词义猜测题

第一讲 猜测词义题在阅读中我们经常会遇到许多生词。这时许多同学立即翻阅词典，查找词义。这样做不但费时费力，而且影响阅读速度、影响对语篇的整体把握。事实上，阅读材料中的每个词与它前后的词语或句子甚至段落都有联系。我们可以利用语境（各种已知信息）推测、判断某些生词的词义。近年来全国统一高考中加大了对考生猜词义能力的考查，因此，掌握一定的猜词技巧，对突破高考阅读理解、提高我们的英语语言能力都有非常重要的意义。常见的题干有：

1) Which of the following is the closest in meaning to the word？ 2) The word... could best be replaced by.

3) In the... paragraph, the word... means (refers to). 4) According to the passage,... probably means. 5) The author uses the word... to mean.

猜测词义时，一般可利用以下四个方面的线索： 一是针对性的解释：

针对性解释是作者为了更好的表达思想，在文章中对一些重要的概念、难懂的术语或高深的词汇等所做的通俗化的解释。这些解释提供的信息明确具体，所使用的语言通俗易懂，利用它们来猜测词义就非常简单。

1.根据定义（definition）猜测词义：如果生词有一个句子（定语从句或是同位语<同位语前常有 or, similarly, that is to say, in other words, namely, or other, say, i.g. 等>或是同位语从句）或段落来定义,或使用破折号，冒号，分号后的内容和引号括号中的内容加以解释和定义，那么理解这个句子或段落本身就是推断词义。定义常用的谓语动词多为：be, mean, deal with, be considered, to be, be called, define, represent, refer to, signify 等。

例1.Do you know what a “territory” is ? A territory is an area that an animal ,usually the male, claims（声称）as its own.（2005年湖北卷） [分析]

例2.In fact, only about 80 ocelots, an endangered wild cat, exist in the U.S. today．（2005年浙江卷） [分析]

例3. Here is The Pines ,whose cook has developed a special way of mixing foreign food such as caribou ,wild boar ,and reindeer with surprising sauces . （2004年福建卷） According to the passage ,The Pines is a . A．place in which you can see many mobile homes B．mountain where you can get a good view of the valley C．town which happens to be near the Banff National Park D．restaurant where you can ask for some special kinds of food

[分析]

2.根据举例猜测词义：恰当的举例能够提供猜测生词的重要线索。（2004年辽宁卷） 例4. The course gives you chances to know great power polities between nation states. It will provide more space to study particular issues such as relationship among countries in the European Union, third world debt, local and international disagreement, and the work of such international bodies as the United Nations, the European Union, NATO, and the World Bank. （2004年辽宁卷） [分析]

二是内在逻辑关系：根据内在逻辑关系推测词义是指应用语言知识分析和判断相关信息之间存在的逻辑关系，然后根据逻辑联系推断生词词义或大致义域。

1.根据对比、比较关系猜测词义：在一个句子或段落中，有对两个事物或现象进行对比性的描述，我们可以根据生词的反义词猜测其词义。表示对比关系的词汇和短语主要有：unlike, not, but, however, despite, in spite of, in contrast 等。 表示对比关系的句子结构：while 引导的并列句。同对比关系相反，比较关系表示意义上的相似关系。表示比较关系的词和短语主要有：similarly, like, just as, also, as well as 等。

例5.A child’s birthday party doesn’t have to be a hassle; it can be a basket of fun.

What does the underlined word “hassle” (paragraph 1) probably mean? （2002年NMET） A.a party designed by specialists B.a plan requiring careful thought C.a situation causing difficulty or trouble D.a demand made by guests [分析]

例6.Green loves to talk, and his brothers are similarly loquacious. [分析]

2.根据因果关系猜测词义：在句子或段落中，若两个事物现象之间构成因果关系，我们可以根据这种逻辑关系推测生词词义。（2005年上海卷） 例7.feel that since you are my superior , it would be presumptuous of me to tell you what to do .” The word “presumptuous” in the middle of the passage is closest in meaning to “ ” .

A．full of respect B．too confident and rude C．lacking in experience D．too shy and quiet [分析]

例8.Pruning is important because it encourages the growth of tender shoots,or young leaves.（2005年江西卷） [分析]

3.根据说明、并列、同等同义近义、、反义等关系猜测词义在句子或段落中，我们可以利用熟悉的词语，根据语言环境所表面的关系猜测词义。

例9.William Shakespeare said. “The web of our life is of a mingled yarn（纱线），good and ill together.” （2005年江苏卷）

The underlined word “mingled” in the last paragraph most probably means . A．simple B．mixed C．sad D．happy [分析]

例10.Is it possible to beat high blood pressure without drugs ? The answer is “yes”, according to the researchers at Johns Hopkins and three other medical centers. （2004年湖北卷） [分析]

例11.There is no reason to insult and defame the man simply because you do not agree with him. [分析]

例12.The game Americans call soccer is known around the world as football. [分析]

例13.The house stood at the end of a quiet neat street. The little dwelling,however,looked neglected and cheerless. [分析]

例14.Most women in China ---educated and illiterated, urban and rural, the young and old-----work to earn an income in addition to maintaining their roles as housewives and mothers. [分析]

三是通过构词法

在猜测词义过程中，我们还可以依靠构词法方面的知识，从生词本身猜测词义。 1.根据前缀猜测词义

例15.Do you have any strong opinion on co-educational or single-sex schools? （2005年江西卷） [分析]

2.根据后缀猜测词义

例16. It's a quiet, comfortable hotel overlooking (俯瞰) the bay in an uncommercialized Cornish fishing village on England's most southerly point．（2005年广东卷）

[分析]

3.根据复合词的各部分猜测词义

例17.Good tool design is important in the prevention of overuse injuries. Well – designed tools and equipment will require less force to operate them and prevent awkward（别扭的）hand positions.（2005年北京卷） [分析]

例18. We live in a technological society where most goods are mass-produced by unskilled labor. Because of this, most people that craft (手艺) no longer exists. （2004年浙江卷） [分析]

4.猜测词性变换新词含义

例19.The other teams, disappointed, were on the bus heading home. （2004年山东卷） [分析]

例20.I had first known she was wrong, that her anxiety had clouded her judgment. （2004全国卷Ⅱ） [分析]

四是根据生活常识：运用自身的生活经验及生活常识，根据上下文能读懂的部分，可以正确猜出词义。下面文字中划线单词的词义你能猜出来吗？

例21.Birds fly with their wings, and they pick up their foods, and then eat them with their beaks and they use their claws for tearing, seizing, pulling or holding objects. 例22.Most of the roses are beginning to wither because of the cold. [分析]

结合以上指导解下列两道阅读理解题

A

Ever since news of widespread food recalls caused by a carcinogenic dye broke, there has been confusion（混淆） over possible links to the country of the same name, but Sudan officials say there is no connection whatever.

Sudan 1 is a red industrial dye that has been found in some chilli powder, but was banned in food products across the European union (EU) in July 2003.

Since the ban was put in place, EU officials have been striving to remove some food products from the shelves. So far 580 products have been recalled.

Last week Sudan’s Embassy in the United Kingdom asked the Food Standards Agency (FSA) for clarification of the origin of the dye’s name.

Omaima Mahmoud Al Sharief, a press official at Sudan’s Embassy in China, explained the purpose of the inquiry was to clear up any misunderstanding over links between the country and the poisonous dye.

\"We want to keep an eye on every detail and avoid any misunderstanding there,\" she said. \"Our embassy to Britain asked them how the dye got that name and whether the dye had something to do with our country. But they told us there was no relationship.\"

The FSA, an independent food security watchdog in Britain, received a letter from the Sudanese embassy last week.

\"They asked us why the dye is named Sudan, however, we also do not know how it got the name,\" she said. \"People found the dye in 1883 and gave it the name. Nobody knows the reason, and we cannot give any explanation before we find out.\"

Sudan dyes, which include Sudan1 to 4, are red dyes（颜料） used for colouring solvents（溶剂）, oils, waxes, petrol, and shoe and floor polishes. They are classified as carcinogens by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.

1. What does the underlined word mean in paragraph one?

A. Causing cancer. B. Having side effect. C. Containing poison. D.Poisonous. 2. How did the Sudan 1 get its name? A. The dye is often produced in Sudan.

B. The dye has something to do with the country named Sudan. C. Nobody is sure of the origin of the name. D. Many foods produced in Sudan contain the dye. 3. We can infer from the passage that.

A. the Sudan government is paying much attention to the food safety B. Sudan 1 is often used to be added to the food

C. people didn’t realize the danger of Sudan1 until 2003 D. many food shops will be closed down 4. Which of the following is the best title? A. Keep away from Sudan 1

B. No Sudan 1 dye links to the country C. How Sudan 1 dye got its name? D. Pay attention to the food safety

B

The Man of Many Secrets — Harry Houdini — was one of the greatest American entertainers in the theater this century. He was a man famous for his escapes — from prison cells, from wooden boxes floating in rivers, from locked tanks full of water. He appeared in theaters all over Europe

and America. Crowds came to see the great Houdini and his “magic” tricks.

Of course, his secret was not magic or supernatural powers. It was simply strength. He had the ability to move his toes as well as he moved his fingers. He could move his body into almost any position he wanted.

Houdini started working in the entertainment world when he was 17, in 11. He and his brother Theo performed card tricks in club in New York. They called themselves the Houdini Brothers. When Harry married in 14, he and his wife Bess worked together as magician and assistant. But for a long time they were not very successful. Then Harry performed his first prison escape, in Chicago in 18. Harry persuaded a detective to let him try to escape from the prison, and he invited the local newspapermen to watch.

It was the publicity(宣传) that came from this that started Harry Houdini’s success. Harry had fingers trained to escape from handcuffs and toes trained to escape ankle chins. But his biggest secret was how he unlocked the prison doors. Every time he went into the prison cell, Bess gave him a kiss for good luck — and a small skeleton key, which is a key that fits many locks, pass quickly from her mouth to his.

Harry used these prison escapes to build his fame. He arranged to escape from the local prison of every town he visited. In the afternoon, the people of the town would read about it in their local newspapers, and in the evening every seat in the local theater would be full. What was the result? World-wild fame, and a name remembered today.

5. According to the passage, Houdini’s success in prison escapes depends on _______. A. his special tricks and supernatural powers B. his unusual ability and a skeleton key C. his magic tricks and unhuman powers D. his wisdom and magic tricks 6. In the fourth paragraph, the underlined word “this” refers to _______.

A. his first prison escape . the year 18 C. the publicity D. Harry Houdini’s success 7. It can be inferred from the passage that Houdini became famous _______.

A. in 14 B. before he married C. at the age of 17 D. when he was about 24 8. Which of the following is the best title for the passage?

A.A Skeleton Key B. A Man of Many Secrets C. World-wild Fame D. Great Escape

词汇学习在英语学习中具有第一位的重要性，高三英语复习最后的冲刺阶段，要为阅读、完形、写作扫清障碍，科学的词汇复习是十分重要的，词汇复习思路应该是全面、正确理解常用词的含义及用法，单纯复习词汇表中的内容是不够的，要把注意力放在最基本、最常用的词语上，记忆单词时不要只注意每个单词的第一个或前几个释义，要全面了解。如：subject 分别有1. 主题topic 2. 课程course 3. 主语the opposite of an object 4. 服从于„„liable be subject to等解释。 如：The product is subject to change due to technological advances. 可见正确的词汇复习的重要性。以下是大纲中包含部分词汇一些特殊用法的精选范例，请大家特别注意划线部分的词汇（查词典），定会让你有不小的收获：

* 1) Heavy duty truck. They have to pay heavy duties.

* 2) The game ended in a draw. That new singer is a big draw.

* 3) The wall in the nuclear plant is made of lead.

* 4) They rented a flat. (apartment)

* 5) We have booked a table near the window. Book a ticket/a room/flight

* 6) There is no room for joking at the security checkpoint.

* 7) They wore plain clothes when living on the N. China plain. Plain clothes police

* 8) Please sign your name here.

* 9) She likes playing bridge with her friends after work.

* 10) school board/boarding school/boarding card/on board

* 11) I am one of the share holders in the company. Market share/marketing

12) The manager was reading Business Watch.

在阅读理解时，注意对以上词汇或划线词以及指示代词的指代对象问题，注意对相邻句的理解，扑捉相关的信息，当然个人的常识知识也是不可忽视的。如：

Coins Stars

“College students are lazy, but they also want to help,” says University of Pennsylvania graduate Dana Hark. So she made it easy, placing cups in rooms where students could leave their spare coins, and handing out cups to first-year students to keep in their rooms. Her “Change for Change” effort has collected $ 40,000 for charities (慈善机构), which were decided upon by students.

1. The underlined word “Change” in the second paragraph means ___________.

A. Idea B. Decision C. Cups D. Coins (答案：D)

请大家读下面的文章，请格外注意下划线的单词的意思：

My husband and I are facing a dilemma, namely the issue of whether to have a second child——we already have one healthy, happy five-year-old daughter. Both of us have demanding jobs, and limited time and financial resources, but we’re also very keen to ensure that our only child does not become a lonely child. So, what are the pros and cons of having a second child?

答案：

1. dilemma=a situation in which it is very difficult to decide what to do, because all the choices seem equally good or equally bad

I'm in a dilemma about this job offer. This placed Robert Kennedy in a dilemma.

Many women are faced with the dilemma of choosing between work and family commitments.

2. issue =problem

3.demanding jobs= a job that needs a lot of ability, effort, or skill

4.pros and cons=the advantages and disadvantages of something

the pros and cons of (doing) something

We discussed the pros and cons of going to university.

在高三的复习过程中，猜测词义的练习是十分必要和重要也是不可缺少的一个环节，希望同学们对此给予充分的重视。

此外构词法知识和能力的运用在2006年高考中也有突出表现，仅以06天津卷为例，出现了完形填空25题中的 A. befriended B. disregarded C. avoided D. recognized以及阅读理解中的the weed beds/ expectancy/ impatience/ The overly willful and unbending child/ their parenting skills/ Regardless of等等似乎看起来非常生僻的词，目前的英语测试要求同学们能够灵活运用构词法知识来解题的词汇，因此同学们应该重新审视对于词汇的复习策略，我个人认为对词汇的记忆和丰富以及灵活运用的过程永远离不开听和读这两大输入环节，只有通过这两个环节才能积极运用和使用构词法知识并形成灵活运用的能力，毕竟，语言运用能力是通过学习获取的。

请同学们用词典来学习一下黑体词汇：

He tends to belittle her efforts. (to make someone or something seem small or unimportant/ to make an action or a person seem unimportant)

Though she had spent hours fixing the computer, he belittled her efforts.

Stop belittling yourself, your efforts/work is/ are highly valued.

Her children mean all the world to her. (to be extremely important to someone.

Average house prices decreased by 13% last year.

Nigeria has just devalued its currency.

degrade =someone without respect and make them lose respect for themselves

a movie that degrades women

degrade yourself (by doing something)

How can you degrade yourself by writing such trash?

upgrade= to improve something and make it more modern, especially in order to provide a better service

The hotel has recently been refurbished and upgraded.

另外，还有一些出现频率很高的合成词，如：

household name / oncoming car / upcoming new meeting / off going government / ongoing show

词汇量的大小是我们英语复习重要并且是举足轻重的因素，实践证明，学习构词法基本常识是词汇扩展的有效途径，高三的复习过程是不能缺少词汇复习的各种能力的，进而能够有效地提高高三英语复习的整体效率。

近几年的高考阅读理解题越来越重视对考生猜词悟义能力的考查,一般有二至三个小题是直接考查词义猜测的。这主要考查考生根据上下文推测生词短语的能力,突出考查语境的分析和把握能力。本文结合高考试题谈一谈如何猜测词的意思。

一、根据上下文情景进行猜测

猜测任何词义都离不开上下文的语境,所以可借助上下文语境对需要猜测的词或短语进行合乎逻辑的推测。

1. (2004年全国卷I,B篇) 62. The underlined word \\\"Change\\\" in the second paragraph means _______.

A. Idea B. Decision C. Cups D. Coins [原

文] So she made it easy, placing cups in rooms where students could leave their spare coins, and handing out cups to first-year students to keep in their rooms. Her \\\"Change for Change\\\" effort has collected $ 40,000 for charities(慈善机构) , which were decided upon by students.

[解析]根据上文她把杯子放在学生宿舍里收集硬币,以及下文中谈到已经为慈善机构募集到了$ 40,000可知,Change应是Coins(硬币)。答案为D。

二、 根据上下文的指代关系进行猜测

英语中代词使用得比较频繁,文章中的代词one, it, that, he, him 或them等可以指上文提到的人或事物。有时代词与指代的对象相隔较远,要认真查找;有时需要对前面提到的内容进行总结,才能得出代词所指代的事。

2. (2004年全国卷III,C篇) 65. The underlined word \\\"one\\\" in the 3rd paragraph refers to ________.

A. the President B. the director

C. an actor D. a look-alike

[原

文] The president has started using look-alikes during some public appearances. Dave is offered a chance to \\\"serve his country\\\" by becoming one.

[解析]根据前文总统开始在公共场合使用替身(look-alikes),后来Dave有机会成为了其中的一员可以猜测出one应该是a look-alike。答案为D。

三、根据同义关系进行猜测

当词或短语之间有并列连词and 或or时,其连接的两项内容在含义上是接近的或递进的,由此确定同等关系中的某个生词所属的义域,由此可推知其大致意思。

3. (2004年重庆卷,C篇) 66. The underlined word \\\"conflict\\\" in the second letter means ________.

A. dependent life B. fierce fight

C. bad manners D. painful feeling

[原文] And if you\\'ve gathered your friends around you to rebuild a happy family atmosphere(气

氛), you may fear that saying no will bring back the kind of conflict you grew up with-or destroy the nice atmosphere you now enjoy.

[解析] 由破折号后的or可知,前后两句的意思相近,再结合两封信的内容可知,她不想失去或破坏这个友好氛围,否则就又让她回到以前的\\\"冲突\\\"中。答案为B。

四、根据同位关系进行猜测

阅读中出现的难词有时后面紧跟一个同位语,对其进行解释,这时可利用同位关系对前面或后面的词义或句意进行猜测。

4. (2004年上海卷,C篇) 82. The word \\\"favouritism\\\" in paragraph 3 is used to describe the phenomenon that ________.

A. bright children also need certificates to get satisfying jobs

B. children from well-respected schools tend to have good jobs

C. poor children with certificates are favoured in job markets

D. children attending ordinary schools achieve great success [原

文] Without examinations, employers will look for employees from the highly respected schools and from families known to them-a form of favouritism will replace equality.

[解析] 破折号后的句子是对前面进行解释说明的,二者是同位关系,因此,要猜测favouritism的意思,可从前面句子的意思入手。答案为B。

五、根据转折或对比关系进行猜测

根据上下句的连接词,如but, however, otherwise等就可以看到前后句在意义上的差别,从而依据某一句的含义,来确定另一句的含义。另外,分号也可以表示转折、对比或不相干的意义。

5. (NMET2002, E篇)74. What does the underlined word \\\"hassle\\\"(paragraph 1) probably mean?

A. a party designed by specialists B. a plan requiring careful thought

C. a situation causing difficulty or trouble

D. a demand made by guests [原

文] A child\\'s birthday party doesn\\'t have to be a hassle; it can be a basket of fun, according to Beth Anaclerio, an Evaston mother of two, ages 4 and 18 months.

[解析] 通过上下句A child\\'s birthday party doesn\\'t have to be a hassle; it can be a basket of fun.可以看出,hassle和a basket of fun肯定是近乎相反的意义。所以不难判断,答案为C。