一、巧借指代词和定冠词the
1.指代词
在英语中，指代词的出现一般说明前文已经提到过该事物或该事件。同理，如果插入句中使用了指代词，且指代的信息明显不是句子本身的内容时，则表明前文中已经有句子提到过其所指代的对象，直接找出该对象所属的句子，将插入句放入其后的空格处即可。值得注意的是，当插入句中的指代词是诸如this,these,such等，后面会直接跟名词使用，利用该名词回到原文中进行原词或者同义词定位后即可直接确定答案。但是如果插入句中使用的代词是诸如it, they等单独指代某事物时，则无法一目了然地看出其所指带的概念是什么，此时就需要先根据插入句的内容推出其所指代的对象，随后再回每个空格前找出现过该对象的句子，最终得出答案。
真题实训(TPO12.2/13)：
Their competition and collaboration were creating the broadcasting industry in the United States, beginning with the introduction of commercial radio programming in the early 1920s. ■【A】With financial assets considerably greater than those in the motion picture industry, and perhaps a wider vision of the relationships among entertainment and communications media, they revitalized research into recording sound for motion pictures. ■【B】In 1929 the United States motion picture industry released more than 300 sound films—a rough figure, since a number were silent films with music tracks, or films prepared in dual versions, to take account of the many cinemas not yet wired for sound. ■【C】At the production level, in the United States the conversion was virtually complete by 1930. ■【D】
Look at the four squares [■] that indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage. Where would the sentence best fit?
When this research resulted in the development of vastly improved sound techniques, film studios became convinced of the importance of converting to sound.
解析：插入句中提到了指代词this，指代的对象为research研究，说明在这句话之前已经提到过research或与之词义相关的表达，而B选项前恰好提到了research，所以答案为B选项。
真题实训(TPO17.1/13)：
The sheer scale of the investment it took to begin commercial expansion at sea reflects the immensity of the profits that such East-West trade could create. ■【A】Spices were the most sought-after commodities. ■【B】Spices not only dramatically improved the taste of the European diet but also were used to manufacture perfumes and certain medicines. ■【C】But even high-priced commodities like spices had to be transported in large bulk in order to justify the expense and trouble of sailing around the African continent all the way to India and China. ■【D】
Look at the four squares [■] that indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage. Where would the sentence best fit?
They were highly valued for a couple of reasons.
解析：插入句中使用了指代词they，但是指代的对象并不能直接看出来，通过分析插入句的句意可知they指代的是某种事物的复数形式，且该事物受到高度重视，适当回顾原文即可推知they指代的对象是spices香料，提到spices的句子有A点后和B点后这两句话，再根据插入句中的a couple of reason可知后文对其受到重视提出了两个原因的解释，正好对应了B点后not only……but also……的说明结构，所以答案为B选项。
2.定冠词the
定冠词the的用法多种多样，譬如the与某些名词或者形容词连用表类别(the Chinese中国人，the rich有钱人，the young年轻人……)，与比较级、最高级、序数词、乐器、姓氏、方位名词等构成固定搭配，与带有后置定语的名词搭配等等。除了我们常见的这几类用法之外，某些句子中的定冠词the也跟指代词一样可以用来特指前面已经提到过的人或物，如过符合这一条件，即可利用与指代词相同的原理借助插入句中的定冠词the所修饰的名词进行选项判断。
真题实训(TPO11.3/13)：
Many signals that animals make seem to impose on the signalers costs that are overly damaging. ■【A】A classic example is noisy begging by nestling songbirds when a parent returns to the nest with food. ■【B】These loud cheeps and peeps might give the location of the nest away to a listening hawk or raccoon, resulting in the death of the defenseless nestlings.■【C】In fact, when tapes of begging tree swallows were played at an artificial swallow nest containing an egg, the egg in that “noisy” nest was taken or destroyed by predators before the egg in a nearby quiet nest in 29 of 37 trials.■【D】
Look at the four squares [■] that indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage. Where would the sentence best fit?
The cheeping provides important information to the parent, but it could also attract the attention of others.
解析：插入句中提到了三个定冠词the修饰的名词：The cheeping，the parent，the attention of others，但是the attention of others带有限定词others，并不表示上文提及过该信息，只有前两个名词the cheeping和the parent没有特殊限定，与定冠词the也不是固定搭配，从而可以推知它们在前一句中出现过，结合原文即可确定答案为B选项，其中插入句的the cheeping同义替换了B点前的noisy begging。
以上就是关于“托福阅读句子插入解题思维”的内容，相信大家对接下来的备考内容，有更清晰的了解。
