高考英语阅读理解备考英语阅读篇章结构题
篇章结构题解题技巧
对《考试大纲》中提出的理解文章的基本结构的要求，往往通过篇章结构题来考查。考生要学会把握文章的脉络，理解段落层次之间的关系，弄清作者的写作方法。英语的文章讲究使用主题段和主题句。主题段通常在文章的开头，简要概括文章的中心思想，主题句根据段落的写作手法的不同可能在段落的开头，也可能出现在段落的中间或末尾。段与段之间常用词语连接，承上启下，使文章行文连贯，逻辑严密。为突出主题作者可能采用不同的写作手法来组织文章，通过举例、比较、类比等手法来透彻阐明主题观点。高考对这类题型的考查主要体现在以下几个方面：
1. 确定指代关系。最常见的提问方式是：The underlined word “they/it/…” inparagraph… refers to… …
2. 对句子意义或作用的理解。最常见的提问方式是：The sentence “… …” in paragraph … means….; The example of … … in para….is used to illustrate/show … ….
3. 对段落大意或段落作用的理解。最常见的提问方式是：The last paragraph mainly tell usthat … …; The purpose of writing Paragraph … is …. ….
4. 对文章组织结构的理解。最常见的提问方式是：How is the passage organized?;Which ofthe following best shows the structure of the passage?
在上述几类题中考生感觉难做的题是第四类, 这类题是近两年来出现的主要考查议论文结构的命题新方式,且逐步得到语言教育专家们的认可。并逐步推广到对其他文体结构的考查。分析这一类的题我们看出：对文章组织结构的考查不外乎两个层次。一是按段落的组织方法理解文章的结构，一是按写作方法(论证方法)理解文章的结构。
首先，看看这样考查从段落层次理解文章的结构。这类题经常用到的提问方式是：Which of the following bestshows the structure of the passage? 常见的段落结构有如下几种情况：
图1表明：①(Paragraph1)是主题段(提出论题或论点)，②、③段是就同一论据或者问题的同一方面作论述，④用另一论据材料或者从问题的另一方面论述，⑤段是结论段或者是用来重述论题、强调论点的段落。同样我们很容易理解图2、3、4所示的段落结构的意义。
下面具体看看05年江苏卷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(纱线), 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?
理解文章段落结构，我们很容易找到答案A。
接下来再来看看这样从论证方法上考查对议论文结构的理解。掌握了议论文常见的写作方法，我们不难理解议论文的论证过程。从论证方法上讲，常见的议论文结构有以下两类：
一、Put forward a question →Analyze the question → Solve thequestion 这就是“提出问题、分析问题、解决问题”的过程;二、Argument/idea → Evidence →conclusion/ restating the idea
这就是“由论点到论据到结论或者强调论点”的过程。
对说明文、夹叙夹议类文章结构的理解，只要我们弄清段落意义和段落之间的关系，很容易理解其结构。看看下面的例题我们也许会得到一些启发。
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：文章一开始就提出本文要讲的中心, 然后进行论述, 最后得出结论。由此,我们不难得出答案是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：这道题考查考生对文章组织结构的理解，把握了文章的脉络，我们不难得出答案：D。
2007年广东高考英语试题题型(讨论稿)中提出把篇章结构作为专门的一节来考查：要求把标有A-F的句子或段落插入到文章中标记的适当位置，使文章意义完整，结构连贯。
做好这一类题，要先理解全文的意义和结构，然后理解段落的意义和结构，分析句与句之间的关系，句与段落的关系。一般说来，文章中空格的地方主要是三类的句子或者段落：一是段落的主题句;二是和段落主题密切相关的细节句;三是段落或句子之间的过渡句/段。所以学会了分析句与句、句与段、段与段之间的关系做这类题并不难。下面我们来具体看一个例题：
阅读下面短文，请将标有A-F的句子或段落插入到文章中标号为71-75的合适位置，使文章意义完整，结构连贯;其中一个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 (颠倒) 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 (延续) 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：这是一篇说明文。首先通读文章了解文章的中心：全文分析当前在学校女生比男生表现好的原因。文章结构简单明了：首先提出问题，然后分析原因。接下来我们来逐段分析：
第一段提出问题，71空后面说“现在情况颠倒过来了：女生比男生好了”，看了这句话，我们肯定能判断前一句话的大意应该是：先前的情况是男生比女生表现好。那就从选项中去看哪个句子表达的是这个意思。快速浏览A-F选项，我们得到答案C。
第二段分析原因。段首的空格72，应该是一个承上启下的过渡句。浏览选项，我们迅速得到答案A。段尾的73空应该是一个细节句，对前一句具体说明，能够具体说明They’reuncertain about their place in society一句的只有选项E。
第三段进一步分析原因。74空应该是个细节句，详细阐明男生比女生表现差的原因。这里我们不难找到答案F。
第四段说明这种现象的普遍存在。段尾的75空是一个接续前句的细节句。浏览剩余的选项，我们很肯定地找到答案B。
【实战演练练习十三】(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(接触)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(同性恋), 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 (惊动)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
【实战演练练习十四】(04 重庆卷 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 (灵学家) 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(心理学家)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(受试者)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
【实战演练练习十五】
阅读下面短文，并将文后标有A-F的句子(或段落)插入文章中标号为71-75的合适位置，使短文结构完整。其中有一个句子(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.