每篇文章都有一定的写作目的，作者往往期待读者读了文章后知道应当怎样去做某些事情或按某种方式思考问题。这层意思通常并不是在文章申明确表达出来，而是隐含在文章之中。这就要求读者在阅读过程中去沟通外现的和内含的，已述的和未述的含义。这就需要仔细的阅读和认真的思考，在通盘理解文章的基础上去领会作者的言外之意，去掌握语言的微妙之处，真正欣赏和理解阅读的东西；阅读中的推论是很常见的，我们所读的一切几乎都可以做出程度不同的推论。

     凡推断出的内容在文章中都没有明确叙述，但却暗含在文字之中。因此在进行推断时，必须以有关的文字部分作为推理的前提和依据。所谓推断，指根据推测而加以判断；而推测总是根据已知的信息推断出未知的信息。即把有关的文字作为已知部分，从中推断出未知部分。据以推理的有关文字部分可能是词或句子，也可能是若干句，甚至全文，要想做出精确的推断，必须注意以下四点。

1．细心地了解文章中所提供的全部信息和信息的各个方面。
2．分析已知的信息，用正确的观点，借助于一些常识，最大限度地捕捉到信息的本质。
3．注意词、句子的本义和与之有关的其他意义。   
4．根据己知信息，即短文或有关的文字部分，做出的推断必须与作者的原意相符，切忌以自己的观点取代作者的原意。    

     推理判断往往包括数据事实推断，常识推断，逻辑结论以及推断作者的写作目的、态度、倾；向等几种类型。   

1．数据事实推断：这种推断常常针对某一个或几个具体细节。是比较简单的推断。首先在原文中找到据以推理的有关文字部分，对与数字有关的推断，只需简单推算，即可得出结果。对与事实有关的，要加以分析，尤其要悟出字里行间的意思。   
2．常识推断：有些时候，文章里并没有提供任何可据以推断的材料，或虽有提供，但却不足以推出正确的未知事实。这时便须根据平常积累的有关知识来进行推断。
3．逻辑结论：这类推断比前两种困难得多。在阅读过程中，读者必须对文章的全部事实或细节作通盘考虑，从而得出合乎逻辑的结论。结论是根据事实作出的惟一决定。要想从一个句子，一个段落或一篇文章中得出正确的结论，读者必须学会善于思考，不断提高自己的逻辑思维能力。
4．推断作者的写作目的、态度，文章的语气等：这类推断要求对论述对象持何种态度、思想倾向作出判断。如作者对所陈述的观点是赞成，还是反对，对记叙或描写的人或事等是喜欢，或是厌恶；是同情或是冷漠。作者的这种态度和感情色彩不一定直接表述出来，而往往隐含在字里行间，或者流露于修饰的词语之中。因此要做好这类推断须综观全文，掌握主题思想，并以此为推理的前提，还要注意文章的措辞，把握文章论述的基调。

例: Some people are never right. They never have good luck. They usually do the wrong thing and say the wrong thing. And even if what they say or do is OK, they as a rule say it or do it at the wrong time. So these people always have problems. They often break dishes. They sometimes miss buses and airplanes.
     Mr Neff is different. He is always right. He is never wrong. He usually has good luck. He seldom has problems. He never breaks dishes. He never misses buses or airplanes. Even if he does miss them? it is always'the fault of the buses or the airplanes.
     Mr Neff knows almost everything. He doesn't ask questions? he answers questions. He never says, "I don't know."
     I don't know Mm Neff. It seems that not many people know her. I sometimes wonder about her. Is she always right? Or maybe she is always wrong? Dces she often break dishes or miss buses?
Does she have problems? I wonder.
1)Which of the following do you think gives the most important trait (特性) of Mr Neffs  character?
  A. He is a very wise man.
  B. He plans everything well.
  C. He is moral and upright.
  D. He is very satisfied with himself.
2)Which of the following do you guess is true of Mrs Neff?
  A. She probably obeys her husband in everything.
  B. She probably feels very proud to be a help of her husband.
  C. She probably quarrels with her husband all the time.
  D. She probably feels very happy to have such a successful husband.
3)Which of the following best describes the writer's attitude towards Mr Neff?
  A. He finds Mr Neff hard to understand.
  B. He thinks Mr Neff wonderful.
  C. He feels pity for Mr Neff.
  D. He does not like Mr Neff.

     以上各题的答案均没有直接表述在短文里，必须从字里行间悟出作者的言外之意。本文记叙的是一位一贯正确的人Mr Neff。根据这一主题，可推知他对自己的一切都很满意。第 1题选项D为正确答案。从Mr Neff事事正确，而Mr Neff又鲜为人知出发，可得出结论 Neff夫人在任何事情上都服从于她丈夫这一事实，故第2题A为正确项。尽管短文中没有直接陈述作者对MrNeff这一人物的态度，但从主题思想和某些措辞中仍可悟出作者对Mr Neff很讨厌这一事实。如作者在文章中一再使用“Never”，一词，并还写到．．．Even if he does miss them，it is alway Sthe fault of the buses of the airplanes．”等来暗示他对Mr Neff的厌恶之情，故第3题D为正确答案。

     在阅读理解题中，有关针对段落或短文的特定细节、主题思想、常识，以及作者的写作态度、目的等的推断题，常见题型有：
1. We can infer from the passage (paragraph, fact, example... ) that_______.
2. The writer suggests that_______.
3. From the passage (paragraph, story... ), we can tell_______.
4. The passage implies, but does not directly state that_______.
5. We may conclude from the passage that_______.
6. The writer's (author's) attitude toward is_______.
7. The tone of the passage is_______.