高考英语阅读理解“文章标题”题研究

第八节　高考英语阅读理解“文章标题”题研究

高考英语阅读理解测试的考题可分为表层理解和深层理解两大层次。表层理解包括考查事实细节、词义猜测、指代推断、事件排序、图表判别、数据计算等考题类型。深层理解则由考查推理判断、主旨要义、文章标题、文章结构、写作目的意图、作者态度感受等类型考题组成（吕吉尔，2007）。其中“文章标题”题虽然数量不多，其难度却非常大。学生对“文章标题”题的答对率非常低，因此有必要对此试题作一番探讨，找出其规律，以便有针对性地提高教学的有效性，提高解题的正确率。

一、“文章标题”的性质特点

本节所讨论的“文章标题”题是指高考英语阅读理解测试中题干含有the best title字样的一类考题。虽然此类考题与主旨大意题同属深层理解题，或者说同属全域性考题（global item），但两者还是有区别的。主旨大意（main idea）通常由一个完整的句子来表达，全面准确地概括文章的中心思想；文章标题（the best title）则可由单词、短语或完整的句子来表达，除概括文章中心思想外，还起到吸引读者，引发阅读欲望的作用。

标题是文章的眼睛，是文章内容的提炼和概括，是文章中心思想最精练的表达形式，它要求简洁明了、新颖别致、醒目夺人。好的标题通常会意清楚，结构简明，表达确切，给读者以美的感受，具有强烈的吸引力（顾军霞，2006），往往能达到先声夺人的艺术效果（胡其林，2007）。好标题应体现“概括、生动、醒目”的特点，形式上短小精练，内容上涵盖性强，一般要求能涵盖全文。总之，文章标题应体现三个“性”，即独特性、涵盖性、简练性。

“文章标题”题的设置目的是考查考生在理解全文的基础上运用推理、判断、归纳等逻辑思维方法对文章进行高度概括或并确定最佳标题的能力。

二、“文章标题”题呈现形式

1.设题形式

高考英语阅读理解“文章标题”题的设题形式可分为两大类。一类为“填空题”形式，以the best title起句。1992、1993年使用headline一词，1998年起改用title一词，沿用至今。实例如下:

The best headline（标题）for this newspaper article is/would be______.（1992、1993年全国卷）

The best possible title for this passage is______.

The best title for the passage/text would be______.

The best title for this passage is/may be/may probably be______.

The best title for this text would be______.

特例:The best title for Advertisement 2would be______.（2006年江苏卷C篇）

另一类为特殊问句形式。此类设问形式又可分为两种情况，一种是用what提问，另一种是用which提问。实例如下:

What is probably the best title for the article/passage？

What is the best title for the passage？

What is the best title for this news story？

What might be the most suitable title for the text？

What would be the best title for the/this passage/text？

What would be a good title for the text？

特例:What is the topic of the text？（1993年全国卷）

Which is the best title for the passage？

Which of the following can be the best title for/of this passage？

Which of the following is probably the best title of the passage？

Which of the following is the best title of the passage？

Which of the following is the most suitable title for this passage？

Which of the following may/would be the best title for the passage？

Which of the following would be the best title（for the text/of the passage）？

Which would be the best title for the/this passage/text？

其中使用频率最高的是“What would be the best title for the text？”这种形式（占23.4%）

2.备选标题格式

高考英语“文章标题”题的备选标题格式也可分为两大类。一类是短语形式的标题，另一类是句子形式的标题。四个备选标题格式有时相同，有时不同。经统计，备选标题的实际呈现形式以同一格式居多（占54.5%^[24]），不同格式混用相对少些（45.5%），其中两种格式混合者占33.8%，三种格式混用者占11.7%。备选标题格式及样例见表5－39和表5－40。

表5－39　短语形式标题及样例

表5－40　句子形式标题及样例

3.文章标题设置方式

通过对历年高考英语“文章标题”题的反复研究，归纳整理出以下一些标题设置方式。这些设题方式也就是解题的窍门所在。

（1）直接引用式

采用文章中原有关键词语或主题句作标题，有时标题中用同义词替换原文中一两个词语，如2005年浙江卷D篇标题用smarter替换了原文中的more intelligent，2008福建卷E篇标题用to prevent替换了原文中的helps to prevent，但意思完全相同。含此类考题的语篇有2008年福建卷E篇、2007年陕西卷A篇、2007年上海卷A篇、2007年湖南卷A篇、2006年广东卷D篇、2006年福建卷E篇、2006年江苏卷A篇、2006年上海卷A篇、2005年湖南卷E篇、2005年重庆卷B篇、2005年天津卷D篇、2005年浙江卷D篇、2004年江苏卷D篇等13篇（占17.3%）。

（2）开门见山式

此类标题可根据首句加关键词来确定，科普文章和新闻报道往往如此，文章首句就是全文的主题句。另一种常见的情形是文章首段尾句点明主题。含此类考题的语篇有2008年全国卷ⅡD篇、2007年全国卷ⅡE篇、2007年山东卷D篇、2007年福建卷B篇、2007年安徽卷E篇、2006年陕西卷C篇、2006年北京卷D篇、2005年北京卷B篇、2005年江苏卷D篇、2005年广东卷B篇、2005年全国卷ⅠA篇和B篇、2004年全国卷ⅡC篇、2004年重庆卷E篇、2004年全国卷ⅠD篇、2004年浙江卷D篇、2002年上海卷A篇、2002年北京卷A篇、1998年全国卷E篇、1993年全国卷B篇、1992年全国卷A篇等21篇（占28%）。

（3）首尾呼应式

根据文首和文尾信息确定标题。首段引出主题，尾段总结主题，首尾呼应。2008年天津卷B篇、2008年山东卷B篇、2008年北京卷D篇属此类考题，共3篇（占4%）。

（4）中途亮相式

主题句既不在文首，也不在文尾，而是出现在文章的中间。此类考题语篇共有3篇（占4%）:2008年陕西卷D篇、2006年福建卷B篇、2006年全国卷ⅡD篇。

（5）结尾点明式

根据文章尾句或尾段确定标题。此类考题语篇共有8篇（占10.7%）:2008年江苏卷D篇、2007年陕西卷B篇、2007年江苏卷B篇、2005年辽宁卷E篇、2005年江西卷A篇、2005年安徽卷B篇、2005年全国卷ⅡA篇、2001年全国卷C篇。

（6）隐藏不露式

主题隐含在整篇文章中，没有明确的主题句，但文中往往反复出现承载主题信息的关键词，可根据全文意思和主要关键词确定标题。含此类考题语篇共25篇（占33.3%）。其中2008年三篇:四川卷C篇、重庆卷A篇、湖北卷C篇；2007年两篇:广东卷B篇、浙江卷A篇；2006年七篇:重庆卷E篇、四川卷E篇、陕西卷E篇、山东卷B篇、湖北卷B篇、天津卷E篇、全国卷ⅡE篇；2005年一篇:福建卷C篇；2004年七篇:全国卷ⅣB篇、天津卷E篇、辽宁卷E篇、湖南卷D篇、广东卷C篇、福建卷C篇、北京卷C篇；2003年两篇:北京卷B篇、全国卷E篇；2002年两篇:全国卷A篇和B篇；1993年一篇:全国卷A篇。

4.干扰项特点

高考英语文章标题题干扰项的特点主要有以下三点。

（1）涵盖面过宽:内容偏于笼统，超越了短文论述的范围。

（2）涵盖面过窄:内容只涉及短文的某一要点或部分细节。

（3）偏背离主题:与短文内容擦边，但偏离文章主题，或与文章内容毫不相干，甚至相悖。

三、典型试题实例

（1）直接引用式实例:2006年广东卷D篇（文中画线为笔者所加，下同）

How many people have I met who have told me about the book they have been planning to write but have never yet found the time？Far too many.

This is life，all right，but we do treat it like a rehearsal（排演）and，unhappily，we do miss so many of its best moments.

We take jobs to stay alive and provide homes for our families always making ourselves believe that this style of life is merely a temporary state of affairs along the road to what we really want to do.Then，at 60or 65，we are suddenly presented with a clock and several grandchildren and we look back and realize that all those years waiting for Real Life to come along were in fact real life.

In America they have a saying much laughed at by the English:“Have a nice day”they speak slowly and seriously in their shops，hotels and sandwich bars.I think it is a wonderful phrase，reminding us，in effect，to enjoy the moment:to value this very day^[25].

How often do we say to ourselves，“I’ll take up horse－riding（or golf，or sailing）as soon as I get a higher position，”only to do none of those things when I do get the higher position.

When I first became a reporter I knew a man who gave up a very well paid respectable job at the Daily Telegraph to go and edit a small weekly newspaper.At the time I was astonished by what appeared to me to be his completely abnormal（反常的）mental state.How could anyone turn his back on Fleet Street in central London for a small local area？I wanted to know.

Now I am a little older and possibly wiser，I see the sense in it.In Fleet Street the man was under continual pressure.He lived in an unattractive London suburb and he spent much of his life sitting on Southern Region trains.71.What is probably the best title for the passage？

A.Provide Homes For Our Family B.Take Up Horse－riding C.Value This Very Day D.Stay Alive

根据全文，本文主题是抓住每一天，做自己喜欢做的事情，所以C项比较贴切。其余三个选项均不能涵盖全文。

（2）开门见山式实例:2005年全国卷ⅠB篇

MONTREAL（Reuters）—Crossing the US－Canada border（边界）to go to church on a Sunday cost a US citizen＄10，000for breaking Washington’s strict new security（安全）rules.

The expensive trip to church was a surprise for Richard Albert，who lives right on the Canadian border.Like the other half－dozen people of Township 15，crossing the border is a daily occurrence for Albert.The nearby Quebec village of St.Pamphile is where they shop，eat and go to church.

There are many such situations in these areas along the largely unguarded 5，530－mile border between Canada and the US，which in some cases actually runs down the middle of streets or through buildings.

As a result，Albert says he did not expect any problems three weeks ago when he returned home to the US after attending church in Canada，as usual.The US customs（海关）station in this area is closed on Sundays，so he just drove around the locked gate，as he had done every weekend since the gate appeared last May，following a tightening of border security.Two days later.Albert was told to go to the customs office，where an officer told him he had been caught on camera crossing the border illegally（非法）.

Ottawa has given out special passes to some 300US citizens in that area so they can enter the country when Canadian customs stations are closed，but the US stopped a similar program last May.That forces the people to a 200－mile detour along hilly roads to get home through another border checkpoint.

Albert has requested that the customs office change their decisions on the fine，but he has not attended a Sunday church since.“I feel like I’m living in a prison，”he said.62.What would be the best title for the text？

A.A Cross－Country Trip B.A Special Border Pass

C.An Unguarded Border D.An Expensive Church Visit

文章首句点明主题，答案选D。新闻报告的特点之一是开门见山，先提纲挈领，后详细论述。

（3）首尾呼应式实例:2008年山东卷B篇

Federal regulators Wednesday approved a plan to create a nationwide emergence alert（警报）system using text messages delivered to cell phones.

Text messages have exploded in popularity in recent years，particularly among young people.The wireless industry’s trade association，CTIA，estimates（估计）more than 48billion text messages are sent each month.

The plan comes from the Warning Alert and Response Network Act，a 2006federal law that requires improvements to the nation’s emergency alert system.The act tasked the Federal Communications Commission（FCC）with coming up with new ways to alert the public about emergencies.

“The ability to deliver accurate and timely warnings and alerts through cell phones and other mobile services is an important next step in our efforts to help ensure that the American public has the information they need to take action to protect themselves and their families before，and during，disasters and other emergencies，”FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said following approval of the plan.

Participation in the alert system by carriers—telecommunications companies is voluntary，but it has received solid support from the wireless industry.

The program would be optional for cell phone users.They also may not be charged for receiving alerts.

There would be three different types of messages，according to the rules.

The first would be a national alert from the president，likely involving a terrorist attack or natural disaster.The second would involve“approaching threats”，which could include natural disasters like hurricanes or storms or even university shootings.The third would be reserved for child abduction（绑架）emergencies，or so－called Amber Alerts.

The service could be in place by2010.66.Which of the following would be the best title for the text？

A.Cell Phone Alerts Protecting Students

B.Cell Phone Alerts by Wireless Industry

C.Cell Phone Alerts of National Disasters

D.Cell Phone Alerts Coming Soon

首句告诉我们这是一项计划，尾句告诉我们这样的服务将在2010年到位，所以是将来要发生的事情，选D项比较合适。

（4）中途亮相式实例:2006全国卷ⅡD篇

When asked to point out one or two things that are most important to themselves，many put friends ahead of homes，jobs，cloth and cars.

A true friendship carries a long history of experience that determines who we are and keeps us connected.It is a treasure we should protect.Unfortunately，the better friends you are，the more probably you’ll have disagreements.And the result can be what you don’t want an end to the relationship.

The good news is that most troubled friendships can be mended.First，don’t let your pride get in your way.Most of us can forgive each other when differences are brought out in the open.Second，apologize when you’re wrong—even if you’ve been wronged.Over the course of a friendship，even the best people make mistakes.Sometimes，it may be best if the wronged person takes the lead and apologizes.When you apologize，give your friend a chance to admit that he has been wrong.Third，see things from your friend’s point of view（观点）.And finally，accept that friendships change as our needs and lifestyle（生活方式）change.Making friends can sometimes seem easy.The hard part is keeping the connections strong during the natural ups and downs that have an effect on all relationships.My suggestion:Consider friendship an honor and a gift，and worth the effort to treasure and nurture（培养）.53.What would be the best title for the text？

A.Easy Ways to Make Friends

B.Ups and Downs in Friendship

C.How to Mend a Troubled Friendship

D.How to Take the Lead in Making Friends

本文主要讲述如何去挽救处于崩溃边缘的友谊，故C项为正确选项。

（5）结尾点明式实例:2005年全国卷ⅡA篇

Every year on my birthday，from the time I turned 12，a white gardenia was delivered to my house.No card came with it.Calls to the flower－shop were not helpful at all.After a while I stopped trying to discover the sender’s name and just delighted in the beautiful white flower in soft pink paper.

But I never stopped imagining who the giver might be.Some of my happiest moments were spent daydreaming about the sender.My mother encouraged these imaginings.She’d ask me if there was someone for whom I had done special kindness.Perhaps it was the old man across the street whose mail I’d delivered during the winter.As a girl，though，I had more fun imagining that it might be a boy I had run into.

One month before my graduation，my father died.I felt so sad that I became completely uninterested in my upcoming graduation dance，and I didn’t care if I had a new dress or not.But my mother，in her own sadness，would not let me miss any of those things.She wanted her children to feel loved and lovable.In truth，my mother wanted her children to see themselves much like the gardenia—lovely，strong and perfect with perhaps a bit of mystery（神秘）.

My mother died ten days after I was married.I was 22.That was the year the gardenia stopped coming.41.Which of the following would be the best title for the text？

A.A Childhood Dream.　　　B.A Mother’s Love.

C.A Graduation Party.　　 D.A Special Birthday.从文章尾句可以推断出送栀子花的人其实就是作者的母亲，作者一直沐浴在妈妈的爱中，所以正确答案是B。

（6）隐藏不露式实例:2007年浙江卷A篇

If you were to walk upto Arthur Bonner and say，“Hey，ButterflyMan，”his face would break into a smile.The title suits him.And he loves it.

Arthur Bonner works with the Palos Verdes blue butterfly（蝴蝶），once thought to have died out.Today the butterfly is coming back—thanks to him.But years ago if you’d told him this was what he’d be doing someday，he would have laughed，“You’re crazy.”As a boy，he used to be“a little tough guy on the streets”.At age thirteen，he was caught by police for stealing.At eighteen，he landed in prison for shooting a man.

“I knew it had hurt my mom，”Bonner said after he got out of prison.“So I told myself I would not put my mom through that pain again.”

One day he met Professor Mattoni，who was working to rebuild the habitat（栖息地）for an endangered butterfly called El Segundo blue.

“I saw the sign‘Butterfly Habitat’and asked，‘How can you have a habitat when the butterflies can just fly away？’”Bonner recalls.“Dr.Mattoni laughed and handed me a magnifying glass（放大镜），‘Look at the leaves.’I could see all these caterpillars（蝴蝶的幼虫）on the planet.Dr.Mattoni explained，‘Without the plant，there are no butterflies.’”

Weeks later，Bonner received a call from Dr.Mattoni，who told him there was a butterfly that needed help.That was how he met the Palos Verdes blue.Since then he’s been working for four years to help bring the butterfly back.He grows astragalus，the only plant the butterflyeats.He collects butterflies and brings them into a lab to lay eggs.Then he puts new butterflies into the habitat.

The butterfly’s population，once almost zero，is now up to 900.For their work，Bonner and Dr.Mattoni received lots of awards.But for Bonner，he earned something more:He turned his life around.

For six years now Bonner has kept his promise to stay out of prison.While he’s bringing back the Palos Verdes blue，the butterfly had helped bring him back，too.44.Which of the following would be the best title for the text？

A.A Promise to Mom　　　　　　B.A Man Saved by Butterflies

C.A Story of Butterfly　　　　D.A Job Offered by Dr.Mattoni

文章中反复出现的主要关键词是Arthur Bonner和butterfly，后者改变了前者的命运和人生（he turned his life around和the butterfly had helped bring him back两句可以佐证），所以最佳选项为B。

四、失分原因及对策

1.失分原因分析

解答“文章标题”题时非常容易出错，这是不争的事实，造成失误的原因可从考题和考生这两个方面归纳为以下几点。

（1）题型的特殊性。对于同一篇文章，不同作者完全有可能采用不同的标题，这是很自然的事情。因此，读者就有可能根据自己的理解和意愿来选择标题，这是造成失误的一个重要原因。

（2）语篇的不完整性。标题是文章的眼睛，没有标题的文章本身就给读者设置了一个“盲区”，无形中给读者快速掌握全文的中心思想增加了难度，一不小心就造成失误。

（3）思维的逆向性。一般而言，总是先有主题，后有文章，先立标题，后展内容。而要给没有标题的文章确定标题就要求读者逆向思维，从文章中提炼出标题来，这无形中增加了难度。

（4）知识的局限性。读者自身语言知识（词汇知识、句法知识、语篇知识）的不足，在文章体裁、题材以及文章内容等方面知识（文化背景知识）的缺乏，都会给确定标题造成障碍。

（5）概括的片面性。学生受思维定势的影响或考虑不周，以局部代替整体，或根据自己的经验和常识作答，偏离文章的内容依据，造成以偏概全的判断失误。

2.解题策略

根据上述讨论和失误原因分析，提供以下一些解题策略。

（1）立足全文。提炼标题一定要俯瞰全文，整体理解，根据文章内容取舍。一篇文章究竟用什么样的标题，主要取决于文章的内容。选择标题时切不可仅凭个人意愿偏离甚至丢弃文章内容。要学会区分主要信息和次要信息，力求标题恰如其分，既不以偏概全，也不夸大其词。

（2）找准主题句。文章的中心思想常常由主题句表达，因此通读全文，找准主题句（topic sentence）是选择标题的关键。英语文章的主题句多位于文首或文尾，有时也出现在文中。如上述“开门见山式、首尾呼应式、中途亮相式、结尾点明式”都有明显的主题句。

（3）捕捉关键词。在文章无明显主题句的情况下，可通过捕捉最能代表全篇内容的关键词语（通常在文章中出现频率较高）来确定标题。英语文章的标题常常包含关键词，也就是说，关键词通常会出现在正确选项中。

（4）注意涵盖面。注意标题的涵盖面与文章内容相适应，务必依据短文所提供的信息进行选择，确保标题比较贴切地体现全文的意思，涵盖面既不偏大，也不偏小。

（5）逆向思维。“文章标题”题要求根据短文选出最佳标题，思维方向与平常的写作恰好相反，因此需要逆向思维。另一方面，可根据考题提供的四个选项，逐一思考自己会怎么写，然后对照文章内容选取最佳答案。

本节讨论了高考英语阅读理解“文章标题”题的性质特点、呈现形式等内容，特别是在“文章标题设置方式”一节中，笔者整理出高考英语“文章标题”的设置规律，并提供了典型试题实例。最后分析了“文章标题”题的失分原因并提供了解题的常用策略，希望对广大高考考生有所裨益。