今天我们来学习考研英语阅读中题型之一——段落推断题。首先，我们要明白这类题目一般的识别形式，即根据某段可以推断出什么或者根据某段信息，以下四个选项哪个是正确的。同时，我们还要了解的是该题目是对某段内容的考察，考研阅读文章为议论文，所以该题目其实就是在考察该段内容，即段落论点。所以我们需要做的就是把我该段论点即可。段落论点常出现在“转折”、“段首句”、“段末句”等几个位置，可用于解题。以下题为例：
【例1】
(英一2015年text 3)(Para. 1)The journal Science is adding an extra round of statistical checks to its peer-review process, editor-in-chief Marcia McNutt announced today. The policy follows similar efforts from other journals, after widespread concern that basic mistakes in data analysis are contributing to the irreproducibility of many published research findings.
31. It can be learned from Paragraph 1 that ______.
[A] Science intends to simplify its peer-review process
[B] journals are strengthening their statistical checks
[C] few journals are blamed for mistakes in data analysis
[D] lack of data analysis is common in research projects
先从31题题干识别，为典型的段落推断题。本段落无转折，所以可以考虑段首句或段末句，两个句子结构和难度相当时，我们一般优先段首句，根据段首句信息“《科学》这个杂志在同行评审过程中增加了额外一轮的数据审查”，同义替换B“杂志增强了数据审查”为正确选项。本题解题思路简单清晰。但除此情况外，还有一些相对比较复杂的题目，比如：
【例2】
(英一2011年text 4)(Para. 2)The magazine cover showing an attractive mother holding a cute baby is hardly the only Madonna-and-child image on newsstands this week. There are also stories about newly adoptive—and newly single—mom Sandra Bullock, as well as the usual “Jennifer Aniston is pregnant” news. Practically every week features at least one celebrity mom, or mom-to-be, smiling on the newsstands.
(Para. 3)In a society that so persistently celebrates procreation, is it any wonder that admitting you regret having children is equivalent to admitting you support kitten-killing? It doesn’t seem quite fair, then, to compare the regrets of parents to the regrets of the childless. Unhappy parents rarely are provoked to wonder if they shouldn’t have had kids, but unhappy childless folks are bothered with the message that children are the single most important thing in the world: obviously their misery must be a direct result of the gaping baby-size holes in their lives.
37. We learn from Paragraph 2 that ______.
[A] celebrity moms are a permanent source for gossip
[B] single mothers with babies deserve greater attention
[C] news about pregnant celebrities is entertaining
[D] having children is highly valued by the public
本题通过题干识别也是传统的段落推断题。该题目是针对原文第二段进行命题的，但是细心的同学会发现，第二段无论是段首句还是段末句都无法帮助锁定答案。问题就在于原文第二段的三句话都在描述一个现象“名人妈妈频繁的出现在人们的视野中”。原文第三段首句是一个很关键的句子“承上启下”，所以“In a society that so persistently celebrates procreation”在一个如此颂扬生育的社会里，就是对上段的总结，对应答案D。
综上，段落推断题需要各位考生“眼观六路”，把握住段落重点才行。否则一不小心就跑偏。所以针对此类题目，我们在练习基本思路的同时也要善于处理段落，这样才能把握段落推断题。
