Tony Camargo and Glen Pentfield while working as geophysicists for the Mexican oil companyPEMEX. What they reported as a circular feature later turned out to be a crater estimated to be 180 km (110 mi) in diameter. Other researchers would later find that the end-Cretaceous extinction event that wiped out the dinosaurs had lasted for thousands of years instead of millions of years as had previously been thought. This convinced the vast majority of scientists that this extinction resulted from a point event that is most probably an extraterrestrial impact and not from increased volcanism and climate change (which would spread its main effect over a much longer time period).
Recently, several proposed craters around the world have been dated to approximately the same age as Chicxulub — for example, the Silverpit crater in the United Kingdom, the Boltysh crater in Ukraine and the Shiva crater near India. This has led to the suggestion that the Chicxulub impact was one of several that occurred almost simultaneously, perhaps due to a disrupted comet impacting the Earth in a similar manner to the collision of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 with Jupiter in 1994; however, the uncertain age and provenance of these structures leaves the hypothesis without widespread support.
It was the lack of high concentrations of iridium and shocked quartz which has prevented the acceptance of the idea that the Permian extinction was also caused by an impact. During the late Permian all the continents were combined into one supercontinent named Pangaea and all the oceans formed one superocean,Panthalassa. If an impact occurred in the ocean and not on land at all, then there would be little shocked quartz released (since oceanic crust has relatively little silica) and much less material.
Although there is now general agreement that there was a huge impact at the end of the Cretaceous that led to the iridium enrichment of the K-T boundary layer, remnants have been found of other, smaller impacts, some nearing half the size of the Chicxulub crater, which did not result in any mass extinctions, and there is no clear linkage between an impact and any other incident of mass extinction.
Paleontologists David M. Raup and Jack Sepkoski have proposed that an excess of extinction events occurs roughly every 26 million years (though many are relatively minor). This led physicist Richard A. Muller to suggest that these extinctions could be due to a hypothetical companion star to the Sun calledNemesis periodically disrupting the orbits of comets in the Oort cloud, and leading to a large increase in the number of comets reaching the inner solar system where they might hit Earth. Physicist Adrian Melott and paleontologist Richard Bambach have more recently verified the Raup and Sepkoski finding, but argue that it is not consistent with the characteristics expected of a Nemesis-style periodicity.

托福阅读高频背景词汇有哪些

托福阅读高频词汇如下：
1. 关于人的高频词汇：学术阅读中最常出现的就是各种科学家，以ist和er结尾居多。
例如：anthropologist，archaeologist，paleontologist，zoologist，geographer，astronomer
(人类学家，考古学家，古生物学家，动物学家，地理学家，天文学家)
这类的词汇大家无需记住拼写，只要在阅读中出现可以辨认就足以。在面对未知的专有名词时，至少要判断他们存在于那个学科，才好进行下一步的推理。
2. 关于地质、地貌的高频词汇：这类文章在托福学术阅读中比重很大。建议大家对常用词汇进行积累。
例如：volcano，layer，conglomerate，karst，porous，permeable，meteorolite，asteroid
火山，(地)层，砾岩，喀斯特地貌(石灰岩的一种地形)，多孔的(有透气性与透水性)，可渗透的，陨石，小行星
3. 关于气候、动物与生态的高频词汇：与生物和地球有关的话题是托福永远的宠儿。
例如：unpredictable，vary，rangefrom，extinction，endangered，tropical，jungle，equatorial
不可预测的，改变(动词)，变化幅度(动词)，灭绝，濒危的，热带的，丛林，赤道附近的
4.关于 历史、考古方面的高频词汇，这类题材是分水轮流转的对象，也要加以注意。尤其是历史文章的考法不是单纯的讲古，而是从各个层面切入，有很多的表现形式。可能是古人类的迁徙，那就是人类历史。贸易和交通运输的发展，那就是经济史，等等。
例如，relics，remains，mausoleum，handicraft，cohesiveness，territorial，civilization
遗迹，遗迹或残骸，陵墓，手工艺品，凝聚性，领土的，文明
5. 关于关键副词的高频词汇，这类词往往很不显眼，但是会左右整个句子的含义，他们是最需要加以注意的对象。一些看起来含有否定前缀的词可能是肯定含义，而一些完全没有否定词缀的副词却可能是真正的杀手!
例如：rarely，merely，undeniable
很少地，仅仅，不可否认

托福考试准备资料推荐

第一阶段（基础瓶颈阶段）《新托福考试官方指南》：把握考试标准，考试能力要求 通过ETS的《新托福官方指南》（OG）的学习，首先，了解新托福考试阅读部分的相关评分规则；然后，进一步把握新托福考试阅读部分的官方要求；再次，通过OG总结阅读考试相关题型，并且可以通过相应的题型题目的练习发现阅读部分的不足；最后，为复习准备的下一个阶段以及下一本书籍资料的运用打下基础。 （没有看到OG的重要性）
第二阶段（提高把握阶段）《新托福考试备考策略与模拟试题》（DELTA）《新托福考试阅读特训》《新托福考试阅读技能与考点训练》（三册）： 有讲解，有技的进行培训和练习 通过上一个阶段的初步了解把握之后，考生了解了自己针对阅读部分题型的弱势，这三本书的特点就在于有丰富的练习题目，可以进行有针对性的突破训练。主要提高考生的阅读能力。书中的语言技巧和文章内容都比较具有实用性，有趣性。在学习做题的过程中，摒弃枯燥，乏味，了解丰富的世界文化。书中提供的大量的阅读段落和文章以供学生进行练习，符合中国考生的学习特点和要求，对进一步提升中国考试的阅读技巧能力有实质性的帮助。请分别说明这三本书的优势，以及复习如果有针对性的提高。即每本书可以得到什么样的训练。你所提到的“有针对性的突破训练”，这样的“有针对性”分别是指什么？文中提到的“了解丰富的世界文化”，需要完善本句，比如“阅读文章内容丰富，涉及的题材广泛，有如生物的进化、艺术建筑的发展等等，在做题同时，也了解了考试的背景知识，”必要时举例说明。
第三阶段 （专项能力提升阶段）《新托福一遍通阅读应试指南》 《高分新托福阅读120》：专项提升，具有专一性通过以上两个阶段的相关训练之后，到了这一步就应该开始进行考前模拟的专项训练，这两本书也是考前模拟的基础。以此来熟悉新托福考试阅读部分的考试形式，考试范围以及考题的难度，对每个考试题型进行集中训练。同时，小马过河认为针对做阅读文章，如何提取综合信息以及总结归纳能力的提升。帮助考生拓展词汇量，通过单项训练，加强考前的掌握与牢固。对于同一个人来说，两本书都需要看吗？两者的侧重点有何不同？每本书需要查看的次数是多少？阅读时需要留意的哪些点（请按1、2、3.。分别介绍）
第四阶段 （冲刺牢固阶段）《新托福考试全真模考题与精解》（BARRON） TPO（Toefl Practice On-line）文勇结合ETS出题的阅读分析：结合阅读考试出题方向，实用性较强
最后阶段的冲刺非常重要，在此关键性的阶段我们可以运用BARRON以及TPO进行最后的练习，BARRON比较适应机考得界面以及流程，同时还会对你的分数进行一个检测和判断。TPO，其实就相当于真题的练习，只是ETS并没有公开使用。至于文勇的结合ETS出的阅读题目的分析，可以对整个的备考阅读的过程起到一个点睛的作文，他的分析既有翻译又有讨论，实为一份不错的复习补充资料。修改规则同上。

托福阅读题材一般会涉及到哪些内容？

对于此问题，托福 考试官方指南（OG）已给出了明确的答复。The TOEFL iBT uses reading passages from university-level textbooks that introduce a discipline or topic. The excerpts are changed as little as possible so the TOEFL iBT can measure how well students can read academic material (OG page 7). 也就是说托福阅读所考查的文章节选自于大学课本，内容是对一个主题或者一个课程的介绍。托福考试就是通过对此类文章的考查来了解考生能否适应及有能力即将到来的学术类文章的学习。具体来说，所考查的文章主要是三大类：说明文（Exposition），议论文（Argumentation）以及历史题材的文学作品（Historical）。但所涵盖的内容将是各式各样的主题，大致可分为自然科学，生物科学和社会科学三大块。其中自然科学类又具体到地质类及天文类，生物科学类又包括动物类、植物类及生态环境类。社会科学类是范围最广且每次必考的一类，它所涵盖的可以是艺术、历史、农业、考古、心理学等等。例如我们可能会比较熟悉的贴近生活的动植物类，如真题tpo17 Symbiotic Relationships讲述了我们生物课堂上所学习过的两种或多种生物体之间的三种共生关系。又如我们比较生疏的，词汇难度较大的地质类，如真题tp15 Glacier Formation 文章运用一系列专业术语来描述冰川的形成。外朗 教育 托福阅读老师重点强调着的是，无论托福阅读考试中的题材我们是否熟悉，文章当中会提供充足且足够的信息来帮助我们解题。也就是说，所有问题的答案都在文章中，不需要任何背景及课外知识，我们也能将题目做对。

托福考试的背景知识重要吗？如果没有背景知识，只会单词，语法，复杂句，托福阅读能拿高分吗？

背景知识对于托福考试重要吗？
托福考试原本是为大学生设计的语言考试。随着留学的低龄化，越来越多的高中、初中、乃至小学生都开始了托福考试的学习与备考。
虽然托福考试只是一门语言考试，但是托福考试中涉及到的知识面十分广泛：新托福考试的阅读文章的主题来自几乎所有大学学生可能会遇到的课程科目，如心理学、社会学、人类学、建筑学、物理学、天文学、化学、生物学、地质学、气象学和哲学等。
托福考试知识面的广泛导致出现专业性名词的次数极多。知识的受限，导致了即使英语不错的学员在托福考试中也会频频受挫，甚至致使了美高出国的失败。
对于一个初中生，如果想要参加托福考试，仅仅学习英语语言本身，是远远不够的。
什么叫背景知识？
托福考题中，无论听力、阅读还是写作、口语一定程度上都与美国文化背景知识有关，但由于写作和口语主要测试语言组织和输出能力，文化背景知识对答题的影响并不如阅读和听力那么明显。研究表明在TOEFL测试中,文化背景知识在听力中占25%以上，在阅读中占50%左右。因此可以说扎实的语言功底是托福高分的基础,而丰富的文化背景知识是高分的突破口。
背景知识对托福阅读有什么影响？
一般来说，相关知识背景对于有效理解某一特定类型的阅读文章具有重要意义，因此适当了解部分重要领域（如地理、生物、历史等）相关基础知识往往是提高托福阅读的一个有效手段。
在新托福阅读考试中，往往包含着许多文化背景知识，涉及的领域很广，包括文化习俗、历史、地理、神话、经济、时事政治等。加上作者并非把所有信息都完整准确地用文字表达出来，这无疑给考生阅读理解造成了不同程度的障碍。但是考生如果能够利用已知的背景知识对其进行合理推断，这类看似很难的问题也只是 “小菜” 一碟而已。
同时，新托福考试具有很强的时效性和开放性，若考生对考试中所遇到的内容不是很熟悉，就无法做到很好地发挥。因此，了解相关文化背景资料，有利于考生更好地进行阅读，从而更好地进行语篇分析，理解文章的主旨。
不同国家与地区都有自己的风俗习惯，特别在意识形态上存在着很大的差别，尤其是中西方文化的差异尤为明显。因此，对于托福考生来说，适当对英语国家的文化背景知识做一定的了解，有助于更快更准确地把握英语的语言本质和思想内涵，更容易地分析和解决问题，从而大大提高英语应用的能力。
新托福考试的阅读文章的主题来自几乎所有大学学生可能会遇到的课程科目，如心理学、社会学、人类学、市场营销、公共关系学、建筑学、物理学、天文学、化学、生物学、地质学、气象学、历史、艺术、音乐、文学和哲学。
当阅读一个熟悉的话题时，读者会对理解文章更有信心，这有助于读者将此文章的内容与其之前所了解的关于此话题的知识进行联系，从而加强对文章的理解。对于文章中的一个特定要点的成功理解需要读者准确的理解相关词汇在前后文中的定义，以及掌握对此要点的相关知识。
当然，光有学科背景知识对于于理解一篇新托福的阅读文章中的特定的信息是不够的。在新托福考试的阅读课上，方隅的老师会选择阅读练习文章的主题，建立学生的相关学科背景知识，以此来帮助学生在考试中自信地发挥其阅读能力与技巧。
背景知识和托福听力有什么关系？
其实，不仅阅读理解依赖背景知识，听力理解同样离不开背景知识。
长期以来，很多学生将听力停滞不前的问题归因于词汇量小，语法知识薄弱。实际上，影响听力理解的因素远不止这些。长期记忆中的非语言信息，特别是有关的文化背景知识在学生的听力理解中具有十分关键的作用。
长期处于母语文化的熏陶中，大多数中国学生缺乏对英语文化背景知识的充分了解，因而在听力理解中，母语与英语两张语言所包含的文化差异会给学生听力理解带来一定困难。
如：英语中“忧郁的人”称为“blue dog”； 红茶称 为“black tea”；又如：“elephants never forget.”在我们的文化中“大象”是“巨大”的代名词，而在西方国家大象则因其在识别道路和方向上的天赋而成为超强记忆的象征。
因此了解和熟知英语国家的社会文化知识，包括政治，经济，历史，地理，文化，道德，宗教信仰，社会制度等方面的概括，对于提高学生听力水平起到举足轻重的作用。
听力中的背景知识
TOEFL听力所涉及的知识面极其广泛,历史、地理、经济、政治、文学艺术、科技、人类学、生物学,无所不包。TOEFL听力分为简单会话,长对话及长段听力理解三部分;其中长对话和长段听力理解部分所涉及的文化背景知识较多,又各有侧重。

toefl阅读技巧有哪些？

北外托福老师建议：
1. 提高词汇量，争取做词汇达人，托福阅读至少需要10000—12000的词汇
2. 学会剖析长句。现在新托虽不直接考语法题，但在口语、写作以及阅读的题型中无不体现出对语法的理解与准确的运用能力。
3. 学会概括、归纳。归纳大意是阅读理解的重点能力，新托福考试阅读部分可以概括为两种题型：基础理解题重点考查考生对文章的词汇、句法和语义内容理解以及把握重要信息的能力。
4. 熟悉背景知识。在新托福阅读中，了解文章的背景知识对阅读得分是至关重要的，对于背景知识的考察，要靠考生平时多多积累，多去了解一些西方的文化历史，多看看西方的比较著名的书籍和其他资料，这对考生背景知识的积累有很大的帮助。