6大命题点（六）目的原因题
命题方向
短文的目的或原因是这个短文形成的主要理由。短文中，说话人的目的是与短文的话题、短文的背景相关的。目的原因题作为考博英语听力的常考题型之一，具备了自身的特殊性，它需要考生在听完全部的听力内容之后才能回答问题，这种题型也是一种变相的主旨题，不论听到的句子有多难或是多长，考生一定要把握住听力材料中的主旨，这样才能继续了解细节并做出相应的推断。
1 考博英语考试中，关于目的原因题的提问形式如下：
What is the purpose of the talk？
What is the main purpose of the lecture？
Why does the professor say this...？
What points does he/she want to make？
Why does the man/woman talk about...？
The professor talks about...
2 考博英语考试中，常见的提示短文目的原因的开头有：
To ask for advice...
To answer a question...
To compare two or more things...
To introduce a new concept...
To recommend a course of action...
有时说话人会直接说出其目的：
l need advice about...
I’m concerned about...
3 常见的提示信号有：
well，now，you know等语气词；
明显、刻意的停顿；
说话者的自问自答；
其他表示引起听众注意的声音信号。
答题技巧
（1）快速浏览分析选项。考生迅速阅读选择项，根据关键信息判断题型是否为目的原因题，明确听音目的，为追寻题目所需的关键信息做准备。
（2）注意短文开头部分。目的原因题一般是对说话者提到某个事物或者举某个例子的目的的提问。当考生去寻找题目对应的句子时，往往会发现这样的题目对应的出题句一般在说话者提到某个事物或者举例的前后。所以从进入正文起，考生就要注意随时可能出现purpose或者problem对应的答案。
（3）适当做笔记。当考生看到或听到题目想不起来答案时，一般的做法是仔细看各个选项，借助选项的帮助，在模糊的记忆中寻找似乎听到的只言片语。但出题人会利用考生的这种习惯，在错误选项中设置考生明显听到了的词或词组，以引诱考生选择错误答案。解决办法是，当考生在短文中听到说话者举例或者罗列细节时，立即建立对其接下来讲话内容的预期，而不是在讲话者罗列细节的过程中集中精力记录琐碎细节。当短文内容出现总结性的语句时，考生集中精力听懂总结性语句，并且适当地做笔记。
（4）目的原因行文特征。讲话人会在提出观点或看法后进行举例，举例结束后会以某种方式引起听众的注意，相当于给出一个出题信号，接下来进行总结。
典型真题
10.A.It will harm the long-term interest of Chinese economic development.
B.It will transform the economic growth mode in China.
C.It will make the most from the process of economic development.
D.It will speed up the fluctuation of RMB.（浙江大学2009年）(https://www.daowen.com)
【名师点评】A。听到原文中的downsides to RMB’s appreciation shouldn’t be over-emphasized锁定答案位置。原文中的harm the long term interests与选项A中的harm the long-term interest对应。故答案为A。
【听力原文】
No.10
...It is also an important turning point in China’s social and economic situation.The downsides to RMB’s appreciation shouldn’t be over-emphasized.The fluctuation of the RMB is the result of changes to the current economic structure and will have an important impact on the economic structure of the future.Maintaining the status quo is short-sighted and will harm the long term interests of China.The best choice is to speed up the transformation of the economic growth mode and adapt to the appreciation of RMB to make the most from the process.
Q10:Why shouldn’t the downsides of RMB appreciation be over-emphasized?
11.A.To honor Swiss heroes who died in the war.
B.To show Switzerland was neutral.
C.To pay tribute to Switzerland.
D.To show gratitude to the Swiss government for its financial support.
（南开大学2006年）
【名师点评】C。题目中的a red cross on a white ground与原文对应，据此定位答案。原文中的tribute to Switzerland在选项C中重现。故答案为C。本题需要考生有短时记忆的能力。
【听力原文】
No.11
...From that battle Dunant determined to form a body of people who would rally together in times of war and attend to the needs of the wounded and the dying.Dunant held that a suffering human being should be helped for his own sake only and without regard to race，religion，or political beliefs.Many European states supported him and on22nd August 1864，the first Geneva Convention was signed.This lays down that once a soldier is wounded he and everyone else who comes to his help ceases to be an enemy.A symbol by which the relief workers could be recognized was devised.As a tribute to Switzerland，the symbol was the Swiss flag reversed.That is a red cross on a white ground.So the Red Cross was born.
Q11:Why was the symbol of the Red Cross designed with a red cross on a white ground
实战演练
12.A.To point out that chromosomes are arranged in pairs.
B.To describe the coiled shape of a chromosome.
C.To illustrate how chromosomes are protected from damage.
D.To explain how chromosomes are joined before dividing.
13.A.It has no evolutionary connection to other trees growing in Australia today.
B.It has an inefficient reproductive system.
C.Its flowers are located at the bases of the leaves.
D.It is similar to some ancient fossils.
【名师点评】
12.C。选 项C是 对 原 文protect the genes，the genetically functional part of the chromosome from being damaged的同义改写。故答案为C。
13.D。根据fossils that old trees bear remarkable resemblance to the tree.So，it’s a primitive tree，可知本题题干已给出结果，并对原因提问。故答案为D。
【听力原文】
No.12
Now a telomere is a highly repetitious and genetically meaningless sequence of DNA，which we were calling junk DNA.But it does have an important purpose.It’s sort of like the plastic tip on each end of a shoelace.It may not help you tie your shoe but that little plastic tip keeps the rest of the shoelace，the shoe string from unraveling into weak and useless threads.Well，the telomeres at the ends of chromosomes seem to do about the same thing—protect the genes，the genetically functional part of the chromosome from being damaged.Q12 Why does the professor mention shoelaces?
No.13
Now another interesting thing about the Nightcap Oak is that it represents a very old type kind of tree that grew a hundred million years ago.Um，we found fossils that old trees bear remarkable resemblance to the tree.So，it’s a primitive tree.A living fossil you might say.
Q13:According to the professor，what led scientists to characterize the Nightcap Oak as primitive?