To get the most out of his textbooks， a student should follow several steps very carefully. First， he should make a preliminary survey of each book to get a general idea of what the book contains. Second， he should read for deeper understanding and formulate questions as he reads. Next， he should make notes of the major points of each chapter. After that， he should test himself to be sure that he can answer questions likely to be raised in class and in examinations. Finally， he should review his notes and reread any parts of the book that are unclear to him.
（第四节）优质段落的特征
好文章要有好段落，好段落应具备完整（unity）、连贯（coherence）、充分（development）和规范（good grammar）等特征。也就是说，好的段落应该中心明确、思路流畅、句子之间过渡自然，给读者一种行云流水之感。
一、完整性（Unity）
即一个主题、一个主题句（有时隐含）、所有句子都围绕主题且联系紧密。
病例分析：
Ludwig van Beethoven overcame many personal problems to achieve artistic greatness. He was a major composer of the nineteenth century. He was born in Bonn. Germany， in 1770 and first studied music with a court organist. He was appointed deputy court organist at a surprisingly early age in 1782. He also played the harpsichord and the viola. He went to Vienna in 1792 to study music under Haydn. His music shows great discipline and control.
段落中有六句都是有关Ludwig van Beethoven的，但是从第二句到第六句没有一句和主题句Ludwig van Beethoven overcame many personal problems to achieve artistic greatness相关。
二、连贯性（Coherence）
即句子顺序正确，过渡流畅自然且符合逻辑。
病例分析：
I am fascinated by my grandmother. She is about 90 this year. She doesn"t have much humor. She was born into a Welltodo urban family. She believes in everything： festival， news， TV ads， success， and all the gods. She hates dogs. She takes a walk in the garden everyday. She likes to eat fruits. She seems never to receive the doctor"s services. She collects postcards and likes the color of a strawberry.
所有句子都非常零散无序，句子之间没有过渡也无内在的逻辑关系。
三、充分性（Sufficiency）
即有足够的论据或信息来支撑主题句。
病例分析：
The television western of several years ago differs greatly from the western of today. Twenty years ago， for example， the swindler or bank robber in a western could be identified not by the crimes he committed so much as by the cooler of the clothing he wore--which was black. Today， the television western reveals the villain by mannerisms and personality.
这篇短文章缺少一个例子来说明观点Television westerns today reveal the villain by mannerisms and personality，因此论据不充分，至少还要一句才能使本段充分。规则grammar在此不想赘述，请看其他各章相应论述。
思考与练习：
I.首先找出主题句，然后排列各句。
1. a. Computers speed up registration by providing uptodate information on open classes.
b. They assist instructors by marking multiplechoice tests.
c. Computers now perform many tasks on my campus.
d. Computers can supply advisors with instant and complete information on requirements， career information， and personal data while they are talking to a student.
e. Computers keep records for the bookstore， library， cafeteria， and maintenance department.
2. a. My new Future camera has several features that I like.
b. It advances the film after each shot and automatically rewinds it after each roll.
c. Compared to other cameras， it is inexpensive.
d. If I get too close to the subject， it alerts me with a buzzer.
e. It beams out an infrared ray that focuses for me， even in the dark.
f. It is lightweight and compact.
3. a. Sometimes rapidly， sometimes slowly， they went relentlessly upward.
b. Last week the Labor Department reported， however， that the economy"s seventeenyear inflationary spiral had， for one month at least， finally been broken.
c. During March， inflation actually went down instead of up.
d. This turned a trend of what economists call disinflation into outright deflation.
e. Since 1965， prices in the U.S. economy have been heading one way.
4. a. Moving back home with his parents would save him quite a bit.
b. He was glad that he no longer had to work fulltime while going to school.
c. His income tax refund was enough to cover his expenses for the rest of the semester.
d. The dean"s office approved his student loan， and he could cut his working hours.
e. He had finally paid off his car.
f. Things were beginning to look up.
5. a. Two young girls took turns throwing their Frisbee to their dog， which leaped into the air to catch it.
b. A family of tourists stood in front of the fountain， studying a map and trying to remember where they had left their car.
c. It was a typical May Sunday afternoon at the park.
d. From the freeway that circled the park the sound of a fire engine could be heard.
e. A couple sat on a blanket， their baby crawling on the nearby grass.
II.根据下面的主题词完成一个主题句，然后展开构成一个段落。
1. The reason why I read books is that ...
2. What a satisfying career should be ...
3. The stupidity of the nuclear arms race.
4. The thrill of a big city.
III．根据下面的主题句，思考需要哪些内容来支持它。
1. Owning a car is expensive.
2. Spring is the most pleasant season of the year.
3. People take part in sports for various reasons.
4. Traffic is one of the essential activities in our society.
5. Smoking is harmful to health.
6. Television presents a vivid world in front of us.
7. Of all the subjects that I study in school， I think that English is the most important one.
8. Rivers play a very important part in our life.
9. There are three reasons why solar energy has not been made use of widely.
10. Several factors have contributed to the difficulty in traveling in China， but in general， there are three major causes.
11. Compared with cars， bicycles have many advantages.
12. Men and women are equal at home now.
13. Although both are sources of energy， solar power is quite different from coal.
14. Getting up early can help you to keep healthy.
15. Mr. Wang is a very responsible teacher.
16. When I arrived at the park， I found， to my surprise， that there were so many people there.
17. Money is regarded by some people as the most important thing in life.
18. The over growth of population presents a threat to the existence of human society.
19. Automobiles have also given rise to a series of problems.
20. One of the reasons I love my school is that ......
21. My roommate Paul possesses the characteristics of a good student.
22. Although working is good for us， as it helps train our body and mind， yet there should be a limit. Besides， people do not live only to work.
23. Admittedly， machines play a very important part in our daily life.
24. A computer can save a lot of work.