學士學位英語閱讀理解解題方法：主旨大意題解題方法

        以下是湖南學士學位英語閱讀理解解題方法：主旨大意題解題方法由湖南自考網(wǎng)收集、提供。自考學位考試對考生來說是很重要的環(huán)節(jié)，希望學位英語考試復習資料能夠幫助同學們更好地復習，祝同學們能通過復習資料題在考試時取得更好地成績!

        主旨大意題是全局性的問題，也就是說只有讀完全文，了解文章的大意才能做。因此我們建議這類問題最好在做完這篇閱讀理解所有問題后再去做，因為你在做完局部性的、細節(jié)辨認性的問題后，自然會對文章大意有一定的了解。這時再去做主旨大意題，就可省去讀全文。

        (一)常見的表述方式

        What is the main topic of the passage?

        With what topic is the passage primarily concerned?

        The central idea conveyed in the above passage is that

        Which of the following best sums up the passage?

        The main idea of this passage is

        The passage tells us

        Which of the following statements best expresses/summarizes the main idea of the passage?

        What is the main idea of the passage?

        This article is mainly about

        This passage deals mainly with

        What does the passage mainly discuss?

        Which of the following best states the theme of the passage?

        In this passage the author/writer mainly argues that

        The purpose of the author in writing the article is to

        What does the author intend to convey through the passage?

        (二)解題方法

        1.重要位置解題法

        任何一篇閱讀理解文章都有一個中心思想。盡管絕大多數(shù)閱讀理解文章是從一篇較長的文章中摘選下來的，但不管摘選一段還是幾段，不管摘選哪幾段，不管摘選長短，摘選下來的句子必須本身是自成一體的，是有中心思想的。一般說來，絕大多數(shù)文章的中心思想是用一個句子表達出來。其特點是概括性的。中心思想句到哪兒找?它在文章中的位置比較有規(guī)律，一般出現(xiàn)在文章的開頭。

        例1

        Describing learning as meaning centered reminds us that the most fundamental concern of any learner is "making sense". In the relationship between reader and text, then,the making of meaning is primary. To describe the activities of reading and writing, we prefer the word "transacting" which "designates an ongoing process in which the elements or parts are seen as aspects or phases of a total situation. "A transactional view of reading and writing argues that writers construct texts "through transactions with the developing text and the meaning being expressed". Transformed in the process are the text itself and the writer's ways of organizing knowledge. During reading, readers construct texts by transacting with the page and indirectly with the author. Although reading is generally considered a "receptive" language process, this does not mean that the process is essentially passive. Readers use directions from the page to

        construct meaning from their own prior knowledge;the reader must read between and beyond the lines.

        Like reading, the process of writing is generative of meaning:we do not simply write down ideas that are fully formed before we put them to paper. The act of composing itself bring us ideas and insights. As meaning-making processes, reading, writing and talking are dynamic;meanings are developed and changed,discovered and clarfied, during the activities themselves. Iser has described this aspect of reading as "setting the work in motion" and setting oneself in motion too.

        Clearly in reading and writing the learner's prior knowledge plays an important role. There are many types of knowledge important to the acts of reading and writing. Since all meanings are made in the context of prior meanings,with each person bringing a unique fund of prior knowledge and experience,we should not expect everyone to respond to texts in the same way.

        The passage is mainly about

        A. reading and writing

        B. learning as meaning-centered

        C. reading through transactions

        D. the importance of prior knowledge

        讀了第一句Describing learning as meaning centered reminds US that the most fun-damental concern of any learner is“making sense”(把學習語言描寫成以意思為中心，因為學習者最關心的就是自己說的、寫的能否讓人懂。)根據(jù)我們粗讀和做其他題時得到的信息，這一句應是全文的中心思想。再讀選項，B)learning as meaning-centered正好和這句意思對上，因此是答案無疑了。當然中心思想句出現(xiàn)在文章的后幾段也有：

        例2

        A wise man once said that the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. So, as a police officer, I have some urgent things to say to good people.

        Day after day my men and I struggle to hold back a tidal wave of crime. Something has gone terribly wrong with our once-proud American way of life. It has happened in the area of values. A key ingredient is disappearing, and I think I know what it is:ac-countability.

        Accountability isn't hard to define. It means that every person is responsible for his or her actions and liable for their consequences.

        Of the many values that hold civilization together--honesty, kindness,and so on--accountability may be the most important of all. Without it, there can be no respect, no trust, no law--and, ultimately, no society.

        My job as a police officer is to impose accountability on people who refuse,or have never learned, to impose it on themselves. But as every policeman knows, external con-trols on people's behavior are far less effective than internal restraints such as guilt, shame and embarrassment.

        Fortunately there are still communities--smaller towns, usually--where schools maintain discipline and where parents hold up standards that proclaim:"In this family certain things are not tolerated--they simply are not done!"

        Yet more and more, especially in our larger cities and suburbs, these inner re-straints are loosening. Your typical robber has none. He considers your property his property ; he takes what he wants,including your life if you engage him.

        The main cause of this break-down is a radical shift in attitudes. Thirty years ago, if a crime was committed,society was considered the victim. Now,in a shocking rever-sal,it's the criminal who is considered victimized : by his under-priviledged upbringing, by the school that didn't teach him to read, by the church that failed to reach him with moral guidance, by the parents who didn't provide a stable home.

        I don't believe it. Many others in equally disadvantaged circumstances choose not to engage in criminal activities. If we free the criminal, even partly, from accountabili-ty,we become a society of endless excuses where no one accepts responsibility for any-thing.

        We in America desperately need more people who believe that the person who commits a crime is the one responsible for it.

        The key point of the passage is that

        A. stricter discipline should be maintained in schools and families

        B. more good examples should be set for people to follow

        C. more restrictions should be imposed on people's behavior

        D. more people should accept the value of accountability

        這篇文章的中心思想句就出現(xiàn)在文章的第四段：Of the many values that hold civi-lization together--honesty，kindness，and so on--accountability may be the most im-portant of all.Without it，there can be no respect，no trust，no law――and，ultimately，no society(在許多人類文明的價值觀念中，負起責任是最重要的)。文章最后一句的總結也是這一意思：We in America desperately need more people who believe that the per-son who commits a crime is the one responsible for it.使更多的人認識到犯罪的人要對自己的罪行負起責任。對照選項，D.more people should accept the value of accounta-bility就是這個意思。

        也有中心思想旬在文章結尾出現(xiàn)的。

        例3

        The death of reading has been frequently, if not prematurely, reported. We are toldthat we live in an audio-visual age with radio,television,film,or other forms for ear and eye replacing the printed page. The picture is said to be faster to present, more adapta-ble to the message, and easier to comprehend.

        How can anyone be expected to resist the tide, the torrent of competing images?

        Can we preserve the printed page and the art and skills of reading? Untold teachers, writers,and others have struggled to show the rewards of reading,to demonstrate the practical values, and to encourage reading for personal discovery and growth. The ques-tion is whether the dedicated have had more influence than the image-flashers. Fortu-nately there are some hopeful signs.

        We can note the publication of more books, magazines, and papers than in any pre-vious time in our history. Libraries report far greater use than ever before. Schools con-tinue to show large numbers at all ages(except the young,due to a changing birthrate)seeking to attend. Even the visual media acknowledge their great dependence on the production of the printed word. Reading is not dead, dying, or. seriously ill. It remains as the major avenue to individual learning and satisfaction.

        If you agree with the point of view in this article you would probably

        A. read less than ever

        B. rely more on visual media

        C. watch television selectively

        D. attach due importance to reading

        這道題繞了個圈子，問的還是文章中心思想。根據(jù)中心思想句出現(xiàn)的位置和特征，我們讀到文章第一句：The death of reading has been frequently，if not prematurely，reported。文章最后一句：Reading is not dead，dying，or seriously ill.It remains as the major avenue to individual learning and satisfaction.文章第一句是說人們一直認為閱讀已消亡。經(jīng)過一番論述，文章最后一句總結說閱讀沒有消亡，相反仍然是個人學習和滿足的主要途徑。可見這句是文章的中心思想句。用這句意思去看四個選擇項，不難發(fā)現(xiàn)D.attach due importance to reading是正確答案。

        2.主題句解題法

        主題句通常以判斷句的形式出現(xiàn)，在文章中的通常位置為第一段首句、第一段末句和全文末句等地方。

        (1)主題句在首段首句

        許多文章開門見山，一開始就擺出要說明的主要對象或要論述的主要觀點，接下去的句子和段落都說明或論述它。這樣，文章的結構就屬于從一般到具體，主題也就在首段首句。

        例4

        Researchers have established that when people are mentally engaged, biochemical changes occur in the brain that allow it to act more effectively in cognitive(認知的)ar-eas such as attention and memory. This is true regardless of age.

        People will be alert(警覺的)and receptive(愿意接受的)if they are faced with information that gets them to think about things they are interested in. And someone with a history of doing more rather than less will go into old age more cognitively sound than someone who has not had an active mind.

        Many experts are so convinced of the benefits of challenging the brain that they are putting the theory to work in their own lives. "The idea is not necessary to learn to memorize enormous amounts of information,"says James Fozard, associate director of the National Institute on Aging. "Most of us don't need that kind of skill. Such specif- ic training is of less interest than being able to maintain mental alertness. " Fozard and others say they challenge their brains with different mental skills, both because they enjoy them and because they are sure that their range of activities will help the way their brains work.

        Gene Cohen, acting director of the same institute, suggests that people in their old age should engage in mental and physical activities individually as well as in groups. Cohen says that we are frequently advised to keep physically active as we age, but older people need to keep mentally active as well. Those who do are more likely to maintain their intellectual abilities and to be generally happier and better adjusted, "The point is, you need to do both," Cohen says. "Intellectual activity actually influ-ences brain-cell health and size. "

        本文以引經(jīng)據(jù)典的方法強調(diào)了頭腦健康，尤其是老年人頭腦健康的重要性。這個中心內(nèi)容在第一段第一句就已指出：人在用腦時，大腦會處于興奮狀態(tài)，這時大腦在諸如注意力和記憶力等屬于認知領域的能力方面會得到有效發(fā)揮。

        What is the passage mainly about?

        A. How biochemical changes occur in the human brain.

        B. Why people should keep active not only physically but also mentally.

        C. How intellectual activities influence brain-cell health.

        D. Why people should receive special mental training as they age.

        這道題的正確答案為B。A與C均為原文中的細節(jié)，而D與原文第三段第4～5行“…Such specific training is of less interest than being able to maintain mental alert-ness”相矛盾，所以都不是正確答案。

        (2)主題句在第一段末句

        首段末句也是主題句常出現(xiàn)的地方。假若如此，這個主題句就不僅是對全文的總結，也是對第一段的總結，而且開啟第二段及以后的說明或論述。簡而言之，這種文章結構是：具體說明或論述(一段)一總結(一段末的主題句)一后文的具體說明或論述。

        這種形式的主題句之前通常有表示總結的提示詞，如：in conclusion，to conclude， in summary，to sum up，in short，in brief，in a nutshell;或表示推斷的提示詞：there-fore，thus，as a result，accordingly;或表示轉折的提示詞：but，however等。轉折之后就出現(xiàn)主題句的情況較多，這種謀篇套路可以用“去舊取新、標新立異”八個字概括。文章中諸如“every parent”、“a popular belief”、“frequently assumed”、“universally accept-ed”等詞句提示作者可能在下文提出一個與之不同的觀點標新立異，假若如此，那么作者“標新立異”之處的觀點就是主題大意。對于某一現(xiàn)象，過去已有解釋，作者提出新的解釋，新解釋就是主題大意。這體現(xiàn)了上述的“去舊取新”原則。

        例5

        Do you find getting up in the morning so difficult that it's painful? This might be called laziness, but Dr. Kleitman has a new explanation. He has proved that everyone has a daily energy cycle.

        During the hours when you labour through your work you may say that you're 'hot’. That's true. The time of day when you feel most energetic is when your cycle of body temperature is at its peak. For some people the peak comes during the fore- noon. For others it comes in the afternoon or evening. No one has discovered why this is so, but it leads to such familiar monologues(自言自語)as: 'Get up, John! You'll be late for work again! ’ The possible explanation to the trouble is that John is at his temperature-and-energy peak in the evening. Much family quarrelling ends when hus- bands and wives realize what these energy cycles mean, and which cycle each member of the family has.

        You can't change your energy cycle, but you can learn to make your life fit it bet- ter. Habit can help. Dr. Kleitman believes. Maybe you're sleepy in the evening but feel you must stay up late anyway. Counteract(對抗)your cycle to some extent by ha- bitually staying up later than you want to. If your energy is low in the morning but you have an important job to do early in the day, rise before your usual hour. This won't change your cycle, but you'll get up steam and work better at your low point.

        Get off to a slow start which saves your energy. Get up with a leisurely yawn(呵欠)and stretch. Sit on the edge of the bed a minute before putting your feet on the floor. Avoid the troublesome search for clean elothes by laying them out the night be-fore. Whenever possible, do routine work in the afternoon and save tasks requiring more energy or concentration for your sharper hours.

        If a person finds getting up early a problem, most probably

        A. he is a lazy person

        B. he refuses to follow his own energy cyde

        C. he is not sure when his energy is how

        D. he is at his peak in the afternoon or evening.

        這段文章先提出現(xiàn)象：早晨起床困難，接著以不肯定的口吻提出一種解釋，然后“but”一轉，提出Kleitman博士的新解釋：各人的精力在一天之中有個周期。這個“but”之后的新解釋就是主題句。

        (3)文章首末兩段均有主題句

        主題句到末段才出現(xiàn)的情況較少，常見的情況是文章開門見山提出主題句，中間加以論述，文末復述首段的主題，這也是寫作方法之一。

        例6

        Attention to detail is something everyone can and should do -- especially in a tight job market. Bob Crossley, a human-resources expert notices this in the job applica- tions that come across his desk every day. "It's amazing how many candidates elimi- nate themselves," he says.

        "Resumes(簡歷)arrive with stains. Some candidates don't bother to spell the company's name correctly. Once I see a mistake, I eliminate the candidate,"Crossley concludes. "if they cannot take care of these details, why should we trust them with a job?"

        Can we pay too much attention to details? Absolutely. Perfectionists struggle over little things at the cost o{ something larger they work toward. "To keep from los- ing the forest for the trees, "says Charles Garfield, associate professor at the Universi- ty of California, San Francisco, "We must constantly ask ourselves how the details we're working on fit into the larger picture. If they don't, we should drop them and move to something else. "

        Garfield compares this process to his work as a computer scientist at NASA. "The Apollo Ⅱ moon launch was slightly off-course 90 percent of the time,"says Garfield. "But a successful landing was still likely because we knew the exact coordinates of our goal. This allowed us to make adjustments as necessary. "Knowing where we want to go helps us judge the importance of every task we undertake. Too often we believe what accounts for others' success is some special secret or a lucky break(機遇). But rarely is success so mysterious. Again and again, we see that by doing little things within our grasp well, large rewards follow.

        Which of the following is the author's advice to the reader?

        A. Although too much attention to details may be costly, they should not be overlooked.

        B. Don't forget details when drawing pictures.

        C. Be aware of the importance of a task before undertaking it.

        D. Careless applicants are not to be trusted.

        題干問作者對讀者的建議，其實就是問文章的主題。本文開頭提出要成就一番大事業(yè)，必須從小事做起。中間幾段分別從使用沾滿墨跡的求職履歷表遭淘汰、小事與大事的辯證關系及其例證兩個方面論證主題。文章最后呼應文章開頭的主題：任何人取得成功都是靠一點一滴做出來的，成功的秘密只有一條：千里之行，始于足下。因此A為正確答案，而B、C、D均無法由文章本身推出，為錯誤答案。

        (4)主題句在文章中間

        主題句出現(xiàn)在文章中間的情況也有，而且通常在第二段。倘若如此，文章的邏輯結構通常屬于下面兩種中的一種。

        a.從現(xiàn)象(或問題)到主題，再闡述或論證;

        b.從一個觀點(舊觀點或大眾觀點，即作者要駁斥的觀點)到主題(新觀點，即作者觀點)，再闡述或論證。屬于這種邏輯結構的，往往伴有表示轉折的提示詞，如but，how-ever等。

        例7

        For some time past it has been widely accepted that babies--and other creatures-- learn to do things because certain acts lead to "rewards”; and there is no reason to doubt that this is true. But it used also to be widely believed that effective rewards, at least in the early stages, had to be directly related to such basic physiological(生理的)"drives" as thirst or hunger. In other words, a baby would learn if he got food or drink or some sort of physical comfort, not otherwise.

        It is now clear that this is not so. Babies will learn to behave in ways that produce results in the world with no reward except the successful outcome.

        Papousek began his studies by using milk in the normal way to "reward" the ba- bies and so teach them to carry out some simple movements, such as turning the head to one side or the other. Then he noticed that a baby who had had enough to drink would refuse the milk but would still go on making the learned response with clear signs of pleasure. So he began to study the children's responses in situations where no milk was provided. He quickly found that children as young as four months would learn to turn their heads to right or left if the movement "switched on" a display of lights--and indeed that they were capable of learning quite complex turns to bring about this result, for instance, two left or two right, or even to make as many as three turns to one side.

        Papousek's light display was placed directly in front of the babies and he made the interesting observation that sometimes they would not turn back to watch the lights closely although they would"smile and bubble" when the display came on. Papousek concluded that it was not primarily the sight of the lights which pleased them, it was the success they were achieving in solving the problem, in mastering the skill, and that there exists a fundamental human urge to make sense of the world and bring it un-der intentional control.

        Papousek noticed in his studies that a baby

        A. would make learned responses when it saw the milk

        B. would carry out learned movements when it had enough to drink

        C. would continue the simple movements without being given milk

        D. would turn its head to right or left when it had enough to drink

        這篇文章開始指出人們以往接受的一種觀點(老觀點)：嬰兒(其他生物也是一樣)學做某些事(動作)，是因為做這些事(動作)可以得到“獎賞”;隨后進一步指出，過去人們普遍認為(老觀點)：這種“產(chǎn)生預期效果的獎賞”都和滿足諸如口渴、饑餓等關于人的 “基本生理需要”直接相關。

        在第二段一開始，作者指出(新觀點)：情況并非如此。嬰兒學做某種動作，是想讓這些動作在周圍世界產(chǎn)生結果，而不是為了得到單純滿足生理需要的“獎賞”。

        第三段和第四段討論Papousek的實驗，并得出結論：人類自身存在著一種內(nèi)在的了解世界并力圖對其有意識地加以控制的欲望。

        由上可知，本文的結構屬于從舊觀點到主題(新觀點)，再論證。主題句為第二段的第二句話。

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