六级阅读应试技巧(1)(2)
2015-12-03 01:15
导读：a. conflicting spending styles b. money c. conflicts about “his” money d. marriage The answer is a.2.2. Main idea A paragraph is a group of sentences about some related subject. Reader often mista
a. conflicting spending styles b. money
c. conflicts about “his” money d. marriage
The answer is a.2.2. Main idea
A paragraph is a group of sentences about some related subject. Reader often mistakes the topic for the main idea. But the topic is only a part of the author’s idea. The main idea of a paragraph is the combination of the topic and the controlling thought – what the author wants you to know. Readers must know what the main idea of the paragraph is in order to understand the information that they are reading.The commonest question forms are:
What is the main idea/point of the passage?
What is the author’s main point?
Which of the following best summarizes the author’s main idea?
The main idea/point of the passage is…2.2.1 Stated main ideas
Often one sentence in the paragraph that tells the reader exactly what the rest of the paragraph deals with and therefore gives the main idea called the topic sentence. In the topic sentence the author is actually saying, “Who or what am I writing about? Here is my point, the reason I wrote this paragraph.” 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 paragraph and gives the paragraph a purpose and direction. Because the topic sentence tells what the point is, identifying the topic sentence becomes an effective way in finding the main idea of the paragraph. This topic sentence may appear in one of several places.
（1）Topic sentence first
The most common location of the topic sentence is the beginning of the paragraph. It may appear as the very first sentence after an introductory or transitional sentence (one that connects this paragraph to the previous paragraph). In cases with topic sentence first, the author states his or her main idea and then goes on to explain and develop that idea, as in the following paragraph. [3] American men don’t cry because it’s considered unmasculine to do so. Only sissies cry. Crying is a “weakness” characteristic of the female, and no American male wants to be identified with anything in the least weak or feminine. Crying in our culture is identified with childishness, with weakness and dependence.The main idea of this passage is the American men don’t cry because it’s considered unmasculine to do so. It says that the American men consider cry as masculine. All the sentences in the paragraph illustrate that idea by providing many details.(2) Topic sentence last
（转载自http://zw.ＮＳＥaＣ.com科教作文网） The second most likely place for a topic sentence to appear is the end of the paragraph. However, on occasion you may find that it is expressed in the second-to- last sentence, with the last sentence functioning as a restatement or as a transition to connect the paragraph with what follows. When the topic sentence occurs last, you can expect the writer to build a structure of ideas and offer the topic sentence as a concluding statement. Commonly used in argumentative or persuasive writing, this structure uses sentences within the paragraph as building blocks that support the topic sentence. Notice in the following paragraph that the author leads up to the main idea and states it at the end of the paragraph. [4] Mt. McKinley’s eternal snowcap towers 20.320 feet—the highest point on the North American continent. Wide valleys, worn by such meandering steams as the Kustokwim and the mighty Yukon, are filled with unique and colorful plants and animals. Big game hunting and fishing are unparalleled. Moose, bears, Dall sheep and caribou are plentiful. Arctic grayling, salmon, and spectacular trout abound in lakes and rivers. About 95 percent of Alaska is still public domain, where adventure can be enjoyed on a grand scale. Alaska, home of the Eskimo, Indian and Aleut, remains untamed.The main idea in the paragraph is Alaska, home of the Eskimo, Indian and Aleut, remains untamed. All the sentences in the paragraph support that idea with details. By stating the main idea at the end, the author summarizes the point of the paragraph.(3) Topic sentence in the middle
