英语阅读理解主旨大意题的解题技巧
高考英语阅读理解主要考查考生能够在单位时间内快速阅读英语短文,了解短文的主题思想,对文中信息进行分析、推理、判断,并把握上下文事实、细节之间的时空顺序和逻辑关系,理解作者的意图、态度以及文章寓意的能力。综观历年阅读理解题的设问,我们可以看出:试题设问手法灵活、提问深入,而且语篇意识进一步加强了;不仅要求学生理解文章的字面意思,还要求学生
理解文章的内在含义。
阅读理解的考查题型主要有六大类:细节理解题,推理判断题,主旨大意题,词义猜测题,判断作者意图、态度、观点题和判断文章的基本结构题。其中,主旨大意题型旨在考察考生通过快速阅读获取语篇的中心思想的能力,以及辨别主要信息和次要信息的能力。要求考生运用逻辑概括能力,从文章的字里行间获取文章中的代表性观点和中心论点。主旨大意题是考生容易出错的题型之一,错误主要表现为:概括文章中心时以偏概全(只见树木不见森林),概括性不够,或者概括过度,超出了文本的内容,缺乏针对性。高考阅读理解主旨
大意题型的命题形式主要有:
1. The main topic/subject of the passge is _____.
2. What is mainly discusd in the text/X paragraph?
3. What is the main idea of the passage?
4. The purpo of this passage is _____.
5. The passage mainly focud on _____.
6. What would be the best title/topic/headline of the text?
上述命题形式大致可以概括为三类:选择段落或文章的主题思想、写作目的和标题。下面结合高考实例来分析主旨大意题的解题技巧。
一、文章或者某段落的主旨大意——主题句定位法
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众所周知,文章是由段落组成,每个段落都是围绕某个中心思想展开的一群句子的组合,而段落的中心思想又是为文章主旨服务的。寻找文章中心思想的方法是:通过分析篇章结构,找出每一小段的主题句,然后通过寻找共同点,找出整个文章的主题句,这是找准文章主题大意的关键。主题句是文章的核心,它往往是一个有很强概括性和代表性的句子。找到了文章的主题句,文章的中心思想也就显而易见了。但是由于文章表现手法各不相同,主题句出现的位置也不尽相同。在多数情况下,尤其在
说明文和议论文中,主题句在文章中的位置通常有三种:开头、文中和文末。解题时,我们通常采用浏览的方式,仔细选读文章的首尾段和首尾句(包括每一段的首尾句),重点搜索主题线索和脉
络。下面阐述五种主题呈现的方式:
五年规划
1.开门见山式
主题句出现在文首。开门见山,提出主题,随之用细节来解释、论证或发展主题思想。这种写作手法叫做演绎法,在英语文章中尤为常见,这种文章的主题
句最容易找到,故主题思想显而易见。
例1(2005年全国高考重庆卷E篇):
In modern society there is a great deal of argument about competition. Some value it highly, believing that it is responsible for social progress and prosperity. Others say that competition is
bad,that it ts one person against another; that it leads to
unfriendly relationship between people.
第71题:What does this passage mainly talk about?
A.Competition helps to t up lf-respect.
B.Opinions about competition are different among people.
C.Competition is harmful to personal quality development.
抽头
D. Failures are necessary experience in competition.
浏览文章,我们看到文中第一句“In modern society there is a great deal of argument about competition.”(现代社会,关于竞争有很多争议)便提
出了文章的中心论点,所以答案为B。
2.藏头露尾式
主题句出现在文尾。即文章先阐述了细节,然后归纳要点,得出结论,概括主题,叫做归纳写作法,主题句往往位于末段。这一类文章的主题句也很明显,
不难找到。奶奶的葬礼
例2:
On the Internet, we can read news at home and abroad and get as much information as we can. We often nd e-mails or make telephone calls to our families as well as to our friends by Internet. What’s more, we can go to school on the net, read a lot of books and even teach ourlves foreign languages. We also enjoy music, watch ball matches on the net and play computer games. With the help of the net, we can do shopping even without leaving our homes. The Internet is playing a more and more important part in
our daily life.
题目为:What’s the main idea of the passage?
A. Keep away from the Internet.
B. Surf the net.
C. The Internet is playing an important part in our daily life.
D. We can entertain ourlves on the Internet.
在浏览全文后,发现文章最后一句“The Internet is playing a more and more important part in our daily life.”(因特网在我们的生活中起着越来越重要的作用)是全文的主题句。A项(远离网络)与主题不符。B项(上网)过于笼统。D项(网上娱乐)只不过是短文中的一个细节,不全面。
所以答案为C。
3.首尾呼应式
在有些文章中,为了突出主题,作者在文章开头提出主题,接着进行阐述或论证,在结尾时再次点出主题,这种首尾呼应的写作方式也很常见。值得注意的是,前后两个主题句不是简单的重复,再次出现的主题句往往是前面主题
句的进一步引申或发展。
例3:
Lacros(曲棍球) is a popular sport in Canada. The Indians in Canada invented it. They ud it to train for war. They invented this game before Columbus arrived in the New World.
People play lacros outdoors. The lacros field is ven meters long. At each end of the field there is a goal. The goal is…
There are many lacros clubs and lacros teams all over Canada. Every night Canadians can watch the lacros games on TV or listen to the lacros games over the radio.
At one time lacros was the national summer sport in Canada.
Today it is still popular with Canadians.
题目为:The passage is mainly about .
A. How to Play Lacros
B. Lacros in Canada
C. The History of Lacros
本帮菜是什么菜
D. Lacros—A Popular Game in Canada
浏览全文,我们发现作者先后两次提到“曲棍球在加拿大很受欢迎”,开头的“Lacros (曲棍球) is a popular sport in Canada.”和末段的“Today it is still popular with Canadians.”显然选项D最符合短文的主题。
4.抛砖引玉式
即文章的开头只是提出一个问题或者貌似正确的观点,而真正的主题则是通过对问题的解析和引申,或是通过责问和驳论的方式导出主题。
例4(2005年北京卷C篇):
How could we possibly think that keeping animals in cages in unnatural environments-mostly for entertainment purpos-is fair
and respectful?
dry反义词Zoo officials say they are concerned about animals. However, most zoos remain “collections” of interesting “things” rather than
protective habitats (栖息地). …
Zoos claim (声称) to educate people and save endangered
species(物种), but visitors leave zoos without having learned
农机监理
anything meaningful about the animals’ natural behavior,
老抽是酱油吗intelligence, or beauty….
…
Actually, we will save endangered species only if we save their habitat and put an end to the reasons people kill them. Instead of supporting zoos, we should support groups that work to protect
animals’ natural habitats.
第66题:What does the author try to argue in the passage?
A.Zoos are not worth the public support.
B.Zoos fail in their attempt to save animals.
C.Zoos should treat animals as human beings.
D.Zoos u animals as a means of entertainment.
文章开头提出了问题(How could we possibly think that keeping animals in cages in unnatural environments-mostly for entertainment purpos-is fair and respectful?),然后通过责问的方式,驳斥貌似正确的观点,逐步解析,最后得出正确的结论,也就是对文章开头的问题作了回答,即不应该支持动物园而应该支持在自然环境下保护动物的
做法。所以正确答案是A。
5.藏龙卧虎式
即主题句隐含在全文当中,没有明确的主题句。阅读这样的文章,要求考生根据文章的细节来分析、概括推导出文章的主题。具体方法是:首先弄清楚各个段落讲了哪几个方面的内容,这些内容在逻辑上有什么联系,寻找共同点,然后加以归纳形成主题。例5(2005年安徽卷C篇):Handshaking, though a European practice is often en in big cities of China. Nobody knows exactly when the practice started in Europe. It is said that long long ago in Europe when people met, they showed their unarmed(无武器的) hands to each other as a sign of goodwill. As time went on and trade in cities grew rapidly, people in cities began to clap each other’s hands to make a deal or to reach an agreement. This practice was later changed into shaking hands among friends on meeting or leaving each other. “Let’s shake (hands) on it” sometimes means agreement reached.
第65题目:The first paragraph mainly tells us ______.
A. where handshaking was first practiced
B. how handshaking came about
C. about the relationship between handshaking and trade
D. about the practice of handshaking both in Europe and in China 浏览全段内容,不难发现这一段说明了握手的来历,即谈论握手是怎样产
生的,所以答案为B。
二、选择最好的标题——选帽原则
标题可以是单词、短语,也可以是句子,它高度概括了文章内容,点明文章主题,它是文章中心思想最精练的表达形式。那如何选择文章的标题呢?如同选择文章的主题思想一样,标题要有概括性、全面性、针对性。标题要避免概括不够,即以部分代整体,或以事实细节代替具体的大意;也要避免概括过度,即脱离了文本内容的过度发挥,导致标题范围太大,缺乏针对性。像帽子一样,大小合适才行。另外,标题要简洁、突出、新颖。标题是文章的点睛之笔,所
以它还要具有醒目的特点,能吸引读者。
例6(2005年江西卷A篇):
He wishes the holiday ason would end already. His back aches, his red suit feels like a spacesuit, his cheeks have gone tight from
smiling for 12 hours …
The questions from children the days are harder than ever. Now, with thousands of children expecting a father or mother rving in Iraq or Afghanistan, the questions are as heart-breaking as they are unanswerable. For example, “Can you plea bring Daddy home from the war in time for Christmas morning?”
Santas also have a pretty good chance of getting sued (指控)…
第59题:What would be the best title for the passage?
A.Christmas: Not a Good Festival for Santas
B.Is Santa Claus Really Alive?
C.A Christmas Story
D.What Does Santa Claus Do for Children?
浏览全文,由第一段首句“He wishes the holiday ason would end
already. His back aches”,第二段首句“The questions from children the days are harder than ever.”以及第三段首句“Santas also have a pretty good chance of getting sued (指控).”,不难看出本文主要讲述圣诞老人的辛苦。所以A选项最恰当。文中没有谈及B选项内容,C选项标题范围太大,没有针对性,D选项没有概括文中内容。
一般情况下,考生在做阅读理解题时,首先要快速浏览,预测大意,然后灵活交替使用跳读、回读、细读等方式,寻找有用的信息,验证和纠正先前的预测。其次,对关键句子要仔细解读,如文章的首尾段和首尾句,抓住大意,确定文章的主题思想,分清层次,辨别主题和细节。一旦考生弄清楚文章主旨大意,那么在做其他的细节理解题、推理判断题和词义猜测题的时候,都会有一个正
确的方向,做题的正确率也会大大提高。
Next time a customer comes to your office, offer him a cup of coffee. And when you’re doing your holiday shopping online, make sure you’re holding a large glass of iced tea. The physical nsation
(感觉)of warmth encourages emotional warmth, while a cold drink in hand prevents you from making unwi decisions—tho are the practical lesson being drawn from recent rearch by psychologist John A. Bargh.
Psychologists have known that one person’s perception(感知)of another’s “warmth” is a powerful determiner in social relationships. Judging someone to be either “warm” or “cold” is a primary consideration, even trumping evidence that a “cold” person may be more capable. Much of this is rooted in very early childhood experiences, Bargh argues, when babies’ conceptual n of the world around them is shaped by physical nsations, particularly warmth and coldness. Classic studies by Harry Harlow, published in 1958, showed monkeys preferred to stay clo to a cloth “mother” rather than one made of wire, even when the wire “mother” carried a food bottle. Harlow’s work and later studies have led psychologists to stress the need for warm physical contact from caregivers to help young children grow into healthy adults with normal social skills. Feelings of “warmth” and “coldness” in social judgments appear to be universal. Although no worldwide study has been done, Bargh says that describing people as “warm” or “cold” is common to many cultures, and studies have found tho perceptions influence judgment in dozens of countries.
To test the relationship between physical and psychological warmth, Bargh conducted an experiment
which involved 41 college students. A rearch assistant who was unaware of the study’s hypothes(假设), handed the students either a hot cup of coffee, or a cold drink, to hold while the rearcher filled out a short information form: The drink was then handed back. After that, the students were asked to rate the personality of “Person A” bad on a particular description. Tho who had briefly held the warm drink regarded Person A as warmer than tho who had held the iced drink.