1、阅读技巧 How to find he topic and main idea What is topic?Topic is subject of a paragraph,it maybe the title of an article,It answers the question:who or what is the article or paragraph about.Main idea is the short explanation for the topic,it is the authors viewpoint on the subject.Supporting details
2、are those to detail the main ideaTopics are expressed in words or phrases.A title of a reading passage may be a topic.An issue that is discussed may be a topic.Main idea is also called controlling idea,the core,or the central focus of a piece of writing.Notice!Once you have determined the topic of a
3、 passage,you can move a step further to get the main idea.The main idea is the reason or purpose for theauthor to write the passage.It is not the subject;it is the authors viewpoint on the subject.If you ask yourself“What is the author telling me about this subject?”or“What does the auhtor want me t
4、o remember about this subject?”You are asking about the main idea.n Some books read in childhood are truly unforgettable.Some of the characters,the places,the adventures experienced with so much excitement when one is quite young,stay in ones mind as long as memory lasts.Such a character is Long Joh
5、n Silver in Robert Louis Stevensons Treasure Island.Who could ever forget him as he walked along the decks of his ship as quickly on his crutch as other men with two good legs?As for Alice,who could ever forget her as she talked with the caterpillar and argued with the ill-tempered queen?She remains
6、 forever as a child in memory.Childhood memory of Tom Sawyer and the joy Tom and his pals had remain clear in spite the passage of time.Who would give up these perfect childhood memories?(129 words)2 minutes!Reading Practice:Read the following passage and try to find out the topic,the main idea and
7、its supporting details.The popular idea of snow is that it consists of frozen raindrops.This is not the case.It is true that sometimes raindrops freeze in their passage from the mother cloud to earth.Such frozen raindrops are called sleet or hail.But snow is something else again.It is made up of wat
8、er vapor particles that have been transformed into crystals without first passing through the liquid state.Such crystals can form only when the dew point is below 0 centigrade.(81 words)The Topic sentence and Main Idea nThe topic is what the paragraph about.The sentence,which states the main idea of
9、 the paragraph,is called the topic sentence.For example:n Everyone hopes that he or she can have a healthy body.Being your own doctor is the most important thing you must do during your daily life.You should take your symptoms seriously.Dont automatically dismiss anything as“hypochondria”,“old age”o
10、r“my cross to bear”.This is especially true if a symptom begins interfering with your ability to work,get around to enjoy life.For years,Melinda Demerius,38,kept thinking her symptomsheadaches,shronic fatigue,hip painwerent serious enough to justify a visit to the doctor.Finally,she went to the doct
11、or for her individual symptom,and she got single symptom diagnoses.(105 words,finish reading within one minute!)topicTopic sentencenHonesty is most necessary in experimenting.The very purpose of experimentation is to discover truths,which will answer a question.Too often,students disregarded this fa
12、ct and tend to depend on other people for their information.Scientists have not made their wonderful discoveries by depending entirely on what others have said.New things are always likely to happen.The scientist hopes his theory is correct,but he does not make it turn out as he wishes.He observes c
13、arefully,records what he finds accurately,and in this way contributes to the process of knowledge.Where can you find the topic sentence?The first sentencenA kid is much more likely to choose a bicycle by its color by what model a friend than to think out more relevant considerations like price,durab
14、ility or performance.More ominously,says Yale educational psychologist Robert J.Sternberg some problems,including drug use,may occur because young people have not learned to measure actions against consequences.Actually,American kids cant apply reasonable thought to everyday situationsWhere can you
15、find the topic sentence?The last sentenceWhere can you find the topic sentence?nTwo boys and girls,students of Tonasket High School,had been“cruising”for a couple hours,talking and laughing.At a sharp curve,the pickup somehow went off the road,rolled down the steep,rocky mountainside and twisted aro
16、und a pine tree.All four occupantsnone wearing a seat beltwere tossed out of the cab.Motor-vehicle injury is the greatest threat to the lives of adolescents in America.During the 1980s,over 74000 teenagers were killed in such accidents,more than died from all diseases combined.On average,every two o
17、r three weeks the equivalent of a senior class at a typical high school is wiped out on our streets and highways.In the middle of the paragraphWhere can you find the topic sentence?n Because their reaction time and attention span are affected,sleepy people may be more prone to making mistakes on the
18、 job.Reporting to Congress in 1989,the Department of Transportation cited surveys suggesting that one to ten percent of traffic accidents may be sleep-related,and that perhaps as many as 20 percent of all drives have fallen asleep at wheel at least once.Recent studied have also found that sleep-depr
19、ived people are impaired by smaller quantities of alcohol than rested people are.The first and last sentencesThe Topic Sentences maybe:nThe first sentencenThe last sentencenIn the middle of the paragraphnThe first and last sentencesReading Practice:find out the topic sentencenParagraph onenLike some
20、 67 million other Americans,Stephen watkinson has discovered that walking is good for his health.In a study done by the institute for Aerobics.Researchers found that poor fitness is as dangerous as smoking or high cholesterol.A sensible walking program can make dramatic improvements in physical and
21、emotional well-being.And the greatest health gains are enjoyed by completely sedentary people who become moderately activewho walked at a brisk pace for half an hour a day.Walking is good for ones health.One minute to finish!Passage two:Walking program helps to strengthen your body.And it can tone a
22、ll the major muscle groups,including your back and stomach,and your legs and buttocks.It can help achieve a shaplier body.It also improves circulation and makes your muscle fibers more flexible.This may help you avoid some of the common injuries that afflict weekend athletes:pulled muscles,ligament
23、strains and tendonitis.nPassage three:nIf people stop to think about the plots in childrens storied,they may be surprised.Hansel and Gretel,for example,were abandoned by their father and stepmother and left to wander in a dark forest.Cinderella was treated like a slave by her stepmother and stepsist
24、ers.Little Red Riding Hood was eated by a wild animal,and the three blind mice had their tails cut off by the farmers wife.Without topic sentence!For the passages without topic sentences,how to find out the implied main ideas?Passage three:If people stop to think about the plots in childrens storied
25、,they may be surprised.Hansel and Gretel,for example,were abandoned by their father and stepmother and left to wander in a dark forest.Cinderella was treated like a slave by her stepmother and stepsisters.Little Red Riding Hood was eated by a wild animal,and the three blind mice had their tails cut
26、off by the farmers wife.Several possible implied main ideas:childrens stories are all about stepmothers.Hansel was abandoned by his stepfather.Animals are the main heroes in the childrens storiesa.Childrens stories are about evil and violence.Supporting detailsSeveral possible implied main ideas:chi
27、ldrens stories are all about stepmothers.Hansel was abandoned by his stepfather.Animals are the main heroes in the childrens storiesa.Childrens stories are about evil and violence.Several steps to find out implied ideas:n1.Find out the topic.Be sure it is not too narrow or broad.n2.Try to figure out
28、 what the author is going to say about the topic.n3.recognize the supporting details of the paragraphsn4.Decide the main idea according to the supporting detailsExercises:finding out or concluding the main ideas of the following passages.nPassage 1 one hundred years ago,school teachers were expected
29、 to provide a variety of services in addition to their teaching duties and to behave themselves in an exemplary(serving ads an example)manner.They cared for oil lamps,tended the fire,and supplies their students with sharp pencils.After a long day in he classroom,they were expected to spend some time
30、 every evening reading the Bible.Women teachers could not marry,and barber shops were off limits to men teachers.Of course,alcohol and tobacco were forbidden.Teachers performed domestic tasks.The teaching profession demands total dedication Teachers needed the guidance of religion Teachers set good
31、examples by not using tobacco and alcohol.Passage 2Until the war of 1812,the united states had always bought its manufactured goods,especially its fine cloth,from England.During the War,however the United States could neither sell its raw material nor buy manufactured good in European markets.There
32、was nothing to but manufacture its own goods.By the end of the war of 1812 there were nearly 150,000 men and women working in cotton and woolen mills in the United stated.We have no figures on the number of workers employed in the various stages of iron production,but we know that the iron industry
33、had greatly increased.Besides the cloth and iron works,there was a great leather industry,including shoe factories,saddle shops and harness-making shops,while American hatters were able to supply the market with wool hats and fur caps.A.As a result if the War of 1812,Americans began to produce bette
34、r sloth than they had previously obtained from abroad.B.The War of 1812 caused large numbers of Americans to move from the farms into the factories.C.After the War of 1812 the United States was far less dependent on Europe for its manufactured goods.D.The War of 1812 caused a temporary change in the
35、 pattern if trade between the United States and Europe.With other Asian currencies in sharp decline,it is becoming ever more difficult for Chinese exports-an important engine not only of growth,but of technology transfer-to continue competing overseas.Exports fell last month for the first time in tw
36、o years.If this trend continues,Beijings leaders will feel increasing pressure to devalue.That,in turn,could trigger a new round of competitive devaluations with dire global results.Exports are important to technology transfer.The sharp decline of other Asian currencies made China devalue its own cu
37、rrency.If China is forced to devalue,there could be a new round of terrible global devaluations.With the sharp decline of other Asian currencies,Chinese exports are becoming more difficult.Passage 3Supporting DetailsnPoor grades in school can have various causes.For one thing,students may have money
38、 problems.If they need to work long hours to make money,they will have less time to study.Another cause of poor grades may be the relationship problems.A student may be not happy with family problems or the lack of friends.That unhappiness can also harm schoolwork.A final cause of poor grades may be
39、 study problems.Some students have never learned how to take good notes in class,or how to study a textbook.Without such study skills,their grades are likely to suffer.Explain the main ideaWhat is the main idea of the passage?Poor grades in school can have various causesWhat are the three causes?Mon
40、ey problems.Relationship problems and study problemsThe patterns of supporting detailsnSpace relationshipnTime sequencenExample or illustrationnComparison and contrastnCause and effectnAddition or listing Space relationshipn Details may be organized according to a space relationship,they usually mov
41、e in an order,such as left to right,up to down,north to south,or vice versa.Words like right,left,up,down,above,below indicate position or location.Time sequencenDetails are presented in the order in which they took place in time.This pattern is used frequently in describing th steps in a process or
42、 reporting historical events,signal words or phrases such as at first,after that,finally,once,earlier,now,eventually may help you identify the pattern.Example or illustrationnThis pattern uses specific cases to move from the general to the particular.The most frequently used signal words or phrases
43、include for example,for instance,such as,in this case,to illustrate,that is,in other words.Comparison and contrastnDetails are organized to emphasize the similarities or differences between two pr more items.Comparison points out similarities;contrast points out differences.The following signal word
44、s or phrases are mostly frequently used in the pattern:in comparison,like,similarly,likewise,to compare,in contrast,on the other hand,however,nevertheless.n This pattern is used to explain why and how something happened.The purpose is to show how two or more events are related.It starts with a cause
45、 and gives its effects.Or vice versa,it may give an effect or result and then tell what caused it.Signal words or phrases frequently used in this pattern include:because,for due to,therefore,as a result,consequently,the reason.nCause and effectAddition or listing n this pattern is one of the simples
46、t.Supporting details are organized into a list of points,first one point,then anotherThe purpose is to present facts.The following signal words are useful in finding items in the list:first,second,third,one,another,moreover,furthermore,finally.Exercises:identify the patterns of details of the follow
47、ing passagesnPassage1 I learned that many scientists believe exercise can actually reverse some effects of aging.In one Tufts University study,ten frail men and women as old as 96 regularly worked out on weight machines.After only two months,5 had doubled their walking speed and 2 others no longer n
48、eeded canes.examplePassage 2In spite of his great emphasis on nonviolence.King often became the target of violence.He was stabbed in New York City and stoned in Chicago.His home in Montgomery,Alabama,was bombed.Finally,violence took away his life at the age of 39.A hidden rifleman shot and killed hi
49、m on April 4,1968,in Menphis,Tennessee.examplePassage 3Real progress to end racially separate schools did not begin until the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed.This law said the government could withdraw federal aid to schools that were racially separated.By 1970,reports show that schools in the s
50、outh were more racially balanced than those in any other area of the country.Cause and effectHome worknRead Lincolns Gettysburg Address and try to find out its main idea and supporting detailsnRead the story on P55(lesson 11)and try to find out its main idea and supporting detailsThank you for your
