GRE阅读 | 破解GRE阅读理解系列（十七）

我们看到如下一道题：

The author refers to a hungry lizard primarily in order to

(A) demonstrate the similarity between the hunting methods of mammals and those of nonmammals

(B) broaden the application of his argument by including an insectivore as an example

(C) make a distinction between higher and lower levels of consciousness

(D) provide an additional illustration of the brutality characteristic of predators

(E) offer an objection to suggestions that all animals lack consciousness

找到答案的依据在于稳重这样一句话：

The predator is searchingly aggressive, inner-directed, tuned by the nervous system and the adrenal hormones, but aware in a sense closer to human consciousness than, say, a hungry lizard’s instinctive snap at a passing beetle.

于是，正确答案为选项 (C) make a distinction between higher and lower levels of consciousness

其实，许多同学依然无法通过这句话与选项产生联系，感觉找不到 a distinction，也找不到 higher and lower levels of consciousness。其实，我们首先把这句话简化到核心： The predator is … aware in a sense closer to human consciousness than, say, a hungry lizard’s instinctive snap at a passing beetle，然后我们发现句子的核心是一个比较级。closer to … than …那既然是比较，那是不是 a distinction（差别/区分）就出来了？

接下来，我们看到比较的两个主体：predator vs lizard。比较的方面是：与 human consciousness（人类意识作为意识）有多 close （靠近）。那么，很显然，哪个closer to（更靠近于） human consciousness（人类意识）, 哪个就是higher levels of consciousness，对应的就是 lower levels of consciousness。