任何一篇文章都有自己的主旨，所以我们在阅读一篇文章时，首先要弄清楚的就是文章的主旨，明确主旨之后才能进一步理解文章的深层内容和主题意义。主旨大意题旨在考查考生把握文章整体内容和中心思想的能力。主旨大意题可以分为篇章主旨题、标题归纳题和段落主旨题三类。
篇章/段落主旨题的正确答案通常是根据文章主题句/段或对文章内容的全面理解而归纳概括出来的，与文章内容的贴合度高，常含有抽象名词或概括性词语；标题归纳题的正确答案往往具有涵盖性强、覆盖全文的特点，通常不会包含细节信息，也不会使用过分肯定或具有绝对意义的词。一般来说，主旨大意题的正确答案往往是那些能够概括全文、内容全面、含义深刻或说明道理的选项。
把握段落或文章主旨的一个有效途径就是在段落或文章中寻找主题句。主题句是能表达 或概括段落主题或文章主要内容的句子 ， 它通常是简洁、完整且具有概括性的。在说明文和议论文中 ， 主题句尤为常见。说明文的篇章主旨通常是文章的说明对象 ， 而议论文的篇章主旨则是文章的中心论点 ， 即作者对讨论主题的观点和看法。无论是段落主旨 ， 还是篇章主旨 ， 以下关于主题句特征的总结可以帮助考生迅速掌握文章或段落的主旨大意 ：
☆当段落中出现however、but、yet、on the contrary、in contrast等表示转折/对比的单词或短语时，其后的句子很可能是主题句。
☆首段出现具体的例子时，其前的内容往往能体现文章的主旨。
☆首段出现疑问句时，对该问题的回答很可能就是文章的主旨。
☆表示结论或总结的句子(常包含 therefore、thus、in short、in conclusion、on the whole、in a word等)通常是主题句。在调查研究类的说明文中，表达结论的句子，如the study shows/ finds/indicates/ suggests that...或sb.(权威人士)believed/suggested/argued that...往往也是主题句。
☆作者有意识地反复陈述的观点，通常是文章的主旨；反复出现的词或短语，一般为体现文章主旨的关键词或关键短语。
【典例】
32. What is the first paragraph mainly about?
A. A new study of different plants.
B. A big fall in crime rates.
C. Employees from various workplaces.
D. Benefits from green plants.
原文
The connection between people and plants has long been the subject of scientific research. Recent studies have found positive effects. A study conducted in Youngstown, Ohio, for example, discovered that greener areas of the city experienced less crime. In another, employees were shown to be 15% more productive when their workplaces were decorated with houseplants.
(2020年全国Ⅰ卷·阅读理解D篇)
【解析】 根据题干中的“the first paragraph”定位到文章第一段。通读第一段之后，我们发现第一段第二句中出现了总结性的文字“Recent studies have found positive effects.”，并且其后出现了具体的例子“A study conducted in Youngstown, Ohio, for example... In another...”，由此推测第二句是本段的主题句。通过分析例子可知，两个例子表述的都是绿色植物给人类带来的好处，正好印证了第一段第二句“近期的研究发现了绿色植物的积极影响”，所以文章第一段的主旨就是绿色植物的好处。 故选D。
并不是所有文章都有主题句，若文章没有明显的主题句，考生需根据文中反复出现的高频词来概括和总结文章的主旨大意。这些在文中反复出现的高频词，也称为主题词，通常是揭示文章主旨的关键词。需要注意的是，为了避免同一词的重复使用，文章有时会使用这个词的同义词、近义词或者代词。
【典例】
35. Which can be a suitable title for the text?
A. Reading: A Source of Knowledge
B. My Idea about Writing
C. Library: A Haven for the Young
D. My Love of the Library
原文
I have a special place in my heart for libraries . I have for as long as I can remember. I was always an enthusiastic reader, sometimes reading up to three books a day as a child. Stories were like air to me and while other kids played ball or went to parties, I lived out adventures through the books I checked out from the library .
My first job was working at the Ukiah library when I was 16 years old. It was a dream job and I did everything from shelving books to reading to the children for story time.
As I grew older and became a mother, the library took on a new place and an added meaning
in my life. I had several children and books were our main source (来源) of entertainment. It was a big deal for us to load up and go to the local library , where my kids could pick out books to read or books they wanted me to read to them.
I always read, using different voices, as though I were acting out the stories with my voice and they loved it It was a special time to bond with my children and it filled them with the wonderment of books.
Now, I see my children taking their children to the library and I love that the excitement of going to the library lives on from generation to generation.
As a novelist, I’ve found a new relationship with libraries . I encourage readers to go to their local library when they can’t afford to purchase a book. I see libraries as a safe haven (避风港) for readers and writers, a bridge that helps put together a reader with a book. Libraries , in their own way, help fight book piracy (盗版行为) and I think all writers should support libraries in a significant way when they can. Encourage readers to use the library . Share library announcements on your social media. Frequent them and talk about them when you can.
(2020年全国Ⅱ卷·阅读理解D篇)
【解析】 通读全文，我们可以发现“library”一词在文中出现了多达十四次，显然它是本文的高频词，全文围绕作者与图书馆的故事展开。作者是一个狂热的读者，自幼酷爱读书；她的第一份工作就是在图书馆；有了孩子以后，一家人去图书馆读书，阅读的习惯一代代传承下来；作为一名小说家，作者还呼吁其他作家支持图书馆，鼓励读者多去图书馆阅读。由这些事件可以看出，无论是孩提时代，还是作为母亲和小说家，作者对图书馆都怀有深厚的情感。因此，D项“我对图书馆的爱”符合文意，最适合作本文标题。 故选D。
主题一致性原则是排除法的第一要义。根据主题一致性原则，我们可以快速排除与文章主题不一致的选项。很多题目，往往通过主题一致性原则就可以快速锁定答案，这大大提高了做题的速度，降低了答题的难度。此外，还可以通过排除与文章主题所表达的态度相反的选项或排除用语过于极端或负面的选项来确定正确答案。
2025年全国I卷·阅读理解C篇
While safety improvements might have been made to our streets in recent years, transport studies also show declines in pedestrian (行人) mobility, especially among young children. Many parents say there’s too much traffic on the roads for their children to walk safely to school, so they pack them into the car instead.
Dutch authors Thalia Verkade and Marco te Brömmelstroet are bothered by facts like these. In their new book Movement: How to Take Back Our Streets and Transform Our Lives , they call for a rethink of our streets and the role they play in our lives.
Life on city streets started to change decades ago. Whole neighbourhoods were destroyed to make way for new road networks and kids had to play elsewhere. Some communities fought back. Most famously, a Canadian journalist who had moved her family to Manhattan in the early 1950s led a campaign to stop the destruction of her local park. Describing her alarm at its proposed replacement with an expressway, Jane Jacobs called on her mayor (市长) to champion “New York as a decent place to live, and not just rush through.” Similar campaigns occurred in Australia in the late 1960s and 1970s as well.
Although these campaigns were widespread, the reality is that the majority of the western cities were completely redesigned around the needs of the motor car. The number of cars on roads has been increasing rapidly. In Australia we now have over twenty million cars for just over twenty-six million people, among the highest rate of car ownership in the world.
We invest a lot in roads that help us rush through, but we fail to account for the true costs. Do we really recognise what it costs us as a society when children can’t move safely around our communities? The authors of Movement have it right: it’s time to think differently about that street outside your front door.
3 1. What can be a suitable title for the text?
A. Why the Rush?
B. What’s Next?
C. Where to Stay?
D. Who to Blame?
2025年全国II卷·阅读理解C篇
When Sonja Detrinidad opened her online shop selling houseplants, she didn’t have high hopes for it. But the opposite happened: She was flooded, shipping out 1, 200 orders in June of 2020 alone. In the past year, Detrinidad sent out more than 70, 000 plants. Her success is just one example of increased time at home leading to an explosion in the houseplant industry.
“Plants are in fashion right now, ” says Dr. Melinda Knuth, a researcher from the University of Florida. “People who live in plant-rich environments report a higher life satisfaction rating,” she says. “Adding more nature to our environment can change our mood and how we think.” Plants can improve our state of mind in a few ways but the biggest is by decreasing our level of cortisol, the stress hormone (激素) in our body.
“Students who are around plants perform better academically than students who are in a classroom without plants, ” says Knuth. “This productivity also translates into the workplace for adults. Our study showed that there was a 30% decrease in sick leave for people who were in plant-rich workplaces.”
If you’re among the groups of people who are enjoying the mental and physical health benefits of surrounding yourself with plants, don’t beat yourself up if one (or a few!) doesn’t make it. “Doctors practice medicine and lawyers practice law and you should allow yourself the practice it takes to sustain a plant. Tending to plants is an exercise in patience and learning. Be invested in taking care of it, but if it dies, go get another one, ” Detrinidad says.
3 1. What can be a suitable title for the text?
A. Time to Replace Houseplants
B. Plants Boost Your Mood
C. Tips on Choosing Houseplants
D. Plants Brighten Your Home
2025年全国I卷·阅读理解C篇
31. A 主旨大意题。全文批判城市过度追求汽车通行效率，却牺牲社区宜居性（如儿童安全、步行空间等）。A项“Why the Rush?”（为何匆忙？）暗指反思城市以汽车为导向的规划模式，呼应文章结尾重新思考街道功能的呼吁。 故选A。
When Sonja Detrinidad opened her online shop selling houseplants, she didn’t have high hopes for it. But the opposite happened: She was flooded, shipping out 1, 200 orders in June of 2020 alone. In the past year, Detrinidad sent out more than 70, 000 plants. Her success is just one example of increased time at home leading to an explosion in the houseplant industry.
“Plants are in fashion right now, ” says Dr. Melinda Knuth, a researcher from the University of Florida. “People who live in plant-rich environments report a higher life satisfaction rating,” she says. “Adding more nature to our environment can change our mood and how we think.” Plants can improve our state of mind in a few ways but the biggest is by decreasing our level of cortisol, the stress hormone (激素) in our body.
“Students who are around plants perform better academically than students who are in a classroom without plants, ” says Knuth. “This productivity also translates into the workplace for adults. Our study showed that there was a 30% decrease in sick leave for people who were in plant-rich workplaces.”
If you’re among the groups of people who are enjoying the mental and physical health benefits of surrounding yourself with plants, don’t beat yourself up if one (or a few!) doesn’t make it. “Doctors practice medicine and lawyers practice law and you should allow yourself the practice it takes to sustain a plant. Tending to plants is an exercise in patience and learning. Be invested in taking care of it, but if it dies, go get another one, ” Detrinidad says.
3 1. What can be a suitable title for the text?
A. Time to Replace Houseplants
B. Plants Boost Your Mood
C. Tips on Choosing Houseplants
D. Plants Brighten Your Home
2025年全国I卷·阅读理解C篇
31. A 主旨大意题。全文批判城市过度追求汽车通行效率，却牺牲社区宜居性（如儿童安全、步行空间等）。A项“Why the Rush?”（为何匆忙？）暗指反思城市以汽车为导向的规划模式，呼应文章结尾重新思考街道功能的呼吁。 故选A。
2025年全国II卷·阅读理解C篇
31. B 主旨大意题。文章开头通过Detrinidad的室内植物网店生意的火爆说明了人们对植物的喜爱和需求，接着引入佛罗里达大学研究人员Melinda Knuth的观点，说明室内植物可以提升生活满意度、改善心理状态、降低压力激素、提升效率等，最后一段中Detrinidad提及“植物养护是对耐心与学习的锻炼”，隐含了植物对个人心态和生活的正向作用。由此可见，本文主要介绍了植物对情绪的积极影响。B项“植物改善你的情绪”最适合作文章标题。 故选B。
