Reading is fun!You can also analyze texts（文本）to learn more from the texts and about the texts.One way you can do this with fiction books，passages，or poems is by exploring their themes.
A theme is a central idea running throughout the text，connecting the characters and events.The writer may express his or her thoughts about humanity or a worldview through a theme.Themes can be ideas like friendship，bravery，love，honesty or family.Make sure you know what the writer is saying.
Sometimes，themes are hard to find out.First，the theme may not be able to be included in just one word like the examples above.There may also be more than one theme in the text.What's more，some themes are not presented in the words directly.You have to use clues in the texts to find them.
To start exploring the theme，first you need to make sure you've read the whole text.Since themes develop over time，you can't fully understand the underlying themes until the end of the text.Then，ask yourself to sum up（概括）the text and try to work out a "big idea".For example，did many characters resolve problems with their families？If there was only one small problem with a character's family，then "family" might not be the theme of the text.Finally，after finding out a "big idea"，go through the text to find examples that support this idea.You needn't repeat every detail of the story﹣a few key examples will be fine.
Now you are ready to explore the theme of a text!
Exploring the （1） of a text |
|
Main points |
Detailed information |
（2） is a theme？ |
● A theme is a （3） idea that connects the characters and events. ● The （4） thoughts are possibly expressed through the theme. |
Why is it （5） to find the theme？ |
●You might not （6） the theme in just one word. ●There may also be more than one theme in the text. ● Some themes are not presented in a （7） way. |
How can you explore the theme？ |
●Read the text till the （8） to fully understand the themes. ●Work out a "big idea" of the text by summing up the text. ●Find some key examples to （9） the "big idea".It's not （10） to repeat every detail. |
Smile and greet others in a ＿＿＿＿＿（friend） way.
Young children should not be left by ＿＿＿＿＿（they）.
There ＿＿＿＿＿（be） a lot of rain outside last night.
I bought two ＿＿＿＿＿（notebook） yesterday.
完成图表。根据短文内容，完成图表中所缺信息。
Environmental protection is one of the hottest topics nowadays. It was also something that ancient Chinese paid great attention to. In fact, the world’s earliest environmental protection idea, ministry（部门）and law were all born in China. How did the ancient Chinese protect the environment?
The world’s earliest idea of “managing state affairs（政事）through environmental protection”
Xunzi, a famous thinker in the Warring States Period, came up with the idea of “managing state affairs through environmental protection”. He wrote in his book that vegetation（植被）should be protected well by humans.
Guan Zhong, a government officer 400 years ahead of Xunzi, was also an environmental protection expert. He said “a king who cannot protect his vegetation is not doing a good job”.
The world’s earliest “environmental protection ministry”
Nine ministries set up by Shun, an ancient Chinese emperor, included “Yu”（虞）, an environmental protection ministry. The first “Yu” leader was Boyi, an environmental protection expert. He invented wells so people could drink clean water. He knew a lot about animals and also called for animal protection.
The world’s earliest “environmental protection law”
Over 4,000 years ago, Dayu, an ancient Chinese water-control expert and also an emperor, made a rule, not allowing people to cut down trees in March or catch fish in June, because it was the time when they grew quickly.
Almost 3,000 years ago, Tianlü, the first environmental protection law, appeared in Qin. It recorded many ancient environmental protection rules. Two of them were interesting: firstly, rivers should not be blocked （堵塞）; secondly, grass and trees should not be burned to be fertilizer（肥料） except for summer. The second one is inspiring even for today. It can help to keep air clean and fresh.
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