詞義推測題解題技巧

齊永波

詞義推測是檢驗(yàn)考生閱讀能力的一種方式，多年來，全國新課標(biāo)卷中通?？?～2題。大家想一想，我們在閱讀中文材料，特別是在閱讀古典小說時(shí)，是不是常常碰到不認(rèn)識(shí)的字，但我們可以通過我們的生活經(jīng)驗(yàn)、通過上下文順利地閱讀下去？其實(shí)，英語也一樣，我們大可不必每見一個(gè)生詞就去查詞典，我們可以通過掌握一些猜詞技巧來提高閱讀速度和效率，從而達(dá)到理解句子或文章的目的。下面，讓我們共同走進(jìn)閱讀理解詞義推測題。

一、提問方式

1. What does the word“contributions”in the last paragraph refer to？（2015全國新課標(biāo)I卷）

2. Which of the following can best replace the phrase “signed off”in Paragraph 1？（2015全國新課標(biāo)II卷）

3. What does the underlined word“restored”in the last paragraph mean？（2014全國新課標(biāo)II卷）

二、解題技巧

技巧1. 根據(jù)定義或解釋、說明猜測生詞的詞義

在be，be called，call ，that is，in other words等判斷詞出現(xiàn)的判斷句中，或生詞后有定語從句或破折符號(hào)時(shí)，可以根據(jù)已知部分，猜測生詞的含義。

[例1] It will be very hard but also very brittle...that is， it will break easily.

從后面的解釋中我們可以知道brittle 是“脆”的意思。

[例2] The herdsman， who looks after sheep， earns about 650 yuan a year.

通過理解定語從句的意思，能猜出herdsman是“牧人”之意。

技巧2. 根據(jù)對(duì)比關(guān)系猜測生詞的詞義

在but，unlike，not，however，in contrast，while，yet，otherwise，though這些表示轉(zhuǎn)折或?qū)Ρ纫饬x的連詞出現(xiàn)的句子中，其前后的詞有明顯的對(duì)比關(guān)系，通過這種對(duì)比關(guān)系，就很容易猜出生詞的詞義了。

[例1] Though Toms face has been washed quite clean， his neck still remains grubby. 和clean意思相對(duì)的便是“骯臟的”，因此可猜出句中g(shù)rubby的意思是“骯臟的”。

[例2] Andrew is one of the most supercilious men I know. His brother， in contrast， is quite humble and modest. The underlined word means ______.

A. proud B. clever C. quick D. hard-working

該例中supercilious 對(duì)許多人來說可能都是個(gè)生詞，但是句中的短語in contrast可以提示我們supercilious和后面的詞組humble and modest（謙卑又謙虛）是對(duì)比關(guān)系。分析出這種關(guān)系后，我們便能猜出supercilious意為“目空一切的，傲慢的”。

技巧3. 通過因果關(guān)系猜測詞義

我們知道，because， since與as引導(dǎo)原因狀語從句，so引導(dǎo)表示結(jié)果的句子，so...that與such...that中的that引導(dǎo)結(jié)果狀語從句。通過因果關(guān)系，依據(jù)已知部分就能猜出生詞的詞義。

[例1] She wanted the hairdresser to trim her hair a bit because it was too long.

根據(jù)because從句所講的意思，我們就可推測trim是“修剪”之意。

[例2] The lack of movement caused the muscles to weaken. Sometimes the weakness was permanent. So the player could never play the sport again.

從后面的結(jié)果“永遠(yuǎn)不能再運(yùn)動(dòng)”，可以推測 permanent 的意思為“永遠(yuǎn)的，永久的”。

技巧4. 根據(jù)生活常識(shí)猜測詞義

根據(jù)自身的生活經(jīng)驗(yàn)及生活常識(shí)，聯(lián)系上下文能讀懂的部分，運(yùn)用邏輯推理，可以正確猜出詞義。

[例1] Most of the roses are beginning to wither because of the cold.

根據(jù)句子意思及生活經(jīng)驗(yàn)，wither表示“枯萎”。

[例2] The snake slithered through the grass.

A. run B. walk C. slide D. fly

假如沒學(xué)過slither 這個(gè)單詞，根據(jù)有關(guān)蛇的生活習(xí)性，我們也可以推斷出slither意為“滑行”而決不是“跑”“走”或“飛”。

技巧5. 根據(jù)同等關(guān)系猜測詞義

同等關(guān)系，指的是一個(gè)詞、一組詞或短語在句中作同一成分，而且它們的詞義都屬于同一范疇。這樣的詞組或短語中間常常用并列連詞and或or來連接。

[例1] At forty-two he was in his prime and always full of energy.

從“年齡42歲”以及與prime具有同等關(guān)系的full of energy可以猜出prime的意思是“盛年時(shí)期”。

[例2] Capacitance， or the ability to store electric charge， is one of the most common characteristics of electronic circuits.

由同位語or the ability to store electric charge，我們可以猜出生詞capacitance的詞義是“電容量”。

技巧6. 根據(jù)列舉的事例猜測詞義

根據(jù)such as， like，for example， for instance等引出的例子推測出生詞的意思。

[例1] You can take any of the periodicals like“The World of English”. “Foreign Language Teaching in Schools”or “English Learning”.

從后面列舉的例子中，可以猜出periodical是“期刊，雜志”的意思。

[例2] On the farm they mainly raise poultry， such as chickens， ducks and geese， for their eggs and meat.

從后面的chickens， ducks and geese可以猜出poultry是“家禽”的意思。

技巧7. 根據(jù)構(gòu)詞法知識(shí)猜測詞義

根據(jù)學(xué)過的構(gòu)詞法知識(shí)，知道詞根和前綴或后綴的意義，就可猜出由它們組成的新詞詞義。例如：

Perhaps， we can see some possibilities for next fifty years.

possibility 是 possible 的同根名詞， 據(jù)此可以斷定 possibility 的意思是“可能性”。

技巧8. 根據(jù)上下文來猜測詞義

有時(shí)，我們可借助上下文語境對(duì)生詞或短語進(jìn)行推測。請看下段材料：

Many plants and animals are going extinct. Mammoths，which are related with Asia elephants，are now extinct. There are no mammoths in the world today.

題1：A mammoth is a kind of ________.

A. plant B. bird C. animal D. tree

從下文which are related with Asia elephants可知mammoth是一種動(dòng)物。因此，答案為C。

題2.：The word“extinct”in the passage means _____.

A. endangered B. dangerous C. not existing D. living

根據(jù)下文There are no mammoths in the world today我們就容易推斷出extinct的意思為“滅絕了”。故選C。

三、真題分析

[例1]（2010重慶卷）One morning more than thirty years ago， I entered the Track Kitchen， a restaurant where everyone from the humblest（卑微的）to the most powerful came for breakfast. I noticed an empty chair next to an elderly， unshaven man， who looked somewhat disheveled. He was wearing a worn-out hat and was alone. I asked if I might join him. He agreed quietly and I sat down to have my breakfast.

56. What does the underlined word“disheveled”mean？

A. unfriendly B. untidy C. gentle D. kind

解題技巧：根據(jù)定義或解釋、說明猜測生詞的詞義。

解題過程：題中an elderly， unshaven man是定語從句who looked somewhat disheveled的先行詞，此處unshaven意為“未刮臉的”“未剃須的”；后文還講到這個(gè)老人戴著一頂破舊的帽子，老者的形象，不難推斷出正確答案為B。

[例2]（2008廣東卷）“I would never have said to my mom， Hey， the new Weezer album is really great. How do you like it？”says Ballmer.“There was just a complete gap in taste.” Music was not the only gulf. From clothing and hairstyles to activities and expectations， earlier generations of parents and children often appeared to move in separate orbits.

41. The underlined word gulf in Para. 3 most probably means _______.

A. interest B. distance C. difference D. separation

解題技巧：根據(jù)列舉的事例猜測詞義。

解題過程：前文講到媽媽和孩子在music方面存在著a complete gap，后面又說到他們在clothing和hairstyles方面也經(jīng)常to move in separate orbits（在不同的軌道上），由此可以判斷出正確選項(xiàng)應(yīng)該是C。

[例3]（2014北京卷）Some years ago， the focus for brand name shopping was on a few people with sales assistantsdisproving attitude and dont-touch-what-you-cant-afford displays. Now the rise of electronic commerce（e-commerce）has opened up famous brands to a wider audience. But while e-shops can use sights and sounds， only bricks-and-mortar stores（實(shí)體店）can offer a full experience from the minute customers step through the door to the moment they leave. Another brand store seeks to be much more than a shop， but rather a destination. And scent is just one way to achieve this.

69. The underlined word“destination”in Paragraph 5 means _______ .

A. a platform that exhibts goods

B. a spot where travelers like to stay

C. a place where customers love to go

D. a target that a store expects to meet

解題技巧：根據(jù)對(duì)比關(guān)系猜測生詞的詞義。

解題過程：destination的本意是“目的地”，與上面提到的shop場地相通，但意義迥異，不僅是購物的地方，更多的是一種購物的完整體驗(yàn)，有視覺、聽覺和味覺的多重享受。這里的意義是針對(duì)消費(fèi)者而言的，而不是商店或商家。A、D選項(xiàng)都是針對(duì)商家說的，而B跟文章沒有關(guān)系，故本題選C。

[例4]（2015 廣東卷）In recent years， many writers have begun to speak the“decline of class”and“classless society”in Britain. And in modern day consumer society everyone is considered to be middle class.

But pronouncing the death of class is too early. A recent wide-ranging society of public opinion found 90 percent of people still placing themselves in particular class； 73 percent agreed that class was still a vital part of British society； and 52 percent thought there were still sharp class differences. Thus， class may not be culturally and politically obvious， yet it remains an important part of British society. Britain seems to have a love of stratification.

42. The word“stratification”in Paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to ________.

A. variety B. most people belong to middle class

C. authority D. qualification

解題技巧：根據(jù)上下文來猜測詞義。

解題過程：通過前段最后一句話可知，消費(fèi)社會(huì)的每個(gè)人都被認(rèn)為是中產(chǎn)階層；第二段關(guān)于英國社會(huì)階級(jí)是否開始消亡的調(diào)查顯示：絕大多數(shù)人仍然認(rèn)為英國社會(huì)中存在不同的階級(jí)，這是英國社會(huì)中重要的一部分。由此可知，英國人好像對(duì)階級(jí)劃分非常熱衷。stratification（劃分），跟B選項(xiàng)是同義詞，故選B。

[例5]（2015 北京卷）The objects around you are visible because they interact with light. Light typically travels in a straight line. But some materials slow and scatter（散射）light， bouncing it away from its original path. Others absorb light， stopping it dead in its tracks. Both scattering and absorption make an object look different from other objects around it， so you can see it easily.

64. The underlined word “dead” in Paragraph 3 means .

A. silently B. gradually C. regularly D. completely

解題技巧：根據(jù)生活常識(shí)猜測詞義。

解題過程：在了解大意后獲知：你能看到的物體一種是對(duì)光進(jìn)行了散射，而另外一種是對(duì)光線的吸收。再結(jié)合常識(shí)可以確定，既然吸收了，那在光的傳播過程中就完全阻止了，因此這里的dead是“完全的”意思。故選D。

[例6]（2015 全國I卷）The exhibition shows how Dali draws the viewer between two infinities（無限）. “From the infinity small to the infinity large， contraction and expansion coming in and out of focus： amazing Flemish accuracy and the showy Baroque of old painting that he used in his museum-theatre in Figueras，”explains the Pompidou Centre.

The fine selection of the major works was done in close collaboration（合作）with the Museo Nacional Reina Sofia in Madrid， Spain， and with contributions from other institutions like the Salvador Dali Museum in St. Petersburg.

31. What does the word“contributions”in the last paragraph refer to？

A. artworks B. projects C. donations D. documents

解題技巧： 據(jù)同等關(guān)系猜測詞義。

解題過程：在了解本段大意的基礎(chǔ)上，不難發(fā)現(xiàn)前段中的exhibition，old painting，museum-theatre和后段中的works屬于同一范疇，因此可以推斷出contribution為“藝術(shù)作品”之一。故選A。

[例7]（2015 全國II卷）My color television has given me nothing but a headache. I was able to buy it a little over a year ago because I had my relatives give me money for my birthday instead of clothes that wouldnt fit. I let a salesclerk fool me into buying a discontinued model. I realized this a day later， when I saw newspaper advertisements for the set at seventy-five dollars less than I had paid. The set worked so beautiful 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

解題技巧：通過因果關(guān)系猜測詞義。

解題過程：so...that中的that引導(dǎo)結(jié)果狀語從句。電視機(jī)剛抱回家里狀況非常好，所以作者愛不釋手；再根據(jù)后一句，幸運(yùn)的是，我不用整晚看電影了，否則我不能睡覺了，由此可以判斷出作者之前應(yīng)該是看電視直到電視節(jié)目結(jié)束，故正確答案為A。

通過對(duì)以上試題的分析不難發(fā)現(xiàn)，實(shí)際閱讀中不能只靠某一種方法來解決猜詞問題，必須在讀懂大意的基礎(chǔ)上，充分利用已知信息，結(jié)合上下文，綜合運(yùn)用各種猜詞技巧才能提高推斷的準(zhǔn)確性。要做到嫻熟地運(yùn)用各種技巧，必須做一些有針對(duì)性的訓(xùn)練。

四、即時(shí)練習(xí)

單句練習(xí) 選出與句中畫線部分意義相同或相近的選項(xiàng)。

1. The war damaged his psyche； he was no longer able to think clearly.（因果關(guān)系）

A. mind B. body C. strength D. life-style

2. She is usually prompt for all her classes，but today she arrives quite late.（對(duì)比關(guān)系）

A. on time B. late C. nervous D. excited

3. The group was clearly homogeneous； every member came from the same age and income group.（同等關(guān)系）

A. of the different class B. similar in ones hobbies

C. different in social position D. of the same kind

4. Mr. Morgan can be sad in private， though in public he is extremely cheerful.（對(duì)比關(guān)系）

A. at home B. when alone C. in person D. at work

5. I was deeply impressed by the hostesss hospitality and enjoyed the dinner party very much.（同等關(guān)系）

A. illness B. coldness

C. kindness and warmness D. cooking skill

6. Black clouds， thunder and lighting show that a storm is imminent.（生活常識(shí)）

A. coming B. impossible C. avoidable D. terrible

7. When people become unemployed， it is idleness that is often worse than lack of wages.（定義或解釋）

A. laziness B. inability

C. having nothing to do D. having little money

8. The disease depopulated the village.（構(gòu)詞法）

A. spread very quickly in B. destroyed

C. developed D. reduced the number of people sharply

9. He is a resolute man. Once he made up his mind to do something， he wont give it up halfway.（上下文）

A. weak B. firm C. kind D. clever

10. Children are always boasting. They say things like“My Dads car is bigger than your Dads，”“My Mom is smarter than yours.”and“My family has more money than yours.”

The word“boasting”means _____.（列舉事例）

A. 驕傲 B. 吹牛 C. 頑皮 D. 幼稚

語篇練習(xí)

11. The following year， he met John Ridgway and was hired as an instructor at Ridgways School of Adventure in Scotland， where he learned about Ridgways cold-water exploits. Greatly interested， Saunders read all he could about North Pole explorers and adventures， then decided that this would be his future...

The underlined word“exploits”is closet in meaning to_______.

A. journeys B. researches C. adventures D. operations

12. The animals are kept together in small spaces， with no privacy and little opportunity for mental and physical exercise. This results in unusual and self-destructive behavior called zoochosis. A worldwide study of zoos found that zoochosis is common among animals kept in small spaces or cages. Another study showed that elephants spend 22 percent of their time making repeated head movements or biting cage bars and bears spend 30percent of their time walking back and forth， a sign of unhappiness and pain.

In the state of zoochosis， animals _______

A. remain in cages B. behave strangely

C. attack other animals D. enjoy moving around

13. Many weight-conscious people also mistakenly believe that changing our bodies will fix everything. Perhaps our worst mistake is believing that being thin equals being loved， being special， and being cherished. We fantasize about what it will be like when we reach the long-awaited goal. We work very hard to realize this dream. Then， at last， we find ourselves there.

But we often gain back what we have lost. Even so， we continue to believe that next time it will be different. Next time， we will keep it off. Next time， being thin will finally fulfill its promise of everlasting happiness， self-worth， and， of course， love.

What does the underlined word“everything”in Paragraph 2 mean？

A. all the problems B. all the properties

C. the whole world D. the absolute truth

14. A pet has become known throughout his neighborhood as “Denis the Evil”after stealing more than one hundred garments from his nearly homes and gardens. The real-life cat burglar has a weakness for stealing and has taken all kinds of things， which he takes home to his embarrassed owner Lesley Newman， aged 49. Over a crime record of 18 months Deniss stolen goods include a bath towel， a belt， a football， five paint brushes， a pair of slippers， a shirt， a foll and a pair of gloves. Victims of the two-year-old black and white cat often turn up at Mrs Newmans home in Luton， when their belongings go missing.

What does the underlined phrase in the first paragraph probably mean？

A. criticizes B. doubts C. hates D. Likes

15. When their American identity was called into question during a follow-up study， Asian-American participants also tended to choose typical American dishes， such as hamburgers and cheese sandwiches. In that experiment， 55 Asian-Americans were asked to choose a meal from a local Asian or American restaurant. Some participants were told that only Americans could participate in the study. Those who chose the more typical American fare ended up consuming an extra 182 calories， including 12 grams of fat and 7 grams of saturated fat （飽和脂肪）.

The underlined word“fare”in Paragraph 4 most probably means .

A. food offered as a meal B. a person taking a taxi

C. money spent on food D. an arranged thing to do

答案與解析

1-5 AADBC 6-10 ACDBB

11. C 根據(jù)那所學(xué)校名稱“Ridgways School of Adventure”以及由where引導(dǎo)的定語從句所作的解釋，可知其是一所探險(xiǎn)培訓(xùn)學(xué)校；下文中“about North Pole explorers and adventures”是對(duì)其授課內(nèi)容的進(jìn)一步說明，而“explorers and adventures”正是目標(biāo)詞exploits的語義再現(xiàn)。

12. B 根據(jù)下文示例解釋可猜zoochosis的意思大概是“公園動(dòng)物精神病”，據(jù)此推斷患這種病癥的動(dòng)物心情煩躁，行為反常。

13. A 根據(jù)文章中的“being thin equals being loved， being special， and being cherished...”可知， 減肥意味著什么，即解決什么問題。所以A正確。

14. D 根據(jù)文中的意思：The real-life cat burglar

stealing 這只貓喜歡偷東西。A項(xiàng)“批評(píng)”；B項(xiàng)“懷疑”；C項(xiàng)“憎恨”；D項(xiàng)“喜歡”。

15. A 結(jié)合上文中的“In that experiment， 55 Asian-Americans were asked to choose a meal from a local Asian or American restaurant.”以及畫線詞后面的內(nèi)容可推知畫線詞表示的是提供的食物。

綜上所述，利用各種已知信息推測、判斷詞義是一項(xiàng)重要的閱讀技巧。在實(shí)踐中，我們可以靈活運(yùn)用，綜合運(yùn)用上面提到的幾種猜測技巧，排除生詞的障礙，順利理解文章的思想內(nèi)容，提高閱讀速度。記住，高考試題側(cè)重于考查通過上下文猜測詞義的能力。

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