第一节 同义替换

一、考点介绍

同义替换是雅思阅读A类考试中的一个重要考点，各种题型中都会出现。在Cambridge IELTS 8至Cambridge IELTS 13的960道A类阅读题目中，绝大部分的题目都涉及了同义替换。

这种考点的出题思路就是题目和（或）选项中的关键词或词组在原文材料中往往以同义替换的形式出现。最常见的替换有两种：

一是同义词替换。这是雅思阅读A类考试中最常出现的，比如，题目中的关键词是survive，在原文中该词有可能被替换成avoid dying out。

二是词性的替换。比如，题目中的关键词是explain，在原文中该词有可能被替换成explanation。

同义替换在雅思考试中无处不在，《雅思周计划——词汇》一书专门收录了近年来雅思考试中经常出现的重点词汇及其同反义词，要求考生熟练掌握。

二、真题示例

Example 1（Cambridge IELTS 13 Test 1 READING PASSAGE 2 Questions 24-26）

【真题回顾】

READING PASSAGE 2

Why being bored is stimulating—and useful, too

This most common of emotions is turning out to be more interesting than we thought

D Phychologist John Eastwood at York University in Toronto, Canada, isn't convinced.“If you are in a state of mind-wandering you are not bored,” he says.“In my view, by definition boredom is an undesirable state.” That doesn't necessarily mean that it isn't adaptive, he adds.“Pain is adaptive—if we didn't have physical pain, bad things would happen to us. Does that mean that we should actively cause pain? No. But even if boredom has evolved to help us survive, it can still be toxic if allowed to fester.” For Eastwood, the central feature of boredom is a failure to put our“attention system” into gear. This causes an inability to focus on anything, which makes time seem to go painfully slowly. What's more, your efforts to improve the situation can end up making you feel worse.“People try to connect with the world and if they are not successful there's that frustration and irritability,” he says. Perhaps most worryingly, says Eastwood, repeatedly failing to engage attention can lead to a state where we don't know what to do any more, and no longer care.

E Eastwood's team is now trying to explore why the attention system fails. It's early days but they think that at least some of it comes down to personality. Boredom proneness has been linked with a variety of traits. People who are motivated by pleasure seem to suffer particularly badly. Other personality traits, such as curiosity, are associated with a high boredom threshold. More evidence that boredom has detrimental effects comes from studies of people who are more or less prone to boredom. It seems those who bore easily face poorer prospects in education, their career and even life in general. But of course, boredom itself cannot kill—it's the things we do to deal with it that may put us in danger. What can we do to alleviate it before it comes to that? Goetz's group has one suggestion. Working with teenagers, they found that those who“approach” a boring situation—in other words, see that it's boring and get stuck in anyway—report less boredom than those who try to avoid it by using snacks, TV or social media for distraction.

【考点点拨】

For John Eastwood, the central feature of boredom is that people cannot 24…………………… ,

答案：focus

关键词：John Eastwood、cannot

定位句：根据关键词定位到D段第六行：For Eastwood, the central feature of boredom is a failure to put our“attention system” into gear. This causes an inability to focus on anything, which makes time seem to go painfully slowly．在Eastwood看来，厌烦情绪的核心特质是无法将我们的“注意力系统”挂挡启动。这造成了无法专注在任何事上，从而令时间流逝的速度似乎慢得令人痛苦。

解 析：题目中的关键词Eastwood在定位句中重现，定位句中的inability to和题目中的cannot是同义替换，答案就是focus。

考 点：同义替换。inability to = cannot。

His team suggests that those for whom 25…………………… is an important aim in life may have problems in coping with boredom,

答案：pleasure

关键词：those for whom、important aim

定位句：根据关键词定位到E段第三行：People who are motivated by pleasure seem to suffer particularly badly．那些受追寻快乐所驱动的人们似乎格外深受其苦。

解 析：定位句中的people who、 motivated by分别和题目中的those for whom、 important aim是同义替换，答案就是pleasure。

考 点：同义替换。people who=those for whom; important aim=motivated by。

whereas those who have the characteristic of 26……………………can generally cope with it.

答案：curiosity

关键词：characteristic

定位句：根据关键词定位到E段第四行：Other personality traits, such as curiosity, are associated with a high boredom threshold．其他的性格特质，例如好奇，通常构成了一个很高的厌烦情绪门槛。

解 析：定位句中的personality traits和题目中的characteristic是同义替换，答案就是curiosity。

考 点：同义替换。personality traits=characteristic。

Example 2（Cambridge IELTS 12 Test 7 READING PASSAGE 1 Questions 8-13）

【真题回顾】

READING PASSAGE 1

Flying tortoises

An airborne reintroduction programme has helped conservationists take significant steps to protect the endangered Galápagos tortoise.

A Forests of spiny cacti cover much of the uneven lava plains that separate the interior of the Galápagos island of Isabela from the Pacific Ocean. With its five distinct volcanoes, the island resembles a lunar landscape. Only the thick vegetation at the skirt of the often cloud-covered peak of Sierra Negra offers respite from the barren terrain below. This inhospitable environment is home to the giant Galápagos tortoise. Some time after the Galápagos's birth, around five million years ago, the islands were colonised by one or more tortoises from mainland South America. As these ancestral tortoises settled on the individual islands, the different populations adapted to their unique environments, giving rise to at least 14 different subspecies. Island life agreed with them. In the absence of significant predators, they grew to become the largest and longest-living tortoises on the planet, weighing more than 400 kilograms, occasionally exceeding 1.8 metres in length and living for more than a century.

B Before human arrival, the archipelago's tortoises numbered in the hundreds of thousands. From the 17th century onwards, pirates took a few on board for food, but the arrival of whaling ships in the 1790s saw this exploitation grow exponentially. Relatively immobile and capable of surviving for months without food or water, the tortoises were taken on board these ships to act as food supplies during long ocean passages. Sometimes, their bodies were processed into high-grade oil. In total, an estimated 200,000 animals were taken from the archipelago before the 20th century. This historical exploitation was then exacerbated when settlers came to the islands. They hunted the tortoises and destroyed their habitat to clear land for agriculture. They also introduced alien species—ranging from cattle, pigs, goats, rats and dogs to plants and ants—that either prey on the eggs and young tortoises or damage or destroy their habitat.

【考点点拨】

17th century: small numbers taken onto ships used by 8…………………… .

答案：pirates

关键词：17th century: small numbers taken onto ships

定位句：根据关键词定位到B段第二行：From the 17th century onwards, pirates took a few on board for food, but..．从17世纪开始，海盗们会捉几只到船上当食物，但是……

解析：定位句中的took a few on board和题目中的small numbers taken onto ships是同义替换，题目中的“used by...”问的是“被谁使用”，定位句说的是“pirates took海盗们会捉”，答案就是pirates。

考 点：同义替换。took a few on board = small numbers taken onto ships。

1790s: very large numbers taken onto whaling ships, kept for 9…………………… and also

答案：food

关键词：1790s、large numbers、whaling ships、kept for

定位句：根据关键词定位到B段第三行： ..., but the arrival of whaling ships in the 1790s saw this exploitation grow exponentially. Relatively immobile and capable of surviving for months without food or water, the tortoises were taken on board these ships to act as food supplies during long ocean passages. ……但是18世纪90年代捕鲸船的到来则见证了这种捕猎呈指数倍的增长。这些龟相对来说不怎么喜欢动弹，还能在没有食物和水的情况下活好几个月，于是被捉到了这些船上，在漫长的越洋航程中充当食物供应。

解析：定位句中的grow exponentially、act as分别和题目中的large numbers、kept for是同义替换，答案就是food。

考 点：同义替换。grow exponentially=large numbers; act as=kept for。

used to produce 10…………………… .

答案：oil

关键词：used to produce

定位句：根据关键词定位到B段第六行：Sometimes, their bodies were processed into high-grade oil．有时候，它们的躯体还被加工成优质的油脂。

解析：定位句中的were processed into和题目中的used to produce是同义替换，题

目要求只填1个词，答案就是oil。

考 点：同义替换。were processed into =used to produce。

Hunted by 11 ……………………on the islands

答案：settlers

关键词：hunted by

定位句：根据关键词定位到B段第八行：This historical exploitation was then exacerbated when settlers came to the islands. They hunted the tortoises and destroyed their habitat to clear land for agriculture．这种由来已久的侵害行为在定居者来到群岛上定居之后变本加厉。他们猎捕这些龟并且破坏了它们的栖息地，以清理出空地来发展农业。

解 析：定位句中的hunted（过去式）和题目中的hunted（过去分词）是同义替换。定位句中hunted前面的they指代的是settlers，答案就是settlers。

考 点：同义替换。hunted（过去式）=hunted（过去分词）。

Habitat destruction: for the establishment of agriculture and by various 12……………………

答案：species

关键词：destruction、various

定位句：根据关键词定位到B段倒数第四行：They hunted the tortoises and destroyed their habitat to clear land for agriculture. They also introduced alien species—ranging from cattle, pigs, goats, rats and dogs to plants and ants—that either prey on the eggs and young tortoises or damage or destroy their habitat．他们猎捕这些龟并且破坏了它们的栖息地，以清理出空地来发展农业。他们还引入了外来物种——从牛、猪、山羊、鼠和狗到植物和蚂蚁——这些生物要么猎食龟卵和幼龟，要么破坏或摧毁它们的栖息地。

解 析：定位句中的destroyed、ranging from...to..．分别和题目中的destruction、various是同义替换，答案就是species。

考 点：同义替换。destroyed=destruction; ranging from...to... =various。

not native to the islands, which also fed on baby tortoises and tortoises' 13………………… .

答案：eggs

关键词：fed on baby tortoises

定位句：根据关键词定位到B段倒数第三行：They also introduced alien species—ranging from cattle, pigs, goats, rats and dogs to plants and ants—that either prey on the eggs and young tortoises or damage or destroy their habitat．他们还引入了外来物种——从牛、猪、山羊、鼠和狗到植物和蚂蚁——这些生物要么猎食龟卵和幼龟，要么破坏或摧毁它们的栖息地。

解析：定位句中的prey on、young tortoises分别和题目中的fed on、baby tortoises是同义替换，答案就是eggs。

考 点：同义替换。prey on=fed on; young tortoises=baby tortoises。

Example 3（Cambridge IELTS 11 Test 2 READING PASSAGE 1 Questions 1-4）

【真题回顾】

READING PASSAGE 1

Raising the Mary Rose

How a sixteenth-century warship was recovered from the seabed

On 19 July 1545, English and French fleets were engaged in a sea battle off the coast of southern England in the area of water called the Solent, between Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight. Among the English vessels was a warship by the name of Mary Rose. Built in Portsmouth some 35 years earlier, she had had a long and successful fighting career, and was a favourite of King HenryⅧ. Accounts of what happened to the ship vary:while witnesses agree that she was not hit by the French, some maintain that she was outdated, overladen and sailing too low in the water, others that she was mishandled by undisciplined crew. What is undisputed, however, is that the Mary Rose sank into the Solent that day, taking at least 500 men with her. After the battle, attempts were made to recover the ship, but these failed.

The Mary Rose came to rest on the seabed, lying on her starboard (right) side at an angle of approximately 60 degrees. The hull (the body of the ship) acted as a trap for the sand and mud carried by Solent currents. As a result, the starboard side filled rapidly, leaving the exposed port (left) side to be eroded by marine organisms and mechanical degradation. Because of the way the ship sank, nearly all of the starboard half survived intact. During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the entire site became covered with a layer of hard grey clay, which minimised further erosion.

Then, on 16 June 1836, some fishermen in the Solent found that their equipment was caught on an underwater obstruction, which turned out to be the Mary Rose. Diver John Deane happened to be exploring another sunken ship nearby, and the fishermen approached him, asking him to free their gear. Deane dived down, and found the equipment caught on a timber protruding slightly from the seabed. Exploring further, he uncovered several other timbers and a bronze gun. Deane continued diving on the site intermittently until 1840, recovering several more guns, two bows, various timbers, part of a pump and various other small finds.

The Mary Rose then faded into obscurity for another hundred years. But in 1965,military historian and amateur diver Alexander McKee, in conjunction with the British Sub-Aqua Club, initiated a project called“Solent Ships”. While on paper this was a plan to examine a number of known wrecks in the Solent, what McKee really hoped for was to find the Mary Rose. Ordinary search techniques proved unsatisfactory, so McKee entered into collaboration with Harold E. Edgerton, professor of electrical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In 1967, Edgerton's side-scan sonar systems revealed a large, unusually shaped object, which McKee believed was the Mary Rose.

Further excavations revealed stray pieces of timber and an iron gun. But the climax to the operation came when, on 5 May 1971, part of the ship's frame was uncovered. McKee and his team now knew for certain that they had found the wreck, but were as yet unaware that it also housed a treasure trove of beautifully preserved artefacts. Interest in the project grew, and in 1979, The Mary Rose Trust was formed, with Prince Charles as its President and Dr Margaret Rule its Archaeological Director. The decision whether or not to salvage the wreck was not an easy one, although an excavation in 1978 had shown that it might be possible to raise the hull. While the original aim was to raise the hull if at all feasible, the operation was not given the go-ahead until January 1982, when all the necessary information was available.

【考点点拨】

1 There is some doubt about what caused the Mary Rose to sink.

答案：TRUE

关键词：some doubt about、caused、Mary Rose、sink

定位句：根据关键词定位到第一段第五行：Accounts of what happened to the ship vary:while witnesses agree that she was not hit by the French, some maintain that she was outdated, overladen and sailing too low in the water, others that she was mishandled by undisciplined crew．关于战舰上发生的事情说法各异：目击者认为战舰并非被法国人击中，有些人认为战舰过于老化，载重过多，并且在航行中吃水过低，另一些人认为战舰被不守纪律的船员进行了不当操作。

解 析：定位句中的ship指的就是题目中的Mary Rose，定位句中的witnesses agree...some maintain...others和题目中的some doubt about意思相符，答案就是TRUE。

考 点：同义替换。ship = Mary Rose；

witnesses agree...some maintain...others =some doubt about。

2 The Mary Rose was the only ship to sink in the battle of 19 July 1545.

答案：NOT GIVEN

关键词：only ship、sink、battle、19 July 1545

定位句：根据关键词定位到第一段倒数第三行：What is undisputed, however, is that the Mary Rose sank into the Solent that day, taking at least 500 men with her．然而，无可争议的是，玛丽玫瑰号在那一天沉入索伦特海峡，船上至少有500人。

解 析：本题中出现的时间在原文第一段第一句中出现。定位句中的Mary Rose sank into the Solent that day和题干中的ship...sink...19 July 1545对应，但题目中有only，定位句并没有说这一点，答案就是NOT GIVEN。

考 点：同义替换。Mary Rose sank into the Solent that day = ship...sink...19 July 1545。

3 Most of one side of the Mary Rose lay undamaged under the sea.

答案：TRUE

关键词：most of one side、undamaged

定位句：根据关键词定位到第二段第五行：Because of the way the ship sank, nearly all of the starboard half survived intact．由于船只沉没的方式，右舷一侧几乎完整地保留了下来。

解 析：定位句中的nearly all of the starboard half、intact分别和题目中的most of one side、undamaged是同义替换，答案就是TRUE。

考 点：同义替换。nearly all of the starboard half = most of one side；

intact = undamaged。

4 Alexander McKee knew that the wreck would contain many valuable historical objects.

答案：FALSE

关键词：Alexander McKee knew、wreck、contain、historical objects

定位句：根据关键词定位到第五段第三行：McKee and his team now knew for certain that they had found the wreck, but were as yet unaware that it also housed a treasure trove of beautifully preserved artefacts. McKee及其团队立刻确信他们已经找到了沉船，但尚未意识到其中还有保存完好的精美工艺品宝藏。

解 析：题目中的关键词McKee、wreck在定位句中重现，定位句中的housed、preserved artefacts分别和题目中的contain、historical objects是同义替换，定位句中的unaware和题目中的knew意思相反，答案就是FALSE。

考 点：同义替换。housed = contain; preserved artefacts = historical objects。

Example 4（Cambridge IELTS 10 Test 1 READING PASSAGE 3 Questions 31-35）

【真题回顾】

READING PASSAGE 1

The psychology of innovation

Why are so few companies truly innovative?

Innovation is key to business survival, and companies put substantial resources into inspiring employees to develop new ideas. There are, nevertheless, people working in luxurious, state-of-the-art centres designed to stimulate innovation who find that their environment doesn't make them feel at all creative. And there are those who don't have a budget, or much space, but who innovate successfully.

For Robert B. Cialdini, Professor of Psychology at Arizona State University, one reason that companies don't succeed as often as they should is that innovation starts with recruitment. Research shows that the fit between an employee's values and a company's values makes a difference to what contribution they make and whether, two years after they join, they're still at the company. Studies at Harvard Business School show that, although some individuals may be more creative than others, almost every individual can be creative in the right circumstances.

One of the most famous photographs in the story of rock 'n' roll emphasises Cialdini's views. The 1956 picture of singers Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis jamming at a piano in Sun Studios in Memphis tells a hidden story. Sun's“million-dollar quartet” could have been a quintet. Missing from the picture is Roy Orbison, a greater natural singer than Lewis, Perkins or Cash. Sam Phillips, who owned Sun, wanted to revolutionise popular music with songs that fused black and white music, and country and blues. Presley, Cash, Perkins and Lewis instinctively understood Phillips's ambition and believed in it. Orbison wasn't inspired by the goal, and only ever achieved one hit with the Sun label.

The value fit matters, says Cialdini, because innovation is, in part, a process of change,

and under that pressure we, as a species, behave differently,“When things change, we are hard-wired to play it safe.” Managers should therefore adopt an approach that appears counter-intuitive—they should explain what stands to be lost if the company fails to seize a particular opportunity. Studies show that we invariably take more gambles when threatened with a loss than when offered a reward.

Managing innovation is a delicate art. It's easy for a company to be pulled in conflicting directions as the marketing, product development, and finance departments each get different feedback from different sets of people. And without a system which ensures collaborative exchanges within the company, it's also easy for small“pockets of innovation” to disappear. Innovation is a contact sport. You can't brief people just by saying,“We're going in this direction and I'm going to take you with me.”

Cialdini believes that this“follow-the-leader syndrome” is dangerous, not least because it encourages bosses to go it alone.“It's been scientifically proven that three people will be better than one at solving problems, even if that one person is the smartest person in the field.” To prove his point, Cialdini cites an interview with molecular biologist James Watson. Watson, together with Francis Crick, discovered the structure of DNA, the genetic information carrier of all living organisms.“When asked how they had cracked the code ahead of an array of highly accomplished rival investigators, he said something that stunned me. He said he and Crick had succeeded because they were aware that they weren't the most intelligent of the scientists pursuing the answer. The smartest scientist was called Rosalind Franklin who, Watson said,‘was so intelligent she rarely sought advice'.”

Teamwork taps into one of the basic drivers of human behaviour.“The principle of social proof is so pervasive that we don't even recognise it,” says Cialdini.“If your project is being resisted, for example, by a group of veteran employees, ask another old-timer to speak up for it.” Cialdini is not alone in advocating this strategy. Research shows that peer power, used horizontally not vertically, is much more powerful than any boss's speech.

Writing, visualising and prototyping can stimulate the flow of new ideas. Cialdini cites scores of research papers and historical events that prove that even something as simple as writing deepens every individual's engagement in the project. It is, he says, the reason why all those competitions on breakfast cereal packets encouraged us to write in saying, in no more than 10 words:“I like Kellogg's Corn Flakes because… .” The very act of writing makes us more likely to believe it.

Authority doesn't have to inhibit innovation but it often does. The wrong kind of leadership will lead to what Cialdini calls“captainitis, the regrettable tendency of team members to opt out of team responsibilities that are properly theirs”. He calls it captainitis because, he says,“crew members of multipilot aircraft exhibit a sometimes deadly passivity when the flight captain makes a clearly wrong-headed decision”. This behaviour is not, he says, unique to air travel, but can happen in any workplace where the leader is overbearing.

At the other end of the scale is the 1980s Memphis design collective, a group of young designers for whom“the only rule was that there were no rules”. This environment encouraged a free interchange of ideas, which led to more creativity with form, function, colour and materials that revolutionised attitudes to furniture design.

Many theorists believe the ideal boss should lead from behind, taking pride in collective accomplishment and giving credit where it is due. Cialdini says:“Leaders should encourage everyone to contribute and simultaneously assure all concerned that every recommendation is important to making the right decision and will be given full attention.” The frustrating thing about innovation is that there are many approaches, but no magic formula. However, a manager who wants to create a truly innovative culture can make their job a lot easier by recognising these psychological realities.

【考点点拨】

31 Employees whose values match those of their employers are more likely to

答案：G

关键词：employees...values match...employers

定位句：根据关键词定位到第二段第三行：Research shows that the fit between an employee's values and a company's values makes a difference to what contribution they make and whether, two years after they join, they're still at the company．研究表明，员工的价值和公司的价值之契合度决定员工会做出什么贡献以及入职两年以后他们是不是仍然留在这家公司。

解 析：定位句中的fit between...employee's values and...company's和题目中的employees...values match...employers是同义替换，定位句中的still at the company和选项G中的remain in their jobs是同义替换，答案就是G。

考 点：同义替换。fit between...employee's values and...company's = employees...values match...employers; still at the company = remain in their jobs。

32 At times of change, people tend to

答案：E

关键词：at times of change、people

定位句：根据关键词定位到第四段第二行：When things change, we are hard-wired to play it safe．当事情有所改变的时候，我们很自然地会选择安全的行动方式。

解 析：定位句中的when things change、we分别和题目中的at times of change、people是同义替换，定位句中的play it safe和选项E中的avoid risk是同义替换，答案就是E。

考 点：同义替换。when things change=at times of change; we=people；

play it safe = avoid risk。

33 If people are aware of what they might lose, they will often

答案：A

关键词：aware...lose、often

定位句：根据关键词定位到第四段第五行：Studies show that we invariably take more gambles when threatened with a loss than when offered a reward．研究表明，当面对损失而不是奖赏的时候，我们不可避免地会更加冒险。

解 析：定位句中的threatened with...loss、invariably分别和题目中的aware...lose、often是同义替换，定位句中的take more gambles和选项A中的take chances是同义替换，答案就是A。

考 点：同义替换。threatened with...loss = aware...lose; invariably = often；

take more gambles = take chances。

34 People working under a dominant boss are liable to

答案：F

关键词：people...liable to、dominant boss

定位句：根据关键词定位到第九段第一行：The wrong kind of leadership will lead to what Cialdini calls“captainitis, the regrettable tendency of team members to opt out of team responsibilities that are properly theirs”. He calls it captainitis because, he says,“crew members of multipilot aircraft exhibit a sometimes deadly passivity when the flight captain makes a clearly wrong-headed decision”. This behaviour is not, he says, unique to air travel, but can happen in any workplace where the leader is overbearing．这一错误的领导方式会导致Cialdini所说的“机长症候群，一种令人遗憾的趋势，即团队成员会逃避本该属于自己的团队责任”。他把它称为机长症候群是因为，他说“在多名飞行员操作的飞机上，当机长做出一个明显错误的决定时，机组成员有时候会呈现一种致命的钝化状态”。据他所言，这一行为并不单单在飞机上会出现，而是当领导太独断的时候，这会发生在任何工作场合下。

解 析：定位句中的leader...overbearing指的就是前面的captainitis，它和题目中的dominant boss是同义替换，定位句中的team members...opt和题目中的people...liable to是同义替换，定位句中的out of team responsibilities和选项F中的ignore their duties是同义替换，答案就是F。

考 点：同义替换。leader...overbearing=captainitis = dominant boss；

team members...opt = people...liable to；

out of team responsibilities = ignore their duties。

35 Employees working in organisations with few rules are more likely to

答案：B

关键词：few rules

定位句：根据关键词定位到第十段第一行：At the other end of the scale is the 1980s Memphis design collective, a group of young designers for whom“the only rule was that there were no rules”. This environment encouraged a free interchange of ideas． 另一个极端是20世纪80年代的Memphis设计团体，这是一个年轻人组成的团队，对于他们来说“唯一的规则就是没有规则”。这一环境为互相之间自由交换想法提供了有利条件。

解 析：定位句中的no rules和题目中的few rules是同义替换，定位句中的free interchange of ideas和选项B中的share their ideas是同义替换，答案就是B。

考 点：同义替换。no rules = few rules; free interchange of ideas = share their ideas。