篇章結(jié)構(gòu)題解題技巧
對《考試大綱》中提出的理解文章的基本結(jié)構(gòu)的要求，往往通過篇章結(jié)構(gòu)題來考查?？忌獙W(xué)會把握文章的脈絡(luò)，理解段落層次之間的關(guān)系，弄清作者的寫作方法。英語的文章講究使用主題段和主題句。主題段通常在文章的開頭，簡要概括文章的中心思想，主題句根據(jù)段落的寫作手法的不同可能在段落的開頭，也可能出現(xiàn)在段落的中間或末尾。段與段之間常用詞語連接，承上啟下，使文章行文連貫，邏輯嚴(yán)密。為突出主題作者可能采用不同的寫作手法來組織文章，通過舉例、比較、類比等手法來透徹闡明主題觀點。高考對這類題型的考查主要體現(xiàn)在以下幾個方面：
1. 確定指代關(guān)系。最常見的提問方式是：The underlined word “they/it/…” inparagraph… refers to… …
2. 對句子意義或作用的理解。最常見的提問方式是：The sentence “… …” in paragraph … means….; The example of … … in para….is used to illustrate/show … ….
3. 對段落大意或段落作用的理解。最常見的提問方式是：The last paragraph mainly tell usthat … …; The purpose of writing Paragraph … is …. ….
4. 對文章組織結(jié)構(gòu)的理解。最常見的提問方式是：How is the passage organized?;Which ofthe following best shows the structure of the passage?
在上述幾類題中考生感覺難做的題是第四類, 這類題是近兩年來出現(xiàn)的主要考查議論文結(jié)構(gòu)的命題新方式,且逐步得到語言教育專家們的認(rèn)可。并逐步推廣到對其他文體結(jié)構(gòu)的考查。分析這一類的題我們看出：對文章組織結(jié)構(gòu)的考查不外乎兩個層次。一是按段落的組織方法理解文章的結(jié)構(gòu)，一是按寫作方法(論證方法)理解文章的結(jié)構(gòu)。
首先，看看這樣考查從段落層次理解文章的結(jié)構(gòu)。這類題經(jīng)常用到的提問方式是：Which of the following bestshows the structure of the passage? 常見的段落結(jié)構(gòu)有如下幾種情況：
圖1表明：①(Paragraph1)是主題段(提出論題或論點)，②、③段是就同一論據(jù)或者問題的同一方面作論述，④用另一論據(jù)材料或者從問題的另一方面論述，⑤段是結(jié)論段或者是用來重述論題、強(qiáng)調(diào)論點的段落。同樣我們很容易理解圖2、3、4所示的段落結(jié)構(gòu)的意義。
下面具體看看05年江蘇卷E篇：
The twentieth century saw greater changes than any centurybefore changes for the better, changes for the worse, changes thatbrought a lot of benefits to human beings, changes that put man indanger .Many things caused the changes, but, in my opinion, themost important was the progress in science.
Scientific research in physics and biology has vastly broadenedour views. It has given us a deeper knowledge of the structure ofmatter and of the universe, it has brought us a betterunderstanding of the nature of life and of its continuousdevelopment. Technology in the application of science has made bigadvances that have benefited us in nearly every part of life.
The continuation of such activities in the twenty-first centurywill result in even greater advantages to human beings: in purescience—a wider and deeper knowledge in all fields of learning; inapplied science—a more reasonable sharing of material benefits, andbetter protection of the environment.
Sadly, however, there is another side to the picture. Thecreativity of science has been employed in doing damage to mankind.The application of science and technology to the development andproduction of weapons of mass destruction has created a real dangerto the continued existence of the human race on this planet. Wehave seen this happen in the case of nuclear weapons, Althoughtheir actual use has so far occurred only in the Second World War,the number of nuclear weapons that were produced and made ready foruse was so large that if the weapons had actually been used, theresult could have been the ruin of the human race, as well as ofmany kinds of animals.
William Shakespeare said. “The web of our life is of a mingledyarn(紗線), good and ill together. “The above brief review of theapplication of only one part of human activities—science seems toprove what Shakespeare said. But does it have to be so? Must theill always go together with the good? Are we biologicallyprogrammed for war?
72.Which of the following best shows the structure of thepassage?
理解文章段落結(jié)構(gòu)，我們很容易找到答案A。
接下來再來看看這樣從論證方法上考查對議論文結(jié)構(gòu)的理解。掌握了議論文常見的寫作方法，我們不難理解議論文的論證過程。從論證方法上講，常見的議論文結(jié)構(gòu)有以下兩類：
一、Put forward a question →Analyze the question → Solve thequestion 這就是“提出問題、分析問題、解決問題”的過程;二、Argument/idea → Evidence →conclusion/ restating the idea
這就是“由論點到論據(jù)到結(jié)論或者強(qiáng)調(diào)論點”的過程。
對說明文、夾敘夾議類文章結(jié)構(gòu)的理解，只要我們弄清段落意義和段落之間的關(guān)系，很容易理解其結(jié)構(gòu)。看看下面的例題我們也許會得到一些啟發(fā)。
例1：
I receive a lot of emails every time a column is published in21st Century. The majority of questions I get are like this: “MyEnglish is still very poor, could you please give me some advice?”Since this kind of question is so big and so vague, any answerswill be too broad or too general. In fact, asking questions is anart that needs training and practice in itself. And I would like tooffer the following tips:
Always contextualize your question. If you really want to askfor advice on something, you need to provide a brief description ofhow you came up with the question and how you can benefit fromasking it. For instance, if you need to improve your English, youneed to state the skill area you are in the greatest need ofimproving, and what difficulties you encounter that cause you somany problems
The second piece of advice is that your question should befocused and specific. By that I mean that you might have a lot ofquestions, but choose the one that is most important and at thesame time the least complicated.
Third, you can practise asking one question in multiple ways.For instance, if you are interested in knowing how you can boostyour confidence in speaking, you might consider asking: “I oftenfeel nervous before I ask a question, how can I overcome myanxiety?” “Could you share with me your experience of speaking infront of others?”
Of course, the best way to ask good questions is through thepractice of questioning. I highly encourage you to seekopportunities to ask questions. It takes time to be a really goodquestioner.
How is the text organized?
A.Topic---argument----description
B.Opinion—discussion---explanation
C.Main idea---comparison--- supporting examples
D.Topic ----argument----conclusion
解析：文章一開始就提出本文要講的中心, 然后進(jìn)行論述, 最后得出結(jié)論。由此,我們不難得出答案是D。
例2：
(05 浙江卷 C 篇)
In the course of working my way through school, I took many jobsI would rather forget. But none of these jobs was as dreadful as myjob in an apple plant. The work was hard; the pay was poor; and,most of all, the working conditions were terrible.
First of all, the job made huge demands on my strength. For tenhours a night, I took boxes that rolled down a metal track andpiled them onto a truck. Each box contained twelve heavy bottles ofapple juice. I once figured out that I was lifting an average oftwelve tons of apple juice every night.
I would not have minded the difficulty of the work so much ifthe pay had not been so poor. I was paid the lowest wage of thattime—two dollars an hour. Because of the low pay, I felt eager toget as much as possible. I usually worked twelve hours a night butdid not take home much more than $ 100 a week.
But even more than the low pay, what made me unhappy was theworking conditions. During work I was limited to two ten-minutebreaks and an unpaid half hour for lunch. Most of my time was spentoutside loading trucks with those heavy boxes in near-zero-degreetemperatures. The steel floors of the trucks were like ice, whichmade my feet feel like stone. And after the production line shutdown at night and most people left, I had to spend two hours alonecleaning the floor.
I stayed on the job for five months, all the while hating thedifficulty of the work, the poor money, and the conditions underwhich I worked. By the time I left, I was determined never to goback there again.
52.How is the text organized?
A.Topic—Argument—Explanation
B.Opinion—Discussion—Description
C.Main idea—Comparison—Supporting examples
D.Introduction—Supporting examples—Conclusion
解析：這道題考查考生對文章組織結(jié)構(gòu)的理解，把握了文章的脈絡(luò)，我們不難得出答案：D。
2007年廣東高考英語試題題型(討論稿)中提出把篇章結(jié)構(gòu)作為專門的一節(jié)來考查：要求把標(biāo)有A-F的句子或段落插入到文章中標(biāo)記的適當(dāng)位置，使文章意義完整，結(jié)構(gòu)連貫。
做好這一類題，要先理解全文的意義和結(jié)構(gòu)，然后理解段落的意義和結(jié)構(gòu)，分析句與句之間的關(guān)系，句與段落的關(guān)系。一般說來，文章中空格的地方主要是三類的句子或者段落：一是段落的主題句;二是和段落主題密切相關(guān)的細(xì)節(jié)句;三是段落或句子之間的過渡句/段。所以學(xué)會了分析句與句、句與段、段與段之間的關(guān)系做這類題并不難。下面我們來具體看一個例題：
閱讀下面短文，請將標(biāo)有A-F的句子或段落插入到文章中標(biāo)號為71-75的合適位置，使文章意義完整，結(jié)構(gòu)連貫;其中一個段落或句子是多余的。
Some twenty years ago, the performance of girls and boys inclass was compared. 71 Now, the situation is reversed (顛倒) withgirls consistently doing better than boys.
72 John Dunsford, leader of the association of head teachers ofsecondary schools, says that the academic failure of boys is aproblem which had its roots in society rather than the classroom.Girls, more than boys, see education as a passport to a good job.On the other hand, according to Penny Lewis, a head teacher, youngmen lack confidence, which they hide with a show of bravado (逞能).They’re uncertain about their place in society. 73
Moreover, boys may learn in a different way from girls,preferring small amounts of work with immediate headlines ratherthan large projects stretching (延續(xù)) into the distance. Andeducation is not seen as “cool”. 74
This is not just a problem in Britain. In a study by theOrganization for Economic Cooperation and Development and UNESCO,girls did better than boys at reading at the age of 15 in all 45countries. The UK ranks ninth out of the 45 countries for readingdespite the fact that pupils in the UK spend less time reading thanin most other countries. 75
A. So, what has gone wrong with the boys, and what can be doneabout it?
B. Interestingly, the study suggested that British children readfor pleasure more often than those in other countries.
C. Boys scored better in exams, so various measures wereintroduced to improve the performance of girls, including havingsingle sex girl-only classes.
D. This study can offer a great help to teachers and schoolleaders in terms of proper education to different people.
E. Some boys grow up in families where there is no male rolemodel to follow.
F. As one contributoe to a BBC website put it, “Girls achieve more at schoolbecause they are watching the future while the boys are watchingthe girls.”
解析：這是一篇說明文。首先通讀文章了解文章的中心：全文分析當(dāng)前在學(xué)校女生比男生表現(xiàn)好的原因。文章結(jié)構(gòu)簡單明了：首先提出問題，然后分析原因。接下來我們來逐段分析：
第一段提出問題，71空后面說“現(xiàn)在情況顛倒過來了：女生比男生好了”，看了這句話，我們肯定能判斷前一句話的大意應(yīng)該是：先前的情況是男生比女生表現(xiàn)好。那就從選項中去看哪個句子表達(dá)的是這個意思?？焖贋g覽A-F選項，我們得到答案C。
第二段分析原因。段首的空格72，應(yīng)該是一個承上啟下的過渡句。瀏覽選項，我們迅速得到答案A。段尾的73空應(yīng)該是一個細(xì)節(jié)句，對前一句具體說明，能夠具體說明They’reuncertain about their place in society一句的只有選項E。
第三段進(jìn)一步分析原因。74空應(yīng)該是個細(xì)節(jié)句，詳細(xì)闡明男生比女生表現(xiàn)差的原因。這里我們不難找到答案F。
第四段說明這種現(xiàn)象的普遍存在。段尾的75空是一個接續(xù)前句的細(xì)節(jié)句。瀏覽剩余的選項，我們很肯定地找到答案B。
【實戰(zhàn)演練練習(xí)十三】(05 江西卷 E 篇)
Do you have any strong opinion on co-educational or single-sexschools?
A supporter of co-educational schools would probably say thatschools should be like the societies they belong to .In Hong Kong,men and women mix socially on a day-to-day basis .In many fieldsmen are even likely to have female bosses. It is, therefore,desirable that boys and girls grow up together, go to schooltogether, and prepare themselves for a society that does not valuesexual separation.
Some would go on to argue further that growing up with membersof the opposite sex is important for personal development. Regularcontact(接觸)can remove the strange ideas about the opposite-sex andlead to more natural relationships. Single-sex conditions are seenas leading to more extreme opinions, and possibly even asencouraging homosexuality(同性戀), though there is no proof that thisis the case.
Those who are against coeducation often also fix their attentionon the sexual side. Some parents fear that close contact withmembers of the opposite sex is dangerous for teenagers. They wanttheir children to be attentive to their studies. Such parents feeluncomfortable with modern ways and the free mixing of thesexes.
A stronger argument comes from research into school results.Girls grow up earlier than
boys ,tend to be more orderly and are likely to be better atlanguages. In a mixed class ,boys who might do well in a single-sexclass become discouraged and take on the rule of troublemaker.Certainly in the UK this situation has greatly alarmed (驚動)thegovernment for it to be encouraging co-educational schools to havesome single-sex classes. In the UK the best schools are allsingle-sex, strongly suggesting that co-education is not the bestanswer. This may, however, not be as simple as it looks. It maysimply be that the famous old schools that attract the beststudents happen to be single-sex, rather than that being single-sexmakes them better schools.
72.In the third paragraph, by saying “though there is no proofthat this is the case”, the writer means that .
A.students in single-sex schools will certainly becomehomosexual
B.students in co-educational schools cannot have extremeopinions
C.students in co-educational schools are likely to behomosexual
D.single-sex school conditions may or may not have effects onthe students
【實戰(zhàn)演練練習(xí)十四】(04 重慶卷 D 篇)
Have you ever had the strange feeling that you were beingwatched? You turned around and, sure enough, someone was lookingright at you!
Parapsychologists (靈學(xué)家) say that humans have a natural abilityto sense when someone is looking at them. To research whether sucha “sixth sense”really exists, Robert Baker, a psychologist(心理學(xué)家)atthe University of Kentucky, performed two experiments.
In the first one, Baker sat behind unknowing people in publicplaces and stared at the backs of their heads for 5 to 15 minutes.The subjects(受試者)were eating, drinking, reading，studying, watchingTV, or working at a computer. Baker made sure that the people couldnot tell that he was sitting behind them during those periods.Later, when he questioned the subjects, almost all of them saidthey had no sense that someone was staring at them.
For the second experiment, Baker told the subjects that theywould be stared at from time to time from behind a two way mirrorin a laboratory setting. The people had to write down when theyfelt they were being stared at and when they weren’t. Baker foundthat the subjects were no better at telling when they were staredat and when they weren’t .Baker found that the subjects were nobetter at telling when they were stared at than if they had justguessed.
Baker concludes that people do not have the ability to sensewhen they’re being stared at. If people doubt the outcome of histwo experiments, said Baker, “I suggest they repeat the experimentsand see for themselves.”
68. The purpose of the two experiments is to .
A. explain when people can have a sixth sense
B. show how people act while being watched in the lab
C. study whether humans can sense when they are stared at
D. prove why humans have a sixth sense
【實戰(zhàn)演練練習(xí)十五】
閱讀下面短文，并將文后標(biāo)有A-F的句子(或段落)插入文章中標(biāo)號為71-75的合適位置，使短文結(jié)構(gòu)完整。其中有一個句子(或段落)是多余的。
She is widely seen as proof that good looks can last forever.But, at nearly 500 years of age, time is catching up with the MonaLisa.
71
“The thin, wooden panel on which the Mona Lisa is painted in oilhas changed shape since experts checked it two years age,” themuseum said. 72 .
73 “It is very interesting that when you’re not looking at her,she seems to be smiling, and then you look at her and she stops,”said Professor Margaret Livingstone of Harvard University, “It’sbecause direct vision is excellent at picking up detail, but lesssuited to looking at shadows. Da Vinci painted the smile inshadows.”
74 Da Vinci himself loved it so much that he always carried itwith him, until it was eventually sold to France’s King Francis Iin 1519.
In 1911, the painting was stolen from the Louvre by a formeremployee, who took it out of the museum hidden under his coat. Hesaid he planned to return it to Italy. The painting was sent backto France two years later.
75
A. Nearly 6 million people go to see the Mona Lisa every year,many attracted by the mystery of her smile.
B. However, the actual history of the Mona Lisa is just asmysterious as the smile.
C. Visitors have notice the changes but repairing the world’smost famous painting is not easy. Experts are not sure about thematerials the Italian artist used and their current chemicalstate.
D. The health of the famous picture, painted by Leonardo DaVinci in 1905, is getting worse by the year, according to theLouvre Museum where it is housed.
E. The picture is now so valuable that no one can tell its exactprice. Therefore, many thieves tried to steal it in any way theycould think of.
F. During World War II, French did the painting in small townsto keep it out of the hands of German forces. Like many old ladies,the Mona Lisa has some interesting stories to tell.
