做阅读理解题目时常碰到如下这样的问题。
Theword"it"inline×mostprobablyrefersto.
Inline×,theword"one"couldbestbereplacedby.
Whatdoestheword"they"inline×referto
这里所说的指代，主要是指代词的指代。
代词指代总的原则是就近指代：指代在性（阴性或阳性）、数（单数或复数）、格（主格或宾格）、逻辑、意义、位置等方面与之接近的名词。就位置而言，如上所述，代词所指代的名词通常在本句或其上句之中;就数而言，单数代词指代单数名词，复数代词指代复数名词，例如：it指代单数名词（单数可数名词或不可数名词），也可指代一个句子;they指代复数名词主格;them指代复数名词宾格;one指代单数可数名词等。除了位置、性、数和格等方面的要求外，逻辑和意义也是衡量的标准，也就是说，正确的答案应该从意义（主要指语法搭配）上和逻辑（主要指思想内容）上都说得通。
通过单数和复数做题
就it来说，指代有两种情况。
1.指代单数词或词组
例如，Hepouredintohiswritingsallthepainofhislife,thefiercehatredofthebourgeoisethatithadproducedinhim,andtheconvictionithadbroughttohimthattheworldcouldbemadeabetterplacetolivein.
it不能指代复数的hiswritings，从语法规则，能指代的只有thepainofhislife，也即thefiercehatredofthebourgeoisethatit(thepainofhislife)hadproducedinhim,andtheconvictionit(thepainofhislife)hadbroughttohim…
2.指代句子意思
例如，LongafterwardstheU-2pilotrecalledthatwhengotintotroublehewasaskedwhetherhewasanAmerican."Itseemed,"hesaid,"pointlesstodenyit."
这里的it就是指代前面hewasanAmerican整个句子的意思。也即ItseemedpointlesstodenythatlwasanAmerican.
就they和them来说，尽管指代的必须是复数名词，但具体的指代也有两种情况。
一是有生命的，如复数男的，复数女的，以及复数动植物；二是无生命的东西。在中文分别用他们、她们和它们指代，英语中都用they，them。如Someofthebiggerfirmsareengagedinresearcheswhichareofsuchgeneralandfundamentalnaturethatitisapositiveadvantagetothemnottokeepthemsecret.
句中有两个them，符合指代条件的有firms和researches。根据句子意思，第一个them指代firms;第二个them是指代researches，也即itisapositiveadvantagetothem(thebiggerfirms)nottokeepthem(researches)secret.（不保密这些研究肯定对大公司是有利的。）
至于one，也有既可指代有生命的又可指代无生命的，但能够被one指代的必须是不可数名词。而且one还可以是oneperson的简略形式，也就是说先行词可以不出现，直接用one。
例如，Therewillbenoheroicsinawarwherethesafestplacewillbethefrontline,ifthereisone,andthemostdangerousthehouseofourcivilizationpopulation.
句中的one就是指代无生命thesafestplace。也即ifthereisone(thesafestplace)。
再如，Mypointisthatthefrequentcomplaintofonegenerationabouttheoneimmediatelyfollowingitisinevitable.句中的theone就是指代有生命的9eneration。
例
Inmostsituationswheremusicisperformedinourcultureitisnotdifficulttodis-tinguishtheaudiencefromtheperformers,butsuchisoftennotthecaseinAfrica.AlbanAyipaga,aKasenasemiprofessionalmusicianfromnorthernGhana,saysthatwhenhisflute（长笛）anddrumensemble（歌舞团）isperforming."Anybodycantakepart.."Thisistrue,butKasenamusiciansrecognizethatnotallpeopleareequallyca-pableoftakingpartinthemusic.Somecansingalongwiththedrummers,butrela-tivelyfewcandrumandevenfewercanplaytheflutealongwiththeensemble.ItisfairlycommoninAfricafortheretobeanensembleofexpertmusicianssurroundedbyotherswhojoininbyclapping,singing,orsomehowaddingtothetotalityofmusicalsound.Performancesoftentakeplaceinanopenarea（thatis,notonastage）andsothelinesbetweentheperformingnucleusandtheadditionalperformers,activespecta-tors,andpassivespectatorsmaybedifficulttodrawfromourpointofview.
Theword"such"(Line2)referstothefactthat
A.musicisperformedwiththeparticipationoftheaudience
B.musicisperformedwithouttheparticipationoftheaudience
C.peopletendtodistinguishtheaudiencefromtheperformers
D.peoplehaverecords,televisionsetsandradiotofulfilltheirmusicalneeds
Thestatusesweassumeoftenvarywiththepeopleweencounter，andchangethroughoutlife.MostofUScan，atveryhighspeed,assumethestatusesthatvarioussituationsrequire.Muchofsocialinteractionconsistsofidentifyingandselectingamongappropriatestatusesandallowingotherpeopletoassumetheirstatusesinrelationtous.Thismeansthatwefitouractionstothoseofotherpeoplebasedonacon-stantmentalprocessofappraisalandinterpretation.AlthoughsomeofUSfindthetaskmoredifficultthanothers，mostofUSperformit.rathereffortlessly.
Inthelastsentenceofthisparagraph.thepronoun"it"refersto
A.fittingouractionstothoseofotherpeopleappropriately
B.identificationofotherpeople’sstatuses
C.selectingone’Sownstatuses
D.constantmentalprocess
“it”所在的句子为：Althoughsomeofusfindthetaskmoredifficultthanothers，mostofusperformitrathereffortlessly.由这个句子可知，两个分句结构相同，而且前一分句的find与后一分句的两个动词处于同等位置上，因此这属于上述一句话内部指代的第二种情况：一句话中并列动词的宾语代词指代的是第一个动词后的名词，那么it指代task，而task又指的是上一句：Thismeansthatwefitouractionstothoseofoth-erpeoplebasedonaconstantmentalprocessofappraisalandinterpretation中that引导的宾语从句的内容，因此A为正确答案。
3.两句话间指代
①假如第二句话的代词主语指代前一句话的名词主语，表示刚才谈论的话题仍在延续。例如：假如第一句话使用了there引导的表示存在的句型，那么第二句话的代词主语指代前一句里的名词主语;
②假如第二句话的代词主语指代第一句话就近的名词概念，那么第一句话的名词概念为第二句的新概念，即第二句所要谈论的内容;
③this和that既可以指代单数名词，也可以指代它们之前的句子。
Justsevenyearsa90，theJarvik一7artificialheartwasbeingcheeredasthemodelofhumancreativeness.ThesightofBarneyClark--aliveandconsciousaftertradinghisdiseasedheartforametal—and—plasticpump--convincedthepress，thepublicandmanydoctorsthatthefuturehadarrived.Ithadn’t.AftermonitoringproductionoftheJarvik一7,andreviewingitseffectsonthel500rsopatients(mostofwhomgotthedeviceasatemporarymeasure)theU.S.FoodandDrugAdministrationconcludedthatthemachinewasdoingmoretoendangerlivesthantosavethem.Lastweektheagencycancelleditsearlierapproval，effectivelybanning（禁止）thedevice.
TherecallmayhurtSymbionInc，makeroftheJarvik-7，butitwon’tendtherequestforanartificialheart.Oneproblemwiththebannedmodelisthatthetubesconnectingittoanexternalpowersourcecreatedapassageforinfection（感染）.Inventorsarenowworkingonnewdevicesthatwouldbefullyplaced,alongwithatinypowerpack,inthepatient'schest.Thefirstsampleproductsaren'texpectedforanother10or20years.Butsomepeoplearealreadyworryingthatthey'llwork--andthatAmerica'soverextendedhealth-carepro-gramswillloseaprecious$2.5billionto$5billionayearprovidingthemforarelativelyfewdyingpatients.Ifsuchexpenditures（开支）cutintofundingformorebasiccare,theneteffectcouldactuallybeadeclineinthenation'shealth.
Theword"them"inPara.2refersto
A.doctorswhotreatheartdiseases
B.makersofartificialhearts
C.America'shealth-careprograms
D.newmodelsofartificialhearts
ForanygiventaskinBritaintherearemorementhanareneeded.StrongunionskeepthemthereinFleetStreet,homeofsomeLondon'sbiggestdailies,itisunder-stoodthatwhentwounionsquarreloverthreejobs,theargumentissettledbygivingeachuniontwo.Thatmeans33percentovermanning,33percentlessproductivitythancouldbeobtained.
AreporterwhohasvisitedplantsthroughoutEuropehasanimpressionthatthepaceofworkismuchslowerhere.Nobodytriestoohard.Teabreaksdomatterandarefrequent.Itishardtomeasureintensityofwork,butBritonsgiveadistinctim-pressionofgoingattheirtasksinamoreleisurelyway.
ButisallthissoterribleItcertainlydoesnotimprovethegrossnationalproductoroutputperworker.Thoseobservantvisitors,however,havenoticedsomethingelseaboutBritain.Itisapleasantplace.
StreetcrowdsinStockholm.ParisandNewYorkmovequicklyandsilentlyheadsdown,allinahurry.Londoncrowdstendtowalkataneasypace（exceptintheprofi-table,efficientCity,thefinancialdistrict）.
EverystrangerisstruckbythepatientandorderlywayinwhichBritonsqueueforabus.-ifthesaleswomanisslowandoutofstockshewilllikelysay,"ohdear,whatrestofthegangtakingholdbytwosuntilitisclearofthecar.Theycomeforwardatarun.
Atthewordofcommand,therailisdroppedinitsplace,rightsideup.Lessthanthirtysecondstoarailforeachgang,andsofourrailsgodowntotheminute."
InPara.2,theword"they"refersto
A.men
B.valleys
C.Mountains
D.jobs
在Andtheydidallthesejobslargelybytheirownmusclepower句子中，把四个选项的内容men，valleys，mountains，jobs依次代入they的位置，就可发现只有Amen和didallthesejobs形成意义上的搭配。valleys，mountains，jobs不可能didallthesejobs.更不可能有theirownmusclepower。所以这一句无须读上下文就可找到答案。