第十三天：主題態度 宏觀駕馭---閱讀理解篇之一

做閱讀理解時一方面要注意細節，不能憑印象做題；另一方面，選答案時不能僅僅根據個別細節與原文相似就下判斷。這兩個方面是導致失分的重要原因。如何克服這個問題呢？今天從主題與態度的把握方面來回答。

所有文章的主題，包括全文主題與段落主題都很重要，是做題的重要依據。我在本博客的另一篇文章（《考研閱讀的最高境界（三）——考研閱讀正確答案解碼》）中指出：考研閱讀問題的正確答案經常具有下列五大特征之中的一個或幾個：

1． 特征一——內容：常與文章的主旨有關。

即經常涉及文章的中心思想。有的文章后面幾個問題的正確答案都對應文章的主旨，因此，要注意正確表達了原文主旨的選項。例如，

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.

……

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. (2004-3)

1. By “Ellen Spero isn’t biting her nails just yet” (Line 1, Paragraph 1), the author means.

[A] Spero can hardly maintain her business

[B] Spero is too much engaged in her work

[C] Spero has grown out of her bad habit

[D] Spero is not in a desperate situation

2. How do the public feel about the current economic situation?

[A] Optimistic. [B] Confused.

[C] Carefree. [D] Panicked.

3. When mentioning “the $4 million to $10 million range” (Line 3, Paragraph 3) the author is talking about.

[A] gold market [B] real estate

[C] stock exchange [D] venture investment

4. Why can many people see “silver linings” to the economic slowdown?

[A] They would benefit in certain ways.

[B] The stock market shows signs of recovery.

[C] Such a slowdown usually precedes a boom.

[D] The purchasing power would be enhanced.

5. To which of the following is the author likely to agree?

[A] A new boom, on the horizon.

[B] Tighten the belt, the single remedy.

[C] Caution all right, panic not.

[D] The more ventures, the more chances.

在這篇文章所對應的五道題中，除了第三題涉及指代外，其他題都可以根據本文的主題與態度確定正確答案。而且，對第三題之外的其他四道題的正確答案進行比較，會發現它們的意思差不多——都是說經濟形勢不太壞：

1．（D）未絕望 2．（A）樂觀 4．（A）許多人會在某些方面獲益 5．（C）謹慎點就行了，不必恐慌

其中第一、第二與第五的答案就是本文主題的不同說法，不過第一題是以例子引出主題，第二與第五題是概述主題。第四題針對末段，答案對應的是段落主題。

下面以2007年的第三篇閱讀為例進一步說明從宏觀上駕馭主題態度如何能提高做題的正確率。

During the past generation, the American middle-class family that once could count on hard work and fair play to keep itself financially secure has been transformed by economic risk and new realities. Now a pink slip, a bad diagnosis, or a disappearing spouse can reduce a family from solidly middle class to newly poor in a few months.

……

From the middle-class family perspective, much of this, understandably, looks far less like an opportunity to exercise more financial responsibility, and a good deal more like a frightening acceleration of the wholesale shift of financial risk onto their already overburdened shoulders. The financial fallout has begun, and the political fallout may not be far behind.

1. Today’s double-income families are at greater financial risk in that

[A] the safety net they used to enjoy has disappeared.

[B] their chances of being laid off have greatly increased.

[C] they are more vulnerable to changes in family economies.

[D] they are deprived of unemployment or disability insurance.

2. As a result of President Bush’s reform, retired people may have

[A] a higher sense of security.

[B] less secured payments.

[C] less chance to invest.

[D] a guaranteed future.

3. According to the author, health-savings plans will

[A] help reduce the cost of healthcare.

[B] popularize among the middle class.

[C] compensate for the reduced pensions.

[D] increase the families’ investment risk.

4. It can be inferred from the last paragraph that

[A] financial risks tend to outweigh political risks.

[B] the middle class may face greater political challenges.

[C] financial problems may bring about political problems.

[D] financial responsibility is an indicator of political status.

5. Which of the following is the best title for this text?

[A] The Middle Class on the Alert

[B] The Middle Class on the Cliff

[C] The Middle Class in Conflict

[D] The Middle Class in Ruins

本文選自2006年1月的Harvard Magazine（《哈佛雜志》），原文標題是The Middle Class on the Precipice（處于懸崖邊緣的中產階級）。本文的主題是：美國經濟政策變化給中產階級家庭帶來的經濟威脅。文章第二段與第三段分別從家庭經濟變化與退休收入受影響兩方面說明這一點。最后一段總結了上述經濟威脅，并指出經濟問題可能會帶來政治后果（fallout）。

既然主題是經濟威脅，那么許多答案都會與威脅以及有關的不良后果相聯系。在文章對應的五道題中，除最后一道題直接問主題以外，其他四道題也涉及主題。第一題是對主題進行解釋（注意答案中提到的本文主題：家庭經濟變化）：

[C] they are more vulnerable to changes in family economies.

第二題與第三題都是以例子說明主題：

[B] less secured payments. （第二題）

[D] increase the families’ investment risk. （第三題）

第四題是對主題的引伸（經濟變化可能帶來的政治后果）：

[C] financial problems may bring about political problems.

當然，這不等于說所有題的答案都是主題。只不過全文主題與段落主題為?？紝ο?，有的文章更是這樣。仔細的讀者會發現上述兩篇文章都是經濟類文章。這類文章談論經濟趨勢，文中的經濟趨勢就是主題，值得關注。

除了主題，作者的態度也非常關鍵。如果這種態度在文中一以貫之，就很值得注意，因為不少題的答案都會涉及這一態度。例如，

Science, in practice, depends far less on the experiments it prepares than on the preparedness of the minds of the men who watch the experiments. Sir Isaac Newton supposedly discovered gravity through the fall of an apple. Apples had been falling in many places for centuries and thousands of people had seen them fall. But Newton for years had been curious about the cause of the orbital motion of the moon and planets. What kept them in place? Why didn’t they fall out of the sky? The fact that the apple fell down toward the earth and not up into the tree answered the question he had been asking himself about those larger fruits of the heavens, the moon and the planets.

……

What this amounts to, of course, is that the scientist has become the victim of his own writings. He has put forward unquestioned claims so consistently that he not only believes them himself, but has convinced industrial and business management that they are true. If experiments are planned and carried out according to plan as faithfully as the reports in the science journals indicate, then it is perfectly logical for management to expect research to produce results measurable in dollars and cents. It is entirely reasonable for auditors to believe that scientists who know exactly where they are going and how they will get there should not be distracted by the necessity of keeping one eye on the cash register while the other eye is on the microscope. Nor, if regularity and conformity to a standard pattern are as desirable to the scientist as the writing of his papers would appear to reflect, is management to be blamed for discriminating against the “odd balls” among researchers in favor of more conventional thinkers who “work well with the team.”(1999-5)

1. The author wants to prove with the example of Isaac Newton that.

[A]inquiring minds are more important than scientific experiments

[B]science advances when fruitful researches are conducted

[C]scientists seldom forget the essential nature of research

[D]unpredictability weighs less than prediction in scientific research

2. The author asserts that scientists.

[A]shouldn’t replace “scientific method” with imaginative thought

[B]shouldn’t neglect to speculate on unpredictable things

[C]should write more concise reports for technical journals

[D]should be confident about their research findings

3. It seems that some young scientists.

[A]have a keen interest in prediction

[B]often speculate on the future

[C]think highly of creative thinking

[D]stick to “scientific method”

4. The author implies that the results of scientific research.

[A]may not be as profitable as they are expected

[B]can be measured in dollars and cents

[C]rely on conformity to a standard pattern

[D]are mostly underestimated by management

上面四道題中，除了第一題外，都與作者的態度有關：第二與第四題直接問作者態度（第二題的（B）與第四題的（A）為正確答案），第三題問的是作者對有些科學家的態度（（D）為正確答案）。

綜上所述，可見從宏觀上把握主題與態度的好處。希望大家在復習真題時對每篇文章的主題（包含全文主題與段落主題）以及作者的態度加以思考，以便實戰時能應付自如。

今天的結束語是：Don’t lose the forest for the trees（不要見木不見林）。