突破阅读理解题中的词义猜测题

刘少甫

湖北

正确理解文章中单词或短语的含义是理解文章的第一步，也是理解文章的基础，不懂单词含义根本就谈不上理解文章。英语单词的含义并非完全等同于词典中所标注的汉语意思，其含义随不同语境会有所不同。能根据上下文正确理解灵活变化的词义，才算是真正初步具备了一定的阅读理解能力。此外，阅读文章时，常常会遇到一些过去未见过的词，但许多这类生词的词义可以通过上下文推断出来。这种不使用词典而是通过阅读上下文来推断生词含义的能力，是一个合格的读者必须具备的能力，因此也是阅读测试中经常检测的一种能力。2016年《考试说明》对阅读理解的六项要求中的“根据上下文猜测生词词义”改为“根据上下文推断单词和短语的含义”，由此可见，高考英语试题将加大对考生词义猜测能力的考查。

一、考题特点

词义猜测题包括猜测生词、短语、句子的意义，推断熟词生义和判断画线部分指代内容。

二、命题形式

猜测词语意义试题的题干中常含有mean， refer to， be closet in meaning to， could best be replaced by或can take the place of... 如：

1.What does the （underlined） word “...” in the ... paragraph refer to？（2015年全国卷I，C篇）（2016年四川卷，C篇）

2. The underlined word “...” in the third letter refers to_______. （2015年湖南卷，A篇）（ 2016年全国卷III，B篇）

3. Which of the following can best replace the phrase “...” in paragraph...？ （2015年全国卷II，A篇）

4. What does the underlined expression/word “...” in paragraph ... （ probably ） mean？ （2015年安徽卷，D篇）（2015年四川卷，BD篇）（2015年重庆卷，D篇）（2016年天津卷，C篇）（ 2016年全国卷I，C篇） （ 2016年全国卷III，C篇）

5. The underlined word “... ” in paragraph ... （ probably ） means_______.（2015年北京卷，C篇）（2015年湖南卷，B篇）（2015年陕西卷，D篇）（2015年四川卷，E篇）（2016年北京卷，D篇）

6. Which of the following is closet in meaning to _______.（2015年浙江卷，D篇）

7. Which of the following best explains the underlined part in the last paragraph？（2015年福建，D篇）

8. The （underlined） word “...” （paragraph） is closet in meaning to_______. （2015年湖北卷，B篇）（2015年广东卷，D篇）

三、解题方法

1. 通过上下文线索猜测词义。

一个单词在句中并不是一个孤立的成分，它和同一句中的其他单词有着密切的关系；一篇文章中的任何一个句子在内容上也不是绝对孤立的，都与句子所在的段落及整篇文章有关系，这两个关系称为上下文线索。利用上下文提供的情景和线索，进行符合逻辑的综合分析，并依此来推测词义，是一种重要的解题方法。

【考例1】Instead of promoting the idea of college as a passage from the shelter of the family to autonomy and adult responsibility， universities have given in to the idea that they should provide the same environment as that of the home. （2016年北京卷，D篇）

解析：根據下文修饰语“from the shelter of the family to autonomy and adult responsibility（从受到家庭的庇护到独立自主承担起成年人的责任）”可知，上大学是可以完成人生蜕变的，因此passage在这里的意思是change。

【考例2】 I am peter Hodes， a volunteer stem cell courier. Since March 2012， Ive done 89 trips —of those ， 51 have been abroad. I have 42 hours to carry stem cells（干细胞）in my little box because Ive got two ice packs and thats how long they last， in all， from the time the stem cells are harvested from a donor（捐献者） to the time they can be implanted in the patient， weve got 72 hours at most. So I am always conscious of time.（ 2016年全国卷I，C篇）

解析：根据下文89 trips及carry stem cells可猜测作者是运送干细胞的人，而且下文又提到运到后干细胞被移植到病人身上，所以作者不可能是干细胞的收集者（collector）， 因此，courier的意思是运送者（delivery man）。

【考例3】What Theresa Loe is doing proves that a large farm isnt a prerequisite for a modern grow-your-own lifestyle. On a mere 1/10 of an acre in Los Angeles ， Loe and her family grow， can （装罐） and preserve much of the food they consume.（ 2015年湖北卷，B篇）

解析：根据下文的“On a mere 1/10 of an acre in Los Angeles ， Loe and her family grow， can （装罐） and preserve much of the food they consume.”可以知道，大农场并非是必要的东西，故prerequisite意为requirement。

【考例4】And it is not just robins that are being kept awake by artificial light. Blackbirds and seagulls are also being more nocturnal. （2015年四川卷，D篇）

解析：根据上句的强调句可知，受到人造光干扰，夜晚不睡觉的不仅是robins ， 再根据下文中的also可以猜测出nocturnal是指Blackbirds and seagulls在夜晚也不睡觉，也很活跃，即active at night。

【考例5】Then they would have dragged them along paths. To make the work easier， workers may have lubricated the paths either with wet clay or with the fat from cattle. （2015年四川卷，E篇）

解析：根据上文的“drag them along paths（沿路拖着它们）”和目的状语“To make the work easier（为了使拖着他们这项工作更容易）”及下文的“either with wet clay or with the fat from cattle（要么用湿草要么用牛油）”可以猜出，画线词的意思是使光滑（make the roads slippery）。

2. 通过定义或重述猜测词义。

有时在一篇文章中，作者估计到某一个词一般读者不熟悉。就常采取直接定义法或用另一种方式进行解释的方法，这种解释可能是一种重述，即对前面的一句话作重新补充说明，这种重新说明往往暗示了对前面句子中的某个生词的解释。下定义常见的方式有使用破折号、冒号、分号、引号、括号对生词内容加以解释或使用mean， be， deal with， be called， refer to等标志词。

【考例1】The link between what the men had done as boys and how they turned out as adults was surprisingly sharp. Those who had done the most boyhood activities were twice as likely to have warm relations with a wide variety of people， five times as likely to be well paid and 16 times less likely to have been unemployed.（ 2016年天津卷，C篇）

解析：画线词后面的句子“Those who had done the most boyhood activities were twice as likely to have warm relations with a wide variety of people， five times as likely to be well paid and 16 times less likely to have been unemployed.”是對画线词的解释，所以sharp的词义是clear and definite。

【考例2】Other forms of parental involvement ， including volunteering at school and observing a childs class ， also fail to help ， according to the most recent study on the topic.（2015年陕西卷，D篇）

解析：根据画线词后面的补充说明“including volunteering at school and observing a childs class”可猜测出画线词词义为“parents participating in childrens education（家长对孩子教育的参与）”。

【考例3】 Do you know what a “territory” is？ A territory is an area that an animal， usually the male， claims as its own.

解析：根据画线词后面的定义可知territory指的是“动物的地盘”。

3.通过同位关系猜测词义。

构成同位关系的两部分之间通常用连接词连接，有时也直接用逗号分隔开。常用的连接词有that， or， or other， say， that is to say， namely， similarly等。

【考例1】In fact， only about 80 ocelots， an endangered wild cat， exist in the US today.

解析：由同位语an endangered wild cat可知ocelot是一种濒危的野猫。

【考例2】The new tax law supersedes ， or replaces ， the law that was in effect last year.

解析：由同位语or replaces可知supersedes意为“代替”。

4. 通过转折、对比、选择关系猜测词义。

如果一个句子或段落中有对两个事物或现象进行对比或选择的描述，可以根据它的反义词或可选择的另一方面来猜测生词的意义，表示转折关系的词有：but， however， otherwise， though等。表示对比关系的词有：while， like， unlike， in contrast， rather than， on the other hand等。表示选择关系的词有： or， either...or...， not...but...等。

【考例1】Another brand store seeks to be much more than a shop， but rather a destination.（2014年北京卷，D篇）

解析：根据much more than和but rather可知a destination与a shop（一般的商店）是一种对比，而且远胜过a shop， 应该是顾客很喜欢去的地方。

【考例2】The Lucy on exhibition at the Ethiopian National Museum in the capital， Addis Ababa， is a replica while the real remains are usually locked in a secret storeroom.（2012年全国卷II，D篇）

解析：while表示前后两部分是对比关系，the real remains是“真正的遗迹”，所以可推测出画线词的意思是“仿制品，复制品”。

【考例3】Building owners were faced with a choice： either change the first floors of their buildings into basements， and the second stories into main floors， or hoist the entire buildings to meet the new street level.（2015年湖南卷，B篇）

解析：either...or...表示两种对比选择，第一种选择是“change the first floors of their buildings into basements， and the second stories into main floors”，那么第二种选择就应该是使整栋楼上升，因此hoist的意思应该是“ （lift） 提升，使上升”。

5.通过因果关系猜测词义。

根据句子间的因果关系来推断某个生词或短语的意思，可由表原因的句义推测出表结果的句子中的某个生词或短语的意思，即由因推果；也可由表示结果的句义推测出表原因的句子中的某个生词或短语的意思，即由果推因。表示因果关系的词有：because， since， as， for， so， therefore， as a result， thus， so that， so/such ... that ... 等。

【考例1】One of the very best varieties for eating quality is Orleans Reinette， but youll need a warm， sheltered place with perfect soil to grow it， so its a pipe dream for most apple lovers who fall for it.（2016年全国卷III，C篇）

解析：根据文中的句子“but youll need a warm， sheltered place with perfect soil to grow it”和so可知，对于大多数迷恋这种苹果的人来说，perfect soil 是基本不存在的，因此只是a pipe dream，相当于a vain hope（徒劳的希望，枉然）。

【考例2】The set worked so beautifully when I first got it home that I would keep it on until stations signed off for the night. （2015年全國卷II，A篇）

解析：根据so beautifully可以推测出结果状语从句“that I would keep it on until stations signed off for the night”的意思是“我一直让电视开着直到电视台停台”，故画线短语的意思应该是“停播，停台”。

【考例3】Pruning is important because it encourages the growth of tender shoots， or young leaves.

解析：根据原因状语从句“because it encourages the growth of tender shoots， or young leaves”可知，Pruning能促进嫩芽或嫩叶的生长，可判断出Pruning有“剪枝，修剪”的意思。

6. 通过定语从句、状语从句等从句的功能，结合生活常识来猜测词义。

根据从句的功能和意义可推知主句中某个生词的意义，或者结合主句的意义和从句功能来推测从句中某个生词的意义。

【考例1】These local citizens now have to balance their traditional self-supporting hunting lifestyle with the lifestyle offered by the modern French Republic， which brings with it not only necessary state welfare， but also alcoholism， betrayal and even suicide. （2016年四川卷，C篇）

解析：which引导的非限制性定语从句补充说明的是the modern French Republic，文中提到the modern French Republic给这些当地人提供了现代的生活方式。故it指代的是the modern French lifestyle。

【考例2】 It didnt look that bad， and after the first wave had shut down my ability to smell， it didnt offend the nose so much， either. （2015年四川卷，B篇）

解析：由“after the first wave had shut down my ability to smell”可知，我的鼻子已基本没有闻的能力，所以它（炖汤） 再也不会使鼻子难受了，offend意为 “使难受（upset）”。

【考例3】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.（2013年全国卷II，C篇）

解析：根据画线词后面的非限制性定语从句“who think that they have a better knowledge of chocolate than others”所作的补充，可猜出chocolate snobs指的是对巧克力很講究的人（the people who are particular about chocolate）。

7. 利用所举例子来猜测词义。

有时考生可以用上下文所举的例子，运用具体到一般的归纳法来悟出某个单词或词组的含义。用来举例的常见词有：for example， for instance， such， such as， like， as， as...as等。

【考例】With the communication gadgets， such as mobile phones and ipads， people often do not take the effort to visit one another personally.（2014年江西卷，D篇）

解析：such as后列举的手机和ipad都是电子产品，所以可推测gadgets有“电子产品”之意。

8. 通过代词所指代内容猜测词义。

【考例1】 “My friends said：‘Now we believe your stories，” Welty added. “And I said：‘Now you know. These are the people that make me write them.”（2016年全国卷III，B篇）

解析：根据文章中的your stories，我们可知Welty写了一些stories，所以write them就是write stories。

【考例2】The familys old farm house has become a chicken house， its residents arriving next month.

解析：its 指代 “鸡屋的”， 鸡屋里面住的当然是鸡，故residents指的就是鸡。

9 . 通过构词法猜测词义。

在阅读中往往会遇到合成的或派生的生词，有时虽然从上下文线索很难猜出词义，但如果利用词缀知识加以分析，也不难捕捉这些词的词义。

【考例】My father visited an O.Henry expert at Columbia University in New York ， who authenticated the story as O.Henrys. （2014年陕西卷，B篇）

解析：画线词是authentic（真实的，真正的） 的派生词，根据句子结构可知画线词为动词，其意思为“验证，证明……为真”。

10. 熟词一定要推测其隐含意义。

考题中若是需要推测词义的是熟词，我们必须推测它在特定场合下的特殊意思，那些常规含义的选项一般不会是正确答案。字面意义也不会是正确答案，考查的往往是隐含意义。

【考例】When I was 12， all I wanted was a signet（图章） ring . They were the “in” thing and it seemed every girl except me had one. On my 13th birthday， my mom gave me a signet ring with my initials carved into it. I was in heaven. （2013年福建卷）

解析：in是大家都很熟悉的词，应该不是考察它的表面意思，and后的并列句告诉我们除了我之外每个女孩都有一个，所以in应该表示“时尚的，受欢迎的”之类意思。

四、强化训练

猜测句中画线部分的含义，并思考猜词技巧。

1. Green loves to talk and his brothers are similarly loquacious.

2. Most of the roses are beginning to wither because of the cold.

3. She is usually prompt for all her class， but today she arrived in the middle of her first class.

4. In the past the world seemed to run in an orderly way. Now， however， everything seems to be in a state of turmoil.

5. Rubber can be made to stretch more than nine times its normal length because it is very elastic.

6. When he reached the place with his army， he found an impassable river in front of him.

7. Some armed policemen have to wear bullet-proof vests， a piece of clothing that can protect their chests and that are used to stop bullets or a vest which cannot be passed through by bullets.

8. Today young couples often spend lots of their money on appliances， for instance， washing-machines， refrigerators and color televisions.

9. Since I could not afford to purchase the original painting， I bought a replica. An inexperienced eye couldnt tell the difference.

10.You can take any of the periodicals： Time Magazine， Newsweek， Readers Digest， etc.

11. Time is something from which we cant escape. Even if we ignore it， its still going by， ticking away， second by second， minute by minute， hour by hour. So the main issue in using your time well is， “Whos in charge？” We can allow time to slip by and let it be our enemy. Or we can take control of it and make it our ally.

A. Your slave and serves you.

B. Your supporter and helps you.

C. Under your control and obeys you.

D. Under your influence and follows you.

（參考答案见第80页）