在听力考试中，考生最感困难的是信息题。信息题是针对对话所涉及的事件或事件发生的情景设计的考题。信息题的形式一般是：对话围绕某件事、某个主题进行讨论，谈话中涉及到情景、背景或描述环境，然后针对谈话内容提问。通常的提问方式是：

　　What are the two speakers discussing?

　　What does the man / woman say about...?

　　What can you learn from the conversation?

　　What happened to...?

　　在解答此类信息题时，考生要听清整个谈话的内容以至个别的词语；还要将这些内容和细节连贯起来进行整体的综合理解，或者逻辑推理。

　　信息题的选项多为完整的句子，因此要充分利用这种题的卷面线索解题。做题前对选项进行快速浏览，找出重复率较高的词，这样就可以对谈话的内容和背景进行预测，甚至可用逻辑分析猜出正确答案。例如：

　　1. A) His car was hit by another car.

　　B) He was hurt while playing volleyball.

　　C) He fell down the stairs.

　　D) While crossing the street，he was hit by a car.

　　M：Did you hear Mike is in hospital with head injuries and a broken arm?

　　W：Yes，apparently he was struck by another vehicle and turned completely over.

　　Q：What happened to Mike?

　　答案为A)。本题有一定的难度，要特别注意谈话中的细节。关键是女士说的he was struck by another vehicle，以及turned completely over；可知Mike是驾车时被撞，否则就不是"another"vehicle。

　　在解信息题时，不但要听清对话的内容和细节，而且还要把这些内容和细节连贯起来进行理解，既见树木，又见森林。考生在做题时要注意以下几点：

　　1)特别注意用来解释和暗示对话中人物的行为或谈话背景的关键词语。

　　2)要分析关键词语在特定情景中的含义，不可想当然。

　　3)要利用平时积累的语言文化知识把对话的前因后果分析清楚。

　　2. A) The man thinks the woman is wasting her time.

　　B) The man thinks the woman should make full use of her time.

　　　C) The man is eager to know the woman?蒺s answer.

　　　D) The man can wait and there is no need for her to hurry.

　　W：I have to think about your offer.I can?蒺t say "yes" or "no" at the moment.

　　M：You can take your time. It will do if you let me know your decision in a day or two.

　　Q：Which of the following is true?

　　答案为D)。本题实际考的是把握细节的能力。解题的关键是对男士说的take one?蒺s time正确理解。实际上男士的后半句话也是对这一关键词语的说明。男士的话可分为两部分，把握住任何一部分就足以选出正确答案D)。从卷面的角度分析，我们可以看出，C)，D)两项为完全排斥的反义关系，而A)，B)并非如此。在这种情况下，可基本排除A)，B)，本题的难度就可降低50%。

　　3. A) The effects of the flood.

　　　B) The heroic fight against a flood.

　　　C) The cause of the flood.

　　　D) Floods of the past twenty years.

　　M：This has been the worst flood for the past 20 years. It has caused much damage and destruction.

　　W：Look at the prices of fruits and vegetables.No wonder they are so expensive.

　　Q：What are they talking about?

　　答案为A)。本题要求根据对话内容推断所谈论的主题--洪水造成的影响。考生可从两方面得出答案，一是男士所说的后一句话It has caused much damage and destruction；二是从女士的话中涉及的"物价上涨"的事实。它们实际上就是由洪水引起的影响。

　　4. A) The first house they saw is too expensive.

　　B) They may save some money for the time being.

　　C) She is happy with the price set by the seller.

　　D) Less money will be spent in maintaining the

　　house.

　　M: Of the two houses we have seen, which one do you think fits our needs better, the first one or the second one?

　　W: The second one. It seems very expensive, but in the long run it will save up the money on the maintenance.

　　Q: What does the woman say about the reason for her choice?

　　本题答案为D)。这段对话的情景是，一对夫妇要买房子，在看了两处以后，男士问女士要买第一处还是第二处。女士决定要买第二处房子，原因是尽管第二处比较贵，但从长远来看可以节省维修费用。其中的关键词语是in the long run和save up the money on the maintenance。解答这一题时，要对谈话的背景做出正确的判断。

　　在近年的大学英语四级考试中，信息类题的比例呈现增加趋势，希望考生平时加强这方面的训练。

　　(文/李树德;英语辅导报大学一年级版03~04学年第28期;版权归英语辅导报社所有，独家网络合作伙伴新浪教育，未经许可，不得以任何形式进行转载。)