名词化在高考英语解题中的应用

浙江 胡 云

一、名词化的概念、类型和功能

著名语言学家M.A.K.Halliday于1985年首次提出语法隐喻（grammatical metaphor）这一概念，它指的是在语言表达过程中，打破了用名词体现事件过程的参与者，用动词体现过程本身，用形容词体现事物的特征，用副词或介词短语体现时间、地点、工具、方式等环境意义，用连词体现逻辑意义等常规方式，用名词体现过程、特征等，即名词化使得词汇语法层所表达的表层意义和话语意义层所表达的深层意义变得不一致，例如：

a.The driver drove the bus too fast down the hill,so the brakes failed.

b.The driver’s over-rapid downhill driving of the bus caused brake failure.

在a句中，事件过程的参与者是由三个名词The driver，the bus和the brakes体现的，事件过程是由动词drove和failed体现的，表示速度的环境意义是由副词短语too fast体现的，表示方向的环境意义是由介词短语down the hill体现的，表示因果关系的逻辑意义是由连词so体现的，这种方式使得词汇语法层所表达的表层意义和话语意义层所表达的深层意义相同。而b句则把三个过程参与者The driver，the bus和the brakes以及表示环境意义的down the hill都变成了名词短语的修饰语，而表示过程的drive和fail则都变成了参与者，即它们分别被名词化为driving和failure。

朱永生认为，名词化指的是把某个过程或特征看作事物，词性转换是其得以实现的一种方式。他把名词化分为以下类型：

1.把过程看作事物

c.The police investigated the matter.

d.The police conducted an investigation into the matter.

2.把特征看作事物

e.They are narrow-minded and I don’t like it.

f.I don’t like their narrow-mindedness.

3.把评价看作事物

g.I achieved what I could.

h.I achieved my potential.

学界普遍认为，名词化在语篇表达中有着多种功能。

首先，名词化的使用可以使语篇信息集中。从上面b句中，我们可以看到，句子中包含了两个以名词化了的driving和failure为核心的名词短语，句子蕴含了大量信息，极大地提升了其信息的密度，从而使得整个句子的表达更加简洁。

其次，名词化的使用可以使语篇以主述位推进的形式实现更好的衔接与连贯。例如：The government is discussing whether this ancient temple should be reconstructed.This discussion has attracted more and more public attention.此例中第二个句子中的“discussion”即为第一句中动词“is discussing”的名词化，通过这一转化，两个句子之间的衔接变得顺畅自然。

二、在高考英语试题中出现的名词化的类型

当前的高考英语试题中有大量的阅读理解题涉及句意转述、段落大意概括和文本大意概括等，表达形式多为名词性短语，体现了名词化信息集中这一功能特点。此外，高考英语试题主要以语篇形式呈现，其中多种类型的试题涉及名词化的衔接连贯功能。接下来，本文介绍在高考英语试题中出现的名词化的类型。

1.句子（群）的名词化

此类名词化是将文本中某个（些）句子进行综合概括，将其核心的动词或形容词进行名词化，从而使其以一个简短的名词性短语的形式出现于试题的选项中。如2021年新高考Ⅰ卷阅读理解C篇：

...Millions of acres of wetlands were dried to feed and house the ever-increasing populations,greatly reducing waterfowl habitats（栖息地）.

28.What was a cause of the waterfowl population decline in North America?

A.Loss of wetlands.

B.Popularity of water sports.

C.Pollution of rivers.

D.Arrival of other wild animals.

上面句子提到，水禽数量下降的原因之一是“wetlands were dried to feed and house the ever-increasing populations”，即湿地被排干为不断增长的人口提供食物和住房，从而导致水禽栖息地的减少。这其中的核心信息是“wetlands were dried”，其名词化形式为“the dryness of wetlands”，命题者将其转述为选项“A.Loss of wetlands.”。

2.段落大意的名词化

此类名词化是先用句子来概括段落的大意，在此基础上，将句子内容进行名词化表达。如2021年全国乙卷阅读理解C篇：

Just 9% of global plastic waste is recycled.Plastic straws are by no means the biggest source（来源）of plastic pollution,but they’ve recently come under fire because most people don’t need them to drink with and,because of their small size and weight,they cannot be recycled.Every straw that’s part of Von Wong’s artwork likely came from a drink that someone used for only a few minutes.Once the drink is gone,the straw will take centuries to disappear.

29.Why does the author discuss plastic straws in Paragraph 3?

A.To show the difficulty of their recycling.

B.To explain why they are useful.

C.To voice his views on modern art.

D.To find a substitute for them.

上面这段话里提到塑料吸管之所以被人批判，是因为它们很小很轻，不能被回收利用（they cannot be recycled），后面又说一旦饮料喝完了，吸管就会被扔掉，而它们需要几个世纪才能消失。所以，总体上，这段话谈的是“Plastic straws are easy to drop,but difficult to recycle.”。命题者将这个综合信息名词化为“the difficulty of their (plastic straws’) recycling”。

3.文本大意的名词化

文本大意概括是高考英语考查的重要内容之一，文本大意常用名词性短语来进行概括。如2021年3月天津卷阅读理解C篇：

A trial project by the Montreal Children’s Hospital suggested that the use of medical hypnosis (催眠) can reduce pain and anxiety in patients.The project also resulted in a reduction in the amount of medicines used to preform medical-imaging（医学影像）procedures.

50.What is the passage mainly about?

A.An easy way to communicate with patients.

B.The standard method of conducting hypnosis.

C.An introduction of medical-imaging technology.

D.The use of hypnosis in medical-imaging procedures.

文章第一段介绍了文本的核心信息：蒙特利尔儿童医院所开展的一个实验项目表明，医学催眠能减少病人的疼痛和焦虑，还减少了医学影像检查中药物的用量。之后的段落介绍了在医学影像检查的各步骤中如何实施催眠。所以文本主题是“Technologists use hypnosis in medicalimaging procedures to reduce the amount of medicines.”命题者将其名词化为“D.The use of hypnosis in medical-imaging procedures.”。

4.语篇衔接连贯的名词化

如上文所述，名词化可以使语篇的衔接连贯更加顺畅自然。高考英语对语篇衔接连贯的考查也经常涉及名词化的应用。如2021年1月浙江卷“七选五”：

...If there are three lines in the store,delays will happen randomly at different registers.Think about the probability:33 So it’s not just in your mind:Another line probably is moving faster.

33题空格前一句讲：“请考虑可能性，即在三个队伍排队付款的情况下，你的队伍排最快的可能性只有三分之一。”空格前出现的“probability”与D项中的“chances”意思相同，前后衔接连贯，而“your line is the fastest”被名词化为“your line being the fastest”，作为核心名词“The chances”的修饰语，故选择“D.The chances of your line being the fastest are only one in three.”。

又如2021年1月浙江卷完形填空：

...Three days later,a beautiful stairway came into being.The 48 of knowing that my 49 will be on that mountainside for years to come is massive.

48.A.satisfaction B.ambition

C.expectation D.intention

49.A.work B.memory

C.record D.story

在这段话中作者提到，他利用三天的时间，在岩石上凿出了一段漂亮的台阶。知道自己的作品会在山坡上留存几年的时间，作者自然是感到高兴满意的，句子可表达为“Knowing that my work will be on that mountainside for years to come,I was very satisfied.”，此处将这个句子中的形容词satisfied名词化为satisfaction，而将表示原因的环境意义的现在分词短语名词化后，作为satisfaction的修饰语，从而将作者的情绪和前一句中成果的出现紧密衔接。

三、名词化在解答高考英语试题中的应用

在明晰了高考英语试题名词化的思路后，学生可以通过解构名词化来快速解答相关题目。下面，笔者通过具体例子来分析如何应用名词化解答高考英语试题。

1.句子的名词化解构

2021年全国乙卷阅读理解D篇：

So why do so many of us hate our open offices? The problem may be that,in our offices,we can’t stop ourselves from getting drawn into others’ conversations while we’re trying to focus.Indeed,the researchers found that face-to-face interactions and conversations affect the creative process,and yet a coworking space or a coffee shop provides a certain level of noise while also providing freedom from interruptions.

34.What makes an open office unwelcome to many people?

A.Personal privacy unprotected.

B.Limited working space.

C.Restrictions on group discussion.

D.Constant interruptions.

首先，这道题的设问把文本中询问原因的why名词化为询问参与者的what，第二句话中的“The problem may be that”直接呈现其答案，即“in our offices,we can’t stop ourselves from getting drawn into others’conversations while we’re trying to focus”。这句话可以解读为“we’re interrupted by others’ conversations in our offices while we’re trying to focus”，我们可以进一步将其名词化为“interruptions by others’ conversations”，以回应问题中what所指向的信息，即“others’ interruptions make many of us hate our open offices/make open offices unwelcome to many people。而“D.Constant interruptions.”只是省略了打扰是由他人的谈话所导致的这一信息，但并不妨碍学生顺利得到正确答案。

在这个例子中，我们解构名词化的过程为：首先抓住句子的核心内容——句子中的动词或形容词，解读其意思，然后将其名词化，建立文本内容和选项中的词汇之间的联系，从而确定正确答案。

2.段落大意的名词化解构

2020年全国卷Ⅲ阅读理解B篇：

The creative team behindApesused motion-capture（动作捕捉）technology to create digitalized animals,spending tens of millions of dollars on technology that records an actor’s performance and later processes it with computer graphics to create a final image（图像）.In this case,one of a realisticlooking ape.

25.What does Paragraph 2 mainly talk about?

A.The cost of makingApes.

B.The creation of digitalized apes.

C.The publicity aboutApes.

D.The performance of real apes.

在这个段落中，核心信息是电影制作团队制作电子类人猿形象的方法，即“The creative team...processes it with computer graphics to create a final image.”，我们可以将此信息解读为“The team creates an image of an realisticlooking ape by recording an actor’s performance and later processing it with computer graphics.”，最终可以将核心信息名词化为“The creation of digitalized apes.”，即选项B。

在确定段落大意时，我们将句子名词化的过程为：抓住段落的核心内容，并通过一个句子呈现其意思，最后将句子的内容名词化，联系选项中的核心词汇，从而确定正确答案。

3.文本大意的名词化解构

With the young unable to afford to leave home and the old at risk of isolation（孤独）,more families are choosing to live together.”

2020年全国卷Ⅲ阅读理解C篇：

31.What is the text mainly about?

A.Lifestyles in different countries.

B.Conflicts between generations.

C.A housing problem in Britain.

D.A rising trend of living in the UK.

文章第一段提出当前英国的一种社会现象：由于年轻人无法负担离开家的费用，老年人面临着孤独，越来越多的家庭选择住在一起。之后以Nick Bright为例，谈论他们一家三代人如何同住一幢房子，并点明他们是“one of a growing number of multigenerational families in the UK living together under the same roof ”，而后再次提出“research indicates that the numbers have been rising for some time.Official reports suggest that the number of households with three generations living together had risen from 325 000 in 2001 to 419 000 in 2013.”，所以我们可以将文本的核心意思概括为“the number of multigenerational families in UK has been rising/growing”，然后可以将其名词化为“D.A rising trend of living in the UK.”，其中原来句子中表示过程的动词rise成了名词化短语中的修饰语。

在组织文本大意时，我们应该首先确定文本的写作对象（subject），进而通过对各段内容的理解，把握其主题内容（topic），之后先以句子的形式呈现文本大意，再通过名词化的手段概括大意，最后联系选项中的关键词汇，从而确定正确答案。

4.衔接连贯意义的名词化解构

2019年北京卷“七选五”：

To explain this phenomenon,the researchers explored the degree to which a good performance by a team requires its members to coordinate（协调）their actions.___48___ In baseball,the performance of individual players is less dependent on teammates.They conclude that when task interdependence is high,team performance will suffer when there is too much talent,while individual talent will have positive effects on team performance when task interdependence is lower.If a basketball star is,for example,trying to gain a high personal point total,he may take a shot himself when it would be better to pass the ball to a teammate,affecting the team’s performance.Young children learning to play team sports are often told,“There is no I in TEAM.” ...

A.It’s not a simple matter to determine the nature of talent.

B.Sports team owners spend millions of dollars attracting top talent.

C.The group interaction and its effect drew the researchers’attention.

D.Stars apparently do not follow this basic principle of sportsmanship.

E.Several recent studies examined the role of talent in the sports world.

F.Building up a dream team is more complex than simply hiring the best talent.

G.This task interdependence distinguishes baseball from football and basketball.

这段话首先提到，研究者探究了运动队要想有好的表现，队员们需要相互配合使动作达到何种程度。接着呈现他们的研究结果，48题上一句的核心是“its members to coordinate（协调）their actions”，G选项中的“This task interdependence”可以看作是其名词化短语“the coordination of its members’ actions”的转述，故G选项通过“This task interdependence”这个名词化短语实现了与上一句的衔接，而后半句谈到这种依赖使棒球区别于足球和篮球，所以第48题的正确选项是G。

从上面的例子中我们可以看出，以名词化实现段落内部的衔接与连贯，通常会以名词化短语来呈现前面句子中的关键信息，或是其中的动词内容、形容词内容等，而名词化的表述可以直接从前文中的动词或形容词转化而来，也可以在此基础上进一步转述。解题时，学生抓住其中词汇的联系即可。

语法隐喻中的名词化在语言表达和语篇组织中有着重要作用，教师要培养学生快速识别、解构名词化表达的能力，使其在高考英语考试过程中可以快速解读句子和文本，从而找到正确答案。此外，在识别、解构名词化的过程中，学生还能同时提升语言概括能力和转述能力，从而提升自己的综合语言能力。