第二章 理解文章的主旨和大意第一节 总 述

理解文章的主旨和大意可以说是阅读的最生要的任务，是英语学习者必须掌握的阅读技能之一，因而也是各种考试中考查阅读技能的主要项目。通常的提问形式是“What is the main idea of this passage? What is the main topic of this passage? What is the best title for this passage?”等等。一个较好的段落应该有明确的段落大意，一篇较好的文章应该有明确的主旨。但对英语学习者来说，正确把握主旨和大意也并非轻而易举的事情， 因而也是必考项目。

所谓主旨(Main idea)就是文章所要表达的最生要的思想，它说明文章的写作目的，指明文章的发展方向。在一个段落中，由一句话陈述段落大意， 其他句子对大意进行解释、发展、补充、论证等。没有段落大意就不成段落。在一篇文章中，通常由一个段落点出文章的主旨，其他的段落进行解释、发展、补充、论证等。为了准确把握文章的主旨，首先要善于把握段落的大意。

陈述段落大意的句子叫做主题句(Topic sentence)。主题句通常在段落的开头，也可能在段落的结尾，有时在段落的中间。快速阅读下面的这段新闻报道，找出主题句。

Africa-The fight against starvation in six West African nations is being hampered by the rainy season.Heavy rains are

turning the dirt roads into muddy rivers.Relief will have to wait for a gry spell which seems nowhere in sight.The weather bureau is maintaining silence for fear of causing increased alarm.

很显然这篇报道的第一个句子就是主题句，意思是西非六国救济饥荒的行动因雨季受阻。以下的句子描述受阻的情况。

主题句有时位于段落的结尾主要是因为大意难以表达或读者在开始阅读时难以接受作者想要表达的大意。为了使读者容易接受，作者往往先罗列事实或陈述道理，最后陈述主题思想。快速阅读下面的段落，找出主题句。

If the wind becomes gusty after ka period of calm, you should seek shelter.The sky needs careful watching, too.Gradual darkening and boiling clouds should quicken your pace.Lightning and thunder are common enough storm indicators, but few people realize that the brightness of the lightning is not nearly as important as the number of lightning flashesl.The signs of an oncoming storm are many, and a person's life may depend on the ability to interpret them.

这段文字的最后一个句子是主题句，大意是暴风雨来临之前有很多征兆，一个人生命的安全取决于他对这些征兆的识别能力。这样的主题句放在段落的开头，读者不一定容易理解和接受。

快速阅读下面的段落，找出主题句。

Despite the fact that cars from Germany and Japan are flooding the American market, Ford, General Motors and Chrysler are hiring more workers than ever before.The flood ofcheaper foreign cars has not cost American auto workers their jobs as some experts predicted.Ford operates as far as Asia, and General Motors is considered Australia's biggest employer.Yet GM has its huge American work force and hires hundreds of people every day to meet the needs of an insatiable society.

这个段落的主题句既不在段首，也不在段尾，而是在段落的中间，即“The flood of cheaper⋯as some experts have predicted.”它前后的句子都是从不同角度列举事实，来证实主题句。

值得注意的是，有时虽然段落有明确的大意，但没有明确的主题句。快速阅读下面的段落，想想段落的大意是什么。

Joshua Bingham studied four years at the university of Paris and decided to leave before 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.

这个段落中，没有哪句话是明显的主题句。读者只能在理解细节内容的基础上，总结或推断段落的大意。这段话的大意应该是“Joshua Bingham received an excellent education.”

阅读下面的段落，并回答后面的四个问题。

Coffee is a universal beverage that is served in different ways around the world.In London, for example, some Englishmen dip mustard into the coffee, while in Denver, a personmight add a dash of ketchup.Strips of orange and lemon peel; cloves and cinnamon sticks are not unusual additions to the brew in Europe.An Asian delight consists of coffee brewed in boiling sugar.Perhaps the richest cup of coffee can be enjoyed in Ireland where whickey and whipped cream are important ingredients.In Australia a waitress will ask, "Do you want black or white?" Black is plain black coffee, but white is half coffee and half warm milk.If an Australian orders iced coffee, he will be served a cup of steaming coffee with a scoop with a scoop of ice cream.It sounds like the Australian version of a "snowball in hell."

  1. Which statement best express the main idea?

    1. The richest cup of coffee can be enjoyed in Ireland.

    2. Asians enjoy a sweet cup of coffee.

    3. Coffee is enjoyed in a varyety of ways. D)Australians have an

      unusual sense of humor.

  2. The paragraph suggests that coffee can be . A)expensive B)rare

    C)common D)exciting

  3. The paragraph could be entitled . A)Somme Like It Hot B)Coffee

    Around the World C)Oriental Delights D)A Snowball in Hell

  4. Which part of the paragraph has the topic sentence? A)At the

    beginning B)At the end

C)In the middle D)No topic sentence.

答案及解释：

第 1 道题：正确答案是 C，它概括了段落中其他句子所陈述的各种事实， 即表达了段落的大意。A 和 B 只是，段落中列举的两个具体例子，因而不能是大意。虽然段落有较大的篇幅讨论澳大利亚喝咖啡的方式，但仍然只是细节内容，因而不选 D。

第 2 道题：这道题考查对段落的隐含大意的理解。正确答案是 D。虽然段落没有直接说喝咖啡兴奋的事情，但描述了世界各地喝咖啡的有趣的习俗和方式。A 不对，因为段落中咖啡比较贵，不是所有的都很贵。而且价格不是讨论的主要方面。B 不对，因为段落指出咖啡是一种世界性的饮料，而“rare”的含义正好相反。C 不对因为段落列不同的喝咖啡的方式。

第 3 道题：为段落选择合适的题目，也是通常用来考查对大意的理解的方式。本道的正确答案是 B，因为它与段落大意吻合。A、C、D 都不对，因为它们只代表段落中的某个细节内容。

第 4 道题：这道题考查对主题句的位置的理解。正确答案是 A。段落的第一句话陈述世界各地各种不同的喝咖啡的方式，后面的句子全部是列举例子来证明主题句的内容。

除了段落有主题句外，一篇文章也可以有主题句。为了使读者接了解文章的主旨和大意，作者往往在文章开头进行概括性的叙述或陈述，且往往独立成段。对于这类文章，读者容易把握文章的主旨和大意。对于没有明确的主题句的文章，读者就需要首先弄清楚每个段落的大意，再根据各个段落的大意总结出整篇文章的大意。