杜娟

主旨大意题是英语阅读理解最容易失分的题型之一。理解文章的主旨要义成了同学们在阅读中遇到的最大难题。因为有时作者对文章主旨没有明示，需要读者从字里行间归纳和概括。下面以高考真题为例，探索如何破解阅读中的主旨大意题。

高考主旨大意的命题形式通常有三种。

1. 中心意思

The main idea /key point of this passage is ...？

The passage is mainly about ...？

From the passage， we can learn/conclude ...？

2. 標题

The best title/headline for this passage is？

Which of the following is the best title？

What would be the best title for the text？

3. 作者的写作目的和态度

Whats the authors main purpose in this passage？

The writers attitude towards ... is ...？

同学们清楚了高考的命题形式，在阅读中就可以依据文章体裁，透视文章主旨。

[记叙文]

同学们应该弄清楚文章中谁（Who）在什么时候（When）什么地点（where）做了什么事（what）讲了什么道理（why）以及主旨位置。同时知道叙事过程并不是文章的主旨，所蕴道理才是。文章的主旨在文章首尾或隐藏在叙事之中。

例1 （2015·山东卷） Jimmy ... lost his job a few months ago. He has a good heart， but always feared applying for a new job.

One day， he gathered up all his strength and decided to attend a job interview. His appointment ... at 10 am and it ... already 8：30. While waiting for a bus ...， he saw an elderly man wildly kicking the tire of his car. Obviously ... something wrong with the car. Jimmy immediately went up to lend him a hand ... Jimmy said ... no need to pay him； he just helped someone in need， and he had to rush for an interview ...

Then the interviewer turned the chair and to Jimmys surprise， it was the old man he helped earlier in the morning. It turned out he was the General Manager of the company.

“Sorry ... to keep you waiting， but I was pretty sure I made the right decision to have you as part of our workforce before you even stepped into the office. I just know youd be a trustworthy worker. Congratulations！” Jimmy sat down and they shared a cup of well-deserved coffee as he landed himself a new job.

60. What can we learn from Jimmys experience？

A. Where there is a will， theres a way

B. A friend in need is a friend indeed

C. Good is rewarded with good.

D. Two heads are better than one Summary

解析 C。文章的主旨就蕴含在Jimmy失业，找工作时因为帮助一个老人，结果面试迟到，到最后面试的老板竟然是他所帮的那个老人的过程中。作者的叙述都是为表达Good is rewarded with good（好心有好报）服务的。要避免以偏概全，把具体事实或细节当主题。

[说明文]

说明文的作用是介绍事物的现象、特征、过程、功能和趋势。同学们要知道作者在说明什么话题（what），如何说明话题（how），话题的意义何在（why）以及主旨的位置。说明文的主旨常在文章的开头。

例2 （2016·全国卷Ⅰ） The meaning of silence varies among cultural groups. Silences may be thoughtful， or they may be empty when a person has nothing to say. A silence in a conversation may also show stubbornness， uneasiness， or worry. Silence may be viewed by some cultural groups as extremely uncomfortable； therefore attempts may be made to fill every gap（间隙） with conversation. Persons in other cultural groups value silence and view it as necessary for understanding a persons needs.endprint

Many Native Americans value silence and feel it is a basic part of communicating ...

Other cultures may use silence in other ways， particularly when dealing with conflicts among people or in relationships of people with different amounts of power ...

Nurses and other care-givers need to be aware of the possible meanings of silence when they come across the personal anxiety their patients may be experiencing ...

35. What may be the best title for the text？

A. Sound and Silence （wrong）

B. What It Means to Be Silent （proper）

C. Silence to Native Americans （too abstract）

D. Speech Is Silver； Silence Is Gold （too narrow）

解析 B。文章的主旨就在文章的开头（The meaning of silence varies among cultural groups）。同学们在解这种题时应避免选择过于笼统或狭隘的选项。

[议论文]

议论文提出一个主题或观点，有支撑句、结论，通常是“提出问题——分析问题——解决问题”的形式。同学们在阅读中应该知道作者在议论什么话题（what），说服什么（what），以及主旨的位置。在议论文中，表扬、支持的说法常常是主旨；批评、反对之后的建议常常是主旨。主旨常在首尾段、首尾句。

例3 （2013·天津卷） When asked about happiness， we usually think of something extraordinary， an absolute delight， which seems to get rarer the older we get.

For kids， happiness has a magical quality. Their delight at winning a race or getting a new bike is unreserved.

In the teenage years the concept of happiness changes ...

In adulthood the things that bring deep joy—love， marriage， birth—also bring responsibility and the risk of loss ...

My definition of happiness is “the capacity for enjoyment” ...

Psychologists tell us that to be happy we need a mix of enjoyable leisure time and satisfying work ... We， however， with so many choices and such pressure to succeed in every area ...

Happiness isnt about what happens to us—its about how we see what happens to us. Its the skillful way of finding a positive for every negative. Its not wishing for what we dont have， but enjoying what we do possess.

55. What can be concluded from the passage？

A. Happiness lies between the positive and the negative.

B. Each man is the master of his own fate.

C. Success leads to happiness.

D. Happy is he who is content.

解析 D。文中多次提到happiness，但真正點明文章主旨的是结尾句Its not wishing for what we dont have， but enjoying what we do possess。endprint