所谓线索法，指的是根据文章上下文所提供的故事背景和语境线索进行推理和判断，从而确定最佳答案。具体说来有以下几种行之有效的方法。
1．巧用语意转折线索解题
有些句子含有表示转折或对比的连词、副词或副词短语，如but, though, although, instead, however, on the contrary, otherwise等，我们可利用这些暗示来解决问题。有时也可能没有这些词语的出现。如：
A formal letter is very different from an informal letter. Formal letters ___1___ to businesses, schools or government offices. ___2___ letters are for relatives, or former(以前的) teachers. You may write an informal letter by hand, but you should ___3___ a formal letter.
1. A. send B. are written C. write D. are dropped
2. A. Informal B. Formal C. Business D. Relative
3. A. copy B. type C. write D. share
【解析】1. 选B。该句缺少谓语动词，而写信应用被动语态。该句意为“正式书信是写给商业部门、学校……”。D虽用了被动，但搭配不当。drop sb a line为“给人写信(短信)”。
2. 选A。前面说的是正式书信，这里说的是写给亲戚、好友或以前的老师的，较随便，即非正式书信。
3. 选B。通过but可知，此处说的是非正式书信与正式书信的写作方式的不同，非正式书信可以手写，但正式书信要正规得多，得打字。
2．巧用因果关系线索解题
即根据上下文的因果关系进行推断，从而得出所需答案。如：
It was a strange noise that made the man ___1___ his car soon after he left a village ___2___ London. He got out of his car and ___3___ the wheels(车轮) carefully, but as he found nothing ___4___ he continued his way.
1. A. start B. stop C. slow D. speed
2. A. to B. for C. from D. of
3. A. repaired B. examined C. cleaned D. looked
4. A. wrong B. danger C. interesting D. matter
【解析】1. 选B。他在去伦敦的路上，一阵奇怪的声音驱使他把车停了下来。这可从He got out of his car…推测出来。
2. 选B。leave…for…是个固定短语，意为“离开……到……”。
3. 选B。在听到奇怪的声音后，他停下车来仔细检查轮胎(看看出现了什么问题)。
4. 选A。从下句“他又继续赶路了”可知，“因为他没有发现毛病”。nothing wrong意为“没有毛病”。
3．巧用具体示例线索解题
即根据文章中所提供的具体实例进行分析，将与具体示例有关的信息进行优选，将与具体示例无关的信息进行排除，从而便可得出所需答案。如：
Every student must wear their ___1___ when they are at school. There are ___2___ items of uniforms: suits, dresses, shorts, skirts and T-shirts. There are also Wasley schoolbags, caps and socks.
1. A. long hair B. thick glasses C. sports shoes D. school uniforms
2. A. much B. three C. many D. a lot
【解析】1. 选D。本段谈论的是在校生穿校服的事情，而不是穿运动鞋，蓄长发、戴墨镜并不是学校所提倡的。
2. 选C。suits, dresses, shorts, skirts and T-shirts等是服装的个例，前面只有填“校服”才与之相配。
4．巧用同义反义线索解题
Though he is serious in appearance, he never fails to be interesting. Often he is clever, sometimes even ______ and gay…
A. worried B. bright C. discouraging D. friendly
【解析】从Often he is clever来看，此处话题谈论的是“他的智慧/聪明”，而even一词也暗示此处应填bright，因bright与clever为同义词，均为“聪明”。
As it turned out, my little publication went on to become Student, a national magazine for young people in the U.K. My wife and I have two children, and I’d like to think we are bringing them up in the same way Dad ______ me.
A. controlled B. comforted C. reminded D. raised
【解析】句中的 in the same way 告诉我们，空格处所填动词应与前面的动词 bring up(培养，养育)同义，比较四个选项，答案显然是 D项。
5．巧用逻辑顺序线索解题
即根据文章所提供的内容，同时结合一定的生活常识，对所推断的内容进行逻辑推理和逻辑顺序。如：
I went to Wasley College with Winnic today. Wasley is a large, old ___1___. It has three branch campuses(分校): Clunes, Glen Waverly and Elasterwick. It has a primary school, a ___2___ school and a senior school. So there are twelve grades of ___3___ studying there.
1. A. school B. factory C. movie D. hospital
2. A. night B. junior C. high D. spare-time
3. A. workers B. boys C. students D. teachers
【解析】1. 选A。从下句话It has three branch campuses来看，Wasley是一所学校。
2. 选B。从空缺处所在的位置来看，界于primary和senior之间的学校当然属于junior。这就是说是顺序推测出来的。
3. 选C。既然是在此学习，他们当然是students了。
6. 巧用语篇标志线索解题
语篇一般指比单个句子长的语言单位，如句群、段落、篇章等。语篇与语篇之间往往有表明其内在联系的词语，这些词语可称为语篇标志。如：表示结果层次的语篇标志语有firstly, secondly, thirdly, finally等；表示逻辑关系的有thus, therefore, so等；表示改变话题的有by the way等；表示时间关系的有before, so far, yet, now, later等。在做完形填空题时，如果能充分利用这些语篇标志语，就可以迅速理清文章的脉络，弄清上下文的关系。如：
First of all, I respected his devotion to teaching…______, I admired the fact that he would talk to students outside the classroom or talk…Finally, I was attracted by his lively sense of humor. (全国卷)
A. Later B. Secondly C. however D. Therefore
【解析】选B。考生如果注意到了文章上下文中的语篇标志词语first of all 和 finally，再比较四个选项，显然只有选secondly 最恰当。
7. 巧用结构对比线索解题
在做完形填空题时，有时会遇到两个结构十分相似的句子，此时同学们应认真比较其结构特点，或根据其相似性推断空格处所填之词，或根据文章的上下文语境判断两个(或几个)相似结构之间的逻辑关系。如：
I realized strength and courage aren’t always measured in medals and victories, but in the struggles we overcome(战胜). The strongest people are not always the people who win, ______ the people who don’t give up when they lose.
A. or B. nor C. and D. but
【解析】句中的 the people who win 与 the people who don’t give up when they lose 是两个表达十分相似的结构，比较其中的win和lose可知，前后两个结构属对比关系，估计应填but，再结合句中的not，并联想 not…but…句式，可以推知，此题最佳答案应选 D。
The correct water supply forecast is based more on the water from the ______ than from the below. (辽宁卷)
A. clouds B. sky C. air D. above
【解析】more from…than from… 是一个明显用于对比的结构，根据后面的the below可知，前面应是 the above，即答案选 D。
8. 巧用语境暗示线索解题
有的空格根据所在句的句意或附近上下文的语境我们无法作出正确的选择，要想作出正确判断，同学们应特别注意空格前后所出现的相关词语，尤其注意找出其中重复出现的暗示性词语。如：
Four students from Burlington College of Higher Education are in the bell tower of the ______ have made up their minds to ring the bells nonstop for two weeks as a protest (抗议) against heavy trucks which run day and night through the narrow High Street. (全国卷)
A. college B. village C. town D. church
【解析】选 D。若仅就本句内容来看，此题答案不好选择，但当我们读到文章末尾处的 I mean we are assistant bell ringers for the church时，我们才便可根据其中的 church 一词作出判断。
But then again, would there be a chair in Room 316? Or would it be a(n) ______ room?
A. small B. empty C. new D. neat
【解析】选 B。若仅从本句来看，似乎四个选项都不错，但要想确定其中的最佳答案，考生应注意到文章后半部分的 But to my surprise, the room wasn’t empty at all! It had furniture, curtains, a TV, and seven paintings on the walls.这一句。
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