好的篇章由一些主要的構(gòu)成要素組成，段落就是其中之一。段落是用來在文章中組織信息的。在讀寫段落時，英文段落中的“主題句——支撐句——結(jié)論句”的結(jié)構(gòu)，在一般情況下是很明確的。

1. 主題句

每個段落都會有一個要點，該要點通常由主題句表達。主題句運用開門見山手法，通常概括且清楚地陳述本段落的信息。整個段落都圍繞主題句展開。例如：模塊十U2 Reading （Line 43）

Young mobile adults give many different reasons for swapping their home towns for big cities.

但是，也并不是所有的段落都一定有主題句的。有時一個段落只是延續(xù)了前一個段落的主題，所以如果前一個段落有了主題句，這個段落就不一定有了。

主題句出現(xiàn)在句首是常見的，但有時也可出現(xiàn)在段中或出現(xiàn)在段落的末尾。不過在情節(jié)性故事或其他一些文體中的，主題句可以放置于第一段的一段引子之后。引子的目的就是為了吸引讀者的注意力，這個引子往往可以是一個有趣的小故事、一個問題或一小段話。例如：模塊十U2 Reading （Line 3）

Older Americans are on the move.

該段在文章中很有可愛之處，第一句Older Americans are on the move.是個引言，一眼就能看出全段所表達的中心——美國老年人在遷徙，這就是主題句;而第二、三兩句用一些細節(jié)來支撐這個主題句。

2. 支撐句

主題句后跟有對其加以解釋或證明的句子稱為支撐句。例如：還是剛才那段：

For decades， Florida has been attracting older people. In fact， according to the national population survey conducted recently， Florida is home to the largest population of people aged 65 and older.

值得一提的是，段落中的支撐句的排列順序是有層次的。我們可以使用連接詞將前后句子連接。常見的連接詞有for example， for instance， furthermore， first， on the other hand， however等。例如：模塊十U2 Reading （Line22）

Florida is a popular choice for these people because of the pleasant climate and the low cost of living there. As the number of older Americans moving there increases， more changes are made to cater to them. For example， ambulances respond faster now， and many houses have bathrooms designed for older owners， with things like easytouse bathtubs that reduce the risk of slips and falls.

3. 結(jié)論句

結(jié)論句又稱總結(jié)句，標志著一個段落的結(jié)束，一般可以用來重述一下主題，提供問題的解決方式，對未來進行預測，提出問題讓讀者去思考等等，或者直接對全段內(nèi)容加以概括。常見的結(jié)論句連接詞有therefore， in short， in a word， briefly speaking， to sum up等。當然了，結(jié)論句不是主題句的簡單重復，而是對它的擴展與總結(jié)。有時也可以用結(jié)論句來表達關(guān)于這個主題的最后想法，或用它來幫助引入下一段的主題。例如：模塊十 U2 Reading （Line 41）

Across the USA， people are noticing the same thing： young people are electing to live in cities.

牛刀小試

一、選出下列各段落的主題句

A. One of the reasons for visiting the lighthouses is that the lighthouses have a profound history and provide a good view of nature.

B. Visiting lighthouses will help us to understand the lives of lighthouse keepers.

C. Another reason for considering a visit is that the lighthouses themselves can be very attractive buildings.

D. The most important reason for such a visit is to realize how our ancestors battled nature with the basic tools they had.

Everyone should visit a lighthouse at least once.

（1） ?They had only basic ways of creating light， and yet they found a way of using this simple technology in isolated （孤零零的） places to save ships from hitting rocks.

（2） ?By their very nature， lighthouses were built on some rocks or cliffs. Thus the lighthouse keepers often lived lonely lives. To walk around their small home， and imagine the angry storm outside beating against the walls， is to take a step towards understanding the lives they had.

（3） ?The reason for a visit to a lighthouse is not all so backwardlooking in time. It is true that lighthouses were built in outofway places. But on a pleasant sunny summer day， this very isolation has a natural beauty that many people will love to experience. Therefore， with the gentle waves touching all round the lighthouse， the visitor is likely to think it is a world preferable to the busy and noisy modern life.

（4） ?Mankind could often not be content just to put up a basic structure， but felt the need， even in such an isolated place， to build with an artistic touch. The result is a view for tired eyes to enjoy. Finally， lighthouses have a romantic attraction， summed up by the image of the oilskincoated keeper climbing his winding stairs to take care of the light to warn ships and save lives.

二、選詞填空

then; later; since; whenever; on the other hand; and; once; while; on the contrary; in the first place

Do you want to live with a strong sense of peacefulness， happiness， goodness and selfrespect？ The collection of happiness actions broadly categorized as “honor” helps you create this life of good feelings.

Heres an example to show how honorable actions create happiness. Say a store clerk fails to charge us for an item. If we keep silent， and profit from the clerks mistake， we would drive home with a sense of sneaky excitement. 1 we might tell our family or friends about our good fortune. 2， if we told the clerk about the uncharged item， the clerk would be grateful and thank us for our honesty. We would leave the store with a quiet sense of honor that we might never share with another soul.

3， what is it to do with our sense of happiness？

4， if we didnt tell the clerk， a couple of things would happen. Deep down inside we would know ourselves as a type of thief. In the process， we would lose some peace of mind and selfrespect. We would also demonstrate that we cannot be trusted， 5 we advertise our dishonor by telling our family and friends. We damage our own reputations by telling others.6， bringing the error to the clerks attention causes different things to happen. Immediately the clerk knows us to be honorable. Upon leaving the store， we feel honorable and our selfrespect is increased. 7 we take honorable action we gain the deep internal rewards of goodness and a sense of nobility.

There is a beautiful positive cycle that is created by living a life of honorable actions. Honorable thoughts lead to honorable actions. Honorable actions lead us to a happier existence. 8 its easy to think and act honorably again when were happy. 9 the positive cycle can be difficult to start， 10 its started， its easy to continue. Keeping on doing good deeds brings us peace of mind， which is important for our happiness.

1. 2. 3. 4.

5. 6. 7. 8.

9. 10.

參考答案

一、（1） D（2） B（3） A（4） C

二、1. Later2. On the other hand3. Then4. In the first place5. since6. On the contrary

7. Whenever8. And9. While10. once

（作者：姜晨露，海安縣曲塘中學）