(B) Hawaiian sugar growers built their great industry without government help.

(C) Hawaiian sugar growers have set up their own research organization and have

shared improvements.

(D) By pioneering together, sugar growers have provided Hawaii with its largest industry.

(A)，(B)和(C)项只是文中提到的各项具体内容，作为主题思想面太窄了，只有(D)项才概括了全文要说明的问题，因此，(D)是该文的主题思想。

要求抓主题思想的另一种形式是为短文选择合适的标题，因为短文的标题常常也体现它所围绕的主题或讨论的中心。因此，为短文选择标题实际上也反映了对主题思想的掌握。

例五：

Directions: Read the following and choose the title that best expresses the ideas of the passage.

There is a simple economic principle used to determine prices. It is called the law of supply and demand. Supply means the amount of, or access to, certain goods. Demand represents the number of people who want those goods. If there are more goods than wanted, the price of them falls. On the other hand, if the demand for those goods is much greater than the supply, then the price rises. Of course, manufacturers prefer to sell more goods at increased prices.

(A) Economic Principles

(B) Law of Supply and Demand

(C) More Goods, Lower Prices

(D) Fewer Goods, Higher Prices

该问题中，(A)泛指经济规律，面过宽；(C)和(D)只是供需规则的二个单独的方面不能包含全部，面太窄。正确的答案是(B)，因为这正是该短文自始至终谈论的主题。

例六：

Directions: Read the following passage and select the most appropriate title:

According to legend, the gods of the ancient Greeks lived in the clouds on the top of Mount Olympus. Zeus, the father of the gods, carried a bolt of lightning in his hand and ruled like an earthly king. Apollo was the sun god and his beams were golden arrows; he shielded the flocks of sheep and the fields of grain. Athena was the warrior goddess, standing in shining armor ready to protect the Greek cities. There were other gods as well, all with familiar human characteristics, but these were the leading gods.

(A) The Gods of the Ancient Greeks

(B) The Legend of the Sky God Zeus

(C) Beliefs of the Ancient Greeks

(D) Religions of the Past

该问题中，(B)项只是文中提到的一项具体内容，作为主题思想面太窄了。(C)和(D)项泛指，面太宽。只有(A)项才概括了全文要说明的问题，是全文的主题。

三、一段文章的中心思想常常由主题句(Topic Sentence)表达。主题句常常位于段首或段尾处，间或出现在段落中间。同样，一篇文章的中心思想也常常在开始段或结尾段点出。因此在阅读中，我们要特别注意文章的开头或结尾。

例七：

English is clearly an international language. It is spoken by pilots and airport control operators on all the airways of the world. Over 70 percent of the world's radio programs are in English

本段主题句为首句，其后的内容均说明首句。

例八：

Some students prefer a strict teacher who tells them exactly what to do. Others prefer to be left to work on their own. Still others like a democratic discussion type of class. No one teaching method can be devised to satisfy all students at the same time