吳敏
摘 要:作為英語(yǔ)語(yǔ)言學(xué)習(xí)和高考的重中之重,閱讀教學(xué)備受廣大高中英語(yǔ)教師的關(guān)注。筆者通過分析制約學(xué)生取得高分的因素和新鮮語(yǔ)篇輸入的重要性,以新概念英語(yǔ)教學(xué)為例,探究高三課堂新鮮語(yǔ)篇輸入的方法和有效性。
【關(guān)鍵詞】英語(yǔ)閱讀;新鮮語(yǔ)篇;新鮮語(yǔ)篇輸入
1 閱讀的重要性
眾所周知,世界各國(guó)間激烈的競(jìng)爭(zhēng)和日益緊密的聯(lián)系賦予了英語(yǔ)這門語(yǔ)言學(xué)科在教學(xué)中的重要地位。英語(yǔ)作為一門語(yǔ)言學(xué)科,是聽、說(shuō)、讀、寫有機(jī)結(jié)合的整體,各項(xiàng)技能在語(yǔ)言學(xué)習(xí)中相輔相成、相互促進(jìn)。作為四項(xiàng)基本技能之一的閱讀,是掌握英語(yǔ)語(yǔ)言知識(shí)、獲取信息、提高語(yǔ)言應(yīng)用能力的基礎(chǔ)。在英語(yǔ)學(xué)習(xí)中,閱讀起著主導(dǎo)作用,它往往決定著其它三種技能的發(fā)展和提高,有助于培養(yǎng)良好的語(yǔ)感,形成正確的英語(yǔ)思維,是中學(xué)英語(yǔ)教學(xué)過程中不可忽視的一環(huán)。國(guó)內(nèi)外教育學(xué)家一直強(qiáng)調(diào)以大量閱讀為主要方法來(lái)增加學(xué)生的語(yǔ)言輸入量,進(jìn)而提高英語(yǔ)語(yǔ)言技能。
同時(shí),新課程標(biāo)準(zhǔn)要求學(xué)生能從一般文章中獲取和處理主要信息;能理解文章主旨和作者意圖;能通過上下文猜測(cè)生詞意思,理解語(yǔ)篇意義;能通過文章中的線索進(jìn)行推理;能根據(jù)需要從網(wǎng)絡(luò)等資源中獲取信息;能閱讀適合高中生的英語(yǔ)報(bào)刊或雜志等,對(duì)高中英語(yǔ)閱讀教學(xué)和學(xué)生閱讀能力提出了很高的要求。閱讀理解是吸收書面信息的手段,是人們對(duì)書面信息進(jìn)行認(rèn)知并且構(gòu)建深層理解的心理過程,是語(yǔ)言發(fā)展的一項(xiàng)重要活動(dòng)。閱讀能力是一種語(yǔ)言的綜合能力,是書面交際中通過文字積極獲取信息的能力。
江蘇省考試說(shuō)明要求考生在30分鐘的時(shí)間內(nèi)閱讀4篇不同題材、體裁的短文并完成文章后的題目。不僅考查考生快速捕捉信息、準(zhǔn)確理解特定細(xì)節(jié)以及復(fù)雜句子的能力,而且考查考生通過文章的表層進(jìn)行合理推斷、挖掘文章隱含意義的能力。近幾年,江蘇省高考的閱讀理解加大了對(duì)考生理解、概括、推理和判斷力的考查。閱讀理解30分,在整張?jiān)嚲碇姓加蟹浅V匾谋戎夭⑶以诳荚囍衅鹬浅jP(guān)鍵的作用,可謂 “得閱讀者得天下”。
因此,無(wú)論從英語(yǔ)作為一門語(yǔ)言學(xué)科的特點(diǎn),還是從新課程標(biāo)準(zhǔn)的以及目前高考英語(yǔ)試題結(jié)構(gòu)來(lái)看,閱讀在高中英語(yǔ)教學(xué)中都具有非常重要的地位。
2 制約學(xué)生取得閱讀高分的因素
詞匯量大,篇幅長(zhǎng),長(zhǎng)難句較多是近年來(lái)高考閱讀的特點(diǎn)。如2014年江蘇省英語(yǔ)高考卷中D篇有696個(gè)單詞,2015年D篇長(zhǎng)達(dá)605個(gè)單詞,2016年D篇?jiǎng)t有686個(gè)單詞。有專家測(cè)算江蘇考生閱讀速度大約應(yīng)為每分鐘130詞。正如英國(guó)著名的語(yǔ)言學(xué)家D.A.Wilkins曾經(jīng)說(shuō)過,“沒有語(yǔ)法,能表達(dá)的內(nèi)容很少,沒有詞匯則什么也表達(dá)不了”。學(xué)生的詞匯量小是制約學(xué)生取得高分的至關(guān)重要的一個(gè)原因。不難想象,一個(gè)連單詞都記不清、只學(xué)會(huì)寥寥數(shù)個(gè)單詞、胸?zé)o點(diǎn)墨之人,如何能看懂語(yǔ)篇所表達(dá)的意思?更無(wú)從寫出好文章。學(xué)生只有通過廣泛閱讀各種語(yǔ)篇,背誦大量的詞匯、長(zhǎng)短句乃至整篇的文章,才能做到有效積累,掌握考綱要求的3500詞及500個(gè)常用詞組,閱讀理解中才能不因?yàn)椴皇煜卧~而不能理解句子、段落甚至語(yǔ)篇的含義。同時(shí),廣泛地獲取素材,寫作也水到渠成。
知識(shí)面窄,是制約學(xué)生取得高分的另一個(gè)因素。江蘇省高考中考查的知識(shí)面廣,涉及政治、經(jīng)濟(jì)、文化、地理、歷史、生物、科技等等各個(gè)方面。如:馬克·吐溫小說(shuō)評(píng)論、機(jī)會(huì)成本、“生氣”的影響、志愿者服務(wù)社會(huì)、自由與責(zé)任、人類與黑猩猩、厄爾尼諾等等。閱讀可以使學(xué)生開闊眼界、了解西方風(fēng)俗文化。語(yǔ)言是文化的結(jié)晶和載體,文化又影響著語(yǔ)言。而江蘇省目前的牛津教材閱讀量極為有限,無(wú)法滿足提高學(xué)生英語(yǔ)閱讀能力的要求。正如魯梅哈特(Rumelhart)曾經(jīng)指出,一個(gè)讀者不能正確理解一篇文章的原因可能有三種情況:其中之一是讀者不具備與文章內(nèi)容相關(guān)的圖式。也就是學(xué)生缺乏對(duì)與文章主題有關(guān)的內(nèi)容熟悉度或關(guān)于文章內(nèi)容的過去經(jīng)驗(yàn)和背景知識(shí),也會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)文章晦澀難懂。反之,足夠的背景知識(shí)又能幫助學(xué)習(xí)者預(yù)測(cè)、驗(yàn)證、消除歧義,加深讀者對(duì)文章的理解。通過大量的閱讀,學(xué)生可以了解到不同國(guó)家的歷史地理、政治經(jīng)濟(jì)、文學(xué)哲學(xué)、宗教、科技等,從而不僅促進(jìn)了英語(yǔ)的學(xué)習(xí),還使學(xué)生增長(zhǎng)了知識(shí),增加了閱歷,豐富了生活。可見,大量地閱讀有助于英語(yǔ)各種技能的提高,增強(qiáng)語(yǔ)感,了解西方風(fēng)俗文化,形成英語(yǔ)思維。因此,英語(yǔ)閱讀教學(xué)中新鮮語(yǔ)篇的輸入尤為重要。
3 新鮮語(yǔ)篇輸入的重要性
進(jìn)行新鮮語(yǔ)篇輸入,不僅可以使學(xué)生鞏固課本所學(xué)的語(yǔ)言基礎(chǔ)知識(shí)結(jié)構(gòu)和閱讀技巧,而且還能開闊學(xué)生的眼界和知識(shí)面,使他們熟悉各種文章體裁和風(fēng)格,從而提高他們閱讀各種文體的適應(yīng)能力。同時(shí),也是吸收英語(yǔ)語(yǔ)言材料、拓展和豐富語(yǔ)言知識(shí)、擴(kuò)大詞匯量的重要手段之一,可以為英語(yǔ)口語(yǔ)、聽力和寫作能力的發(fā)展打下堅(jiān)實(shí)的基礎(chǔ),也能使學(xué)生從英語(yǔ)的閱讀中逐漸意識(shí)到學(xué)習(xí)英語(yǔ)的真正價(jià)值和樂趣所在,繼而在高中的英語(yǔ)學(xué)習(xí)中使學(xué)生們樹立學(xué)好英語(yǔ)的自信心。此外,增加新鮮語(yǔ)篇輸入,能幫助學(xué)生培養(yǎng)語(yǔ)感,鍛煉英語(yǔ)的使用能力和加強(qiáng)思維能力。
高三課堂教學(xué),尤其是模塊十一教學(xué)結(jié)束以后,很多學(xué)校就進(jìn)行機(jī)械式的試卷講練教學(xué)。其實(shí),一味的做題講題會(huì)讓學(xué)生覺得英語(yǔ)學(xué)習(xí)枯燥無(wú)味,學(xué)習(xí)缺乏樂趣,逐漸導(dǎo)致學(xué)生學(xué)習(xí)的積極主動(dòng)性下降。適時(shí)地補(bǔ)充新鮮語(yǔ)篇,既能拓展學(xué)生的知識(shí)面、擴(kuò)大詞匯量,適應(yīng)了高考的要求,又能給高三英語(yǔ)學(xué)習(xí)增加生動(dòng)性和趣味性,可以說(shuō)一舉多得。筆者認(rèn)為,新鮮語(yǔ)篇輸入就是高三英語(yǔ)課堂教學(xué)的增鮮劑,不僅緩解了做題講題的枯燥感,還為學(xué)生打開了一扇窗,開啟奇妙的探究世界之旅。
4 高三課堂如何進(jìn)行新鮮語(yǔ)篇輸入
筆者認(rèn)為,高一階段新鮮語(yǔ)篇的輸入應(yīng)注重激發(fā)學(xué)生學(xué)習(xí)興趣,培養(yǎng)語(yǔ)感;高二則重在積累,訓(xùn)練思維;而高三的新鮮語(yǔ)篇輸入,除了給枯燥的練習(xí)增添一抹亮麗的色彩之外,要以綜合訓(xùn)練,多元提升為宗旨,即通過課堂新鮮語(yǔ)篇的輸入,提高學(xué)生聽說(shuō)讀寫綜合能力。筆者以新概念3Lesson 41 為例,展示課堂教學(xué)如何進(jìn)行新鮮語(yǔ)篇的輸入。選擇新概念3是因?yàn)檫@套經(jīng)典教材知識(shí)面廣,語(yǔ)言地道,第三冊(cè)月目前江蘇省高考對(duì)閱讀的要求想匹配。當(dāng)然,因?yàn)檎n堂教學(xué)時(shí)間有限,只能有選擇性地進(jìn)行部分篇章的閱讀教學(xué)。筆者采用的是下發(fā)如下講義的形式,而非整本書,為前兩個(gè)環(huán)節(jié)進(jìn)行設(shè)計(jì)準(zhǔn)備。endprint
Lesson41 Illusions(幻想) of Pastoral(田園的) peace
The quiet life of the country has never me. City born and city bred, I have always regarded the country as something you look at through a train window, or something you visit during the week-end. Most of my friends live in the city, yet they always go into raptures(欣喜) at the mere mention of the country. Though they extol(贊美) the of the peaceful life, only one of them has ever gone to live in the country and he was back in town within six months. Even he still lives under the illusion that country life is somehow town life. He is forever talking about the friendly people, the clean atmosphere, the closeness to nature and the gentle pace of living. Nothing can be compared, he , with the first cock crow, the twittering of birds at dawn, the sight of the rising sun glinting(閃爍) on the trees and pastures(牧場(chǎng)). This idyllic(田園詩(shī)的) pastoral scene is only part of the picture. My friend mention the long and friendless winter evenings which are interrupted only by an occasional visit to the local cinema-virtually the only form of entertainment. He says nothing about the poor selection of goods in the shops, or about those unfortunate people who have to travel from the country to the city every day to get to work. Why people are prepared to a four hour journey each day for the dubious(可疑的) privilege of living in the country is beyond me. They could be saved so much and expense if they chose to live in the city where they rightly belong.
If you can do without the few pastoral pleasures of the country, you will find the city can provide you with the best that life can offer. You never have to travel miles to see your friends. They invariably(總是) live nearby and are always for an informal chat or an evening's entertainment. Some of my in the country come up to town once or twice a year to visit the theatre as a special treat. For them this is a major operation which considerable planning. As the play to its close, they wonder whether they will ever catch that last train home. The city dweller(居住者) never experiences of this sort. The latest exhibitions, films, or plays are only a short bus ride away. Shopping, too, is always a pleasure. There is so much variety that you never have to make do with second best. Country people run wild when they go shopping in the city and stagger(搖晃) home as many of the necessities of life as they can carry. Nor is the city without its moments of beauty. There is something about the warm glow shed by advertisements on cold wet winter nights. Few things could be more impressive than the peace that descends(下降) on city streets at week-ends when the thousands that travel to work every day are tucked(縮進(jìn)) a way in their homes in the country. It has always been a to me why city dwellers, who appreciate all these things, obstinately(固執(zhí)地) pretend that they would prefer to live in the country.endprint
第一個(gè)環(huán)節(jié)要求學(xué)生根據(jù)文章的內(nèi)容,自我思考理解,嘗試填入恰當(dāng)?shù)脑~。這一環(huán)節(jié)的設(shè)計(jì)旨在引導(dǎo)學(xué)生尋找文章的寫作線索,關(guān)注上下文語(yǔ)境。
第二個(gè)環(huán)節(jié)為聽力,即dictation,略高于江蘇省高考要求。從所填的appealed to,occasionally,virtues,superior to,maintains,fails to,tolerate,misery,available,acquaintances,involves,draws,anxieties,loaded with,comforting,deserted,mystery這些詞及詞組中,不難看出,都是江蘇省高考要求的??荚~匯,并且是寫作中的常用詞。因此,這個(gè)環(huán)節(jié)既訓(xùn)練和考查學(xué)生的聽力能力,又有助于督促學(xué)生詞匯背誦積累任務(wù)的完成。
第三個(gè)環(huán)節(jié)通過question and answer以及multiple choice的形式對(duì)語(yǔ)篇進(jìn)行分析。
Q1: How long did one of the authors city friends live in the country?
Q2: Why does the author find fault with his friends description of the country?
Q3: Why does the author consider people who have to travel from the country to the city every day unfortunate?
Q4: What is the genre(體裁)of the passage? How does he develop the passage?
Q5: What is the main difference between the writer and most of his friends?
A. They often visit the country but he only spent one weekend there.
B. Unlike them, being brought up in the city, he can appreciate its worth.
C. In contrast to them, he finds city people friendlier than country people.
D. He thinks them hypocritical(虛偽的) to maintain a preference for country life.
Q6: What advantage has the city dweller over the country dweller in terms of entertainment?
A. He can entertain his country friends more often than they can him.
B. His choice of entertainment is wide and within easy reach of him.
C. As he travels by bus and not by train, he can see the latest plays.
D. He does not need a major operation when planning a visit to the theatre.
Q7: When he speaks of the beauty to be found in the city, the writer
A. alludes(暗示) to the comparative cheerlessness of winter night in the country.
B. means that if more people settled in the city they would find peace.
C. advertises the fact that the city is a warmer place than the country.
D. implies that the country is less peaceful than the city at weekends.
這個(gè)環(huán)節(jié)中既有高考題型,又有常規(guī)的開放式題型,有助于學(xué)生對(duì)語(yǔ)篇的理解和把握,也能利用有限的課堂時(shí)間探討閱讀解題技巧。同時(shí),通過文章的學(xué)習(xí)拓寬知識(shí)面。
第四個(gè)環(huán)節(jié),summary。within about 30 words, please give an account of the advantage which the author attributes to living in the city. Use your own words.2013年考綱要求學(xué)生又提取并概括信息的能力,從2014年起江蘇省高考連續(xù)三年通過書面表達(dá)讀寫作文的形式考查這一能力。
第五個(gè)環(huán)節(jié),積累好詞好句,存入word bank。如:The quiet life of the country has never appealed to me. City born and city bred, I have always regarded the country as something, extol the virtues of the peaceful life, He is forever talking about the friendly people. Nothing can be compared, he maintains. fails to mention, Why people are prepared to tolerate a four hour journey each day for the dubious privilege of living in the country is beyond me.等等閱讀及寫作中常用的詞組和句式,擴(kuò)大了詞匯量。在語(yǔ)篇中學(xué)習(xí)詞匯句型,提高了輸入的有效性。
當(dāng)然,不同的文體有不同的處理方法,這里筆者通過一個(gè)例子來(lái)探討新鮮語(yǔ)篇在高三繁重而枯燥的練習(xí)生活中的一點(diǎn)小小的舒緩作用。另外,筆者認(rèn)為,時(shí)文美文以及試卷中的文章也可以作為我們的信息源。如:美國(guó)大選,試卷中的Pride and Prejudice for the modern world與原著節(jié)選對(duì)比欣賞等等,希望通過這些,能讓學(xué)生在聽說(shuō)讀寫得以多元提升。
5 結(jié)束語(yǔ)
教育家蘇霍姆林斯基先生指出,教學(xué)應(yīng)使學(xué)生產(chǎn)生發(fā)現(xiàn)驚奇、滿足求知欲的愉快和創(chuàng)造的歡樂等各種情感體驗(yàn),從而使學(xué)習(xí)帶著高漲的、激動(dòng)的情緒進(jìn)行學(xué)習(xí)和思考,使教學(xué)成為一個(gè)充滿活力和激情的活動(dòng)。因此,在英語(yǔ)課堂教學(xué)活動(dòng)中,要注重教學(xué)藝術(shù),力爭(zhēng)活動(dòng)要目的化、情景化和知識(shí)化,使每一個(gè)學(xué)生都樂意參與其中,體驗(yàn)到學(xué)習(xí)的樂趣。
學(xué)生閱讀能力的提高是一個(gè)漫長(zhǎng)的過程,是學(xué)生主動(dòng)積極構(gòu)建的過程。老師起的是引領(lǐng)作用,希望能在我們老師的引導(dǎo)和幫助下,盡可能地拓寬學(xué)生的知識(shí)面,培養(yǎng)學(xué)生學(xué)英語(yǔ)的興趣,提高學(xué)生的閱讀量和綜合運(yùn)用語(yǔ)言的能力。從而達(dá)到了事半功倍的效果。
參考文獻(xiàn)
[1]教育部.普通高中英語(yǔ)課程標(biāo)準(zhǔn)(實(shí)驗(yàn))[M].北京:人民教育出版社,2003.
[2]桂詩(shī)春著.新編心理語(yǔ)言學(xué)[M].上海: 上海外語(yǔ)教育出版社,2000.
[3]章洪霞.英語(yǔ)課文整體教學(xué)的三步曲[J]. 鎮(zhèn)江市高等??茖W(xué)校學(xué)報(bào),1996(01).
[4]黃國(guó)文著.語(yǔ)篇分析的理論與實(shí)踐[M]. 上海:上海外教出版社,2001.endprint