見詞如面|Presumably在SAT閱讀中的用法和考法

上期我們重點剖析了discretion這個既重要又偏難的詞，今天我們來探究Presumably在SAT閱讀中的用法和考法。

第二期 Presumably

這是一個看上去不太「友好」但其實很「平易近人」的詞，它由動詞presume（推測、假定、料想）變化而來。

以下是Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English釋義：

If you say that something is presumably the case, you mean that you think it is very likely to be the case, although you are not certain.

簡單地說，presumably幾乎等於possibly或probably，表示「很可能」，並在SAT閱讀科學類文章中扮演著重要的角色。

可汗閱讀Science L4P1（Ancient DNA Tells Story of Giant Eagle Evolution）

Though Haast's eagle could fly—and presumably used its wings to launch brutal attacks on the hapless moa—its body mass (10–14 kilograms) pushed the limits for self-propelled flight.

在上段中，科學家對一種已經滅絕的鳥（Haast's eagle）曾經的生活狀態進行研究，由於沒有真的見過這種鳥用翅膀捕獵，所以需要使用presumably。

可汗閱讀Science L2P9（The Reading Brain in the Digital Age: The Science of Paper versus Screens）

When under pressure to read quickly, students using computers and paper performed equally well. When managing their own study time, however, volunteers using paper scored about 10 percentage points higher. Presumably, students using paper approached the exam with a more studious frame of mind than their screen-reading peers, and more effectively directed their attention and working memory.

這裡，作者對閱讀電子書和紙質書的兩種學生的表現差異提出了一個解釋，並沒有以十分肯定的語氣下定論，而是加上presumably使表述更為嚴謹。

下期期再會

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