(3)瞻前顾后，先易后难
瞻前顾后即前后观察，对空格前后句子作深入分析，确定空格在句中的意思。选择时，一般从以下几个方面着手：利用上下文线索或逻辑推理作出选择；根据所学的语法规则、结构知识、习惯用法及修辞等作出选择；寻找信息词，包括上下文出现过的关键词；若碰到一时难以确定的选项，要放一下，先做其他题，后面可能会提供线索，或等全部做完以后，再回头解决；也可采用排除法或凭语感作出选择。
(4)复核全文，消除疏漏
填空全部做完之后，再从头至尾把文章读一遍，从文章的整体结构出发检查一遍，从意义和语法两个角度仔细权衡，检查句与句之间、段与段之间是否一致、连贯，以便弥补疏漏。对于个别难度较大的空格，可以凭借自己的语感，坚持第一感觉选择的最佳答案。
2.高分策略
(1)考生要全面复习掌握语法知识，并且要能在实践中识别语法现象。历年的考试结果说明虽然考生的语法知识结构不差，解答偏题、难题的能力也不低，但实际答题效果并不理想。如何将语法知识运用于解决实际问题应是考生复习的主要目的。因此不应只死记硬背一些特殊的语法现象，而应扎实地掌握好基础语法知识，以不变应万变。考生可参考本书后面所附的对语法知识的总结。
(2)既然词汇是历年考查的重点，而测试范围在《英语考试大纲》所规定的5,300多词汇和短语之内，因此要掌握好词汇及其用法是要下一番工夫的，单靠背诵词汇表，掌握词汇的拼写和汉语释义是远远不够的，提倡通过看词典中的例句或做习题(即通过上下文)的方式来记忆词汇及其搭配。大部分考生因为不熟悉词汇的搭配而不能将已“掌握”的词汇运用到语言表达中去。
(3)完形填空题首先检验的是阅读能力，因此考生要善于识别上下文的提示，确定句与句之间的关系。我们知道完形填空题的短文是一个意义完整的语篇，它围绕着一个话题展开，那么文章中词语的重复和替代现象是不可避免的，所以考生可以利用上下文寻找相关线索帮助解题，有时只需将文章中的词语或短语照搬即可。通过阅读上下文，考生还可以把握短文的连贯性和篇章结构，关注句际之间的逻辑关系。在对语言把握不准时，考生要学会用常识来帮助解题。当然，应试技巧只能起到辅助作用，只有牢固掌握英语知识才能将其运用自如。
接下来，我们就通过对2002年真题的解析来帮助您熟悉该题型的特点及应对策略。
2002年真题：
Comparisons were drawn between the development of television in the 20th century and the diffusion of printing in the 15th and 16th centuries. Yet much had happened 1 . As was discussed before, it was not 2 the 19th century that the newspaper became the dominant pre-electronic 3 , following in the wake of the pamphlet and the book and in the 4 of the periodical. It was during the same time the communications revolution 5 up, beginning with transport, the railway, and leading 6 through the telegraph, the telephone, radio, and motion pictures 7 the 20th-century world of the motor car and the airplane. Not everyone sees that process in 8 . It is important to do so.
It is generally recognized, 9 , that the introduction of the computer in the early 20th century, 10 by the invention of the integrated circuit during the 1960s, radically changed the process, 11 its impact on the media was not immediately 12 . As time went by, computers became smaller and more powerful, and they became “personal” too, as well as 13 , with display becoming sharper and storage 14 increasing. They were thought of, like people, 15 generations, with the distance between generations much 16 .
It was within the computer age that the term “information society” began to be widely used to describe the 17 within which we now live. The communications revolution has 18 both work and leisure and how we think and feel both about place and time, but there have been 19 views about its economic, political, social and cultural implications. “Benefits” have been weighed 20 “harmful” outcomes. And generalizations have proved difficult.
1. [A] between [B] before[C] since[D] later
2. [A] after[B] by[C] during[D] until
3. [A] means[B] method[C] medium[D] measure
4. [A] process[B] company[C] light[D] form
5. [A] gathered[B] speeded[C] worked[D] picked
6. [A] on[B] out[C] over[D] off
7. [A] of[B] for[C] beyond[D] into
8. [A] concept[B] dimension[C] effect[D] perspective
9. [A] indeed[B] hence[C] however[D] therefore
10. [A] brought[B] followed[C] stimulated[D] characterized
11. [A] unless[B] since[C] lest[D] although
12. [A] apparent[B] desirable[C] negative[D] plausible
13. [A] institutional [B] universal[C] fundamental[D] instrumental
14. [A]ability[B] capability[C] capacity[D] faculty
15. [A] by means of[B] in terms of[C] capacity[D] faculty
16. [A] deeper[B] fewer[C] nearer[D] smaller
17. [A] context[B] range[C] scope[D] territory
18. [A] regarded[B] impressed[C]influenced[D] effected
19. [A] competitive[B] controversial[C] distracting[D] irrational
20. [A] above[B] upon[C] against[D] with
本文主要讲述通讯业的革命。人们常常把20世纪电视的发展与15、16世纪印刷术的普及作比较。15、16世纪印刷术的普及到20世纪电视的发展，从电报、电话到现代社会的电脑、集成电路，通信变革的速度越来越快，对人们生活的各方面也产生了巨大的影响。下面我们来看一下各题答案：
1.答案：[A] between
此题属于语法题。先项[A] between表示“在……之间”。考生可能熟悉between作介词的用法，却不了解其实它还可作为副词，例如：We have four classes in the morning and two in the afternoon, and we have lunch between. 我们上午有四节课，下午有两节课，期间我们进午餐。本题主要考查副词的用法。上文中提到了20世纪电视的发展及15、16世纪印刷术的传播，下文则讲到了这两个时间之间民生的一些事情。因此，根据上下文的关系，应选择[A] between。选项[B] before表示“在……之前”，既可作介词，也可作连词，例如：Before the class, I went over the lesson. 又如：Before the discussion began, I had a cup of tea. 选项[C] since 表示“既然”，可作介词、连词，也可作副词，例如：I haven’t written home since Christmas. 又如：I have been at his bedside since he became ill. 再如：Things have not changed very much since. 选项[D] later 表示“后来”例如：a week later. 这三个选项都不符合题意。
全句可译为：然而，在20世纪与15、16世纪之间发生了很多事情。
2.答案：[D] until
此题属于词语搭配题。读完此句，考生可以发现本句的主要结构是it was not until...that...，这是固定搭配，not until用于强调，例如：It was not until you told me that I knew he was the famous singer. 故选[D] until.其余选项：[A] after, [B] by和[C] during都与本题的语意不符。
3.答案：[C] medium
此题属于语意搭配题。选项[C] medium表示“媒体”。根据考生的常识不难判断本句中的主语newspaper应该属于medium(媒体)的一种。选项[A] means 意为“方法，手段”；选项[B]method意为“方法”；选项[D] measure意为“措施”。
4.答案：[B] company
此题属于语意搭配题。上文中的in the wake of the pamphlet and the book意为“伴随首小册子和书籍的出现”，据此可以判断与此相对应的应该是in the company of the periodical(伴随着期刊的兴起)。所以[B]是正确答案。选项[B]是正确答案。选项[B]：in the company of意为“在……的陪同下，伴随着”，例如：I traveled Egypt in the company of two teachers.(我在两个老师陪同下游览了埃及。)选项[A]：in the process意为“在进行中”，例如：The new library is in the process of being decorated.新图书馆正在进行装修。选项[D]： in the light of意为“鉴于，依据……看来”，例如：In the light of the accident, we have put off the meeting till next week. (鉴于这次事故，我们已经把会议推迟到下个星期。)选项[D]：in the form of意为“以……的形状”，例如：Te cookies were in the form of stars.(那些饼干的形状都像星星。)
全句可译为：直到19世纪，伴随着小册子、书籍和期刊的兴起，报纸成为前电子时代的主要媒体。
5.答案：[B] speed
此题属于词语搭配题。本题主要考查动词短语的含义，这是考查的一个重点。选项[B]：speed (up)意为“加速”，例如：The train gradually speeded up.(火车逐渐加速了。)不难看出本句的含义是“在15世纪到20世纪之间，从火车、电报、电话到汽车、飞机、交通，通信业的变革速度越来越快”，故选[B]。选项[A]：gather (up)意为“收集”，例如：gather up one’s papers; 选项[C]：work (up)意为“逐步发展”，例如：work up to a climax(渐至高潮)；选项[D]：pick (up)意为“捡起，学会”，例如：pick up a few words.
