为帮助各位考生顺利通过学位英语考试， 老师专门就成人学位英语阅读理解主旨大意题答题技巧进行了整理分享。
主旨大意题是全局性的问题，也就是说只有读完全文，了解文章的大意才能做。因此我们建议这类问题最好在做完这篇阅读理解所有问题后再去做，因为你在做完局部性的、细节辨认性的问题后，自然会对文章大意有一定的了解。这时再去做主旨大意题，就可省去读全文。
(一)常见的表述方式
What is the main topic of the passage?
With what topic is the passage primarily concerned?
The central idea conveyed in the above passage is that
Which of the following best sums up the passage?
The main idea of this passage is
The passage tells us
Which of the following statements best expresses/summarizes the main idea of the passage?
What is the main idea of the passage?
This article is mainly about
This passage deals mainly with
What does the passage mainly discuss?
Which of the following best states the theme of the passage?
In this passage the author/writer mainly argues that
The purpose of the author in writing the article is to
What does the author intend to convey through the passage?
(二)解题方法
1.重要位置解题法
任何一篇阅读理解文章都有一个中心思想。尽管绝大多数阅读理解文章是从一篇较长的文章中摘选下来的，但不管摘选一段还是几段，不管摘选哪几段，不管摘选长短，摘选下来的句子必须本身是自成一体的，是有中心思想的。一般说来，绝大多数文章的中心思想是用一个句子表达出来。其特点是概括性的。中心思想句到哪儿找?它在文章中的位置比较有规律，一般出现在文章的开头。
例1
The death of reading has been frequently, if not prematurely, reported. We are toldthat we live in an audio-visual age with radio,television, film, or other forms for ear and eye replacing the printed page. The picture is said to be faster to present, more adapta-ble to the message, and easier to comprehend.
How can anyone be expected to resist the tide, the torrent of competing images?
Can we preserve the printed page and the art and skills of reading? Untold teachers, writers,and others have struggled to show the rewards of reading,to demonstrate the practical values, and to encourage reading for personal discovery and growth. The ques-tion is whether the dedicated have had more influence than the image-flashers. Fortu-nately there are some hopeful signs.
We can note the publication of more books, magazines, and papers than in any pre-vious time in our history. Libraries report far greater use than ever before. Schools con-tinue to show large numbers at all ages(except the young,due to a changing birthrate)seeking to attend. Even the visual media acknowledge their great dependence on the production of the printed word. Reading is not dead, dying, or. seriously ill. It remains as the major avenue to individual learning and satisfaction.
If you agree with the point of view in this article you would probably
A. read less than ever
B. rely more on visual media
C. watch television selectively
D. attach due importance to reading
这道题绕了个圈子，问的还是文章中心思想。根据中心思想句出现的位置和特征，我们读到文章第一句：The death of reading has been frequently, if not prematurely, reported.文章最后一句：Reading is not dead, dying, or seriously ill.It remains as the major avenue to individual learning and satisfaction.文章第一句是说人们一直认为阅读已消亡。经过一番论述，文章最后一句总结说阅读没有消亡，相反仍然是个人学习和满足的主要途径。可见这句是文章的中心思想句。用这句意思去看四个选择项，不难发现D.attach due importance to reading是正确答案。
例2
Describing learning as meaning centered reminds us that the most fundamental concern of any learner is "making sense". In the relationship between reader and text, then,the making of meaning is primary. To describe the activities of reading and writing, we prefer the word "transacting" which "designates an ongoing process in which the elements or parts are seen as aspects or phases of a total situation. "A transactional view of reading and writing argues that writers construct texts "through transactions with the developing text and the meaning being expressed". Transformed in the process are the text itself and the writer's ways of organizing knowledge. During reading, readers construct texts by transacting with the page and indirectly with the author. Although reading is generally considered a "receptive" language process, this does not mean that the process is essentially passive. Readers use directions from the page to construct meaning from their own prior knowledge;the reader must read between and beyond the lines.