词义推测题解题技巧

齐永波

词义推测是检验考生阅读能力的一种方式，多年来，全国新课标卷中通常考1～2题。大家想一想，我们在阅读中文材料，特别是在阅读古典小说时，是不是常常碰到不认识的字，但我们可以通过我们的生活经验、通过上下文顺利地阅读下去？其实，英语也一样，我们大可不必每见一个生词就去查词典，我们可以通过掌握一些猜词技巧来提高阅读速度和效率，从而达到理解句子或文章的目的。下面，让我们共同走进阅读理解词义推测题。

一、提问方式

1. What does the word“contributions”in the last paragraph refer to？（2015全国新课标I卷）

2. Which of the following can best replace the phrase “signed off”in Paragraph 1？（2015全国新课标II卷）

3. What does the underlined word“restored”in the last paragraph mean？（2014全国新课标II卷）

二、解题技巧

技巧1. 根据定义或解释、说明猜测生词的词义

在be，be called，call ，that is，in other words等判断词出现的判断句中，或生词后有定语从句或破折符号时，可以根据已知部分，猜测生词的含义。

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

从后面的解释中我们可以知道brittle 是“脆”的意思。

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

通过理解定语从句的意思，能猜出herdsman是“牧人”之意。

技巧2. 根据对比关系猜测生词的词义

在but，unlike，not，however，in contrast，while，yet，otherwise，though这些表示转折或对比意义的连词出现的句子中，其前后的词有明显的对比关系，通过这种对比关系，就很容易猜出生词的词义了。

[例1] Though Toms face has been washed quite clean， his neck still remains grubby. 和clean意思相对的便是“肮脏的”，因此可猜出句中grubby的意思是“肮脏的”。

[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

该例中supercilious 对许多人来说可能都是个生词，但是句中的短语in contrast可以提示我们supercilious和后面的词组humble and modest（谦卑又谦虚）是对比关系。分析出这种关系后，我们便能猜出supercilious意为“目空一切的，傲慢的”。

技巧3. 通过因果关系猜测词义

我们知道，because， since与as引导原因状语从句，so引导表示结果的句子，so...that与such...that中的that引导结果状语从句。通过因果关系，依据已知部分就能猜出生词的词义。

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

根据because从句所讲的意思，我们就可推测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.

从后面的结果“永远不能再运动”，可以推测 permanent 的意思为“永远的，永久的”。

技巧4. 根据生活常识猜测词义

根据自身的生活经验及生活常识，联系上下文能读懂的部分，运用逻辑推理，可以正确猜出词义。

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

根据句子意思及生活经验，wither表示“枯萎”。

[例2] The snake slithered through the grass.

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

假如没学过slither 这个单词，根据有关蛇的生活习性，我们也可以推断出slither意为“滑行”而决不是“跑”“走”或“飞”。

技巧5. 根据同等关系猜测词义

同等关系，指的是一个词、一组词或短语在句中作同一成分，而且它们的词义都属于同一范畴。这样的词组或短语中间常常用并列连词and或or来连接。

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

从“年龄42岁”以及与prime具有同等关系的full of energy可以猜出prime的意思是“盛年时期”。

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

由同位语or the ability to store electric charge，我们可以猜出生词capacitance的词义是“电容量”。

技巧6. 根据列举的事例猜测词义

根据such as， like，for example， for instance等引出的例子推测出生词的意思。

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

从后面列举的例子中，可以猜出periodical是“期刊，杂志”的意思。

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

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

技巧7. 根据构词法知识猜测词义

根据学过的构词法知识，知道词根和前缀或后缀的意义，就可猜出由它们组成的新词词义。例如：

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

possibility 是 possible 的同根名词， 据此可以断定 possibility 的意思是“可能性”。

技巧8. 根据上下文来猜测词义

有时，我们可借助上下文语境对生词或短语进行推测。请看下段材料：

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.

题1：A mammoth is a kind of ________.

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

从下文which are related with Asia elephants可知mammoth是一种动物。因此，答案为C。

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

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

根据下文There are no mammoths in the world today我们就容易推断出extinct的意思为“灭绝了”。故选C。

三、真题分析

[例1]（2010重庆卷）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

解题技巧：根据定义或解释、说明猜测生词的词义。

解题过程：题中an elderly， unshaven man是定语从句who looked somewhat disheveled的先行词，此处unshaven意为“未刮脸的”“未剃须的”；后文还讲到这个老人戴着一顶破旧的帽子，老者的形象，不难推断出正确答案为B。

[例2]（2008广东卷）“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

解题技巧：根据列举的事例猜测词义。

解题过程：前文讲到妈妈和孩子在music方面存在着a complete gap，后面又说到他们在clothing和hairstyles方面也经常to move in separate orbits（在不同的轨道上），由此可以判断出正确选项应该是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（实体店）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

解题技巧：根据对比关系猜测生词的词义。

解题过程：destination的本意是“目的地”，与上面提到的shop场地相通，但意义迥异，不仅是购物的地方，更多的是一种购物的完整体验，有视觉、听觉和味觉的多重享受。这里的意义是针对消费者而言的，而不是商店或商家。A、D选项都是针对商家说的，而B跟文章没有关系，故本题选C。

[例4]（2015 广东卷）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

解题技巧：根据上下文来猜测词义。

解题过程：通过前段最后一句话可知，消费社会的每个人都被认为是中产阶层；第二段关于英国社会阶级是否开始消亡的调查显示：绝大多数人仍然认为英国社会中存在不同的阶级，这是英国社会中重要的一部分。由此可知，英国人好像对阶级划分非常热衷。stratification（划分），跟B选项是同义词，故选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

解题技巧：根据生活常识猜测词义。

解题过程：在了解大意后获知：你能看到的物体一种是对光进行了散射，而另外一种是对光线的吸收。再结合常识可以确定，既然吸收了，那在光的传播过程中就完全阻止了，因此这里的dead是“完全的”意思。故选D。

[例6]（2015 全国I卷）The exhibition shows how Dali draws the viewer between two infinities（无限）. “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

解题技巧： 据同等关系猜测词义。

解题过程：在了解本段大意的基础上，不难发现前段中的exhibition，old painting，museum-theatre和后段中的works属于同一范畴，因此可以推断出contribution为“艺术作品”之一。故选A。

[例7]（2015 全国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

解题技巧：通过因果关系猜测词义。

解题过程：so...that中的that引导结果状语从句。电视机刚抱回家里状况非常好，所以作者爱不释手；再根据后一句，幸运的是，我不用整晚看电影了，否则我不能睡觉了，由此可以判断出作者之前应该是看电视直到电视节目结束，故正确答案为A。

通过对以上试题的分析不难发现，实际阅读中不能只靠某一种方法来解决猜词问题，必须在读懂大意的基础上，充分利用已知信息，结合上下文，综合运用各种猜词技巧才能提高推断的准确性。要做到娴熟地运用各种技巧，必须做一些有针对性的训练。

四、即时练习

单句练习 选出与句中画线部分意义相同或相近的选项。

1. The war damaged his psyche； he was no longer able to think clearly.（因果关系）

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

2. She is usually prompt for all her classes，but today she arrives quite late.（对比关系）

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.（同等关系）

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.（对比关系）

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.（同等关系）

A. illness B. coldness

C. kindness and warmness D. cooking skill

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

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

7. When people become unemployed， it is idleness that is often worse than lack of wages.（定义或解释）

A. laziness B. inability

C. having nothing to do D. having little money

8. The disease depopulated the village.（构词法）

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 _____.（列举事例）

A. 骄傲 B. 吹牛 C. 顽皮 D. 幼稚

语篇练习

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 （饱和脂肪）.

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

答案与解析

1-5 AADBC 6-10 ACDBB

11. C 根据那所学校名称“Ridgways School of Adventure”以及由where引导的定语从句所作的解释，可知其是一所探险培训学校；下文中“about North Pole explorers and adventures”是对其授课内容的进一步说明，而“explorers and adventures”正是目标词exploits的语义再现。

12. B 根据下文示例解释可猜zoochosis的意思大概是“公园动物精神病”，据此推断患这种病症的动物心情烦躁，行为反常。

13. A 根据文章中的“being thin equals being loved， being special， and being cherished...”可知， 减肥意味着什么，即解决什么问题。所以A正确。

14. D 根据文中的意思：The real-life cat burglar

stealing 这只猫喜欢偷东西。A项“批评”；B项“怀疑”；C项“憎恨”；D项“喜欢”。

15. A 结合上文中的“In that experiment， 55 Asian-Americans were asked to choose a meal from a local Asian or American restaurant.”以及画线词后面的内容可推知画线词表示的是提供的食物。

综上所述，利用各种已知信息推测、判断词义是一项重要的阅读技巧。在实践中，我们可以灵活运用，综合运用上面提到的几种猜测技巧，排除生词的障碍，顺利理解文章的思想内容，提高阅读速度。记住，高考试题侧重于考查通过上下文猜测词义的能力。

责任编辑 蒋小青