四級(jí)考試中閱讀理解的題型，以細(xì)節(jié)性題為主。然而，每次考試四篇文章中對(duì)主題題的考察還是有2-3道，如何把這4-6分得到是很多同學(xué)感到很棘手的問(wèn)題。希望通過(guò)本文對(duì)四級(jí)文章主題的分析，同學(xué)們能對(duì)這種題型有更好的把握。

通常，在做主題題時(shí)，大家一般會(huì)在文章首段和尾端找答案�；蛘哒f(shuō)認(rèn)為一般文章中心出現(xiàn)在第一段首。其實(shí)，這種情況在四級(jí)文章的幾率頂多是三分之一。而文章主題出現(xiàn)的方式（即地點(diǎn)）起碼有四種（此處所說(shuō)的主題雖不一定就是主題題的答案，但其中必然含有整個(gè)文章所說(shuō)的中心話題或主體詞，或者可以看出作者的褒貶態(tài)度。把此句話讀懂，在做主題題時(shí)可迅速排除至少2個(gè)答案）。在此分作細(xì)說(shuō)：

一，開門見(jiàn)山。這種文章的主題最好找。一般來(lái)說(shuō)，開頭是個(gè)陳述句或者判斷句。其后沒(méi)有對(duì)其進(jìn)行否定。最典型的要算下定義型的文章了。比如90年1月的關(guān)于海洋學(xué)以及97年1月關(guān)于身份的文章。開頭都是對(duì)海洋學(xué)和身份進(jìn)行了定義，其后展開論述。對(duì)于這類文章，大部分同學(xué)在做主題題時(shí)還是比較好把握的。不過(guò)，有兩點(diǎn)要注意的地方：

（一），首句作出陳述后，后面的論述有轉(zhuǎn)折，但該轉(zhuǎn)折不是對(duì)首句的否定。比如98年1月關(guān)于Violin Prodigies(神童)那篇文章，第一段快到末尾處出現(xiàn)轉(zhuǎn)折，但細(xì)心的讀者會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)，這只是對(duì)一個(gè)例子內(nèi)部的轉(zhuǎn)折。不影響整個(gè)文章的態(tài)度。再如02年1月的老年學(xué)那篇文章以及02年6月的absent-mindedness那篇文章，也是這種情況。但一旦讀出中心話題，主題題就很好做了，以這篇文章為例稍作說(shuō)明。

Most episodes of absent-mindedness - forgetting where you left something or wondering why you just entered a room - are caused by a simple lack of attention, says Schacter. "You're supposed to remember something, but you haven't encoded it deeply."

Encoding, Schacter explains, is a special way of paying attention to an event that has a major impact on recalling it later. Failure to encode properly can create annoying situations. If you put your mobile phone in a pocket, for example, and don't pay attention to what you did because you're involved in a conversation, you'll probably forget that the phone is in the jacket now hanging in you wardrobe (衣柜). "Your memory itself isn't failing you," says Schacter. "Rather, you didn't give your memory system the information it needed."

Lack of interest can also lead to absent-mindedness. "A man who can recite sports statistics from 30 years ago," says Zelinski, "may not remember to drop a letter in the mailbox." Women have slightly better memories than men, possibly because they pay more attention to their environment, and memory relies on just that.

Visual cues can help prevent absent-mindedness, says Schacter. "But be sure the cue is clear and available," he cautions. If you want to remember to take a medication (藥物) with lunch, put the pill bottle on the kitchen table - don't leave it in the medicine chest and write yourself a note that you keep in a pocket.

Another common episode of absent-mindedness: walking into a room and wondering why you're there. Most likely, you were thinking about something else. "Everyone does this from time to time," says Zelinski. The best thing to do is to return to where you were before entering the room, and you'll likely remember.

第一句話就是文章主題所在，雖然第二句有轉(zhuǎn)折，但并不是對(duì)第一句的否定。再看本文的最后一道題：

30. What is the passage mainly about?

A) The process of gradual memory loss.

B) The causes of absent-mindedness.

C) The impact of the environment on memory.

D) A way if encoding and recalling.

只要把開頭的主題把握住了，這道題就很容易做出來(lái)了。

（二），開頭提出話題，其后展開論述，雖然答案不一定就是開頭那句話的同義轉(zhuǎn)述，但正確答案中一定要包含開頭那句話中的關(guān)鍵詞（或者叫主體詞，一般在后文中反復(fù)出現(xiàn)）典型的例子就是99年一月關(guān)于廣告及2000年6月關(guān)于美國(guó)人喜歡制服這兩篇文章。