8、段首，段尾句常考
　　在短文中第一段首句或末段末句往往是文章中心思想的表达处；有时某一段的段首，段尾句是该段的主题句。因此，命题者常在这些地方出题。题型基本上属主旨大意型。
　　例1.The question of whether war is inevitable is one which has conviced many of the worlds great writers. Before considering this question， … （见《分册》P69页例子）
　　Q：The passage is probably intended to answer the question _____ .
　　（A） Is war inevitable？
　　（B） why is there conflict and competition？
　　（C） Is conflict desirable？
　　（D） Can competition lead to conflict？
　　（分析：选A.属段首主旨大意型。文章开头一句话即点明了文章中心思想，下面内容均围绕这一思想展开的。）
　　例2.…“They think that if you work hard， …”She adds， Most women and blacks … because of their sex or color that play down （使…不突出）their visibility.“Her advice to those folk . Learn the ways that white males have traditionally used to find their way into the spotlight.” （见《分册》P74页例8）
　　Q：The best title for this passage would be _________ .
　　（A） Role of women and Minorities in Management.
　　（B） The Importance of Being Visible
　　（C） Job Performance and Advancement
　　（D） Sex and Career Success.
　　（分析：选B项，属段尾主旨大意型。文章开头就指出女人和黑人加入管理阶层之后，出现了一些新的观点。文中又介绍了Coleman观点及Kaleel Jamision 的评论，最后通过Kaleel Jamision的建议才点出文章中心意思。）
　　例3.It is natural for yours people to be critical of their parents at times and to blame them for most of the misunderstands between them. They have always complained， more or less justly， that their parents are out of touch with modern ways； that they are possessive and dominate； that they do not trust their children to deal with crisis； that they talk too much about certain problems ——and that they have no sense of humor， at least in parent-child relationships.
　　Q：The first paragraph is mainly about ________.
　　（A） the teenager's criticism of their parents.
　　（B） misunderstandings between teenagers and their parents.
　　（C） the dominance of the parents over their children.
　　（D） the teenagers' ability to deal with crisis.
　　（分析：选12项。属某一段落段首主旨大意型。此段第一句就指出年轻人批评其父母，认为他们的父母对他们之间的误解负责，这是很正常的事。然后用五个that 引导的宾语从句来阐述他们对父母不满的原因。段落结构一目了然，故知首句是中心思想。）
　　例4：… These definition are necessary because it is important to emphasize that competition between individuals or groups is inevitable in a world of limited resources， but conflict is not. Conflict， nevertheless， is very likely to occur， and is probably and essential and desirable element of human societies.
　　Q：In the first paragraph， the author gives the definitions of some terms in order to _______ .
　　（A）argue for the similarities between animal societies and human societies
　　（B） smooth out the conflicts in human societies.
　　（C） distinguish between two kinds of opposition.
　　（D） summarize the characteristic features of opposition and cooperation.
　　（分析：选C项。属某一段段尾主旨大意型。文章此段给出了conflict （矛盾）和competition （竞争）的定义，然后进一步阐述了两种对抗（opposition）在很多情况下的不同。作者最后两句又强调了“These definitions are necessary because …”。很明显作者是想通过定义这两个词从而区分这两种对抗。