4. 逻辑推理法
SAT数学题中有一类题和数学运运算毫无关联,采用逻辑推理即可完成。此类题题目较少,但十分新颖。乍一看让人有些迷惑不解,其实只要掌握了恰当的方法,解题十分容易。
例题:
Family
Numbers of Consecutive
Nights
Jackson
10
Callan
5
Epstein
8
Liu
6
Benton
8
The table above shows the number of consecutive nights that each of five families stayed at a certain hotel during a 14-night period. If the Liu family’s stay did not overlap with the Benton family’s stay, which of the 14 nights could be a night on which only one of the five families stayed at the hotel?
A. The 3rd B. The 5th C. The 6th D. The 8th E. The 10th
解答:此题只要借助线段,便一目了然了。既然原文说“the Liu family’s stay did not overlap with the Benton family’s stay”,而且两家刚好加在一起正好是14晚,那么不妨将这14晚设为一段长14cm的线段,从6cm处分割:
Liu Benton family family︳______ ____︳_________________︳
0 6cm 14cm
︳________10cm__________︳
︳________10cm__________︳
由于Jackson family是剩余家庭里呆得时间最长的,所以只要从他家看起即可。该题可以简单转化为一段长10cm的线段在14cm范围内左右移动,要么露出最左面的 0~4cm空间(不包括4),要么留出最右面的10~14cm(不包括10)。所以没有被 Jackson family所覆盖的只有这两个区间,也就是说只有一家居住的只能是前三天或后三天,答案为A。
从上面的最后一道例题我们不难看出,对于中国学生而言,答好数学题的前提是读题能力,即英语能力,试想如果考生 consecutive(连续的), overlap(重叠)等词认识有障碍,那么即使最后能猜出词义,也必然会浪费一定时间。所以,考生仍然要通过多做题来熟悉数学中的常用单词,特别是代数 和几何方面的专用名词,如divisible(可被整除的),quotient(商),round to(四舍五入),equivalent equation(同解方程/等价方程),infinite decimal(无穷小数), recurring decimal(循环小数),concentric circles(同心圆),adjacent angle(邻角),segment of a circle(弧形),circumference/perimeter (周长),cross section(横截面),coordinate system(坐标系),Pythagorean theorem(勾股定理),等等。如果大家能熟练数学掌握方面的词汇,并通过真题不断进行练习,那么最后考出理想的数学成绩甚至800分满分对聪明的中 国考生而言绝非难事。