第一節(jié)　文章的主旨和大意

一、主旨和大意的區(qū)別

很多專家認(rèn)為，在閱讀理解中最重要的一項(xiàng)技能就是掌握和理解文章的主旨和大意，因?yàn)樗ǔＪ菍?duì)全文內(nèi)容的概括，也是對(duì)作者意圖的反映。要成功地做到這一點(diǎn)，首先要明確幾個(gè)概念：

（1）主題或題目（topic or subject）。它是一個(gè)單詞或詞組，能夠概括作者在文中要討論的主要內(nèi)容。通常主題要具有概括性，要能夠涵蓋全文的內(nèi)容，而非部分內(nèi)容，而且同時(shí)要具有限定性。比如說，對(duì)某一篇文章來說，下面三個(gè)題目：“Politics”、“Federal Politics”、“Corruption in Federal Politics”可能都對(duì)，但可能只有最后一個(gè)最能如實(shí)地反映出文章的主要內(nèi)容。因此，在判斷四個(gè)選項(xiàng)中哪個(gè)是文章最好的主題（Which is the best topic of the passage）時(shí)，要注意選擇既有概括性又很具體的題目。

例1：

Name a topic that includes all the details in the list：

Thanksgiving Day，Mother’s Day，Independence Day，Lincoln’s Birthday，Martin Luther King’s Day，Washington’s Day

Topic：＿＿＿.

上述這些節(jié)日都是美國的節(jié)日：感恩節(jié)、母親節(jié)、獨(dú)立日（國慶日）、林肯紀(jì)念日、馬丁·路德·金紀(jì)念日、華盛頓紀(jì)念日。因此，這組的標(biāo)題應(yīng)是“American Holidays”。如果用“Holidays”作為標(biāo)題，概括的面就過大，不夠具體，因?yàn)檫@組詞語僅涉及美國的節(jié)日，而未涉及其他國家的節(jié)日，所以最合適的題目只能是“American Holidays”.

例2：

Courting behavior in birds is also believed to be instinctive.In one experiment Daniel Lehr man of Rutgers University found that when a male blond ring dove was isolated from females，it soon began to bow and coo to a stuffed model of a female—a model that it had previously ignored.When the model was replaced by a rolled-up cloth，he began to court the cloth；and when this was removed the sex-crazed dove directed his attention to a corner of the cage，where it could at least focus its gaze.It seems that threshold for release of the behavior pattern became increasingly lower as time went by without the sight of a live female dove.It is almost as though some specific“energy”for performing courting behavior were building up within the male ring dove.

Question：

The best topic of this paragraph is“＿＿＿”.

A.A Male Blond Ring Dove

B.Courting Behavior

C.A Live Female Dove

D.Courting Behavior in birds

這個(gè)題目的答案應(yīng)該是D。這篇文章主要是通過描述對(duì)急于求偶的雄性鴿子進(jìn)行的一連串實(shí)驗(yàn)來證明鳥類的求偶行為是天生的、本能的（在通讀全文時(shí)，一下子看到段首句Courting behavior in birds is also believed to be instinctive，我們常?？吹?，段首句往往是主題句。而該段的第二句話In one experiment Daniel Lehr man of Rutgers University found that when a male blond ring dove was isolated from females，it soon began to bow and coo to a stuffed model of a female....雄性鴿子僅僅是科學(xué)家用來實(shí)驗(yàn)鳥類求偶行為的實(shí)驗(yàn)罷了）。因此，可以看出選項(xiàng)D既概括了主題，又限定了一連串實(shí)驗(yàn)的目的，應(yīng)為正確答案。而選項(xiàng)A和選項(xiàng)C只選擇了文中細(xì)節(jié)，而非全文內(nèi)容的概括，而且由于本文也并不是對(duì)雄性或雌性鴿子的介紹性文章，故應(yīng)當(dāng)排除。至于選項(xiàng)B，雖具有概括性，卻范圍太大，沒有突出這篇文章的主題，因此也不合適。

（2）文章的大意或中心思想（main idea or controlling idea）。它是作者針對(duì)所選定主題（topic）而進(jìn)行的概述。作者在文中對(duì)中心思想進(jìn)行明確而肯定的闡述的句子叫做主題句（topic sentence or main idea statement）。主題句一般是一個(gè)具有概括性或總結(jié)性的陳述句。文章大意或中心思想所討論的內(nèi)容不同于這里要講的第三個(gè)概念——細(xì)節(jié)內(nèi)容（supporting details）。細(xì)節(jié)內(nèi)容用來支持中心思想的例證、說理和詳述等。

例1：

Early Cognitive Development

Cognitive psychologists sometimes study young children to observe the very beginnings of cognitive activity.For example，when children first begin to utter words and sentences，they overgeneralize what they know and make language more consistent than it actually is.

Topic：＿＿＿.

Main idea：＿＿＿.

Detail：＿＿＿.

很明顯上面這段文字的題目是“Early Cognitive Development”（早期認(rèn)知的發(fā)展）。而其中心思想則是該段的段首句，細(xì)節(jié)內(nèi)容是該段第二句話所舉的例子。

例2：

Compare the items within each group below and indicate whether each one is a statement of main idea（M I），a topic（T），or a specific supporting detail（D）.

Group 1

A.In 1981 Henry Cisneros of San Antonio became the first Mexican-American mayor of a large city.

B.Mexican-American political gains.

C.Since 1960 Mexican-American have made impressive political gains.

Group 2

A.For poor farm families life on the plains meant a sod house or a dugout carved out of the hillside for protection from the winds.

B.One door and usually no more than a single window provided light and air.

C.Sod houses on the plains.

Group 3

A.As individuals，American tend to value the knowledge and skills transmitted by the schools，not for their own sake but because they hope to translate those skills into good jobs and money.

B.Social mobility through education.

C.As one study indicates，many students are attracted to college because of job and career

considerations.

Group 4

A.For example，human babies require about twice as many calories per unit of body weight as adults.

B.Although children need less total food than adults，their metabolic needs exceed those of adults in proportion to their body weight.

C.Metabolic needs of children.

Group 5

A.The question of a bill of rights.

B.First，Hamilton wrote in Federalist 84 that a Bill of Rights might be necessary to restrict a king，but not a government established by the people；such a government，he said，possesses only the powers given to it by the people.

C.A serious objection raised against the Constitution by those who opposed its ratification was that it contained no Bill of Rights.

參考答案：

Group 1

A.D　　B.T　　C.M I

Group 2

A.M I　B.D　　C.T

Group 3

A.D　　B.T　　C.M I

Group 4

A.D　　B.M I　C.T

Group 5

A.T　　B.D　　C.M I

二、主題句的理解

由于一篇文章的主題思想往往是通過主題句來表達(dá)的，那么，能夠快速而準(zhǔn)確地找到文章的主題句對(duì)于正確理解全文的意思就非常重要了。為了快速地找到文章或段落的主題句，從而弄明白文章或段落的主要內(nèi)容，考生首先就要先掌握主題句在段落中經(jīng)?？赡艹霈F(xiàn)的位置。主題句在段落中的位置大致可歸納為以下幾種：段首主題句；段末主題句；段中主題句；無明確標(biāo)志的主題句。

然后，應(yīng)遵循以下介紹的行之有效的解題步驟去進(jìn)行閱讀理解：

（1）仔細(xì)閱讀全文，通觀段落大意，重點(diǎn)理解段落的首句及尾句。

（2）理解段首句與第二句或第三句之間的語義關(guān)系。

（3）如果從第二句起開始陳述（或釋義）段首句內(nèi)容的話，說明從第二句開始，陳述或解釋段首句內(nèi)容的話，這些句子就稱為支撐句（Supporting Sentences），從而可確定段首句為主題句。

（4）如果從段首句起就開始論述細(xì)節(jié)，到段末句才進(jìn)行概括或歸納的話，就說明段末句才是主題句。

（5）如果段首句是陳述句，段末句也是陳述句，而在段中出現(xiàn)一句概括性的句子時(shí)，就說明段中其他句子都是為這一概括性的句子服務(wù)的。顯然，這個(gè)段中句就應(yīng)當(dāng)是主題句，是全段的中心思想。

（6）如果全段都是情節(jié)句，而未出現(xiàn)總結(jié)性的句子，就說明該段是一個(gè)無主題句的段落。這時(shí)讀者可根據(jù)段落所論述的中心思想或焦點(diǎn)，即論述哪一類性質(zhì)的事情或人物，來進(jìn)行推斷，找出其共同點(diǎn)或核心點(diǎn)，進(jìn)而得出結(jié)論。這樣的段落就稱為主旨大意隱含段。

（7）有時(shí)段落前兩句都是較概括性的句子，第三句才開始論證或釋義前兩句。要辨認(rèn)出哪句為主題句，讀者需對(duì)前兩句稍加分析，不難得出該段的第二句才是主題句，因?yàn)樗母爬ㄐ詮?qiáng)，而段首句僅起引導(dǎo)作用，引出段落要進(jìn)行陳述的主題內(nèi)容，所以就不可把第一句視為主題句。

（8）有時(shí)讀者還會(huì)碰到段落中的重復(fù)主題句，即段首為主題句，到段末時(shí)又出現(xiàn)概括性的句子，即“段首主題句＋段末主題句”共同陳述段落主題。這又是一種寫作方法，而段末主題句往往是用來重復(fù)強(qiáng)調(diào)段首的主題句。一般來說，這種重復(fù)主題句不重復(fù)原句詞句，而是用不同于段首句的表述形式和內(nèi)容而變換說法來使段首句內(nèi)容更加明確或確切，但根本意義則相同。

1.段首主題句

全文主題句或段首主題句通常位于全文章或段落的開頭，文章或段落的其他部分則圍繞該主題句展開論述，這些論述句都用于說明或解釋其具體內(nèi)容或細(xì)節(jié)。掌握這種知識(shí)并熟悉這種文章結(jié)構(gòu)，就能使考生更快地抓住對(duì)全文的中心思想及文章敘述的內(nèi)容層次與具體細(xì)節(jié)。

例1：

American and Chinese cultures are at polar opposites.An American hostess，complimented for her cooking skills，is likely to say，“Oh，I’m so glad that you liked it.I cooked it especially for you.”Not so a Chinese host or hostess（often the husband does the fancy cooking），who will instead apologize for giving you“nothing”even slightly edible and for not showing you enough honor by providing proper dishes.

Question：

The topic of this paragraph is＿＿＿.

A.American and Chinese cooking difference

B.American and Chinese cultural difference

C.American hostess

D.Chinese host

這段文章就屬于典型的主題句在段首的文章。本段第一句就說明了整段的主要內(nèi)容，即美國和中國的文化有著天壤之別。后面只是分別舉了在請人到家里做客時(shí)美國主人和中國主人對(duì)待客人的贊揚(yáng)可能作出的兩種截然不同的回應(yīng)，從而說明了兩國在文化上的巨大差異。因此這道題的答案應(yīng)是B。

例2：

Everyone seems much friendlier to each other than usual at Christmas time.You can lean out of a car window when you’re stopped at the traffic lights and say“Merry Christmas”，and people will smile and respond.You probably wouldn’t think of doing that at any other time of the year.Perhaps it’s because most people are on holiday or because everyone knows that they are sharing a similar experience.Giving presents can be very satisfying，too，if you plan far enough in advance and really think of the right present for the right person.

Question：

Which of the following sentences states the main idea of this paragraph？

A.People would smile to each other at Christmas time.

B.People usually prepare the presents before Christmas.

C.People often greet to each other while waiting for the traffic lights on Christmas.

D.People treat each other better than usual at Christmas time.

這一段主要描述了在圣誕節(jié)期間人們之間所表現(xiàn)出來的友好親密的態(tài)度。這一主題思想在本段的段首句中就得到了體現(xiàn)。后面的文字是對(duì)這種友好親密態(tài)度的具體的細(xì)節(jié)描寫。因此，不難看出這道題的答案應(yīng)該是D，而A、B、C三項(xiàng)只是細(xì)節(jié)描寫。

2．段末主題句

這類主題句通常是用來歸納和總結(jié)前面所闡述的觀點(diǎn)或情節(jié)的。這種歸納法在撰寫文章時(shí)很常見。

例1：

Christmas is supposed to be a time to express our love and good will towards others.It is supposed to be a time when we perform acts of kindness for people less fortunate than ourselves.But do we think of other people when we sit down to our Christmas dinner？Of course not—we’re too busy eating those delicious foods associated with Christmas.We are too busy wondering whether the presents we gave were as nice or better than the ones we received.We forget to think of the sick and the homeless.The whole idea of Christmas now is completely unchristian—I’m sure that Christ would be distressed if he could see what sort of celebrations are being carried out in his name.

Question：

The best summary of this paragraph is＿＿＿.

A.Christmas is a time for people to show love to each other

B.The whole idea of Christmas now is completely unchristian

C.On Christmas people can enjoy delicious food

D.At Christmas time people are concerned about the presents they received

這段文章是表達(dá)作者對(duì)現(xiàn)代人過圣誕節(jié)時(shí)對(duì)圣誕精神的體味。他先說明了圣誕節(jié)的意義應(yīng)該是人們借此歡樂時(shí)刻互致愛意或善意向不幸的人傳達(dá)愛心，然后一步步指出了現(xiàn)代人在圣誕節(jié)期間只是忙于品嘗美味佳肴，只關(guān)心收送的禮品，而對(duì)需要幫助的人置若罔聞，因此現(xiàn)在的圣誕節(jié)已不再具有原來的基督精神了。作者用本段最后一句話概括總結(jié)了本段的主要內(nèi)容，因此這道題的答案是B。

例2：

English is spoken by pilots and airport control operators on all the airways of the world.Over 70 percent of the world’s mail is written in English.More than 60 percent of the radio programs are in English.Clearly，English is an international language.

Question：

Which of the following is the best title for this paragraph？

A.English—Spoken on All Airways

B.English—A Language for Mail

C.English—A Language for Broadcasting

D.English—An International Language

這是一段非常簡練的文字。前三句分別從三個(gè)不同領(lǐng)域描述了英語使用的普遍性，即飛行員及地面控制人員使用英語；世界上70%的郵件是用英語書寫的；全球60%以上的廣播節(jié)目是用英語播出的。通過以上三點(diǎn)具體事實(shí)，作者最后向讀者總結(jié)出一個(gè)結(jié)論，即英語是一門國際性的語言。因此，最后一句為本段的主題句，說明了本段的中心思想。正確答案應(yīng)該是D。

3.段中主題句

主題句既不在段首，也不在段末，而位于段中時(shí)，它常出現(xiàn)的位置是該段的第二句話。為了使一篇文章結(jié)構(gòu)更緊湊，意思更連貫，很多時(shí)候一些段落的段首句只起著承上啟下的過渡作用，而該段的第二句才是段落的主題句。當(dāng)然這種情況不是絕對(duì)的，有時(shí)候段中主題句的位置需視具體情況而定。

例1：

The Cherokee Indians，who considered themselves the“real people”，established their village along the streams and rivers of what are now the Carolines，Georgia，Virginia，and Kentucky.The building methods used by the Cherokee people reveal a unique civilization.The walls of their houses were constructed with large，sturdy posts planted at three- foot intervals.Small posts were held in place by twigs and long grasses interwoven to provide strength and protection.To insulate against the wind and cold，the woven walls were plastered with a mixture of grass and clay.This process also improved the appearance of the house and kept the posts from rooting.Many historians feel that these building techniques place the Cherokee at the forefront of early American Indians.

Questions：

1.Which of the following is the best title for this paragraph？

A.The Cherokees’Life

B.Early American Indians

C.Unique Building Technique of the Cherokees

D.Cultural Traditions of Early American Indians

2.Which sentence best states the main idea of this paragraph？

A.The Cherokee Indians believed that they were superior people.

B.The Cherokee Indians built houses along the river.

C.The Cherokee Indians used grass and clay to build houses.

D.The Cherokee Indians’architectural skill reflects a special civilization.

本段描述了切諾基印第安人早期建造家園時(shí)使用的獨(dú)特建筑藝術(shù)。第一句介紹了切諾基人建造家園的位置選擇，第二句指出了本段的中心思想，即他們建造房屋的藝術(shù)是他們獨(dú)特文明的反映。第三句到第七句詳細(xì)地介紹了他們的建筑藝術(shù)。這些均屬細(xì)節(jié)內(nèi)容，都是為了說明當(dāng)時(shí)切諾基人的建筑藝術(shù)已經(jīng)達(dá)到的那種文明程度。最后一句是主題的重復(fù)，稱贊切諾基部落是早期美洲印第安人文明的象征。因此，第一個(gè)問題的答案應(yīng)為C項(xiàng)，第二題的答案應(yīng)為D項(xiàng)。

例2：

In back of social change lie many forces.Climate，natural resources，agriculture and manufactures serve to set in operation influences that tend to change a person’s life.It is the part of good administration to adjust these forces in such fashion that changes are balanced and national experience is not left at his mercy of varying conditions.But the economic life of a person is so complicated that complete adjustment is beyond human power.Poverty in itself is seldom the cause of revolution.It is the sense of inequality in the distribution of wealth that breeds discontent.When wealth increases and at the same time tends to become monopolized in some group or class，this discontent is always keen.And，above all，when the rich are indifferent to the inequality which economic change increases，and when the burdens of the economic life from those least able to bear them，the consciousness of the inequality grows into enmity.

Question：

Which statement best expresses the central idea of this paragraph？

A.Social change is caused by many factors such as climate and agriculture.

B.Poverty is usually the cause of revolution.

C.The sense of inequality in distribution causes discontent.

D.The burdens of economic life leads to enmity between the rich and the poor.

本文探討了導(dǎo)致社會(huì)發(fā)生變化的諸多因素及政府主管部門調(diào)控這些因素和力量的制衡作用，分析了引起人們對(duì)社會(huì)不滿的主要原因。作者認(rèn)為導(dǎo)致社會(huì)發(fā)生變化的因素雖然很多，但政府應(yīng)當(dāng)起到制衡各種力量的職能，作為傳播媒介、宣傳媒介、以起到促進(jìn)人民團(tuán)結(jié)的作用。作者繼而指出，貧困并非導(dǎo)致革命的原因，財(cái)產(chǎn)分配不公才是引起社會(huì)不滿的根本原因，而富人對(duì)于這種分配不公麻木不仁更加劇了人們的不滿和動(dòng)蕩。本段屬于將主題句放在段落中間成為該段中心的例子。因此這道題的答案應(yīng)是C。

4.無明顯主題句

前面已舉例分析了主題句出現(xiàn)在段落中間的不同位置的情況，但是我們還必須認(rèn)識(shí)到還有些段落沒有明顯的主題句，但這不等于說該段落就沒有主題思想。應(yīng)該說，每一段文字都有其想要表達(dá)的主題內(nèi)容，只不過在這種段落里，主題思想隱藏于字里行間而已。一般來說，對(duì)于沒有明顯主題句的段落，考生應(yīng)根據(jù)上下文，細(xì)心琢磨推敲，分析段落的主要細(xì)節(jié)，從中歸納出其論述的主題思想，切忌用辨認(rèn)主題句的方法來分析這種無明顯主題句的段落，因?yàn)檫@種段落的特征就是沒有對(duì)主題進(jìn)行概括或總結(jié)的句子。

例1：

I paid$606 for a new color TV from John Doe’s Bargain Barn.For the first time，I watched all of my favorite programs in color.My every favorite star，Rock Henry，looked even more handsome than in black and white.After two days，the set went on the blink.It’s been three months now，and I’ve taken it back three times.Doe’s won’t fix the set and the factory doesn’t pay any attention to my letters.Doe says he doesn’t like the way I act and not to come back.I’ve complained to everybody I can think of—and still no result！I want my money back.

Question：

What is the best title for this paragraph？

A.A New Color TV

B.A Famous Star on TV

C.A TV Buyer’s Complaints

D.Buyer’s Unhappiness

這是一篇作者投訴剛買的新彩電質(zhì)量差、售后服務(wù)差的文章。文中沒有一句概括全文大意的話，但是通過分析各個(gè)細(xì)節(jié)可以找到隱含的主題思想，即作者買了新彩電兩天后就發(fā)現(xiàn)彩電的質(zhì)量問題。之后他多次將彩電送回售后服務(wù)店里修理，也未能修好。他寫信到生產(chǎn)這種電視的廠家，而廠家也對(duì)此置之不理。由此不難看出，這段的主題思想應(yīng)為“This TV buyer is complaining about what has happened to the TV since he bought it.”因此，這個(gè)問題的答案應(yīng)是C。A、B兩項(xiàng)均為文中涉及的細(xì)節(jié)內(nèi)容，不能概括全文，而D項(xiàng)雖能概括全文，但涵蓋范圍過大，沒能點(diǎn)出本文的中心要素——電視。

例2：

Experiments are being carried out at the University of Arizona on ways of storing solar energy on a large scale.To satisfy a large part of the energy in a country like America，huge power stations covering 5000 square miles would have to be built and one wonders whether this would be acceptable to environmentalist.While experiments in generating energy from the sea and the wind are interesting，neither can be considered an obvious solution to a future energy crisis；the first because a lot of energy is needed to generate energy from the sea，and the second because the amount of energy generated from the wind would only satisfy a small percentage of a nation’s needs.Another source of energy which could be more widely used is that generated from hot water or steam from under the earth.This form of energy is already being used in some countries.

Question：

The controlling idea of the paragraph is＿＿＿.

A.experiments in generating energy from the sea

B.experiments on generating energy from the wind

C.experiments on new ways of solutions to a future energy crisis

D.experiments in ways of storing solar energy in a large scale

瀏覽上述整段文字，考生可以確定該段論述的主要對(duì)象是能源危機(jī)及其解決方案，作者就此展開敘述。先論及太陽能利用，再討論利用潮汐及風(fēng)能發(fā)電。最后討論地?zé)豳Y源的利用問題。作者平鋪直敘，層層展開描述。展現(xiàn)于考生面前的是一篇內(nèi)容翔實(shí)的資料。而考生則需要綜觀全段，逐步概括出本段的中心思想，即“Experiments on new ways of solutions to a future energy crisis”，研究未來能源危機(jī)解決途徑的各種實(shí)驗(yàn)。因此，C為正確答案。

例3：

As many as one thousand years ago in the southwest，the Hopi and Zuni tribes of North America were building with adobe—sun-brick plastered with mud.Their homes looked remarkably like modern apartment house.Some were four stories high and contained quarters for perhaps a thousand people，along with store rooms for grain and other goods.These buildings were usually put up against cliffs，both to make construction easier and for defense against enemies.They were really villages in themselves，as later Spanish explorers must have realized since they called them“pueblos”，which is Spanish for town.

The people of the pueblos raised what are called“the three sisters”—corn，beans and squash.They made excellent pottery and wove marvelous baskets，some so fine that they could hold water.The southwest has always been a dry country，with water scarce.The Hopi and Zuni brought water from streams to their fields and gardens through irrigation ditches.Water was so important that it played a major role in their religion.They developed elaborate ceremonies and religious rituals to bring rain.

The way of life of less settled groups was simple and more strongly influenced by nature.Small tribes such as the Shoshone and Ute wandered the dry and mountainous lands between the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Ocean.They gathered seeds and hunted small animals such as rabbits and snakes.In the Far North the ancestors of today’s Inuit hunted seals，walruses，and the great whales.They lived right on the frozen seas in shelters called igloos built of blocks of packed snow.When summer came，they fished for salmon and hunted the lordly caribou.

The Cheyenne，Pawnee，and Sioux tribes，known as tile Plains Indians，lived on the grasslands between the Rocky Mountains and the Mississippi River.They hunted the bison，commonly called the buffalo.Its meat was the chief food of these tribes，arid its hide was used to make their clothing and the covering of their tents and tepees.

Question：

Which of the following is the best title for the passage？

A.Building with Adobe B.One Thousand Years of Hunting

C.The Hopi and Zuni Tribes D.Early North American Societies

本文并未給出主題句，但作者的意圖在前后段落的敘述中體現(xiàn)得非常明顯。全文共分四個(gè)自然段，每段的中心內(nèi)容如下：第一段：北美“Hopi”（霍皮）和“Zuni”（朱尼）等印第安部族的住房特點(diǎn)。第二段：這兩個(gè)部族的生活狀況。第三段：較小的“Shoshone”（肖肖尼）和“Ute”（猶他）等印第安部族的生活居住情況。第四段：平原印第安部族（Plains Indians）的生活居住情況。

由于第三段和第四段中都分別提到了落基山脈（the Rocky Mountains）和密西西比河（the Mississippi River）等北美洲地名，故所提到的部族無疑生活在北美洲。文章一開始便確定了時(shí)間，即所描述的事發(fā)生在1000多年前（as many as one thousand years ago）。在四個(gè)備選答案中，只有D“Early North American Societies”，（早期的北美洲社會(huì)）與原文相同，其中“societies”和“tribes”意思相同。

作者在第一段雖著重描寫霍皮和朱尼部落的住房“adobe”（用土坯和干草蓋成的棚屋），但這只是他們衣食住行的一部分，況且第二、三、四段中對(duì)此只字未提。作者在第三、四段中分別提到了打獵“hunting”，但也只是一帶而過，屬于枝節(jié)問題。C項(xiàng)不對(duì)，第一、二段的文字完全是關(guān)于霍皮和朱尼等印第安部族，但這只是前兩段的中心內(nèi)容，它不可代替整篇文章的中心內(nèi)容。文章的中心是各個(gè)段落都圍繞它并對(duì)之進(jìn)行描述和論證的內(nèi)容，它必須具有概括性，即涉及全篇文章，這一點(diǎn)是至關(guān)重要的。

練習(xí)：

（1）

Did you ever watch a child in front of a television set？Very interesting things can be observed.A child may be crawling on the floor，playing with his or her toys or talking to himself or herself while the show is in progress.However，as soon as a commercial appears，the child stops what he or she is doing and faces the television set，intent on the picture，motion，and sound coming from the screen.No matter what is said，the child stares at the set until the commercial has ended.Then the child returns to crawling，playing，and talking.The magnetic effect of commercials on children is amazing.

Question：

What is the main idea of the passage？

A.Children’s behaviors are observed when TV is on.

B.Children are magnetically attracted by commercials.

C.Children are keen on pictures from the screen.

D.Children stare at the commercials even when they have ended.

（2）

English is one of seven dozen modern languages that are descented from the prehistoric parent language，Indo-European.Written English，Germanic language，can be described as having roughly three major historical phases.The first，the Anglo-Saxon period，dates from around the fifth century to A.D.1100—from the arrival of the Angles，Saxons，and Jutes in Britain to the Norman- French invasion.The second，the middle English period，stretches through the middle Ages，from around 1100-1500.These centuries saw Anglo-Saxon modified by the influences of French and Latin.The third，the Modern English period，from 1500 to the present，has shown increasing influence of other modern languages and of ancient Greek and Latin.However，the common vocabulary of English remains basically Germanic.

Question：

The subject of this paragraph is＿＿＿.

A.French invasion in the development of English

B.A three major historical phases of written English

C.Germanic base for modern written English

D.The influence of ancient Latin and Greek on modern English

（3）

Have you ever seen children in costume and makes ringing doorbells and crying out“Trick or Treat？”This is a very common sight every year on October 31.The children are celebrating Halloween.On this holiday children dress up as witches，ghosts，and other characters.They ring doorbells and ask for a piece of candy or some bubble gum or even a few pennies.If they do not receive a treat，they may play a trick on the person or on the house.

Question：

Which is the main idea in the paragraph？

A.October 31 is an annual holiday.

B.Children are celebrating Halloween.

C.Children ring doorbells in costumes and masks.

D.Children play a trick on friends and neighbors.

（4）

Mike is a freshman in college.He is also trying to earn the money he needs to live on.As a result，he works forty hours a week at a gasoline station.But this work must be done at night because Mike is a full-time college student.Mike also tries to make time for things he enjoys doing that are not related to college or work.He likes to ski in winter and play golf in summer.However，he is finding less and less time for these pleasures.

Question：

This paragraph would be entitled＿＿＿.

A.A Freshman

B.Working Time

C.Mike

D.Pleasures

（5）

Today，new family arrangements are appearing all over the country.One major change has been brought about by increased divorce rates.For example，it is estimated that more than 50% of all American marriages end in divorce.Those individuals who are responsible for maintaining the family unity and structure after divorce are known as single heads of households.Children living within such a family structure usually spend most of their time with one parent.They may visit their other parent on weekends and in the summer.More and more frequently，children are growing up in a single head of household family unit.

Question：

The title that best expresses the main idea is＿＿＿.

A.Children Raising

B.Marriage Change

C.High Divorce Rate

D.New Family Arrangements

（6）

In the United States the cost of living has been steadily rising for the past few decades.Food price，clothing costs，housing expenses，and tuition fees are constantly getting higher and higher.Partly because of financial need，and partly because of career choices for personal fulfillment，mothers have been leaving the traditional role of full-time homemaker.Increasingly they have been taking salaried jobs outside the home.

Question：

Which of the following states the central idea of this paragraph？

A.Nowadays more and more mothers are working outside the home.

B.The cost of living in the U.S.is dropping.

C.The prices in the U.S.are constantly rising.

D.Mothers tend to work outside mainly because of career fulfillment.

參考答案：

（1）A（2）B（3）B（4）C（5）D（6）C