词义猜测 语境为本

陈军

词义猜测题考查的不仅有词汇，还有短语和短句在语境中的含义；不仅有生词，还有“熟词新义”，即熟悉词汇的陌生含义。这要求我们能够结合自身的词汇储备，通过分析上下文语境，合情合理地推测所考查词汇的含义。这种猜测不是胡乱、盲目的，而是有一定方法和技巧的。

代入语境看搭配，“语感”“常识”齐帮忙

猜测词义最便捷的方法是将四个选项代入语境，根据语感和常识判断代入后句意是否顺畅、合逻辑，这种方法特别适用于动词或动词短语。

比如2013年高考英语福建卷B篇第61题：

The underlined phrase “pop up” in the third paragraph probably means “ ”.

A. develop rapidly B. get round quickly

C. appear immediately D. go over automatically

动词短语pop up所在的段落如下：

The smartphone-like glasses will likely come out this year and cost between $250 and $600， the Times said， possibly including a variation of augmented（增强的） reality， a technology already available on smart?phones and tablets（平板电脑） that overlays information onto the screen about ones surroundings. So， for example， if you were walking down a street， indicators would pop up showing you the nearest coffee shop or directions could be plotted out and come into view right on the sidewalk in front of you.

这一段介绍了一种新型眼镜，它采用了一种在智能手机和平板电脑中广泛应用的技术：在屏幕上显示周围环境的信息。比如当你走在大街上，眼镜上的显示器（indicator）会pop up，显示最近的咖啡馆以及方向信息。

我们可以把四个选项逐个代入语境之中：

将A选项develop rapidly代入，句意为“眼镜上的显示器会迅速发展，显示最近的咖啡馆及方向信息”；

将B选项get round quickly代入，句意为“眼镜上的显示器会迅速传播开来，显示最近的咖啡馆及方向信息”；

将C选项appear immediately代入，句意为“眼镜上的显示器会立即跳出，显示最近的咖啡馆及方向信息”；

将D选项go over automatically代入，句意为“眼镜上的显示器会自行检查，显示最近的咖啡馆及方向信息”。

显然，代入A、B选项后，句子前后意思不通畅；根据我们使用电脑的常识，显示器只具备显示功能，不存在检查功能，所以D选项也不对；C选项是正确的。

具体事例助理解，定语从句帮猜词

举例说明是常用的写作手法，因此，猜测词义时，可以在该词汇的前后语境中仔细搜索，看看有没有能够解释词义的具体事例。

比如2012年高考英语四川卷C篇第49题：

What does the underlined part in Paragraph 1 mean？

A. I was waiting for good fortune.

B. I was trying to find an admirable job.

C. I was being aimless about a suitable job.

D. I was doing several jobs for more pay at a time.

画线部分所在的段落如下：

I left university with a good degree in English Literature， but no sense of what I wanted to do. Over the next six years， I was treading water， just trying to earn an income. I tried journalism， but I didnt think I was any good， then finance， which I hated. Finally， I got a job as a rights assistant at a famous publisher. I loved working with books， although the job that I did was dull.

画线部分是一个短句I was treading water，旨在考查be treading water这一短语的含义。作者说自己是treading water，尝试着赚钱（trying to earn an income），然后列举了为赚钱做过的事：“我”试过当记者，但觉得并不合适；后来进入金融行业，发现自己不喜欢这一行；最后在一家著名的出版社供职，虽然觉得出版社的工作挺无聊的，但“我”喜欢与书籍打交道。可见，“我”一直在寻找一份合适的工作，频繁跳槽，显得漫无目的，所以选C。

除了举例说明，有时候作者还会用定语从句来解释词义。因此，我们还可以在前后语境中找找是否有修饰考查词汇的定语从句。

比如2013年高考英语全国卷ⅡC篇第47题：

The words “chocolate snobs” in Paragraph 3 probably refer to people who .

A. are particular about chocolate

B. know little about cocoa beans

C. look down upon others

D. like to try new flavors

chocolate snobs所在的段落如下：

The CRFs produce is “green”， made within the country and divided into 10 lines， with the Alcohol Series being the most popular. The Exotic Series — with Sichuan pepper， red bean， cheese and other flavors — also does well and is fun to taste. And for chocolate snobs， who think that they have a better knowledge of chocolate than others， the Connoisseur Series uses cocoa beans from Togo， Cuba， Venezuela， and Ghana， among others.

chocolate snobs后面紧跟了一个定语从句，发挥了“下定义”的作用，使解题难度大大降低。由定语从句who think that they have a better knowledge of chocolate than others可知，chocolate snobs对与巧克力相关的知识了解很深，有研究，有心得，自然就会比普通人挑剔些，所以选A。

这一段的其他文字也能印证这一点。段落介绍的是CRF出品的各系列巧克力，其中面向chocolate snobs推出的Connoisseur Series的特点是使用了不同产地的可可豆。普通人不会深究食物原材料的产地，但挑剔的人会根据原材料产地来判断食物品质的高低。可见chocolate snobs是对巧克力比较挑剔的人。

内在逻辑须研读，同义反义互释义

文章句子、段落的前后顺序是按照一定思路、线索排列的，一句（段）话与另一句（段）话之间会有如前因后果、对比反衬、解释说明、层层递进等逻辑关系。在猜测词义时，可以细细研读词汇前后的语境，看看有没有与它表意相近或者相反的词句，利用同义转化或反义对比的方法推测词义。

比如2013年高考英语辽宁卷D篇第69题：

What does the word “flaw” in the last paragraph probably mean？

A. Explanation. B. Finding. C. Origin. D. Fault.

flaw一词所在段落如下：

We also know the bug as a flaw in a computer program or other design. That meaning dates back to the time of Thomas Edison. In 1878 he explained bugs as “little problems and difficulties” that required months of study and labor to overcome in developing a successful product. In 1889 it was recorded that Edison “had been up the two previous nights discovering ‘a bug in his invented record player”.

阅读文章，我们应特别注意we also know the bug as a flaw和he explained bugs as “little problems and difficulties”这两个句子。在这两个句子中，分别有两组具有同义关系的词，第一句中：bug = flaw，第二句中：bug = little problems and difficulties。通过同义转换，我们可得：flaw = little problems and difficulties。

四个选项中， fault（缺陷） 最接近little problems and difficulties，所以选D。

又比如2013年高考英语北京卷A篇第58题：

The underlined word “evenly” in Paragraph 4 probably means .

A. continuously B. separately C. quickly D. equally

evenly所在的段落如下：

The advanced EP also heats the room evenly， wall to wall and floor to ceiling. It comfortably covers an area up to 350 square feet. Other heaters heat rooms unevenly with most of the heat concentrated to the center of the room. And they only heat an area a few feet around the heater. With the EP， the temperature will not vary in any part of the room.

文章介绍了一款名叫EP的新型加热器。evenly后面紧跟了具有解释作用的短语wall to wall and floor to ceiling，但我们还是无法直接从这个补充解释中彻底理解evenly的含义。细读下文，我们发现other heaters heat rooms unevenly中的unevenly是evenly的反义词，可以以这个反义词为突破口解题。对于unevenly，作者的解释是：with most of the heat concentrated to the center of the room，加热时大部分热量集中在房间的中心地带，即加热不均匀，那么它的反义词evenly当然就是“加热均匀”的意思了。equally最接近“均匀”的意思，所以选D。

不论是把选项代入原文，还是分析词汇附近的事例、定语从句，或者是同义、反义转化，结合上下文语境合理分析是猜测词义的要诀所在。