在阅读考试中常见到这样的提问：
1. In line...,the word "that" refers to ...
2. In line..., the word "it" stands for...
3. In line...,the word "those" accounts for...
这一类的题目叫做指代题。英语中的指代是避免重复，连接上下文的一种手段。所谓指代是指用可作替代的词去指代上文出现过的词语或句子。指代分为人称指代、指示指代和比较指代。人称指代通常以第三人称代词和相应的限定词表示。指示代指以指示代词this/that/these/those和相应的限定词及the来表示。比较指代是指比较，总是在两个事物之间进行的，比较的事物都是彼此相互依存的。如表示相同的用same, equal, similar, such,表不同的用different, in contrast等。此外，还有其他别的指代方式。如以do代指上述动作或部分句子；以一个名词代指上文的某个内容等。
要进行正确的指代判断，首先应弄清该指代属于上述三种指代形式的哪一种，认真研读原文，弄明白这个指示与上下文的关系；另外，如果句子结构复杂，同一句子中出现几个修饰性从句，这时指代词就有一定的迷惑性，应将句子结构，各个成分理清，不可贸然决定。
例：
Generations of Americans have been brought up to believe that a good breakfast is one of life's essentials. Eating breakfast at the start of the day, we have all been told, and told again, is as necessary as putting gasoline in the family car before starting a trip.
But for many people the thought of food first thing in the morning is by no means a pleasure. So despite all the efforts, they still take no breakfast. Between 1977and 1983, the latest year for which figures are available, the number of people who didn't have breakfast increased by 33percent --from 8.8 million to 11.7 million-according to the Chicago-based Market Research Corporation of America.
For those who feel pain of guilt about not eating breakfast, however, there is some good news. Several studies in the last few years indicate that, for adults especially, there may be nothing wrong with omitting breakfast. "Going without Breakfast does not affectperformance," said Arnold E. Bender, former professor of nutrition(营养)at Queen Elizabeth College in London, "nor does giving people breakfast improve performance."
Scientific evidence linking breakfast to better health or better performance is surprisingly inadequate, and most of the recent work involves children, not adults, "The literature," says one researcher, Dr. Ernesto Pollitt at the University of Texas, "is poor,"

Question:
The word "literature" in the last sentence refers to ________.
A. stories, poems, plays, etc
B. written works on a particular subject
C. any printed material
D. the modern literature of America

该问题中的literature有多个意思。常用的有"文学、文学作品、作品、印刷品"等。 同时它也可以指关于某一学科或专题的"文献"。本文讲的研究人员对吃或不吃早餐对身体的影响。根据上下文可以判断出，literature就是对这一论题的研究文献。故选B。

• despite [di´spait] prep.尽管 (初中英语单词)
• available [ə´veiləbəl] a.可用的；有效的 (初中英语单词)
• research [ri´sə:tʃ] n.&vi.调查；探究；研究 (初中英语单词)
• corporation [,kɔ:pə´reiʃən] n.社团；法人；公司 (初中英语单词)
• affect [ə´fekt] vt.影响；感动；假装 (初中英语单词)
• performance [pə´fɔ:məns] n.履行；行为；工作 (初中英语单词)
• sentence [´sentəns] n.判决 vt.宣判；处刑 (初中英语单词)
• literature [´litərətʃə] n.文学；文献；著作 (初中英语单词)
• gasoline [´gæsəli:n] n.汽油 (高中英语单词)
• surprisingly [sə´praiziŋli] ad.惊人地；意外地 (英语六级单词)