二有关短文主题思想提问的解题技巧与历年真题
提问文章的主题主要测试考生对短文的全面理解程度和概括能力。这类问题在短文中一般不易直接找到答案。最简单的方法是仔细研读短文开头第一、二句——即短文的主题句(或第一段)，在很多情况下，答案可在其中找到。若短文由若干段组成，则除仔细阅读第一段的第一、二句之外，还需仔细阅读每段的第一句话——即段落中心句。通过这种方法，不难归纳出全文的主题思想。但我们也不能偏激，应注意：切勿将某一段(第一段除外)的段落中心句作为全文的主题。更不能把短文中的某一句话(短文的第一句话除外)作为全文的主题。看下面的例题：
2001年第3篇全真考研题
Why do so many Americans distrust what they read in their newspapers? The American Society of Newspaper Editors is trying to answer this painful question.The organization is deep into a long selfanalysis known as the journalism credibility project.
Sad to say,this project has turned out to be mostly lowlevel findings about factual errors and spelling and grammar mistakes,combined with lots of headscratching puzzlement about what in the world those readers really want.
But the sources of distrust go way deeper.Most journalists learn to see the world through a set of standard templates (patterns) into which they plug each day’s events.In other words,there is a conventional story line in the newsroom culture that provides a backbone and a readymade narrative structure for otherwise confusing news.
There exists a social and cultural disconnect between journalists and their readers,which helps explain why the “standard templates” of the newsroom seem alien to many readers.In a recent survey,questionnaires were sent to reporters in five middlesize cities around the country,plus one large metropolitan area.Then residents in these communities were phoned at random and asked the same questions.
Replies show that compared with other Americans,journalists are more likely to live in upscale neighborhoods,have maids,own Mercedeses,and trade stocks,and they’re less likely to go to church,do volunteer work,or put down roots in a community.
Reporters tend to be part of a broadly defined social and cultural elite,so their work tends to reflect the conventional values of this elite.The astonishing distrust of the news media isn’t rooted in inaccuracy or poor reportorial skills but in the daily clash of world views between reporters and their readers.
This is an explosive situation for any industry,particularly a declining one.Here is a troubled business that keeps hiring employees whose attitudes vastly annoy the customers.Then it sponsors lots of symposiums and a credibility project dedicated to wondering why customers are annoyed and fleeing in large numbers.But it never seems to get around to noticing the cultural and class biases that so many former buyers are complaining about.If it did,it would open up its diversity program,now focused narrowly on race and gender,and look for reporters who differ broadly by outlook,values,education,and class.
59.What is the passage mainly about?
A.Needs of the readers all over the world.
B.Causes of the public disappointment about newspapers.
C.Origins of the declining newspaper industry.
D.Aims of a journalism credibility project.
60.The results of the journalism credibility project turned out to be.
A.quite trustworthy B.somewhat contradictory
C.very illuminating D.rather superficial
61.The basic problem of journalists as pointed out by the writer lies in their.
A.working attitude B.conventional lifestyle
C.world outlook D.educational background
62.Despite its efforts,the newspaper industry still cannot satisfy the readers owing to its.
A.failure to realize its real problem
B.tendency to hire annoying reporters
C.likeliness to do inaccurate reporting
D.prejudice in matters of race and gender
59.B本题属“短文主题思想”的提问方式。本文的主题我们在通读全文后，并根据文章第一段第一句“为什么这么多美国人不相信报刊上读到的东西?”可知全篇主要回答这一问句，因此B答案“公众对新闻界感到失望的原因”为正确答案。A答案“全世界读者的需求”范围过宽，不符合题目要求。C答案“美国报刊业日趋衰退的原因”显得答非所问。D答案“新闻可信度调查项目的目的”在文章中未展开。
60.D该题是问新闻可信度调查项目的结果如何。我们可以参照文章第二段第一句“很遗憾，该项目在事实误差，拼写及语法错误，以及这些读者究竟需要什么等令人困惑的问题方面的调查结果大部分都是表面上的”这和D答案“相当肤浅”一致，A答案“相当可信”与内容不符，B答案“有点矛盾”文章未提及，答案C“非常有启发性”与事实相反，故选D。
61.C该题问作者所指出的记者们存在的基本问题是什么。这道题我们可以参照文章倒数第二段第二句“读者不相信新闻媒体不在于报导有误或报导技术差，而是在于记者与读者之间世界观方面的冲突。故答案C“世界观”为正确答案。A答案“工作态度”文中未提及，B答案“传统生活方式”和D答案“教育背景”都属于记者与读者不同的三个方面。
62.A该题问尽管新闻界付出了努力，仍然不能满足读者的需要的原因是什么?我们参照文章最后一段可推测出：新闻界的问题症结在于没能对症下药。因此，答案A“没有认识到真正的问题所在”为正确答案，属概括性的答案，而B答案“往往雇佣令人厌烦的记者”、C答案“可能做有误的报导”和D答案“在种族和性别的问题方面有偏见”则属细节性问题，故选A答案。
译文
为什么有这么多的美国人不相信报刊上读到的东西呢?美国报刊编辑协会正在试图解决这一令人痛苦的问题。该组织正在进行长时间的自我分析：一项叫做新闻可信度调查项目。
很遗憾，该项目在事实误差、拼写及语法错误，以及这些读者究竟需要什么等令人困惑的问题方面的调查结果大部分相当肤浅。
然而读者不相信报刊有更深层的原因。首先，大多数记者通过一套标准模式来看世界，并用其来衡量每天发生之事。换句话说，在新闻阶层有一种传统的写作规则，这种规则为在其他方面可能造成误解的新闻提供现成的叙事结构。
其次，记者和读者之间存在社会和文化差距。这种差距有助于解释许多读者不能理解新闻界标准模式的原因。在最近的一项调查中，对国内五个中等城市及一个大城市的记者们进行了问卷调查。然后，对这些地区的居民随意电话采访，对他们提出相同的问题。
结果表明，与其他美国人相比，记者更有可能居住在质优价高的地段，有仆人、高级进口汽车及股票，而不大可能去做礼拜、当志愿者或在普通社区定居。
记者可以说是文化及社会方面的精英，因此他们的工作往往仅反映上层的价值观。令人惊讶的是，读者不相信新闻媒体不是由于报导有误或报导技术不好，而是由于记者与读者之间存在世界观方面的冲突。
这种现象对任何行业都是难堪的局面，特别是对于日趋下降的行业。新闻界是令人棘手的行业，一直在雇佣态度令读者厌烦的职员。现在新闻界在组织各种座谈会及可信度调查以了解读者厌烦及躲避报刊的原因。但是新闻界似乎从未注意到以前的读者所不满意的文化与阶层偏见。如新闻界注意到这一点，现在就应该开办多样性栏目，寻找一些世界观、价值观、教育程度及社会层次完全不同的记者。
1998年第5篇全真考研题
Scattered around the globe are more than 100 small regions of isolated volcanic activity known to geologists as hot spots. Unlike most of the world’s volcanoes,they are not always found at the boundaries of the great drifting plates that make up the earth’s surface;on the contrary,many of them lie deep in the interior of a plate.Most of the hot spots move only slowly,and in some cases the movement of the plates past them has left trails of dead volcanoes.The hot spots and their volcanic trails are milestones that mark the passage of the plates.
That the plates are moving is now beyond dispute. Africa and South America,for example,are moving away from each other as new material is injected into the sea floor between them.The complementary coastlines and certain geological features that seem to span the ocean are reminders of where the two continents were once joined.The relative motion of the plates carrying these continents has been constructed in detail,but the motion of one plate with respect to another cannot readily be translated into motion with respect to the earth’s interior. It is not possible to determine whether both continents are moving in opposite directions or whether one continent is stationary and the other is drifting away from it. Hot spots,anchored in the deeper layers of the earth,provide the measuring instruments needed to resolve the question. From an analysis of the hotspot population it appears that the African plate is stationary and that it has not moved during the past 30 million years.
The significance of hot spots is not confined to their role as a frame of reference.It now appears that they also have an important influence on the geophysical processes that propel the plates across the globe.When a continental plate comes to rest over a hot spot,the material rising from deeper layers creates a broad dome.As the dome grows,it develops deep fissures (cracks);in at least a few cases the continent may break entirely along some of these fissures,so that the hot spot initiates the formation of a new ocean. Thus just as earlier theories have explained the mobility of the continents,so hot spots may explain their mutability (inconstancy).
67.The author believes that .
A.the motion of the plates corresponds to that of the earth’s interior
B.the geological theory about drifting plates has been proved to be true
C.the hot spots and the plates move slowly in opposite directions
D.the movement of hot spots proves the continents are moving apart
68.That Africa and South America were once joined can be deduced from the fact that .
A.the two continents are still moving in opposite directions
B.they have been found to share certain geological features
C.the African plate has been stable for 30 million years
D.over 100 hot spots are scattered all around the globe
69.The hotspot theory may prove useful in explaining .
A.the structure of the African plates
B.the revival of dead volcanoes
C.the mobility of the continents
D.the formation of new oceans
70.The passage is mainly about .
A.the features of volcanic activities
B.the importance of the theory about drifting plates
C.the significance of hot spots in geophysical studies
D.the process of the formation of volcanoes
67.B观点题。第一段最后一句告诉我们，热点和它们的火山轨迹是表明板块流动的里程碑。此外，第二段第一句开宗明主，指出板块的流动是无可争议的。由此可见，B“关于流动板块的地质理论已证明是正确的”是最佳选择。由下一句可知A项错误；由第二段第五句可知C项错误；D项的意思与文章的最后一句正好相反，也可以排除。
68.B细节理解题。第二段第三句写道：“大洋两边，非洲和南美洲海岸线的互补性以及某些地貌都显示两大洲曾经一度是衔接在一起的。”故答案应为B。
69.D第三段主要论述hot spots的重要性。此段第四句最后一部分指出：“于是hot spots导致了新海洋的形成”。D项与这是一致的。要注意的是在此段最后一句话中:Just as… as…是固定的句型，意为“正如……一样，……一样也……”。“正如早期的一些理论已经解释了大陆的迁移一样，hot spots也许解释了它们的不稳定性。”
70.C本题属“短文主题思想”的提问方式，本文开头的主题句说：“分散在地球上各地有100多个被地质学家称之为热点的小小的孤立火山活动区。”第一、二、三段都是围绕“热点”展开讨论的，这与答案C“在地质研究中热点的重要性”相吻合，故应选C。
译文
地球上散落分布着100多个互不相连且面积不大的火山活动区，被地质学家称为热点。与大多数火山不同的是，它们都不位于形成地球表面的巨大漂移板块的连接处，许多反倒藏于板块的深处。大多数热点移动极其缓慢，有时，板块滑过这些热点，便留下死火山的痕迹。热点及其火山痕迹标志着板块漂移而过。
板块漂移现在已是无可争辩的了。以非洲和南美洲为例，由于有新物质嵌入洋底，两块大陆距离越来越远。虽然远隔大洋，但相互吻合的海岸线似乎好像跨越过海的地质特征，会使人想到这两块大陆曾是连成一片的。带着两块大陆漂移的板块做相对运动，这已得到详细说明，但不能把一个板块相对于另一板块的运动简单地解释为板块与地球内部之间的运动。人们还不能确定两块大陆是否在朝相反的方向运动，也不能确定是否是一个大陆原地不动，另一个大陆正在离它而去。位于地壳深处的热点提供了解决这一问题的测量仪。从热点地区的人口情况分析来看，似乎非洲板块是固定的，三千万年过去了也没有移动。
热点的重要意义并不仅在于它们所起到的参照体系的作用。现在看来，它们还对推动板块在地球表面漂移这一地球物理过程有重要影响。当大陆板块漂移到热点上方，从地壳深处涌出的物质便会使板块凸起，形成巨大圆盖。圆盖不断增大，板块出现深深的裂痕。起码有几次，大陆可能沿着这些裂痕开了。因此，热点理论解释了新海洋的成因。这样，正如早期一些理论已经解释了大陆的可移性一样，热点理论或许可以解释大陆板块的不稳定性。
1994年第1篇全真考研题
The American economic system is organized around a basically privateenterprise,marketoriented economy in which consumers largely determine what shall be produced by spending their money in the marketplace for those goods and services that they want most.Private businessmen,striving to make profits,produce these goods and services in competition with other businessmen;and the profit motive,operating under competitive pressures,largely determines how these goods and services are produced. Thus,in the American economic system it is the demand of individual consumers,coupled with the desire of businessmen to maximize profits and the desire of individuals to maximize their incomes,that together determine what shall be produced and how resources are used to produce it.
An important factor in a marketoriented economy is the mechanism by which consumer demands can be expressed and responded to by producers.In the American economy,this mechanism is provided by a price system,a process in which prices rise and fall in response to relative demands of consumers and supplies offered by sellerproducers.If the product is in short supply relative to the demand,the price will be bid up and some consumers will be eliminated from the market.If,on the other hand,producing more of a commodity results in reducing its cost,this will tend to increase the supply offered by sellerproducers,which in turn will lower the price and permit more consumers to buy the product. Thus,price is the regulating mechanism in the American economic system.
The important factor in a privateenterprise economy is that individuals are allowed to own productive resources (private property ),and they are permitted to hire labor,gain control over natural resources,and produce goods and services for sale at a profit.In the American economy,the concept of private property embraces not only the ownership of productive resources but also certain rights,including the right to determine the price of a product or to make a free contract with another private individual.
51.In Line 6,Para.1,“the desire of individuals to maximize their incomes”means .
A.Americans are never satisfied with their incomes
B.Americans tend to overstate their incomes
C.Americans want to have their incomes increased
D.Americans want to increase the purchasing power of their incomes
52. The first two sentences in the second paragraph tell us that.
A.producers can satisfy the consumers by mechanized production
B.consumers can express their demands through producers
C.producers decide the prices of products
D.supply and demand regulate prices
53.According to the passage,a private-enterprise economy is characterized by .
A.private property and rights concerned
B.manpower and natural resources control
C.ownership of productive resources
D.free contracts and prices
54.The passage is mainly about.
A.how American goods are produced
B.how American consumers buy their goods
C.how American economic system works
D.how American businessmen make their profits
51.D语义解析题。the desire of individuals to maximize their incomes 与 the desire of businessmen to maximize profits对比，商人是为了最大程度地获取利润，而普通个人是为了充分利用他们固定的收入去购买商品，因此符合这一含义的解释是D。A、B两项内容与引号内部分的内容无关，C中提到的have their incomes increased不是原文所要表达的含义，因为这不是the American economic system的决定因素。
52.D细节归纳题。第二段的前两句话主要讲述的是顾客需求以及生产商对此做出反应(即供求)之间的关系主要是靠价格这一机制来实现的，价格的升降取决于相对的顾客和卖主之间的供求关系，这表明顾客的需求和生产销售者的供给决定价格的升降。因此D选项内容是这两句话所表达的正确含义。A的内容在原文中没有提到，B与原文内容不符，C的内容在文章的最后一段中提到的，但与第二段的前两句话没有任何关系。
53.A段落内容归纳题。在文章的最后一段作者详尽清楚地向我们讲述了私有企业经济的特点，即私有企业不仅拥有生产资料的所有权，而且还有其他一些相关的权利，所以答案是A，而B、C和D都只是其中的特点之一，不完整，只有A最全面。
54.C全文主旨题。本题还是属“短文主题思想”的提问方式。文章的第一句就表明了这篇文章的主题，即：The American economic system is organized around a basically...。文章的第二段、第三段分别讲述了它的两个运行特点，即marketoriented economy中的price system和privateenterprise economy。A、B和D都只是文章中所讲的某一方面的内容，只有C概括了整个文章的内容，因此，本道题目的正确答案是C。
译文
从根本上说，美国经济体制是围绕私有企业、市场型经济建立起来的。这种体制在很大程度上是消费者通过到市场购买他们最需要的商品和服务来确定需要生产什么。为了获取利润，私有企业主在与他人竞争中生产这些产品，提供这些服务。在竞争的压力下追求利润的动机以及如何运作，在很大程度上决定生产商品和提供服务的方式。因此，在美国经济体制中是消费者个人的需求，加上商人获取最大利润及消费者想最大限度提高购买力的愿望，三者共同决定产品种类和利用资源生产产品的方法。
市场型经济中的一个重要因素是反映消费者需求以及生产者对消费者需求作出反应的机制。在美国经济中，这一机制是由价格体制体现的，价格随消费者的相对需求与生产者的供应情况而上下浮动。如果供不应求，价格就上升，有些消费者就会被排挤出市场。另一方面，某种产品大量生产导致成本下降，产销者提供的产品就会增加，这就会使价格下跌，那么，更多的消费者就会购买该产品。因此，价格是美国经济体制中的调节机制。
私有企业经济的一个重要因素是允许个人拥有生产资料(私有财产)，允许他们雇用劳动力，控制自然资源，通过生产产品、提供服务来获取利润。在美国经济中，私有财产的概念不仅包括生产资料的所有权，也包括一定的权利，比如，产品价格的决定权或与其他私有个体的自由签约权。
1997年第4篇全真考研题
No company likes to be told it is contributing to the moral decline of a nation.“Is this what you intended to accomplish with your careers?” Senator Robert Dole asked Time Warner executives last week.“You have sold your souls,but must you corrupt our nation and threaten our children as well?” At Time Warner,however,such questions are simply the latest manifestation of the soulsearching that has involved the company ever since the company was born in 1990.It’s a selfexamination that has,at various times,involved issues of responsibility,creative freedom and the corporate bottom line.
At the core of this debate is chairman Gerald Levin,56,who took over for the late Steve Ross in 1992.On the financial front,Levin is under pressure to raise the stock price and reduce the company’s mountainous debt,which will increase to $17.3 billion after two new cable deals close.He has promised to see off some of the property and restructure the company,but investors are waiting impatiently.
The flap over rap is not making life any easier for him.Levin has consistently defended the company’s rap music on the grounds of expression.In 1992,when Time Warner was under fire for releasing IceT’s violent rap song Cop Killer,Levin described rap as a lawful expression of street culture,which deserves an outlet.“The test of any democratic society,”he wrote in a Wall Street Journal column,“lies not in how well it can control expression but in whether it gives freedom of thought and expression the widest possible latitude,however disputable or irritating the results may sometimes be.We won’t retreat in the face of any threats.”
Levin would not comment on the debate last week,but there were signs that the chairman was backing off his hardline stand,at least to some extent.During the discussion of rock singing verses at last month’s stockholders’ meeting,Levin asserted that “music is not the cause of society’s ills” and even cited his son,a teacher in the Bronx,New York,who uses rap to communicate with students.But he talked as well about the “balanced struggle” between creative freedom and social responsibility,and he announced that the company would launch a drive to develop standards for distribution and labeling of potentially objectionable music.
The 15member Time Warner board is generally supportive of Levin and his corporate strategy.But insiders say several of them have shown their concerns in this matter.“Some of us have known for many,many years that the freedoms under the First Amendment are not totally unlimited,” says Luce.“I think it is perhaps the case that some people associated with the company have only recently come to realize this.”
63.Senator Robert Dole criticized Time Warner for.
A.its raising of the corporate stock price
B.its selfexamination of soul
C.its neglect of social responsibility
D.its emphasis on creative freedom
64.According to the passage,which of the following is TRUE?
A.Luce is a spokesman of Time Warner.
B.Gerald Levin is liable to compromise.
C.Time Warner is united as one in the face of the debate.
D.Steve Ross is no longer alive
65.In face of the recent attacks on the company,the chairman.
A.stuck to a strong stand to defend freedom of expression
B.softened his tone and adopted some new policy
C.changed his attitude and yielded to objection
D.received more support from the 15member board
66.The best title for this passage might be.
A.A Company under Fire
B.A Debate on Moral Decline
C.A Lawful Outlet of Street Culture
D.A Form of Creative Freedom
63.C文中第一段Robert Dole对Time Warner总经理的质问(“你们已出卖了你们的灵魂，是否还要败坏我们的国家、威胁我们的孩子?”)表明他批评后者缺乏社会责任感。
64.D词汇释义题。本题表面看来是细节辨认题，但实际上是词汇词义的辨认。第二段第一句中的the late Steve Ross, late意为“已故的”，故答案应为D.Steve Ross is no longer alive。B之所以错是因为is liable to compromise用一般现在时，表示经常性的特征；而第四段第一句中was backing off his hard-line stand(正从他的强硬立场退却)是用过去进行时，表示过去一时的行为动作，二者不能混淆。
65.B第四段第一句话是主要提示。这句话意思是“Levin不愿对上周的辩论作出评论，但有迹象表明，他正在某种程度上从强硬路线上退缩”。这显然是B项的意思。
66.A本题属“短文主旨”提问方式。文章的核心是时代-华纳公司，主要内容是对该公司的批评与辩论。所以A(遭到非难的公司)最为合适。
译文
没有哪家公司乐意听到别人说它败坏了社会风气。上星期参议员罗伯特·多尔质问时代-华纳公司经理们时问道，“莫非这就是你们要成就的事业吗?你们已经出卖了自己的灵魂，难道还一定要腐蚀整个民族，威胁下一代吗?”不过，对于成立于1990年的时代-华纳公司来说，这样的质询只不过是公司自我解剖的最新表白，是在不同时期关系到责任、创作自由和利润等问题的自我检查。
56岁的董事长杰拉尔德·莱文是争论的焦点人物。莱文是在1992年取代已故董事长史蒂夫·罗斯的。财政上，他承受着抬高股价、减少公司巨额债务的压力。在谈定两笔新的有线电视买卖后，债务将达到173亿美元。他已答应出售部分财产，重组公司。然而，投资者正在焦躁地等待着。
夸大说唱音乐的作用并未使他的日子好过一些。莱文一直以表达情感为借口捍卫公司的说唱音乐。1992年，公司因出品冰特乐队的狂暴的说唱歌曲《警察杀手》而备受责难时，莱文说，这是街头文化的合法表达形式，它应该有自己的宣泄渠道。他在《华尔街日报》一篇专栏文章中写道：“对任何一个民主社会的检验不在于它如何严格地控制言论的自由表达，而在于它能否尽可能宽松地给予人们思考和表达的自由——不管其结果有时候可能引起多么大的争议和愤怒。面对威胁，我们决不退却。”
莱文对上周的评论不置一辞，但有迹象表明这位总裁的强硬立场起码在一定程度上有所松动。在上个月举行的股东大会上，人们讨论了摇滚乐的唱词。莱文强调说：“音乐不是社会丑恶现象的根源”，并且还举了他那在纽约布郎克斯任教的儿子为例，他的儿子以说唱音乐的形式与学生交流。但他也谈到了创作自由与社会责任要“努力保持平衡”的问题。他宣布，公司将尽力对可能招致人们反对的音乐制定各种发行和标识的标准。
总的来说，时代-华纳公司董事会的15名董事是支持他的立场和公司经营策略的，但据内部人士透露，其中几位对此表示担忧。“我们当中有的人许多年来就知道宪法修正案第一条讲的自由不是宽大无边的。”卢斯说，“但觉得公司里有些人可能最近才意识到这一点。”
