运用对偶式同构,讲评高考英语题
2020-12-30重庆特级教师
重庆 (特级教师)
讲评高考英语试题是英语教学中的重要内容。然而,目前的试题讲评课堂中,许多一线教师过分注重词汇和语法知识,而忽略了语篇知识。《普通高中英语课程标准(2017 年版2020 年修订》指出,“在使用语言的过程中,语言使用者不仅需要运用词汇和语法知识,而且需要将语言组织为意义连贯的语篇。这就需要运用语篇知识。”使语篇连贯需要运用语篇衔接方式。语篇的衔接方式有很多种,其中包括结构衔接,而对偶式同构是结构衔接的一种。本文将介绍对偶式同构的概念及其分类,并从2019 年高考英语全国卷和省市卷中选用部分单项填空、阅读理解、“七选五”、完形填空试题作为实例,探讨运用对偶式同构讲评高考英语试题。
一、对偶式同构的概念
对偶式同构(isomorphism pair)是指在同一语篇中在句法结构、词性方面相同、相近,在语义方面相同、相近、相对或相反,在逻辑上相互关联的两个结构。它很像汉语中的对偶,但没有汉语中的对偶那么严格。因此,笔者称这种同构为对偶式同构。对偶式同构是语篇衔接的一种方式,因此,对偶式同构必须语义连贯,两个结构必须有逻辑联系,否则,不能称为对偶式同构。
【例】Nothing ventured,nothing gained.
本句逗号前后形成对偶式同构,对仗十分工整。“Nothing”对“nothing”,“ventured”对“gained”。
二、对偶式同构的分类
(一)从语义上分类
1.正对对偶式同构
正对对偶式同构是指对偶同构中各个部分在语义上相同、相近,或互补、相衬。
【例】(高中英语人教版教材,必修一Unit 3 Using Language)At midnight the sky became clearer and the stars grew brighter.
本句中“and”前后形成正对对偶式同构。“sky”对“stars”,“became”对“grew”,“clearer”对“brighter”,其在语义上互相补充,互相衬托。
2.反对对偶式同构
反对对偶式同构是指对偶同构中关键部分在语义上相对或相反。
【例1】(高中英语人教版教材,必修二Unit 1 Using Language)What is a fact?...A fact is anything that can be proved....Then what is an opinion? An opinion is what someone believes is true but has not been proved.
本句中的“fact”与“opinion”相对。这两个句子通过对偶式同构,使“fact”和“opinion”两个概念形成鲜明的对照,让读者一目了然。
【例2】(高中英语人教版教材,必修一Unit 3 Reading)At first the river is small and the water is clear and cold....After it leaves China and high altitude,the Mekong becomes wide,brown and warm.
“small”“clear”“cold”分别与“wide”“brown”“warm”相对,语义相反,说明了湄公河“在起初”与“当流出中国,流出高地之后”两个时刻截然不同的水文状况。
(二)从形式上分类
1.显性对偶式同构
显性对偶式同构指在通过连词、固定结构或其他明显的方式实现的对偶式同构。
(1)并列式对偶同构
并列式对偶同构是指用并列连词连接的对偶同构。常见的连接对偶式同构的并列连词有:and,or,but,as well as,or else,both...and...,neither...nor...,either...or...,not only...but also...,not...but...等。
【例】(高中英语人教版教材,必修四Unit 1 Using Language)It seemed that she had been very busy in her chosen career,travelling abroad to study as well as writing books and articles.“travelling abroad to study” 对“writing books and articles”。“as well as”前后内容的词性和作用必须保持一致。本句中“as well as”的前后都是用动词的现在分词作状语。
(2)主从式对偶同构
主从式对偶同构是指主句部分与从句部分形成对偶式同构。
【例】Freedom rings where opinions clash.
“where”前后对仗工整。“Freedom”对“opinions”,“rings”对“clash”。
(3)动词固定句型要求的对偶式同构
常见的这类动词固定句型有:prefer...to...,would rather do...than do...,would sooner do...than do...等。
【例1】I prefer dancing to singing.
【例2】I would rather die than ask him for his autograph.
【例3】I would sooner die than marry you.
例1 为“prefer...to...”动词固定句型,介词“to”前后的“dancing”与“singing”相对。例2 为“would rather...than...”动词固定句型,其中的“die”对“ask him for his autograph”。例3 为“would sooner...than...”,其中的“die”对“marry you”。
(4)同词重复式对偶同构
这种对偶式同构不需要连词,也不要求固定的句型,而是采取重复的方式来实现同构。常见的有以下几种:①句首重复;②句尾重复;③中间重复;④句首、句中、句尾都有重复。
句首重复指一个词、短语或句子的部分连续出现在两个句子的开头。句尾重复指一个词、短语或句子的部分连续出现在两个句子的尾部。中间重复指一个词、短语或句子的部分连续出现在两个句子的中间。
【例】I never see what has been done; I only see what remains to be done.
2.隐性对偶式同构
(1)语义复现式对偶同构
语义复现式对偶同构是指通过同义词或近义词而不是同词复现实现的同构。语义重复指一个词、短语或句子的部分与相对应句子中的某个词、短语或句子的部分意思相同或相近。这种同构虽然在结构上没有其他同构那么具有语言艺术性,但在记叙文、说明文或议论文中大量存在。认识这种对偶式同构,有助于提高学生阅读理解的能力。
【例】(高中英语人教版教材,必修四Unit 1 Reading)For forty years Jane Goodall has been outspoken about making the rest of the world understand and respect the life of these animals.She has argued that wild animals should be left in the wild and not used for entertainment or advertisements.
第二句中的“She” 就是指第一句中的“Jane Goodall”,虽然二者词性不同,但在语义上相同。第二句中的“has argued”与第一句中的“has been outspoken about”在语义上相近,第二句中的“that wild animals should be left in the wild and not used for entertainment or advertisements” 与第一句中的“making the rest of the world understand and respect the life of these animals”在语义上相近,前者是名词性从句,具有名词的性质,后者是动名词,也具有名词的性质,因此,可以看成“She”对“Jane Goodall”,“has argued”对“has been outspoken about”,“that wild animals should be left in the wild and not used for entertainment or advertisements”对“making the rest of the world understand and respect the life of these animals”。这样分析句子结构有助于真正领会“has been outspoken about”的意义。
(2)省略式对偶同构
英语中为了避免重复,往往将前面已经出现的词语省略,在对偶式同构中也是如此。
【例】(高中英语人教版教材,必修四Unit 5 Reading)Some parks are famous for having the biggest or longest roller coasters,others for showing the famous sights and sounds of a culture.
“others”后省略了前面已经出现的“are famous”。“Some parks”对“others”,“are famous for”对“(are famous)for”,“having the biggest or longest roller coasters”对“showing the famous sights and sounds of a culture”。
(3)变形式对偶式同构
英语中,尤其是在说明文、记叙文等文体中,作者为了丰富句型结构,为了表达流畅,往往不机械地使用规则的对偶式同构,而用变形式同构来丰富表达的多样性。变形式对偶同构是不规则的对偶式同构,但为了方便理解,读者可以通过仔细探究将变形式同构还原为规范的对偶式同构。
【例】(2018 年高考英语全国卷Ⅱ阅读理解B 篇,最后一段)If you have a juicer,you can simply feed in frozen bananas and some berries or sliced fruit.Out comes a“softserve”creamy dessert,to be eaten right away.This makes a fun activity for a children’s party; they love feeding the fruit and frozen bananas into the top of the machine and watching the ice cream come out below.
高考命题人设计了“What is‘a juicer’in the last paragraph?”这一题。与其说该题是考查猜测词义,不如说是考查考生是否能识别变形式对偶同构。
第一句后半部分中,“feed in frozen bananas and some berries or sliced fruit”是“feed frozen bananas and some berries or sliced fruit into the top of the juicer”的变形。如果将第一句的后半部分改为“feed frozen bananas and some berries or sliced fruit into the top of the juicer”,就很容易看出它与“feeding the fruit and frozen bananas into the top of the machine”为对偶式同构。“feed”对“feeding”(由于“feed”前为情态动词因此应用原形,“feeding”前为love,应用动词的动名词形式,因此这里的词形不对称可以忽略),“frozen bananas and some berries or sliced fruit”对“the fruit and frozen bananas”,“into the top of the juicer” 对“into the top of the machine”。这样就很容易推测出“a juicer”就是“a machine”。
三、运用对偶式同构讲评高考题举例
(一)单项填空
【例1】(2019 年天津卷,单项填空,2)I _______to send Peter a gift to congratulate him on his marriage,but I couldn’t manage it.
A.had hoped B.am hoping
C.have hoped D.would hope
【解析与答案】根据连词“but”可以判断这是显性对偶式同构。“but”前面的分句与后面的分句形成反对对偶式同构:前面是虚拟的,后面是真实的。这是对过去的虚拟,所以用“had hoped to”表示。因此,本题答案为A。
【例2】(2019 年天津卷,单项填空,3) A study shows the students who are engaged in after-school activities are happier than _______ who are not.
A.ones B.those
C.these D.them
【解析与答案】“than”前后的部分构成对偶式同构。“the students who are engaged in after-school activities”可以理解为“these students who are engaged in after-school activities”。“these”对“those”,“who are not(engaged in after-school activities)” 对“who are engaged in afterschool activities”。因此,本题答案为B。
【例3】(2019 年天津卷,单项填空,4)_______ to think critically is an important skill today’s children will need for the future.
A.Learn B.Learned
C.Learning D.Having learned
【解析与答案】“is”前后构成对偶式同构。因为“an important skill”是名词,所以,前面只能用具有名词性质的成分。“Learning”是动名词,具有名词性质。因此,本题答案为C。
(二)阅读理解
【例1】(2019 年浙江卷,阅读理解A 篇,21)Where did Zac get a Purple Heart medal for himself?
A.In the army. B.In an antique shop.
C.From his mother. D.From Adeline Rockko.
【解析与答案】如果考生没有运用对偶式同构知识解答这道题,就很容易出错。这道题学生很容易根据原文中的“His effort to reunite families with lost medals began with a Christmas gift from his mother,a Purple Heart with the name Corrado A.G.Piccoli,found in an antique shop.”而错选B。为什么不能依据这句话确定答案呢?因为“found”不能与“get...for himself”相对,“a Purple Heart with the name Corrado A.G.Piccoli”不 能 与“a Purple Heart medal”相对。解答这道题的正确依据是“Zac knows the meaning of a Purple Heart — he earned one himself in a war as a soldier.”因为“he earned one himself in a war as a soldier”与“Where did Zac get a Purple Heart medal for himself”才构成同构。“he”对“Zac”,“earned...himself”对“get...for himself”,“one”对“a Purple Heart medal”,“in a war as a soldier”对“where”。因此,本题答案为A。
【例2】(2019 年浙江卷,阅读理解B 篇,24)What does the expression“Money with no strings attached.”in Paragraph 1 mean?
A.Money spent without hesitation.
B.Money not legally made.
C.Money offered without conditions.
D.Money not tied together.
【解析与答案】要想答对这道题,考生一定要抓住原文第一段中的“Give What You Can,Take What You Need.(能捐多少捐多少,需要多少取多少)”这句话。这句话为对偶式同构,“Give”对“Take”,“What You Can”对“What You Need”。通过对这个对偶式同构的理解可知,人们可以“没有限制条件地”捐钱或者取钱。“no strings attached” 意为“没有任何附带条件的”。因此,本题答案为C。
【例3】(2019 年浙江卷,阅读理解B 篇,25)What did Bridges want to show by mentioning the bride?
A.Women tended to be more sociable.
B.The activity attracted various people.
C.Economic problems were getting worse.
D.Young couples needed financial assistance.
【解析与答案】原文第二段中的“People of all ages,races,and socio-economic(社会经济的)backgrounds gave and took”与下文的“We even had a bride in her wedding dress come up to the board and take a few dollars.”构成变形式对偶同构。我们可以将“People of all ages,races,and socio-economic(社会经济的)backgrounds gave and took”改为“We had people of all ages,races,and socio-economic backgrounds give and take”,这样就与下文的“We even had a bride in her wedding dress come up to the board and take a few dollars.”构成句首重复的显性对偶式同构。“We had ” 对“We even had”,“people of all ages,races,and socio-economic(社会经济的)backgrounds”对“a bride in her wedding dress”。这样就不难看出,这项活动吸引了各种各样的人,下文提到的那位新娘是“各种各样的人”的具体例证。因此,本题答案为B。
(三)“七选五”
【例】(2019 年全国卷Ⅲ,“七选五”,37)
●____37___ Questions about subject content are generally welcomed.Before asking questions about the course design,read the syllabus(教学大纲)and learning management system information to be sure the answer isn’t hiding in plain sight.
●Participate in discussion forums(论坛),blogs and other open-ended forums for dialogue....
A.That’s what they are for.
B.Turn to an online instructor for help.
C.If more information is needed,they will ask.
D.Remember that online professors get a lot of emails.
E.Below are some common do’s and don’ts for online learners.
F.Everyone has taken a not-so-great class at one time or another.
G.Ask questions,but make sure they are good,thoughtful questions.
【解析与答案】本题为带“●”段落的第一句。我们认真观察本题下段带“●”段落的第一句,就会发现它是祈使句,因此,我们根据对偶式同构的特点,可以大胆推测第37 空要选择的句子也应该为祈使句。所给的七个选项中,只有B、D、G 三个选项为祈使句,这样就大大缩小了选择范围,避免盲目地“大海捞针”地选择。再根据该空后两句内容均与“questions”有关可知,本句应与“问问题”相关。因此,本题答案为G。
(四) 完形填空
【例】(2019 年全国卷Ⅲ,完形填空,42~44)
“Of course,we ____42____ it when the sun is shining,”says Karin Ro,who works for the town’s tourism office.“We see the sky is ____43____,but down in the valley it’s darker — it’s like on a ____44____ day.”
42.A.fear B.believe C.hear D.notice
43.A.empty B.blue C.high D.wide
44.A.cloudy B.normal C.different D.warm
【 解 析 与 答 案】“we ____42____ it when the sun is shining”与“We see the sky is ____43____ ”为正对对偶式同构。第42 题所在的句子中“we”对第43 题所在的句子中“We”,“ ____42____ ”对“see”,“it when the sun is shining”对“the sky is ____43____ ”。正对对偶式同构中各个相对的部分在语义上相同、相近,或互补、相衬。根据正对对偶式同构的特征可判断出,第42 题应该选填与“see”意义相近的“notice”,第43 题应该选填“blue”,因为“the sun is shining”与“the sky is blue”在语义上互补。第44 题根据“but”可知,“the sky is ____43____ ”与“ a ____44____ day”在语义上相反。因此,第42 题答案为D,第43 题答案为B,第44 题答案为A。
对偶式同构的提法是本文的大胆尝试。对偶式同构既有别于词汇衔接,又有别于汉语中的对偶,也有别于修辞中的排比。对偶式同构是作为一种衔接形式而独立存在的语言形式,其种类繁多。显性对偶式同构可与汉语中的对偶媲美,能达到形式美、音韵美的表达效果。运用对偶式同构讲评高考试题,不仅能提高学生的语言能力,还能提高学生的语篇能力,也是培养学生英语学科核心素养的新路径。