主题思想题在考试中出现的频率较高，因为这类题可考查考生抓主要信息的能力，而能够抓住文章的主要信息又是阅读能力的一个极为重要的方面。
这类题在设题时常会用到title，subject，main idea，topic，theme等词。常见的提问形式有以下几种：
What is the main idea of the passage?
Which of the following would be the best title?
What's the best title for the passage?
The main idea of the passage is that_____.
This passage tells us_____.
Which of the following statements best expresses the main idea of the passage?
What does the passage mainly discuss?
做这类题时常用略读法，把注意力放在抓主要信息上，不去过分注意细节事实，否则会造成“只见树木，不见森林”的结果。通常的办法是，快速阅读文章时注意找出各段主题句。英文文章各段主题句常放在段首，有时也放在段尾或段落中间，有时不明确写出，通读文章后把各段主题句联系起来，一般就能得出文章主题。
就整篇文章来讲，首段和尾段一般对于解这类题更为重要。我们以97年统考试卷中阅读理解部分的第一篇文章为例：
How often one hears children wishing they were grown up，and old people wishing they were young again.Each age has its pleasures and its pains，and the happiest person is the one who enjoys what each age gives him without wasting his time in useless regrets.
Childhood is a time when there are few responsibilities to make life difficult.If a child has good parents，he is fed，looked after and loved，whatever he may do.It is impossible that he will ever again in his life be given so much without having to do anything in return.In addition，life is always presenting new things to the child——things that have lost their interest for older people because they are too well-known.But a child has his pains：he is not so free to do what he wishes to do;he is continually being told not to do things，or being punished for what he has done wrong.
When the young man starts to earn his own living，he can no longer expect others to pay for his food，his clothes，and his room，but has to work if he wants to live comfortably.If he spends most of his time playing about in the way that he used to as a child，he will go hungry.And if he breaks the laws of society as he used to break the laws of his parents，he may go to prison. If however，he works hard，keeps out of trouble and has good health，he can have the great happiness of building up for himself his own position in society.
文章后面第四个问题是：
The main idea of the passage is that_____.
A：life is not enjoyable since each age has some pains.
B：young men can have the greatest happiness if they work hard.
C：childhood is the most enjoyable time in one's life.
D：one is the happiest if he can make good use of each age in his life.
文章的第一段讲的是人们常听说孩子们盼着长大成人，老年人则希望返老还童。人生的每个阶段总是欢乐伴着苦恼，而最幸福的人则是那些既享受人生每一阶段所带来的欢乐，又没有因虚度年华而终生后悔的人。第二段讲述了一个人儿童时代的欢乐与苦恼，第三段则告诉读者青年人的责任与义务，机遇和挑战。从以上三段文字来看，第一段中第二句即是主题句，所以我们应选D为正确答案。
阅读理解包括三篇短文，总阅读量不超过900个词。每篇短文后设5个问题，每题2分，共30分。所选短文内容包括人物传记、热门话题、社会、文化、日常知识、科普常识等。阅读理解题要求考生读后能掌握文章的主旨大意，了解说明主旨大意的事实和细节，并根据所读内容进行一定的判断和推论。
阅读理解题是一种综合性的技能测试，它不仅要求考生具有较强的理解能力，还要求考生要有一定的阅读速度。而通常影响阅读理解的主要有三大因素：词汇量、语法知识、背景知识。从前些年三级统考的实际情况看，考生们反映最困难是词汇量太小，其直接后果是感觉时间太紧，答不完试卷。至于后两项也是弱项的考生来说就更困难了。考生要在这一项上取得高分，除了要在词汇量、语法知识、背景知识三个方面多下功夫外，还必须学会掌握一些最基本的阅读技能，了解这部分试题的基本设题思路及解题方法和技巧。
