從閱讀到寫作 Unit 1

Unit 1 閱讀技巧：Main Idea、Writer’s Tone and Attitude

文章大意是作者依主題而發展出來的文章要點，也是作者想傳遞給讀者的重要訊息。透過略讀文章或各段落首句及利用上下文線索，都有助讀者掌握文章的重點訊息。另外，為了傳達這些訊息，作者通常會使用不同的寫作手法或用字來達成其寫作目的。這些寫作手法或用字的展現，就是作者的寫作口吻和態度。

 

閱讀焦點：文章大意（main idea）、作者口吻和態度（writer's tone and attitude）

閱讀技巧：

①利用略讀（skimming），找出主題句（topic sentence）：主題句通常會放在第一句接近段落開頭的位置，為簡潔的肯定句，是涵蓋全文或該段落的關鍵重點。可略讀文章首尾兩句，從中找出文章大意。

②全文架構（mapping）：若文章沒有明顯的主題句，可瀏覽每個段落的第一句，或圈選重複出現的字詞，利用上下文線索，推敲拼湊作者要傳達的重點，自要出大意。

③審視作者寫作手法（clarifying writer's tone and attitude）：不論作者寫作目的為說明、陳述、說服、傳達情感或宣導，從上下文的寫作手法及用字等線索，可推敲出作者的口吻與態度。例如，是否正反論述皆有，或只是偏颇某觀點。

 

常見的題目類型

Main Idea

What is the main idea of this passage?

What is this article mainly about?

What is the third paragraph mainly about?

What is the purpose of this passage?

What is the best title for this passage?

What is the message that the author is trying to convey?

 

Writer's Tone and Attitude

What is the author's attitude toward _____?

What is the tone of this passage?

Which of the following best describes the author's attitude toward?

選項中常見形容詞：negative, objective, admiring, suspicious, indifferent, optimistic, pessimistic, encouraging, defensive, neutral, etc.

 

小試身手

範例一

Some people call it a traveling museum. Others refer to it as a living or open-air museum. Built in Brazil to celebrate the quincentennial of Columbus' first voyage to the New World, the Nina, a Columbus-era replica ship, provides visitors with an accurate visual of the size and sailing implements of Columbus' favorite ship from over 500 years ago.

I joined the crew of the Nina in Gulf Shores, Alabama, in February 2013. As part of a research project sponsored by my university, my goal was to document my days aboard the ship in a blog. I quickly realized that I gained the most valuable insights when I observed or gave tours to school-age children. The field-trip tour of the Nina is hands-on learning at its best. In this setting, students could touch the line, pass around a stone, and move the extremely large tiller that steered the ships in Columbus’ day. They soon came to understand the labor involved in sailing the ship back in his time. I was pleased to see the students become active participants in their learning process.

The Nina is not the only traveling museum that provides such field trips. A visit to Jamestown Settlement, for example, allows visitors to board three re-creations of the ships that brought the first settlers from England to Virginia in the early 1600s. Historical interpreters, dressed in period garb, give tours to the Susan Constant, Godspeed, and Discovery. These interpreters often portray a character that would have lived and worked during that time period. Students touring these ships are encouraged to interact with the interpreters in order to better understand the daily life in the past.

My experience on the Nina helps substantiate my long-held belief that students stay interested, ask better questions, and engage in higher-order thinking tasks when they are actively engaged in the learning process. The students who boarded the Nina came as passive learners. They left as bold explorers.                          （105年指考）

此題判斷main idea

(D) 1. What is the third paragraph mainly about?

(A) Guidelines for visitors on the ships.

(B) Life of the first settlers in Jamestown Settlement.

(C) Duties of the interpreters in the British museums.

(D) Introduction to some open-air museums similar to the Nina.

→答案為：(D)，因為略讀之後，找出第三段第一句The Nina is not the only traveling museum that provides such field trips即為主題句。而後面的for example，便以詹姆斯敦鎮三艘複製的古船為例，說明這個露天博物館如何讓遊客體驗當時的生活型態，故可推知本段落主要介紹和Nina類似的露天博物館。

 

範例二

In Japan, a person's blood type is popularly believed to decide his/her temperament and personality. Type-A people are generally considered sensitive perfectionists and good team players, but over-anxious. Type Os are curious and generous but stubborn. Type ABs are artistic but mysterious and unpredictable, and type Bs are cheerful but eccentric, individualistic, and selfish. Though lacking scientific evidence, this belief is widely seen in books, magazines, and television shows.

The blood-type belief has been used in unusual ways. The women's softball team that won gold for Japan at the Beijing Olympics is reported to have used blood-type theories to customize training for each player. Some kindergartens have adopted teaching methods along blood group lines, and even major companies reportedly make decisions about assignments based on an employee's blood type. In 1990, Mitsubishi Electronics was reported to have announced the formation of a team composed entirely of AB workers, thanks to "their ability to make plans."

The belief even affects politics. One former prime minister considered it important enough to reveal in his official profile that he was a type A, while his opposition rival was type B. In 2011, a minister, Ryu Matsumoto, was forced to resign after only a week in office, when a bad-tempered encounter with local officials was televised. In his resignation speech, he blamed his failings on the fact that he was blood type B.

The blood-type craze, considered simply harmless fun by some Japanese, may manifest itself as prejudice and discrimination. In fact, this seems so common that the Japanese now have a term for it: bura-hara, meaning blood-type harassment. There are reports of discrimination leading to children being bullied, ending of happy relationships, and loss of job opportunities due to blood type.                                （105年學測）

此題判斷writer's attitude

(C) 1. What is the speaker's attitude toward the blood-type belief in Japan?

(A) Negative.              (B) Defensive.           (C) Objective.       (D) Encouraging.

→答案為：（C），因為作者整篇文章都以陳述「事實（fact）」的方式，描寫日本人對不同血型的看法。文中未看見如：I think/believe/feel等表示個人主觀意見（opinion）的用字，或是其他作者表示讚揚、否定或批判的用字，由此可推知作者對日本血型信念抱持「客觀的」看法。

 

實戰演練

請閱讀文章，並根據文章之文意為當題選出最適當的一個選項。

Foie gras: Delicacy or Cruelty 鵝肝醬：佳餚或殘暴

Foie gras is a controversial delicacy made from the liver of a duck or goose. It is highly regarded for its rich flavor and creamy texture. The controversy surrounding foie gras is due to the method of its production which involves force-feeding and is considered by some to be cruel and inhumane.

The method of fattening birds has been known and used since ancient times. The first mention of foie gras is from Roman times and was made by feeding dried figs to geese to enlarge their livers. After the fall of the Roman Empire, foie gras disappeared from European cuisine until Jewish communities rediscovered that the fattened geese they used for cooking fat had enlarged livers with a rich and delicate flavor.

Foie gras was traditionally made from geese, but these days, duck liver accounts for 95％of foie gras production. To prepare for migration, some birds expand their throats to swallow whole fish for later digestion, naturally fattening and enlarging their livers. Ducks and geese are fattened by gradually increasing their feed over a period of 90 days after which they are forced-fed corn using a gavage for 12 to 15 days. A gavage is a funnel connected to a tube placed down the ducks and geese's enlarged throats to enable force-feeding. The corn used is cooked with fat which fattens the liver creating its buttery texture. France is by far the largest producer and consumer of foie gras. It is considered a luxury and is generally eaten on special occasions.

The method of force-feeding ducks and geese with a gavage is believed by some to be cruel and inhumane with its production banned in many countries across Europe. These birds used for producing foie gras have been shown to be fearful of the person who feeds them and have heightened stress. While a duck or goose liver can naturally enlarge by up to 50％, the size of the liver in foie gras production increases by up to 10 times.

Debate regarding the treatment of ducks and geese for foie gras is ongoing. Ultimately, is it worth subjecting these animals to such an ordeal for what amounts to a luxury?

此題判斷main idea

(  ) 1. What is the best title for this passage?

(A) How to Make Foie Gras: Recipes and Tips

(B) Foie Gras: Delicacy or Cruelty?

(C) Force-feeding: An Inhumane Ordeal

(D) Foie Gras: Classic French Cuisine?

此題判斷_________

(  ) 2. What is the purpose of this passage?

(A) To relate foie gras to the use of force feeding.

(B) To prove the effectiveness of force feeding on geese.

(C) To define foie gras and the method of force-feeding.

(D) To point out the problem of foie gras and animal rights.

此題判斷_________

(  ) 3. What is the second paragraph mainly about?

(A) The historical development of foie gras.

(B) Relations of natural fattening and migration.

(C) The rise and fall of foie gras in Europe.

(D) How Romans and Jews fattened birds.

此題判斷_________

(  ) 4. What is the author's attitude toward foie gras?

(A) Optimistic.            (B) Disapproving.     (C) Pessimistic.     (D) Devoted.

 BDAB

Word Bank

1. foie gras (n.) (法文) 肥鵝肝醬；肥鵝肝

2. controversial (adj.) 有爭議的

3. delicacy (n.) 佳餚

4. force-feeding (n.) 強迫灌食

5. inhumane (adj.) 不人道的

6. fig (n.) 無花果

7. account for (v.) 數量上佔…

8. digestion (n.) 消化

9. gavage (n.) 灌食漏斗

10. funnel (n.) 漏斗

11. subject sb/sth to sth 使遭遇

12. ordeal (n.) 折磨

13. amount to (v.) 變成

 回答問題

閲讀完文章後，請針對下列問題用英文表達自己的想法與觀點。

1. What is your favorite foreign food? Why do you like it so much?

2. As a consumer, are you for or against the production and selling of foie gras? State your reasons.