如何確立英語閱讀理解的主題句

肖艷麗

主題是一篇文章的靈魂，也是一篇文章的主旨。主題的特點是簡潔、概括、統領全文，文章的事實細節都是為此中心服務的，更重要的是問題設置也是圍繞中心提出來的，所以掌握解讀文章主旨的技巧是必要而重要的。那么，如何確立英語閱讀理解的主題呢？

一、主題句位于首段

這種結構文章的特點是在首段提出論點，然后從第二段開始再分別陳述加以說明。

Doctor are known to be terrible pilots. They don't listen because they already know it all. I was lucky： I became a pilot in 1970， almost ten years before I graduated from medical school. I didn't realize then， but （主題句）①becoming a pilot makes me a better surgeon..（論據）②I loved flying. As I flew bigger， faster planes， and in worse weather. I learned about crew resource management，or CRM， a new idea to make flying safer. It means that crew members should listen and speak up for a good result， regardless of positions. …….（2013課標II）

【解析】根據第一段的but becoming a pilot makes me a better surgeon以及第二段，可知本文的主題是：飛行讓我變成了更好的醫生。

二、主題句位于段中

這類文章的結構特點是：引題—主題—解釋。

Some people think that success is only for those with talent or those who grow up in the right family， and others believe that success mostly comes down to luck .Im not going to say luck， talent， and circumstances dont come into play because they do .some people are born into the right family while others are born with great intelligence， and thats just the reality of how life is .

（主題句）①However， to succeed in life， one first needs to set a goal and then gradually make it more practical. And， in addition to that， in order to get really good at something， one needs to spend at least 10，000 hours studying and practicing. To become great at certain things， itll require even more time， time that most people wont put in.

This is a big reason why many successful people advise you to do something you love. If you dont enjoy what you do ，it is going fo feel like unbearable pain and will likely make you quit well before you ever become good ai it. （2013廣東B）

【解析】由第二段However可知，主題在第二段，再結合最后一段，可知本文的主題是“不花時間和不實踐是不可能取得成功的”。

三、主題句位于段尾

主題句位于段尾的文章特點是：歸納總結式，即細節說明在前，高度概括結尾在尾段。

細節說明②When I was about twelve， I headed to a restaurant for dinner with my family. It was winter， and on that particular night， the wind was really blowing .As my mom and I headed towards the restaurant from our car， a girl about my age and her mother came up to us. They asked if we had any spare change. My mom immediately asked where they kept their things. They pointed to an old car in a parking across the street. The girl said there were six of them living in that car， which was the same size as my own family.

My mom said she had something to do after handing the people a few dollars .She sent me inside the restaurant with my dad and my three siblings. But she didnt come.

Here I stood， dressed in almost new clothes headed to dine in a restaurant and then back home to the bedroom I shared with my younger sister. I remember thinking that the other girl didnt have any food to eat. and she was heading back to a cold car shared with five other people.

After painting this picture in my mind， I understood why my mom had done what she did. （主題句）① I will never forget what she did that night， and how she taught me one of the best lessons I ever learned.

【解析】文章第一段描寫“女孩和她媽媽向作者的媽媽討要零錢”以及“他們住在一輛舊汽車里”；第二、三段描述“媽媽給他們錢后，立刻返回家中拿上食物，將幾袋吃的送給了那家人”；第四、五段作者把自己的幸福生活和可憐的小女孩作了比較；最后一段的最后一句對全文進行了概括和總結，即媽媽用自己的實際行動給女兒上了人生中重要的一課——善良。

四、首尾呼應的主題句

（主題句）①Poet William Stafford once said that we are defined more by the detours （繞行路） in life than by the narrow road toward goals. I like this image. But it was quite by accident that I discovered the deep meaning of his words.

……

（主題句）②Some road trips are by necessity fast and straight. But that trip with Banner opened our eyes to a world available to anyone adventurous enough to wander around and made me realize that a detour may uncover the best part of a journey—and the best part of your（2013天津）

【解析】作者通過一次帶著小羊羔Banner去父母家的繞道旅行，發現繞道旅行非常有意思。第一段含蓄點出中心，最后一段重申中心。

五、無主題句

無主題句是指依據文中事實、細節、觀點，綜合歸納總結成一般概念。這樣的英語閱讀材料，需通篇閱讀，然后自己總結歸納出本文的中心，從而得出本文的主題。具體的閱讀材料不多贅述。

（責任編輯 付淑霞）