Skill Training
Reading Skill
DISTINGUISHING THE MAIN IDEA FROM SUPPORTING DETAILS
Main idea is also called controlling idea,the core,or the central focus of a piece of writing.It is like the heart of the text or a paragraph.
Sometimes a paragraph has a stated main idea usually in the topic sentence,most in the title,the first or the last sentence.Sometimes,a paragraph has an “implied” main idea.To decide on the main idea,we must ask the following three questions:
A.Who or what is this paragraph about?
B.What is the main point the author is trying to make about that topic?
C.Does all or most of the material in the paragraph support this main idea?
Supporting details prove the value of the main idea and develop the main idea.Patterns of supporting details are as follows:
1)space relationship(e.g.right,left,up,down,above,below)
2)time sequence(e.g.at first,after that,finally,once,earlier,now,eventually)
3)example or illustration(e.g.for example,for instance,such as,in this case,to illustrate,that is,in other words)
4)comparison and contrast(e.g.in comparison,like,similarly,likewise,to compare,in contrast,on the other hand,however,nevertheless)
5)cause and effect(e.g.because,for,due to,therefore,as a result,consequently)
6)addition or listing(e.g.first,second,firstly,last,furthermore,moreover,finally)
Practice 1
Skim the following passage and try to find out the supporting details of the following main ideas.
1.Main idea:Thriller broke all kinds of records.
2.Main idea:There is something very special with Michael.
3.Main idea:The media has commonly referred to Jackson as the “King of Pop”.
Read the passage again and do the exercises that follow.
Music Legend:Michael Jackson
[1]Michael Joseph Jackson(1958—2009)is an all-rounded talent—a highly influential singer,composer,dancer,record producer as well as the fashion leader.He has extremely high popularity and enormous influence in the whole world.
[2]From the early 1980s onwards,Jackson became a dominant figure in popular music.In 1982,Michael released a monster of an album called Thriller,which broke all kinds of records.To date,it has sold more than 108 million copies worldwide(that’s more than any other album before it or since).The album set a record six top ten singles and spent a record breaking 37 weeks at number one.It remains the best selling album of all time.In the same year,Michael won an unprecedented eight Grammy Awards—7 for Thriller.Thriller made Michael Jackson an American pop icon.In 1987,Michael’s next solo project Bad released,which sold over 25 million copies worldwide and generated 5 consecutive number-one hits.In 1991,with his next album,Dangerous,Michael continued the astronomical sales figures with 23 million copies sold worldwide.In 1993,Michael became the first major recording artist to perform the Super Bowl halftime show,giving the Super Bowl its largest television audience to date.In 1995,Michael released his most ambitious project yet.History Past,Present and Future Book Ⅰwas a massive double album containing 15 of Michael’s greatest hits from his previous four albums and 15 brand new songs.By January of 1996,History had been certified six times platinum in the United States alone and it is still the most successful double album of all time.
[3]There is something very special with Michael.First,he popularized a number of physically complicated dance skills,such as the robot and the moonwalk.His dance is imitated by a lot of people.Second,he created a modern MV(Thriller),which was the first modern music video in the world.Third,he was the first musician in the world to sell over 100 million singles and albums outside of the U.S.Last but not least,he was a philanthropist and devoted most to charity as an artist.
[4]The media have commonly referred to Jackson as the “King of Pop”.No other performer in history has generated the massive sales that he has.No other performer in history has received as many awards and accolades as he has.No other performer in history draws the kind of excitement and mass hysteria than he does.And no other performer in history has done so much in the way of humanitarian efforts than he has.There has never been one like him before,and there will never be one like him again.He is in a class all by himself.
New Words and Expressions
onwards /ˈɒnwə（r）dz/ adv.向前
dominant /ˈdɒmɪnənt/ adj.占优势的；支配的
release /rɪˈliːs/ vt.发布；发行；释放；放出
monster /ˈmɒnstə（r）/ n.怪物；恶魔；庞然大物
album /ˈælbəm/ n.唱片
thriller /ˈθrɪlə（r）/ n.颤栗；惊悚
unprecedented /ʌnˈpresɪˌdentɪd/ adj.前所未有的；无前例的；空前的
Grammy Awards 格莱美奖
icon /ˈaɪkɒn/ n.偶像；崇拜对象
solo /ˈsəʊləʊ/ n.独唱（曲）；独奏（曲）
consecutive /kənˈsekjʊtɪv/ adj.连续的；连贯的
astronomical /ˌæstrəˈnɒmɪk（ə）l/ adj.天文学的；极大的
Super Bowl 超级碗（美国国家美式足球联盟的年度冠军赛）
ambitious /æmˈbɪʃəs/ adj.有雄心的；有野心的
massive /ˈmæsɪv/ adj.大块的；巨大的
certify /ˈsɜː（r）tɪfaɪ/ 证明；证实
platinum /ˈplætɪnəm/ n.唱片集达100 万张的销售；白金唱片
popularize /ˈpɒpjʊləraɪz/ vt.使受欢迎；普及
robot /ˈrəʊbɒt/ n.机器人（本文指迈克尔的机械舞）
moonwalk /ˈmuːnˌwɔːk/ n.太空步；太空舞步
imitate /ˈɪmɪteɪt/ vt.模仿；效仿
philanthropist /fɪˈlænθrəpɪst/ n.慈善家
refer to...as 称为；认为
generate /ˈdʒenəreɪt/ v.使发生；引起
accolade /ˈækəleɪd/ n.嘉奖；表扬
hysteria /hɪˈstɪəriə/ n.[医]癔病；歇斯底里
humanitarian /hjuːˌmænɪˈteəriən/ adj.人道主义的；博爱的
Practice 2
Below are a list of the main ideas of different paragraphs and a list of supporting details.Try to make a match.
（a）________;（b）________;（c）________;（d）________.
Practice 3
Read the passage in more detail and decide whether the following statements are True(T)or False(F).
( )1.Thriller is a MV with a monster image in it,which broke all kinds of records.
( )2.Thriller is the first album in the history to have the most copies sold in the world.
( )3.From the year 1987 to 1995,Michael released the following albums:Bad,Dangerous and History Past,Present and Future Book Ⅰ.
( )4.Album History has nothing to do with his previous albums.
( )5.The robot and moonwalk are two peculiar dancing steps initiated by Michael.
( )6.Michael was the first musician in the United States to sell over 100 million singles and albums.
( )7.Michael has a bad influence on the public because he draws a lot of excitement and mass hysteria,which drives people crazy.
Reading More
Scan the below QR code,read the passage and do the practices online.
idolize / ˈaɪdəlaɪz / vt.崇拜；热爱
Briton /ˈbrɪtn/ n.英国人；不列颠人
beat n.有规律的敲击（声）；（音乐、诗歌等的）节拍
incarnation /ˌɪnkɑːˈneɪʃn/ n.（某种品质的）典型体现；化身
deliberately /dɪˈlɪbərətli/ adv.故意地；蓄意地
authority /ɔːˈθɒrəti/ n.权力；威权
permissive /pəˈmɪsɪv/ adj.放任的；纵容的
evolution /ˌiːvəˈluːʃn/ n.进化；演变
condition /kənˈdɪʃən/ v.使习惯于；使适应
largely /ˈlɑːdʒli/ adv.在很大程度上；主要地
profitable /ˈprɒfɪtəbl/ adj.有利润的；赢利的