刘新会

近年来的英语高考试题更加注重考查考生在特定语言环境下综合运用语言的能力，体现出综合性、语境化的的特征。命题一般通过小对话、并列句或主从复合句等较复杂的句式，使题干变长，信息量加大，以保证语境的充分设置，加大试题的难度。此时，考生若能准确把握语境，找准题干所提供的关键信息（即“关键词”），一些看似扑朔迷离的问题便能迎刃而解。下面，笔者就关键词在单项选择试题中的重要作用加以举例分析，以期对同学们的学习有所帮助。

1. I still remember the house ____ Mother and I sat in that evening.

A. where B. in which C. 不填 D. in that

分析：题干中的“in”一词可视为关键词。时间状语that evening前面不能加介词，所以不能选A项。认真分析in在定语从句的成分可知：in的宾语应该是先行词the house，故正确答案为C。

2. The doctor advised Vera strongly that she should take a holiday, but ____ didnt help.

A. it B. she C. which D. he

分析：这里关键词“but”连接的是并列句，说明句与句之间为并列关系，既然不存在从属关系，就不可选择关系词，故排除C；it指代整个句子，常和并列连词and/but等连用。答案为A。

3. Which do you enjoy ____ your weekends, fishing or watching TV?

A. spending B. to spend C. being spent D. spend

分析：题中的“which”一词为关键词。考生若忽略了疑问词which就会误选A项。显然，enjoy的宾语是which(fishing or watching TV)，动词不定式短语to spend your weekends作目的状语，因此正确答案为B。

4. The price ____, but I doubt whether it will remain so.

A. went down B. will go down

C. has gone down D. was going down

分析：该题考查动词的时态。由关键信息“remain so”（保持如此）可知“物价已经降了下来，只是今后怎样还不知道”，所以应该用现在完成时。正确答案为C。

5. ____ and Ill get the work finished.

A. Have one more hour B. One more hour

C. Given one more hour D. If I have one more hour

分析：该题中的“and”为关键词。若将题干中and删除，选项C、D也可入选；若 have改为give则A项亦对。正确答案为B。One more hour and Ill get the work finished.相当于祈使句Give me one more hour and Ill get the work finished.

6. ——Are the new rules working?

——Yes. ____ books are stolen.

A. Few B. More C. Some D. None

分析：答语中的“Yes”一词提供了关键信息（后面省去了they are），表明“新的规章制度正在实行”，因此排除B、C项；D项应使用“none+of”结构。正确答案为A。

7. ____ is known to everybody, the moon travels around the earth once

every month.

A. It B. As C. That D. What

分析：标点符号在一个句子中是很不引人注意的，但它的作用有时却相当大。该题干中的“，”可视为关键信息，正确答案为B。as引导非限制性定语从句。但如果把逗号改为that，则选A项，这时为that引导主语从句。

8. ____ some of the juice—perhaps youll like it.

A. Trying B. Try C. To try D. Having tried

分析：该题解题的关键信息为“—”，它的作用在此处相当于and(连接表示条件与结果的句子)。故正确答案为B。若忽视了破折号的作用，考生极易误选A、C项。

9. Why dont you put the meat in the fridge? It will ____ fresh for several days.

A. be stayed B. stay C. be staying D. have stayed

分析：题干中的fresh一词可视为关键词。后面能接形容词的动词只有系动词，而系动词一般不用进行时，也没有被动语态，故A、C排除；而D项will have stayed为完成时，明显不符合题意。答案为B。

10. The old couple have been married for 40 years and never once ____ with each other.

A. they had quarreled B. they have quarreled

C. have they quarreled D. had they quarreled

分析：题中的never一词为关键词。否定词提前要引起主谓部分倒装，则A、B排除；而D项中的过去完成时明显与上文时态不符。答案为C。

由此可见，做题时一定要仔细观察、分析整个句子，找准关键信息，排除干扰因素，才能准确地找到解题的突破口。