-
最基本的阅读技巧
—找出文章主题
潘文荣
每篇文章（多数段落也是如此）都有：
①
一个主题（
topic
）
；
②
关于该主题的主题思想或中心思想
(main
idea)
；
③
解释或“证明”该主题思想的细节
（
details
）
.
一、文章主题
主题是文章要讨论的话题。
高考考查
文章主题的频率相当高。考查文章主题的问题，问的是短文的话题、论题，也就是
top
ic
。短文的话题通常是由单词或词组
短语表达
，
这个单词或词组
短语可以当作文章的标题使
用。下面是一些例子：
①
Sharks
—
The facts(
鲨鱼的真相
)
；
②
The youngest
software tester
（最年青的软件试验者）
；<
/p>
③
Loses and inputs of water in the human
body(
人体水分的摄入量和消耗量
)
；
④
How to play the computer game “Attack”（
如何玩电脑游戏《进攻》
）
；
⑤
Influence of
laser on television
（激光对电视的影响）
。
二、阅读知识
1.
我们要学会识别文章中哪些是最具有概括力的信息
。这种信息能归纳和概括文中
其它信息所具有的共性。这种信息叫做概括性信息。
例
1
：
Choose the most
general
（
概括性的
）
word.
A) chemist
B) physicist
C) scientist
D) biologist
该问题要求找出最有概括力的词。
C
）
scientist
符合题意
,
因为它包括了
chemist,
physicist
和
biologist,
而
A,
B
和
D
都指某一具体学科的科学家
,
不能概括其他词。因此
,
scientist
最具
有概括性。
第
1
页
<
/p>
例
2
：
Read
the following passage and select the most
appropriate title:
According
to
legend,
the
gods
of
the
ancient
Greeks
lived
in
the
clouds
on
the
top
of
Mount
Olympus. Zeus, the
father of the gods, carried a bolt of lightning in
his hand and ruled like an earthly
king. Apollo was the sun god and his
beams were golden arrows; he shielded the flocks
of sheep and
the
fields
of
grain.
Athena
was
the
warrior
goddess,
standing
in
shining
armor
ready
to
protect
the
Greek cities. There were
other gods as well, all with familiar human
characteristics,
but these were
the leading gods.
A) The Gods of
the Ancient Greeks
B) The Legend of the Sky
God Zeus
C) Beliefs of the Ancient Greeks
D)
Religions of the Past
该问题中
,
B
只是文中提到的一个具体内容
,
作
为主题思想面太窄了。
C
和
D
是泛指
,
面太
宽。只有
A
才概括了全文要说明的问题
,
是全文的主题。
2.
文章主题一般多频繁地出现。它们一般位于主题句中。
例
3
：
Read the
following and choose the title that best expresses
the ideas of the passage.
There is a simple economic
principle used to determine prices. It is called
the law of supply and
demand. Supply
means the amount of certain goods. Demand
represents the number of people who
want those goods. If there are more
goods than wanted, the price of them falls. On the
other hand, if
the demand for those
goods is much greater than the supply, then price
rises. Of course manufacturers
prefer
to sell more goods at increased prices.
Which of the following can
be used as the title of the passage?
A) Economic
Principles
B) Law of Supply and Demand
C) More Goods,
Lower Prices
D) Fewer Goods, Higher Prices
该问题中
, A
泛指经济规律
,
面过宽；
C
和
D
只是供需规则的两
个单独方面
,
不能包含全部
,
第
2
页
面太窄。正确答案是
B,
因为这正是短文自始至终讨论的主题。另外，
supply
和
demand
出现
频率很高。
例
4
：
If
you were planning to buy a television set, the
following advertisement would certainly
attract your attention:
,
only $$79. Two-day sale. Hurry.
ready
to
buy,
you
may
discover
that
the
advertised
sets are
sold
out.
But
the
salesman
is
quick
to
reassure you that he has
another model, a more reliable set which is
This
sales
tactic
is
called
and
switch.
Buyers are
baited
with
a
sales
offer,
and
then
they are
switched
to
another
more
costly
item.
Buying
items
on
sale
requires
careful
consideration
of
the
merchandis
e
（商品）
and the reasons for the
sale.
The paragraph could be entitled
________.
A) Buyer Beware
（注意，当心）
B) Closeout Sale
C) Crime Pays
D)
Buying a TV Set
作者从一则电视机的广告入手
,
介绍了降价推销的惯用手段
,
称为
（廉售
某种
不打算出卖的商品
,
意在诱人购
买昂贵的物品）
。最后笔锋一转
,
点出作者的真正意图
,
即本段的主
题句
,
告诫人们在购买降价商品时要警惕中圈套。
因此正确答案为
A.
3
、有些段落的主题句会被安排在段落的中间。
例
5
：
On
June 17,1714, the officials from Maryland and
Virginia held a talk with the Indians of the
Six Nations. The Indians were invited
to send boys to William and Mary College. In a
letter the next day
they refused the
offer as follows:
We know
that you have a high opinion of the kind of
learning taught in your colleges, and that the
costs of living of our young men, while
with you, would be very expensive to you. We are
convinced that
you mean to do us good
by your proposal, and we thank you heartily. But
you must know that different
nations
have different ways of looking at things, and you
will therefore not be offended if our ideas of
this
kind of education happen not to be
the same as yours. We have had some
experience of it. Several of our
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3
页
young people were formerly brought up
at the colleges of the northern provinces; they
were taught all your
sciences; but when
they came back to us, they were bad manners,
ignorant of every means of living in the
woods
?
they were
totally good for nothing.
We are, however, not the less obliged
by your kind offer, though we refuse to accept it;
and, to show
our grateful sense of it,
if the gentle men of V
irginia will send
us a dozen of their sons, we will take care of
their education, teach them in all we
know, and make men of them.
1. The passage
is about
.
A. the talk
between the Indians and the officials
B. the colleges of the northern
provinces
C. the educational values of
the Indians
D. the problems of the
Americans in the mid eighteenth century
4 .
短文的话题通常是由单词或
词组
短语表达，
这个单词或词组
短语可以当作文章
的标题使用。
例
6
：
The
seven-day holidays
have brought great
unexpected travel craze and brisk
(
兴
隆的
)
economic activities.
This creates a
new term
Economy
it
leads
to a
heated
debate about it.
Some
economists
are
in
strong
favor
of
the
Holiday
Economy.
They
hold
that
tourism-based
Holiday
Economy
will
encourage
consumption(
消
费
)
and
add
fuel
to
up-spending.
This benefits
tourism, transportation, and service
industries, promoting overall
economic growth.
However,
others
hold
that
Holiday
Economy
brings
some
problems.
Such
problems
may
arise
in
the
over-crowdedness
of
traffic
systems
because
thousands
and
thousands
of
tourists flood into scenic spots.
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