第三講 主旨大意題
主旨大意題主要是測試考生對一篇文章或一段文字的深層理解程度及在速讀中準確把握文章主旨大意的能力。一般針對某一語段或某一語篇的主題標題或目的設題。常見的設題方式有：
1標題類常見的標題型題干：
1)The best title/ headline for this passage might be_____________.
2)The text (passage) could be entitled ______________.
3)What is the best title for the passage?
4)Which of the following would be suitable as a title for the passage?
2 大意類常見的主題型題干：
5) This passage chiefly deals with____________.6) What’s the topic of the article?
7) What is the subject discussed in the text?
8) With what topic is the passage chiefly concerned?
3 目的主旨大意題
The author’s main purpose in writing the passage is______.
The passage is meant to _____ The purpose of this article is _______
這類題通常圍繞一個中心思想展開，不少文章一開頭便展示出文章的中心思想，第一段常常是內(nèi)容的梗概，同時又表達了中心思想，但是不少文章的中心思想貫穿全文，并沒有用一句話明確表達出來，這就要求學生學會歸納概括。每個段落往往也由一個主題句或幾個陳述句構成，它們在句中的位置不同，有時在開頭, 首先點明本段大意; 有時在結尾, 總結本段大意。
做這類題，首先要找出文章的主題句。找出文章的主題句，也就明確了文章要講什么，再通過速讀全文，就可以把握文章的中心思想了。另外在許多文段中，沒有可以概括全段意義的主題句，必須根據(jù)文章中所提供的事實細節(jié)，進行全面分析，然后歸納成一般概念。但必須注意，既不能以偏概全，也不能在概括時過于寬泛，要恰如其分。
A.主題句呈現(xiàn)的形式
1）文首開門見山, 提出主題, 隨之用細節(jié)來解釋, 支撐或發(fā)展主題句所表達的主題思想. 最常見的演繹法寫作方式.
例1.The panda is a popular animal. Stories about the panda in the Washington Zoo are always front page news and important features on television newscasts. Stuffed pandas are among the most popular toys for children, and panda postcards are always in demand in zoo gift shops.
例2.Today the problem of environment has become more and more serious. The world population is rising, so quickly that the world has become too crowded. We are using up our natural resources too quickly and at the same time we are polluting our environment with dangerous chemicals. If we continue to do this, human life on earth will not survive.
2).文尾，在表述細節(jié)后, 歸納要點, 印象, 結論建議或結果, 以概括主題. 這是英語中最常見的歸納法寫作方式
例3.A human body appears to be rather soft and delicate, compared with that of a wild animal, but it is actually surprisingly strong. In deed, its very softness and looseness is an advantage; it makes man good at moving about movement of all living things of his own size, because he can do so many different things with his limbs. Man’s games show how he can control his own body. No other land creature can swim as skillfully as man; more has such varied grace; very few lives as long as he; none is so strong in its natural resistance to disease. Therefore man has a great advantage in his battle against the risks of damage and death that threaten him.
3).文中，通常前面只提出問題， 文中的主題由隨之陳述的細節(jié)或合乎邏輯的引申在文中導出, 而后又作進一步的解釋, 支撐或發(fā)展.
例4.Nothing is as useful as a flashlight in a dark night if a tire goes flat. Few inventions are so helpful to a child who is afraid of the dark. In fact, the modern flashlight brings light to many dark situations. Finding something in the back of a closet is easy with a flashlight in hand a camper also needs one after the light of the campfire has been out.
4).首尾呼應，為突出主題, 作者先提出主題, 結尾時再次點出主題, 這種首尾呼應的寫作方式較為多見. 但前后表述主題的句子不是簡單的重復, 后面的表述往往有進一步的引申或發(fā)展的意味。
例5.（首段）Shu Pulong has helped at least 1000 people bitten by snakes, “ It was seeing people with snakes bites that led me to the career.“she said…
&O1472;（尾段）“The sad story touched me so much that I decided to devote myself to helping people bitten by
snakes.”Shu said.
5).無主題句，即主題句隱含在全文中, 沒有明確的主題句. 必須根據(jù)文篇中所提供的事實細節(jié)，進行全面考慮，綜合分析，然后找出共同的東西，歸納成一般概念。必須注意的是，既不能以偏概全，也不能在概括時過于寬泛，要恰如其分。
例6.Joshua Bingham studied 4 years at the University of Paris and decided to leave his graduation. He transferred to the University of Berlin and graduated with honors. Harvard Law School and, later, Boston College provided him with an excellent legal background. He is presently a corporation lawyer in Miami, Florida.
Q: What is the main idea of the passage?�。撸撸撸�
A. How Joshua Bingham became a lawyer. B. Bingham is a diligent student.
C. Joshua Bingham received an excellent education. D. A good lawyer needs good education.
[分析]此文沒有主題句。全篇共四句，只陳述了四個細節(jié)(detail)性的事實。因此就答案本身看，個個都對。讀者只能將所有的 details綜合起來，進行邏輯推理，才能構成一個沒有言明的主題思想(unstated main idea)。由于文中主要涉及了Joshua Bingham接受教育的情況，即作者想告訴我們的是：Joshua Bingham接受過良好的教育，所以答案是 Ｃ
除了以上主題句呈現(xiàn)的常見形式外還要注意標志詞
文章或段落的主題句常常會出現(xiàn)在一些標志性的提示后。如：on the whole, as a result, in short, therefore, thus…..I agree with the opinion that….;Given all these points above, I would support the idea that….; For all the reasons mentioned above, I would prefer….
B.實例說明
例1（文章請看推理判斷例2，2003年全國高考）
�、賅hat would be the best title for the text?
A．Computers and Printers B．E-mail and the Business World
C．Internet Revolution and Environment D．Modern Technology and New Markets
[分析]本題考查對于全文主旨大意的把握并要求考生據(jù)此選擇最佳標題．
全文的關鍵詞應該是Internet和Environment，因此答案為C．
其余選項中的computers，printers，e—mail，business world，technology，market都在文中提到了，但其作用只是為了闡明主題所需，答題時不可以點代面．
例2：As prices and building costs keep rising,the "do-it-yourself"(DIY)trend（趨勢）in the U.S.continues to grow."We needed furniture（家具）for our living room,"says John Ross,"and we just didn't have enough money to buy it.So we decided to try making a few tables and chairs."John got married six months ago,and like many young people these days,they are struggling to make a home at a time when the cost of living is very high.The Rosses took a 2-week course for $ 280 at a night school.Now they build all their furniture and make repairs around the house.Jim Hatfield has three boys and his wife died.Hs has a full-time job at home as well as in a shoe making factory.Last month,he received a car repair bill for $ 420."I was deeply upset about it.Now I've finished a car repair course,I should be able to fix the car by myself."John and Jim are not unusual people.Most families in the country are doing everything they can to save money so the can fight the high cost of living.If you want to become a "do-it-yourselfer",you can go to DIY calsses.And for those who don't have time to take a course,there are books that tell you how you can do things yourself.（1998NMET）
�、�.What would be the best title for the text?
A.the Joy of DIY B.You Can Do It Too!
C.Welcome to Our DIY Course! D.Ross and Hatfield:Believers in DIY.
[分析]根據(jù)首句As prices and building costs keep rising,the "do-it-yourself"(DIY)trend（趨勢）in the U.S.continues to grow.和尾句And for those who don't have time to take a course,there are books that tell you how you can do things yourself.可以知道答案為B
例3：A university graduate described as a “respectable and intelligent” woman is seeking professional help after being convicted of （證明有……罪）shoplifting for the second time in six months.
Ana Luz, recently studying for her PhD,has been told she could end up behind bars unless she can control the desire to steal from shops .
Luz ,who lives with her partner in Fitzwilliam Road ,Cambridge ,admitted stealing clothes worth ￡9.95 from John Lewis in Oxford Street ,London ,on March 9.
Phillip Lemoyne ,prosecuting（起訴）,said Luz selected some clothes from a display and took them to the ladies’ toilet in the store .When she came out again she was wearing one of the skirts she had selected ,having taken off the anti-theft security alarms（防盜警報裝置）.
She was stopped and caught after leaving the store without paying ,Mr Lemoyne said.
He added that she was upset on her arrest and apologized for her actions.
Luz,28, was said to have been convicted of shoplifting by Cambridge judges last October ,but Morag Duff, defending ,said she had never been in trouble with the police before that .
“She is ashamed and embarrassed but doesn’t really have any explanation why she did this ,” Miss Duff said . “She didn’t intend to steal when she went into the store .She is at a loss to explain it . She is otherwise a very respectable and intelligent young lady .She went to her doctor and asked for advice because she wants to know if there is anything in particular that caused her to do this.”
Judge David Azan fined Luz ￡ 50, and warned : “You’ve got a criminal record .If you carry on like this ,you will end up in prison ,which will ruin your bright future you may have.”
Luz achieved a degree in design at university in her native Spain ,went on to a famous university in Berlin , Germany for her master’s degree and is now studying for a PhD at Cambridge University ,UK.（2004福建）
③.What would be the best title for the passage ?
A．Shoplifting Shame of a PhD Student B．Apologizing for the Actions in Shops
C．Seeking Professional Help from Experts D．Controlling the Desire to Steal from Shops
[分析]文章主要講的是一個女博士生盜竊的事，唯有A答案(女博士的偷竊丑聞)點出了主題，其他答案均為細節(jié)的描述，不能成為正確答案
例4：Since many of you are planning to study at a college or university in this country, you may be curious to know what you usually do in a typical week, how you can get along with your fellow students, and so on.These are the questions I want to discuss with you today.
First, let’s talk about what your weekly schedule will look like. No matter what your major may be, you can expect to spend between four and six hours a week for each class attending lectures. Lectures are usually in very large rooms because some courses such as introduction to sociology or economics often have as many as two or three hundred students, especially at large universities. In lectures, it’s very important for you to take notes on what the professor says because the information a lecture is often different from the information in your textbooks. Also, you can expect to have exam questions based on the lectures. So it isn’t enough to just read your textbooks; you have to attend lectures as well. In a typical week you will also have a couple of hours of discussion for every class you take. The discussion section is a small group meeting usually with fewer than thirty students where you can ask questions about the lectures, the reading, and the homework. In large universities, graduate students, called teaching assistants, usually direct discussion sections.
If your major is chemistry, or physics, or another science, you’ll also have to spend several hours a week in the lab, or laboratory, doing experiments. This means that science majors spend more time in the classroom than non science majors do. On the other hand, people who major in subjects like literature or history usually have to read and write more than science majors do.（2004重慶卷）
④.The main purpose of this text is .
A. to help the students to learn about university life B. to persuade the students to attend lectures
C. to encourage the sudents to take part in discussions D. to advise the students to choose proper majors
[分析]答案A B、C為細節(jié)，無論對錯不能成為此類題型的答案.D.沒有涉及到如何選擇專業(yè)的問題
you may be curious to know what you usually do in a typical week, how you can get along with your fellow students, and so on.These are the questions I want to discuss with you today.
例5：Handshaking, though a European practice is often seen 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 (無武器的) 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.
Do the Europeans shake hands wherever they go and with whomever they meet? No. Sometimes the Chinese abroad reach out their hands too often to be polite. It is really very impolite to give your hand when the other party, especially when it is a woman, shows little interest in shaking hands with you and when the meeting does not mean anything to him or-her. Even if, for politeness, he holds out his unwilling hand in answer to your uninvited hand, just touch it slightly- There is generally a misunderstanding (誤解) among the Chinese that westerners are usually open and straightforward, while the Chinese are rather reserved (保守的) in manner. But in fact some people in western countries more reserved than some Chinese today. So it is a good idea to shake hands with a westerner only when he shows interest in further relations with you.（2005年安徽卷）
�、軹he 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
[分析]第一段主要講述了握手的起源。答案B
�、轙he main purpose of the text is ______.
A. to tell us some differences between the East and the West
B. to offer us some important facts about handshaking
C. to introduce us to some different customs in the West
D. to give us some advice before we travel abroad
[分析]本篇講述了在什么情況下握手比較得體，給我們提供了有關握手的事實。答案B
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