高考阅读理解之猜测词义

高考阅读理解之猜测词义

高考阅读理解词义猜测题解题技巧 猜词悟义是应用英语的重要能力，也是高考阅读理解中必考的题型。它不但需要准确无误地理解上下文，而且要有较大的泛读量，掌握或认识较多的课外词汇。考生应学会通过构词、定义、同位、对比、因果、常识、同义、反义及上下文线索等确定词义。‎ 一、题型特点与命题方式 猜测词义题是近年来高考阅读理解中比较常见的题型，通常在一套试题中会有两到三个小题是直接考查词义猜测的。这种题型主要是考查考生根据上下文推测生词和短语的能力，突出考查考生对语境的分析和把握能力。如果我们具备了一定的猜测技巧和猜词能力，我们就能降低生词率，排除阅读理解中某些生词的干扰，最终提高阅读理解速度和能力。‎ ‎【命题趋势】‎ ‎1、要求根据阅读材料所提供的信息，结合中学生应有的常识和经验，正确判断生词词组的含义或成熟词在特定语境中表达的具体含义以及一些句子的意思。‎ ‎2、要求猜测词义的词一般为实词及其词组，通过构词、定义、对比、因果、联想、上下文等线索确定词义的具体内容。‎ ‎3、代词复指理解题也是猜测词义的常考类型。用“逻辑关系梳理法”、“递向寻踪法”理清人物及事物之间的逻辑关系是关键所在。‎ ‎【设问形式】‎ The underlined word “…” in the second(third…) paragraph refers to(means) ______.‎ By saying “…” in the first(second…) paragraph, the author means that ______.‎ The meaning of “…” in paragraph… is related to ______.‎ Which of the following has the closest meaning to…(paragraph…)?‎ The underlined sentence in the … paragraph probably means that _____.‎ Which of the following words can take the place of the word"..."? ‎ What is the meaning of"..."as the words are used in the text? ‎ Which of the following has the closest meaning to...(paragraph...)? ‎ According to the passage, the word “…” properly means _____.‎ The word ...could best be replaced by____. 二、解题思路与应试技巧 ‎ 做这种类型的题，要根据词、词组、句子所在的语境上下文来判断其意义。因此熟练掌握一些猜词技巧是做好这类题的关键。命题者在出这类题时惯用常规词义来麻痹考生，我们要特别注意熟词生义，切不可脱离语境主观臆断。‎ 下面结合近几年高考试题，对猜词悟义的技巧加以解读。‎ ‎1、根据定义或上下文解释进行猜测 有时短文中出现一个需要猜测其意义的词或短语，下面接着出现其定义或解释，这就是判断该词或短语意义的主要依据。例如：‎ Annealing is a way of making metal softer by heating it and then letting it cool very slowly.‎ 句子给予annealing 以明确的定义，即“退火”。‎ It will be very hard but also very brittle — that is, it will break easily.‎ 从后面that is(也就是说)的解释中我们可以了解到brittle是“脆”的意思。‎ The herdsman, who looks after sheep, earns about 650 yuan a year.‎ 定语从句中 looks after sheep 就表明了herdsman的词义为“牧羊人”。‎ ‎【考例】‎ ‎（2009福建卷，E篇）73. The underlined words “tipping points” most probably refer to “_______”.‎ A. freezing points B. burning points C. melting points D. boiling points 解析】C。请看原文：In his book, he had challenged readers to make deep cuts in personal emissions to keep the world from reaching extremely important tipping points, such as the melting（融化）of the ice sheets in Greenland or West Antarctica. 根据后一句的such as the melting（融化）of the ice sheets in Greenland or West Antarctica.可知tipping points的意思是“融点”。‎ ‎（2007山东卷，C篇）65.The underlined word “daunting” in Paragraph 1 most probably means __________. ‎ A. discouraging B. interesting C. creative D. unbearable ‎ ‎【解析】A。请看文章第一段：When Andrea Peterson landed her first teaching job, she faced the daunting task of creating a music program with almost no money for equipment or supplies in a climate where standards-based learning was the focus and music just provided a break for students and teachers. ‎ 由后半句的解释“…with almost no money for equipment or supplies…”可知此项任务不可能是“interesting”或“creative”，而她的教学工作也与“unbearable”无关，故A项正确。‎ ‎2、根据同位关系进行猜测 阅读中出现的难词有时后面紧跟一个同位语，对前面的词进行解释，这时可利用同位关系对前面或后面的词义或句意进行猜测。例如：‎ They traveled a long way, at last got to a castle, a large building in old times.‎ 同位语部分a large building in old times 给出了castle 的确切词义，即古时候的“城堡”。‎ We are on the night shift—from midnight to 8 a.m.— this week.‎ 两个破折号之间的短语很清楚地表明night shift 是“夜班”的意思。‎ The “Chunnel”, a tunnel(隧道) connecting England and France, is now complete.‎ 此句中a tunnel connecting England and France是Chunnel的同位语。因此，The “Chunnel”就是英法之间的海底隧道。‎ ‎【考例】‎ ‎（2004上海卷，C篇）82. The word “favouritism” in paragraph 3 is used to describe the phenomenon that________.‎ A. bright children also need certificates go get satisfying jobs.‎ B. children from well-respected schools tend to have good jobs C. poor children with certificates are favoured in job markets ‎ D. children attending ordinary schools achieve great success ‎【解析】B。请看原文：Without examinations, employers will look for employees from the highly respected schools and from families known to them—a form of favourtism will replace equality.‎ 破折号后的句子是对前面进行解释说明的，二者是同位关系，因此要猜测favourtism的意思可从前面句子的意思入手。答案为B。‎ ‎3、根据构词法（合成、派生、转化等）进行猜测 在英语中，有很多词可以在前面加前缀，在后面加后缀，从而构成一个词，乍看起来，这个词可能是新词，但掌握了一定的构词知识，就不难猜出它的词义。例如：‎ ‎“Our parties are aimed for children 2 to 10,” Anaclerio said, “and they’re very interactive and creative in that they built a sense of drama based on a subject.”‎ 文中interactive是由前缀inter-(相互的)和active（活动的，活跃的）而构成的，同时根据上下文的意思可以判断，该词的含义应是“互动的”。‎ Perhaps, we can see some possibilities for next fifty years. But the next hundred?‎ possibility 是 possible 的同根名词， 据此可以判断定 possibility 意思是“可能性”。‎ ‎【考例】‎ ‎（2008全国卷I，B篇）62. The underlined word “fixture” in Paragraph 3 probably refers to something ______.‎ A. that people enjoy eating B. that is always present C. that is difficult to get D. that people use as a gift ‎【解析】B。请看文章原句：The new type of pineapple was selling fast, and the Del Monte Gold pineapple rapidly became a fixture in the shopping basket of the healthy eater.从文章意思可知，这种新型菠萝很畅销，当然成为了健康饮食人士购物筐中的常客。另外根据构词知识可知，该词的词根是fix，含有“固定”之意。‎ ‎4、根据因果关系进行猜测 在一篇阅读文章中，根据原因可以预测结果，根据结果也可以找出原因。例如：‎ The lack of movement caused the muscles to weaken. Sometimes the weakness was permanent. So the player could never play the sport again.‎ 从后面的结果“永远不能再运动”中，可以推测 permanent 的意思为“永远的，永久的”。‎ The low test score, they think, will make it impossible for them to get into a good college. And without a degree from a prestigious university, they fear that many of life’s doors will remain forever closed.”‎ 学生认为考试分数低就不可能进入一所好大学，而没有“名校”的毕业文凭，将来生活中的很多大门可能就会对他们永远关闭。由此推知A prestigious university应是a famous university（名校）。 ‎ ‎【考例】‎ ‎(2009北京卷，C篇) 66. The underlined sentence in the last paragraph probably means that ______. ‎ A. the problem is not approached step by step ‎ B. the researchers so far have faults in themselves C. the problem is too difficult for researchers to detect ‎ D. research in this area is not enough to make generalized patterns ‎【解析】D。句意猜测题。由前面一句“We have a very limited number of studies”可知，由于研究的对象非常有限，所以对于房间设计影响人们的工作和情绪这一现象只是“管中窥豹”，局限性太强。紧跟后面一句“How do you take answers to very specific questions and make broad, generalized use of them?”做了进一步说明，房间设计影响居住者工作和情绪这一理论正确与否还有待进一步验证。‎ ‎(2009安徽卷，B篇) 60. The words “boats on land” underlined in Paragraph 2 refer to __‎ A. animals for taking goods B. creatures for pulling plows C. treasures of the folk culture D. tools in the farming economy ‎【解析】A。请看原文：Of course, the good of oxen is not limited to plowing. In fact, they are seen as “boats on land” for their ability to carry loads.由划线词后原因的解释for their ability to carry loads可以很轻松的得到结果：牛被看做“陆地之舟”，是一种运输货物的动物。‎ ‎5、根据上下文的指代关系进行猜测 ‎ 文章中的代词it, that, this, he, him 或them可以指上文提到的人或物，其中it和that还可以指一件事。有时代词指代的对象相隔较远，要认真查找；也有时需要对前面提到的内容进行总结，才能得出代词所指代的事。例如：‎ Like Schmid, the editors of several self-published art magazines also champion (捍卫) found photographs. One of them, called simply Found, was born one snowy night in Chicago, when Davy Rothbard returned to his car to find under his wiper(雨刷) an angry note intended for someone else: “Why’s your car HERE at HER place?”‎ ‎ them指的是前面出现的self-published art magazines。‎ However, the question that “moon people” asked is still an interesting one. A growing number of scientists are seriously thinking about it.‎ it指的是月球人(moon people)所问的问题（the question）。‎ ‎【考例】‎ ‎(2009四川卷，E篇) 58. The underlined word “it” in the second paragraph refers to “______”. ‎ A. the energy benefit B. the forest loss ‎ C. climate change D. burning ethanol ‎ ‎【解析】A。请看原文：Finally, over many years, the energy benefit from burning ethanol would make up for the forest loss. But by then, climate change would have progressed so far that it might not help. 燃烧乙醇带来的能源方面的好处可能会弥补失去森林的损失，但是到那时，气候的变化已经太大，“这”也于事无补了。由此判断，it指前面提到的the energy benefit。‎ ‎(2009安徽卷，E篇) 73. What does the word “this” underlined in the third paragraph refer to?‎ A. We will lose much more than we can gain.‎ B. Humans have begun destroying rainforests.‎ C. People have a strong desire for resources.‎ D. Much carbon dioxide comes from burning rainforests.‎ ‎【解析】A。this指代前文提到的“but we will suffer much more than we will benefit”，意思是“砍伐森林带来短期利益，但是从长远来看，我们遭受的损失远大于获得的利益”。因此选择A项。‎ ‎(2009 浙江卷，A篇) 42. What does the underlined phrase “her gift” (Paragraph 2) refer to? ‎ A. Her words. B. Her smile. C. Her flowers. D. Her politeness. ‎ ‎【解析】B。请看原文：She smiled. It was a nice smile — warm and reassuring—and I retuned her gift by smiling back. 从前句话中可以知道her gift 指的是“smile”。‎ ‎6、根据同义关系进行猜测 当词或短语之间有并列连词and ‎ 或or时，其连接的两项内容在含义上是接近的或递进的，由此确定同等关系中的某个生词所属的义域，由此可推知其大致意思。‎ Although he often had the opportunity, Mr. Tritt was never able to steal money from a customer. This would have endangered his position at the bank, and he did not want to jeopardize his future. ‎ 作者为避免重复使用endanger一词，用其同义词jeopardize来替代它，由此推知其词义为“使……陷入危险，危及、危害”。‎ Doctors believe that smoking cigarettes is detrimental to your health. They also regard drinking as harmful. ‎ 句中detrimental是个生词，但判断出harmful替代detrimental后，不难推断出其词义为“不利的，有害的”。‎ ‎【考例】‎ ‎（2009重庆卷，B篇）62. What does the underlined word “distractions” probably refer to? ‎ A. Ways that help one to focus. ‎ B. Words that help one to feel less tense.‎ C. Activities that turn one’s attention away.‎ D. Habits that make it hard for one to relax.‎ ‎【解析】C。请看原文：When things are getting hard, a voice inside my head tells me that I can’t achieve something. Then, there are other distractions, such as family or hobbies.由前面的other可知distractions是与第一句意思基本相同，第一句话表达的是让人注意力分散的事情，结合上下文可知 答案为C。‎ ‎（2009天津卷，A篇）37. What does the underlined phrase “die hard” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?‎ A. Change suddenly. B. Change significantly.‎ C. Disappear mysteriously. D. Disappear very slowly.‎ ‎【解析】D。请看原文：Frequently it happens that a place has two names: One is named by the people and the other by the government. As in many areas, old habits died hard, and the place continues to be called by its unofficial name long after the meaning is lost. 根据下文“the place continues to be called by its unofficial name long after the meaning is lost”可知前后是同义关系，die hard意思是“顽固”，同D项意义接近。‎ ‎7、根据转折或对比关系进行猜测 根据上下句的连接词，如but, however, otherwise等就可以看到前后句在意义上的差别，从而依据某一句的含义，来确定另一句的含义。另外，分号也可以表示转折、对比或不相干的意义。例如：‎ She is usually prompt for all her class, but today she arrived in the middle of her first class.‎ but一词表转折，因此but 前后的意思正好相反。后半句的意思是她今天“第一节上了一半才来”，因此反向推理，可得出她平时一向“准时”的结论。‎ ‎【考例】‎ ‎（2009陕西卷，C篇）50. The phrase “hold water” in the last paragraph most probably means“_______”.‎ ‎ A. to be believable B. to be valuable C. to be admirable D. to be suitable ‎ ‎【解析】A。请看文章原句：Even though science can tell us that some of our traditional beliefs don’t hold water, there is still a lot of truth in the old wives’ tales文章中本句意思是：即使科学能告诉我们一些传统的想法是经不起检验的，但“老人言”中还有很多正确的东西。根据前后转折的意思可知，hold water在此处意思是：经得起检验的，值得相信的。‎ ‎(2008江苏卷，A篇) 56. The underlined word “ally” in Para. 3 most likely means somebody or something that is ______.‎ ‎ 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 ‎【解析】B。请看原文：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. 前一句说“我们可以让时间流逝或让它成为我们的敌人”，下面一句由or引出，表示相反的意思，即：我们可以控制时间，让时间成为我们的朋友来支持我们。‎ ‎8、通过上下文理解猜测词义 通过上下文的具体信息猜测词义是目前高考阅读理解题中最常见的一种命题形式。‎ ‎【考例】‎ ‎（2009重庆卷，A篇）59. What does the underlined word “antics” refer to? ‎ A. Smart words. B. Unusual actions. ‎ C. Surprising Looks. D. Anxious feelings. ‎ ‎【解析】B。由上文she rushed in, seized the phone, tore off the wires, and shouted at the phone…And she swept it into the wastebasket.以及She stepped to the doorway and shouted at the rest of the house, “Now hear this! All objects in this room — if you do anything to upset my husband, out you go!” 可知，作者的妻子听到作者的吼叫声后，做了一些古怪的事情，如将电话机扔进垃圾箱、对着屋子里的东西喊话等。而正是她的这些古怪的行为让作者突然意识到了自己的失控。由上文这些信息可推知“antics”指的是Unusual actions。‎ ‎ ‎ 巩固练习一 ‎1. He is a resolute man. Once he makes up his mind to do something, he won’t give it up halfway. ‎ The underlined word means____.‎ A.strong B. firm C. kind D. clever ‎2. Mr. Brown is now working at Princeton University far away from home. For this reason he has to rent a room near the office where he works.‎ A. to work to live B. to eat to live ‎ C. to teach to live D. to pay to use ‎3. A good teacher works in quite a different way. His audience take an active part in his play: they ask and answer questions, they obey orders, and if they don’t understand something, they say so.‎ ‎4. The word “audience” in the paragraph means ____.‎ A.students B. people who watch a play ‎ C. people who act on the stage D. people who listen to something ‎5. The official asked the man what his occupation was. The man told him that he worked as an engineer.‎ A. work B. study C. name D. interest ‎6. Those new comers were not used to the life in the suburbs which was so different from that inside the city. ‎ A. town B. capital C. country D. house ‎7. You can take any of the periodicals: The World of English, Foreign Language Teaching in Schools, or English Learning. ‎ A. dictionaries B. story-books C. magazines D. newspapers ‎ ‎8. The largest player – Shanghai Bashi Tourism Car Center offers a wide variety of choices – deluxe sedans, minivans, station wagons, coaches. Santana sedans are the big favorite. …‎ The words “deluxe sedans,” “minivans” and “station wagons” used in the text refer to ____.‎ A. cars in the making B. car rental firms ‎ C. cars for rent D. car makers ‎ ‎9. Most women in Ghana--- the educated and illiterate, the urban and rural, the young and old--- work to earn an income in addition to maintaining their roles as housewives and mothers. Their reputation for economic independence, self-reliance, and hard work is well known and well deserved.‎ The underlined word “illiterate” in the passage means ____. ‎ A. Repeated B. reiterated. C uneducated D. sick ‎10. “The Dave you saw on TV was the real Dave,” says friend Pat Williams, “He wasn’t a great actor or a great speaker. He was just Joe Everybody.”‎ ‎ “He was just Joe Everybody.” ( in the last paragraph) means _____.‎ ‎ A. Dave was famous B. Dave was ordinary ‎ ‎ C. Dave was showy D. Dave was shy ‎ ‎11. Since I have finished my paper now, I am going to give myself a treat tonight. I am going to watch a movie on campus, an action movie called “Face Off”.‎ The underlined words “a treat” here means ____.‎ A. an action movie B. something pleasant to enjoy ‎ C. a rest D. something nice to eat 巩固练习二 ‎（1）‎ An advertisement is just like a Somebody Else says quotation(引语) in a news story. The newspaper does not say that what the advertiser says is true. All the newspaper says is, “This is what the advertiser says.” To find out whether it is true or not will be left to the reader. All the statements in the ads are the advertiser’s statements, not the paper’s.‎ Q: What does “Somebody Else” in the paragraph refer to?‎ ‎ A. The editor of the paper. B. The reader of the paper.‎ ‎ C. The author of the passage. D. The advertiser of the ads.‎ ‎（2）‎ Emma had never read it, nor had she ever purchased a copy. But, when she opened it up, she was floored to see her own name and address inside the cover, in her own handwriting. It turned out ‎ that the summer before, at a concert back in Montreal, Emma had met a Californian who was in town visiting friends. They decided to exchange addresses, but neither of them had any paper. The man had opened up a book he was carrying in his backpack and asked Emma to write her name and address inside. When he returned to California, he left the book behind in Montreal, and his friend Alex kept it. When Alex later relocated to Jerusalem, he took the now-treasured book along.‎ Q: What does the underlined word “floored” in the paragraph mean?‎ ‎ A. interested B. shocked C. frightened D. excited ‎（3）‎ Oxygen is vital to life; it is needed by the body cells of all animals. It is also very useful in industry. The method Priestley used produces only small quantities. The large amounts needed for industry are produced in a different way. Air is put into containers under great pressure. This turns it into liquid and makes it very cold. It is then gradually warmed up and each substance evaporates at a different temperature. The boiling point of oxygen is -183°C. It is caught and stored in strong steel cylinders at a pressure of 136 atmospheres. The process is known as fractional distillation.‎ Q: Which word has the rough meaning of “vital”?‎ ‎ A. important B. useful C. helpful D. interesting ‎（4）‎ ‎ These different kinds of learning disabilities are known by different names. For example, a person who has difficulty reading may have dyslexia. Someone who cannot do mathematics may have a disorder called dyscalculia(计算困难).‎ Q: The underlined word “dyslexia” in the paragraph probably means _______.‎ ‎ A. difficulty in seeing B. problem in reading ‎ ‎ C. trouble in listening D. brain disorder ‎（5）‎ A child’s birthday party doesn’t have to be a hassle; it can be a basket of fun, according to Beth Anaclerio, an Evaston mother of two, ages 4 and 18 months.‎ Q: What does the underlined word “hassle” probably mean in the paragraph?‎ A. a party designed by specialists B. a plan requiring careful thought C. a situation causing difficulty or trouble D. a demand made by guests ‎（6）‎ And if you’ve gathered your friends around you to rebuild a happy family atmosphere(气氛), you may fear that saying no will bring back the kind of conflict you grew up with— or destroy the nice atmosphere you now enjoy.‎ Q: The underlined word “conflict” in the paragraph means .‎ A. dependent life B. fierce fight C. bad manners D. painful feeling ‎（7）‎ ‎“She is ashamed and embarrassed but doesn’t really have any explanation why she did this,” Miss Duff said. “She didn’t intend to steal when she went into the store. She is at a loss to explain it.‎ ‎ She is otherwise a very respectable and intelligent young lady .She went to her doctor and asked for advice because she wants to know if there is anything in particular that caused her to do this.”‎ Q: What does the underlined sentence “She is at a loss to explain it” mean?‎ ‎ A. In her opinion it was a loss to the clothes shops where she stole things.‎ ‎ B. She doesn’t have any idea why she has the desire to steal from shops.‎ ‎ C. She thinks it is a loss for her to explain why she stole things from shops.‎ ‎ D. Personally she feels ashamed and embarrassed for her shoplifting actions.‎ ‎（8）‎ One of the best-known sayings must be “Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wisdom”. The promises of health, wealth, and wisdom to those who join the teams of early retirees and rises must be particularly pleasing to many people in our modern society.‎ Q: The underlined word “ retiree” here refers to_________.‎ ‎ A. people who give up their work B. people who have a lot of free time ‎ C. people who go to bed D. people who live in a quiet place ‎（9）‎ The reasons for a visit to lighthouse are not all so backward-looking(思想过时的) in time. It is true that lighthouses were built in out-of-the-way places. But on a pleasant sunny summer day, this very isolation has a natural beauty that many people will love to experience.‎ Q: The underlined phrase “out-of-the-way” probably means __________.‎ ‎ A. far-away B. dangerous C. ancient D. secret ‎（10）‎ Our own native language and culture are so much a part of us that we take them for granted. When we travel to another country, it’s as if we carry along with our passports. We view the new environment using our own culture as the standard, and although not purposely, our ways of thinking and acting often get in the way of our understanding other languages and cultures. The ability and willingness to change lenses(视角) when we look at a different culture is both the cure and prevention for such cultural blindness. Studying a new language provides us the opportunities to practise changing lenses when we also learn the context or the culture to which it belongs.‎ Q: The underlined word “it” in the last sentence refers to __________. ‎ ‎ A. the context B. the culture C. the language D. the opportunity 答案与解析：‎ ‎（1）D。根据下文中All the newspaper says is, “This is what the advertiser says.”可推知，文章中的Somebody Else指的是做广告的人。‎ ‎（2）B。从上文可知，在一个从未到过的地方，在一本从未读过的书的封面，看到自己亲笔写的姓名和地址，当然感到“震惊”。此处“But”是关键提示。‎ ‎（3）A。根据下句“氧是所有动物细胞所必不可少的元素”的内容，判断出氧非常“重要”。‎ ‎（4）B。由下句“Someone who cannot do mathematics may have a disorder called dyscalculia(计算困难).”不能做数学题的人可能患有一种被称为计算困难的疾病可以推断dyslexia的意思为“阅读困难”。‎ ‎（5）C。通过上下句A child’s birthday party doesn’t have to be a hassle; it can be a basket of ‎ fun.可以看出，hassle和a basket of fun肯定是近乎相反的意义。所以不难判断，答案为C。‎ ‎（6）B。由破折号后的or可知，前后两句的意思相近，她不想失去或破坏这个友好氛围，否则就又让她回到以前的“冲突”中。答案为B。‎ ‎（7）B。从上文中她进入商店时并没打算偷窃，以及下文谈到她去看医生可以推知她不知道自己为什么会有偷窃的欲望可知答案为B。‎ ‎（8）C。根据谚语“Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wisdom”以及retirees和risers的对比关系不难猜出retiree是“睡觉的人”。‎ ‎（9）A。由合成词out-of-the-way的字面意思和下句中的isolation一词可知，灯塔通常“孤零零”地呆在一个地方，因此答案为A。‎ ‎（10）C。本段主要讲述语言和文化的关系。结合最后一句话可知，学习一门新的语言给我们提供一个崭新的视觉，从而使得我们更好地把握语言依附的文化环境。由此知道这里的it指代语言。‎