找段落小标题题就是要求考生从选项列表(List of Headings)中给题目要求的每个段落找一个小标题。小标题即指该段的段落大意、中心思想或主旨。这种题型通常是把文章的一个段落给出小标题作为例子,要求考生选出余下段落的小标题。在考试中,选项的数目往往多于文章中段落的数目。例如文章有7段,选项的数目可能是10个甚至更多,也就是说,有很多的干扰选项。
找段落小标题题也是雅思阅读G类考试中出现较多的一种题型。在Cambridge IELTS 8至Cambridge IELTS 11的400道G类阅读题目中,有40道是找段落小标题题,也是考生应该重点掌握的题型。
(1)读每个段落时,注意寻找段落的主题句。如果段落中没有明显的主题句,就需要通读全段,掌握整段的主要意思。如果通读全段有困难,可以把段落的第一句看做是主题句,第一句是主题句的概率往往达70%以上。
(2)在选项列表中依次看各选项,正确选项是主题句的改写。
(3)如果答案不确定,先将可能正确的选项都选出来。例如,如果一个段落的答案可能是A或D,那就先将它们都选出来,写在题目的旁边,然后再往下看。这样做的好处是,下面某一段落如果能够确定答案是D,那么,前面段落的答案也就能确定是A了。
(1)先将例子所对应的选项从选项列表中划去。每个选项最多只能用一次,将其划去,以免被其他的段落误选。同时在文章中把作为例子的段落划掉,以免对例子段落进行不必要的精读。
(2)不要先看选项,而要先读文章,读一个段落,做一道题。
(3)某段的答案确定后,将它对应的选项从选项列表中划去。
SECTION 3
Read the text below and answer Questions 28-33 .
The text below has eight sections, A-H.
Choose the correct heading for sections C-H from the list of headings below.
Write the correct number, i-xi , in boxes 28-33 on your answer sheet.
i Where to buy the best Echinacea
ii What “snake oil” contained
iii Growing Echinacea
iv How to use the Echinacea plant
v Earlier applications of Echinacea
vi The origins of the term “snake oil”
vii Early research into the effectiveness of Echinacea
viii How “snake oil” was first invented
ix The use of Echinacea in new locations
x Modern evidence of the effectiveness of Echinacea
xi Early kinds of “snake oil”
Examples Answers
Section A vi
Section B xi
28 Sectio n C
29 Section D
30 Section E
31 Section F
32 Section G
33 Section H
A Back in the days of America’s Wild West, when cowboys roamed the range and people were getting themselves caught up in gunfights, a new phrase—“snake oil”—entered the language. It was a dismissive term for the patent medicines, often useless, sold by travelling traders who always claimed miraculous cures for everything from baldness to snakebite.
Selling “snake oil” was almost as risky a business as cattle stealing; you might be run out of town if your particular medicine, as you realised it would, failed to live up to its claims. Consequently, the smarter “snake oil” sellers left town before their customers had much chance to evaluate the “cure” they had just bought.
B The remarkable thing about many of the medicines dismissed then as “snake oil”is not so much that they failed to live to the outrageous claims made for them—those that weren’t harmless coloured water could be positively dangerous. What’s remarkable is that so many of the claims made for some of these remedies, or at least their ingredients, most of them plant based, have since been found to have at least some basis in fact.
One, Echinacea, eventually turned out to be far more potent than even its original promoter claimed. Echinacea first appeared in “Meyer’s Blood Purifier”, promoted as a cure-all by a Dr H.C.F. Meyer—a lay doctor with no medical qualifications. “Meyer’s Blood Purifier” claimed not only to cure snakebite, but also to eliminate a host of other ailments.
C Native to North America, the roots of Echinacea, or purple coneflower, had been used by the Plains Indians for all kinds of ailments long before Meyer came along. They applied poultices of it to wounds and stings, used it for teeth and gum disease and made a tea from it to treat everything from colds and measles to arthritis. They even used it for snakebite.
D Settlers quickly picked up on the plant’s usefulness but until Meyer sent samples of his “blood purifier” to John Lloyd, a pharmacist, it remained a folk remedy. Initially dismissing Meyer’s claims as nonsense, Lloyd was eventually converted after a colleague, John King, tested the herb and successfully used it to treat bee stings and nasal congestion.
In fact, he went much further in his claims than Meyer ever did and by the 1890s a bottle of tincture of Echinacea could be found in almost every American home,incidentally making a fortune for Lloyd’s company, Lloyd Brothers Pharmacy.
E As modern antibiotics became available, the use of Echinacea products declined and from the 1940s to the 1970s it was pretty much forgotten in the USA. It was a different story in Europe, where both French and German herbalists and homeopaths continued to make extensive use of it.
It had been introduced there by Gerhard Madaus, who travelled from Germany to America in 1937, returning with seed to establish commercial plots of Echinacea. His firm conducted extensive research on echinacin, a concentrate they made from the juice of flowering tops of the plants he had brought back. It was put into ointments,liquids for internal and external use, and into products for injections.
F There is no evidence that Echinacea is effective against snakebite, but Dr Meyer—wh o genuinely believed in Echinacea—would probably be quite amused if he could come back and see the uses to which modern science has put “his” herb. He might not be surprised that science has confirmed Echinacea’s role as a treatment for wounds, or that it has been found to be helpful in relieving arthritis, both claims Meyer made for the herb.
He might though be surprised to learn how Echinacea is proving to be an effective weapon against all sorts of disease, particularly infections. German researchers had used it successfully to treat a range of infections and found it to be effective against bacteria and protozoa.
There are many other intriguing medical possibilities for extracts from the herb, but its apparent ability to help with our more common ailments has seen thousands of people become enthusiastic converts. Dozens of packaged products containing extracts of Echinacea can now be found amongst the many herbal remedies and supplements on the shelves of health stores and pharmacies. Many of those might be the modern equivalents of “snake oil”, but Echinacea at least does seem to have some practical value.
G Echinacea is a dry prairie plant, drought-resistant and pretty tolerant of most soils,although it does best in good soil with plenty of sun. Plants are usually grown from seed but they are sometimes available from nurseries. Echinacea is a distinctive perennial with erect, hairy, spotted stems up to a meter tall. Flower heads look like daisies, with purple rayed florets and a dark brown central cone. The leaves are hairy; the lower leaves are oval to lance-shaped and coarsely and irregularly toothed.
H There are nine species of Echinacea in all but only three are generally grown for medicinal use. All have similar medicinal properties. Most European studies have used liquid concentrates extracted from the tops of plants, whereas extraction in the USA has usually been from the roots. Today most manufacturers blend both,sometimes adding flowers and seeds to improve the quality.
For the home grower, the roots of all species seem equally effective. Dig them up in autumn after the tops have died back after the first frost. Wash and dry them carefully and store them in glass containers. You can harvest the tops throughout the summer and even eat small amounts of leaf straight from the plant.
Even if you don’t make your fortune from this herb, there are few sights more attractive than a field of purple coneflowers in all their glory. And with a few Echinacea plants nearby, you’ll never go short of a cure.
28 Section C
答案:v
关键词: Echinacea、had been used、long before Meyer
主题句: Section C第一行:Native to North America, the roots of Echinacea , or purple coneflower, had been used by the Plains Indians for all kinds of ailments long before Meyer came along. 早在迈耶(Meyer)之前,草原印第安人(the Plains Indians)尝试以北美原生松果菊(Echinacea)或紫松果菊(purple coneflower)的根茎配药,医治各种病痛。
解 析: 从主题句及其后面的句子可以看出,Section C讲的就是在迈耶之前松果菊的应用。选项v Earlier applications of Echinacea(松果菊的早期应用)概括了本段的主要意思,答案就是v。
考 点: (1)同义替换。been used = applications。
(2)推理判断。
29 Section D
答案:vii
关键词: usefulness、sent samples、pharmacist、colleague、tested the herb
主题句: Section D第一行:Settlers quickly picked up on the plant’s usefulness but until Meyer sent samples of his “blood purifier” to John Lloyd, a pharmacist , it remained a folk remedy. Initially dismissing Meyer’s claims as nonsense, Lloyd was eventually converted after a colleague , John King, tested the herb and successfully used it to treat bee stings and nasal congestion. 殖民者们很快就注意到这种植物的用处。但是在Meyer把他的“净血剂”样品送给药剂师JohnLloyd之前,它仍然属于民间偏方。一开始,Lloyd认为Meyer所称之药效乃无稽之谈,后经同事John King检测此草药性,并且将其成功地用于治疗蜂蜇及鼻塞,Lloyd最终转变了看法。
解 析: 从主题句中的usefulness、sent samples、test the herb可以看出,这段讲的就是对这种中草药的药性的测试。这里的usefulness、test分别和选项vii中的effectiveness、research into是同义替换,答案就是vii。
考 点: 同义替换。usefulness = effectiveness;test = research into。
30 Section E
答案:ix
关键词: forgotten in the USA、different story in Europe、French、German
主题句: Section E第一行:As modern antibiotics became available, the use of Echinacea products declined and from the 1940s to the 1970s it was pretty much forgotten in the USA . It was a different story in Europe , where both French and German herbalists and homeopaths continued to make extensive use of it. 由于现代抗生素的出现,松果菊产品的使用量减少了,从20世纪40年代到70年代,美国几乎已经无人记起它。但是在欧洲却是另一番情形,法国和德国的草药医生和顺势疗法医师仍大量使用此药草。
解 析: 主题句中的forgotten in the USA表示松果菊在美国很少有人使用,而从different story in Europe…French…German…make extensive use of it则可以看出,在欧洲的一些国家,松果菊被广泛使用。Section E的第二段进一步详细介绍了松果菊传入欧洲的过程及其使用情况。选项ix The use of Echinacea in new locations(松果菊在新地方的使用)符合题意,答案就是ix。
考 点: 推理判断。
31 Section F
答案:x
关键词: modern science、science has confirmed Echinacea’ role
主题句: Section F第一行:There is no evidence that Echinacea is effective against snakebite,but Dr Meyer—who genuinely believed in Echinacea—would probably be quite amused if he could come back and see the uses to which modern science has put “his” herb. He might not be surprised that science has confirmed Echinacea’s role as a treatment for wounds, or that it has been found to be helpful in relieving arthritis, both claims Meyer made for the herb. 没有证据表明松果菊可以有效治疗蛇咬。但是,如果坚信松果菊功效的Meyer博士返世,看到现代科学正在使用“他的”药草,想必会非常高兴。科学确认松果菊可以治疗伤口,有助于缓解关节炎,Meyer不会对此感到惊奇,这些Meyer过去就提到过。
解 析: 从主题句中的modern science、science has confirmed Echinacea’s role、it has been found to be helpful可以看出,Section F主要讲的就是现代科学对松果菊功效的一些证实。选项x Modern evidence of the effectiveness of Echinacea(松果菊有效的现代证据)符合题意,答案就是x。
考 点: (1)同义替换:science has confirmed = evidence;helpful = effectiveness。
(2)推理判断。
32 Section G
答案:iii
关键词: dry prairie plant、drought-resistant、tolerant of most soils、grown from seed
主题句: Section G第一行:Echinacea is a dry prairie plant, drought-resistant and pretty tolerant of most soils , although it does best in good soil with plenty of sun. Plants are usually grown from seed but they are sometimes available from nurseries. 松果菊是一种在干燥的草原上生长的植物,能抗旱,能适应多种土壤,但是在阳关充足、土地肥沃的地方尤佳。这种植物通常由种子长出,但是它们有时也可以通过苗圃育苗。
解 析: 从主题句中的dry prairie plant、drought-resistant、tolerant of most soils、grown from seed可以看出,Section G主要讲的就是松果菊的习性、生长和种植等。选项iii Growing Echinacea符合题意,答案就是iii。
考 点: 推理判断。
33 Section H
答案:iv
关键词: for medicinal use、liquid concentrates extracted from the tops of plants、roots、adding flowers and seeds to improve the quality
主题句: Section H第一行:There are nine species of Echinacea in all but only three are generally grown for medicinal use . All have similar medicinal properties.Most European studies have used liquid concentrates extracted from the tops of plants , whereas extraction in the USA has usually been from the roots .Today most manufacturers blend both, sometimes adding flowers and seeds to improve the quality . 松果菊共有九种,但是一般只有三种用于医药。它们都有相似的药物特性。大部分欧洲的研究使用的是从植物顶端提取的液态浓缩物,然而在美国,人们通常使用根部提取物。如今的制药商同时采用这两种方法,有时还添加花和种子,以提高品质。
解 析: 从主题句中的for medicinal use、liquid concentrates extracted from the tops of plants、roots、adding flowers and seeds to improve the quality可以看出,Section H 主要讲的就是在医学中如何使用松果菊。选项iv How to use the Echinacea plant 符合题意,答案就是iv。
考 点: 推理判断。