1、高考英语阅读理解微技能Locating Topic and Topic Sentence& Summarizing Main IdeaPart 1 Structure of a Paragraph One of the most important reading skills for English learners to master is the ability to find the main idea and supporting details in a paragraph. A paragraph is a group of sentences that are related.
2、 What makes the sentences related is that they are all about one topic, and taken together, the sentences express one general idea. Each sentence in the paragraph either expresses that one idea or tells something about the idea. Therefore, a typical English paragraph, in most cases, has three elemen
3、ts: the topic ( or subject), the main idea, and the supporting details. 1. Topic: the subject of the paragraph, what is being talked about in the paragraph 2. Main idea: the general idea expressed in the paragraph, the point being made about the topic 3. Supporting details: the specific things being
4、 said about the main idea, how the author proves or supports his or her point about the topic Exercise 1 The course syllabus or course outline students generally receive on the first day of class will usually give the instructors name and office location. It may also list the topics that will be cov
5、ered in the course along with the objectives of the coursethose things the students will be expected to do at the end of the course. The required textbook and test dates may also be given. The point is that the course syllabus contains much important information and should be read carefully. Topic W
6、hat? _ Main idea Point? _ Supporting details Proof?1)_ 2)_3)_ Part 2 Finding Topics The topic the person, thing, place, event or experience most frequently mentioned or referred to in the paragraph. The topic you decide on should be general enough to include everything discussed in the paragraph. Ex
7、ercise 2 Read the following paragraphs and answer the questions. 1. More than fifty different kinds of sea snakes live in the waters of the Pacific and Indian oceans. Unlike sea turtles, which must crawl from the water to give birth on land, sea snakes give birth below the surface of the ocean. The
8、only time a sea snake surfaces is when it needs to fill its single lung with air. Once the lung is filled, the sea snake can stay underwater for hours. Some sea snakes are quite beautiful, but all are dangerous, possessing a deadly poison that can kill on contact. 1) What is the topic of the paragra
9、ph? a. the sea b. snakes c. sea snakes d. sea turtles 2. Faced with a page of formulas or equations, many students feel their palms begin to sweat and their hearts beat faster. They are the victims of math anxiety, a psychological ill that affects tens of thousands. Math anxiety usually strikes some
10、where around the end of grammar school, when the unsuspecting victim first comes face to face with mathematical problems that can not be solved through simple addition and subtraction. Becoming nervous and confused, the students cannot concentrate and thus fails to understand the lesson. Unless coun
11、seling and support are offered immediately, math anxiety will not disappear, and its victims will go through life convinced that mathematics is something for other people. However, with the right kind of help, most students can overcome their fears and learn to solve math problems. It is important,
12、therefore, that a teacher recognizes the symptoms of math anxiety and respond appropriately. What is the topic of the paragraph? a. anxiety b. grammar school c. math anxiety d. math 3. In the 19th century, American and British fishermen nearly wiped out the Antarctic seal. However, the seals have ma
13、de an astonishing comeback, and the current seal population is at least 75 percent higher than its previous 19th century level. Although scientists admit there may be other factors responsible for the return of the Antarctic seal, they are convinced that the severe decrease in the Baleen whale popul
14、ation is a major cause. The Baleen whale and the Antarctic seal once competed for the same food sourcea tiny fish called “krill”. With the Baleen whale practically extinct, the seals now have an almost unlimited food supply. That increase in the food supply is clearly one reason for the seals comeba
15、ck. What is the topic of the paragraph? a. seals around the world b. the comeback of the Antarctic seal c. the disappearance of the Baleen whale d. American and British fishermens hunting 4. Socrates was a philosopher, a person who searches for the truth and the meaning of life. He was also a well-k
16、nown teacher in ancient Athens ( a city in Greece), whose method of teaching was to pose questions that made his students examine and question their beliefs. Socrates methods, however, upset many Athenian leaders. They thought that by teaching the young to question, Socrates was challenging the auth
17、ority of the government. Consequently, Socrates was sentenced to death. What is the topic of the paragraph? a. Socrates philosophy b. the Athenian leaders c. Socrates method of teaching d. philosophers 5. Gender roles are taught throughout the life cycle, but parents probably have the greatest influ
18、ence, especially when children are very young. Very early on, parents reinforce the roles considered appropriate to their childs gender with such remarks as “What a good, sweet girl!” or “What a big, strong boy!” Such statements are usually accompanied by smiles and nods of approval and pleasure. Ac
19、tually, most, if not all, of the forces of socialization (teaching behavior appropriate to a particular society) in our cultureparents, teachers, peers, movies, television, and books for children and adultsreinforce the notion that boys and girls play different roles based on their gender. The resul
20、ting set of traits is what we call masculinity and femininity. What is the topic of the paragraph? a. masculinity b. gender roles c. social roles d. life cycle Part 3 Locating the Topic Sentences In a paragraph, the sentence that expresses the point the author want to make is called the topic senten
21、ce. If a paragraph contains a topic sentence, most or all of the rest sentences in the paragraph will support and develop this topic sentence by providing additional and more specific explanation or illustration. So the topic sentence is a general sentence that sums up the central idea of a paragrap
22、h and gives the paragraph a purpose and direction. 1. The topic sentence is more general than most of the other sentences in the paragraph. 2. The topic sentence answers the question “Whats the point of this paragraph?” 3. The topic sentence is developed or explained throughout most of the paragraph
23、. 4. The topic sentence can be used to sum up the entire paragraph. Exercise 3 Underline the topic sentence of each paragraph.1.College differs from high school in several important ways. In the first place, the college student generally does not attend classes in a course every day of the week but
24、rather two or three times a week. Night courses might meet only once a week. In the second place, in college more information is presented in a shorter length of time. For example, a high school English course may be a year-long course whereas a college English course may be only one semester long.
25、Finally, the college student is expected to be an independent learner. 2.The learning behavior of human beings can be very complicated. To find out how we learn, scientists often study the activities of animals. Sometimes they observe how long it takes for mice to reach food in the center of a maze.
26、 Sometimes they teach pigeons to obtain food by pressing buttons. In the first experiments in space flight, trained dogs were sent into orbit. They proved that living beings could carry out their activities while whirling about in space. 3.Most Americans are accustomed to thinking of lie detectors a
27、s foolproof, as machines that can, without making an error, separate the guilty from the innocent. But the truth is that lie detectors can and do make mistakes. For one thing, the people in charge of lie detectors are not necessarily experts. Many states do not even employ licensed examiners who hav
28、e been trained to read and interpret the lie detectors printout. In addition, many subjects react to a lie detector test by becoming extremely anxious. As a result their bodies behave as if they were lying even when they are telling the truth. From just the opposite perspective, some subjects are sm
29、art enough to use relaxation techniques or tranquilizers to maintain the appropriate calm, even when they are telling one lie after another. 4.One early theory likened human memory to a muscle that had to be regularly exercised in order to function properly. This theory was eventually replaced by th
30、e notion that remembering was like writing, with experience the pen and the mind the blank page. But eventually this theory was also rejected. In its place came another hypothesis ( a claim that needs to be tested to be considered true)that human memory functioned like a complex and well-stocked lib
31、rary catalogue. With access to a key word, you could look up any piece of stored or cataloged information. But over time that theory has also been discarded. It can been seen that human memory may, in fact, be too sophisticated and too complex to be explained through anyone single simile ( a compari
32、son using like or as) or metaphor. Part 4 Summarizing the main ideaThe main idea is the purpose of the paragraph or text. All information in the paragraph or text should connect to the main idea. Some information is not as important.How to identify the main idea. You should follow these steps:1.Read
33、 the whole text.2.Ask, “What is the author doing here?”3.Pay extra attention to the first and last sentence.Exercise 4 1. Throughout history, snakes have played a central role in the myths and rituals of different cultures. To ensure a good harvest, the Hopi Indians of the Southwest perform ritual d
34、ances with live rattlesnakes in their mouths. To usher in the year of the snake, the Chinese draw human figures with snake heads. Snakes are also found on early American flags. The most famous flag shows a snake coiled in a yellow field. Underneath the figure of the serpent stands the warning, “Dont
35、 tread on me”. Topic: a. the year of the snake in Chinese culture b. rituals c. the role of snakes in myths and rituals Main Idea: a. Early American flags show a snake coiled to strike. b. Snakes appear in the myths and rituals of many different cultures. c. The Hopi Indians are brave enough to perf
36、orm ritual dances with live rattlesnakes. 2. Infants spend most of their days fast asleep. In the days immediately after birth, newborns sleep an average of sixteen hours per day. But the amount they sleep decrease steadily with each passing month. By the age of six months, babies average about thir
37、teen to fourteen hours of sleep per day. By twenty-four months, they average only eleven or twelve hours per day. In short, babies sleep a lot, but the amount of sleep they need decreases over time. Topic: a. the habits of newborns b. the sleep patterns of infants c. sleep Main Idea: a. Newborn infa
38、nts spend most of their time sleeping, but as they get older they dont need quite as much sleep. b. Mothers and fathers would do well to make sure that their babies get enough rest. c. Sleep is very important to babies, but not to adults. 3. Most people who have survived serious auto accidents are l
39、ikely to be very nervous about driving. They are afraid of driving even a mile over the speed limit and absolutely refuse to go any faster than the law allows. When they are not at the wheel, their terror increases, and they keep an eye on the driver, offering advice about taking curves and slowing
40、down for yellow lights. Overall, they are convinced that other drivers take far too many chances. Topic: a. people who take chances while driving b. people who have survived auto accidents c. accidents Main Idea: a. people who have survived auto accidents often hate to drive. b. People who have surv
41、ived auto accidents are likely to be cautious and fearful. c. People who slow when taking curves. 4. With a huge white horn planted firmly in the middle of its head, the rhinoceros is a very comical-looking animal. Unfortunately, there is nothing comical about what presently appears to be the rhinos
42、 unhappy fate: pursued by poachers who sell rhino horns for profit, the animals are rapidly being destroyed. Laws to stop the poaching have been enacted in parts of Africa where the animals are found, but so far those laws have not been very successful. In fact, only a few small-scale poachers have
43、been arrested. Large-scale poaching rings, responsible for much of the slaughter, remain intact. Free of significant interference, they continue to kill the animals in order to make their horns into fancy daggers or useless aphrodisiacs. Topic: a. the preservation of endangered animals b. the slaugh
44、ter of rhinos c. anti-poaching laws Main Idea: a. Because their horns bring in money, rhinos are being killed in large numbers. b. In Africa, large-scale poaching rings are a menace to endangered animals. c. Horns are used to make fancy daggers or useless aphrodisiacs. 5. Avalanches are among the wo
45、rlds most treacherous (dangerous) natural disasters. Rocketing down mountainous slopes, masses of ice, snow, rocks, and mud can suddenly cover an entire village. Fortunately, most avalanches occur in remote mountain areas, where they threaten neither human life nor property. Occasionally, however, a
46、 sudden avalanche can catch an unsuspecting group of hikers or skiers by surprise. This is precisely what happened more than a century ago when a small group of mountain climbers tried to scale the huge alpine peak Mont Blank. Without warning, they were overtaken by an avalanche that left only a few
47、 survivors. Three members of the party were buried in the snow. When, after almost half a century, the bodies were found in the snow, they were perfectly preserved. They were so well preserved that a surviving member of the original party, by then an old man, was able to recognize them. Topic: a. na
48、tural disasters b. Mont Blanc c. avlanches Main Idea: a. Although they happen infrequently, sudden avalanches occasionally overwhelm hikers or skiers. b. For the most part, avalanches occur in remote areas where they dont do much harm to people or property. c. Avalanches are masses of ice, snow, rocks, and mud. 6. Soap
