在阅读中，考生能否看懂文章，一个重要的衡量标准就是测试考生是否理解了整篇文章的主旨大意，是否具有把握主题思想的能力。每篇短文都有主题思想，但作者表现主题的手法各不相同。在职称考试中，考文章主旨大意的考题主要有以下三种：

1．Main Idea类型： 选项形式为陈述句。要求考生选择表达作者思想、观点的句子。

典型问题形式：

What is the main idea／point of this passage？
The main idea of this article is ______.
This passage is mainly about ______.
The central point of the selection¹ is_______.
The major point discussed in the passage is _____.
The aim of the writer is to show that._______.
Which of the following best states the theme of the passage?
The main idea of the passage may be best expressed as_____.

2．Main Topic类型： 选项形式为名词或名词词组。要求考生指出文章的Topic（论题）或 Subject（主题），或 Title（标题）等。典型问题形式：

What is the main topic of this passage？
The passage is chiefly concerned with _______.
What is the main subject of the passage?
The best title for this passage might be _____.
What topic is treated in this passage?
The main idea of this selection may be best expressed as______.
Which of the following best states the theme of the passage?
The title best expresses the idea of the passage is_____.
The passage can be entitled² _________.

3．Purpose类型： 选项形式多为动宾结构。要求考生找到主要的写作目的。

典型问题形式：

What is the author's main purpose in the passage?
The author's purpose of writing this passage is to _____.

要正确理解一篇文章，关键是要抓住文章的主题思想。阅读中如何才能抓住文章的主旨大意呢？通常有两种方法：

1. 找出主题句。一般来讲，文章或段落的主题句在文章或段落的开头或结尾。

2. 找出主题词。如果文章或段落中找不到主题句，考生就要找出主题词或关键词，然后根据对文章的理解自己归纳概括出文章的中心思想。

（一）、找主题句

任何一篇文章都有一个主题思想。在大多数情况下，这一主题思想是通过文章中某一个句子加以概括的，这样的句子叫主题句。主题句是在段落中最能概括说明段落中心思想的句子。我们在阅读中要想抓住文章或段落的中心思想，最简洁而且行之有效的方法就是找到主题句。

据估计，英语中有60%——90%的说明文和科技文献都有主题句，其中50%的主题句在段首，30%的主题句在段尾，15%的主题句在段落中间。因此，.如果文章只有一段，看懂文章的开头两句是极为重要的。如果文章有几段，则每一段的第一句都要仔细地读，尤其是最长的一段更要注意它的主要内容。边阅读边在主题段或主题句或重要的词句下面划线，读完全文后再回过头来重读划线部分，然后就会得出作者的主要意图。

主题句通常位于段落的开头。这是因为以主题句开头的段落对作者来说最容易突出中心思想，对读者来说最容易把握作者的思路。但也有一些段落，其主题句不是位于段首而是在段落的中间或最后。

（1）主题句在段首。

一个主题句常常是一个段落的开头，其后的句子则是论证性细节。例如，你外出旅行，回到家一进门你就说："这次旅行真倒霉".这句话就可视为一个主题句，它是你接下来将要说的整段话的主要意思所在。在这第一句之后你会说出许多细节来说明你这次旅行为什么倒霉。在论说文，科技文献和新闻报道中多采用这种格式。

有些段落，在主题句后面有明显的引出细节的信号词。常见的信号词有for example，an example of，the most important example of；first，second，next，last，finally；to begin with，also，besides that；one ； the other，some，others，等等。在阅读中应尽量利用上述信号词来确定主题句的位置。

例如：

People have different tastes in food. Some feel that they haven't eaten a meal unless they have had steak or other red meat. Some prefer chicken or fish and eat one or the other at every meal. Others prefer vegetables and fruits or grains and would enjoy a meal of spaghetti, eggplant, and fresh fruit. Others could live on what were called fast——foods: a hamburger or hot dog, French fries and a soft drink.

Which of the following statements best expresses the main idea of the paragraph?
A. Some people like steak and others red meat.
B. Vegetables are very healthy for you.
C. How food is prepared has a lot to do with how well a person may like it.
D. Different people have different tastes in food.

这段文章的第一句就是主题句，确切地表明了本段的中心思想。因此D为正确答案。

请阅读下列短文并找出主题句

Africa——The fight against starvation in six West African nations is being hampered³ by the rainy
season. Heavy rains are turning the dirt roads into muddy rivers. Relief will have to wait for a dry spell which seems nowhere in sight. The weather bureau⁴ is maintaining⁵ silence for fear of causing increased alarm.
London's weather is strange. It can rain several times a day; each time the rain may come suddenly after the sun is shining brightly. The air is damp and chill⁶ right through July. On one March afternoon Hampton Heath last year, it rained three times, there was one hailstorm, and the sun shone brilliantly—— all this within two hours' time. It is not unusual to see men and women rushing down the street on a sunny morning with umbrellas on their arms. No one knows what the next few moments will bring.
Surviving in the jungle is a science. The jungle people have become perfect in this science, and you can too. Learn as much as you can about what to expect in the jungle. Make sure you have the jungle. Make sure you have the right equipment. Then no part of the jungle will seem completely unfriendly or frightening. In fact you will be able to "live off" it for a long time.
Perhaps more than any other people Americans have come to depend on their cars. The family car has been a common thing since early 20th century, and it has changed American life. Many people have moved outside of the large cities to the suburbs⁷ Some Americans spend two hours a day or more in their cars going to work and home again. Cars have become the means of transportation for most Americans.

很显然，上面四篇短文的第一句都是主题句。

（2）主题句在段尾。

虽然英语段落的主体旬在大多数情况下都置于段落之首，但也有时出现在段落之末。因此，如果第一句话不是概括性的或综合性的话，最好快速读一读段落的最后一个句子，看看它是否具备主题句的特征：如果它具备主题句的特征，短文的主题思想就很容易确定了。

一般说来，当一种观点不易向人解释清楚，或不易被人接受时，主题句便会到段落的末尾才出现。当作者想要说服读者听信其言时，一般采用此格式组织句子。通常似乎有这样一种倾向：人们只对自己了解的新思想新观点才考虑接受它。换句话说，只有在听了对某一新思想新观点的细节解释说明之后，人们才可能接受它。有些文章以列举事实依据开头，通过论证，最后讲出作者自己所阐述的核心论点。

在做阅读理解试题时，要充分利用引出结论的信号词，如clearly，plainly；so，therefore，thus，consequently；In conclusion，in short等来确定主题句的位置在段尾。当无明显的此类信号同时，可添加一个引出结论的信号词以确定主题句是否是段落的最后一句话。

例如：

Americans might be embarrassed because their Japanese friends are so formal with them. Japanese might feel insulted⁸ because American acquaintances⁹ greet them casually¹¹. Still, the forms of greeting in both countries only show respect for others. It just happens that Americans and Japanese have a different way of looking at human relationships and thus have a different way of showing respect.

This passage mainly tells us_________.
A. how Americans show respect to others
B. how Japanese show respect to their American acquaintances
C. Americans and Japanese have different ways of showing respect
D. Japanese are not satisfied with American casual¹⁰ behavior

这一篇短文前几句只讲述了具体情况，均不具备主题句的特征，只有最后一句话是概括性的、总结性的，因此本段的最后一句是主题句，故正确答案是D。