省略是为了避免重复、突出新信息而省略句中的一个或者几个句子成分并使上下文紧密连接的一种语法修辞手段。在语言应用中，尤其在对话中，是一种十分普遍的现象。在英语考试中，也经常会采用微型语境的方法，使用省略手段来设计考试陷阱，增加考试的难度。在考试陷阱中，所涉及的省略情况一般有：词的省略、句子成分的省略、多个成分的同时省略等。

一、承前省略陷阱

所谓承前省略指的是当前后两句结构相同时，通常可将后一结构与前一结构相同的部分省略，从而使句子更简洁。一般说来，这种省略考生是可以根据上下文的语境作出正确理解的，但是，当这种省略与其他英语句型相似并很容易发生混淆时，就可能让张冠李戴，步入误区。如果命题者刚好抓住这一点来巧妙设题，就很可能构成有一定难度的陷阱题。如：

1.―What should I do with this passage?

― _____ the main idea of each paragraph. (重庆卷)

A. Finding out     B. Found out        C. Find out            D. To find out

【分析】答案选C。很容易误选A或D，误认为这是考查非谓语动词。根据问句可知，完整的答语应是You should find out…，此处是承前省略了You should，所以就是Find out。

2. My friend Mary is _____ beautiful girl and _____ girl everyone likes to work with.

A. a, a                   B. a, the                 C. the, a                 D. the, the

【分析】此题很容易误选B，认为第一次提到 girl 用不定冠词，第二次提到就应该用定冠词。但其实最佳答案是A。句中第二次提到 girl 时并不是特指的，此句实为一省略句，补充完整为 My friend Mary is a beautiful girl and she is a girl everyone likes to work with. 请再看两道题(答案选A)：

(1) Jim is _______ brave boy and _______ boy never fearing anything.

A. a, a                   B. a, the                 C. the, a                 D. the, the

(2) It is really _______ useful dictionary and _______ dictionary every one of us needs.

A. a, a                   B. a, the                 C. the, a                 D. the, the

3. “What made her struggle to become an artist so hard?” “______ she was a woman.”

A. /                         B. When                C. That                   D. What

【分析】此题最佳答案选C。that用以引导主语从句(此that不可省略)，其后的谓语和宾语等被省略，若补充完整，即为 That she was a woman made her struggle to become an artist so hard. 下面两题答案选A，理由同上：

(1) “What made her so happy?” “_____ her son passed driving test.”

A. That        B. 不填        C. Since          D. For

(2) “What were you trying to prove to the police?” “_____ I was last night.”

A. Where      B. When         C. That           D. What

4. If the weather is fine, we’ll go. If _____, _____.

A. not, not    B. no, no     C. not, no       D. no, not

【分析】此题应选A。If not, not. 为 If the weather is NOT fine, we will NOT go 之省略。全句意为“如果天气好，我们就去；如果天气不好，我们就不去”。该句的特点是：后句与前句的用词和句式完全相同, 只是前句为肯定，后句为否定，为了简洁起见, 于是将后句与前句相同部分省略，只保留否定词 not。又如：

If it is cheap, I’ll buy it. If not, not. 如果这东西便宜，我就买；如果不便宜，我就不买。

If you study hard, you’ll succeed. If not, not. 你若努力，你就会成功；你若不努力，你就不会成功。

这里所说的语境省略指的是在一定的语境中，为了表达的简洁可省略有些不言而喻的信息。有时命题者巧妙地运用这一省略手段可编制出一些非常高明的语境省略陷阱题。如：

1. Boris has brains. In fact, I doubt whether anyone in the class has _____IQ.

A. a high               B. a higher            C. the higher     D. the highest

【分析】此题答案为B。此句实为Boris has brains. In fact, I doubt whether anyone in the class has a higher IQ than him之省略。省略than him后不仅句意仍然清楚，而且显得更为简洁。句意为“……我怀疑班上有没有哪个人比他智商更高”，即“我认为他可能是班上智商最高的”。请再看以下类似的题目(分析理由同上，答案均选A)：

(1) How beautifully she sings! I have never heard _____ voice.

A. a better             B. a best                C. the better          D. the best

(2) “I’ve never found _______ job.” “Congratulations.”

A. a better             B. a best                C. the better          D. the best

(3) “What do you think of the service here?” “Oh, wonderful. We couldn’t have found _______ place.”

A. a better             B. a best                C. the better          D. the best

(4) How cold it is! We’ve never had ______ day this winter.

A. a colder            B. a cold                C. the coldest        D. the colder

2. She’s too thin. She _____ gain some weight but she _____ too little.

A. would, ate       B. will, eats            C. would, eats        D. will, ate

【分析】此题有些难度，许多同学不知如何分析。我们先根据题目所提供的选项将句意大致勾出来：她太瘦了。她会增加体重的，但她吃得太少了。根据句首 She’s too thin 这一所给信息可知，“她瘦”应是客观事实。按照一般的常识，“吃得少”就会引致“瘦”，“吃得多”就会导致“胖”，由于根据句首的信息，“她瘦”是客观事实，所以她“吃得少”也应是事实，所以第二空应填 eats(即用一般现在时表示客观事实)。根据上面的分析: “她瘦”和“她吃得少”均为客观事实，那么“她体重会增加”就应是假设(注意句中的转折连词 but)，所以第一空应填 would。其实，此句可理解为but前省略了一个条件状语 if she ate more (如果她多吃一点的话)。所以，此题最佳答案选C。

三、结构省略陷阱

1. ―Who has eaten all the cake, Jim?

― Oh, _______ must your two pet dogs.

  A. it                     B. they                   C. that                    D. which

【分析】许多学生可能认为此题应选B，因为其后的your two pet dogs为复数。但实际上，此题的最佳答案就是A，此句实为强调句型It must be your pet dogs that have eaten all the cake 的省略形式。

2. If you are planning to spend your money having fun this week, better ______ it―you’ve got some big bills coming.

A. forget                 B. forgot                 C. forgetting          D. to forget

【分析】此题最佳答案为A。考查had better后接动词原形的用法。但是考题中将you had better这一结构省略成better，致使许多同学一时看不出来。又如：

Better go with him. 最好同他一起去。

Better have the operation right now. 你最好还是现在就动手术。

3. Why ______ skating there with us this afternoon?

A. don’t go            B. not to go           C. not go               D. go not

【分析】许多学生会认为否定式须在go前加助动词及否定词或在不定式的小品词to前加否定词，从而将答案误选为 A 或B。其实，此题答案应该选C。当询问情况、提出建议或征求意见时，人们通常将Why don’t you do… 省略成Why not do…，故答案选 C。

四、状语从句省略陷阱

为了简洁起见，有的状语从句(如时间状语从句、条件状语从句、方式状语从句等)有时可省略从句的主语和部分谓语(尤其是当从句主语与主句主语一致，且从句谓语包括有动词be时)：

While (he was) waiting, he saw Jim pass by. 他在等时见到吉姆路过。

He opened his mouth as if (he was) to speak. 他张开口好像要说话似的。

Often she would weep when (she was) alone. 她一个人时，常常哭泣。

I’d like to see you whenever (it’s) convenient. 你方便时我想来看看你。

有些由if构成的省略结构，已属固定短语，如if any, if necessary, if possible, if not, if so。如：

There are few, if any, mistakes in that book. 那本书就是有错误也不多。

If necessary, ring me at home. 如果必要，可以打电话到我家找我。

If possible, I wish to come next time. 如果可能，我希望下次能来。

He may be busy. If so, I’ll call later. If not, can I see him now? 他可能很忙，要是这样，我以后再来拜访。要是不忙，我现在可以见他吗?

请看下面的考题：

1. He is a man of few words, and seldom speaks until ____ to.

A. spoken      B. speaking      C. speak     D. be spoken

【分析】此题容易误选B，认为until 是介词，后接动词时用动名词形式。其实，此题应选A，until spoken to 为 until he is spoken to 之省略。句意为“他是个沉默寡言的人，别人不同他说话，他很少同别人说话”。

2. If carefully _____, the experiment will be successful.

A. do          B. does            C. done         D. doing

【分析】答案选C，为 if it is carefully done 之省略。

3. The research is so designed that once _____ nothing can be done to change it.

A. begins       B. having begun    C. beginning    D. begun

【分析】答案选D，为 once it is begun 之省略。

五、虚拟语气省略陷阱

在虚拟条件句中，有时可将引导条件从句的连词if省略，而将从句中的were, should, had 等提到句首。如：

Were I Tom, I would refuse. 如果我是汤姆，我会拒绝。

I will go, should it be necessary. 假若有必要，我会去的。

Had it not been for the bad weather we would have arrived in time. 若不是天气坏，我们就准时到达了。

值得注意的是，若条件从句为否定句，否定词not应置于主语之后，而不能与were, should, had 等缩略成Weren’t, Shouldn’t, Hadn’t而置于句首。另外，有时省略if后提前的had不是助动词。如：

Had I time, I would come. 假若我有时间，我会来的。（=If I had time…）

请看一道试题：

It ____ very silly to argue any more against each other about it ___ true.

A. will be; could that be            B. must be; could that be

C. should be; was that to be    D. would be; should that be

【分析】有些同学会认为主句表示推测，从而将答案误选为 B。其实，只要分析一下句子成分就很简单了。四个选项均为谓语动词，且第2 空所给选项为倒装，这正好与虚拟语气中省略 if 时倒装结构一致。由此可知该题考查与将来相反的虚拟语气的用法。故答案选 D。

在由though, as引导的让步状语从句中，如果从句的表语是可数名词单数，将名词提前时，名词前面的冠词a 须省略。如：

Child as [though] he is, he knows much about the society. = Though he is a child, he knows much about the society. 尽管他还是个小孩，他对社会的了解不少。

请看两道试题：

1. _____ as it is, it can understand you.

A. A dog                 B. Dog                   C. Dogs                 D. The dog

2. _____, he talks a lot about his favorite singers after class. (重庆卷)

A. A quiet student as he may be      B. Quiet student as he may be

C. Be a quiet student as he may     D. Quiet as he may be a student

【分析】根据前面的分析，这两道题的答案均为B。

（编辑  陈根花）