短文听力测试的解题方法和技巧很多，主要有以下几点。

第一，学会科学预测，了解短文的大致内容。

科学预测以了解短文的大致内容是提高短文听力成绩的一个必要前提和方法。预测的根据是给出的选项。请看下列一篇短文之各题的选项：

                    1. A. She cannot eat for some time.          B. She suffers from bad headache.

                        C. She often feels sick.                         D. She cannot stand noise.

                    2. A. No, but she tried to bear it.             

B. No, she was too busy to go to the doctor.

C. Yes, she tried some medicine.

D. Yes, she went to a lot of hospitals.

3. A. It takes a long time to stop the pain.

    B. The illness can be cured thoroughly.

    C. The illness needs an operation.

    D. The illness can be controlled.

由于三题的众多选项中有headache, sick, doctor, medicine, hospitals, pain, illness, operation等词的出现，可以断定这一篇与医生、病人和疾病有关的短文，因此听短文时要特别注意，病人得了什么病，症状是什么，怎么治病。这样就避免出现措手不及。事实上，这是一段医生与病人间的对话，三个问题分别是：

                            1. What does the patient mainly complain about?

2. Did the patient try to deal with her illness?

3. What does the doctor say about the illness?

         值得一提的是，由于短文的选项较多，有时且较长，要在听短文前读完各个选项在时间上较紧张，而且并非所有的选项都有较强的信息提示，因此，从各选项中断定不了短文的大致内容也不必慌张。

        第二， 听清主题句，把握中心思想。

        反映短文主题的句子就是主题句。听懂主题句非常重要，因为短文中的具体内容都是围绕着主题句而展开的，它往往包含有重要的信息。听清了主题句就易于听懂下文的内容，以便获取其他重要的细节，从而把握短文的主题思想。百分之八十以上的主题句出现在文章的文首，即：文章的第一句话。当然，也有主题句位于文章的末尾或贯穿于其中。由于在听录音时不知道文章何时结束，因此，重点听清第一句话尤其重要。请看下面一篇短文的原文：

        In order to learn a foreign language thoroughly, four things are necessary. Firstly, we must be able to understand the language when we hear it spoken. Secondly, we must be able to speak it correctly ourselves. Thirdly, we must be able to read the language. And fourthly, we must be able to write it. We must be able to compose sentences that are grammatically correct. We must know how to arrange sentences in paragraphs, so as to write a good letter or composition.

There is no easy way to have success in language learning. A good memory is a good help, but it is not enough simply to memorize rules in a grammar book. It is not much use learning by heart long lists of words and their meanings. We must learn words not by themselves, but in sentences. We must learn by using the language. Practice is very important.

Questions:

1. What is very important in learning a foreign language?

2. What is the first step in learning a language?

3. How should words be learned?

这是一篇小小的议论文。短文的第一句话就是主题句。听清了这一主题句，对下文的内容既易推测又易听清。不难推测，短文接下来就会提到学好一门外语的四个方面。推测得更深一点的话，谈到学好外语应注意的问题也在意料之中。果然，短文的第一段和第二段分别提到了这两个方面。由此，答题的信息很容易就获取了，答对问题也有了保障。因而，听清主题句对全文的理解起着举足轻重的作用。