例2
Beauty has always been regarded as something praiseworthy. Almost everyone thinks attractive people are happier and healthier, have better marriages and have more respectable occupations. Personal consultants give them better advice for finding jobs. Even judges are softer on attractive defendants(被告). But in the executive circle, beauty can be- come a liability. While attractiveness is a positive factor for a man on his way up the ex- ecutive ladder,it is harmful to a woman. Handsome male executive were perceived as having more integrity than plainer men,effort and ability were thought to account for their success. Attractive female executives were considered to have less integrity than unattractive ones; their success was attributed not to ability but to factors such as luck. All unattractive women executive were thought to have more integrity and to be more capable than the attractive female executives. Interestingly, though, the rise of the unattractive overnight successes was attributed more to personal relationships and less to ability than was that of attractive overnight successes. Why are attractive women not thought to be able? An attractive woman is perceived to be more feminine(女性的)and an attractive man more masculine(男性的)than the less attractive ones. Thus, an attractive woman has an advantage in traditionally female jobs, but an attractive woman in a traditionally masculine position appears to lack the "masculine" qualities required. This is true even in politics. "When the only clue is how he or she looks,peo- ple treat men and women differently,"says Anne Bowman,who recently published a study on the effects of attractiveness on political candidates. She asked 125 undergradu- ate students to rank two groups of photographs,one of men and one of women,in order of attractiveness. The students were told the photographs were of candidates for politi- cal offices. They were asked to rank them again,in the order they would vote for them.
The results showed that attractive males utterly defeated unattractive men, but the women who had been ranked most attractive invariably received the fewest votes.
The author writes this passage-to
A. discuss the negative aspects of being attractive
B. give advice to job-seekers who are attractive
C. demand equal rights for women
D. emphasize the importance of appearance
第一段说美貌漂亮对婚姻、对其他职业有利，但对管理部门不是如此：But in the executive circle，beauty can become a liability.这句是全文的中心，后面的文章都围绕它展开。第二、三段男女比较：在管理部门男的漂亮是个宝，而女的则有害：It does harm to woman.第四、五段是相貌漂亮的女子与相貌平平的女子相比，前者与公关联系在一起，后者与能力、才干联系在一起。第六段是分析造成这种观点的原因。最后两段是一个实验，说明漂亮的女子在政治领域也不占上风。因此抓住全文的中心，不难推测A项discuss the negative aspects of being attractive(告诉读者，漂亮对女性的负面影响)是答案。
除了注意语气和文章的中心思想，还要注意文章的论述方法。

例3
It seems odd that while three-quarters of the world's surface is covered with wa-ter,getting an adequate supply of it that's fresh, clean,and safe to use for drinking, cooking and washing,is one of the most pressing problems that faces humanity. Most of the earth's water is salt water in the oceans ; only three percent is fresh and only a small part of that is accessible. It may be trapped deep underground,in polar ice caps and anyway is unequally distributed around the globe, hence the occurrence of droughts and floods. Of the remaining fresh water,much is polluted and dangerous to use.
A large part of UNICEF's work is involved in bringing safe water to people and educating them in basic health care,hygiene and nutrition(卫生和营养). Diarrhoea and enteric diseases spread by polluted water and lack of hygiene are the most common caused of death and illness in children under five in the developing world.
Although water gives life, it can also transmit disease, from cholera and typhoid to leprosy and trachoma--a leading cause of blindness among children. Mosquitoes, and flies that breed in water bring yellow fever,malaria(痢疾)and sleeping sickness in their wake, so adequate piped water supplies are needed to eliminate the need for people to gather in such an area.
In rural areas,women and children spend a major part of their time going out to collect water,often walking many miles each day to provide just the minimum family needs for cooking, washing and drinking. And they can't carry vast amounts while walking over rough fields bearing a heavy bucket.
Because children have to play their part in family life, and that includes getting water, they may be unable to go to school, or be so tired when they get there that they have difficulty learning. They may even have to spend the whole day without a drink as there may not be any clean water there, either.
Last year,UNICEF aimed to get almost 920,000 water systems installed,to bene- fit 20 million people,working where it is most desperately needed,often just to ensure survival. A well may mean the difference between life and death.
The purpose of this passage is to
A. inform the reader
B. warn the reader
C. advise the reader
D. entertain the reader
这篇文章是关于世界上水的现状。按照四个选择项，如果是让读者了解的A，就应提供关于水的现状的各方面信息;如果是要警告读者的B，就要突出世界上缺水或水污染的严重性;如果是要劝告读者的C，就要把重点放在告诉读者如何节约用水，如何保护水源;如果只是为了消遣的D，笔调就要轻松，谈些水的趣闻。读了全文，第一段是关于水的一般状况：尽管地球表面四分之三是水，但干净的能食用的淡水不多，因为大部分是海水，剩下的许多被污染。第二段是说联合国儿童组织如何开展水方面的工作，因为缺少干净的能食用的水是造成孩子疾病和残废的最根本原因。第三段是说食用了被污染的水会产生什么样的疾病。第四、五段说许多农村地区的人们找水的艰辛，特别是儿童为找水不能去上学。最后一段是说联合国儿童组织在帮助这些地区解决水方面取得的成绩。根据全文A、B有可能，但仔细比较，可以推测作者主要目的还是介绍A，并不是警告。因为全文是在提供各方面的信息，而说警告，只有开始两段勉强有点意思。可见，判断写作目的，还要注意作者论述的重心，以及材料的详略安排。