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指代类问题（Reference Questions）是新托福阅读考试每次必考题型，因此每次IBT考试我们都能看到一个熟悉的词组“refer to”, 这是指代类问题的标志。一般来说，3篇IBT阅读题目中会有2至3道这种类型的题目。
问题形式 考试的到文章中会有一个单词或短语用阴影标识出来，这个词通常是一个代词。然后考生会被问到：
◆ The word X in the passage refers to
四个选项都来自于文章中的单词或短语，但只有一个选项是被阴影标识出来的单词或短语所指代的内容(referent)。
考查目的 此类问题考查考生辨认文章中但此间指代关系的能力。通常这种关系是代词与其先行词之间的关系，有时也考查其他语法的指代关系（如：which或this）。
代词类型 考查的代词通常为： Subject Pronouns he she it they Object Pronouns him her it them Possessive Adjectives his her its their Demonstrative pronouns this that these those Relative Pronouns who whom which whose Other Pronouns all either none the first another a few one any both many others each most either some the other
解题步骤 1. 看题干，确定指代词类型。 2. 带着题干主线索回原文找到阴影代词，根据上下文内容确定答案。 3. 将所选的答案替代被标识的单词或短语放回原文，利用语法检验它能否使句子表达通顺。
我们以OG Practice Set 6中的question 2为例： Passage: Tunas, mackerels, and billfishes have made streamlining in to an art form. Their bodies are sleek and compact. The body shapes of tunas, in fact, are nearly ideal from engineering point of view. Most species lack scales over most of the body, making it smooth and slippery. The eyes lie flush with the body and do not produce at all. They are also covered with a slick, transparent lid that reduces drag. The fins are stiff, smooth, and narrow, qualities that also help cut drag. When not in use, the fins are tucked into special grooves or depressions so that they lie flush with the body and do not break up its smooth contours…
The word they in the passage refers to ○ qualities ○ fins ○ grooves ○ depressions
解题：首先根据题干我们可以看出此题中考查的是人称代词they的指代内容；然后在文中定位到阴影they所在句子。而我们都知道在主从句中，从句的代词主语通常指代主句的名词主语，而主句的代词主语通常指代从句的名词主语，因此我们可以初步得出答案为 fins；把fins放回原文利用语法检查，它能够使句子表达通顺，因此可以确定正确答案为fins。
解题技巧 ◆ 就近原则。所谓就近原则即为代词（尤其关系代词）一般指代离它最近的名词或代词。例：
Passage: … The first weekly newspaper in the colonies was the Boston Gazette, established in 1719, the same year that marked the appearance of |
