第十三天：主题态度 宏观驾驭---阅读理解篇之一

做阅读理解时一方面要注意细节，不能凭印象做题；另一方面，选答案时不能仅仅根据个别细节与原文相似就下判断。这两个方面是导致失分的重要原因。如何克服这个问题呢？今天从主题与态度的把握方面来回答。

所有文章的主题，包括全文主题与段落主题都很重要，是做题的重要依据。我在本博客的另一篇文章（《考研阅读的最高境界（三）——考研阅读正确答案解码》）中指出：考研阅读问题的正确答案经常具有下列五大特征之中的一个或几个：

1． 特征一——内容：常与文章的主旨有关。

即经常涉及文章的中心思想。有的文章后面几个问题的正确答案都对应文章的主旨，因此，要注意正确表达了原文主旨的选项。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.

在这篇文章所对应的五道题中，除了第三题涉及指代外，其他题都可以根据本文的主题与态度确定正确答案。而且，对第三题之外的其他四道题的正确答案进行比较，会发现它们的意思差不多——都是说经济形势不太坏：

1．（D）未绝望 2．（A）乐观 4．（A）许多人会在某些方面获益 5．（C）谨慎点就行了，不必恐慌

其中第一、第二与第五的答案就是本文主题的不同说法，不过第一题是以例子引出主题，第二与第五题是概述主题。第四题针对末段，答案对应的是段落主题。

下面以2007年的第三篇阅读为例进一步说明从宏观上驾驭主题态度如何能提高做题的正确率。

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

本文选自2006年1月的Harvard Magazine（《哈佛杂志》），原文标题是The Middle Class on the Precipice（处于悬崖边缘的中产阶级）。本文的主题是：美国经济政策变化给中产阶级家庭带来的经济威胁。文章第二段与第三段分别从家庭经济变化与退休收入受影响两方面说明这一点。最后一段总结了上述经济威胁，并指出经济问题可能会带来政治后果（fallout）。

既然主题是经济威胁，那么许多答案都会与威胁以及有关的不良后果相联系。在文章对应的五道题中，除最后一道题直接问主题以外，其他四道题也涉及主题。第一题是对主题进行解释（注意答案中提到的本文主题：家庭经济变化）：

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

第二题与第三题都是以例子说明主题：

[B] less secured payments. （第二题）

[D] increase the families’ investment risk. （第三题）

第四题是对主题的引伸（经济变化可能带来的政治后果）：

[C] financial problems may bring about political problems.

当然，这不等于说所有题的答案都是主题。只不过全文主题与段落主题为常考对象，有的文章更是这样。仔细的读者会发现上述两篇文章都是经济类文章。这类文章谈论经济趋势，文中的经济趋势就是主题，值得关注。

除了主题，作者的态度也非常关键。如果这种态度在文中一以贯之，就很值得注意，因为不少题的答案都会涉及这一态度。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

上面四道题中，除了第一题外，都与作者的态度有关：第二与第四题直接问作者态度（第二题的（B）与第四题的（A）为正确答案），第三题问的是作者对有些科学家的态度（（D）为正确答案）。

综上所述，可见从宏观上把握主题与态度的好处。希望大家在复习真题时对每篇文章的主题（包含全文主题与段落主题）以及作者的态度加以思考，以便实战时能应付自如。

今天的结束语是：Don’t lose the forest for the trees（不要见木不见林）。