很多同学都惧怕小托福阅读中的“作者目的题”，一看到目的题就大写加粗的“懵逼”。

　　有些同学还不清楚什么是“作者目的题”。简单来说，就是问你“why did the author write the passage?”/“The author’s main purpose is to”这类问“作者为什么要写这篇文章”的题目。部分不耐心的同学很抓狂。他为什么要写这篇文章关我什么事啊。为什么为什么哪有这么多为什么你是十万个为什么啊。我是谁我在哪我在做什么。

　　大家先不要激动，听我慢慢说。

　　目的题难在哪里?它不仅考察了考生的阅读能力，还考察考生的分析能力。很明显，作者写作文体的目的是要告知某件事情或传递某些信息。接下来我们一起来学习两种解题方法：

　　01 关注开头

　　同学们阅读所有文章都要特别关注开头，篇首往往包含了很多重要信息，也是出题人偏好出题的区间。解答“作者目的题”的方法之一就是关注开头。第一句话一般来说都会跟剩下的篇章有关联，看懂了第一句话，也就能明白作者整篇文章的内容。举例：

　　I'm writing to you because I forgot to mention the try-out show in class today. If you want to sing, act, dance, or do anything else in the talent show, then you should go to the try-outs show tomorrow after school. The try-outs will start at 3:00 p.m. at the school theater.

　　Q: Why does Mrs. Harrington send the students this e-mail?

　　A. She won't be in class the next day.

　　B. She forgot to give them information in class.

　　C. She didn't tell them about taking the late bus.

　　D. She doesn't want them to try out for the show.

　　题目问：为什么Mrs. Harrington要写信给学生?我们回到文章开头。第一句话说，我写信给你们是因为我今天课堂上忘记提到“try-out show”，答案出来了，写信是因为忘记提一件事，选B。

　　02 关注作者的语言

　　作者的措辞往往反映了作者的目的。试分析，作者是否尝试告知、说明、解释或展示某个内容。读懂了作者的语言，也就能解题了。来看例子：

　　It has often been said that laughter is the best medicine. This means that being happy and going through life with a smile will make you healthier. Doctors say that patients who are told jokes or made to laugh often become well more quickly than those who are sad. This is because laughter can relieve stress and help relax the mind as well as the body.

　　Q: The author’s main purpose is to_________.

　　A. Give an example of a joke

　　B. Argue that all old sayings are true

　　C. Tell sick people about a new medicine

　　D. Explain that laughter can make you healthier

　　这段话里，医生说经常听到笑话的病人比那些整日悲伤的病人恢复得快。读完这段话我们可以看出，作者是在尝试解释“笑是最好的治疗药”。因此这题我们选D。

　　怎么样，同学们看完了“作者目的题”的两种做题方法还迷茫吗?

　　希望ETS出题能够多一点真诚，少一点套路。也希望同学们多阅读、多思考、多问为什么。以后才不会出现这种情况。

　　人生因阅读而精彩~~~