托福閱讀如何提高速度
托福文章的長度在700-750字左右，完成這樣一篇長度的文章閱讀比較理想的時間是3-5分鐘，很多同學大呼不可能，“老師，我連詞都認不全，要我在這么短時間內一下子讀完這篇文章是不可能的”。
其實，大家對于“讀”的概念有一定的誤解：許多同學認為讀完這篇文章是需要每一個詞都認識，每一句話的內容都是能夠百分之百理解消化。但是，這樣的閱讀方法并不適用于廣大托?？忌瑢τ谶@樣長度以及難度的文章，我們并不能做到”一目十行“。那么，既然我們不能一口氣讀懂整篇文章，什么才是行之有效的閱讀方法呢?
我們知道，托福閱讀的出題方向分為主旨題和細節(jié)題，那么我們只需要把文章的閱讀方式也分為主旨閱讀和細節(jié)閱讀就可以了。
這里我們主要來談一談文章的主旨閱讀。很多同學都以為文章的主旨閱讀就是總結一下全文大意就可以了，這個理解是片面的，不完全的。其實，句子的閱讀，段落的閱讀和篇章的閱讀都有其主旨。句子的主旨閱讀就指其主謂賓，句子的閱讀技巧之前講過，這里不贅述了;段落的主旨就是指段落大意，也就是我們所說的中心句;篇章的主旨就是指文章的主旨，也就是全文的中心思想。因為時間關系，今天我們來談談文章主旨的讀取方法。
1. 讀標題
首先，一篇文章的結構由標題，開頭段，主體段以及結尾段組成。托福文章最人性化的一點就是三篇文章都有標題，很多同學讀到這里會覺得：老師你這不是在說廢話嗎?不，很多人忽略了標題的作用。分析一下TPO所有文章的標題，大家會發(fā)現托福文章的標題形式一共三種：單一型，并列型以及限定條件單一型。這樣的標題設計最大的作用在于，預告了本文的文章結構特點(因為篇幅關系，這個知識點此處不詳細說明)，通過固定的幾類文章結構特點，我們可以預判此篇文章主要在講什么。我們來看一個例子，OG上的第一篇文章：Applied Artsand Fine Arts。
先來看一下這個標題，是并列型，即有兩個討論對象，這種標題類型的文章特點是全文有兩個論述對象，且排名不分前后，也就是文章會用相同的篇幅去討論這兩個對象。其次，還會有兩者相同點，不同點的比較。那么我們可以預判一下本文的主旨：比較Applied Arts and Fine Arts的特點。
可是大家想要進一步知道：比較的特點是哪一些呢?標題能夠傳遞的信息畢竟有限，所以我們需要其他的方法來深挖一下文章主旨。
2. 開頭段和結尾段
托福文章的行文結構分為三種：總分總，總分和分總?？偧创碇髦妓冢灾饕獣陂_頭段和結尾段闡述。我們只需要精讀這兩個段落就可以了。還是以Applied Arts and Fine Arts這篇文章為例，現在我們來看一下開頭段：
Although we now tend to refer to the various crafts according to the materials used to construct them—clay, glass, wood, fiber, andmetal—it was once common to think of crafts in terms of function, which led totheir being known as the "applied arts." Approaching crafts from the point of view of function, we can divide them into simple categories: containers, shelters and supports. There is no way around the fact that containers, shelters, and supports must be functional. The applied arts are thus bound by the laws of physics, which pertain to both the materials used in their making and the substances and things to be contained, supported, and sheltered. These laws are universal in their application, regardless of cultural beliefs, geography, orclimate. If a pot has no bottom or has large openings in its sides, it couldhardly be considered a container in any traditional sense. Since the laws of physics, not some arbitrary decision, have determined the general form ofapplied-art objects, they follow basic patterns, so much so that functional forms can vary only within certain limits. Buildings without roofs, for example, are unusual because they depart from the norm. However, not all functional objects are exactly alike; that is why we recognize a Shang Dynastyvase as being different from an Inca vase. What varies is not the basic formbut the incidental details that do not obstruct the object's primary function.
如果大家迅速瀏覽一下整個段亂，會發(fā)現本段只出現了applied arts這個概念，而沒有關于fine arts的描述，那么這時候大家應該反應出來本文的結構是分總，即主旨在結尾段：
Even though the fine arts in the twentieth century often treatmaterials in new ways, the basic difference in attitude of artists in relation totheir materials in the fine arts andthe applied arts remains relatively constant. It wouldtherefore not be too great an exaggeration to say that practitioners of the fine arts work to overcome the limitations oftheir materials, whereas those engaged in the applied arts work in concert with their materials.
迅速瀏覽完本段會發(fā)現，fine arts和applied arts這兩個概念在最后一段的都有論述。并且這句話：Itwould therefore not be too great an exaggeration to say that practitioners ofthe fine arts work to overcome the limitations oftheir materials, whereas those engaged in the applied arts work in concert with their materials. (因此，毫不夸張地說，純藝術工藝品的生產者需要克服原材料的限制進行生產，而從事實用性工藝品的生產者則依據材料的性質來進行生產。)大家看到主要的對比對象是材料的使用情況。
3. 文章小結題的introductory sentence
還有一個抓住文章主旨的小竅門是大家可以參考文章小結題所給的那一句話，即introdectory sentence，這句話的作用主要就是來概括全文的中心大意，我們還是來看Applied Arts and Fine Arts這篇文章的文章小結題：
Q：An introductory sentence for a brief summary of the passage is provided below. Complete thesummary by selecting the THREE answer choices that express the most important ideas in the passage. Some sentences do not belong in the summary because they express ideas that are not presented in the passage or are minor ideas in the passage. This question is worth 2 points.
This passage discusses fundamental differences between applied-art objects and fine-art objects.
