議論文通常由論點、論據、論證三部分組成,旨在達到說理的目的。
英語試題中的議論文選材范圍廣泛,大多集中在科技、經濟、教育、文化等領域。由于考生沒有足夠的知識儲備和生活經驗,因此議論文的閱讀理解難度相對較大。但是考試時間有限,議論文的篇幅通常在300—400字之間,有5或6個自然段,結構嚴謹,框架清晰。大多采用“總——分——總”的結構,使用正面和反面的論證方式,并且文中有明顯的表示轉折、遞進、并列的關聯詞,有利于考生對語篇的理解。文章的結構通常是:首先指出現象或提出觀點;其次,正面陳述和反面論證;最后,表明作者自己的態度并總結提升扣題。
一、解題技巧
閱讀議論文需掌握以下技巧:
1. 把握文章的基本結構,弄清作者的寫作意圖。
在閱讀的過程中,首先確定文章的題材。并且對照議論文的特點找出文章的論點與結論,從而把握文章的結構。其次,綜觀全文,理清作者的基本寫作意圖,并結合常識進行適當的推敲。
2. 找出全文或段落的主題句(topic sentence)。
關注文章每段的第一句或最后一句,找出主題句,可以有助于確定每段的中心思想,以便對全文文脈的把握。
3. 抓中心詞匯。
閱讀題干,把握中心詞匯。在文中找到中心詞匯及相關信息,做到有根有據。同時,可以在閱讀的過程中抓住表示過渡、轉折、遞進等的連接性詞語,從而確定作者的邏輯脈絡。
二、實例分析
[1]We all want success in life. We want success in our home life, business life, and in our relationships with others. The most important single factor that guarantees our success in every aspect of our lives is having a positive attitude. Without a positive attitude success is not possible.
[2]You will never attract positive things into your life if all of your thoughts are negative. Just as a magnet attracts anything metal our minds attract the things we think about most. Your mind will always seek to turn the things you think about most into physical reality. Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, \"A man becomes what he thinks about, most of the time.” If you repeat something often enough whether it be positive or negative it will become your reality. This is because your subconscious mind constantly strives to attract the material equivalent to your most frequent and prominent thoughts.
[3]It is impossible for a negative mind to attract positive things. If you’re thinking about problems constantly you will find them. Is it possible to overcome negative and pessimistic thinking with positive thoughts?
[4]It’s all a matter of conditioning. You can train your mind to think positive thoughts the same way you can learn anything else. The way to do this is to remove any negative thoughts one at a time until there are none left. And for each negative thought that you remove, you then plant a new and positive thought in its place. You then nurture those positive thoughts until there is no room for any negative thoughts to grow. Then, make a habit of stopping a negative thought any time it appears and replacing it with a positive thought. For example, replace, “I can’t do it” with “I can do it” and you’ll find your attitude and your life will greatly improve.
[5]Positive thoughts will lead you to success and it will help you find the true riches of life for yourself and your family. So whatever it is in life that you want, you must begin today to become a “positive thinker.” Once you do this your future success will be unlimited.
1. From paragraph 1, we can infer that________.
A. Everyone wants to be successful in life.
B. A successful person is one with a positive attitude.
C. Success comes easily if you keep optimistic.
D. There is no easy way to success.
2. The underlined word “equivalent”(para.2) is closest in meaning to ________.
A. equivocalB. similarC. equalD. likely
3. Put the following events in the right order.
a. make your positive thought makes up all your mind
b. plant a new and positive thought
c. get into a habit of stopping thinking negatively
d. think positively and remove your negative thoughts
A. d a b dB. b d c aC. d b a cD. b d a c 4. Which one is NOT true according to the passage?
A. What one thinks constantly can become one’s reality.
B. One can manage to think positively.
C. One’s attitude will affect one’s life.
D. Negative mind can also attract positive things.
5. The purpose of the text is to __________.
A. encourage people to make a good habit.
B. uncover the secret of success
C. ensure people that your attitude counts.
D. tell people why and how to keep a positive attitude.
本文論述在生活的方方面面具有一種積極的心態是成功的保證,沒有積極的心態就沒有成功。全文的結構是:[1]提出論點——[2—4]提供論據,進行論證——[5]得出結論。
1. B。推理判斷題。注意把握對文章的深層次挖掘:A 為表層理解;C 和D 未提及到。
2. C。詞義猜測題。根據“A man becomes what he thinks about, most of the time”可知潛意識會注意那些經常思考、突出的想法。
3. C。細節理解題。通過文章第[4]可知。把握連詞與時間線索and, then, then 可以加快解題速度。
4. D。推理判斷題。第[3]段第一句話“It is impossible for a negative mind to attract positive things”可知
5. D。主旨大意題。綜合通篇提出論點(積極的心態是成功保障)——提供論據(培養積極思想并化消極為積極)——得出結論(積極的思想態度可以助你成功、豐富生活)可知作者把本文的核心放在了對“積極心態的培養”上。
責任編校蔣小青