題型科普：主旨題在四級閱讀考試中考到的幾率并不大。從1999年算起到現(xiàn)在，一共考過13道主旨題，06年四級改革后并沒有出現(xiàn)過主旨題。但是因為很多題目的答案與文章主題或段落主題有一定的關(guān)系，所以很有必要通過主旨題目的練習(xí)，來加強(qiáng)找文章或段落主題的能力。
　　題型形式：
　　主旨題從提問方式上看，可以分為三種。
　　主要內(nèi)容題（what’s the passage mainly about?）
　　寫作目的題（what’s the author’s writing purpose?）
　　最佳標(biāo)題題（which of the followings is the best title?）
　　解題思路：
　　主旨題解題，三個方法。
　　1. 主題詞法（主題詞一般出現(xiàn)在題干中和各段段首）
　　2. 主題句法（主題句一般在文章的第一段或文章開頭例子后的總結(jié)或解釋）
　　3. 各段首句法（重點讀包含主題詞的段落首句）
　　題目練習(xí)：
　　Most episodes of absent-mindedness—forgetting where you left something or wondering why you just entered a room—are caused by a simple lack of attention, says Schacter. “You’re supposed to remember something, but you haven’t encoded it deeply.”
　　Encoding, Schacter explains, is a special way of paying attention to an event that has a major impact on recalling it later. Failure to encode properly can create annoying situations. If you put your mobile phone in a pocket, for example, and don’t pay attention to what you did because you’re involved in a conversation, you’ll probably forget that the phone is in the jacket now hanging in you wardrobe (衣柜). “Your memory itself isn’t failing you,” says Schacter. “Rather, you didn’t give your memory system the information it needed.”
　　Lack of interest can also lead to absent-mindedness. “A man who can recite sports statistics from 30 years ago,” says Zelinski, “may not remember to drop a letter in the mailbox.” Women have slightly better memories than men, possibly because they pay more attention to their environment, and memory relies on just that.
　　Visual cues can help prevent absent-mindedness, says Schacter. “But be sure the cue is clear and available,” he cautions. If you want to remember to take a medication (藥物) with lunch, put the pill bottle on the kitchen table—don’t leave it in the medicine chest and write yourself a note that you keep in a pocket.
　　Another common episode of absent-mindedness: walking into a room and wondering why you’re there. Most likely, you were thinking about something else. “Everyone does this from time to time,” says Zelinski. The best thing to do is to return to where you were before entering the room, and you’ll likely remember.
　　30. What is the passage mainly about?
　　A) The process of gradual memory loss.
　　B) The causes of absent-mindedness.
　　C) The impact of the environment on memory.
　　D) A way if encoding and recalling.
　　參考答案:（B）
　　題目解析：
　　方法一：主題詞法。
　　同學(xué)可以從第一段，第三段，第四段，第五段開頭都讀到一個詞，absent-mindedness.這就是文章主題詞。主旨題的正確答案當(dāng)然要包括文章主題詞。B選項正確無誤。
　　方法二：主題句法。
　　其實主旨題最佳的做題方法應(yīng)該是主題句法，因為主旨題正確答案都是考官根據(jù)主題句改寫的。
　　主題句的位置和文章的寫作特點有關(guān)。四級閱讀文章一般有兩種寫作手法。一種是文章第一段直接給出中心內(nèi)容；另一種是第一段先寫一個例子，用例子吸引讀者，例子結(jié)束后引出主題。所以主題句要么再第一段，要么在文章開頭的例子后的總結(jié)或解釋。
　　以這篇文章為例，第一段第一句就出現(xiàn)了文章主題詞。這明顯不是個例子，而是中心內(nèi)容。惡狠狠的讀下這個主題句的主干，Most episodes of absent-mindedness are caused by a simple lack of attention. 對應(yīng)正確選項B，The causes of absent-mindedness.
　　方法三：各段首句法：
　　即使主題詞找到不確定，主題句找不到或讀不懂，我們一起看一下各段首句。
　　所謂各段首句法并不是說每段首句都一定有幫助，其實只要讀到某段的首句能幫助做題就足夠了。
　　比如第三段，Lack of interest can also lead to absent-mindedness.第四段，Visual cues can help prevent absent-mindedness, 這兩段又闡述了兩個導(dǎo)致absent-mindedness的成因。所以正確答案B，The causes of absent-mindedness.