在上一讲中，大家介绍了有效地找出段落主题句的重要程度。那样具体如何操作呢？
大家先来看一下主题句的特征：
内容：一般比较抽象概括 地方：一般出目前两个地方的可能性最大：每段话的开头和结尾。
一般而言，主题句就是一段话的第一句。后面的句子一般为支持性的细节，以讲解、进步或是支持主题句所表现的主要论点。
The recent string of corporate1 scandals provided a rude awakening2 to the importance of these internal checks. In the case of WorldCom, it was internal auditor3 Cynthia Cooper who blew the whistle on the company for inflating4 profits by $3.8 billion. She didnt intend to be a hero, she said to Time magazine when it named her one of its Persons of the Year. She was just doing her job.
Chief constables5 had disapproved6 of the use of league tables. They complained that they provoked unfair criticism because they did not compare like with like. Mr. Denham said the graphs were easier to comprehend than tables. As people get familiar with this type of graphical presentation they will realize it contains a lot of data that can be understood after an initial glance. The spidergrams are based on five indicators7: reducing crime, investigation8 crime, public safety, deployment9 of resources and the view of a focus group of local citizens.
有时主题句也会出目前整段话的最后。如此的结构安排，一般出目前一个讨论困难的、不为大众所同意的话题或者文章的主要为了为了说服读者同意某种结论的段落中。由于先把道理说了解，那样读者就会很容易同意新的看法和怎么看。
