6项具体的能力。
1. 理解主旨要义;
2. 理解文中具体信息;
3. 根据上下文推断单词和短语的含义;
4. 做出判断和推理;
5. 理解文章的基本结构;
6. 理解作者的意图、观点和态度。
为此，考生应不断地强化这六个方面的能力。为了便于理解，这里将能力转换成常见的题型表达, 即为细节理解题、词义推理题、推理判断题和主旨大意题。在备考复习中, 了解这些题目的特点和解题方法是考生提高阅读理解能力所必须具备的。下面结合近几年，尤其是2021年的高考题来讲解命题与解题的关键。
（一）主旨大意题
主旨大意题考查学生理解文章主旨要义的能力或理解段落大意的能力, 这要求考生有较强的归纳和概括能力。
设题形式
Which of the following can be the best title for the text?
What is the best title for the text?
What can be a suitable title for the text?
What is the main idea of the text?
What is the text mainly about?
What is the second paragraph mainly about？
解题方法1：全文主旨题
根据教育部考试中心《高考试题分析》, “每篇文章都会有一个主旨要义。有时从文章的第一个段落, 甚至第一个句子即可得出文章的主旨要义, 从这一段或这个句子读者会知道文章描述的是谁或什么（即文章的主题）, 亦会了解作者希望读者了解主题方面的哪些内容。有时, 作者没有明示文章的主旨要义, 需要读者从文章的字里行间进行归纳和概括”。因此, 考生可以根据这一特点，抓住文章首段和语篇结构来解题。
特别值得一提的是, 不同的语篇结构, 主旨呈现方式不同, 阅读策略也会相应发生变化。在高考英语中常见的语篇类型有应用文类文本、故事类文本、科普研究类文本、新闻报道类文本和议论类文本, 因此考生应掌握不同文本语篇的结构特点, 从而快速有效地理解文本, 把握文章主旨, 解决问题。
典型例题1：新闻报道类文本
Terrafugia Inc. said Monday that its new flying car has completed its first flight, bringing the company closer to its goal of selling the flying car within the next year. The vehicle —named the Transition – has two seats, four wheels and wings that fold up so it can be driven like a car. The Transition, which flew at 1,400 feet for eight minutes last month, can reach around 70 miles per hour on the road and 115 in the air. It flies using a 23-gallon tank of gas and burns 5 gallons per hour in the air. On the ground, it gets 35 miles per gallon.（2017年高考全国II卷C篇）
...
1. What is the best title for the text?
A. Flying Car at Auto ShowB. The Transition’s First Flight
C. Pilots’ Dream Coming TrueD. Flying Car Closer to Reality
解析：本文是典型的新闻报道类文本, 这类文本由于时效性和写作特点, 主旨往往就在首段的导语, 之后, 文章再展开介绍详细新闻内容。因此, 在本题中, 根据文章的第一句话中“new flying car...bringing the company closer to its goal...”, 可以知道能够飞行的车离走向市场又进了一步, 因此答案D正确。
典型例题2：科普研究类文本
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.
The engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology(MIT) have taken it a step further changing the actual composition of plants in order to get them to perform diverse, even unusual functions. These include plants that have sensors printed onto their leaves to show when they’re short of water and a plant that can detect harmful chemicals in groundwater. “We’re thinking about how we can engineer plants to replace functions of the things that we use every day,” explained Michael Strano, a professor of chemical engineering at MIT.
One of his latest projects has been to make plants glow(发光)in experiments using some common vegetables. Strano’s team found that they could create a faint light for three-and-a-half hours. The light, about one-thousandth of the amount needed to read by, is just a start. The technology, Strano said, could one day be used to light the rooms or even to turn trees into self-powered street lamps.
In the future, the team hopes to develop a version of the technology that can be sprayed onto plant leaves in a one-off treatment that would last the plant’s lifetime. The engineers are also trying to develop an on and off＂switch＂where the glow would fade when exposed to daylight.
Lighting accounts for about 7% of the total electricity consumed in the US. Since lighting is often far removed from the power source(电源)-such as the distance from a power plant to street lamps on a remote highway-a lot of energy is lost during transmission(传输).Glowing plants could reduce this distance and therefore help save energy. （2020高考全国I卷D篇）
2. Which of the following can be the best title for the text?
A. Can we grow more glowing plants?
B. How do we live with glowing plants?
C. Could glowing plants replace lamps?
D. How are glowing plants made pollution-free?
解析：这道主旨大意题相对较难，但考生若能从篇章结构入手, 就不难理解文本的主旨。首先, 第一段第二句话中的“recent studies”就透露了本文篇章的特点。 本文是一个研究报道类文本, 这一类文本的特点是研究结果即为文章主旨。因此, 在阅读文本的时候考生要紧紧抓住这一特点。本文在第一段提出已有研究发现了植物所带来的积极效应, 接着第二段第一句提到MIT的工程师们进一步开展研究, 第三段进一步聚焦, 提到最近的研究是用蔬菜来实验植物发光, 并期待有一天能用植物的光给房间提供照明或将树变成自身可以发光的路灯。后面几段接着提到了对植物发光的研发和意义。可见, 本文重点谈及的是对植物发光应用生活的研究, 研究结果是用植物发光来代替已有的照明方式, 因此主旨大意题选择答案C。
典型例题3：议论类文本
There is something to be said for being a generalist, even if you are a specialist. Knowing a little about a lot of things that interest you can add to the richness of a whole, well-lived life.
Society pushes us to specialize, to become experts. This requires commitment to a particular occupation, branch of study or research. The drawback to being specialists is we often come to know more and more about less and less. There is a great deal of pressure to master one's field. You may pursue training, degrees, or increasing levels of responsibility at work. Then you discover the pressure of having to keep up.
Some people seem willing to work around the clock in their narrow specialty. But such commitment can also weaken a sense of freedom. These specialists could work at the office until ten each night, then look back and realize they would have loved to have gone home and enjoyed the sweetness of their family and friends, or traveled to exciting places, meeting interesting people. Mastering one thing to the exclusion (排除) of others can hold back your true spirit.
Generalists, on the other hand, know a lot about a wide range of subjects and view the whole with all its connections. They are people of ability, talent, and enthusiasm who can bring their broad perspective (视角) into specific fields of expertise (专长).The doctor who is also a poet and philosopher is a superior doctor, one who can give so much more to his patients than just good medical skills.
Things are connected. Let your expertise in one field fuel your passions in all related areas. Some of your interests may not appear to be connected but, once you explore their depths, you discover that they are. My editor Toni, who is also a writer, has edited several history books. She has decided to study Chinese history. Fascinated by the structural beauty of the Forbidden City as a painter, she is equally interested to learn more about Chinese philosophy. "I don't know where it will lead, but I'm excited I'm on this pursuit."
These expansions into new worlds help us by giving us new perspectives. We begin to see the interconnectedness of one thing to another in all aspects of our life, of ourselves and the universe. Develop broad, general knowledge and experience. The universe is all yours to explore and enjoy. （2021高考天津卷D篇）
3. What could be the best title for the passage?
A. Be More a Generalist Than a Specialist
B. Specialist or Generalist: Hard to Decide
C. Turn a Generalist into a Specialist
D. Ways to Become a Generalist
解析：根据本文每段的段首句, 可以推论本文是一篇议论文。阅读议论类文本, 关键是抓住论点, 文章的中心就是论点。根据本文第一段第二句话“Knowing a little about a lot of things that interest you can add to the richness of a whole, well-lived life”可知本文的论点是“对你感兴趣的各类事物都知晓一些, 会丰富你的人生”, 这也就意味着作者支持的观点是成为一个多面手。据此, 在分析选项时, 不难发现A选项正确。而D选项虽然提到了成为一个多面手, 但ways to become a generalist更偏向于说明文, 而非议论文。
解题方法2：段落大意题
在分析段落主旨的时, 首先要找到该段的中心句。如果该段落没有中心句, 在确定该段每句话的信息和功能后, 再归纳和概括。
典型例题4
Early fifth-century philosopher St. Augustine famously wrote that he knew what time was unless someone asked him. Albert Einstein added another wrinkle when he theorized that time varies depending on where you measure it. Today's state-of-the-art atomic（原子的） clocks have proven Einstein right. Even advanced physics can't decisively tell us what time is, because the answer depends on the question you're asking. （2021年高考北京卷D篇）
4. What is the main idea of Paragraph 1？
A. Timekeeping is increasingly related to nature.
B. Everyone can define time on their own terms.
C. The qualities of time vary with how you measure it.
D. Time is a major concern of philosophers and scientists.
解析：本文第一段共有四句话, 前两句话是例子, 第三句话进行总结, 最后一句话是中心句, 可以得知本段表明时间是什么是无法确定的, 答案取决于你的问题。据此, 可知答案是B选项。
（二）细节理解题
细节理解题主要考查考生理解文中具体信息的能力, 这包括了解语篇中的人物、时间、地点、事件、原因等细节的判断。这类题目通常都能在文中找到对应点, 要想获得正确答案, 一定要忠实于原文, 不能主观臆断。
设题形式
通常以when, where, what, which, who, how等疑问词开头询问具体细节信息的问题。这类题目多分为两类, 一类较为简单, 为直接信息题；另一类较为复杂, 为间接信息题。
解题方法1: 直接信息题
这类题目中, 答案选项往往与原文表达非常相似, 考生可通过原文定位的方法获得正确答案。这一方法的过程是, 先确定题干或选项中的关键词, 然后根据关键词回到原文扫读寻找相关信息句, 仔细核对比较内容确定答案。
典型例题5
People have been pouring into stadiums since the days of ancient Greece. In around 80 A．D．, the Romans built the Colosseum, which remains the world’s best known stadium and continues to inform contemporary design. Rome’s Colosseum was 157 feet tall and had 80 entrances, seating 50,000 people. However, that was small fry compared with the city’s Circus Maximus, which accommodated around 250,000 people.（2021年全国乙卷A篇）
5. How many people could the Circus Maximus hold?
A. 104,944.B. 107,601.C. About 150,000.D. About 250,000.
解析：根据题干判断此题为细节理解题，查找关键词为Circus Maximus，定位在文本第一段。根据最后一句“However, that was small fry compared with the city’s Circus Maximus, which accommodated around 250,000 people.” (然而，与这座城市容纳了25万人的大竞技场相比，这只是小巫见大巫。)可知，Circus Maximus可以容纳250,000人，这是直接通过原文信息呈现。故选D选项为正确答案。
解题方法2: 间接信息题
这类题目中, 答案选项通常转换了表达方式, 通过同义转换、归纳或概括等方式对原文信息进行合理的加工。这就要求考生平时能够积累同义表达, 提升归纳和概括的能力。
典型例题6
During an interview for one of my books, my interviewer said something I still think about often. Annoyed by the level of distraction（干扰）in his open office, he said, “That’s why I have a membership at the coworking space across the street — so I can focus”. His comment struck me as strange. After all, coworking spaces also typically use an open office layout（布局）. But I recently came across a study that shows why his approach works. （2021年高考全国乙卷D篇）
6. Why does the interviewer prefer a coworking space?
A. It helps him concentrate.B. It blocks out background noise.
C. It has a pleasant atmosphere.D. It encourages face-to-face interactions.
解析：这是一道细节理解题，询问采访者为什么喜欢公用办公室。因此，根据关键词interviewer，不难发现信息来源于文章中第一段。根据第一段“That’s why I have a membership at the coworking space across the street - so I can focus.（这就是为什么我在街对面的公用办公空间有会员资格——这样我就可以集中精力了。）”可知，采访者喜欢共享办公空间的原因是那里可以帮助他集中精力，选项中的concentrate对应文章中的focus，这是同义转换，因此选A选项为正确答案。
（三）词义推理题
词义推理题考查学生根据上下文推断单词和短语的含义的能力。词义推理题可以是对某个单词或词组的释义推测, 也可以是判断某个代词的指代对象。
设题形式
What does the underlined word “displaced” in paragraph 2 mean?
What does the underlined phrase “the water catcher” in paragraph 2 refer to?
What does the underlined word “that” in Paragraph 3 refer to?
解题方法
词义推理题需要通过上下文语境中的对比关系、类比关系、举例、下定义等方式判断词或短语的具体意义；如果是指代题, 就需要运用就近和逻辑一致原则在前文进行查找指代对象。
典型例题7
Still, 55 percent of Australians have a landline phone at home and only just over a quarter （29%） rely only on their smartphones according to a survey （调查）. Of those Australians who still have a landline, a third concede that it’s not really necessary and they’re keeping it as a security blanket — 19 percent say they never use it while a further 13 percent keep it in case of emergencies. I think my home falls into that category. （2021年全国乙卷B篇）
7. What does the underlined word “concede” in paragraph 3 mean?
A. Admit.B. Argue.C. Remember.D. Remark.
解析：本题是根据上下文语境逻辑关系进行词义推理。根据划线单词的上文“Of those Australians who still have a landline (在那些仍然有固定电话的澳大利亚人中)”可知, 这个调查的目标人群是仍然有固定电话的澳大利亚人；根据下文“it's not really necessary and they're keeping it as a security blanket — 19 percent say they never use it while a further 13 percent keep it in case of emergencies (固定电话并不是必须的, 他们将其作为一种安全保障——19%的人表示他们从未使用过固定电话, 另有13%的人保留固定电话以防紧急情况”可知, 很多人认为固定电话并不是必须拥有的, 有些人保留固定电话只是为了防止紧急情况。从而推知, 在调查中, 他们应该是承认了固定电话的非必要性。由此可知, 划线单词“concede”意为“承认”, 故A选项正确。
典型例题8
As they grew more mobile, we let them move freely around the house during the day, but when we were asleep we had to contain them in a large room, otherwise they'd get up to mischief. We'd come down in the morning to find they'd turned the room upside down, and left it looking like a zoo. （2021年北京卷B篇）
8. What do the underlined words “get up to mischief” mean in paragraph 3?
A. Behave badly.B. Lose their way.C. Sleep soundly.D. Miss their mom.
解析：本题是根据后文释义进行词义推理。根据画线词后文“We'd come down in the morning to find they'd turned the room upside down, and left it looking like a zoo.”（我们早上下楼时发现他们把房间弄得乱七八糟, 让它看起来像个动物园。）可知, get up to mischief应该是行为举止方面的问题, 所以作者不得不把老虎们关在一个大房间里, 故画线表达的意思是“表现不好”。故A选项正确。
典型例题9
In the mid-1990s, Tom Bissell taught English as a volunteer in Uzbekistan. He left after seven months, physically broken and having lost his mind. A few years later, still attracted to the country, he returned to Uzbekistan to write an article about the disappearance of the Aral Sea.
His visit, however, ended up involving a lot more than that. Hence this book, Chasing the Sea: Lost Among the Ghosts of Empire in Central Asia, which talks about a road trip from Tashkent to Karakalpakstan, where millions of lives have been destroyed by the slow drying up of the sea. ...(2020年山东卷C篇)
9. What does the underlined word “that” in paragraph 2 refer to?
A. Developing a serious mental disease.
B. Taking a guided tour in Central Asia.
C. Working as a volunteer in Uzbekistan.
D. Writing an article about the Aral Sea.
解析：that位于第二段首句, 因此可以推断that指代的是第一段的内容, 根据第一段最后一句可知, that指代的是写了语篇关于死海消失的文章, 因此答案选择D。
（四）推理判断题
推理判断题考查对文中隐含含意或深层含意的理解能力, 这需要根据文章提供的事实和线索, 进行逻辑推理, 推测作者未明确提到的事实或某事件发展的趋势等。这类题目涵盖较广, 除了信息的推断外, 还包括态度、写作目的等。
设题形式
What can be inferred about ....?
What can we infer about the author from the text?
What can be concluded from the text?
What’s the purpose of this text?
What’s the author’s attitude toward...?
解题方法
首先, 根据题干或选项确定考题所确定的信息来源区域, 是文本的某一段或几段, 还是来自全文；其次, 认真阅读信息来源区域, 获取相关信息；再者, 阅读选项, 确认每个选项是否符合文本信息。
这里需要注意的是, 在符合文本信息的选项中, 细节理解题的选项不是推理判断题的答案, 同时, 目标选项往往要符合文本主线, 切忌用自己观点代替作者本意。
典型例题10
How attached are you to your landline? How long until they go the way of gas street lamps and morning milk deliveries? （2021年高考全国乙卷B篇）
10. What can be inferred about the landline from the last paragraph?
A. It remains a family necessity.
B. It will fall out of use some day.
C. It may increase daily expenses.
D. It is as important as the gas light.
解析：根据题干快速定位到文章最后一段。最后一段只有两句话，一句是“你有多喜欢你的座机？”第二句话是“它们还要多久才能走上煤气路灯和早晨送牛奶的道路？”，可以推知，本段使用类比的方式，使用煤气路灯以及早晨送牛奶已经被淘汰的例子，侧面说明了固定电话总有一天会废弃的。而再观察选项，A表示它仍是家庭必需品；B表示它终究有一天会被淘汰的；C表示它会增加每日话费；D表示他和电灯一样重要。根据对比，可以得知B选项正确。
典型例题11
Things quickly got very intense due to the huge amount of energy required to look after them. There were some tough times and I just felt extremely tired. I was grateful that my family was there to help. We had to have a bit of a production line going, making up “tiger milk”, washing baby bottles, and cleaning the floors. （2021年北京卷B篇）
11. What did the author think of raising the tiger cubs at home?
A. Boring.B. Tiring.C. Costly.D. Risky.
解析：这是一道推理观点态度的题，而且是作者的态度，因此在阅读文本时，应关注文章中的形容词和表达情感的名词。根据文章中该段中“Things quickly got very intense due to the huge amount of energy required to look after them. There were some tough times and I just felt extremely tired.(由于需要大量的精力来照顾它们，事情很快变得非常紧张。有一段艰难的日子，我只是觉得非常累)”可推知，作者认为在家里养小老虎累人。故选项B正确。