The current widely used reflective seismic exploration mostly utilizes the target layer information in the reflected seismic data for subsequent processing and interpretation. When the target formation is covered by high-velocity layer, it will affect the propagation of down-going seismic waves excited by the source and up-going seismic waves carrying information about the target layer. In order to study the shielding effect of high-velocity layer on the propagation of seismic wave energy, this paper derives an implicit expression for the transmission coefficient of horizontal layered media through the transfer matrix based on the reflectivity method. It is used to analyze the effects of strata velocity, thickness and longitudinal wave incidence angle on the shielding effect of high-velocity overburden layers. In addition, this paper also analyzes the applicability of the Zoeppritz equation and the reflectivity method, explaining the limitations of the Zoeppritz equation in studying horizontal layered media. Finally, the transmission wave records containing the high-velocity cover layer model were obtained through wavefield forward modeling to verify the study of the shielding effect of the high-velocity cover layer in this paper. According to the study, there are various reasons for the changes in seismic wave shielding effect caused by high-velocity cover layer. It is found that when the longitudinal wave is incident, the high-velocity layer will generally produce shielding effect on the transmission waves, and the shielding effect will change with the changes of velocity, thickness, and incident angle. Therefore, it is necessary to summarize based on different geological parameters. In addition to the influence of formation parameters and seismic wave parameters on the shielding effect, the contribution of the filtering characteristics of the formation to the shielding effect should also be considered. Therefore, this paper believes that in practical exploration, it is necessary to integrate multiple technologies to weaken the shielding effect at different stages, in order to improve imaging quality and improve interpretation accuracy.