四級考試中閱讀理解的題型，以細節(jié)性題為主。然而，每次考試四篇文章中對主題題的考察還是有2-3道，如何把這4-6分得到是很多同學(xué)感到很棘手的問題。

　　希望通過本文對四級文章主題的分析，同學(xué)們能對這種題型有更好的把握。

　　通常，在做主題題時，大家一般會在文章首段和尾端找答案。或者說認(rèn)為一般文章中心出現(xiàn)在第一段首。其實，這種情況在四級文章的幾率頂多是三分之一。而文章主題出現(xiàn)的方式(即地點)起碼有四種(此處所說的主題雖不一定就是主題題的答案，但其中必然含有整個文章所說的中心話題或主體詞，或者可以看出作者的褒貶態(tài)度。把此句話讀懂，在做主題題時可迅速排除至少2個答案)。在此分作細說：

　　一、開門見山

　　這種文章的主題最好找。一般來說，開頭是個陳述句或者判斷句。其后沒有對其進行否定。最典型的要算下定義型的文章了。比如90年1月的關(guān)于海洋學(xué)以及97年1月關(guān)于身份的文章。開頭都是對海洋學(xué)和身份進行了定義，其后展開論述。對于這類文章，大部分同學(xué)在做主題題時還是比較好把握的。不過，有兩點要注意的地方：

　　(一)首句作出陳述后，后面的論述有轉(zhuǎn)折，但該轉(zhuǎn)折不是對首句的否定。比如98年1月關(guān)于Violin Prodigies(神童)那篇文章，第一段快到末尾處出現(xiàn)轉(zhuǎn)折，但細心的讀者會發(fā)現(xiàn)，這只是對一個例子內(nèi)部的轉(zhuǎn)折。不影響整個文章的態(tài)度。再如02年1月的老年學(xué)那篇文章以及02年6月的absent-mindedness那篇文章，也是這種情況。但一旦讀出中心話題，主題題就很好做了，以這篇文章為例稍作說明。

　　Most episodes of absent-mindedness - forgetting where you left something or wondering why you just entered a room - are caused by a simple lack of attention， says Schacter. Youre supposed to remember something， but you havent encoded it deeply.

　　Encoding， Schacter explains， is a special way of paying attention to an event that has a major impact on recalling it later. Failure to encode properly can create annoying situations. If you put your mobile phone in a pocket， for example， and dont pay attention to what you did because youre involved in a conversation， youll probably forget that the phone is in the jacket now hanging in you wardrobe (衣柜)。 Your memory itself isnt failing you， says Schacter. Rather， you didnt give your memory system the information it needed.

　　Lack of interest can also lead to absent-mindedness. A man who can recite sports statistics from 30 years ago， says Zelinski， may not remember to drop a letter in the mailbox. Women have slightly better memories than men， possibly because they pay more attention to their environment， and memory relies on just that.

　　Visual cues can help prevent absent-mindedness， says Schacter. But be sure the cue is clear and available， he cautions. If you want to remember to take a medication (藥物) with lunch， put the pill bottle on the kitchen table - dont leave it in the medicine chest and write yourself a note that you keep in a pocket.

　　Another common episode of absent-mindedness： walking into a room and wondering why youre there. Most likely， you were thinking about something else. Everyone does this from time to time， says Zelinski. The best thing to do is to return to where you were before entering the room， and youll likely remember.

　　第一句話就是文章主題所在，雖然第二句有轉(zhuǎn)折，但并不是對第一句的否定。再看本文的最后一道題：

　　30. What is the passage mainly about?

　　A) The process of gradual memory loss.

　　B) The causes of absent-mindedness.

　　C) The impact of the environment on memory.

　　D) A way if encoding and recalling.

　　只要把開頭的主題把握住了，這道題就很容易做出來了。

　　(二)開頭提出話題，其后展開論述，雖然答案不一定就是開頭那句話的同義轉(zhuǎn)述，但正確答案中一定要包含開頭那句話中的關(guān)鍵詞(或者叫主體詞，一般在后文中反復(fù)出現(xiàn))典型的例子就是99年一月關(guān)于廣告及2000年6月關(guān)于美國人喜歡制服這兩篇文章。

　　二、拋磚引玉

　　顧名思義，這種文章開頭絕不會是文章中心。這類文章一般會在開頭引入一個例子(這種例子的典型的特點是有具體時間人物事件)。然后，在通常情況下，對該例子進行轉(zhuǎn)折，或者負評價(本質(zhì)上也是轉(zhuǎn)折，與轉(zhuǎn)折分開論述是因兩者表現(xiàn)形式不一樣)，或者是總結(jié)。

　　(一)轉(zhuǎn)折的基本標(biāo)志諸如：however， yet， but的出現(xiàn)一般標(biāo)志著文章主題的出現(xiàn)。不過，還有一些轉(zhuǎn)折大家庭里的詞匯也是大家需要留意的，如：despite， still， in fact.或者一些意義上表示轉(zhuǎn)折的詞如：surprisingly(如99年6月PR那篇文章)，today(如2000年12月垃圾回收那篇文章)等等。這些轉(zhuǎn)折一般出現(xiàn)在第一段末尾或者第二段開頭。轉(zhuǎn)折在拋磚引玉型文章中最常出現(xiàn)。

　　(二)其次是負評價，雖然沒有轉(zhuǎn)折詞，但是對前文進行的否定型的評價一樣意味著文章中心的出現(xiàn)。最典型的一篇文章要算93年6月關(guān)于時尚這篇文章的論述了，第一段說了一大堆，第二段開頭：Changing fashions are nothing more than the intentional creation of waste 馬上對時尚做了一個負評價。對整個文章的褒貶定了一個調(diào)。把這句話讀懂，大意就可以有個了解了。在做題時甚至是細節(jié)題都可以直接排除一些正評價的選項了。

　　(三)開頭引一段例子，其后進行總結(jié)的文章諸如99年一月英國草蓋屋一文第一段尾出現(xiàn)總結(jié)性評價。這類文章中心出現(xiàn)是以therefore， as a result， so， thus， hence等詞匯的出現(xiàn)為標(biāo)志的。在此不一一贅述 .在做拋磚引玉型文章時也需注意以下一個特點或者叫做難點，即有些文章轉(zhuǎn)折出現(xiàn)得靠后，這就要求同學(xué)們把文章重心的理解放在靠后出現(xiàn)的轉(zhuǎn)折后面的內(nèi)容。這種文章有以下幾篇：97年6月份關(guān)于洛杉磯大地震(despite出現(xiàn)在第四段首)，95年一月英國工作一文(but出現(xiàn)在第三段首)，99年6月玩具一文(第三段首出現(xiàn)轉(zhuǎn)折)，02年1月道德下降一文(第三段首出現(xiàn)轉(zhuǎn)折)02年6月心理壓力一文(第三段首出現(xiàn)轉(zhuǎn)折)。以97年6月份關(guān)于洛杉磯大地震這篇文章為例我們稍作分析。

　　After the violent earthquake that shook Los Angeles in 1994， earthquake scientists had good news to report： The damage and death toll(死亡人數(shù))could have been much worse.

　　More than 60 people died in this earthquake. By comparison， as earthquake of similar intensity that shook America in 1988 claimed 25，000 victims.

　　Injuries and deaths were relatively less in Los Angeles because the quake occurred at 4：31 a.m. on a holiday， when traffic was light on the citys highways. In addition， changes made to the construction codes in Los Angeles during the last 20 years have strengthened the citys buildings and highways， making them more resistant to quakes.

　　Despite the good new， civil engineers arent resting on their successes. Pinned to their drawing boards are blueprints(藍圖)for improved quake-resistant buildings. The new designs should offer even greater security to cities where earthquakes often take place.

　　In the past， making structures quake-resistant meant firm yet flexible materials， such as steel and wood， that bend without breaking. Later， people tried to lift a building off its foundation， and insert rubber and steel between the building and its foundation to reduce the impact of ground vibrations. The most recent designs give buildings brains as well as concrete and steel supports. Called smart buildings， the structures respond like living organisms to an earthquakes vibrations. When the ground shakes and the building tips forward， the computer would force the building to shift in the opposite direction.

　　The new smart structures could be very expensive to build. However， they would save many lives and would be less likely to be damaged during earthquakes.

　　前三段全部在談地震的影響及死亡人數(shù)少的原因，不知道文章中心在哪兒，第四段開頭出現(xiàn)：Despite the good new， civil engineers arent resting on their successes.緊跟著出現(xiàn)文章主題：Pinned to their drawing boards are blueprints(藍圖)for improved quake-resistant buildings.所以在做主題題時關(guān)鍵在與把這一句讀出來。這樣在做最后一題的時候就不會出錯了。

　　25. The authors main purpose in writing the passage is to ________.

　　A) compare the consequences of the earthquakes that occurred in the U.S.

　　B) encourage civil engineers to make more extensive use of computers

　　C) outline the history of the development of quake-resistant building materials

　　D) report new developments in constructing quake-resistant buildings

　　三、觀點對照

　　四級文章中還有這么一類，文章當(dāng)中有兩種觀點形成對照。而這兩種觀點會以以下兩種方式其中一種出現(xiàn)：

　　(一)縱向(或叫新舊觀點)對照，這種觀點對照比較簡單，開頭出現(xiàn)以前的某種觀點或者大眾的一種普遍觀點，典型的形式是：For some time past it was widely accepted that。There is a popular belief amongPeople tend to be impressed thatMost people would agreeIn the old daysThe way people hold文章中心出現(xiàn)的方式是轉(zhuǎn)折或者對老觀點的負評價或者現(xiàn)在新觀點出現(xiàn)的地方，以but， however， in fact， nowadays， now， fail， neglect等詞的出現(xiàn)作為標(biāo)志。這種找主題的方式較類似于拋磚引玉型文章，就不過多贅述。

　　(二)橫向比較，這種文章一般會有兩種對抗型的觀點，雙方各執(zhí)己見，分不出到底誰正確。對于這種文章，通常作者的評價即為文章主題。如97年1月關(guān)于心理學(xué)家對與獎勵的不同觀點一文，behaviorists和cognitive researchers持不同觀點，而作者對兩者觀點進行了綜合，取兩者觀點有力之處。作者的結(jié)論自然就是文章主題所在。所以不需要注意這兩派的觀點。再如2002年1月關(guān)于未來汽車一文。

　　Some pessimistic experts feel that the automobile is bound to fall into disuse. They see a day in the not-too-distant future when all autos will be abandoned and allowed to rust. Other authorities， however， think the auto is here to stay. They hold that the car will remain a leading means of urban travel in the foreseeable future.

　　The motorcar will undoubtedly change significantly over the next 30 years. It should become smaller， safer， and more economical， and should not be powered by the gasoline engine. The car of the future should be far more pollution-free than present types.

　　Regardless of its power source， the auto in the future will still be the main problem in urban traffic congestion (擁擠)。 One proposed solution to this problem is the automated highway system.

　　When the auto enters the highway system， a retractable (可伸縮的) arm will drop from the auto and make contact with a rail， which is similar to those powering subway trains electrically. Once attached to the rail， the car will become electrically powered from the system， and control of the vehicle will pass to a central computer. The computer will then monitor all of the cars movements.

　　The driver will use a telephone to dial instructions about his destination into the system. The computer will calculate the best route， and reserve space for the car all the way to the correct exit from the highway. The driver will then be free to relax and wait for the buzzer (蜂鳴器) that will warn him of his coming exit. It is estimated that an automated highway will be able to handle 10，000 vehicles per hour， compared with the 1，500 to 2，000 vehicles that can be carried by a present-day highway.

　　有pessimistic experts認(rèn)為將來汽車會被廢止(悲觀觀點)，而other authorities則認(rèn)為將會繼續(xù)保持交通主導(dǎo)工具地位不變(過于樂觀)。而二段開頭作者認(rèn)為未來30年汽車將會有巨大改變這一觀點才是真正主題所在(客觀中含有樂觀，變化地看待事物)。所以在做這篇文章主題題的變體態(tài)度題時，只要把第二段開頭作者的態(tài)度讀出來，答案也就很好選了。說白了，對于對抗型觀點，讀者只需了解作者的觀點就行。

　　25. What is the authors attitude toward the future of autos?

　　A) Enthusiastic. B) Pessimistic. C) Optimistic. D) Cautious.

　　四、還有這么一些文章，主題并不是在文章開頭幾段出現(xiàn)而是在文章末尾，這種文章比較難。不過還是可以通過重點閱讀文章末尾加以解決，姑且稱其為曲徑通幽型文章。

　　這類文章一般在前面幾段對中心話題的論述不清不楚，很難判斷作者的褒貶態(tài)度，直到文章末尾才出現(xiàn)作者明確的態(tài)度或評價(且一般為負)。這種類型文章典型有一下幾篇：91年6月人工心臟一文，97年6月冰箱一文，03年6月對人們無意識出差錯研究一文，以及04年6月氫彈協(xié)會一文。以氫彈一文為例。

　　As soon as it was revealed that a reporter for Progressive magazine had discovered how to make a hydrogen bomb， a group offirearm ( 火器 ) fans formed the National Hydrogen bomb Association， and they are now lobbying against any legislation to stop Americans from owning one.

　　The Constitution， said the associations spokesman， gives everyone the right to own arms. It doesnt spell out what kind of arms. But since anyone can now make a hydrogen bomb， the public should be able to buy it to protect themselves.

　　Dont you think its dangerous to have one in the house， particularly where there are children around?

　　The National Hydrogen bomb Association hopes to educate people in the safe handling of this type of weapon. We are instructing owners to keep the bomb in a locked cabinet and the fuse (導(dǎo)火索 ) separately in a drawer.

　　Some people consider the hydrogen bomb a very fatal weapon which could kill somebody.

　　The spokesman said， Hydrogen bombs dont kill people - people kill people. The bomb is for self-protection and it also has a deterrent effect. If somebody knows you have a nuclear weapon in your house， theyre going to think twice about breaking in.

　　But those who want to ban the bomb for American citizens claim that ifyou have one locked in the cabinet， with the fuse in a drawer， you would never be able to assemble it in time to stop an intruder ( 侵入者)

　　Another argument against allowing people to own a bomb is that at the moment it is very expensive to build one. So what your association is backing is a program which would allow the middle and upper classes to acquire a bomb while poor people will be left defenseless with just handguns.

　　這篇文章時而出現(xiàn)贊成氫彈的論調(diào)，時而出現(xiàn)反對 的論調(diào)。而文章又是以反對的論調(diào)結(jié)尾，因而可以判斷出作者是反對私人擁有氫彈的(雖然問中沒有明確出現(xiàn)作者態(tài)度，在此只能從文章末尾感知作者態(tài)度)。因而在做最后一道主題題(轉(zhuǎn)變?yōu)閼B(tài)度題的考察)時就比較容易選擇了。注意，不能選B或者D，這2項看似合理，但違背了四級文章對事不對人以及不能推理2 大原則。從出現(xiàn)頻率上看，這類文章慢慢多了起來，所以應(yīng)該多加留意。

　　30. From the tone of the passage we know that the author is

　　A) not serious about the private ownership of H-bombs

　　B) concerned about the spread of nuclear weapons

　　C) doubtful about the necessity of keeping H-bombs at home for safety

　　D) unhappy with those who vote against the ownership of H-bombs

　　此次集中探討讀四級文章時讀出文章中心對于做主題題的指導(dǎo)意義，其實，讀懂主題對于做細節(jié)題也極具指導(dǎo)作用，具體如何，請聽下回分解。