托福寫作分為獨立寫作和綜合寫作兩大任務類型，相對于考察考生獨立表達觀點意見的獨立寫作，綜合寫作主要考察考生對閱讀材料和聽力材料的要點信息整合能力。多數(shù)考生的備考重點和多數(shù)培訓課程的重點都在聽力能力的訓練以及聽力材料的要點把握，而閱讀材料部分經常被忽略。其實，托福綜合寫作的閱讀部分重要性并不可小覷。下面我們結合TPO31真題，來看一看托福綜合寫作的閱讀材料如何把握要點信息。

TPO 31 Sinosauropteryx 中華龍鳥

A fossil skeleton of a dinosaur called Sinosauropteryx, preserved involcanic ash, was discovered in Liaoning, China, in 1996. Interestingly, thefossil included a pattern of fine lines surrounding the skeletal bones. Some paleontologists interpret the lines as evidence that Sinosauropteryx had feathers. However, critics have opposed the idea that Sinosauropteryx was a feathered dinosaur, citing several reasons.

知識點：Reading開頭段結構 — 背景介紹+ 提出觀點。

背景：S恐龍的化石骨架周圍，有一圈精致的線條，古生物學家們把這個線條解讀為S恐龍的羽毛

觀點：然鵝，批評家反對S恐龍是長羽毛的(即，作者認為， S恐龍沒有羽毛)

寫作總結：The readingpassage proposes that Sinosauropteryx did not have feathers.

First, the critics points out that the fine lines may not even represent functional structures of a living dinosaur, but rather structures that were formed after the animal’s death. After the animaldied and was buried in volcanic ash, its skin may have decomposed into fibers.The skin fibers then became preserved as lines in the fossil; the lines were misinterpreted as evidence of feathers.

知識點: Reading 中間段的中心句，通常位于段首，有時在段尾，偶爾沒有。

內容：批評家認為這個線條是恐龍死后形成的。動物死后，皮膚會分解decompose成纖維fiber，形成了線條。

歸納：線條是皮膚纖維而不是羽毛。( 該段中心句在段尾 )

寫作總結：First, the writer believes that the lines might be skin fibers that were formed after the animal’s death.

Second, even if the fine lines are remains of real structure of a Sinosauropteryx, scientists cannot tell with certainty what part of the dinosaur’s anatomy the structures were. Many dinosaurs had frills, ornamental fan-shaped structures growing out of some parts of their bodies. Some of the critics argue that the lines surrounding the skeleton are much more likely to be fossilized remains offrills than remains of feathers.

內容：科學家搞不清線條到底代表恐龍身體的哪塊結構。許多恐龍有褶邊，他們覺得這個線條更可能是褶邊的殘留。

歸納：線條是褶邊的殘留。 ( 該段中心句在段尾 )

寫作總結：Second, the passage states that the lines were fossilized remains of frills instead of remnants of feathers.

A third objection is based on the fact that the usual functions of feathers are to help animals fly or regulate their internal temperature. However, the structures represented by the lines in the Sinosauropteryx fossil were mostly located along the backbone and the tail of the animal. This would have made the structures quite useless for flight and of very limited use in thermoregulation. This suggests that the lines do not represent feathers.

內容: 羽毛通常有兩個功能：飛行和調節(jié)體溫。然鵝，線條所代表的結構位于S恐龍的脊柱和尾巴，這樣的位置會讓羽毛的兩個功能無用。所以線條不代表羽毛。

歸納：線條的位置會讓羽毛的兩個功能(飛行和控溫)無用。(該段中心句在段尾)

寫作總結：Third, the author asserts that the location of the lineswould have made the functions of feathers, which are to sustain flying andthermoregulation, quite useless.

我們在托福綜合寫作開始出現(xiàn)閱讀材料的時候一定要注意筆記速記閱讀中重要知識點，雖然閱讀部分在之后還會再出現(xiàn)，但聽力材料只能聽一遍，我們需要把握住寶貴的聽力時間，記錄聽力中要點與閱讀中要點的對應細節(jié)，才能真正做到符合托福綜合寫作的考察要求，獲得理想分數(shù)。