2014考研英語復習：閱讀理解之詞義題破解

考研英語來源：中國考研網 2013-08-07　

在英語學習中，我們自然會遇到許多生詞。這時，許多人立即翻閱字典，查找詞義。其實這種做法是不科學的。它不但費時費力，而且影響閱讀速度。事實上，閱讀材料中的每個詞與它前后的詞語或句子甚至段落有著互相制約的關系。我們可以利用語境（各種已知信息）推測、判斷某些生詞的詞義。

綜上所述，利用各種已知信息推測、判斷詞義是一項重要的閱讀技巧。在實踐中，我們可以靈活運用，綜合運用上面提到的幾種猜測技巧，排除生詞的障礙，順利理解文章的思想內容，提高閱讀速度。

所以考生應重點避免以下兩種情況：第一，考生往往會隨便猜一個選項，錯誤率很高。第二種情況下，考生往往落入命題專家的陷阱，不知不覺地失了分，原因是考生并沒有掌握閱讀詞匯題的基本命題原則。在閱讀部分的詞匯題要考的并不是考生認不認識題中所考的單詞，否則便是命題失效。此處要考的是考生閱讀中的推斷能力，也就是說題中所考單詞的詞義必定能根據上下文推斷出來。所以考生在遇到閱讀中的詞匯題時，一定要冷靜，去上下文中細找，推斷出詞義后，可將詞義代入原文看是否通暢。

例如2003年第54題：

Railroads justify rate discrimination against captive shippers on the grounds that in the long run it reduces everyone's cost. If railroads charged all customers the same average rate, they argue, shippers who have the option of switching to trucks or other forms of transportation would do so, leaving remaining customers to shoulder the cost of keeping up the line. It's a theory to which many economists subscribe, but in practice it often leaves railroads in the position of determining which companies will flourish and which will fail. "Do we really want railroads to be the arbiters of who wins and who loses in the marketplace?" asks Martin Bercovici, a Washington lawyer who frequently represents shippers.

The word "arbiters" most probably refers to those_________.
[A] who work as coordinators
[B] who function as judges
[C] who supervise transactions
[D] who determine the price

該題的解題關鍵在于是否知道arbiters后的介賓短語of who wins and who loses in the marketplace就是對該詞的最準確定義，依據該介賓短語，不難得出arbiters是決定誰輸誰贏的人，四個選項中只有B選項和這個意思最為接近。

再例2004年第43題：

For any job search, you should start with a narrow concept-what you think you want to do-then broaden it. "None of these programs do that," says another expert. "There's no career counseling implicit in all of this." Instead, the best strategy is to use the agent as a kind of tip service to keep abreast of jobs in a particular database; when you get E-mail, consider it a reminder to check the database again. "I would not rely on agents for finding everything that is added to a database that might interest me," says the author of a job-searching guide.
The expression "tip service" most probably means .

[A] advisory
[B] compensation
[C] interaction
[D] reminder

該題的解題關鍵在于充分利用分號，分號前面的短語use the agent as a kind of tip service和分號后的consider it a reminder屬于并列關系，it和the agent都是指的文章中所說的搜索代理，自然我們就找到了tip service的同義詞reminder。所以該題答案D。

詞義題解題方法

針對推測生詞含義題型，我們可以從兩個方面進行分析：

1）利用內在邏輯關系。即根據內在邏輯關系推測詞義是指運用語言知識分析和判斷相關信息之間存在的邏輯關系，然后根據邏輯關系推斷生詞詞義或大致義域。

a．根據對比關系猜測詞義

在一個句子或段落中，有對兩個事物或現象進行對比性的描述，我們可以根據生詞或難詞的反義詞猜測其詞義。例如：

Andrew is one of the most supercilious men I know. His brother, in contrast, is quite humble and modest. 該例中supercilious對許多人來說可能是個生詞，但是句中短語in contrast，（相對照的，相對比的）可以提示我們supercilious和后面詞組humble and modest（謙卑又謙虛）是對比關系。分析出這種關系后，我們便能猜出supercilious意為"目空一切的，傲慢的"。

表示對比關系的詞匯和短語主要是unlike，not，but，however，despite，n spite of，in contrast 和while 引導的并列句等。例如，A good supervisor can recognize instantly the adept workers from the unskilled ones. 該句中并未出現上面提到的表示對比關系的詞或短語，但是通過上下文可以判斷出句子前后是對比關系，即把熟練工人與非熟練工人區分開。這時我們也能夠推斷出生詞 adept的詞義，"熟練的"。

b．根據比較關系猜測詞義

同對比關系相反，比較關系表示意義上的相似關系。

例如：Green loves to talk，and his brothers are similarly loquacious.

該句中副詞similarly表明短語loves to talk與生詞loquacious之間的比較關系。以此可以推斷出loquacious詞義為"健談的"。表示比較關系的詞和短語主要是similarly，like，just as，also等。

c．根據因果關系猜測詞義

在句子或段落種，若兩個事物、現象之間構成因果關系，我們可以根據這種邏輯關系推知生詞詞義。

例如：Tom is considered an autocratic administrator because he makes decisions without seeking the opinions of others. 根據原因狀語從句的內容，我們可以推斷出生詞autocratic指"獨斷專行的"。There were so many demonstrators in the Red Square that he had to elbow his way through the crowd. 此句為結果狀語從句，根據從句的描書"許多示威者"，我們便可推知elbow的詞意 "擠，擠過"。

d．根據同義詞的替代關系猜測詞義

在句子或段落種，我們可以利用熟悉的詞語，根據語言環境推斷生詞詞義。

例如： Although he often had the opportunity, Mr. Tritt was never able to steal money from a customer. This would have endangered his position at the bank, and he did not want to jeopardize his future. 作者為避免重復使用endanger一詞，用其同義詞jeopardize來替代它，由此推知其詞義為"使……陷入危險，危及、危害"。

Doctors believe that smoking cigarettes is detrimental to your health. They also regard drinking as harmful. 句中detrimental是個生詞，但判斷出harmful替代detrimental后，不難推斷出其詞義為"不利的，有害的"。

2）外部相關因素。即，外部相關因素是指篇章(句子或段落)以外的其他知識。有時僅靠分析篇章內在邏輯關系無法猜出詞義。這時,就需要運用生活經驗和普通常識確定詞義。

例如： Husband：It's really cold out tonight. Wife: Sure it is. My hands are practically numb. How about lighting the furnace? 根據生活經驗，天氣寒冷時，手肯定是"凍僵的，凍得麻木的"。

The snake slithered through the grass. 根據有關蛇的生活習性的知識，我們可以推斷出slither詞義為"爬行"。

在猜測詞義過程中，除了使用上面提到的一些技巧，我們還可以依靠構詞方面的知識，從生詞本身猜測詞義。

此外利用詞綴亦不失為一種有效的手段。

a．根據前綴猜測詞義

例如：He fell into a ditch and lay there, semiconscious, for a few minutes. 根據詞根conscious（清醒的，有意識的），結合前綴semi（半，部分的，不完全的），我們便可猜出semiconscious詞義"半清醒的，半昏迷的"。I'm illiterate about such things. 詞根literate意為"有文化修養的，通曉的"，前綴il表示否定，因此illiterate指 "一竅不通，不知道的"。

b．根據后綴猜測詞義

例如：Insecticide is applied where it is needed. 后綴cide表示"殺者，殺滅劑"，結合大家熟悉的詞根insect（昆蟲），不難猜出 insecticide意為"殺蟲劑"。 Then the vapor may change into droplets. 后綴let表示"小的"，詞根drop指"滴，滴狀物"。將兩個意思結合起來，便可推斷出droplet詞義"小滴，微滴"。

c．根據復合詞的各部分猜測詞義

例如：Growing economic problems were highlighted by a slowdown in oil output. highlight或許是一個生詞，但是分析該詞結構后，就能推測出其含義。它是由high （高的，強的）和light（光線）兩部分組成，合在一起便是"以強光照射，使突出" 的意思。 Bullfight is very popular in Spain. Bull（公牛）和fight（打，搏斗）結合在一起，指一種在西班牙頗為流行的體育運動--斗牛。