高考英语单项选择题陷阱设置手段揭秘

郝昌明

近年来为了考查考生的应变能力，高考英语单项选择题常设置陷阱，让能力不强的考生上当，造成误选。这样就拉开了考生的分数差距，便于高校分层次选拔人才。高考英语单项选择题常通过下列手段设置陷阱。

一、利用“介词 + 关系代词which + 定语从句”句型设置陷阱

众所周知“介词 + 关系代词”引导定语从句是常见考点，高考常借助该句型来设置陷阱。

例1： The English spoken in the United States is only slightly different from_______spoken in England.（08全国卷I）

A. which B. what

C. that D. the one

解析： C。不少考生误选A，认为这是介词from + which引导的定语从句，其实空档处表达的是the English的含义，应用that代替。

例2： Animals suffered at the hands of Man_______they were destroyed by people to make way for agricultural land to provide food for more people.（08江西）

A. in which B. for which

C. so that D. in that

解析： D。不少同学误选A，认为这是介词 + which引导的定语从句。其实空档后面的in that是习语，意为“由于，因为”，引出原因状语从句，又如：Although the dividends are the same, this is the better investment in that it is a safer stock. (虽然红利一样，但这是更好的投资，因为这只股票更安全。) / Men differ from brutes in that they can think and speak. (人之所以异于禽兽是因为人会思考，会说话。)

例3： Some children want to challenge themselves by learning a language different from_______their parents speak at home. （08浙江）

A. what B. that

C. which D. one

解析： B。不少同学误选C，认为这是介词from + which引导的定语从句。其实from后面为宾语从句，空档处表示“……的语言”，因此应填what。

二、改变定语从句、同位语从句的位置来设置陷阱

定语从句和同位语从句通常接在被修饰的先行词和同位的名词后面，但在高考试题中常常改变其位置，将其后移，不少考生被这一陷阱所迷惑，难以做出正确选择。

例1： Later in this chapter cases will be introduced to readers_______consumer complaints have resulted in changes in the law. （08江西）

A. where B. when

C. who D. which

解析： A。cases为先行词，表示“场合”，在定语从句中做地点状语，因此应用where引导定语从句。但因定语从句和先行词被will be introduced to readers隔开，不少考生不能识别这一陷阱，从而做出错误的选择。

例2： A warm thought suddenly came to me_______I might use the pocket money to buy some flowers for my mothers birthday．（06安徽）

A． if B． when C． that D． which

解析： C。I might use the pocket money to buy some flowers for my mothers birthday说明先行词A warm thought的内容，因此空档处应填that引导的同位语从句。但因同位语从句与同位名词之间被suddenly came to me隔开，不少考生没有识别这一陷阱，无法做出正确选择。

三、用定语从句的创新句型来设置陷阱

定语从句通常直接由关系代词或关系副词引导，但当定语从句与先行词有所属关系时句型要变：特定词汇+ of whom / which引导定语从句。不少考生因不了解这一句型常造成误选。

例1： The growing speed of a plant is influenced by a number of factors,_______are beyond our control.（08湖南）

A. most of them B. most of which

C. most of what D. most of that

解析： B。定语从句与先行词可还原成most of the factors are beyond our control，因此该空应用most of which引导定语从句，但不少考生因不了解这一句型而误选A。

例2： The man pulled out a gold watch,

_______ were made of small diamonds. （08陕西）

A. the hands of whom

B. whom the hands of

C. which the hands of

D. the hands of which

解析： D。定语从句与先行词可连成The hands of the gold watch were made of small diamonds.因此该空应填the hands of which来引导定语从句，但不少考生因不了解这一句型而乱选一气。

四、用连词的新含义来设置陷阱

一些连词有新含义，如while可以表示“尽管”，引导让步状语从句，也可以表示“然而，却”，引导并列句；what引导名词性从句时一般表示“……的内容”，也可表示“……的人 / 地点 / 时间 / 速度 / 价格 / 方法 / 状况”。

例1：_______the Internet is of great help, I dont think its a good idea to spend too much time on it. （08湖南）

A. If B. While

C. Because D. As

解析： B。该空表示“尽管”，应填while来引导让步状语从句。但不少考生不知道while有此用法，于是误选as。as的确可以表示“尽管”，但在引导让步状语从句时应采用倒装句型。

例2： The seaside here draws a lot of tourists every summer. Warm sunshine and soft sands make_______it is.（07天津）

A. what B. which

C. how D. where

解析： A。空档处表示“……的状况”，因此应填入what来引导宾语从句。但不少考生只知道what表示“……的内容”，于是只好乱选一气。

五、在情景对话中用常规回答来设置陷阱

众所周知，情景对话中的回答语往往有委婉、客气、礼貌的特征，因此Thats all right. Youre welcome. Not at all. Take it easy. Nice to meet you. Thanks a lot. Im afraid you cant / had better not. My pleasure. Its a pleasure.等语句常常成为特定对话的回答用语，高考常常借助这些语句来设置陷阱。

例1： — The floor is dirty. Can anyone clean it?

—_______I do it all the time. （08陕西）

A. Dont mention it.

B. Why you?

C. Not sure.

D. Not me again.

解析： D。不少考生误选A，因为对它比较熟悉。其实Dont mention it.通常用来对感谢用语进行回答，表示“不用谢”。而此处I do it all the time.说明我不想再打扫了，因此应选D。

例2：— My name is Jonathan. Shall I spell it for you?

—_______ .（08辽宁）

A. lf you dont mind

B. Not at all

C. Take it easy

D. Nice to meet you

解析： A。B、C、D三选项内容都是考生熟悉的交际用语，但用在本题中与语境不吻合。而A项表示“如果不介意（请您拼写一下）”，符合语境逻辑。

例3：—We have booked a room for today and tomorrow.

—_______, sir.（07全国卷II）

A. Im sure B. My pleasure

C. Its all right D. Ill check

解析： D。B、C是对话回答常用语，但与本题语境不吻合。D项表示“让我查一下”，与语境逻辑吻合。

六、改变单词的常用句式来设置陷阱

一些单词在使用时往往有固定句式，但高考命题者往往用其非常见句型来设置陷阱，从而造成部分考生误选。

例1： —Id like some more cheese.

—Sorry, theres_______left.（08浙江）

A. some B. none

C. a little D. few

解析： B。none通常和of连用，但表示“一个也没有”时可置于there is之后，不少考生因不了解这一点易造成误选。

例2： —How is everything going on with you in Europe?

—Quite well. Not so smoothly as I hoped,_______ .(05江苏)

A. though B. instead

C. either D. too

解析： A。though通常为从属连词，置于句首引导让步状语从句。但此处的though为副词，位于句末，表示“然而，不过”。不少考生因不了解though的这一用法而造成误选。

七、改变词汇的常见位置来设置陷阱

一些词汇在句中常有习惯性位置，改变其位置可以达到设置陷阱的目的。

例1： Why are you so anxious? It isnt your problem_______ .（08浙江）

A. on purpose B. in all

C. on time D. after all

解析： D。空档表示“究竟、终究”，应填after all。但因其常置于句首，不少考生没有将其识别出来，只好乱选一气。

例2： You cant imagine what difficulty we had_______home in the snowstorm.（07辽宁）

A. walked B. walk

C. to walk D. walking

解析：D。本题考查have difficulty (in) doing sth.的结构，但因其宾语被前置，不少考生没有识别出这一结构。

八、用情态动词的稀有用法来设置陷阱

不少情态动词有特殊用法，如can可表示“有时会”；shall可表示“命令、警告、威胁、强制、允诺”，也可表示“可以”，用于一、三人称来征求对方意见；should可表示“竟然”，也可位于句首表示“如果，万一”。如果考生不了解这些用法，可能首先就会将正确选项排除在外。

例1： Peter_______be really difficult at times even though hes a nice person in general. （08辽宁）

A. shall B. should

C. can D. must

解析： C。at times暗示该空表示“有时会”，因此应填can。但不少考生不了解can有此用法，只好乱选一气。

例2：_______fired, your health care and other benefits will not be immediately cut off. (06湖北)

A. Would you be B. Should you be

C. Could you beD. Might you be

解析： B。空档表示“如果你被”，所以应填Should you be，表示If you should be的含义。不少同学不知道should有此用法，造成误选。

九、用不具被动色彩的过去分词来设置陷阱

过去分词通常表示被动，但不少过去分词因来自系表结构而不具被动色彩，如dressed in (穿着), dressed like (打扮得像), born (出身), seated (坐着), hidden (躲着), satisfied with (对……满意), unsatisfied with (对……不满意), devoted to (忠诚于), lost in (沉溺于), faced with (面对)。高考命题者常常借助这些过去分词来设置陷阱。

例1： Please remain_______ ; the winner of the prize will be announced soon. （08辽宁）

A. seating B. seated

C. to seat D. to be seated

解析： B。该空表示“坐着”的状态，因此应填seated，它来自系表结构be seated，没有被动色彩。不少同学以为seated表示“被坐”而将其排除，造成误选。

例2：_______with so much trouble, we failed to complete the task on time. (06四川)

A. Faced B. Face

C. Facing D. To face

解析： A。faced with来自系表结构be faced with，在该句做原因状语，没有被动色彩。不少同学以为faced表示“被面对”将其排除，造成误选。

十、用熟悉词汇的新含义来设置陷阱

一些词汇有新含义，但考生对其不了解而首先将其排除，造成误选。

例1： I began to feel_______in the new school when I saw some familiar faces. （08山东）

A. at home B. at heart

C. at will D. at sight

解析： A。不少考生认为“at home”表示“在家”，于是将其排除。其实at home还可表示“像在家里一家舒适、自在”，这是符合题意的。

例2： Why dont you just_______your own business and leave me alone? （07全国卷II）

A. make B. open

C. consider D. mind

解析： D。不少考生只知道mind做名词表示“头脑、思想、主意”，做动词表示“介意”，于是将其排除。其实mind your business为一个习惯用语，表示“注意你自己的事；少管闲事”。这一含义符合语境逻辑。

例3： Surely it doesnt matter where the student associations get their money from; what_______ is what they do with it. (07湖北)

A. counts B. applies

C. stresses D. functions

解析： A。不少考生以为count只能表示“数”，于是将其排除。其实count还可表示“重要的是；有价值；有重要性”，这一含义符合语境逻辑。

十一、通过增强先行词的隐蔽性来设置陷阱

众所周知，定语从句倒底由哪一个关系代词或关系副词来引导取决于先行词的属性和在从句中功能。先行词指人，在从句中做主语或宾语时可分别用who, whom来引导定语从句，也可用that来引导定语从句；先行词指物，在从句中做主语或宾语时均可由which或that来引导定语从句；先行词表示时间、地点、原因，且在从句中做时间、地点和原因状语时，可分别由when, where, why来引导定语从句。但为了增加试题难度，高考命题专家常通过增加先行词的隐蔽性来设置陷阱。

例1： Those successful deaf dancers think that dancing is an activity_______sight matters more than hearing.（07天津）

A. when B. whose

C. which D. where

解析： D。an activity常被不少考生视为物而用that或which引导定语从句，于是误选C。其实本题的an activity在从句中做地点状语，因此应用where引导定语从句。

例2： After graduation she reached a point in her career_______she needed to decide what to do.（07江西）

A. that B. what

C. which D. where

解析： D。a point常被学生视为物而用which或that来引导定语从句。但本题a point在从句中做地点状语，因此应用where引导定语从句。

十二、利用省略与替代来设置陷阱

众所周知，省略与替代会使考生对原本熟悉的句式变得非常陌生，因此高考试题常用省略与替代来设置陷阱。

例： —Do you have any idea what Paul does all day?

—As I know, he spends at least as much time playing as he_______ . （07重庆）

A. writes B. does writing

C. is writing D. does write

解析： B。空档处表达的是spends in writing的含义，因其中in可以省略，spends重复可由does来替代，因此该空应填does writing。不少考生不识命题陷阱，首先排除B，造成误选。

【巩固性练习】

1. The way you worked out this difficult problem is different from_______we are satisfied with.

A. which B. that C. what D. one

2. The English-Chinese dictionary on your bookshelf is different from_______on her bookshelf.

A. the one B. which C. what D. as

3. Word came from the capital_______the twenty-ninth Olympic Games were successfully held.

A. that B. which C. what D. where

4. In our next English class the cases will be offered to you_______these phrases can be used together.

A. that B. which C. who D. where

5. There are fifty-six students in our class, _______come from the countryside.

A. half of them B. half of whom

C. half of what D. half of who

6. There are twenty-five problems in the physics exam paper,_______is this one.

A. the most difficult of them

B. the most difficult of that

C. the most difficult of which

D. the most difficult of what

7._______that problem was really very difficult, many students worked it out.

A. Because B. As C. If D. While

8. After_______appeared to be half an hour, his father showed up at the party.

A. that B. what C. which D. it

9. —It is a very fine day today, isnt it?

—Yes, it is. It is a bit cold,_______ .

A. instead B. either

C. too D. though

10. —Mom, can I play computer games for a _______while after I finish my homework? _______. You must go to bed at once.

A. No way B. Youre welcome

C. Dont mention it D. Thats all right

11. —How many students are there on the _______playground playing football?

—_______.

A. Nobody B. Nothing

C. None D. No

12. She thought she would fail to pass the exam, but she passed it_______ .

A. in all B. after all

C. on purpose D. on time

13. I really cant imagine such a beautiful girl_______be so rude.

A. can B. may C. shall D. should

14. She is usually very gentle, but sometimes she_______be very naughty.

A. can B. shall C. should D. must

15._______a fire break out, you must call the fire station at once.

A. Would B. Could

C. Might D. Should

16. When I went into his room, he still remained _______.

A. seating B. seated

C. seat D. to seat

17._______with so much difficulty, the middle-aged woman didnt know what to do.

A. Facing B. Faced

C. Face D. To face

18._______in a very small but beautiful village, the young woman seldom leaves it.

A. Bear B. Bore C. Born D. Bearing

19. It is not what you say but what you do that really_______ .

A. counts B. stresses

C. functions D. applies

20. If you dont work hard from now on, you will be_______by your boss sooner or later.

A. freed B. fined C. fired D. dropped

21. Is this the chair_______you put all of your books the day before yesterday?

A. which B. that C. where D. what

22. Your illness will not develop to the point_______nobody can cure it.

A. which B. that C. what D. where

23. I think your hall is large enough to_______one thousand people.

A. put B. fill C. hold D. place

24. He spends, I think, a lot more time in reading English than I_______French.

A. do learn B. do to learn

C. learn D. do learning

Keys: 1-5 CAADB 6-10 CDBDA

11-15 CBDAD 16-20 BBCAC

21-24 CDCD