句意解释题也有人称其为“变换措辞题”,也就是用自己的语言来改写文章中的句子或者段落,以不同的方式重新陈述另一句话,保留其内容,而不改变原来句子的意思。在IBT阅读的三篇文章中,每篇文章可能有0-1道这样的题目,每次考试总共有2到3题。

这类型题目的题干表达为:Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in the passage? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.

解决这类题目的三种方法: 

第一种:在保持原句序基本不变的前提下进行重点词汇或者词组的同义替换;

第二种:在句序不变的前提下再进行重点词汇或者词组的同义替换;

第三种:对原句进行总结性重复。

下面我们通过一个例子来看这些方法的具体应用:

Small marketers should be less concerned with whether U.S. and European consumers are alike and more concerned with monitoring the variety of factors that account for potential similarities and differences. Attention to the dynamic nature of those factors will produce opportunities for the alert marketer.

Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in the passage? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.

1. A marketer who is not so smart should be more concerned with the difference of eating habits between U.S. and European consumers and less concerned with monitoring the variety of factors that account for potential similarities and differences.

2. It is not important whether U.S. and European consumers have a similar eating habit. I t is the potential similarities and differences that people should be more concerned with.

3. Marketers should focus on the factors that account for difference rather than the difference themselves. 

4. Monitoring the variety of foods could explain the potential similarities and differences.

解题:

首先,我们来分析这个句子,整个主句的主语为Small marketers,谓语为be concerned with,宾语为factors,这个分析完成之后,我们采用同意替换的方法,替换其中的重点词组-谓语be concerned with,其同义词为focus on。这样替换完之后把两个句子的意思进行比较,得出正确答案C。这道题目采用了第一种方法。 

总之,这类题目的解决步骤就是分析句子结构,找出关键词语----找出其中的重要词组进行同义替换----结合整个句子的意思进行重新组织句子------采用排除法找出正确答案。