1 The main idea of the passage is

1). 主题型主旨大意题的题干表现形式: The main idea of the passage is… l The passage is mainly about… l Which of the following statements best expresses the main idea of the passage? l What is the passage mainly about? 2). 目的类主旨大意题 l The passage is meant to …. l The purpose of this article is to … 3). 标题类主旨大意题 l The best title for the passage might be… l

应试技巧 如何寻找主题句 Sample 1 People have different tastes in food. Some feel that they haven't eaten a meal unless they have had steak or other red meat. Some prefer chicken or fish and eat one or the other at every meal. Others prefer vegetables and fruits or grains and would enjoy a meal of spaghetti, eggplant, and fresh fruit. Others could live on what were called fast-foods: a hamburger or hot dog, French fries and a soft drink. （1）主题句在段首 一个主题句常常是一个段落的开头，其后的句子则是论证 性细节。在论说文，科技文献和新闻报道中多采用这种格 式。

Sample 2 Some students prefer a strict teacher who tells them exactly what to do. Others prefer to be left to work on their own. Still others like a democratic discussion type of class. No one teaching method can be devised to satisfy all students at the same time. （2）主题句也会出现在段尾。作者先摆出事实依据, 层层推理论证, 最后自然得出结论, 即段落的主题。 本段的中心思想在结尾句得到体现, 它是此段内容的结 论。

Sample 3 Nothing is as useful as a flashlight on 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. （3）在短文中间 当主题句被安排在段中间时, 通常前面只提出问题， 文中的主题由随之陈述的细节或合乎逻辑的引申在 文中导出, 而后又作进一步的解释, 支撑或发展. return

Example 1 One day a man walked into a pet shop and said to the shop assistant ，“I need two small mice and about five dozen roaches (蟑螂) and two spiders. ”� “What do you need these things for? ” the shop assistant was very surprised. � “Well，”replied the man，“I’m moving out of my apartment and the landlord insists that I should leave the house in exactly the same condition as I found it. ”� Q： The passage suggests that when the writer moved into the house, it was ______. 　　A. very clean� B. just cleaned by the landlord� 　　C. tidy and comfortable �D. dirty and full of insects� 解析：他要搬出所租的房子，而房东要求房屋必须是他租进来时的原 样，所以他须买些老鼠和蟑螂等昆虫对房屋进行“恢复”，因此推出 答案为D。

Example 2 Some people are never right. They never have good luck. They usually do the wrong thing and say the wrong thing. And even if what they say or do is OK，they as a rule say it or do it at the wrong time. So these people always have problems. They often break dishes. They sometimes miss buses and airplanes. Mr. Neff is different. He is always right. He is never wrong. He usually has good luck. He seldom has problems. He never breaks dishes. He never misses buses or airplanes. Even if he does miss them，it is always the fault of the buses or air planes. Mr. Neff knows almost everything. He doesn’t ask questions；he answers questions. He never says，“I don’t know. ”� Q： Which of the following best describes the writer’s attitude to Mr. Neff? � A. He finds Mr. Neff hard to understand. � B. He thinks Mr. Neff wonderful. � C. He feels pity for Mr. Neff. � D. He does not like Mr. Neff. � 解析：从作者的语气中我们可以体会他的态度，特别是Even if he does miss them，it is always the fault of the buses or the airplanes. 误了车或飞机本该是人的失误怎能归咎于车或飞机呢？明 显是讥讽，也是暗示他对Mr. Neff的讨厌之情。答案为D。 return

三、细节理解题：细节理解题就是我们常见的wh-题，它们大多是根据 文章中的 具体信息如事实、例证、原因、过程、论述等进行提问的。有些问题可以在文章中直接 找到答案，有些则要我们在理解的基础上将有关内容系统化才能找到，比如计算、排序、 是非判断、图形比较等。做此类题的方法一般是先用寻读法找出与问题相关的词语或句 子，再对相关的部分进行细读，找出正确答案。 1. 直接事实题� 　　A giant dam was built many years ago to control the Colorado River in the U. S. This dam was built to protect the land houses around the river. � 　This huge dam is in the Black Canyon. It is possible to drive a car from one side of the river to the other on a road， which is on the top of the dam. This dam is so big that there is an elevator inside. The elevator goes down forty-four stories from the road to the bottom. There is enough concrete in this dam to build a highway from New York to San Francisco. Thousands of people worked on this dam for five years. � 　This huge dam was called Boulder Dam when it was finished in 1936. Later it was renamed Hoover Dam in honor of a president of the United States. Hoover Dam，one of the highest dams in the world，is situated between the states of Arizona and Nevada. � Q： Hoover Dam lies ______. � 在解答这类问题时要求抓住题干文字信息，采用针对性方法进行阅 A. between Arizona and Nevada　　 B. in the Black 读。�

2. 间接事实题: Invited by Mr. Ye Huixian, host of the well received TV programme “Stars Tonight”，Miss Luo Lin, Miss Asia of 1991， appeared as the guest hostess on the Shanghai TV screen last Sunday. � 　Born in Shanghai and taken to Hong Kong when she was only six years old， Luo Lin has never dreamed of being Miss Asia. Her childhood dream was to be an air hostess. Before she took part in the competition, she had been an airhostess in Cat hay Airline for seven years. However，it still took her three months to learn the art of walking on the stage, dancing, singing, making-up and other proper manners, designed by the Asia TV Station. � 　 “It’s really a hard job for me. I won’t enter for such competition any more. Anyhow, I am quite lucky. I am also glad to have had more chance to work for the social welfare since I won the title. This time, in Shanghai, I'd love to make a deep impression on my TV audience, " said Luo Lin with a sweet smile. � Q： Which of the following is NOT true? � 　　A. Luo Lin is a native of Shanghai. � 　　B. Luo Lin moved to Hong Kong with her parents. � 解析： A、C 和D都可在原文找到答案，而B项原文列的是： taken to 　　C. Luo Lin won the title of Miss Asia in 1991. � Hong to Hong with. Miss her parents，因 　　D. Kong可判断不是moved Asia TV Station helped Luo Lin to. Kong become Asia. � 此选B。 解此类题需要结合上下文提供的语境和信息进行简单的概括和判断。 return

四、词义理解题 做此类题时，应尽可能地利用生词所在的上下文来猜测 词义，即利用我们所熟悉的词或短语和上下文中的已知部分进行逻辑上的 推理，有时还需依靠构词法。�� Example 1 Rainforests like the Amazon are important for mopping up CO 2 from the atmosphere and helping to slow global warming. Currently the trees in the Amazon take in around 500 million tonnes of CO 2 each year: equal to the total amount of CO 2 giving off in the UK each year. Q The underlined phrase “mopping up” in the second paragraph means___. A cleaning up B taking in C wiping out D giving out 析：这是一段介绍热带雨林吸收二氧化碳的说明文。 此题猜测词义。根据Currently the trees in the Amazon take in Around 500 million tonnes of CO 2 each year…句中的take in可 猜测正确答案为B。

主旨题 EX 1 Please find out the key sentence of the following passages. I: English is clearly an international language. It is spoken by pilots and airport control operators on all the airways of the world. Over 70 percent of the world's radio programs are in English. 本段主题句为首句, 其后的内容均说明首句。

II. Just as I settle down to read or watch television, he demands that I play with him. If I get a telephone call, he screams in the background or knocks something over. I always have to hang up to find out what's wrong with him. Baby-sitting with my little brother is no fun. He refuses to let me eat a snack in peace. Usually he wants half of whatever I have to eat. Then, when he finally grows tired, it takes about an hour for him to fall asleep. 有时段落是先介绍背景和细节，接着用一句综合或概括 性的话概括前面所说的内容或事例，然后再围绕主题展 开对有关问题的深入讨论。这种文章的主题句往往会在 段落中间出现，但不一定就是在正中间。

Excise 2: If you were planning to buy a television set, the following advertisement would certainly attract your attention: "Color TV, only $79. Two-day sale. Hurry. " However, when you go to the store 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 "just right for you. " It costs $359. This sales tactic is called "bait 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 merchandise（商品）and the reasons for the sale. 1. Which sentence best expresses the main idea? A) The customer must be on his guard when purchasing items on sale. B) Color television sets which sell for $79 are sold out quickly. C) Many stores use the "bait and switch" technique to attract customers. D) Anyone planning to buy a television set should look for a sale. 2. The paragraph could be entitled ____. A) Buyer Be aware 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 “bait and switch”（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。

推理题 exercise 1 Daylight saving time (DST) has been introduced this summer This year DST began on May 4. But next year, “Summer Time” will begin on the first Sunday in April. Clocks and other timepieces were set ahead one hour at 2: 00 AM on Sunday, May 4 so that 2: 00 AM became 3: 00 AM. They should turn back one hour at 2: 00 AM on Sunday, September 14. The new time is expected to save one and a half billion kilowatt hours （千瓦小时 ）of electricity per year across the country. The new system could also help people form the good habit of getting up and going to bed early, thus raising their work and study efficiency (效率). During the DST period, the actual departure (发车) time of trains remains unchanged, but their schedules have been set one hour late. Q: According to the passage, we know that ____ people should turn their clocks back one hour that year. A. in 132 days B. in 133 days C. in 134 days D. in 4 months 解析：应根据基本的日历常识来进行推算。5月剩 27天，6月30天，7 月31天，8月31天，9月14天。即： 27 + 30 + 31 + 14 = 133（天） return

Exercise 2 When I was small and my grandmother died, I couldn’t understand why I had no tears. But that night when my dad tried to cheer me up, my laugh turned into crying. So it came as no surprise to learn that researchers believe crying and laughing come from the same part of the brain. Just as laughing has many health ad-vantages, scientists are discovering that so, too, does crying. … Just as crying can be healthy, not crying—holding back tears of anger, pain or suffering ---can be bad for physical health. Studies have shown that too much control of emotions can lead to high blood pressure, heart problem and some other illnesses. If you have a health problem, doctors will certainly not ask you to cry. But when you feel like crying, don’t fight it. It’s natural--- and healthy--emotional response. Q: It can be inferred from the text that____. A there are two ways to keep healthy B crying does more good to health than laughing C crying and laughing play the same roles D emotional health has a close relationship to physical health

Exercise 3 Babbage continued his work in London for four years. Then his health broke down, and he had to take a long holiday abroad. When he returned to London in 1828, he was at the end of his resources. Many bills remained unpaid. His chief assistant and co-workers quarreled with him and left with many expensive tools. For one year no work was done. During this period, Babbage, whose mind was always active, suddenly thought of a completely new idea for the machine. He rushed to meet the government officials to explain his new idea. But this time, they were unwilling to help him. For eight years, they refused to say whether they wanted the machine or not, and their final answer was “No”. From 1828 to 1839, Babbage held the position of professor at Cambridge very successfully. But his greatest work was the unfinished calculating machine which stood covered in dust in his house. It was the beginning of the modern computer. Q 1: Babbage explained his new idea to the government officials, expecting that___ A they would agree to his plan B they would pay for his new idea C they would support him with money D they would exhibit his new design Q 2: From the passage, we can infer that____. A Babbage failed to be a famous scientist at Cambridge B Babbage always had new ideas but gave them up easily C Babbage always needed support from the government officials D Babbage was the first designer of the modern computer

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