如何确立英语阅读理解的主题句

肖艳丽

主题是一篇文章的灵魂，也是一篇文章的主旨。主题的特点是简洁、概括、统领全文，文章的事实细节都是为此中心服务的，更重要的是问题设置也是围绕中心提出来的，所以掌握解读文章主旨的技巧是必要而重要的。那么，如何确立英语阅读理解的主题呢？

一、主题句位于首段

这种结构文章的特点是在首段提出论点，然后从第二段开始再分别陈述加以说明。

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 （主题句）①becoming a pilot makes me a better surgeon..（论据）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课标II）

【解析】根据第一段的but becoming a pilot makes me a better surgeon以及第二段，可知本文的主题是：飞行让我变成了更好的医生。

二、主题句位于段中

这类文章的结构特点是：引题—主题—解释。

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 .

（主题句）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广东B）

【解析】由第二段However可知，主题在第二段，再结合最后一段，可知本文的主题是“不花时间和不实践是不可能取得成功的”。

三、主题句位于段尾

主题句位于段尾的文章特点是：归纳总结式，即细节说明在前，高度概括结尾在尾段。

细节说明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. （主题句）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】文章第一段描写“女孩和她妈妈向作者的妈妈讨要零钱”以及“他们住在一辆旧汽车里”；第二、三段描述“妈妈给他们钱后，立刻返回家中拿上食物，将几袋吃的送给了那家人”；第四、五段作者把自己的幸福生活和可怜的小女孩作了比较；最后一段的最后一句对全文进行了概括和总结，即妈妈用自己的实际行动给女儿上了人生中重要的一课——善良。

四、首尾呼应的主题句

（主题句）①Poet William Stafford once said that we are defined more by the detours （绕行路） 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.

……

（主题句）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】作者通过一次带着小羊羔Banner去父母家的绕道旅行，发现绕道旅行非常有意思。第一段含蓄点出中心，最后一段重申中心。

五、无主题句

无主题句是指依据文中事实、细节、观点，综合归纳总结成一般概念。这样的英语阅读材料，需通篇阅读，然后自己总结归纳出本文的中心，从而得出本文的主题。具体的阅读材料不多赘述。

（责任编辑 付淑霞）