□周智忠
(绍兴市教育教学研究院,浙江绍兴312000)
语言既是交流的工具,也是思维的工具。思维需要借助语言,而语言学习又能促进思维的发展[1]。《普通高中英语课程标准(2017年版)》将思维品质列为英语学科核心素养之一,明确了培养思维品质在英语教学中的重要地位,建议通过语言材料的选择、考查重点的设置和考试形式的设计等,直接或间接地考查学生的思维品质[2]94。
因此,思维品质不仅是英语阅读教学的主要目标,而且也成为阅读测试的主要诉求之一。如何在阅读理解测试中通过问题情境的设计达成直接或间接考查学生思维品质的目标要求,成为阅读理解命题和技术研究的重要内容。本研究通过分析2021年浙江省各地市的中考英语阅读理解题,试图构建思维品质在阅读理解测试中的显性考点,并反拨初中英语阅读教学。
思维品质是指思维在逻辑性、批判性、创新性等方面所表现的能力和水平。在教学中,教师应通过引导学生开展“观察与比较、分析与推断、归纳与建构、批判与创新”等学习活动,帮助他们发展思维品质。这也表明思维品质是隐性的,其内隐和贯穿于其他三个核心素养,具有从低阶到高阶循环提升的特点,同时可以通过一些外显的教学活动进行培养和发展。那么,在纸笔形式的阅读理解测试中,思维品质考查的显性考点应该指向哪里?
《普通高中英语课程标准(2017年版)》明确指出,命题时要从理解的对象和理解的层次设置试题的考查点[2]99。理解的对象包括语篇直接或间接提供的信息、事实、观点、情感和态度等。理解的层次包括识别、区分、归纳、分析、阐释和评价等。鉴于“理解层次”无法进行量化评价,本研究中我们主要采用“理解对象”这一概念对中考试卷中的思维品质显性考点进行分析说明。结合《义务教育英语课程标准(2011年版)》中阅读教学五级目标[3],我们将思维品质显性考点分成七个类别,并试图按思维品质的三个特性和八类围绕思维品质培养的学习活动,构建思维品质从水平特点、理解活动到显性考点的关系(如表1),便于一线教师进行阅读测试研究和教学实施。
表1 思维品质从水平特点、理解活动到显性考点的关系
本研究涵盖2021年浙江省11个地市中考英语试卷共10份(嘉兴与舟山同卷),试卷中的阅读理解题绝大多数为选择题。在题量上,除一份试卷为13题之外,其他试卷均有15题,10份试卷共148题。其中,考查细节理解的有67题,考查词义理解的有14题,考查主旨理解的有20题,考查语篇认知的有17题,考查目的意图的有6题,考查态度观点的有20题,考查预测与表达的有4题。总体上来看,将近一半试题为细节理解题,符合许多地市“两考合一”的现实需要。同时,主旨理解、语篇认知、态度观点等体现高阶思维的题目也占有很大比重,对初中英语阅读教学起着很好的导向作用。
学生思维品质的高低主要反映在思维的逻辑性、批判性和创造性的水平上。逻辑性是思维品质的基础形态,是其他两种属性得以养成的支架。在课堂教学中对学生思维的培养不应直接指向批判性思维或创造性思维,教师首先应考虑培养学生基于生活常识的逻辑思维[4]。同样,在中考阅读理解测试中,逻辑性思维考查亦是重点内容,主要的显性考点包括细节理解、词义理解、主旨理解以及语篇知识等。
1.细节理解
理解细节需要学生观察、比较、分析语言现象,实现对文本信息的整体解析。这既是学生需要掌握的最基本的阅读技能,又是阅读理解测试中最重要的考点之一,属于低阶的逻辑思维。分析发现,67个细节理解题大多只需要进行简单的信息转换,但部分题目也需要进行信息综合和逻辑推理,如杭州卷第18题:
18.Why did Ryan want to put up asign?
A.To welcomepeople.
B.To feed seaanimals.
C.To usetherubbish again.
D.To stop seapollution.
【原文节选】
...Then Derek and I put it back in the water.“I know!We should make a sign about not throwing rubbish into the sea,and put it in the sand on the beach,”I said.“I’ll help,too,”said Derek.“Great idea,boys.If we don’t all do something to stop sea pollution,these sea animalswill die.”
评析:原文中,Ryan首先说明他要做一块不要往海里扔垃圾的牌子,然后说如果不阻止海洋污染,海洋动物就会死亡。学生只有综合Ryan说的两句话并理解两者之间的逻辑关系,才能得出正确答案D。
2.词义理解
词义理解需要学生根据上下文逻辑关系和语法结构等方法推断出相关词义的含义,考点通常包括理解生词、指代用法等。词义理解也是阅读理解测试中指向逻辑思维的常见题型,今年10份卷子中共有14个词义理解题,其中理解生词和指代用法各7个。特别要指出的是,代词作为一种重要的连缀手段,其指代用法考查正变得越来越重要,如湖州卷第34题:
34.What does the underlined word“they”in thepassagerefer to?
A.Archeologists. B.Artists.
C.Researchers. D.Soldiers.
【原文节选】
...Chinese and German researchers have developed a chemical liquid(液体)to help save the soldiers’colors.After finding a soldier or another art piece,archeologists put the liquid on it.They then cover it in plastic.
评析:上文提到,当发现一个士兵或一件艺术品之后,考古学家就会把液体放到它们上面。然后,他们用塑料覆盖它们。根据话语逻辑,可以推断they指的就是archeologists。故正确选项为A。
3.主旨理解
主旨理解需要学生观察、比较、分析所含信息,然后抽象出核心信息,归纳中心大意。它需要较强的逻辑思维。10份试卷中均含有主旨理解题,有个别试卷多达3题。其中,标题类的有9题,全文大意类的有4题,段落大意类的有7题。相比较而言,标题类主旨理解题在信息综合、分析、归纳和概括的能力要求上会更高。如绍兴卷第37题:
37.What’sthebest titlefor thepassage?
A.A film about a dancer
B.A family in London
C.A placefor film-making
D.A life on film
【原文】
It’s been 100 years since the actor and filmmaker Charlie Chaplin produced the filmThe Kid,which many consider to be his greatest one.
Like all films at the time,The Kidwas made in black and white and was silent(made without any sound,not even the characters talking).The story is about the relationship between“the Tramp”,played by Chaplin,and his adopted(领养的)child,played by Jackie Coogan.The pair develop a partnership where the six-year-old boy breaks windows and runs away,so that Chaplin’s character can offer hisservices as a window fixer.
Although the film is a comedy,it also has some tragedy,reflecting Chaplin’s own life.He started testing actors for the role of the Kid just a few days after his baby son had died.Chaplin was known for being hard to please,and it is said that if he could,he would have played every role in every one of his films.When Chaplin visited a theatre,a dancer brought his son,Jackie Coogan,on stage,and Chaplin knew he had his co-star(联袂主演者).Chaplin later wrote,“All children in some form have talents;the trick is to bring it out in them.With Jackie it waseasy.”
Like the Kid in the film,Chaplin and his brother Sydney grew up very poor.They lived in London and were raised by their mother.When Chaplin was 10 years old,his mum became too ill to look after her sons,so they had to take care of themselves.He later wrote that the film sets inThe Kidwere based(基于)on the places where he and Sydney had lived with their mother as children.“Perhaps that’s why thefilm had sometruth,”hesaid.
评析:主旨理解通常需要学生注意区分主旨和用于支撑主旨的细节和事实之间的区别。此题中A、B和C三个选项只是文中出现的三个细节,只有选项D涵盖了文中关键信息:电影和卓别林的人生。故正确选型为D。
4.语篇知识
语篇知识是关于语篇是如何构成、语篇是如何表达意义以及人们在交流过程中如何使用语篇的知识。把握不同语篇的特定结构、文体特征和表达方式,不仅有助于学生加深对语篇意义的理解,还有助于它们使用不同的语篇进行有效的表达和交流。语篇知识考查是一个比较宽泛的考点,10份试卷中考查文章读者的有3题,考查文章结构的有3题,考查句子之间逻辑关系的有4题,考查文体特征的有5题,考查修辞的有2题。如衢州卷第37题:
37.What’s the structure of the passage?
【原文节选】
Do video games do harm to our children?Today,many children spend a lot of their free time playing games on the Internet.In the UK,99%of kids aged 8 to 15 play video games every week.This information tells us that the benefits and dangers of video games must be carefully considered.
For many people,video games are fun.They have bright lights,funny cartoons and exciting stories.Everywhere you look,you can see...
Video games are educational too.They make kids think in a creative way and they have to move their hands and eyes quickly.This can improve...
However,a recent study suggests that video games can also be bad for children.First,children can download many games for free.This means that parents often don’t know if their children are playing violent or scary games.Second,...
In conclusion,it seems clear that video games have some advantages and some disadvantages.It is up to parents to know what games their children are playing and how much time they spend on them.Parents should...
评析:该语篇结构清晰,整体结构为总—分—总。第1段点明主题:我们必须认真思考电子游戏的利弊,接下去三段具体分析了电子游戏的利(第2、3段)和弊(第4段),第5段以“In conclusion”开头,对整个语篇进行了总结。故正确答案为B。
再如台州卷第38题:
38.The writer develops the first sentence in Paragraph 2 mainly by________.
A.telling stories
B.comparing facts
C.giving examples
D.listing numbers
【原文节选】
Each day has a topic,which includes food and fashion,looking at how humans harm the environment and how to savetheplanet.Organizations are leading some online activities.For example,the Marine Conservation Society is hosting meetings on protecting sea fish.Separately,the environmental organization Greenpeace is running a workshop on how to turn worn-out clothing into something new and wearable.
评析:该题考查语篇的行文手法。which引导的定语从句对前文中的topic做了界定和具体说明,因此很容易得出正确答案为C。
批判性思维强调独立地思考、分析和判断,可以通过设置推理性、诠释性、评判性等问题来进行考查[5]。在阅读理解测试中,要求学生理解作者的写作目的、意图、观点和态度是考查批判性思维能力的主要途径。统计发现,10份试卷中考查写作目的和意图的有5题,考查态度和观点的有15题。
1.目的和意图
任何语篇都有潜在的写作目的和意图。因此,命题时我们需要思考语篇素材是在什么问题情境下产生的,生产该语篇素材是为了解决什么问题[6]。考查写作目的和意图通常可以从全文、段落甚至个别语言现象的视角命制题目,如嘉兴卷第27题:
27.Kelly and Mariaarementioned asan example in thispassage to________.
A.discuss two different study habits
B.comparethedifferencesin their hobbies
C.show the importance of a good study habit
D.express the writer's worry about their friendship
【原文节选】
You may study differently from your friends,but your study habitsarenot wrong!
Kelly and Maria are best friends with a lot in common.They love doing things together,such as going to movies and concerts,shopping,or just sitting at a small café.Since they take a lot of the same school subjects,they would love to study together,but they find this impossible.Their working styles are so completely different that they can’t be in the same room while they arestudying!
评析:该题从微观的角度考查了作者的写作意图。从文章第一段可以看出文章的主题是study habits,而后两个人物的例子是为了说明和展开文章主题,故正确答案为A。
2.态度和观点
在阅读中,正确理解作者的观点或态度无疑是重要的,它有助于加深学生对主题意义的理解。这类试题的答案一般无法在原文中直接找到,需要根据已知内容进行合理的逻辑推理,从而推测出作者并未说明却已在字里行间所暗示的某些观点、态度和看法[7]。如绍兴卷第44题:
44.The writer implies(暗示)in the passagethat_____.
A.the race to get tourists into space is becoming hot
B.there will be only four ways for visitors to reach space
C.the Stratollite is popular with space passengers
D.Richard,Jeff and Elon are all short of money
【原文节选】
Now Neptune faces competition from the Stratollite,a balloon being developed by a company called World View Enterprises,while the super-rich Richard Branson,Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk are all pouring money into developing business space flying machines.The advantage of the balloon is that it will be cheaper than a space plane or rocket.
评析:该题考查作者对未来太空旅游业的看法,虽然没有明确说明,但从文中我们可以发现有很多公司都在该领域投入了大量的资金,说明竞争很激烈,故答案为A。
创新是理解和批判作为脚手架的成果的体现,也是对理解和批判环节的应用和迁移。学生在形成自我认知后,需要借助词语和句式来实现思想、情感的创造性表达[8]。阅读理解测试可以通过预测故事的结局或发展线索以及读后表述的方式来考查创造性思维。10份试卷中总共有4个指向思维创造性的题目,如金华卷第45题:
45.What would Miranda probably do after breakfast?
A.Shewould go to seethedoctor.
B.Shewould go to bed and havearest.
C.She would join her team members.
D.Shewould join her mother inthekitchen.
【原文节选】
...She shook her head to clear her thoughts and got ready to join her mother.As she walked into the kitchen,her mother gave her a big smile.Immediately,Miranda felt comforted.If nothing else,she at least knew one thing was certain.She was not alone in this and that would make all the difference,no matter what theday would bring.
评析:该文本讲述了作者早上因为腿疼而担心是否还能参加每天的晨跑活动,后来因为见到妈妈脸上灿烂的微笑,心情平静了下来,并且觉得“那点疼”并不会有多大影响,因此可以推断作者会继续参加晨跑活动。故正确答案为C。
再如温州卷第40题:
40.What makes the writer’s newspapers survive and grow?
评析:该题没有唯一答案,具有较大的开放性。它要求考生在阅读文本之后,融合文本信息、寓意和自身已有的知识、经验,在分析、推理、概括的基础上进行创造性表达,考查学生的高阶思维。
阅读课堂教学之所以与中考存在落差,最根本的一点就是教师只凭经验教学,而没有思考和学习的意识[9]。随着评价改革的深入,目前的中考阅读理解测试无论在材料选择、考点设置、题目类型等方面都发生了积极的变化,特别是在思维品质的考查方面,高阶思维正逐渐成为考查的热点。鉴于此,笔者建议在日常教学中做好以下两点:
教师要引导学生进行大量的课外阅读,接触、感知、体验原汁原味的语言,进而通过大量的语言输入促进语言的输出。建议教师在单元阅读教学中结合单元话题补充必要的文本材料,有目的地培养学生的体裁理解能力。内容上要选用真实、地道的语言材料,所选材料既要有广告、海报、信息表、天气预报等应用文,又要考虑诗歌、小说、剧本、新闻等多种文种,让学生读懂相应水平的常见体裁的读物,在各类真实、有效的阅读材料中逐渐培养和提升阅读能力。教师还要有意识地引导学生关注文本特征,引导学生辨别不同文体的独有特点,体会和感悟同类文体的共同点。另外,教师应根据不同文本和不同的阅读目的指导学生运用不同的阅读策略,如略读、扫读、预测等,以提高阅读效率。
阅读不仅要理解文字的表层含义,更要理解深层次的含义以及作者表达的思想和情感。所以,教师应做到:充分解读文本,全面挖掘阅读文本的价值,在阅读中引导学生辨析语言和文化中的各种现象;分类、概括信息,建构新概念;分析信息的逻辑关系,推断文本的隐含意义;分析篇章的结构,揣测作者的写作意图;识别文本的表意手段,正确评价各种观点,理性表达自己的观点等。深度挖掘并充分解析阅读文本,不仅能激发学生在语境中理解语言的能力,培养学生用英语进行多元思维的能力,也能培养学生在阅读文本中学习写作手法的意识,为写作环节做好铺垫,从而实现在阅读教学中渗透英语学科核心素养的融合发展。