Second World War jokes:
Shopkeeper to customer: Excuse me, miss, are you pregnant (怀孕)? Customer: Well, I wasn‘t when I joined the queue.
Today, according to research in America, we (in Britain) can spend up to 5 years of our lives queuing - as compared to twelve months looking for things we have lost. But things may be changing.
…
But some people just like queuing. One man queued all night for Harrods famous January sale, and then returned home for breakfast at nine o‘ clock the next morning without going into the shop. 71. We can infer from the passage that ________. A. queue management doesn‘t work well B. there is still queuing in England C. we don‘t see much queuing in Paris
D. the French like queuing more than the British
答案与解析：.选B。文章结论推断题。文章最后说了―But some people just like queuing.‖，该句表明在英国还是有人喜欢排队，因此排队仍然存在。
6．预测题
有些内容文章中没有明确说明，要求考生根据语篇，对事件可能的结局或下段可能涉及的内容等进行预测推理。
常见的与预测相关的问题主要有：
What information will probably be provided following the last paragraph? What do you think the author is most likely to suggest if he continues to write? What would… do in the end? 对于这类问题的判断，
做这类题时应常常要纵览全文，把握作者的写作思路（如文章可能按事件发展的经过描写，也可能按因果关系、对比关系来叙述），作者往往在前文提出几个要解决或说明的问题，提出几种观点看法，然后在下文一一解释说明，考生可通过文章，找出作者已经阐明了哪些问题或观点，然后接下去文章将会如何发展便一目了然了。
例题1：（全国卷I B篇）
Giving Back Fair Way
The Westborough High School golf team had taken the official photos with the state prize. The other teams, disappointed, were on the bus heading home. And then Westborough instructor Greg Rota noticed something wrong on one of the score cards. A 9 had been recorded as a 7. They were not the state prize winner; Woburn High had won. ― No one would have known, ― said Woburn‘s instructor, Bob Doran. For Rota, it wasn‘t a difficult decision: ―The prize wasn‘t ours to take.‖
60. What did Greg Rota probably do in the end? A. Took photos of Doran. B. Had a meeting with Doran.
C. Returned the prize to the organizer. D. Apologized to Woburn High School.
61. Greg Rota‘s decision shows that he was . A. honest B. polite C. careful D. friendly
答案与解析：60.选C。文章思路结局题。这篇阅读的主题是Give Back （归还，回报），全文有三篇小短文，都是围绕这一主题展开的，这是其中的一篇。此题属于―结局推断题‖。其结果文章并没有明显地表白，完全由人物的说话来推断。由fair way (公平，公正)，尤其是最后一句 it wasn‘t a difficult decision: ― The prize wasn‘t ours to take.‖ 可知，Rota 发现了记分错误，并决定把本不属于自己的奖还回组委会。
26
61.选A 。此题属于―人物性格推断题‖。Greg Rota 知道奖品本不该属于自己时就马上决定退回奖品，说明他很诚实。
例题2：（全国高考—上海卷C篇） I THIRST
Each day water-related diseases kill 3,900 of world’s children.
Across the world, 1.1 billion people have no access to clean drinking water. More than 2.5 billion people lack basic sanitation.(卫生设备)
The combination proves deadly. Each year, diseases related to inadequate water and sanitation kill between 2 and 5 million people and cause an estimated 80 percent of all sicknesses in the developing world. Safe drinking water is a precondition for health and the fight against child death rate, inequality between men and women, and poverty.
…
Here are three ways you can help: 1) Write Congress
…
2) Sponsor a project with a faith-based organization
…
3) Support nonprofit water organizations
Numerous U.S.-based nonprofits work skillfully abroad in community-led projects related to
drinking water and sanitation. Like the sample of non-profits noted as follows: some organizations are large, other small-scale, some operate worldwide, others are devoted to certain areas in Africa, Asia, or Latin America. Support them generously.
75. What information will probably be provided following the last paragraph? A. A variety of companies and their worldwide operation.
B. A list of nonprofit water organizations to make contact with. C. Some ways to get financial aids from U.S. Congress.
D. A few water resources exploited by some world-famous organizations.
答案与解析：选B。这是一篇广告，要求为全世界缺水或饮用水不安全的人捐献一份爱心。本题是一道预测题。根据最后一段Like the sample of non-profits noted as follows:… 一句可预测下一段将为读者提供的是―非赢利性组织名单‖，以便捐献爱心的人和他们取得联系。因此正确答案选B。其他三个选项都与本广告的目的不符，故都排除。
III. 技能揭秘之三: 主旨大意题解题技能
高考阅读理解对文章的主旨大意进行命题，旨在考查考生通过对原文快速浏览正确
获取语篇的大意，并对文章的主题、标题、段落、中心思想加以归纳理解以及辨别主要信息和次要信息的能力。要求考生在阅读短文时，能够提炼文章的中心情节，体会作者的主要意图，充分运用逻辑概括能力，透过字里行间获取文章最具代表性的观点、中心论点及作者的情感倾向。
在高考阅读理解中，针对短文主旨常见的命题形式如下：
(1). What would be the best title for the text? /What is the topic of the text? (2). The main topic / subject of the passage is _________.
(3). The main idea/ The general idea is/ The main theme of this passage is… (4). The last paragraph ends the passage with an emphasis on _________. (5). What is mainly discussed in the text? (6). What is the main idea of the passage?
(7) What‘s the main point the writer is trying to make in the last paragraph? (8) The purpose of this passage is .
(9). Which of the following statements is best supported by the text? (10) Which of the following best summarized the passage? (11) The passage mainly focuses on . 从上述命题形式可以看出，此类阅读测试题主要可概括为两大类，即怎样理解段落及文章整体的中心思想和怎样拟定或选择恰当的标题。下面结合高考题实例来具体分析此类题目的解题技巧。
●怎样理解段落及文章整体的主旨大意
27
——主题句定位法
文章是由段落组成的。段落是发展一个主题的一群句子，段落围绕着中心思想展开，而段落的中心思想又是为文章整体的中心思想服务的。寻找具体段落的中心思想的方法是：通过分析篇章结构，找出每小段的主题句，通过主题句找出文章的主题。找准文章的主题句是确定文章主旨大意的关键。主题是文章要表达的中心思想，文章的主题句通常都有一个话题，它是文章的核心。―主题句定位法‖是一种行之有效的方法。
但是由于文章的不同，表现的手法也各有不同，主题句出现的位置也不是一成不变的。在许多情况下，尤其在阅读说明文和议论文时，根据其篇章特点我们可以通过寻找短文的主题句来归纳出文章的主题。主题句在文章中的位置通常有三种情况：开头、中间、结尾（含在开头结尾同时出现、首尾呼应的主题句）。因此，仔细阅读这类文章或段落的首尾句是关键。做主旨大意类试题多采用浏览法(skimming)，浏览时，一般不需逐句细读，只选读文章的首段、尾段，或每段的首句和尾句，重点搜索主题线索和主题信息。
文章主题常常可以通过文章的写作方法来体现，有以下五种情况： 1. 正三解形写作法
即中心主题句出现在文首。开门见山，提出主题，随之用细节来解释、支撑或发展主题句所表达的主题思想。这是英语中最常见的演绎法写作方式，即由一般到特殊，先提出观点，后举例论证，主题句则出现在段首的写作方法。
新闻报道通常就采用这种写法。新闻报道的首句通常称为―新闻导语‖，―导语‖实际上就是主题句，是对全文内容的高度概括。大意题、标题一般可在第一句话找到答题依据。
例题：(国高考—重庆卷E篇)（备注：所有高考题均保留原题号。）
In modern society there is a great deal of argument about competition. Some value it highly, believing that it is responsible for social progress and prosperity. Others say that competition is bad; that it sets one person against another; that it leads to unfriendly relationship between people.
…
71. What does this passage mainly talk about? A. Competition helps to set up self-respect.
B. Opinions about competition are different among people. C. Competition is harmful to personal quality development. D. Failures are necessary experience in competition.
答案与解析：选B。文中第一句便提出了中心论点。 2. 倒三角形写作法
即主题句出现在文尾。在细节后，归纳要点、印象、结论、建议或结果，以概括主题。这是英语中最常见的归纳法写作方式，即细节表述的句子在前，概括性的句子居后，主题句则常位于末段。
例题1：(全国卷IV A篇)
The famous American gorilla(大猩猩) expert Diane Fossey had a completely new way to study gorillas — she
pretended to be one of them. She copied their actions and way of life — eating plants and getting down on her hands and knees to walk the way a gorilla does. It was a new relationship.
Diane Fossey was murdered in Rwanda in 1985 and her story was made into the popular film Gorillas in the Mist. It was a long way from King Kong, which is about a gorilla as a monster (a frightening animal), and helped to show a new idea: the real monster is man, while the gorilla is to be admired.
Today there are thought to be around 48,000 lowland gorillas and maybe 400—450 mountain gorillas in the wild. From the Congo in West Africa, to Rwanda and Uganda further east, they are endangered by hunting and by the cutting down of their forest homes.
Some time ago, I found in my letterbox a little magazine from the World Wide Fund for Nature. It had two photos side by side. One was of a young gorilla. ―This is a species of mammal(哺乳类动物),‖ said the words below it. ―It is being destroyed by man. We must save it for our own good.‖ The other photo showed a human baby. The words also read, ―This is a species of mammal,‖ but then went on: ―It is the most destructive(破坏性的) on earth. We must retrain it for its own good.‖
28
56.The text mainly talks about _____.
A. Diane Fossey B. the gorillas in Rwanda
C. the protection of the gorillas D. the film Gorillas in the Mist
答案与解析：选C。文章第一段谈到Diane Fossey大猩猩的研究；第二段谈到根据她的事迹所拍摄的影片；第三段谈到了大猩猩数量减少的原因；最后一段谈到保护大猩猩的宣传措施。前面三段都是为最后一段作铺垫的, 从最后一段―It is being destroyed by man. We must save it for our own good.‖可知，最主要的目的还是要人们保护大猩猩。
例题2：On the Internet, we can read news at home and abroad and get as much information as we can. We often send e-mails or make telephone calls to our families as well as to our friends by Internet. What‘s more, we can go to school on the net, read a lot of books and even teach ourselves foreign languages. We also enjoy music, watch ball matches on the net and play computer games. With the help of the net, we can do shopping even without leaving our homes. The Internet is playing a more and more important part in our daily life. 1. What‘s the main idea of the passage? A. Keep away from the Internet. B. Surf the net.
C. The Internet is playing an important part in our daily life. D. We can entertain ourselves on the Internet.
答案与解析：选C。最后一句―The Internet is playing a more and more important part in our daily life.‖（因特网在我们的生活中起着越来越重要的作用）是全文的主题句。A项（远离网络）与主题不符。B项（上网）过于笼统。D项（网上娱乐）只不过是短文中的一个细节，不全面。
3. 圆形写作法
即首尾呼应的写作方法。为突出主题，作者先提出主题，结尾时再次点出主题，这种首尾呼应的写作方式也较为多见。通常，前后表述主题的句子不是简单的重复，后面的往往有进一步的引申或发展的意味。
例题：Lacrosse (曲棍球) is a popular sport in Canada. The Indians in Canada invented it. They used it to train for war. They invented this game before Columbus arrived in the New World.
People play lacrosse outdoors. The lacrosse field is seven meters long. At each end of the field there is a goal. The goal is a net. There are ten players on each team. Each player has a stick called ― cross‖. The player hit a ball into the net as many times as possible. Lacrosse is a very fast game because the players can catch and pass the ball at a high speed with their sticks. Players often get great fun it playing lacrosse.
There are many lacrosse clubs and lacrosse teams all over Canada. Every night Canadians can watch the lacrosse games on TV or listen to the lacrosse games over the radio.
At one time lacrosse was the national summer sport in Canada. Today it is still popular with Canadians. 1.The passage is mainly about . A. How to Play Lacrosse B. Lacrosse in Canada C. The History of Lacrosse
D. Lacrosse—A Popular Game in Canada
答案与解析：选D。作者先后两次提到―长曲棍球在加拿大很受欢迎‖，显然选项D最符合短文的主题。 4. 菱形写作法
即主题句出现在文章的中间。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。
例题： (全国高考—江苏卷C篇)
The Sahara Festival is a celebration of the very recent past. The three-day event is not fixed to the same dates each year, but generally takes place in November or December. It is well attended by tourists, but even better attended by locals.
During the opening ceremonies, after the official greetings from the government leaders, people who attend the
29
festival begin to march smartly before the viewing stands, and white camels transport their riders across the sands. Horsemen from different nations display their beautiful clothes and their fine horsemanship. One following another, groups of musicians and dancers from all over the Sahara take their turn to show off their wonderful traditional culture. Groups of men in blue and yellow play horns and beat drums as they dance in different designs. On their knees in the sand, a group of women in long dark dresses dance with their hair: their long, dark, shiny hair is thrown back and forth in the wind to the rhythm of their dance.
…
67. This passage mainly tells readers_______.
A. what happens on the opening day of the Sahara Festival B. how people celebrate during the three-day Sahara Festival
C. what takes place at the closing ceremonies of the Sahara Festival D. how animals race on the first and the last days of the Sahara Festival
答案与解析：从文中第二段第一句话―During the opening ceremonies,‖可以看出，本 文主要是介绍―撒哈拉节‖开幕式上的活动。答案选A。 5. 正方形写作法
即中心主题隐含在全文之中，没有明确的主题句。阅读这样的文章，就要求考生根据文章的细节来分析，概括出段落的主题，从而推导出文章的主旨。分析的方法是，先弄清该段落主要讲了哪几个方面的内容，这些内容在逻辑上有什么联系，然后加以归纳形成主题。该类型的试题则迎刃而解。
例题1：(全国高考—安徽卷C篇)
Handshaking, though a European practice is often seen in big cities of China. Nobody knows exactly when the practice started in Europe. It is said that long long ago in Europe when people met, they showed their unarmed (无武器的) hands to each other as a sign of goodwill. As time went on and trade in cities grew rapidly, people in cities began to clap each other‘s hands to make a deal or to reach an agreement. This practice was later changed into shaking hands among friends on meeting or leaving each other. ―Let‘s shake (hands) on it‖ sometimes means agreement reached.
Do the Europeans shake hands wherever they go and with whomever they meet? No. Sometimes the Chinese abroad reach out their hands too often to be polite. It is really very impolite to give your hand when the other party, especially when it is a woman, shows little interest in shaking hands with you and when the meeting does not mean anything to him or-her. Even if, for politeness, he holds out his unwilling hand in answer to your uninvited hand, just touch it slightly. There is generally a misunderstanding (误解) among the Chinese that westerners are usually open and straightforward, while the Chinese are rather reserved (保守的) in manner. But in fact some people in western countries more reserved than some Chinese today. So it is a good idea to shake hands with a westerner only when he shows interest in further relations with you.
65. The first paragraph mainly tells us ______. A. where handshaking was first practised B. how handshaking came about
C. about the relationship between handshaking and trade
D. about the practice of handshaking both in Europe and in China
答案与解析：选B。主旨大意题。在文章第一段说明了握手的来历。实际上也就是谈论 握手是怎样产生的。
67. The main purpose of the text is ______.
A. to tell us some differences between the East and the West B. to offer us some important facts about handshaking C. to introduce us to some different customs in the West D. to give us some advice before we travel abroad
答案与解析：选B。主旨大意题。本文没有明确的主题句，中心主题隐含在全文之中。明显的主题句。通读全文后可知，文章主要是给我们介绍了握手的一些具体事实。由此可知答案B正确。
30