四级考试阅读理解技巧 -怎样准确找出文章的中心思想（一）
四级阅读测试一般包括4篇文章的阅读，每篇后有5道选择题。这些的类型多种多样，但归纳起来大致可分为二大类，即全域型问题（Global Question）和局域型问题（Local Question ）. Local Question一般涉及三方面内容：Subject Matter, Attitude/Tone;Local Question 涉及：Supporting Details,Inference,Vocabulary.以下，我们将针对四级考试的特点、出题范畴、出题方式等，根据这些问题在考试出题中的大致排列顺序，进行有步骤、有计划的分项应试技能训练。
关于主题思想问题（Subject Matter）
Subject Matter(SM中心思想)是作者在文章中要表达的的主要内容，是贯穿全文的核心。作者在文章中努力通过各种Supporting Details来阐明中心议题。因此，把握主要思想对于全文理解具有重要意义。熟悉四级测试的人都知道，这类问题常被列为5题之首。然而，如何找出主题常使考生倍感棘手。因为他们总希望通过某个词或某句话就能找到答案，而找主题往往需要通读全文后才能作出判断。
针对SM问题，应采用快速阅读法（Skimming）浏览全文，理解文章主旨大意，阅读时要注意：抓住中心思想的句子在文章中的位置不同，但阅读时，文章的开头、结尾及段落的段首句和段尾句特别重要，因为他们往往名包含文章的中心议题（SM）。
根据内容的不同，这类问题可分为主题型、标题型和目的型 。主题型一目了然就是找中心（Main Idea）;标题型是为文章选择标题（Title）;目的型就是推断作者的写作意图（Purpose）.这类题常见的命题方式有：
（1） What is the main idea (subject) of this passage ?
（2） What does this passage mainly (primarily)concerned ?
（3） The main theme of this passage is ___________.
（4） The main point of the passage is__________.
（5） Which of the following is the best title for the passage ?
（6） The title that best expresses the theme of the passage is ___________.
（7） On which of the following subject would the passage most likely be found in a textbook ?
（8） The purpose of the writer in writing this passage _________.
（9） Which of the following best describes the passage as a whole ?
1. 关于主题型
Example 1:
Oceanography has been defined as "The application of all sciences to the study of the sea "。Before the nineteenth century ,scientists with an interest in the sea were few and far between .Certainly Newton considered some theoretical aspects of it in his writings ,but he was reluctant to go to sea to further his work .
For most people the sea was remote , and with the exception of early intercontinental travelers or others , who earned a living from the sea, there was little reason to ask many questions about it ,let alone to what lay beneath the sur