指代題是新託福閱讀考試中重要的一種題型，每次出現3-5題。指代題在出題時題目方式爲The word X in the passage refers to
指代題的答題步驟如下：
第一步：閱讀代詞所在句及前一句
第二步：關注其中名詞概念
第三步：套用指代模式確定被指代對象
第四步：代入上下文驗證答案
指代分爲以下幾種類型：
第一：同位指代
同位指代是指對前面一句句子中的名詞作進一步的解釋，它可以是單詞、短語或從句，同位指代二者是指同一人/物，可以省略其一，句子意義仍然完整。
例如：As the snow is deeper and lasts longer in the valleys, trees tend to attain greater heights on the ridges, even though they are more exposed to high-velocity winds and poor, thin soils there.
The word they in the passage refers to
A. valleys
B. trees
C. heights
D. ridges
首先根據題幹我們可以看出此題中考查的是人稱代詞they的指代內容;然後在文中定位到陰影they所在句子。而我們都知道在主從句中，從句的代詞主語通常指代主句的名詞主語，而主句的代詞主語通常指代從句的名詞主語，因此我們可以初步得出答案爲trees;把trees放回原文利用語法檢查，它能夠使句子表達通順，因此可以確定正確答案爲trees。
同位指代的內容通常會被變形爲some, other X、one X, another X、many/ most/ much X, other X
第二：相鄰指代
即爲代詞(尤其關係代詞)一般指代離它最近的名詞或代詞。相鄰指代一般都是相鄰感強的代詞：this/ these/ its/ theirs或者指代前方整體的代詞：this/ that/ which或者爲前方概念的同位解釋或別稱。
例如：For example, as the great ice sheets that covered North America during the last ice age steadily melted away, huge volumes of water flowed from them. The water was always laden with pebbles, gravel, and sand, known as glacial outwash, that was deposited as the flow slowed down.
The phrase “glacial outwash” in the passage refers to
A. Fast rivers
B. Glaciers
C. The huge volumes of water created by glacial melting
D. The particles carried in water from melting glaciers
首先根據題幹我們可以看出此題中考查的是glacial outwash指代內容;然後在文中定位到glacial outwash陰影所在句子，根據就近原則搜索，我們會發現指代內容在代詞之前出現，並且與代詞在同一句子中，“pebbles, gravel, and sand”可以初步定爲答案;把“pebbles, gravel, and sand”放回原文檢查，語法正確並且符合語義和邏輯，因此可以確定正確答案爲The particles carried in water from melting glaciers.
第三：連環指代
African American artists of this period set about creating a new portrayal of themselves and their lives in the United States. As they began to strive for social and cultural independence, their attitudes toward themselves changed, and, to some extent, other segments of American society began to change their attitudes towards them.
The word “them” in this paragraph refers to
A. American of European descent
B. paintings
C. African American artists
D. attitudes
首先根據題幹我們可以看出此題中考查的是them指代內容;然後在文中定位到them陰影所在句子，文章說他們對自己的態度變了，其他部分的美國社會開始改變對他們的態度。“他們”這個詞在這段指非洲裔的美國藝術家，所以答案就選擇C。
第四：抽象指代具體
抽象指代具體是指原文中一抽象的內容指代具體的內容。指代詞通常是that/ which/ who/ whose + 定語從句that/ which/ who/ whose = N.
例如：When growing on rock surfaces, lichens secrete acids that dissolve the minerals, contributing to the process of weathering by which rocks are slowly turned to soil.
The word “which” in the passage refers to
A. the process of weathering
B. growing on rock surfaces
C. dissolving the minerals
D. being turned to soil
在這個句子當中考察的是which指代的對象，which在該句子中是關係代詞，其先行詞是the process of weathering，所以這道題目的答案就是A。
以上是做指代題目的基本思路及方法，建議大家多加練習，就可以從容應對該類型的題目。