作者在写文章时，常常用具体的事实来阐明自己对人或事物的见解和看法，这些见解和看法，就是作者的观点。
所谓作者的观点，有时是指作者总的思想取向，也就是文章的主题思想。有时则指的是对文章中用来突出主题思想的某个具体事实的看法和见解，读者应根据具体情况作具体分析。
在阅读测试中，常见的要求推断作者观点的题型有：
1. What is the author's opinion of...?
2. The author is of the opinion that _____.
3. The author of this passage seems (appears) to believe that _____.
4. How does the author think of...?
5. What does the author believe about...?
6. The author believes that _____.

文章离不开事实和观点。在考这类题目时，我们应能分辨事实和观点。观点往往体现一个人的判断能力，他对某人或某事物是怎么看的。因此，在表示观点的陈述中，常常带有修饰词，而事实则是能够被证实的，实际是存在的或人们普遍承认的东西。
例如：
Franklin played an important role in the early history of the United States. He took part in drawing up the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. He was the first ambassador to France, and he helped negotiate the treaty of 1783, which ended the Revolutionary War.
在这段文章中，作者用富兰克林参加起草《独立宣言》，是第一为被派往法国的大使以及帮助议定结束美国独立战争的协议这些事实，表明了自己的观点：富兰克林在美国早期的历史上起了重要的作用。

一般说来，要推断作者的观点，读者应注意以下四个方面。
一、通读全文，理解主题思想和主要事实，推断作者的观点。
二、注意作者观点的隐含表达，如委婉表达、反义表达等。
例如：
An Eskimo baby who was brought up by American parents would speak English, hate castor oil, and act like any other American child; and an American baby who was brought up by an Eskimo family would grow up to be a seal hunter, to like eating blubber, and to speak Eskimo.
在这段文字中，作者没有直接表达自己的观点，而是把观点隐含在字里行间，读了这段文章，我们可以推断作者的观点为：Different environments make different people.
三、注意分清哪些是作者引用别人的观点，哪些是作者自己的观点。
例如：
Some people believe that international sport creates goodwill between the nations and that if countries play games together they will learn to live together. Others say that the opposite is true: that international contests encourage false national pride and lead to misunderstanding and hatred. There is probably some true in both arguments, but in recent year the Olympic Games have done little to support the view that sports encourages internationalbrotherhood. Not only was there the tragicincident involving the murder of athletes, but the Games were also ruined by lesserincidents caused principally by minor national contests.
Question:
According to the author, recent Olympic Games have _____.
(A) created goodwill between the nations
(B) bred only false pride
(C) barely showed any international friendship
(D) led to more and more misunderstanding and hatred
在这段文章中， 作者首先用"Some people believe...", "Others say..."，引出了两种对立的观点。接着作者才提出了自己的观点"There is probably some true in both arguments, but in recent year the Olympic Games have done little to support the view that sports encourages internationalbrotherhood."这句话的意思是：两种观点也许都有些道理，但近年来奥林匹克运动会没有做出什么事支持运动，促进国际间兄弟情谊这个观点。接着作者还进一步用事实来进一步表明自己的观点（文中最后一句话）。由此，我们得知C项为正确答案。

四、注意文章中出现的"yet"、"however"、"but"等转折词。有时作者在这些转折词后面表明自己的观点。（如上例中but后引出了作者的观点）
例如：
This is not just a sad-but-true story; the boy's experience is horrible and damaging, yet a sense of love shines through every word.
How does the author of this sentence feel about the story?
(A) It transmits a sense of love.
(B) It is just sad.
(C) It is not true.
(D) It is horrible and damaging.
此题正确答案为A项。读者应注意句中的"yet"一词。

• independence [,indi´pendəns] n.独立，自主，自立 (初中英语单词)
• constitution [,kɔnsti´tju:ʃən] n.宪法；体格；体质 (初中英语单词)
• ambassador [æm´bæsədə] n.大使 (初中英语单词)
• hunter [´hʌntə] n.猎人；猎狗；猎马 (初中英语单词)
• international [,intə´næʃənəl] a.国际的，世界的 (初中英语单词)
• encourage [in´kʌridʒ] vt.鼓励；怂勇；促进 (初中英语单词)
• hatred [´heitrid] n.憎恨，敌意 (初中英语单词)
• incident [´insidənt] n.小事件；事变 (初中英语单词)
• barely [´beəli] ad.公开地；仅仅 (初中英语单词)
• horrible [´hɔrəbəl] a.可怕的；恐怖的 (初中英语单词)
• sentence [´sentəns] n.判决 vt.宣判；处刑 (初中英语单词)
• declaration [,deklə´reiʃən] n.宣布；宣言；申报 (高中英语单词)
• revolutionary [,revə´lu:ʃənəri] a.革命的 n.革命者 (高中英语单词)
• goodwill [,gud´wil] n.友好，亲善；信誉 (高中英语单词)
• brotherhood [´brʌðəhud] n.兄弟情谊；兄弟关系 (高中英语单词)
• tragic [´trædʒik] a.悲剧的；悲惨的 (高中英语单词)
• principally [´prinsəpli] ad.主要地；大体上 (高中英语单词)
• drawing [´drɔ:iŋ] n.画图；制图；图样 (英语四级单词)
• negotiate [ni´gəuʃieit] v.谈判；解决；转让 (英语四级单词)
• lesser [´lesə] a.较小的；次要的 (英语四级单词)
• eskimo [´eskiməu] n.&a.爱斯基摩人(的) (英语六级单词)
• misunderstanding [,misʌndə´stændiŋ] n.误解；隔阂 (英语六级单词)