高考英语阅读理解“词义猜测”题研究

第十节　高考英语阅读理解“词义猜测”题研究

在阅读过程中猜测陌生词词义的能力是读者应具备的基本技能之一。高中英语课程标准明确指出:高中学生应“能利用上下文和句子结构猜测词义”（教育部，2003），应能“在听和读的过程中，借助情景和上下文猜测词义或推测段落大意”（教育部，2003）。因此，普通高考考试说明也将“词义猜测”作为考查内容，要求考生能“根据上下文推断生词的词义”（浙江省教育考试院，2009）。高考英语在阅读理解测试中对该项技能设置了相应的考题（吕吉尔，2007），但人们对该考题见仁见智，众说纷纭，深入研究者不多。本节谨以高考英语阅读测试中涉及词义猜测的考题为研究对象^[28]，探讨此类考题的特点及内在规律，并提出解答此类考题的若干策略和一般方法，供师生参考。

一、“词义猜测”题概况

1.“词义猜测”题特点

在阅读测试中，要求理解语篇中画线词语或句子意思的考题统称为“词义猜测”题。所谓词义猜测是指:在阅读过程中，根据上下文语境，运用各种语言知识、背景知识对陌生词语的词义作出合乎逻辑的猜测或推断。

本节把题干以“..means______”“..closest in meaning to______”和“..refers to sth./sb______.”为标志的考题归入“词义猜测”题（指高考英语阅读测试中的词义猜测题，下同）。其中“the underlined sentence..means______”之类的考题有两种情况:一种是要求理解画线句子的字面意义（句中有生词，需要猜测其词义），本节归入词义猜测题；另一种情况是句子本身无生词，要求推测说话人的意思，即句子的言外之意，属于推理判断题，不在本节讨论之列。

词义猜测题主要有猜测“生词生义”和“熟词生义”两种。词义猜测的线索可来自本词语、本句、前后句、本段落、整个语篇或语篇之外。

2.词义猜测对象类型

词义猜测题的猜测对象（以下简称目标词）可分为四类:词素、单词、短语和句子。有些考题，目标词形式上为短语或句子，实际上只需猜测其中某个词的含义，如名词性短语praise－aholic kids，实际只需猜测praise－aholic的词义。又如Karl became withdrawn一句，实际只需猜测withdrawn一词的词义，是名副其实的词义猜测题。

表5－41　目标词类型及分布

注:表中“目标词分布”栏所反映的是实际猜词对象的属性。

从上表可以看出，猜测名词、动词词义的考题占绝大多数（分别占36.3%和37.3%），猜测形容词的也不少（占17.6%），猜测句意的考题很少。因此，本节将它们统称为“词义猜测”题。

3.“词义猜测”题题干形式

根据表述方式的不同，词义猜测题“题干”可分为三大类。

（1）陈述句＋空格

此类题干最为常见（占80.2%），可精简为以下几种主要形式。

According to the passage，the underlined word“..”is closest in meaning to______.

“..”as used in the next/in Paragraph n means______.

By saying“..”，the author means that..______.

In Paragraph n，“..”probably means______.

The meaning of“..”in Paragraph nis related to______.

The underlined word/expression/part/phrase“..”in the nthparagraph/in Para.nprobably means______.（此种题干形式使用频率最高）

The underlined word/phrase“..”in Paragraph nis closest in meaning to______.

The word/words“..”underlined in Paragraph n most probably means/mean______.

We can infer from the text that“..”means______.

When the writer says that“..”，he means______.

（2）特殊疑问句

以what或which疑问句作为题干（占13.2%）。可归纳为以下几种形式。

What did sb.mean when he said“..”？

What do the underlined words“..”in Paragraph nprobably mean？

What does the underlined word/phrase/part/sentence“..”mean？

What is the meaning of“..”as the words are used in the text？

Which of the following best explains the meaning of the word“..”as it is used in the text？

Which of the following words can take the place of/replace the word“..”in the nthparagraph？

（3）以refer to代替mean

此类考题看似“指代推测”题，但实际考查的却是理解词义，且文中无指代对象，故判定为词义猜测题。此类题干可细分为以下5种形式，它们的共同特点是refer to sth./sb.＋修饰成分，其中修饰成分部分即为目标词（指需要猜测词义的词语，下同）的词义。

According to the text..refers to sb.______.

..refers to sth.in which______.

The“..”underlined in the text refers to sb.______.

The phrase“..”in the passage refers to sth.______.

The underlined word“..”in Paragraph n probably refers to sth./sb.______.

4.“词义猜测”题选项形式

高考英语词义猜测题的选项形式可分为两大类:一类是四个选项形式同一，或单词，或短语，或句子。另一类为混合形式，即选项形式有所不同，主要由短语和单词混合组成。分布情况及比率如表5－42所示。

表5－42　选项形式及比率

二、词义猜测中的层层关系

经过反复研究和分析，词义猜测的猜词依据可划分为四个层面，各层面又包含若干种猜测途径或逻辑关系。其中句子层面的关系相对比较复杂，所占比率最高，详见表5－43。

表5－43　高考词义猜测题的关系层面

下面以典型考题为例对上述各层关系逐一加以讨论。

1.词汇层面

利用构词法知识直接猜测目标词词义。

（1）派生词

派生词的词义可通过词干及前缀、后缀等构词成分进行猜测。

实例:2008年全国I卷B篇

In nutrition（营养）it was all good news too.This nice－tasting pineapple contained four times more vitamin C than the old green variety.Nutritionists said that it was not only full of vitamins，but also good against some diseases.People were understandably eager to be able to buy this wonderful fruit.The new type of pineapple was selling fast，and the Del Monte Gold pineapple rapidlybecame a fixture in the shopping basket of the healthy eater.

62.The underlined word“fixture”in Paragraph 3probably 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

根据构词法可知fixture为动词fix的名词形式，意义不变，由此猜测其含义为购物篮里固定不变的内容，总是出现的购物篮中，故答案为B。

（2）复合词/新创词

大多数复合词或新创词（coined word）的词义可根据各基词的词义进行猜测。

实例:2005年重庆卷D篇

The reasons for a visit to a lighthouse are not all so backward－looking 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.Therefore，with the gentle waves touching all round the lighthouse，the visitor is likely to think it is a world preferable to the busy and noisy modern life.68.The underlined phrase“out－of－the－way”in Paragraph 4means______.

A.far－away　　　B.dangerous　　　C.ancient　　　D.secret

该词为out of the way变来，根据原义可知灯塔建造在远离“道路/路途”的地方，因此可理解为“偏远的”之意，答案为A。

（3）词类转换

词类转换是英语中常见的现象，转类词的词义或多或少与原词有联系，可根据原义进行推测。

实例:2004年全国II卷B篇

Finally I felt shame.I came to realize what Mrs.Jones had taught me.I had first known she was wrong，that her anxiety had clouded her judgment.Instead，my medical training had clouded mine.Now I feel thankful that Mrs.Jones figured it out before I made a mistake about our relationship.Patients come to me for my help.They pay me to listen，diagnose（诊断），treat and talk.That suggests trust；I must remember that，and trust them too.63.The underlined words“clouded her judgment”in the last paragraph probably mean______.

A.made her less trustful toward the doctor

B.put her in control of her own feelings

C.made her less able to think clearly

D.put her in a dangerous situation

我们知道cloud的意为“云彩”，此处用作动词，说明她的焦虑像云一样遮住了她的判断力，因此可理解为“使人清醒思考的能力降低”，答案为C。

2.句子层面

句子层面的词义猜测主要通过局部语境（local context）——句内或相邻句——的语义关系进行猜测。这些语义关系大致可分为两类:一类为“限定关系”；另一类为“逻辑关系”（见表5－43）。

（1）限定关系

作者对语篇中出现非常用词、新词、专业术语等往往会以定语、同位语、复述、某些标点符号等手段进行解释或说明，这些信息就成为猜测词义的依据。

1）定语/定语从句

实例:2008年福建卷B篇

For years we have been told that encouraging a child’s self－respect is important to his or her success in life.But child experts are now learning that too much praise can lead to the opposite effect.Praise－aholic kids who expect it at every turn may become teens who seek the same kind of approval from their friends when asked if they want to go in the backseat of the car.61.The underlined words“Praise－aholic kids”refer to kids who are______.

A.tired of being praised　　　　　B.worthy of being praised

C.very proud of being praised　　 D.extremely fond of being praised

从目标词的定语从句可知，这些孩子每每期望得到表扬，因此，根据上下文表述不难猜测目标词的含义应为非常喜欢得到表扬，答案为D。

2）同位语/同位语从句

实例:2007年山东卷C篇

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.65.The underlined word“daunting”in Paragraph 1most probably means______.

A.discouraging　　　B.interesting

C.creative　　　　　D.unbearable

句中the daunting task与creating..由of构成同位关系。由同位语内容可知该任务属“无米之炊”，肯定不容易，“令人气馁”，答案为A无疑。

3）语义复现

实例:2005年天津卷B篇

Lack of parent willpower may contribute more to juvenile obesity than under－exercising or overeating.

Research suggests that having overweight parents is a big influence（影响）upon a child’s weight，with one study finding that children with overweight parents were four times more likely to be overweight themselves.39.What does the underlined phrase“juvenile obesity”mean？

A.Adult education.　　　　B.Childhood overweight.

C.Parents’influence.　　 D.Growing pains.

前句提出一个命题，后句为前句提供支持，其中重复出现的child’s weight，children with overweight恰好说明目标词的意思，答案为B。

4）标点符号

破折号、冒号、括号常用于对前文作解释或说明。

实例:2008年天津卷E篇

Often we got“lost”and had to climb a tree to find out where we were.If you read a story in which someone does that successfully，be skeptical:The topmost branches are usually too skinny to hold weight，and we could never climb high enough to see anything except other trees.There were four or five trees that we visited regularly—tall beeches，easy to climb and comfortable to sit in.

54.The underlined word“skeptical”in Paragraph 3is closest in meaning to______.

A.calm　　B.doubtful　　C.serious　　D.optimistic

冒号通常用于列举事物或附加补充说明。此处冒号后的文字旨在向读者提供要be skeptical的理由。再根据行文语气，可以猜测这样的story未必可信，故答案为B。

（2）逻辑关系

语篇中存在各种语义上的逻辑关系，这些逻辑关系决定了目标词的词义。

1）同义、近义关系

实例:2006年浙江卷A篇

The following year he met John Ridgway and was hired as an instructor at Ridgway’s school of adventure in Scotland，where he learnt about Ridgway’s cold－water exploits.Greatly interested，Saunders read all he could about North Pole explorers and adventures，the decided that this would be his future.42.The underlined word“exploits”（Paragraph 3）is closest in meaning to______.

A.journeys　　B.researches　　C.adventures　　D.operations.

他因对cold－water exploits产生了极大的兴趣而去阅读有关North Pole explorers and adventures的书籍，可见两者为同义关系，答案为C。

2）并列关系

实例:2007年广东卷A篇

However，men quickly found more convenient and reliable ways of telling the time.They learned to use the shadows cast by the sun.They marked the hours on candles，used sand in hour－glasses，and invented water－clocks.Indeed，any serious student of antique should spend as much time as possible visiting palaces，statelyhomes and museums to see some of the finest examples of clocks from the past.

44.The underlined phrase“stately homes”in paragraph 4means______.

A.state－owned houses

B.houses in very good condition

C.grand houses open to the public

D.houses where statesmen meet regularly

显然，目标词与前后两词为并列关系，应属同类建筑物，再结合人们参观这些场所是为了能看到精美的古董时钟这一信息，可猜测C项为其词义。

3）反义、对比关系（信号词有unlike、not、while、on the other hand、in spite of、in contrast等）

实例:2008年江苏卷A篇

Time is something from which we can’t escape.Even if we ignore it，it’s still going by，ticking away，second by second，minute by minute，hour by hour.So the main issue in using your time well is，“Who’s in charge？”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.

56.The underlined word“ally”in Para.3more 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

关联词or使前后两句形成对比关系，且从allow..和take..可看出，两者是相反的，因此猜测ally为enemy的反义词。答案为B。

4）转折、反证关系（信号词有although、though、but、however、on the other hand、instead of、rather than等，有时也用破折号或分号表示转折意义）。

实例:2004年湖北卷A篇

My teenage son Karl became withdrawn after his father died.As a single parent，I tried to do my best to talk to him.But the more I tried，the more he pulled away.When his report card arrived during his junior year，it said that he had been absent 95times from classes and had six falling grades for the year.At this rate he would never graduate.I sent him to the school adviser，and I even begged him.Nothing worked.

56.By saying“Karl became withdrawn”，the author means that the boy changed entirely and______.

A.preferred to stay alone at home

B.lost interest in his studies

C.refused to talk to others

D.began to dislike his mother

画线句子后面两句话的转折关系反证出withdrawn的意思:“不爱与人交往”。故答案为C。

5）类比关系（信号词有just as、as..as、like、similarly、also等）

实例:2006年重庆卷E篇

Early human beings used very fragile houses and boats.Often strong winds would tear roofs from houses or cause high waves that endangered travelers.People’s food supplies were similarlyvulnerable.Even after they had learned how to plant grains，they still needed help from nature to ensure good harvests.Therefore，they feared and depended on the power of the wind，which could bring warmth from one direction and cold from another.

72.The underlined word“vulnerable”in Paragraph 3means______.

A.impossible to make sure of　　　B.likely to be protected

C.easy to damage　　　　　　　　　D.difficult to find

副词similarly表明前、后两句为类比关系，可猜知vulnerable意为“容易受损”。答案为C。

6）因果关系（信号词有because、because of、so that、so..that、such..that等）

实例:2008年辽宁卷D篇

Study showed that it is an unusual kind of protein.It has many small sugar molecules held in special positions within each big protein molecule.Because of its sugar content，it is called a glycoprotein.So it has come to be called the antifreeze fish glycoprotein，or AFGP.

71.What does“glyco－”in the underlined word“glycoprotein”in the last paragraph mean？

A.sugar　　B.ice　　C.blood　　D.molecule

该题考查猜测词素含义。Because of..说明这种蛋白质被叫作glycoprotein的原因，由此可猜测glyco－的含义与sugar有关。答案为A。

7）语义搭配关系

实例:2005年全国II卷B篇

“My grandmothers didn’t do anything but keep house and serve everybody.They were programmed to do that，”said Emils Comette，head of a chapter of the 7－year－old Red Hat Society.

44.The underlined word“chapter”in Paragraph 2means______.

A.one branch of an organization

B.a written agreement of a club

C.one part of a collection of poems

D.a period in a society’s history

把选项逐一代入目标词位置就会发现B、C、D在语义上不能成立，因为只有“组织、机构或部门等”才有“头头”。故答案为A。

8）指代关系

实例:2005年重庆卷E篇

However，while some seem to be lost in the desire to succeed，others take an opposite attitude.In a culture which values only the winner and pays no attention to the ordinary players，they strongly blame competition.Amongthe most vocal are youngsters who have suffered under competitive pressures from their parents or society.

73.The underlined phrase“the most vocal”in Paragraph 3means______.

A.those who try their best to win

B.those who value competition most highly

C.those who are against competition most strongly

D.those who rely on others most for success

从本句可看出该目标词指人。再根据前句可知，目标词指的是“they”中的一部分人。故答案为C。

3.语篇层面

有时反映目标词词义的线索不在本句或前后句中，而在于更大范围的上下文中，甚至超出目标词所在语段，故称语篇层面。该层面的词义猜测主要通过整体语境（global context）或逻辑推理进行猜测。

（1）语境关联

实例:2005年福建卷D篇

Breathtaking scenery and famous sights everywhere.From the legendary Isle of Capri to the haunting ruins of Pompeii，and from the unforgettable“Amalfi Drive”to the delightful resorts of Positano，Sorrento and Ravello，the area is a feast for the eyes！Should you choose to join us，we know that you will not be disappointed！

70.The underlined part“the area is a feast for the eyes”in the passage means______.

A.the area is pleasing to the eye

B.the area is really unforgettable

C.the area catches the tourists’eye

D.the area is crowded with tourists

本题实际上是猜测feast一词的含义。根据上下文情景，可排除B、D两项。C项中tourists一词缩小了“吸引眼球”的范围，故A项为最佳答案。

（2）逻辑推理

实例:2008年福建卷E篇

A new study has found no evidence that sunscreen，commonly used to reduce the risk of skin caner，actually increases the risk.

Researchers from the University of Iowa based their findings on a review of 18earlier studies that looked at the association between sunscreen use and melanoma（黑素瘤）.They said that theyfound flaws in studies that had reported associations between sunscreen use and higher risk of melanoma.

72.The underlined word“flaws”in the 2nd paragraph most probably means______.

A.evidences　　B.facts　　C.faults　　D.failures

先前研究报告sunscreen会增加melanoma的风险，但新研究发现没有证据能说明sunscreen真的会增加这种风险，两者矛盾，由此可推断先前研究结果有误。故答案为C。

4.语外层面

有时，语篇中并无反映目标词词义的线索，或不存在能借以推测词义的语义关系，但读者仍可凭借经验、常识和学科知识等猜测词义。如果目标词为熟词，且考查的也非生义，那么就可根据句意直接从选项中选取答案。

（1）经验常识

实例:2005年江西卷D篇

The tea gardens in Sri Lanka are actually large estates（种植园）.The best tea usually comes from plants grown on high grounds，the cool hilltops with rows and rows of tea plants.The plants are about one metre apart.The plant is often pruned so that it remains only 60to 90centimetres high.Pruning is important because it encourages the growth of tender shoots，or young leaves.It is from these shoots that the best tea is got.

68.In the first paragraph，the word“pruning”means______.

A.regular cutting of the plants

B.frequent watering

C.regular use of chemicals

D.growing the plants high in the mountain

根据常识，要将植株保持在一定高度就得进行“修剪”，因此prune应为“修剪”之意。而pruning是prune的动名词形式作主语，意思也应该是“修剪”。故答案为A。

（2）直接匹配

实例:2008年北京卷C篇

You can perhaps helpwith this.The collection of contributions towards gifts for employees’personal－life events is becoming a little troubling.Certainly，the group sending of a gift is reasonable now and then.In the past month，however，there have been collections for two baby shower gifts，one wedding shower gift，two wedding gifts，one funeral（葬礼）remembrance，four birthday gifts，and three graduation gifts.

63.The underlined word“contributions”probably means______.

A.money　　B.suggestions　　C.reports　　D.understanding

只要还记得contribution的意思是“贡献、捐献”，那么就不难找到正确答案A。

三、词义猜测策略及步骤

上述讨论说明，词语的意义可以在语篇的不同层面上反映出来，因此，在猜词过程中，采取相应的猜词策略无疑有利于正确猜测陌生词的词义。猜词策略即是读者在阅读过程中遇到陌生词时运用词汇知识、语境线索、背景知识等推测词义的手段（吴门吉，2008）。根据高考词义猜测题中客观存在的不同语义关系，可以将高考词义猜测策略相应地划分为两大类:一类是“语内策略”，包括词汇策略、句法策略和篇章策略；另一类是“语外策略”，包括经验策略和匹配策略。

1.语内猜词策略

所谓语内猜词策略是指根据语篇内现有信息或线索猜测词义。

（1）词汇策略

在采取自下而上（bottom－up model）阅读模式时，读者接触到的第一个语言层面是词汇。在高考词义猜测题中，有些目标词可以根据构词法找到答案。例如，可利用已知词干及前、后缀猜测派生词的词义；可根据基本词词义猜测复合词和新创词（coined word）的词义；可根据词语的基本意义猜测转换词（转换词类或延伸词义）的词义。

（2）句法策略

如果无法用词汇策略猜测词义，那么可把猜测范围扩大到句子或局部语境（local context）。该猜词策略主要运用句子内部或前后句之间的语义关系猜测目标词词义。上面讨论表明，该策略在高考词义猜测题中应用得最广，这是由语言本身的复杂性所决定的。正确理解句子各部分或各句子之间的语义关系是正确解题的一个重要因素。

（3）篇章策略

当词义无法用词汇策略和句法策略猜测时，就要将线索范围进一步扩大，即运用篇章策略进行猜测。所谓的篇章策略是指把猜词的线索范围从本句或前后句扩大到整个段落甚至整体语境（global context），根据上下文信息、语义关系和行文逻辑猜测词义的策略。这要求对语篇进行整体理解和逻辑推理，从而提炼出符合目标词在所处语境的词义。

2.语外猜词策略

所谓的语外策略是指不依赖语篇内信息，而是运用经验、常识和学科知识直接猜测词义的策略。当在语篇内无目标词词义的猜测线索，或无需语篇内线索猜测目标词词义时，可采用此策略。在高考英语测试中，该策略也包括直接从选项中选择与目标词词义相符的答案。

（1）经验策略

顾名思义，此策略运用经验、常识和学科知识直接猜测目标词的词义。

（2）匹配策略

如目标词为熟词，可采用该策略直接从选项中找出意义与目标词语境相符的答案。

3.词义猜测过程

猜测词义的一般过程包括:1）确定目标词词类；2）运用猜词策略猜测词义，有时需多种策略并用，多考虑几种关系，互相补充；3）验证猜测结果，将所选答案代入文中检验是否在语义上和逻辑上都成立。

上述讨论表明，反映词义的线索存在于语篇的不同层面甚至语篇之外，可见词义猜测是一个复杂的思维过程，需要运用多种策略。研究表明，语境在识别词义方面起到非常重要的作用（Gough，1984；Underhill ＆Batt，1996；引自赵福利，2002）。影响词义猜测的最关键因素是目标词所处的语境，无论用哪种策略猜测词义，都不要忘记在语境中猜测这个前提！

从高考词义猜测题的发展情况来看，难度在逐渐增大。而猜词能力又是阅读理解能力之一，“猜词能力不仅涉及学生的语言知识水平，而且还涉及学生的语言应用能力和综合素质水平”（李秀东，2004），培养和提高猜词能力的过程也是培养和提高整个阅读理解能力的过程（赵福利，2002）。因此，在平时的教学中应对猜词技能的培养予以足够重视。