在閱讀的時候，不僅要關注細節內容，也要關注文章的big picture(大意)，要特別注意文章在哪里引出觀點，又在哪里發生了內容的轉變。為了更好地理解文章結構，我們建議在閱讀過程中劃線或做標記。另外，要注意轉折類詞匯、證據以及例子。轉折類連接詞往往標志著作者敘述或觀點的轉變，而通過例子和證據，讀者能夠更好理解作者的論證過程。

  小結題的出題形式大致如下：

  Which of the following provides the most reasonable summary of the passage?

  Which of the following provides the best summary of the arguments?

  Which of the following best describes the structure of the arguments in this passage?

  Which of the following best describes the structure of the passage as a whole?

  我們來看一例：

  This passage is adapted from Cindi May, “The Surprising Problem of Too Much Talent.” ©2014 by Scientific American.

  Whether you're the owner of the Dallas Cowboys or captain of the playground dodge ball team, the goal in picking players is the same: Get the top talent. Hearts have been broken, allegiances tested, and budgets busted as teams contend for the best athletes. The motivation for recruiting peak performers are obvious—exceptional players are the key to team success—and this belief is shared not only by coaches and sports fans, but also by corporations, investors, and even whole industries. Everyone wants a team of stars.

  While there is no denying that exceptional players can put points on the board and enhance team success, new research by Roderick Swaab and colleagues suggests there is a limit to the benefit top talents bring to a team. Swaab and colleagues compared the amount of individual talent on teams with the teams’ success, and they found striking examples of more talent hurting the team.

  The researchers looked at three sports: basketball, soccer, and baseball. In each sport, they calculated both the percentage of top talent on each team and the teams’ success over several years. For example, they identified top NBA talent using each player’s Estimated Wins Added (EWA), a statistic commonly employed to capture a player’s overall contribution to his team, along with selection for the All-Star tournament. Once the researchers determined who the elite players were, they calculated top-talent percentage at the team level by dividing the number of star players on the team by the total number of players on that team. Finally, team performance was measured by the team's win-loss record over 10 years. For both basketball and soccer, they found that top talent did in fact predict team success, but only up to a point. Furthermore, there was not simply a point of diminishing returns with respect to top talent; there was in fact a cost. Basketball and soccer teams with the greatest proportion of elite athletes performed worse than those with more moderate proportions of top level players.

  Why is too much talent a bad thing? Think teamwork. In many endeavors, success requires collaborative, cooperative work towards a goal that is beyond the capability of any one individual. When a team roster is flooded with individual talent, pursuit of personal star status may prevent the attainment of team goals. The basketball player chasing a point record, for example, may cost the team by taking risky shots instead of passing to a teammate who is open and ready to score.

  Two related findings by Swaab and colleagues indicate that there is in fact tradeoff between top talent and teamwork. First, Swaab and colleagues found that the percentage of top talent on a team affects intrateam coordination. For the basketball study, teams with the highest levels of top performers had fewer assists and defensive rebounds, and lower field-goal percentages. These failures in strategic, collaborative play undermined the team’s effectiveness. The second revealing finding is that extreme levels of top talent did not have the same negative effect in baseball, which experts have argued involves much less interdependent play. In the baseball study, increasing numbers of stars on a team never hindered overall performance. Together these findings suggest that high levels of top talent will be harmful in arenas that require coordinated, strategic efforts, as the quest for the spotlight may trump the teamwork needed to get the job done.

  The lessons here extend beyond the ball field to any group or endeavor that must balance competitive and collaborative efforts, including corporate teams, financial research groups, and brainstorming exercises. Indeed, the impact of too much talent is even evident in other animals: When hen colonies have too many dominant, high-producing chickens, conflict and hen mortality rise while egg production drops. So before breaking the bank to recruit superstars, team owners and industry experts might want to consider whether the goal they are trying to achieve relies on individual talent alone, or a cooperative synergy from the team. If the latter, it would be wise to reign in the talent and focus on teamwork.

  題目1：

  Which of the following best describes the structure of the passage as a whole?

  (A) A collection of anecdotes about sports

  (B) A description of a study and its potential implications

  (C) A set of pieces of advice for managers in sports and business

  (D) A series of arguments in favor of changing recruitment methods

  題目2：

  Which of the following best summarizes the passage’s interpretation of the researchers’ findings?

  (A) Teamwork is the most important quality for sports teams.

  (B) Individual talent is the most important quality for sports teams.

  (C) Individual talent matters, but teamwork can be a decisive factor in some sports.

  (D) Although individual talent is more important, very strong teamwork can make up for weak talent.

  解析：兩個問題都要求理解整篇文章的大意。我們先看下文本。

  文本第一段描述一種現象，呈現了一個觀點：即所有球隊都爭著招募最好的球員，因為大家都認為團隊取勝的關鍵在于優秀的選手。

  文本第二段先讓步，然后給出一個新觀點，反駁第一段的觀點：優秀球員帶給團隊的作用有限，團隊中優秀球員太多反而傷害球隊。

  文本第三段開始舉例論證。研究人員研究了三種運動：籃球，足球和棒球。第三段得出的研究結果是，在籃球和足球運動中，優秀球員占比高的球隊表現不如優秀球員占比適中的球隊。第四段第五段解釋原因，原文的關鍵詞是團隊協作。同時，指出對于棒球這種對團隊協作依賴小的運動，優秀球員多不會阻礙團隊表現。最后一段將研究結果拓展至更廣泛的領域，并表示要權衡好競爭與合作的關系。

  然后看題目：題目1問的是文本結構。

  選項A：一系列體育軼事。文本不是一個接一個地呈現體育類的故事。不符。

  選項B：對一項研究的描述以及思考。文本第二段表達觀點，第三段具體描述研究，第四至第六段是對研究結果的思考。該項正確。

  選項C: 給體育界與商界的經理的一系列忠告。文本側重的不是忠告，而是研究反駁一個人們持有的慣常觀點。

  選項D: 一系列改變招聘方法的觀點。文本并未呈現很多的關于招聘方法的觀點。另外，文本重心不在招聘方法，而在影響結果。

  故選項B正確。

  再看第二題：題目2要求總結文本對于研究人員的發現。

  選項A不符，對于足球籃球類運動，團隊協作非常重要，但是對于棒球類運動，團隊協作不如個人能力重要。

  選項B不符，選項B剛好與選項A相反，理由同上。

  選項C正確，正確表達了文本研究的觀點。在一些諸如足球籃球的運動中，團隊協作是關鍵。

  選項D不符，文本并未表達個人能力比團隊協作更重要的觀點，而是要依據實際的運動或情況來看。

  故選項C正確。

  新航道上海sat培訓 開設有各種SAT培訓班 ，小班教學，名師一對一指導，助教全程跟蹤輔導，直達高分不在是夢。

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