Question

Develop Note-Taking Skills

Speech students are often amazed at how easily their teacher can pick out a speaker’s main points, evidence, and techniques. Of course, the teacher knows what to listen for and has had plenty of practice. But the next time you get an opportunity, watch your teacher during a speech. Chances are she or he will be listening with pen and paper. 1.

Unfortunately, many people don’t take notes effectively. Some try to write down everything a speaker says. They view note taking as a race, pitting their handwriting agility(敏捷) against the speaker’s rate of speech. 2. But soon the speaker is winning the race. The speaker pulls so far ahead that the note taker can never catch up. Finally, the note taker admits defeat and spends the rest of the speech grumbling in frustration.

3. They arrive armed with pen, notebook, and the best of intentions. They know they can’t write down everything, so they settle comfortably in their seats and wait for the speaker to say something that grabs their attention. Every once in a while the speaker rewards them with a joke, a dramatic story, or a startling fact. Then the note taker seizes pen, jots down a few words, and leans back dreamily to await the next fascinating tidbit(趣闻). By the end of the lecture the note taker has a set of tidbits—and little or no record of the speaker’s important ideas.

As these examples illustrate, they don’t know what to listen for, and they don’t know how to record what they do listen for. 4. But once you know what to listen for, you still need a sound method of note taking.

Although there are a number of systems, most students find the key-word outline best for listening to speeches. As its name suggests, this method briefly notes a speaker’s main points and supporting evidence in rough outline form. By separating main points from sub-points and evidence, the outline format shows the relationships among the speaker’s ideas. 5. But with a little effort you will become a better note taker.

A.Perfecting this taking requires practice.

B.Some people go to the opposite extreme.

C.As the speaker starts to talk, the note taker starts to write.

D.Taking effective notes usually helps you receive higher grades.

E.Most inefficient note takers suffer from one or both of two problems.

F.When note taking is done properly, it is sure to keep track of a speaker’s ideas.

G.The solution to the first problem is to focus on a speaker’s main points and evidence.

Answer

1.F

2.C

3.B

4.G

5.A

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。文章关于培养记笔记的技能举出了两个错误例子，然后提出了最有效的记笔记方法：根据关键词列大纲。

1.根据第一段第一句“Speech students are often amazed at how easily their teacher can pick out a speaker’s main points, evidence, and techniques.”（学生们常常惊讶于他们老师能如此轻易地找到演讲者的主旨、证据和技巧。），可知，记笔记时抓住演讲者的主旨很重要，F选项“When note taking is done properly, it is sure to keep track of a speaker’s ideas.”（ 如果笔记做得恰当，它肯定能记住演讲者的想法。）切题。故选F项。

2.根据第二段中的“Some try to write down everything a speaker says. They view note taking as a race, pitting their handwriting agility(敏捷) against the speaker’s rate of speech.”（有些人试着把演讲者所说的每句话都记下来。他们把记笔记看成是一场赛跑，把他们的书写灵活性与演讲者的说话速度对应起来。），可知，为了把演讲者所说的每句话都记下来，演讲者开始讲话时，记录者就开始记录。 C选项“As the speaker starts to talk, the note taker starts to write. ”（ 当演讲者开始讲话时，记录者就开始写。）切题。故选C项。

3.根据第二段中的“Some try to write down everything a speaker says.”（有些人试着把演讲者所说的每句话都记下来。）和第三段中的“They know they can’t write down everything, so they settle comfortably in their seats and wait for the speaker to say something that grabs their attention... By the end of the lecture the note taker has a set of tidbits—and little or no record of the speaker’s important ideas.”(他们知道不能把所有东西都写下来，所以他们舒服地坐在座位上，等着演讲人说点吸引他们注意力的话……在讲座结束时，只记录一些趣闻——很少或根本没有记录演讲者的主旨。)，可知作者在第二段和第三段分别描述了两种相反的极端现象。B选项“Some people go to the opposite extreme.”（ 有些人走向了相反的极端。）切题。故选B项。

4.根据空格前文“As these examples illustrate, they don’t know what to listen for, and they don’t know how to record what they do listen for.”（ 这些例子说明，他们不知道听什么，也不知道如何录制他们所听的内容。），可知，作者列出了两个问题，G选项“The solution to the first problem is to focus on a speaker’s main points and evidence. ”（第一个问题的解决方法是集中在演讲者的主要观点和证据上。）起到和前文承接作用。故选G项。

5.根据空格后一句“But with a little effort you will become a better note taker.”（但是稍加努力你就会成为一个更好的记笔记的人。），可推断和前一句是转折关系，选项A“Perfecting this note-taking requires practice. ”（完善记笔记需要练习。）切题。故选A项。