如何解“词义推断题”

胡扬朋

词义推断题是中考英语阅读理解中的重要题型，主要考查学生根据上下文推测词汇含义的能力，以及对语境的分析和把握能力。在阅读理解中，推断词义题的特点是对生词、短语、指示代词和句子的意思的猜测。

一、常见设问形式

The underlined word “…” means.

In the last paragraph， the word “…” refers to .

What does the word “…” in Paragraph 3 mean？

Here “…” means .

The word “…” in the … paragraph means in Chinese.

Which of the following is closest in meaning to “…”？

二、解题思路

1.利用同义词

有时作者为了使意思表达得更清楚，通常用一个同义词或近义词来解释另一个比较难的词或关键词，为读者推断生词词义提供了线索，或者提供识别生词的同义词或近义词的信号词，如like，as … as，the same as。如：Mother was tall， fat and middleaged. The principle of the school was an older woman， almost as plump as mother， and much shorter. 此句中，作者把学校的校长同母亲相比，两者有相同之处和不同之处。校长比母亲年纪大，个子矮一些，但有一点是相同的，对此，作者用 as … as结构表示出来。由此可以看出 fat 和 plump 是近义词，意为“肥胖的”，那么，就能大概猜出plump一词的意思了。

例1：（2014年东营卷试题节选）

Kathryn，New YorkPosted，12 hours ago Re： First trip to the USA

In Korea and Japan， its the custom to remove your shoes before entering a house. In the United States， you usually dont take your shoes off. Once I was travelling in Japan and entered a house with my shoes on by mistake. Oops！

Whats the meaning of the underlined word “remove”？

A. 开除 B. 移开

C. 脱下D. 去掉

解析：根据下文中的短语take off“脱下”提供的线索可知，remove也是“脱下”的意思，故答案为C。

2.以定语从句为线索

在很多情况下，定语从句直接给出了某一生词的定义，故以定语从句为线索猜测词义也是一个行之有效的方法。

例2：（2014年福州卷试题节选）

Garcia Márquez is best known for his 1967 novel， One Hundred Years of Solitude （《百年孤独》）， which has sold about 50 million copies. It tells the tale of the small and isolated town of Macondo which was separated from the outside world—of its founding and its troubled history over a hundred years.

The underlined word “isolated” means“”.

A. 隔绝的B. 安逸的

C. 喧嚣的D. 繁华的

解析：根据画线单词后的定语从句which was separated from the outside world可推知， isolated 意为“与世隔绝的”，故答案为A。

3.以反义词和对比关系为线索

有时作者运用对比的手法来表现事物之间的差异。在进行对比的过程中，作者必然会用一些意义相反的词语使不同事物的特点更为突出。通过上下文的逻辑关系，从对两种事物或现象进行对比的描述中，学生可以根据其中一个熟悉的词推断出另一个生词的词义。作者通常会用一些信号词来进行对比，为学生理解和猜测生词词义提供了非常好的线索。常用来表示对应关系和提供相反信息的信号词有but，yet，however，even though，although，though，unlike，on the other hand等。如：Tom is lazy but his brother is industrious. 该句中but表示转折，就暗示了lazy和industrious是一对反义词，由此可知industrious意为“刻苦的、勤奋的”。

例3：（2012年黄石卷试题节选）

Food was a big problem， too. It took her a few weeks to get used to Chinese food. She didnt really like it at first. She thought it was too oily （油腻的）. Also， she doesnt eat much rice. She usually eats bread， and her bread is quite different from most bread in China. Chinese bread is usually light and sweet. So she makes her own bread at home. As a Muslim （穆斯林）， she isnt allowed to eat pork.

What does the underlined word “light” mean？

A. 咸的B. 轻的

C. 清淡的D. 明亮的

解析：根据该段第四句“She thought it was too oily （油腻）”可知，此处light的意思是“清淡的”。故答案为C。

4.分析语境，利用上下文

有时候必须借助上下文语境，利用文中所提供的信息或线索方能确定某些生词的意思。这些线索可以是词语，也可以是出现在上下文中的句子。如：The kitchen rubbish is broken into small pieces and sent into the sewage system. The sewage system takes away the used water from toilets， bathtubs and other places. 根据语境，被打成碎片的厨房垃圾、厕所用水和浴室用水等当然是流入了“排污”系统。

例4：（2014年南京卷试题节选）

Destruction of the worlds rainforests is a serious problem. Unluckily， rainforests are disappearing at a rate of 80 acres per minute！ As part of a class project， Myers students bought three acres of rainforest in Central America.

The underlined word “Destruction” in Paragraph 2 probably means “the process of being ”.

A. destroyedB. developed

C. describedD. discovered

解析：destroyed“毁坏”；developed“发展”；described“描写”；discovered“发现”。根据下文中的Unluckily和disappearing可推知，热带雨林被破坏是一个非常严重的问题。故该题答案为A。

例5：（2014年潍坊卷试题节选）

Feng Huan is now recovering after corrective surgery （矫正手术） on her legs in Shenzhou， South Chinas Guangdong province. Perhaps we are able to see a healthy girl soon！

What does the underlined word “recover” mean in Chinese in the last paragraph？

A. 改正B. 保护

C. 爱护D. 康复

解析：根据文中的after corrective surgery （矫正手术）和“Perhaps we are able to see a healthy girl soon！”可推知，recover意为“康复”。答案为D。

5.利用因果关系

因果关系是一种常见的、行之有效的、能提供生词词义信息的逻辑关系。作者在叙述原因的过程中，必然会把词或句子置于一种因果关系的逻辑之中，这无疑为学生推断生词词义提供了很好的线索。作者通常会用一些信号词表示句子之间的因果关系，这些信号词有 because，since，as，for，so，therefore，as a result，so that等。如：Mary didnt notice me when I came into the classroom， because she was completely engrossed in her reading. 该句的意思是 “当我走进教室的时候，玛丽没有注意到我，因为她正在……地看书”，据此可以推断，engross可能就是“使全神贯注，吸引”的意思。

例6：（2014年重庆A卷试题节选）

Rachel Carsons most famous book， Silent Spring came out in 1962. In this book， she pointed out that the use of some kinds of pesticides （杀虫剂） like DDT would cause the number of birds to decline because it would kill them as well. Finally， in November 1969， the United States government decided that the use of DDT must stop in two years.

The Chinese meaning of the word“decline” in this passage is probably “”.

A. 增加B. 减少

C. 维持D. 翻番

解析：根据画线单词后的because it would kill them as well可推知，该词意为“减少”，故答案为B。

6.利用定义或释义关系

如果生词是由句子或段落解释定义，理解句子或段落本身就是推断词义。作者通常也会用一些信号词来进行解释或说明，这些信号词有mean，refer to，in other words，be called等。

例7：（2014年哈尔滨卷试题节选）

In fact， each spaceship weighing about 1g would carry a sunshade that is half a meter long. It would be mostly transparent. That means light can pass it directly to reach the earth， with lands and oceans clearly in view.

The underlined word “transparent” here probably means “”.

A. 透明的B. 透气的

C. 透风的

解析：由下文“That means light can pass it directly to reach the earth， with lands and oceans clearly in view.”可知，transparent的意思是“透明的”，故答案为A。

7.以列举的短语或句子为线索

为了阐明某一种重要观念或讲清某一抽象概念，作者往往采取举例的方式对这一观点或概念进行说明和解释，从而使学生理解得更具体。那么文中的例子自然也就成了学生理解文章生词的线索。表示列举的信号词有like，for example，such as，especially等。

例8：（2014年广东卷试题节选）

We know that the umbrella was used in ancient Egypt and Babylon as a sunshade. And there was a strange thing connected with its use： it became a symbol of honor and power （权力）. In the Far East in ancient times， the umbrella was allowed to be used only by those in high office or by royal people such as the kings or queens.

The underlined word“royal” might mean “” in Chinese.

A. 皇室的B. 富裕的

C. 中产的D. 平民的

解析：根据画线单词后的such as the kings or queens可知，royal people应是指“（国王或王后等）皇室成员”，故答案为A。

8.利用指代关系

文章中常用代词来指代前面所出现的名词，如one，it，they，he，she及其宾格形式；或以this，that，those来指代文中提到的观点或事实。如：I can understand that the school needs a dress code （准则）. Its a problem if students come to school with their shirts open. We all understand that， but no one wants a uniform.这里出现的指示代词that指的是前面提及的一个事实，即“学校需要制定一个穿衣准则”。

例9：（2014年上海卷试题节选）

Whats the worst thing thats ever happened in your job？

Probably the dog that bit me. It wasnt a big one—I dont mind the big ones. The small ones are the worst. It gave me a very nasty bite.

The underlined word “one” refers to “”.

A. dogB. bite

C. eventD. job

解析：根据上文中的“Probably the dog that bit me.”可知，此处one指代的是dog，故答案为A。

例10：（2014年江西卷试题节选）

Besides going on trips with their parents， American students enjoy taking part in different kinds of activities during the holidays. For example， some kids enjoy summer camps and outdoor adventure （冒险） holidays. Such trips are great for adventurous students. They also have a lot to offer students who arent usually interested in traditional PE activities. You can do courses in survival （生存） skills， for example. Students learn how to make a camp in the forest， which wild food they can eat and how to find their way back to the center.

What does the underlined word “They” refer to in the third paragraph？

A. Some kids.

B. Different traditional PE activities.

C. Parents.

D. Summer camps and outdoor adventure.

解析：根据上文“For example， some kids enjoy summer camps and outdoor adventure （冒险） holidays.”及下文意思可知，they指代的是summer camps 和 outdoor adventure，故答案为D。

9.利用构词法

英语中有大量的单词是通过合成或加前缀、后缀而形成的，因此学生可运用构词法来判断生词的意义。如：The colors of Hawaii in summer are unforgettable. forget意为“忘记”，un为否定前缀，因此unforgettable就是“令人难忘的”之意。

例11：（2012年吉林卷试题节选）

From Mr. Jacksons story， we know honesty is very important in the modern society. We should tell the truth to the people around us， especially to the kids.

The underlined word “honesty” means “”.

A. 激情B. 友谊

C. 乐观D. 诚实

解析：honest意为“诚实的”，加后缀 y，变成名词，意为“诚实”。根据下文“We should tell the truth to the people around us， especially to the kids.”可知答案为D。

【真题演练】

阅读短文，根据文后要求完成所给题目。

1.（2014年丽水卷试题节选）Smile at your class. When it comes time to speak， theres nothing that draws your class into your speech than a good oldfashioned smile. Be happy， because youre about to teach your class something they didnt know before. Studies have shown that smiles are infections. That means once you smile， its hard for everyone else not to smile. So if you want your speech to go off well， smile. Thatll make everyone smile and maybe those smiles will make you actually smile.

In Paragraph 3 of the passage “smiles are infections” means “”.

A. smiles can be passed on

B. its hard to smile

C. smiles keep people fit

D. people should smile every day

2. （2014年淮安卷试题节选） The second kind are those books which give objective （客观的） information of things to be done and seen. If a cultured person has written such a book about the facts of a place， then it is more useful.

The underlined phrase “a cultured person” means a person with .

A. a good appearance

B. a good education

C. a lot of experience

D. a lot of money

3. （2014年河北卷试题节选） Children do not have much experience or knowledge. However， they are natural dreamers. We should not laugh at them for being naive. Many great men were dreamers when they were children. One such dreamer was Thomas Edison. He used to be ostracized （排斥） when he was in primary school， but his achievements were greater than everyone elses in his time.

The underlined word “naive” in the passage means “” in Chinese.

A. 逆反的B. 幼稚的

C. 调皮的D. 冲动的

4. （2014年北京卷试题节选） Teens would like to spend more time doing things with their parents， but watching TV is not counted as spending time together. As your teens mature， it is important for you and your teens spend time alone together， one to one. Your teens need time to talk to you alone without any other family member present.

The underlined part “counted as” in Paragraph 3 probably means “”.

A. compared withB. used as

C. connected withD. regarded as

5. （2014年广州卷试题节选） First I had to get the kids to sleep. That was never easy at any time and tonight it was even more difficult. The eldest one wanted to know why we left the party early. I told him 10：30 p.m. was not early. As usual， I read them a bedtime story， but I had to stop myself reading too quickly or they would learn my secret.

The underlined word “they” in Paragraph 3 refers to “”.

A. thievesB. parents

C. childrenD. neighbours

6. （2014年杭州卷试题节选） I became a laughter yoga （瑜伽） teacher more than two years ago. Before that， I was a dentist！ My job was very difficult， and I used to feel fed up. Now I still improve peoples health， but everything else is completely different. Everyone has fun in a laughter yoga class， including the teacher！

The underlined part “fed up” is closest in meaning to “”.

A. interestedB. satisfied

C. disappointedD. bored

7. （2014年昆明卷试题节选） He stopped for a moment and continued， “I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright. I wish you enough rain to appreciate （欣赏、感激） the sun more. I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive. I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life seem much bigger … I wish you enough ‘Hellos to get you through the final ‘Goodbye.”

The word “joys” in Paragraph 7 is about .

A. pleasureB. happiness

C. enjoymentD. all above

8. （2014年泰安卷试题节选） I couldnever understand what the attraction （吸引） of the house was， even for my parents， who enjoyed nothing better than to sit in silence with a good book. The woman in the house， my fathers distant cousin， was a terrible cook and her food was inedible.

The underlined word “inedible” is closest in meaning to “”.

A. too bad for him to eat

B. nice to look at

C. not enough to eat

D. as delicious as usual

9. （2014年恩施卷试题节选） “If you do not show your filial piety to your mother right now， you might never have the opportunity in the future， because your mother is growing older and older day by day—this is the main theme of my film，” said the 21yearold Liu.

The underlined words “filial piety” probably mean “” in Chinese.

A. 友善B. 同情心

C. 仁慈心D. 孝心

10. （2014年天津卷试题节选） Have beings from space already visited Earth？ “Probably not，” says Shostak. “Its a long way away. However， intelligent beings may contact us in other way， such as radio signals （信号）. In fact， they may be trying to communicate with us now， but we dont have the right tools to receive their messages. However， this is changing. By 2025， we could make contact with other life forms in our universe and we might help each other.”

What does the underlined phrase “life forms” in the last paragraph mean？

A. Message.B. Tools.

C. Intelligent beings.D. Radio signals.

Key：

1～5 ABBDC 6～10 DDADC