第六讲 怎样做概括大意题

　　一、题型介绍

　　概括大意这一题型在 职称 英语等级考试中属于新题型。在我国其它的大规模的英语考试均未出现过。 这种题型是先给出一篇短文，通常由一段组成，每段说明一个主题。其主题可以用一个或几个单词概括出来，该单词或词组是不完整的，即有一个单词是空出来的，但其第一个或前几个字母已经给出，要求考生在理解每段文字内容的基础上把空缺的字母给补上，使之构成一个完整的单词。这种题型有点像我们平时所说的“画龙点睛”或“高度概括”的意思。实际上，我们可以把每个段落看作一篇小短文，内容有了，标题不完整，考生要做的工作就是来把这个标题补全或来“命”这个标题。

　　二、测试点

　　显而易见，这种题型的测试点就是考查考生抓大意的能力，即大纲规定的应该掌握的阅读能力的第一条。要概括短文的大意，就要首先读懂原文。原文读不懂自然总结不出来。把大意概括出来，还要能找出适当的英文单词，还要能写出这个单词，所以概括大意这种题型同时又考了 词汇 量和拼写。

　　由于这种题型也比较新颖，对考生可能有点不适应，不知如何下手。其实，这种题型相对来说不算难。上面我们谈到，概括大意这种题型的实质是让考生给每段文字“命”一个小标题。而要“命”出这个标题来就必须确定每段文字的主题 思想 .如何确定文章和主题思想？考虑一下人们的写作和逻辑思维过程，这个问题就容易回答了。我们在写一篇短文时，总要分几个段落来写，而每一个段落都有自己的一个观点、论点或主旨。要阐述它，作者就必须展开他的观点或论点，一定要作补充、说明、解释或举例，以支持所提出的问题。反映作者观点、论点或主旨的这个句子通常叫做主题句。主题句往往体现了每一段或整个文章的主题思想。那么，找到了段落的主题句，就等于抓住了它的主题思想，抓住了它的主题思想，标题就容易确定了。看来，要概括出每段的段落大意，就必须先找到每段的主题句。

　　在怎样做阅读理解题第一讲中，我们详细介绍了如何通过找主题句来抓文章的大意，即解答主旨类题目。这里就不再重复了。下面我们通过一个具体的实例来说如何解答概括大意这类题目，并指出解题的步骤。

　　Singapore

　　1. In______________ to singapore .

　　Singapore is an independent city-state in southeastern Asia, consisting of one major island - the Singapore Island - and more than 50 small islands, located off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula. The city of Singapore, the capital of the country, is at the southeastern end of the Singapore Island; it is one of the most important port cities and commercial centers of Southeast Asia. The total area of the republic is 640 sq.km.

　　2. L____________ and Climate.

　　Low-lying Singapore Island has no outstanding relief （轮廓鲜明的）features. A central area of hills rises to the maximum height of 176 m. The country has a wet tropical climate, with an average annual temperature of 27.20 C. The average annual precipitation is 2,413 mm; the wettest months are November through January.

　　3. State sy_________ of Singapore . Singapore is governed under a constitution of 1959, as amended （修改后的）. A president, elected to a four-year term is head of state, and a prime minister is head of government. The president used to be elected by Parliament, but by a 1991 constitutional amendment （修正）, the president is now elected directly by the people. The parliament is the law-making body with its 81 members populary elected.

　　4. E_____________.

　　In the late 1980s the country had some 290 primary schools with 278,300 pupils and 160 s***ndary schools with 200,200 students. The main institutions of higher education are the National University of Singapore （founded in 1980 with the combination of two major universities）, several technical colleges, and a teachers college.

　　5. E_______________ of Singapore .

　　Singapore has one of the highest standards of living of any country in Asia. In the late 1980s the gross domestic product was estimated at $23.7 billion, or $ 8,870 per person. The fishing industry is centered on the port of During, on southwestern Singapore Island. Industry has grown rapidly since the 1960s, and singapore now produces a diversity （多样化的）of goods, including chemicals, electronic items, clothing, and processed foods, etc. Ship building and petroleum refining are also important.

　　这是一篇关于新加坡的文章。我们先看一段。上面我们说了，在做概括大意这类题目时，先找段落的主题句。第一段好像没有哪一句话能概括全段的主题思想。这种段落属于无主题句段落。叙述的都是细节内容。这时要根据段落论述的中心或焦点进行提炼，跳出具体细节，从整体上把握段落，概括出全段的大意。本段涉及到新加坡的地理位置、国土面积，首都等，显然是对新加坡的一个简单介绍。介绍的英文单词是introduction，所以该段的小标题为Introduction to Singapore.

　　下面我们来看第二段。发现这一段也均为情节句， 没有一句概括性的句子，表明该段也无主题句段落。这就要求我们根据细节内容把该段的主题概括出来。该段的前两句讲到新加坡岛地势不高，中部有些小山，最高只有176米。接下来说的是该国气候属于热带雨林气候，年平均温度在摄氏27.2度，年平均降雨量为2,413毫米，十一月至一月份雨量最为充沛。由此看来，该段讲的是新加坡的地势及气候的情况。原小标题中已给出了气候这个词，空出来的单词给出了第一个字母L，所以这里应填Land.

　　那么第三段的标题该怎样命呢？不难看出，该段的第一句为主题句。说的是新加坡是按照1959年修正后的宪法来治国的。接下来展开叙述，均为细节内容。如总统为国家元首，四年一任，总理为政府首脑。过去总统由议会选出，根据地991年修正的宪法，现在总统由国民直接选取出。议会是制订法律的机关等。由此看来， 这一段是在叙述国家的体制，即State System.

　　第四段似乎也没有主题句。但该段的内容很明显，是在讲新加坡的教育情况，所以小标题为Education.

　　我们再来分析一下第五段。这一段的第一句话显然是该段的主题句，它说的是“新加坡在众多亚洲国家中享有较高的生活水平。”为什么说新加坡人民的生活水平高呢？下面的每句话都围绕这一主题展开论述。首先讲在八十年代后期新加坡的国内生产总值达237亿美元，人均八千多美元。接着讲新加坡的渔业。再接着讲自六十年代以来，新加坡的工业发展迅速，并能生产出各种产品。最后又讲新加坡的造船业和石油加工工业也很重要。这些都属于细节内容，是为支持主题句而服务的。根据本段的主题句，我们就可以概括出它的标题。“新加坡人民生活水平高”说明经济发达。所以该段的标题应该是“Economy of Singapore"（新加坡的经济）。下面叙述的细节也是有关新加坡的经济情况的。标题中给出的字母”E“即起到了揭示作用，同时也起到了限定的作用。它揭示我们要填”Economy“这个词，而且限定我们只能填这个词。Women's Rights Movement .

　　46. R—— of Women

　　Women's

　　rights are guarantees of political, social, and ***nomic equality for women in a society that traditionally gives more power and freedom to men. Among these rights are control of property, equality of opportunity in education and employment, right of voting, and freedom of marriage. Today, complete political, ***nomic, and social equality with men remains to be achieved.

　　47. Traditional Sta—— of Women.

　　Male control was obvious from the time of the earliest written historical r***rds, Probably as a result of men's role in hunting and warfare. The belief that women were naturally weaker and inferior to men was also found in god-centered religions. Therefore, in most traditional societies, women generally were at a disadvantage. Their education was limited to learning domestic skills, and they had no access to positions of power. A woman had no legal control over her person, her own land and money, or her children.

　　48. S—— of Women's Rights Movement.

　　The Age of Enlightenment （启蒙时期）and the Industrial Revolution, which caused ***nomic and social progress, provided a favorable climate for the rise of women's rights movement in the late 18th and the 19th century. In 1848 more than 100 persons held the first women's rights convention in New York, and the feminists （女权主义者） demanded equal rights, including the vote.

　　49. Dev——.

　　In the late 1960s women made up about40 percent of the work force in England, France, Germany, and the United States. This figure rose to more than 50 percent by the mid-1980s. A commission under the President was established in 1960 to consider equal opportunities for women. Acts of Congress entitled them to equality in education, employment, and legal rights. In 1964 the Civil Rights Act, initially intended only for blacks, was extended to women.

　　50. Go——.

　　The objectives of the women's movement included equal pay for equal work, federal support for day-care centers, r***gnition for lesbian （女性同性恋） rights, making abortion （堕胎） legal, and the focus of serious attention on the problems of forced sex relations, wife and child beating, and discrimination against （歧视） older and minority women.

　　46. 本题答案为Rights.回答这类问题，关键是找出每段的主题句，主题句找出来后，大意基本上就可以概括出来了。这一段的主题句显然是第一句话，定义妇女的权利包括哪些方面的内容。所以空格处应填Rights.

　　47. 本题答案为Status.本段的主题句在段落中间，即这句话：Therefore, in most traditional societies, women generally were at a disadvantage. 这句话也就反映了过去妇女的地位。地位是Status.

　　48. 本题答案为Start.这一段主要叙述的是妇女运动何时开始的。根据信号词rise就可以把答案做出来。

　　49. 本题答案为Developments.这一段接着上一段进一步介绍妇女运动的发展情况，显然标题应该是Developments.此外，由于空格处已经给出三个字母，该题相对容易多了。

　　50. 本题答案为Goals.整段内容说明妇女运动的目标，原文中的目标用的objective这个词，换一个意义相近的词，就是goal.所以，根据信号词objective，我们会想到答案应该为Goals.

　　三、解题步骤

　　以上我们介绍了概括大意的测试点及解题方法。考生在做这部分题目时应注意：

　　1. 先看大标题，然后仔细阅读每段文字，理解段落的首句及尾句，尽量找到段落的主题句。

　　2. 理解段落中句子之间的相互关系。如果段落的第一句或前两句是概括性的句子，紧接着开始论述细节，从而可以确定段首句为主题句。如果从首句就开始论述细节，到尾句才进行概括或归纳，说明尾句是主题句。如果首句和尾句都是陈述句，而在段中出现一句概括性的句子，说明该句是主题句，概括了全段的中心 思想 .如果全段均为情节句，没有一句概括性的句子，表明这是无主题句的段落。这时要概括段落论述的中心或焦点进行提炼。跳出具体细节，从整体上把握段落，概括出全段的大意。

　　3. 小标题与大标题对照。找出每个段落的主题句并概括出其大意后，反过来再看文章的大标题，看看每段的主题是不是文章大主题的分主题。经过从宏观到颓，从颓再到宏观这两上过程就能保证把小标题命出来。

　　4. 注意词的形式。由于所需补全的词一般多为名词，要从逻辑上考虑是用名词的单数还是用复数。如果需要补全的词前后还有其它的词时，注意该词与其它词的搭配关系。