第六讲 如何做概括大意题
1、题型介绍
概括大意这一题型在 职称 英语等级考试中是新题型。在国内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，一般由一段组成，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，需要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。这种题型有点像大家平常所说的画龙点睛或高度概括的意思。事实上，大家可以把每一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。
2、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，即大纲规定的应该学会的阅读能力的第一条。要概括短文的大意，就要第一了解原文。原文读不懂自然总结不出来。把大意概括出来，还要能找出适合的英文单词，还要能写出这个单词，所以概括大意这种题型同时又考了 词语 量和拼写。
因为这种题型也比较新颖，对考生可能有点不适应，不知怎么样下手。其实，这种题型相对来讲不算难。上面大家谈到，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需要确定每段文字的主题 思想 .怎么样确定文章和主题思想？考虑考虑大家的写作和逻辑思维过程，这个问题就容易回答了。大家在写一篇短文时，总要分几个段落来写，而每个段落都有我们的一个看法、论点或主旨。要讲解它，作者就需要展开他的看法或论点，必须要作补充、说明、讲解或举例，以支持所提出的问题。反映作者看法、论点或主旨的这个句子一般叫做主题句。主题句总是体现了每一段或整个文章的主题思想。那样，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，就需要先找到每段的主题句。
在如何做阅读理解题第一讲中，大家详细介绍了怎么样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。下面大家通过一个具体的实例来讲怎么样解答概括大意这种题目，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 amended1 （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 amendment2 （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 persity （多元化的）of goods, including chemicals, electronic items, clothing, and processed foods, etc. Ship building and petroleum3 refining are also important.
这是一篇关于新加坡的文章。大家先看一段。上面大家说了，在做概括大意这种题目时，先找段落的主题句。第一段仿佛没哪一句话能概括全段的主题思想。这种段落是无主题句段落。叙述的都是细节内容。这个时候要依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点、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.
下面大家来看第二段。发现这一段也均为情节句， 没一句概括性的句子，表明该段也无主题句段落。这就需要大家依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，中部有的小山，最高只有176米。下面说的是该国气候是热带雨林气候，年平均温度在摄氏27.2度，年平均降雨量为2,413毫米，11月至1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状况。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.
那样第三段的标题该如何命呢？不难看出，该段的第一句为主题句。说的是新加坡是根据1959年修正后的宪法来治国的。下面展开叙述，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，依据地991年修正的宪法，目前总统由国民直接选取出。议会是制定法律的机关等。由此看来， 这一段是在叙述国家的体制，即State System.
第四段好像也没主题句。但该段的内容非常明显，是在讲新加坡的教育状况，所以小标题为Education.
大家再来剖析一下第五段。这一段的第一句话显然是该段的主题句，它说的是新加坡在海量亚洲国家里享有较高的生活质量。为何说新加坡人民的生活质量高呢？下面的每句话都围绕这一主题展开论述。第一讲在八十年代后期新加坡的国内生产总值达237亿USD，人均八千多USD。接着讲新加坡的渔业。再接着讲自六十年代以来，新加坡的工业飞速发展，并能生产出各种商品。最后又讲新加坡的造船业和石油加工工业也非常重要。这类都是细节内容，是为支持主题句而服务的。依据本段的主题句，大家就能概括出它的标题。新加坡人民生活质量高说明经济发达。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状况的。标题中给出的字母E即起到了揭示用途，同时也起到了限定有哪些用途。它揭示大家要填Economy这个词，而且限定大家只能填这个词。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 remains4 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 warfare5. 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 feminists6 （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, initially7 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 （女人同性恋） rights, making abortion8 （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.回答这种问题，重点是找出每段的主题句，主题句找出来后，大意基本上就能概括出来了。这一段的主题句显然是第一句话，概念妇女的权利包含那几个方面的内容。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。依据信号词rise就能把答案做出来。
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进步状况，显然标题应该是Developments.除此之外，因为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的，原文中的目的用的objective这个词，换一个意义相近的词，就是goal.所以，依据信号词objective，大家会想到答案应该为Goals.
3、解题步骤
以上大家介绍了概括大意的测试点及解题办法。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，尽可能找到段落的主题句。
2. 理解段落中句子之间的相互关系。假如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。假如从首句就开始论述细节，到尾句才进行概括或总结，说明尾句是主题句。假如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 .假如全段均为情节句，没一句概括性的句子，表明这是无主题句的段落。这个时候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。找出每一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，看看每段的主题是否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。因为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。假如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。