一、考试要求
理解文章的基本结构。英语文章讲究使用主题段和主题句。主题段通常在文章开头，简要概括文章的中心思想，主题句可能在一段的开头，也可能在中间或末尾，作用是交代该段的中心思想，再由全段展开或讨论这个意思。各个段落通常由某些起连接作用的词语连接，以使文章行文连贯。如果希望准确、深刻地理解一篇文章，必须对文章的结构有所了解，把握住全篇的文脉，即句与句、段与段之间的逻辑关系。
考试形式： 第二节：共5小题，每小题2分。在一段约240词的短文中留出5个空白，要求考生从所给的7个选项中选出最佳选项。
二、考试特点
管中窥豹----七选五阅读高考典型真题细品味
研读下面两道典型的高考“七选五”真题，你会发现什么？
2016年全国高考1卷，
Secret codes (密码)keep messages private. Banks, companies, and government agencies use secret codes in doing business, especially when information is sent by computer.
People have used secret codes for thousands of years.
36
Code breaking never lags(落后) far behind code making. The science of creating and reading coded messages is called cryptography.
There are three main types of cryptography.
37
For example, the first letters of “My elephant eats too many eels” spell out the hidden message “Meet me.”
38
You might represent each letter with a number, for example. Let’s number the letters of the alphabet, in order, from 1 to 26. If we substitute a number for each letter, the message “Meet me” would read “135 520 135.”
A code uses symbols to replace words, phrases, or sentences. To read the message of a real code, you must have a code book. 39
For example, “bridge” might stand for “meet” and “out” might stand for “me.” The message “Bridge out” would actually mean “Meet me.” 40 However, it is also hard to keep a code book secret for long. So codes must be changed frequently.
A. It is very hard to break a code without the code book.
B. In any language, some letters are used more than others.
C. Only people who know the keyword can read the message.
D. As long as there have been codes, people have tried to break them.
E. You can hide a message by having the first letters of each word spell it out.
F. With a code book, you might write down words that would stand for other words.
G. Another way to hide a message is to use symbols to stand for specific letters of the alphabet.
【解析】
40.A 根据空后内容的转折可知，尽管利用密码书可以破译密码，但是一本密码书也不会使用
很久的时间，故判断A选项符合语境。
2016年全国2卷，
A garden that’s just right for you
Have you ever visited a garden that seemed just right for you, where the atmosphere of the garden appeared to total more than the sum(总和) of its parts?
16
. But it doesn’t happen by accident. It starts with looking inside yourself and understanding who you are with respect to the natural world and how you approach the gardening process.
●
17
Some people may think that a garden is no more than plants, flowers, patterns and masses of color. Others are concerned about using gardening methods that require less water and fewer fertilizers(肥料).
18
. However, there are a number of other reasons that might explain why you want to garden. One of them comes from our earliest years.
●Recall(回忆)your childhood memories
Our model of what a garden should be often goes back to childhood. Grandma’s rose garden and Dad’s vegetable garden might be good or bad, but that’s not what’s important.
19
—how being in those gardens made us feel. If you’d like to build a powerful bond with your garden, start by taking some time to recall the gardens of your youth.
20
then go outside and work out a plan to translate your childhood memories into your grown-up garden. Have fun.
A. Know why you garden
B. Find a good place for your own garden
C. It’s our experience of the garden that matters
D. It’s delightful to see so many beautiful flowers
E. Still others may simply enjoy being outdoors and close to plants
F. You can produce that kind of magical quality in your own garden, too
G. For each of those gardens, writer down the strongest memory you have
【解析】
16. F 根据前两句提出：你是否参观过那些让你感觉非常好的花园？你也可以自己打造一个属于你自己的花园。故F项“你也可以把你自己的花园搞得那么美好”符合上下文语境。
17. A 根据本段前两句可知不同人对花园有不同的看法，再由倒数第二句“然而，有很多原因能够解释你为什么想做园艺”可知我们首先要搞清楚为什么要做园艺。故A项正确。
18. E 本段前两句提出有些人认为花园只是一些花花草草的，有些人关心少用水少用肥料。本句仍然在说明人们对园艺的不同看法。故E项“还有其他人只是喜欢在户外接触植物”与上下文一致，也是人们对于园艺的观点。
19. C 根据前句“……那些都不重要”可知画线句强调的是在园艺中对我们来说真正重要的是什么。故C项“重要的是我们做园艺的经历”符合上下文语境。
20. G 本部分建议回忆一下小时候所看到的那些花园，并把这些花园的优点给写下来，然后制订计划并付诸行动。故G项符合上下文语境。
（二）剥茧抽丝----七选五阅读考查特点
七选五试题是为适应高考改革而采用的新题型，反映和代表了高考试题发展的新方向和新特点，下面我们主要以2016年全国3卷为例，作一分析研究：
2016年全国3卷，
Everyone knows that fish is good for health.
16
But it seems that many people don’t cook fish at home. Americans eat only about fifteen pounds of fish per person per year, but we eat twice as much fish in restaurants as at home. Buying, storing, and cooking fish isn’t difficult.
17
This text is about how to buy and cook fish in an easy way.
18
Fresh fish should smell sweet: you should feel that you’re standing at the ocean’s edge. Any fishy or strong smell means the fish isn’t fresh.
19
When you have bought a fish and arrive home, you’d better store the fish in the refrigerator if you don’t cook it immediately, but fresh fish should be stored in your fridge for only a day or two. Frozen fish isn’t as tasty as the fresh one.
There are many common methods used to cook fish.
20
First, clean it and season it with your choice
of spices(调料). Put the whole fish on a plate and steam it in a steam pot for 8 to 10 minutes if it weighs about one
pound. (A larger one will take more time.) Then, it’s ready to serve.
A. Do not buy it.
B. The easiest is to steam it.
C. This is how you can do it.
D. It just requires a little knowledge.
E. The fish will go bad within hours.
F. When buying fish, you should first smell it.
G. The fats in fish are thought to help prevent heart disease.
【解析】
16. G第一句＂Everyone knows that fish is good for health.＂，But，But
前面一句是对第一句的解释，G＂＂，G。
17. D 由＂Buying, storing, and cooking fish isn’t difficult.＂，，
并非难事，，，D＂＂，C项混淆，C，C项与后一句重复，D。
18. F 根据＂Fresh fish should smell sweet＂，，F。
19. A 根据前一句＂Any fishy or strong smell means the fish isn’t fresh.＂，
味道的鱼都不是新鲜的，，A，A。
20. B 根据”Put the whole fish on a plate and steam it in a steam pot for 8 to 10 minutes”可知，，B。
1. 篇章意识
我们知道，高考英语全国卷沿用多年的单项选择题不见了，取而代之的是语法填空题，纵观近两年的高考试题，我们可以发现，无论是不完全提供信息的试题，比如完型填空题、七选五试题、语法填空题和书面表达题，还是完全给出信息的如短文改错题，都有一个共同特点：那就是这些试题设题的本体都是一个完整的语篇而不是单一的句子。
这些标志着高考英语试题完全进入到了语篇层次，表明了高考试题进一步突出了对学生实际语言运用能力的考查，内容量上很显然比以前有所增加，难度上也相对以前有所提高，对考生的阅读理解能力、逻辑思维和文化背景知识要求更深。这样就给广大师生传递了一个明确的信息：研究语篇结构、培养篇章意识、弄清上下文逻辑，增强语言运用能力，是我们今后英语学习的方向。
2. 逻辑思维
与提供完整信息的阅读理解试题相比，“七选五”试题是一篇信息提供不完整的文章，需要考生应用逻辑推理能力才能补充完整；与信息提供不完整的完型填空试题相比，完型题考查的层次集中在单词和短语上，主要考查语法知识和简单的逻辑推理，而“七选五”试题它的选项是以句子为单位，较多地考查了篇章结构和逻辑推理等方面。很显然，“七选五”试题更注重对较高层次的思维和语用能力的考查。正如《普通高中英语课程标准》所规定：“根据高中学生认知能力发展的特点和学业发展的需求，高中英语课程应强调在进一步发展学生综合语言运用能力的基础上，着重提高学生用英语获取信息、处理信息、分析问题和解决问题的能力，特别注重提高学生用英语进行思维和表达的能力。”“七选五”试题就是对逻辑思维考查要求的最好体现。文章大部分都采用总—分的结构。《普通高中英语课程标准》8级阅读目标中规定学生“能识别不同文体的特征”。事实证明对不同文体特征把握较好的同学在“七选五”试题考查中总能抢占先机，获得优势。
3. 文体特点
正因为“七选五”阅读试题注重从篇章和逻辑方面来考查学生的语言运用能力，因而，“七选五”试题多选用结构鲜明、逻辑清晰的文章来命题。分析历年的高考真题，文章主要以说明文为主，少量采用结构和逻辑分明的记叙文和议论文。例如，从2017年至2016年间，全国高考英语总共7套高考试卷除2017年全国1卷为记叙文、2015年全国1卷为议论文外，其余都是说明文。
4. 语言知识
综合语言运用能力的形成建立在语言技能、语言知识素养整合发展的基础上。“七选五”试题考查的重点虽然是建立在较高层次的语言能力上，但考生如果有敏锐的语言感悟和丰富词汇、语法知识，就能够感觉到作者遣词用语上的细微区别，体会到上下文句子的启承转合，就会迅速准确地完成试题。
三、选材和体裁
1.短文体裁
一般只考查说明文，近三年来的全国高考试卷中，只有2015年全国1卷考查议论文和2017年全国1卷考查记叙文外，其余都是说明文。
2.短文内容
教人如何学习、如何做事、如何生活等，一般都是符合中学生的特点、贴近中学生日常生活的事件的说明，也有可能是对某件事的叙述或者对某事的不同角度来发表自己的看法。
由上面真题可以看出，2016年全国3卷讲述的就是蒸鱼的方法；2016年全国1卷介绍的是密码的设置和破译问题；2016年全国2卷介绍的是关于花园的打造方法。而2015年的全国1卷则通过对马拉松的锻炼，建议如何做事情之前应该精心准备、循序渐进，逐步实现目标的。
3.短文长度
虽然考纲中说“一段约240词的短文留出5个空白”，但近五年的实际情况是：近三
年以来，全国高考英语中最短是2015年全国2卷，仅180词，其余都200词以上。
4.短文特征
(1)常含有tips, steps, suggestions, ways, methods等词。
(2)文章多半有大标题、小标题、主题句，或有表示列举或顺序的词(如first, second, next, then, finally等)，结构清晰，层次分明，条理清楚，便于理解。
5.设空特点
空格设置有可能在文首、文中、文尾。在文首时，主要是要求考生选段落小标题或段落的主题句(注：2009年辽宁卷考过选文章的标题，但全国新课标卷没有考过)，标题一般为名词短语或祈使句。位于段落主题句之后，很可能是说明原因、举例证明、分述细化主题、解释前句中的某个概念等；位于段落中间可能只起衔接作用。位于段末或文末，可能是结论句，也可能是与前段或几段是并列关系，分述主题中的一个具体内容。
6.选项排列
通常是由最短到最长依次排列，但也有可能由最长到最短依次来排列，由以上真题可知，2016年全国高考3套试卷，还有下面提到的两套2015年全国高考卷都是是由短到长排列的，2017年的两套全国卷也是如此。
四、题型分析
分析篇章结构，把握全篇文脉是阅读填空题解题的关键，英语的语篇（discourse）通常是由句子和语段（sentence group）构成的，语段是句子和语篇之间的中间层次，句子虽然能够单独地表达相对完整的思想，但是它不能表达多方面的、比较复杂的思想，只有把几个句子结合为较大的言语片段，才能表达一个相对独立的层意，所谓的“积句而成章，积章而成篇。”就是这个道理。
分析文章的层次包含两种形式：一种是分析整篇文章的层次，也就是段落，另一种是分析每一个段落内部的层次，也就是语篇层次。
语篇与段落是有区别的，语段是篇章结构的中间层次，是由句子到篇的一种过渡形式，段落（paragraph）是在某些语体（如记叙文、议论文）中比语段更大的意义单位，较小的段落可以只包括一个语段或一个句子，一般来说，一个段落通常由几个语段构成。构成语段的方式有两种，一是靠句际间意义的结合，二是靠句际间的关联词，逻辑性插入语来连接，在分析语段层次时，可以借助句际间的连接词语作出判断，但最主要的还是要真正体会句际间的意义关系，把握作者的思路，从语序上去发现断续点，理清层次，好文章的层次非常清晰，只有层层入手，才能真正理解文章。
（一） 七选五阅读题型分析
该类题型要求从短文后的七个选项中选出五个能填入文章空处的最佳选项，主要考查考生对文章的整体内容和结构以及上下文逻辑意义的理解和掌握。体现了《新课标》“用英语获取、处理和运用信息的能力；逐步获取用英语思维的能力。”的阅读学习和教学理念。
该题型命题形式仍然具有客观题的特点，又与完形填空具有异曲同工之妙，只是选项少，以句子形式出现，考查目的和侧重点不完全相同而已。2015年全国高考1卷，这篇短文是给体育锻炼提建议。这是七选五短文常考的类型之一。这类题的思路清楚，考生容易把握文章结构，为填充缺失信息打下基础。本题首句是关键理解点，下文围绕该句展开，所以填对的根据在于正确理解全文和摸清文章的脉络。
下面我们从2015年的全国新课标两套试卷入手，看看七选五考题的题型究竟都是什么样子的：
2015年全国1卷，
Building Trust in a Relationship Again
Trust is a learned behavior that we gain from past experiences, 36 .Trust is a risk. But you can’t be successful when there’s a lack of trust in a relationship that results from an action where the wrongdoer takes no responsibility to fix the mistake.
Unfortunately, we’ve all been victims of betrayal. Whether we’ve been stolen from, lied to , misled, or cheated on, there are different levels of losing trust. Sometimes people simply can’t trust anymore, 37.
It’s understandable, but if you’re willing to build trust in a relationship again, we have some steps you can take to get you there.
38
having confidence in yourself will help you make better choices because you can see what the best outcome would be for your well-being.
39
If you’ve been betrayed, you are the victim of your circumstance. But there’s a difference between being a victim and living with a “victim mentality”. At some point in all of our lives, we’ll have our trust tested or violated.
You didn’t lose “everything”. Once trust is lost, what is left? Instead of looking at the situation from this hopeless angle, look at everything you still have and be thankful for all of the good in your life. 40 instead, it’s a healthy way to work through the experience to allow room for positive growth and forgiveness.
Learn to really trust yourself.
It is putting confidence in someone.
Stop regarding yourself as the victim.
Remember that you can expect the best in return.
They’ve been too badly hurt and they can’t bear to let it happen again.
This knowledge carries over in their attitude toward their future relationships.
Seeing the positive side of things doesn’t mean you’re ignoring what happened.
【解析】
40. G根据前一句Instead of looking at the situation from this hopeless angle, look at everything you still have and be thankful for all of the good in your life和后一句instead, it’s a healthy way to work through the experience to allow room for positive growth and forgiveness.可知既要看到事情的积极面，也不要忽视所发生的事情。故选G。
高考英语七选五阅读命题特点
上面引用了近两年来的全部五套高考真题，下面再结合2017年全国高考的2套试卷，这样总共7套试卷，做一个比较分析，让大家能对近三年以来的高考七选五题型命题的特点有一个更加直观清晰的认识。
2017年全国1卷，
The jobs of the future have not been invented, 36 By helping them develop classic skills that will serve them well no matter what the future holds. 1. Curiosity Your children need to be deeply curious. 37 Ask kids, “What ingredients (配料) can we add to make these pancakes even better next time” and then try them out. Did those ingredients make the pancakes better? What could we try next time? 2. Creativity
True creativity is the ability to take something existing and create something new from it. 38 There are a dozen different things you can do with them. Experimenting with materials to create something new can go a long way in helping them develop their Creativity. 3. Interpersonal Skills
Understanding how others feel can be a challenge for kids. We know what is going on inside our own head, but what about others? Being able to read people helps kids from misreading a situation and jumping to false conclusions. 39 “Why do you think she is crying?” “Can you tell how that man is feeling by looking at his face?” “If someone were to do that to you, how would you feel?” 4. Self Expression
40 There are many ways to express thoughts and ideas ¡ª music, acting, drawing, building, photography. You may find that your child is attracted by one more than another. A. Encourage kids to cook with you. B. And we can’t forget science education. C. We can give kids chances to think about materials in new ways. D. So how can we help our kids prepare for jobs that don’t yet exist? E. Gardening is another great activity for helping kids develop this skill. F. We can do this in real life or ask questions about characters in stories. G. Being able to communicate ideas in a meaningful way is a valuable skill.
【解析】
1. D考查上下文的语境理解。根据By helping them develop classic skills that will serve them well no matter what the future holds. 可知这里叙述的是帮助他们发展最优秀的技能。所以上句应该怎样帮助为了他们未来的工作而做好准备。
2. A 考查上下文的语境理解。根据What ingredients (配料) can we add to make these pancakes even better next time” and then try them out.可知下文叙述的是做煎饼时添加什么配料会更好。所以上句应该鼓励孩子和你做饭，故选A。
3. C 考查上下文的语境理解。根据True creativity is the ability to take something existing and create something new from it可知上文叙述的是培养孩子的创造力，给他们一些材料，然后从这些材料中创造出新的东西。所以下文应该是我们给孩子提供机会用新的方式来使用这些材料。选项C符合语境，故选C。
4. F 考查对上下文的语境理解。根据下文可知是问孩子怎样判断人的情感。所以上句应该是我们在真实生活的做法及在故事中的人物一些问题。故选F。
5. G考查语境的理解及主题句。根据下文的内容可知有许多方法表达出自己的想法和观点。所以用一种有效的方式交流是一种技能。故选G。
2017年全国2卷，
Tips for Cooking on a Tight Schedule
From my experience , there are three main reasons why people don’t cook more often :ability , money , and time 36
.Money is a topic I’ll save for another day .So today I want to give you some wisdom about how to make the most of the time you spent in the kitchen .Here are three tips for great cooking on a tight schedule :
Think ahead .The moments when I think cooking is a pain are when I’m already hungry and there’s nothing ready to eat .So think ahead of the coming week .When will you have time to cook ?Do you have the right materials already ? 37
.
Make your time worth it .When you do find time to cook a meal , make the most of it and save yourself time later on .Are you making one loaf of bread ?
38
.It takes around the same amount of time to make more of something .So save yourself the effort for future meal .
39
This may surprise you , but one of the best tools for making cooking worth your time is experimentation .It gives you the chance to hit upon new ideas and recipes that can
work well with your appetite and schedule. The more you learn and the more you try, the more ability you have to take control of your food and your schedule.
Hopefully that gives you a good start. 40_______ And don’t let a busy schedule discourage you from making some great changes in the way you eat and live!
A. Try new things.
B. Ability is easily improved.
C. Make three or four instead.
D. Understand your food better.
E. Cooking is a burden for many people.
F. Let cooking and living simply be a joy rather than a burden.
G. A little time planning ahead can save a lot of work later on.
【解析】
1. B 考查上下文的语境理解。上文中作者提出人们不做饭的原因有能力金钱和时间等原因，
然后再空后介绍了金钱和时间问题，由此判断空格上内容是作者对能力的介绍，纵观选项
B选项内容（能力是很容易提高的）符合语境，故答案选B。
2. G 考查上下文的语境理解。本段主题句Think ahead，让人们要提前有计划，提前做好安排，这样做饭就不是件痛苦的事情了，所以判断G选项内容（提前一点时间做计划可以节省以后的很多时间）能够承接上文，选G。
3. C 考查上下文的语境理解。在前面作者提到要让时间花的更值得，提出问题.Are you making one loaf of bread ? 而且下文提到在同样多的时间内要多做几个面包，所以判断C选项内容（要做三、四个面包）能够起到承上启下的作用，答案选C。
4. A考查语境理解及主题句。在本段中作者提到要多去尝试新的菜谱和新的想法，这样能力就越来越高，所以A选项内容（尝试新事物）可以概括本段中心，选A。
5. F考查上下文的语境理解。在上文中作者给人们建议如何在繁忙的生活中寻找做饭的快乐，再根据空格后内容：不要因为紧张的时间安排而不能去享受生活，可以判断F选项内容（要让做饭和生活成为一种乐趣而不是负担）符合语境，选F。
1). 内容选择
七选五题型选材注重两方面的内容：一是贴近考生、贴近生活、新颖、时代感强的材料，二是逻辑性强，结构严谨，层次分明，纵观三年来的真题，我们可以看出选材都有哪些特点：
2017-2016年高考英语全国卷七选五选材统计表
试卷/年份 全国1卷 全国2卷 全国3卷
2017 叙述如何帮孩子发展技能 如何在繁忙时享受做饭的乐趣 ------
2015 论述失去信任如何再建立信任 介绍做事精心准备、循序渐进
------
2016 介绍密码设置防止破译 给出如何打造花园的建议 介绍蒸鱼的方法
2). 文章长度
文章的选择不能太短（少于200词）或太长（多于300词）。另外，文章的长度还会与整套试题中阅读的总词数有关。
2017-2016年高考英语全国卷七选五选材词数统计表
试卷/年份 全国1卷 全国2卷 全国3卷
2017 229 271 -----
2015 233 180
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2016 193 221 201
3). 文体的选择:
文章的选择以说明文为主，偶尔也有记叙文或议论文等，单纯以时间或事件为线索的记叙文不宜于考察逻辑思维能力，出现机率不大。
2017-2016年高考英语全国卷七选五体裁统计表
试卷/年份 全国1卷 全国2卷 全国3卷
2017
记叙文
说明文 ------
2015
议论文
说明文
------
2016 说明文 说明文 说明文
4). 设题方式
文章的第一句不会设空 (有小标题的题除外)。所留空白处一般是段落主题句、段落总结句、承上启下句、关键论点支撑句或全篇概括归纳句等。所给的七个选项中有两个选项与正确选项干扰性较大。由于给出的选项中，有的选项区分度不大，试题的难度比常规阅读试题有所增加，而且会出现由于一处误选导致多处错答的后果。