聽力題中很多選項都有比較明顯的特點，或者使用某種專門的表達(dá)形式，如均為動詞原形或均為人物角色等;或者含有一些標(biāo)志性的詞語，通過這些選項特點我們便可以推測問題可能考查的核心內(nèi)容;另外，我們經(jīng)常可以通過對選項的分析，排除一些比較明顯的干擾性，縮小聽音范圍，從而在聽音時更有針對性。
　　一、各題主題揭示對話主題
　　將各題所考查的主題內(nèi)容結(jié)合在一起，往往可得出整篇對話的主題。如果某一題目是考查對話主題，其中的一個選項明顯能夠概括其他各題選項的內(nèi)容，那么該選項很可能為答案。
　　【例1】(710分樣卷Conversation One)
　　【預(yù)覽選項】
　　19. [A]To interview a few job applicants.
　　[B]To fill a vacancy in the company.
　　[C] To advertise for a junior sales manager.
　　[D] To apply for a job in a major newspaper.
　　20. [A]A hard working ambitious young man.
　　[B]A young man good at managing his time.
　　[C]A college graduate with practical working experience.
　　[D]A young man with his own idea of what is important.
　　21. [A]Not clearly specified.
　　[B]Not likely to be met.
　　[C]Reasonable enough.
　　[D]Apparently sexist.
　　【聽前預(yù)測】
　　預(yù)覽三道題各選項，由19題中的interview, applicants, vacancy, advertise for a manager, apply for a job等詞語可以推測對話與刊登招聘廣告或應(yīng)聘工作有關(guān)。而20題中hardworking, ambitious, good at managing his time, with practical working experience, with his own idea等詞語則表明對話中還涉及到對所招聘人員的要求。
　　二、選項均以動詞的某種形式開頭
　　含有這類選項的問題為考查“行為活動”類型。根據(jù)動詞的不同形式，問題考查的重點也可能不同。
　　選項均以動詞原形開頭，問題大多是關(guān)于建議某人做某事，有時也表示為了而某種目的而要做某事。
　　選項均為動名詞，問題大多是關(guān)于正在進(jìn)行的動作或者計劃打算。
　　選項為不定式，問題很可能是關(guān)于做某事的目的，或是計劃、承諾或要求做某事。
　　【例2】(新06-12- -20)
　　【預(yù)覽選項】
　　[A] File a lawsuit against the man.
　　[B] Ask the man for compensation.
　　[C] Have the man’s apple tree cut down.
　　[D] Throw garbage into the man’s yard.
　　【聽前預(yù)測】
　　選項均為動詞原形，故本題應(yīng)該是考查某人的行為活動。四個選項均是針對男士的行為，故本題很可能是關(guān)于某人與男士發(fā)生爭吵或沖突時所采取的應(yīng)對措施。
　　【聽音驗證】
　　…
　　W: Get the branches off my property or I’ll have to sue you.
　　M: Yeah? For what?! You’re taking those law classes too seriously! I’ve gotta go, I have to pick up my son.
　　…
　　21. What did the woman threaten to do?
　　【例3】(710分樣卷-19)
　　【預(yù)覽選項】
　　[A]To interview a few job applicants.
　　[B]To fill a vacancy in the company.
　　[C] To advertise for a junior sales manager.
　　[D] To apply for a job in a major newspaper.
　　【聽前預(yù)測】
　　選項均為不定式短語，故本題應(yīng)該是考查某人將要采取的行動。[ A ]、[ C ]是關(guān)于招聘工作(interview, advertise)，[ B ]、[ D]則是關(guān)于申請工作(fill, apply for)，故聽音時應(yīng)留意該行為是關(guān)于招聘還是應(yīng)聘。
　　【聽音驗證】
　　M: Morning, Brenda.
　　W: Good morning, Mr. Browning.
　　M: Er, did you, did you put that ad in yesterday?
　　W: Yes, yesterday afternoon.
　　M: The ad for a junior sales manager, I mean.
　　…
　　19. What did Mr. Browning ask Brenda to do?
　　三、選項中含有表示意愿或建議的詞
　　如果選項中含有should, had better, would like等一類的詞語，問題很可能是考查“觀點或建議”。
　　【例4】(新06-12-25)
　　【預(yù)覽選項】
　　[A] Accurate communication is of utmost importance.
　　[B] Pilots should be able to speak several foreign languages.
　　[C] Air controllers should keep a close watch on the weather.
　　[D] Cooperation between pilots and air controllers is essential.
　　【聽前預(yù)測】
　　由選項中的should可推知，本題應(yīng)該是考查某人的觀點或建議。選項內(nèi)容表明問題應(yīng)該與確保安全飛行的因素有關(guān)。
　　【聽音驗證】
　　… 　　　　M: Sadly enough, yes they did. It was a really bad mistake. Many people died as a result of the simple misunderstanding.
　　W: Wow, that’s a powerful lesson on how important it can be to accurately communicate to each other.
　　…
　　25. What lesson could be drawn from the accident?

四、選項中含有表示評論或感受的動詞
　　如果選項中含有think, like, dislike, enjoy, agree, disagree, mind等一類的詞語，聽力材料或問題很可能是關(guān)于對某人或某事物的評價或感受。
　　四個選項中如均含有表示評論或感受的詞，則表示問題是關(guān)于對人或事物的評價或感受;如其中只有個別選項含有表示評論或感受的詞，則表示聽力材料中很可能涉及到對人或事物的評價或感受，問題內(nèi)容則不一定會涉及。
　　【例5】(710分樣卷-21)
　　【預(yù)覽選項】
　　[A]Not clearly specified.
　　[B]Not likely to be met.
　　[C]Reasonable enough.
　　[D]Apparently sexist.
　　【聽前預(yù)測】
　　四個選項中均含有表示評論的詞語(specified, reasonable等)，故問題很可能是關(guān)于某人對某事物的看法。
　　【聽音驗證】
　　W: Yes, erm, what sort of education are you actually looking for?
　　M: Well, you know, a couple of A levels. Must have English, of course.
　　W: Yes, I think you’re asking quite a lot. I mean you’re not really prepared to pay all ...
　　M: No, I’m not prepared to give him a big salary to start with. Nevertheless, I want someone with plenty of ambition, plenty of drive. You know, not looking at the clock all the time.
　　W: Well sir, I wish you the best of luck and hope you have some very successful interviews.
　　M: Well, yes?
　　W: Because personally I think you’re asking an awful lot.
　　21. What does Brenda think of the qualifications Mr. Browning insists on?
　　五、選項中含有比較結(jié)構(gòu)
　　如果選項中含有形容詞或副詞的比較級或最高級，或是其他表示比較的詞語，則聽力材料或問題很可能涉及人或事物之間的異同點或優(yōu)劣的比較。
　　四個選項中如均含有比較級或表示比較的詞，則表示問題是關(guān)于人或事物之間的比較;如其中只有個別選項中含有比較級，則表示聽力材料中很可能涉及到人或事物之間的比較，問題內(nèi)容則不一定會涉及。
　　【例6】(710分樣卷-22)
　　【預(yù)覽選項】
　　[A] Their competitors have long been advertising on TV.
　　[B]TV commercials are less expensive.
　　[C] Advertising in newspapers alone is not sufficient.
　　[D] TV commercials attract more investments.【聽前預(yù)測】
　　由選項中的advertising on TV，advertising in newspapers以及比較級less expensive, attact more可知本題很可能涉及到電視廣告和報紙廣告之間優(yōu)劣的比較。故聽音時應(yīng)留意比較級或其他陳述二者優(yōu)劣特點的詞句。
　　【聽音驗證】
　　W: Marketing has some interesting ideas for television commercials.
　　M: TV? Isn’t that a bit too expensive for us? What’s wrong with advertising in the papers, as usual?
　　W: Quite frankly, it’s just not enough anymore.
　　……
　　22. Why does the woman suggest advertising on TV?
　　六、選項均為名詞性短語
　　如選項均為概括性較強的名詞或是名詞性的短語，且各項內(nèi)容差異較大，問題則很可能是關(guān)于對話所談?wù)摰闹黝}或?qū)υ捴谐霈F(xiàn)的某一事件或問題的主題。
　　【例7】(710分樣卷-22)
　　【預(yù)覽選項】
　　[A]The latest developments of an armed rebellion in Karnak.
　　[B]The fall of Karnak’s capital city into the hands of the rebel forces.
　　[C]The epidemic that has just broken out in the country of Karnak.
　　[D]The peace talks between the rebels and the government in Karnak.
　　【聽前預(yù)測】
　　選項均為名詞短語，且概括性均較強，故本題很可能考查對話的主旨。由armed rebellion，the rebel forces，peace talks between the rebels and the government等詞以及多次出現(xiàn)的Karnak可推知本對話很可能與Karnak國反政府武裝叛亂有關(guān)。
　　【聽音驗證】
　　W: We now interrupt our regular scheduled news program to bring you live up-to-date coverage on the civil unrest in the newly formed country of Karnak, where our man Stan Fielding is stationed. Stan ...
　　M: This is Stan Fielding reporting live from the suburbs of the capital city. Just 20 minutes ago, rebel forces launched the biggest offensive against the ruling government in the 18- month conflict here in this country.
　　……
　　22.What is the news coverage mainly about?

七、與對話主題或其余選項內(nèi)容不同的選項往往不是答案
　　如果某一選項明顯與對話主題不相關(guān)，那么該選項往往不是答案。
　　如果某一選項明顯與其他三個選項內(nèi)容不同，即與該題主題明顯不相關(guān)的選項往往不是答案。
　　【例8】(新06-12- 19)
　　【預(yù)覽選項】
　　19. [A] He picked up some apples in his yard.
　　[B] He cut some branches off the apple tree.
　　[C] He quarreled with his neighbor over the fence.
　　[D] He cleaned up all the garbage in the woman’s yard.
　　20. [A] Trim the apple trees in her yard.
　　[B] Pick up the apples that fell in her yard.
　　[C] Take the garbage to the curb for her.
　　[D] Remove the branches from her yard.
　　21. [A] File a lawsuit against the man.
　　[B] Ask the man for compensation.
　　[C] Have the man’s apple tree cut down.
　　[D] Throw garbage into the man’s yard.
　　22. [A] He was ready to make a concession.
　　[B] He was not prepared to go to court.
　　[C] He was not intimidated.
　　[D] He was a bit concerned.
　　【聽前預(yù)測】
　　由各選項中的apple, tree, yard, branches, trim(修剪)等詞可推知對話主題應(yīng)該與蘋果樹枝條和院子有關(guān)，再根據(jù)選項中出現(xiàn)的quarreled, lawsuit(訴訟), compensation(賠償), concession(讓步), court(法庭)等詞可推知對話還可能涉及到對話雙方的爭吵。
　　19題各選項中謂語動詞的過去式形式表明本題應(yīng)該是考查男士過去的活動。[A]、[B]、[C]均與蘋果樹和院子有關(guān)，只有[C]是關(guān)于fence(柵欄)，與其他三項內(nèi)容差別較大，且與其他各題選項內(nèi)容均不相關(guān)，故[C]為答案的可能性較小。
　　【聽音驗證】
　　W: Hello, Patrick, is that you?
　　M: Yeah, Jane, what can I do for you?
　　W: I was calling about the apple tree that you were trimming yesterday.
　　M: That was hard work!
　　……【答案解析】
　　19. What did the man do yesterday?
　　【解析】選[B]。由女士話中的the apple tree that you were trimming yesterday可知男士昨天給蘋果樹剪枝了。trim意為“修剪，修整”。
　　八、包含其他選項內(nèi)容的選項往往不是答案
　　有的選項明顯包含其他選項的含義，那么該選項往往不是答案。
　　【例9】(托福)
　　【預(yù)覽選項】
　　[A] She was impressed by it.
　　[B] It was a waste of money.
　　[C] She was amazed it had opened so soon.
　　[D] She didn’t like it as much as the other wings.【聽前預(yù)測】
　　由選項中的impressed， a waste of money, amazed, like 等可推知本題是針對對某事物的看法設(shè)題的。選項[A]說“it”給她留下了深刻印象，選項[C]說她對“it”這么快就開張(或開放)感到吃驚，其含義包含[A]的含義在內(nèi)，故[C]很可能不是答案。
　　【聽音驗證】
　　M: Hey, how was your trip?
　　W: Wonderful. I spent most of my time at the art museum. I especially liked the new wing. I was amazed to hear the guide explain all the problems they had building it.
　　……【答案解析】
　　34.What did the woman think of the new wing of the museum?
　　【解析】 選[A]。細(xì)節(jié)題。由對話中出現(xiàn)的 amazed, unusual, impressive等可知女士對美術(shù)館新側(cè)廳的修建費用以及修建過程中的種種問題大感吃驚，并且對里面的設(shè)計印象非常深刻，故答案為[A]。

　九、明顯不符常理的選項往往不是答案
　　有的選項明顯不符合該對話情景下的常識或常理，那么該選項往往也不是答案。
　　【例10】(新06-12-25)
　　【預(yù)覽選項】
　　[A] Accurate communication is of utmost importance.
　　[B] Pilots should be able to speak several foreign languages.
　　[C] Air controllers should keep a close watch on the weather.
　　[D] Cooperation between pilots and air controllers is essential.
　　【聽前預(yù)測】
　　由選項中的should可推知，本題應(yīng)該是考查觀點或建議。選項內(nèi)容表明問題應(yīng)該與確保安全飛行的因素有關(guān)。[B]是說飛行員應(yīng)該會說幾門外語，這不大合乎常理，因為飛國內(nèi)行線的飛行員并不一定要會好幾門外語，故[B]為答案的可能性較小。
　　【聽音驗證】
　　…
　　M: Sadly enough, yes they did. It was a really bad mistake. Many people died as a result of the simple misunderstanding.
　　W: Wow, that’s a powerful lesson on how important it can be to accurately communicate to each other.【答案解析】
　　25. What lesson could be drawn from the accident?
　　【解析】選[A]。對話的最后女士總結(jié)了這次事故的教訓(xùn)：how important it can be to accurately communicate to each other，答案是對此的同義轉(zhuǎn)述。utmost意為“極大的”。
　　十、意思相近的選項往往都不是答案
　　如果有兩個選項意思明顯相近，那么這兩個選項往往都不是答案。
　　【例11】(新06-12-22)
　　【預(yù)覽選項】
　　[A] He was ready to make a concession.
　　[B] He was not prepared to go to court.
　　[C] He was not intimidated.
　　[D] He was a bit concerned.
　　【聽前預(yù)測】
　　由選項中的concession(讓步)，go to court, intimidate(威脅)， concerned(擔(dān)心)等詞可推測問題應(yīng)該與男士對某事的反應(yīng)有關(guān)。[A]是說他準(zhǔn)備讓步，[B]是說他不準(zhǔn)備上法庭，二者都表示男士要“妥協(xié)退讓”的含義，故很可能都不是答案。
　　【聽音驗證】
　　…
　　M: Get the branches off my property or I’ll have to sue you.
　　M: Yeah? For what?! …
　　W: You’ll be hearing from me.
　　M: Yeah, yeah. See you in court, Jane.
　　【答案解析】
　　22. What was the man’s reaction to the woman’s threat?
　　【解析】選[C]。女士說讓男士等著收法庭的傳票(hear from me)，男士的回答“Yeah, yeah. See you in court(法庭見)”表明他根本not intimidated(不怕威脅)。