第四天：抓住重點 閱讀為先---段落篇

一、段落的結構

考研文章由4-5段構成，如何把握它們之間的關系以及段落內部的邏輯對于理解全文有很大關系。本文只討論段落內部的邏輯。理解了這種邏輯，閱讀時就能抓住重點，關注次重點，忽略次要細節，從而提高做題的正確率。段落的基本結構是：段落主題句（簡稱為TS，即topic sentence）---段落支持句（，簡稱為SS，即supporting sentences）---段落總結句（CS，即concluding sentence）。有時，段落沒有總結句，那么段落的結構就簡化為：TS---SS。還有的時候，段落開始沒有主題句，而在段末有總結句，那么段落的結構就簡化為：SS---CS。使情況更為復雜的是：段落中間有時出現轉折。段落的重點是段落主題句或段落總結句，整個段落都討論的關鍵詞以及段落中的轉折，閱讀時要注意它們，因為它們通常是答案所對應的地方。下面是2004年考研閱讀第三篇文章的段落結構分析。

二、段落結構分析

When it comes to the slowing economy, Ellen Spero isn’t biting her nails just yet. But the 47-year-old manicurist isn’t cutting, filling or polishing as many nails as she’d like to, either. Most of her clients spend $12 to $50 weekly, but last month two longtime customers suddenly stopped showing up. Spero blames the softening economy. “I’m a good economic indicator, ” she says. “I provide a service that people can do without when they’re concerned about saving some dollars.” So Spero is downscaling, shopping at middle-brow Dillard’s department store near her suburban Cleveland home, instead of Neiman Marcus. “I don’t know if other clients are going to abandon me, too.” she says.

Even before Alan Greenspan’s admission that America’s red-hot economy is cooling, lots of working folks had already seen signs of the slowdown themselves. From car dealerships to Gap outlets, sales have been lagging for months as shoppers temper their spending. For retailers, who last year took in 24 percent of their revenue between Thanksgiving and Christmas, the cautious approach is coming at a crucial time. Already, experts say, holiday sales are off 7 percent from last year’s pace. But don’t sound any alarms just yet. Consumers seem only concerned, not panicked, and many say they remain optimistic about the economy’s long-term prospects, even as they do some modest belt-tightening.

Consumers say they’re not in despair because, despite the dreadful headlines, their own fortunes still feel pretty good. Home prices are holding steady in most regions. In Manhattan, “there’s a new gold rush happening in the $4 million to $10 million range, predominantly fed by Wall Street bonuses,” says broker Barbara Corcoran. In San Francisco, prices are still rising even as frenzied overbidding quiets. “Instead of 20 to 30 offers, now maybe you only get two or three,” says JohnTealdi, a Bay Area real-estate broker. And most folks still feel pretty comfortable about their ability to find and keep a job.

Many folks see silver linings to this slowdown. Potential home buyers would cheer for lower interest rates. Employers wouldn’t mind a little fewer bubbles in the job market. Many consumers seem to have been influenced by stock-market swings, which investors now view as a necessary ingredient to a sustained boom. Diners might see an upside, too. Getting a table at Manhattan’s hot new Alain Ducasse restaurant used to be impossible. Not anymore. For that, Greenspan & Co. may still be worth toasting.

在這篇文章的幾個段落中，第一段首句是這一段的主題句，以講故事的方式引出本文話題；第二句的轉折也值得關注。第二段的首句承接一段的故事點出文章主題：美國經濟增長放緩；第二段末出現了轉折：經濟增長雖然放緩，但是消費者仍然謹慎樂觀。第三段的首句是這一段的主題句---消費者并未絕望，中間是具體論述。全文末段的結構最明顯：首句是段落主題句---經濟增長放緩帶來的好處，后面作者說明了好處的具體體現。在弄清段落結構、找到段落主題以后，做題時要結合這些重要的地方思考，才能保證較高的正確率。