李云標(biāo)
閱讀時(shí),我們總會(huì)遇到一些生詞,為了順利地進(jìn)行閱讀,我們經(jīng)常會(huì)根據(jù)上下文推斷一些生詞的大概意義。高考閱讀理解的猜測(cè)詞義題,主要涉及四種類型:熟詞新義、生僻單詞、詞組短句和代詞指代。一般情況下,我們可以通過(guò)它們所在句子的上下文語(yǔ)境信息直接猜測(cè)出來(lái)。當(dāng)不能直接猜出時(shí),就要把握全篇主旨,認(rèn)真比較各選項(xiàng)的含義,把它們分別代入原文,然后結(jié)合語(yǔ)境推斷出能夠使上下文語(yǔ)義順暢的選項(xiàng)。
下面結(jié)合2015年高考英語(yǔ)猜測(cè)詞義試題,舉例說(shuō)明上下文語(yǔ)境信息之間的邏輯關(guān)系。
[同義與反義]
為了避免重復(fù)使用同一個(gè)詞語(yǔ),多個(gè)同義詞、近義詞或反義詞會(huì)在上下文中出現(xiàn)。
例1 (2015新課標(biāo)Ⅰ卷) The fine selection of the major works was done in close collaboration with the Musco Nacional Reina Sofia in Madrid, Spain, and with contributions from other institutions like the Salvador Dali Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida.
31. What does the word “contributions” in the last paragraph refer to?
A. Artworks B. Projects
C. Donations D. Documents.
解析 A。短文大意:藝術(shù)家Salvador Dali的藝術(shù)風(fēng)格及相關(guān)作品。句意:精選的主要作品有兩個(gè)來(lái)源,既有與馬德里的一家藝術(shù)館的密切合作,又有來(lái)自于其他機(jī)構(gòu)(如佛羅里達(dá)州圣彼得堡的一家博物館)的藝術(shù)作品。注意劃線詞contributions前面的連詞and以及上文出現(xiàn)的同義詞語(yǔ)works(作品)。
例2 (2015福建卷) If youre tired of wandering around the gym wasting time and becoming bored, you can attend an upbeat group fitness class thatll keep your workout on track.
73. The underlined word “upbeat” in the second paragraph probably means “ ”.
A. cheerful B. average
C. serious D. temporary
解析 A。短文大意:團(tuán)體鍛煉有益于身體健康。句意:如果你厭倦了在健身房游蕩,感到心煩并且覺(jué)得很浪費(fèi)時(shí)間,那么參加集體健身課會(huì)讓你的鍛煉走上正軌。劃線詞upbeat應(yīng)與上文的“讓人厭倦、浪費(fèi)時(shí)間、讓你心煩”意思相反,即“令人愉快開(kāi)心的”。
點(diǎn)撥 運(yùn)用同義與反義的語(yǔ)境信息猜測(cè)詞義時(shí),要注意上下文的意思和其中的信號(hào)詞,如and, similarly, or, but, for another, on the contrary, on the other hand等,這些詞語(yǔ)下文的信息可能與上文的信息意思相同或者相反,要積累詞語(yǔ)的同義詞或近義詞(比如例1中原文中的works與選項(xiàng)中的artworks),還要注意從語(yǔ)境中歸納出與劃線部分相同或相反的信息,比如例2中的劃線詞upbeat與上文條件狀語(yǔ)從句描述的內(nèi)容就存在意思相反的邏輯關(guān)系。
[解釋與因果]
準(zhǔn)確地說(shuō)明某個(gè)事物或事件,常常需要進(jìn)行直接或間接的解釋;一定的原因?qū)е乱欢ǖ慕Y(jié)果,所以因果之間自有邏輯上的聯(lián)系。
例3 (2015江蘇卷) Egypt and Babylon were both tyrannies, one very powerful man ruling over helpless masses.
65. What does the underlined word “tyrannies” in Paragraph 2 refer to?
A. Countries where their people need help.
B. Powerful states with higher civilization.
C. Splendid empires where people enjoy freedom. D. Governments ruled with absolute power.
解析 D。短文大意:論述自由與責(zé)任相互依存的關(guān)系。句意:埃及和巴比倫都是這樣的國(guó)度——一個(gè)集權(quán)者統(tǒng)治著絕望的大眾的國(guó)度。下文中one very powerful man ruling over helpless masses就是對(duì)劃線詞tyrannies意義的解釋,即“暴政”。
例4 (2015新課標(biāo)Ⅱ卷) The set worked so beautifully when I first got it home that I would keep it on until stations signed off for the night. Fortunately, I didnt get any channels showing all-night movies or I would never have gotten to bed.
22. Which of the following can best replace the phrase “signed off” in Paragraph 1?
A. ended all their programs.
B. provided fewer channels.
C. changed to commercials.
D. showed all-night movies.
解析 A。短文大意:購(gòu)買(mǎi)電視后生活的變化。句意:把電視機(jī)帶回家之后,它運(yùn)行得非常好,以致于我會(huì)一直看到電視臺(tái)晚上停播;幸運(yùn)的是,沒(méi)有整晚播放電影的頻道,否則我是不會(huì)上床睡覺(jué)的??梢?jiàn),劃線詞signed off所在的句子與下文存在因果關(guān)系,即:因?yàn)椤皼](méi)有整晚播放的頻道”,所以“我”只是“一直看到停臺(tái)”而不會(huì)不眠不休。注意下文中的副詞Fortunately和連詞or。
點(diǎn)撥 運(yùn)用解釋與因果的語(yǔ)境信息猜測(cè)詞義時(shí),要注意上下文的意思及其中的信號(hào)詞,如because,as,since,for,so,thus,therefore,hence,as a result。有時(shí)這些詞匯會(huì)不出現(xiàn)(如例4),而namely,that is (to say),in other words等詞匯的下文常常是對(duì)上文的解釋。有時(shí)也用定語(yǔ)從句、同位語(yǔ)從句或獨(dú)立主格結(jié)構(gòu)來(lái)表示,比如,例3中劃線詞tyrannies的下文就是獨(dú)立主格結(jié)構(gòu)。
[描述與例證]
描述有助于更深入地、更生動(dòng)地了解人物或事件;例證則是通過(guò)舉例的方式把陌生的或抽象的事物生動(dòng)化、具體化。
例5 (2015四川卷) 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. I took a taste. It would never win a prize in a cooking competition, but it was surprisingly edible, and we drank up every last drop of soup.
36. What does the underlined word “offend” in the last paragraph mean?
A. To attract. B. To upset.
C. To air. D. To shut.
解析 B。短文大意:描寫(xiě)一位既是種植能手又是烹飪高手的父親。句意:父親的燉菜并沒(méi)有那么糟糕,第一次聞到讓我屏住氣息后就沒(méi)那么刺鼻了。我嘗了一口。雖然它決不會(huì)在烹飪大賽中獲獎(jiǎng),但是卻非常好吃,我們把它吃了個(gè)精光??梢?jiàn),作者對(duì)父親的燉菜的態(tài)度在變好。這里用了多個(gè)動(dòng)詞描述一系列的動(dòng)作或狀態(tài),didnt look, had shut down, took, would never win, was edible, drank up,還包括劃線詞didnt offend。offend在文中的大概意思是“讓(鼻子)不舒服”。
點(diǎn)撥 運(yùn)用描述與例證的語(yǔ)境信息猜測(cè)詞義時(shí),要準(zhǔn)確理解上下文所描述的情景,有時(shí)是一連串的動(dòng)作(如例5),有時(shí)是情緒的變化,有時(shí)是景色的描寫(xiě),因?yàn)樵~語(yǔ)的意義依賴于一定的描述。還要注意一些信號(hào)詞,如like,such as,for example,for instance,take ... for example等,還有例6中的including,這些詞語(yǔ)的下文就是對(duì)上文的例證。
[對(duì)比與轉(zhuǎn)折]
強(qiáng)調(diào)事物之間的區(qū)別或?qū)αr(shí),往往運(yùn)用對(duì)比或轉(zhuǎn)折的手法加強(qiáng)上下文之間的聯(lián)系。
例6 (2015浙江卷) While I was slow to accept that I would be the one to keep track of her shots, to schedule her vet appointments, to feed and clean her, Misty knew this on day one. As she looked up at the three new humans in her life (small, medium, and large), she calculated, “The medium one is the sucker in the pack.”
56. Which of the following is the closest in meaning to “The medium one is the sucker in the pack.” (Paragraph 3)
A. The middle-aged person loves me most.
B. The medium-sized woman is the hostess.
C. The man in the middle is the one who has the final say.
D. The woman is the kind and trustworthy one in the family.
解析 D。短文大意:小狗的陪伴讓作者享受到寧?kù)o的時(shí)光,看到了生活的希望。句意:雖然我慢慢地接受了要照顧Misty(守護(hù)她、看病、喂食、洗澡),而她卻在第一天就知道了。當(dāng)她抬頭看這三個(gè)人(女兒、妻子、丈夫)時(shí)就認(rèn)為,這個(gè)女士是最值得信任和最好心的人。與父女的做法形成鮮明的對(duì)比,作者先是沒(méi)想過(guò)到要養(yǎng)寵物,而第二天卻接過(guò)父女的手,這一點(diǎn)Mistty早就看出來(lái)了。
例7 (2015湖北卷) 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 and preserve much of the food they consume.
55. The underlined word “prerequisite” (Para. 1)is closest in meaning to “ ”.
A. recipe B. substitute
C. requirement D. challenge
解析 C。短文大意:記敘現(xiàn)代生活中自給自足的生活方式。句意:Theresa Loe現(xiàn)在做的事情證明,自給自足的生活不一定需要大農(nóng)場(chǎng)。憑借僅僅0.1英畝的土地,她們一家人就種植、裝罐并保存了她們所需要的大量食物。此處把大農(nóng)場(chǎng)a large farm與小塊地a mere 1/10 of an acre對(duì)比,不難看出:大農(nóng)場(chǎng)不一定“必不可少”。
點(diǎn)撥 運(yùn)用對(duì)比與轉(zhuǎn)折的語(yǔ)境信息猜測(cè)詞義時(shí),要注意其中的信號(hào)詞,如unlike,although,however,while,otherwise,instead of,rather than,in contrast,in spite of等。有時(shí)信號(hào)詞不出現(xiàn),得根據(jù)上下文的意思來(lái)把握,比如,例6中作者對(duì)待小狗的態(tài)度與父女倆的就截然相反,例7中的“大農(nóng)場(chǎng)”與“小塊地”也是鮮明的對(duì)比,對(duì)這類邏輯關(guān)系的理解可以幫助我們進(jìn)行合理的推測(cè)。
[代詞與指代]
代詞指代的總原則是就近承前指代,即指代在數(shù)、性、格、意義、邏輯等方面與之接近的名詞或名詞短語(yǔ)。
例8 (2015湖南卷) Its about time they had to be registered and insured, so when they do hit a pedestrian or a vehicle, or cause an accident, at least they can be treated and there might be an opportunity to claim.
59. The underlined word “they” in the third letter refers to .
A. accidents B. vehicles
C. pedestrians D. cyclists
解析 D。短文大意:交通安全隱患來(lái)自步行者還是騎自行車(chē)的人?句意:是時(shí)候該讓他們(騎自行車(chē)的人)注冊(cè)并投保了,當(dāng)他們撞著行人、車(chē)輛,或者造成事故時(shí),至少他們可以被追查問(wèn)責(zé),也可能有索賠的機(jī)會(huì)。注意劃線詞they上文中句子的主語(yǔ)也是they,這正是第三封信描述的對(duì)象cyclists。
例9 (2015福建卷) And dinner time seemed perfect for sharing what we had learned. We would talk about the news of the day; no matter how insignificant, it was never taken lightly.
61. The underlined word “it” in the second paragraph refers to “ ”.
A. one new thing B. a request
C. the news D. some comment
解析 C。短文大意:父親讓我們養(yǎng)成了吃飯時(shí)相互分享學(xué)到的東西的習(xí)慣。句意:晚餐時(shí)間是分享所學(xué)的最佳時(shí)間。我們會(huì)談?wù)撘惶斓男侣劊徽撝匾c否,都不可以等閑視之。注意劃線詞it指代上文中的單數(shù)名詞the news。
點(diǎn)撥 運(yùn)用代詞與指代的語(yǔ)境信息猜測(cè)詞義時(shí),要注意it,they,one,ones,that,those,this,these等代詞指代的內(nèi)容多在上文中(如例10中的劃線詞it),有時(shí)要結(jié)合文章大意來(lái)判斷(比如例9中的劃線詞they),還得把指代的內(nèi)容放在那個(gè)代詞的位置上,看一看上下文是否連貫,另外要注意代詞指代的內(nèi)容有時(shí)也會(huì)出現(xiàn)在下文中。
從以上的實(shí)例分析可以看出,上下文的語(yǔ)境信息常常包含有同義、反義、解釋、描述、例證、因果、對(duì)比、指代等多種邏輯關(guān)系,有時(shí)也會(huì)使用一些信號(hào)詞。這種關(guān)系使得文章的信息得以流動(dòng)起來(lái),從而形成了一個(gè)完整的語(yǔ)篇。而猜測(cè)詞義試題,考查的不是詞匯量的大小,而是要根據(jù)上下文中的已知信息對(duì)詞匯的具體意義和代詞的指代問(wèn)題進(jìn)行合理推測(cè)。所以,猜詞悟義的關(guān)鍵,就是要結(jié)合文章大意,準(zhǔn)確地領(lǐng)會(huì)語(yǔ)境的邏輯聯(lián)系。惟有如此,我們才能準(zhǔn)確地猜詞悟義。