第一节 语篇中心词和段落话题是文章的精髓

　　1.考研英语和四级有很大的区别：四级是扫描性阅读，强调对细节化信息的准确定位和事实理解。而考研英语强调对文章的宏观性的语篇层次的理解，讲究考生不仅要定位文章的总要信息，而且不局限于单词和句子的字面性意思的理解，考察考生对上下文的中心词以及段落话题理解。只有理解这些宏观信息，才对文章的理解高屋建瓴，才能理解文章的整体行文思路，多义词意思的判定以及提高效率，忽略无效信息。

　　2.考点设置：考研英语大纲中反复强调上下文的一致性和连贯性的理解，而且从测试角度来说，考研英语的宏观题居多，比如推理题，例证题，作者观点题。这些题的正确的答案都是跟文章的中心和段落的话题有直接或间接的关系。
 
　　3.中心词的查找方法：中心词的建立是靠细节和事例来支持的，读者理解中心是个自上而下的过程，而且读者有了最基本的词汇和语法知识，需要通过在文章的特殊语境下解读这些信息，通过在语篇层次上把握这些信息的内在联系，分析文章的中心。由于考研阅读的试题具有宏观性，所以通过查找题干和选项的反复重复的词可以看出，当然最重要的手段还是精读文章的首段和每段的首句。

　　一.把握段落话题提高语篇分析能力和正确答案的识别

　　自然段的话题是为文章服务的，一篇文章通常是围绕一个大的中心展开，同样段落也是围绕一个话题展开。段落内部的词汇，短语，小句，复杂句是为了支持首句的段落话题服务。同样，段落的话题相对于宏观的中心是微观的，也被中心所制约，控制和支配。只有把握好段落的话题，才能对段子的句子和句子的之间的关系有所把握，对段落的行文方式有更好的理解，对预测下文的信息也有帮助。更重要的是，由于正确答案在经常在考察段落的话题，所以可以通过重复来查找话题的行文轨迹，从而把握正确答案的范围，帮助读者在理解文章的情况下快速阅读段子中间的细节，锁定段落的核心价值。

　　Exercise ：(文章的主题是“梦以及梦的控制”，选自2005年考研阅读真题第三篇)

　　Of all the components of a good night's sleep, dreams seem to be least within our control. In dreams, a window opens into a world where logic is suspended and dead people speak. A century ago, Freud formulated his revolutionary theory that dreams were the disguised shadows of our unconscious desires and rears. By the late 1970s， neurologists had switched to thinking of them as just “mental noise”—the random byproducts of the neural-repair work that goes on during sleep. By the late 1970s researchers suspect that dreams are part of the mind's emotional thermostat, regulating moods while the brain is “off-line”. And one leading authority says that these intensely powerful mental events can be not only harnessed but actually brought under conscious control, to help us sleep and feel better, “It's you r dream” says Rosalind Cartwright, chair of psychology at Chicago's Medical Center. “If you don't like it, change it.”

　　本段话题: 梦是否被控制 关键词: unconscious和conscious control,讲对梦的认识是从无意识到一种有意识的行为。

　　Evidence from brain imaging supports this view. The brain is as active during REM (rapid eye movement) sleep—when most vivid dreams occur—as it is when fully awake, says Dr, Eric Nofzinger at the University of Pittsburgh. But not all part s of the brain are equally involved, the limbic system (the “emotional brain”) is especially active, while the prefrontal cortex (the center of intellect and reasoning) is relatively quiet. “We wake up from dreams happy or depressed, and those feelings can stay with us all day” says Stanford sleep researcher Dr William Dement.

　　本段话题：大脑中的情感中枢。关键词：emotional

　　The link between dreams and emotions shows up among the patients in Cartwright 's clinic. Most people seem to have more bad dreams early in the night, progressing g toward happier ones before awakening, suggesting that they are working through negative feelings generated during the day. Because our conscious mind is occupied with daily life we don't always think about the emotional significance of the day's events-until, it appears, we begin to dream.

　　本段话题：情感与梦的关系。关键词：emotional

　　And this process need not be left to the unconscious. Cartwright believes one can exercise conscious control over recurring bad dreams. As soon as you awaken, identify what is upsetting about the dream. Visualize how you would like it to end instead; the next time is occurs, try to wake up just enough to control its course. With much practice people can learn to, literally, do it in their sleep.

　　本段话题：有意识控制梦的方法。关键词：conscious

　　At the end of the day, there's probably little reason to pay attention to our dreams at all unless they keep us from sleeping or “we wake up in a panic,” Cartwright says Terrorism, economic uncertainties and general feelings of insecurity have increased people's anxiety. Those suffering from persistent nightmares should seek help from a therapist. For the rest of us, the brain has its ways of working through bad feelings. Sleep—or rather dream—on it and you'll feel better in the morning.

　　本段话题：消极情感的消除方法 关键词：bad feelings

　　1. Researchers have come to believe that dreams

　　[A]. can be modified in their courses.

　　[B]. are susceptible to emotional changes.

　　[C]. reflect our innermost desires and fears.

　　[D]. are a random outcome of neural repairs.

　　2. By referring to the limbic system, the author intends to show

　　[A]. its function in our dreams.

　　[B]. the mechanism of REM sleep.

　　[C]. the relation of dreams to emotions.

　　[D]. its difference from the prefrontal cortex.

　　3. The negative feelings generated during the day tend to

　　[A]. aggravate in our unconscious mind.

　　[B]. develop into happy dreams.

　　[C]. persist till the time we fall asleep.

　　[D]. show up in dreams early at night.

　　4.Cartwright seems to suggest that

　　[A]. Waking up in time is essential to the ridding of bad dreams.

　　[B]. Visualizing bad dreams helps bring them under control.

　　[C]. Dreams should be left to their natural progression.

　　[D]. Dreaming may not entirely belong to the unconscious.

　　5. What advice might Cartwright give to those who sometimes have had dreams?

　　[A]. lead your life as usual.

　　[B]. Seek professional help.

　　[C]. Exercise conscious control.

　　[D]. Avoid anxiety in the daytime.

　　启发思维：

　　这篇文章的整体感很强，整个文章围绕梦这个主题词展开非常深入的论述，其中重要的关键词是“dream”, ”conscious control”, “bad feelings”,文章的开头部分在通过人物的观点对比来说明梦是可以控制的，中间部分是在讲为什么梦是可以控制的，结尾部分是在说如何解决问题，也就是如何控制做噩梦。

　　文章的结构是观点论证。第一段通过三个时间 “the late 1970s” “a century ago” “now”表明人对梦的认识的变化, 即从无意识到有意识。二，三两段用情感与梦的关系证明为什么说梦是可以控制的，是总分的写作手法。最后两个自然段倾向于解决问题，即谈如何控制噩梦。第四段讲讲如何控制做噩梦的两个方法，第五段谈如何控制噩梦所产生的消极情感。

　　答案注释：

　　1. ［答案］［A］

　　［分析］ 考察第一段的重复的中心词，可采取排除法。这完全从篇章的开头和结尾强调重复说明梦是可以控制的，选A。而［C］是在讲Freud的观点，［D］是neurologist的观点，并非是researchers的观点。

　　2.［答案］ ［C］

　　［分析］ 这是一道推理判断题。作者提到梦和情感之间是有关系的，情感是段落的重点，选［C］。 ［B］的干扰性很大，文章虽然谈到了REM (rapid eye movement) sleep，但是没有谈它的原理，另外这种睡眠文章只谈到一次，没有反复重复，应该当作细节词处理。［D］也谈到了prefrontal cortex (the center of intellect and reasoning)，但并没有谈它与梦的区别，也没有被上下文反复重复，同样可以不选。

　　3.［答案］［D］

　　［分析］ 这是一道事实细节题。题干中的the negative feeling 以及generated在文章第三段第 二句中找到相对应的表述。这句话的大意是“关于大脑白天产生的一些消极因素极可能是其前半夜的梦境中有所反映，但继而会逐渐被更加香甜的梦所取代。”选项(D)show up in drea ms early at night(噩梦对人脑的消极作用会在前半夜里显示出来)与原文表述一致，为正 确选项。

　　4.［答案］［D］

　　［分析］ 这是人物观点题。Cartwright观点的表述主要集中在文章的中间部分，通过分析这一部分内容，可以发现文章第四段首句“And this process need not be left to the un conscious.”便是此题的答案，另外“concious”这个词在该段反复被重复，很显然是该段的主题词，所以很容易成为正确答案,因此判断选项[D]梦并非全部属于潜意识范畴是正确答案。这道题的［A］过于绝对，文章是说了起床时控制噩梦的一种方法，没有说是essential(必不可少的)，把文章的可能性说成必然性。

　　5.［答案］［A］

　　［分析］通过对题干的分析，可以推论其中的might一词暗示这是一道推理判断题。在文章最后 一段中作者谈及神经医生Cartwright 的一些观点。在分析语篇后可以发现题目的答案线索 不是最后一段的倒数第二句话，而是根据文章的最后一段的最后一句话sleep-or rathe dre am-on it and you will feel better in the moring中的on一词暗含了顺其自然的意思即 我们无意过分担心梦对我们的影响。换句话说，保持正常的生活状态即可。由此，选项(A )lead your life as usual是正确选项。这道题［B］寻求专家意见干扰性大，指的是经常做噩梦的人的情况。