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大学英语四级阅读理解的篇章段落组织模式
林明金
寻找文
章或段落的主题是阅读理解中重要的一环节，
也是四级阅读理解考查的一个要点。
但文章或段落的（
supporting sentences/de
tails
）所提供的事实、实例或论据才使文章或段落的
主题
得到充实和丰富。作者一般会采用一定的模式来组织辅助性的细节内容，故把握好作者
对
细节内容的组织模式对所阅读的内容的理解和记忆极为有益。下面介绍几种基本的篇章段
落组织模式：
（一）列举法
——
Addition or
Listing
（二）过程
/
程序法
——
Process
（三）类别法
——
Classification
（四）举例法
——
Example
（五）因果法
——
Cause and
Effect.
（六）时间顺序法——
Time Order.
（七）比较
/
对比法
——
Comparison
and/Contrast.
（八）综合法
——
A Combination
of the Above
（一）
列举法：
指对文章或段落的主题或某
一观点所提供的细节，作者按照自己喜好的顺序加以排列或
罗列。列举法是一种最常见和
最简单的一种细节组织模式。例如：
[
主题句
]
Water
is
essential
for
good
health.
It
is
necessary
for
every
process
of
the
body
like
digestion and absorption of
food.
In addition,
water
helps control the temperature of the body. It
keeps the temperature at
37
℃
. Water
also
cleans the tissues.
此例是一个典型的列举模式：作者用了三个细节来说明本段的主题。作者还在此采用了
该模式常见的信号词
（
in
addition, also
）
。
列
举法一些常用的信号词还有：
and, too, plus, again,
besides, moreover, furthermore, first,
second
，
next, in
the same way, similarly, etc.
列举法在四级阅读测
试中也很常见，例如（
2000
年
6<
/p>
月）
[
主题句
]Social
support
cushions
stress
in
a
number
of
ways.
First
,
friends,
relatives,
and
co-workers
may
let
us
know
that
they
value
us.
Our
self-
respect
is
strengthened
when
we
feel
accepted by others despite our faults
and difficulties.
Second
,
other people often provide us with
informational support. They help us to
define and understand our problems and find
solutions to
them.
Third
,
we
typically
find
social
companionship
supportive.
Engaging
in
leisure-time
activities with others helps us to meet
our social needs while at the same time
distracting
(
转移
...
注意力
)us from our worries and
troubles.
Finally
, other
people may give us instrumental support
---
financial
aid,
material
resources,
and
needed
services
--
that
reduces
stress
by
helping
us
resolve and cope with our
problems.
在主题句之后，作者列举了四个方面的细节来论证该主题句。
（二）
过程
/
程序法：
作者用做事情的一系列步骤的顺序来组织细节，
用来说明做
某事件的模式，
即为过程法。
举例如下：
[
主题句
]Changing a
tire is a matter of four simple steps.
First
, jack up the side of
the car high
enough to clear the
ground.
Second
, carefully
loosen the nuts that hold the tire and rim in
place by
using lug wrench.
Next
, remove the flat tire and put the
spare tire in place.
Now
you
are ready to
put the nuts back on the
wheel and tighten them well.
此种组织模式在四级阅
读测试试题中相当常见。例如：
（
2000
年
6
月）
Long after the 1998 World Cup was won,
disappointed fans were still cursing the disputed
refereeing
(
裁判
) decisions that denied
victory to their team. A researcher was
appointed[
中心主
题
]
to study the performance of some top referees.
The researcher organized an
experimental
tournament
(
锦标赛
) involving four youth
teams.
Each
match
lasted
an
hour,
divided
into
three
periods
of
20
minutes
during
which
different
referees were in charge.
Observers
noted
down
the
referees'
errors,
of
which
there
were
61
over
the
tournament.
Converted to a standard match of 90
minutes, each referee made almost 23 mistakes, a
remarkably
high number.
The researcher
then
studied the videotapes
to analyse the matches in detail. Surprisingly, he
found that errors were more likely when
the referees were close to the incident. When the
officials
got it right, they were, on
average, 17 meters away from the action. The
average distance in the
case
of
errors
was
12
meters.
The
research
shows
the
optimum
(
最佳的
)
distance
is
about
20
meters.
There also seemed to be an optimum
speed. Correct decisions came when the referees
were
moving at a speed of about 2
meters per second. The average speed for errors
was 4 meters per
second.
If FIFA, football's international
ruling body, wants to improve the standard of
refereeing at
the next World
Cup,[
结论
] it should encourage
referees to keep their eyes on the action from a
distance, rather than rushing to keep
up with the ball, the researcher argues.
He also says that FIFA's
insistence that referees should retire at age 45
may be misguided. If
keeping up with
the action is not so
important,[
结论
] their
physical condition is less critical.
<
/p>
这篇短文的细节部分的组织模式即为过程
/
程序法，作者用了三个步骤：①组织一场实
验性的比赛；
②记
下裁判犯下的错误；
③对录像带进行研究。
以此来说明主题
“
(how) to
study
the performance of some top
referees.”
并在文章的最后，给出了两个结论。
考生应当注意区分列举法和过程
/
程序法，列举法模式中的顺序
可以随意调换，但过程
/
程序法中的顺序不可以随意改变。
（三）
类别法：
作者在首句或主题句中探讨
事物较大一级的类别
/
种类之后，用首句中大类别属下的小
类别对主题进行一一说明或支持的细节组织模式。常见典型的信号标志：
categories,
kinds,
classes, groups, elements, varieties,
等。
[
主题句
]There are
two factors determine an individual’s
intelligence
.
The
first
is the sort of
brain
he is born with. Human brains differ considerably,
some being more capable than others. But
no
matter
how
good
a
brain
he
has
to
begin
with,
an
individual
will
have
a
low
order
of
intelligence
unless
he
has
opportunities
to
learn.
So
the
second
factor
is
what
happens
to
the
individual-the
sort
of
environment
in
which
he
is
reared.
If
an
individual
is
handicapped
environmentally,
it is likely that his brain will fail to develop
and he will never attain the lever of
intelligence of which he is capable.
这篇短文所用的模式就是典型的类别法：主题句先提到决定个
人智力的因素有两个。
然后再分别对两个因素进行一一说明。
类别法在四级阅读试卷出现过，但并不常见，下面是一个例子（
1999
年
6
月）
：
[
主题句
]
Martine
puts
it
down
to,
among
other
things,
soap
operas
(
通俗电视连续剧
)
and
installment
(
分期付款
)
plans
introduced
in
the
1970s.
Both
played
an
important,
although
indirect,
role
in
lowering
the
birth
rate.
Brazil
is
one
of
the
world's
biggest
producers
of
soap
operas.
Globl, Brazil's most popular television network,
shows three hours of soaps six nights a
week,
while
three
others
show
at
least
one
hour
a
night.
Most
soaps
are
based
on
wealthy
characters living the high life in big
cities.
they
have
never
really
tried
to
work
in
a
message
towards
the
problems
of
reproduction, they describe middle and
upper class values not many children, different
attitudes
towards sex, women
working,
people
conscious
of
other
patterns
of
behavior
and
other
values,
which
were
put
into
a
very
attractive
package.
Meanwhile, the installment
plans tried to encourage the poor to become
consumers.
to an enormous change in
consumption patterns and consumption was in
compatible (
不相容的
)
with unlimited reproduction.
作者在主题句中提出通俗电视连续剧和分期付款两个因素之后，
随后在下文分别对它们<
/p>
展开一一说明。
（四）
举例法：
作者通过一系列例子或一个
例子来说明或支持主题或观点。
举例法的特点是生动、
直观、<
/p>
更具有说服力，能将复杂的内容简单化，在四级阅读测试中很常见。例如：
（
1999
年
1
月）
[
中心主题
]
The
appeal
of
advertising
to
buying
motives
can
have
both
negative
and
positive
effects. Consumers
may be convinced to buy a product of poor quality
or high price because of an
advertisement.
For
example
,
some
advertisers
have
appealed
to
people's
desire
for
better
fuel
economy for their cars by advertising
automotive products that improve gasoline mileage.
Some
of the products work. Others are
worthless and a waste of consumers' money.
[
主题
/
段
首句
]
Sometimes
advertising
is
intentionally
misleading.
A
few
years
ago
a
brand
of
bread
was
offered to dieters (
节食者
)
with the message that there were fewer calories
(
热量单
位，大卡
) in
every slice. It turned out that the bread was not
dietetic (
适合于节食的
), but just
regular bread. There were fewer
calories because it was sliced very thin, but
there were the same
number of calories
in every loaf.
[
主题
/
段首句
]On the positive side,
emotional appeals may respond to a consumer's real
concerns.
Consider fire
insurance
. Fire insurance may be sold
by appealing to fear of loss. But fear of loss
is
the
real
reason
for
fire
insurance.
The
security
of
knowing
that
property
is
protected
by
insurance
makes
the
purchase
of
fire
insurance
a
worthwhile
investment
for
most
people.
If
consumers consider the
quality of the insurance plans as well as the
message in the ads, they will
benefit
from the advertising.
[
结论句
]Each
consumer must evaluate her or his own situation.
Are the benefits of the product
important enough to justify buying it?
Advertising is intended to appeal to consumers,
but it does
not force them to buy the
product. Consumers still control the final buying
decision.
这是一例很典型的举例法模式：
作者
一开篇提出中心主题——
The appeal of
advertising
to buying motives can have
both negative and positive
effects.
随后通过信号词（
for example<
/p>
）引
出例子对中心主题加以说明。
紧接着
在第二段段首句出现之后，
作者又以
“
a brand of bread
”
为例，对段主题加以生动
地说明。在第三段段主题之后，作者再一次引用“
fire insurance
”
为例子。最后作者在结尾段得出结论：
Ea
ch consumer must evaluate her or his own situation
。
文章连贯，一气呵成，且极具说服力。
又如：
（
2002
年
12
月）
Privatization,
or
the
threat
of
it,
is
a
motivation
as
well.
Monopolies
(
垄断者
)
that
until
recently
have
been
free
to
take
their
customers
for
granted
now
fear
what
Michael
Perry,
a
marketing professor, calls “the
revengeful
(
报复的
) consumer.”
When the government opened up
competition
with
Bezaq,
the
phone
company
,
its
international
branch
lost
40%
of
its
market
share,
even while offering competitive rates.
Says Perry, “People wanted revenge for
all the years
of
bad
service.”
The
electric
company
,
whose
monopoly
may
be
short-
lived,
has
suddenly
stopped requiring users to wait half a
day for a repairman. Now, appointments are
scheduled to the
half-hour.
The
graceless
El
Al
Airlines
,
which
is
already
at
auction
(
拍卖
)
，
has
retrained
its
employees
to
emphasize
service
and
is
boasting
about
the
results
in
an
ad
campaign
with
the
slogan, “You can feel the change in the
air.” For the first time, praise outnumbers
complaints on
customer survey sheets.
此段也是一例典型的举例法模式：
作
者在主题句出现后，
连续引用了三个例子
（
the phone
company, the electric
company, the EL AL
Airlines
）来支持、论证段主题。
（五）
因果法：
一种极为常见的篇章段落组织模式。通常有以下几种情形：①
篇章段落的首句表达原
因，随后在辅助句后的细节支持句部分阐
述原因所造成的结果。②
或恰恰相反，篇章段落
的首句给出结果，
随后在辅助句或支持句部分道出此结果相关的原因。
此模式在四级阅读测
试中比比皆是，例如：
（
1999
年
1
月）
President
Coolidge's
statement, “The business of
America is business,” still points to an
important truth today that business
institutions have more prestige
(
威望
) in American society
than any other kind of organization,
including the government.
[
中心主题
]Why do business
institutions possess this great
prestige?
[
段首句
]One reason
is that Americans view business as being more
firmly based on the ideal of
competition than other institutions in
society. Since competition is seen as the major
source of
progress and prosperity by
most Americans, competitive business institutions
are respected.
Competition is not only
good in itself, it is the means by which other
basic American values such
as
individual freedom, equality of opportunity, and
hard work are protected.
[
段首句
]Competition protects
the freedom of the individual by ensuring that
there is no
monopoly(
垄断
) of
power. In contrast to one, all-powerful
government, many
businesses
compete against
each other for profits.
Theoretically
, if one business tries to
take unfair
advantage of its customers,
it will lose to competing business which treats
its customers more
fairly. Where many
businesses compete for the customers' dollar, they
cannot afford to treat them
like
inferiors or slaves.
[
段首句
] A contrast is often
made between business, which is competitive, and
government,
which is a
monopoly.
Because
business
is competitive, many Americans believe that it is
more
supportive of freedom than
government, even though government leaders are
elected by the
people and business
leaders are not. Many Americans believe, then,
that competition is as
important, or
even more important, that democracy in preserving
freedom.