語篇模式在解答說明文主旨大意題中的運用

林曉研

一、引言

主旨大意題是難度較大的閱讀題型，也是每年高考的必考題。該題型之所以得分率低，大概有三方面原因：

（1）詞匯儲備不足。這通常出現在英語基礎較差的考生群體身上，加上說明文和議論文長難句較多，考生缺乏相應的詞匯、不懂得拆分長句，就對這一題型無可奈何。

（2）以中文母語的思維模式，去閱讀英語文章。中國傳統美德倡導“先他人后自己”，故我們習慣含蓄委婉的表述方式，以至于說話和寫作時都愛“繞彎子”，觀點、態度放在后面說。這種情況下，中國考生常無意識地用漢語思維去理解材料，定位不了主旨信息。

（3）過于注重細節和局部，忽略全局。即使能看懂每句話，也概括不了大意。閱讀后，考生只能講出印象深刻的局部信息。所以做選擇時，只憑著讀后的大致印象，主觀臆斷。這種閱讀方式，在詞匯儲備較好的考生中也普遍存在。

筆者認為，要破解這一難題，考生一要長年累月堅持詞匯積累;二要了解西方文化“開門見山、旗幟鮮明地在最開始便表明立場”的語言習慣;三要掌握英語語篇的組織模式，即文章的宏觀結構。本文以近年高考英語全國卷真題為例，說明英語語篇模式理論有助于提高考生解答說明文最佳標題與文章大意這兩類題目的能力。

二、語篇模式理論

寫作的功能在于傾訴、傳遞信息和交流。為實現這一目的，不同的文體就要遵守各自基本的范式和要求。2001年，英國英語語言教授Micheal Hoey曾提出多種語篇模式，而高考英語說明文中的語篇模式主要有三種：問題—解決模式（Problem-Solution Pattern）、提問—回答模式（Question- Answer Pattern）、一般—特殊模式（General-Particular Pattern）。 這些語言組織模式，基本遵循“結果在前，原因在后;請求在前，理由在后”的順序。以下結合真題，我們探討如何破解這三類模式下的說明文主旨大意題。

三、高考真題的語篇模式

1. 問題—解決型（Problem-Solution Pattern）

這種模式是主流的語篇模式。它通常含四個元素：S-situation（情景），P-problem（問題），R-response（回答），E-evaluation（評價）或結果。因此，學界也稱它為SPRE模式。有幾點需要注意：

（1）不是所有篇章都具備四個元素，或嚴格遵照這個順序。文章可能是按照SPRE展開，可能沒有S（情景），也可能只有SP。

（2）S之后如果出現轉折詞，如however， but， unfortunately等，之后的信息可能就是P的所在。

（3）評價可能為正面或負面，結果也會有好或壞。

這類說明文就是圍繞某一問題或現象，說明其原因，闡述它的解決措施，并加以評述。那么文章的“主旨大意”，就應在“P”和“R”身上落腳。

[例1]（2021年全國新高考Ⅰ卷 C篇）

When the explorers first set foot upon the continent of North？America， the skies and lands were alive with an astonishing variety of wildlife. Native Americans had taken care of these precious natural resources wisely.（S）Unfortunately， it took the explorers and the settlers who followed only a few decades to decimate a large part of these resources. Millions of waterfowl（水禽）were killed at the hands of market hunters and a handful of overly ambitious sportsman. Millions of acres of wetlands were dried to feed and house the ever-increasing populations， greatly reducing waterfowl habitat（棲息地）.（P）

In 1934， with the passage of the Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp Act（Act）， an increasingly concerned nation took firm action to stop the destruction of migratory（遷徙的）waterfowl and the wetlands so vital to their survival.（R）Under this Act， all waterfowl hunters 16 years of age and over must annually purchase and carry a Federal Duck Stamp. The very first Federal Duck Stamp was designed by J.N.“Ding”Darling， a political cartoonist from Des Moines， lowa， who at that time was appointed by President Franklin Roosevelt as Director of the Bureau of Biological Survey. Hunters willingly pay the stamp price to ensure the survival of our natural resources.

About 98 cents of every duck stamp dollar goes directly into the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund to purchase wetlands and wildlife habitat for inclusion into the National Wildlife Refuge System—a fact that ensures this land will be protected and available for all generations to come. Since 1934， better than half a billion dollars has gone into that Fund to purchase more than 5 million acres of habitat. Little wonder the Federal Duck Stamp Program has been called one of the most successful conservation programs ever initiated.（E）

31. Which of the following is a suitable title for the text？

A. The Federal Duck Stamp Story

B. The national Wildlife Refuge System

C. The benefits of Saving Waterfowl

D. The history of Migratory Bird Hunting

[本文語篇模式]

本文講述《候鳥捕獵印花稅法案》對于北美大陸候鳥生存產生的積極作用。

（1）Situation：? Precious natural resources were taken good care of.（Para 1）

（2）Problem：? Waterfowl（水禽）were killed and wetlands were dried. （Para 1）

“Unfortunately（不幸的是）”引出與前面所陳述的事實相反或不如人意的發展狀況，即P-problem（問題）。“only a few decades”“millions of waterfowl（水禽）were killed” “millions of acres of wetlands were dried” 這三處，列數字說明短短幾十年間，水禽和濕地等資源遭受了嚴重的破壞。

（3）Response： the passage of the Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp Act（Act）（Para 2）

在1934年，為了阻止遷徙鳥類和濕地繼續被破壞，政府通過《候鳥捕獵印花稅法案》。本句便是解決的方案R-response（回答）。之后只是補充了法案的細節：聯邦鴨郵票和設計者的信息。

（4）Evaluation：? one of the most successful conservation programs ever initiated（Para 3）

Para 3首先交代每枚郵票上98美分都投入到候鳥保護基金，用于購買濕地和野生動物棲息地。破折號引出同位語從句：“a fact that ensures this land will be protected and available for all generations to come（確保這片土地得到保護，并為子孫后代提供可用資源） ”。以上信息，都在說明，該法案是如何發揮作用的。“Since 1934， better than half a billion dollars has gone into that Fund to purchase more than 5 million acres of habitat. ”此句中所列數字，進一步闡釋法案實施以來取得的成效。最后一句“Little wonder the Federal Duck Stamp Program has been called one of the most successful conservation programs ever initiated.”“little wonder（難怪聯邦鴨子郵票計劃被稱為有史以來最成功的保護計劃之一）”肯定了這項法案的作用，即對它做出了評價。

綜上所述，這篇說明文按照“問題—解決”的模式組織內容。本文的主旨大意就是P和R，水禽和濕地等資源遭受了嚴重的破壞（P），政府實施“the Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp Act（Act）”法案，使情況好轉（R）。因此，選項A“聯邦鴨郵票的故事”是本文的最佳標題。

（二）提問—回答模式

這種模式通常出現在演講、小說和說明文等文體中。作者采用自問自答的形式展開說明，通過問句引起聽眾和讀者的注意。一般來說，它由情境S-Situation（不一定出現）、提問Q-Question、回答A-Answer這三部分組成。在說明文中，提問部分就是等待被解決的困難。而且該問句可能出現指示代詞，如“How to solve it”， 所以要看清楚指代為何物。而下文的Answer，可以理解為解決的方案。因此，“提問—回答模式”的說明文主旨大意題，要從Q和A身上找。

[例2]（2018年全國Ⅱ卷D篇）

Weve all been there： in a lift， in line at the bank or on an airplane， surrounded by people who are， like us， deeply focused on their smartphones or， worse， struggling with the uncomfortable silence.（S）

Whats the problem？（Q）Its possible that we all have compromised conversational intelligence. Its more likely that none of us start a conversation because its awkward and challenging， or we think its annoying and unnecessary. But the next time you find yourself among strangers， consider that small talk is worth the trouble. Experts say its an invaluable social practice that results in big benefits.（A）

Dismissing small talk as unimportant is easy， but we cant forget that deep relationships wouldnt even exist if it werent for casual conversation. Small talk is the grease（潤滑油）for social communication， says Bernardo Carducci，director of the Shyness Research Institute at Indiana University Southeast.“Almost every great love story and each big business deal begins with small talk，”he explains.“The key to successful small talk is learning how to connect with others， not just communicate with them.”

In a 2014 study， Elizabeth Dunn， associate professor of psychology at UBC， invited people on their way into a coffee shop. One group was asked to seek out an interaction with its waiter; the other， to speak only when necessary. The results showed that those who chatted with their server reported significantly higher positive feelings and a better coffee shop experience.“Its not that talking to the waiter is better than talking to your husband，”says Dunn.“But interactions with peripheral（邊緣的）members of our social network matter for our well-being also.”

Dunn believes that people who reach out to strangers feel a significantly greater sense of belonging， a bond with others. Carducci believes developing such a sense of belonging starts with small talk.“ Small talk is the basis of good manners，”he says.

35. What is the best title for the text？

A. Conversation Counts

B. Ways of Making Small Talk

C. Benefits of Small Talk

D. Uncomfortable Silence

[本文語篇模式]

這篇說明文探討了閑聊的好處。列舉幾個常見的尷尬場景作為引入（S），引出解決尷尬這一問題的途徑——閑聊，人際交往的潤滑劑。再通過一項研究結果，證明閑聊的益處。最后借助兩位研究者的觀點，再次強調觀點。

（1）Situation：? Suffering uncomfortable silence when we are surrounded by strangers （Para 1）

（2）Question：? Whats the problem？（Para 2）

（3）Answer：? Small talk is worth the trouble. Its an invaluable social practice that results in big benefits.（Para 2）

文章標題要體現出A元素，即Small Talk的好處。因此C選項Benefits of Small Talk。

三、一般—特殊模式

這種模式常見于自然科學、社會科學等的論說文中。它通常由三部分組成：概括陳述（GS-General Statement）、具體陳述（SS-Specific Statement）、總結陳述（GS-General Statement）。也就是說，文章是先概括，后舉例;或先整體，后細節。結構上也稱為“總—分—總”。不完整的情況下，可能只有“總—分”或“分—總”。說明方法多樣，如舉例子、作比較、分類別、析因果、列數字、作詮釋、打比方、下定義、列圖表、作引用、作假設等。

[例3]（2016年全國Ⅰ卷D篇）

The meaning of silence varies among cultural groups.（GS）Silences may be thoughtful， or they may be empty when a person has nothing to say. A silence in a conversation may also show stubbornness， uneasiness， or worry. Silence may be viewed by some cultural groups as extremely uncomfortable; therefore attempts may be made to fill every gap with conversation. Persons in other cultural groups value silence and view it as necessary for understanding a persons needs.

Many Native Americans value silence and feel it is a basic part of communicating among people， just as some traditional Chinese and Thai persons do. Therefore， when a person from one of these cultures is speaking and suddenly stops， what may be implied（暗示）is that the person wants the listener to consider what has been said before continuing. In these cultures， silence is a call for reflection.

Other cultures may use silence in other ways， particularly when dealing with conflicts among people or in relationships of people with different amounts of power. For example， Russian， French， and Spanish persons may use silence to show agreement between parties about the topic under discussion. However， Mexicans may use silence when instructions are given by a person in authority rather than be rude to that person by arguing with him or her. In still another use， persons in Asian cultures may view silence as a sign of respect， particularly to an elder or a person in authority.

Nurses and other care-givers need to be aware of the possible meanings of silence when they come across the personal anxiety their patients may be experiencing. Nurses should recognize their own personal and cultural construction of silence so that a patients silence is not interrupted too early or allowed to go on unnecessarily. A nurse who understands the healing value of silence can use this understanding to assist in the care of patients from their own and from other cultures.

35. What may be the best title for the text？

A. Sound and Silence

B. What It Means to Be Silent

C. Silence to Native Americans

D. Speech Is Silver; Silence Is Gold

[本文語篇模式]

（1）General Statement： The meaning of silence varies among cultural groups. （Para1）

（2）Specific Statement：

①Many Native Americans & Chinese and Thai persons （Para 2）

②Other cultures（For example， Russian...）... However， Mexicans ... In still another use， persons in Asian...（Para 3）

③Nurses and other care-givers should make use of silence. （Para 4）

（3）General Statement： 無

這篇說明文的結構很簡單。全文Para 1先概括，后具體。第一句話概括出大意：沉默的含義隨著文化群體的不同而不同。接著詳細陳述各種沉默的含義（may be ... may be ... may be viewed ...）。從Para 2開始，列舉出不同的國家對沉默的理解，在對比中說明相異、在類比中說明相似。最后一段指出，以上內容對護士或看護人員的啟示作用。他們應意識到沉默的作用，將其應用到治療中。從文章的組織結構看，它由概括陳述和具體陳述兩部分組成。那么概括文章主旨的標題，就應該與Para 1的概括陳述一致，即B選項“沉默意味著什么”。

四、結語

高考英語試題的主旨大意題需考生摸清文章的脈絡和骨架。掌握這三種英語語篇模式及其主旨大意在每種模式的落腳點——“問題—解決模式”的PR，“提問—回答模式”的QA，“一般—特殊模式”的GS——能幫助考生從高處和遠處認識廬山的真面目。在平時練習時，考生要有意識地去分析英語文章的篇章形式及內容，習慣英語思維下的謀篇布局，而不是只滿足于“選對”就好。通過大量的實踐訓練，相信考生最終能達到輕松、準確定位說明文“主旨大意”的目的。

責任編輯 蔣小青