词义猜测“十法”（一）
在高考的“阅读理解”题中，经常见到一些猜测词义的题目。这种题目旨在考查考生根据上下文提供的语境猜测单词或短语含义的能力，这种能力既涉及到考生的语言知识水平，也涉及到考生的语言运用能力和综合素质水平。本文结合历年高考试题，就如何做好词义猜测题提供一些方法，供考生参考。
一 . 常见的设问方式：
词义猜测题主要有以下几种常见的设问方式：
1. The underlined word “…” probably means __________.
2. The word “…” in the … paragraph refers to _____________.
3. The phrase “…” in the … sentence can be replaced by _____________.
4. Which of the following is the closest in meaning to the word “…”？
5. What is the meaning of the underlined word in the … paragraph？
6. By saying “…” we mean _____________.
7. What do you think the expression “…” stands for？
二 . 词义猜测十法
◆定义解释法
有些文章，特别是科技文章，通常会用逗号、破折号引出对某一个单词的定义或解释性说明，我们应充分利用这些定义或解释性说明来推测单词或短语的含义。例如：
（ NMET 2004 ， B 篇 61 题） There is no cure for Alzheimer’s. But a drug，called ARICEPT，has been used by millions of people to relieve their symptoms （症状） .
61. What is AIRCEPT？
A. A medicine to cure Alzheimer’s.
B. A medicine to delay signs of aging.
C. A medicine to reduce the symptoms of Alzheimer’s.
D. A medicine to cure brain damage.
解析：句中的“ a drug， called ARICEPT ，… to help their symptoms ”就是给 ARICEPT 下的一个定义，故答案为 C .
◆利用举例法
有时，有些文章为了证实或说明某一观点，经常会列举一些例子。我们可以充分利用这些例子来猜测生词的含义。例如：
（ NMET 2001 全国， A 篇 56 题） The largest player —— Shanghai Bashi Tourism Car Rental offers a wide variety of choices —— deluxe sedans，minivans，station wagons，coaches，Santana sedans are the big favorites.
56. The words “ deluxe sedans ” ，“ minivans ” and “ station wagons ” used in the text refer to __________.
A. cars in the making
B. car rental firms
C. cars for rent
D. car makers
解析：文中谈到上海巴士旅游汽车出租公司能提供很多种汽车供选择，下面列举的当然是可供租用的各种类型的汽车了，故答案为 C .
◆利用构词法
英语中有很多单词是通过一定的构词法生成的，如果我们掌握了一定的英语构词法知识，就可以根据构词法来推测文中生词的含义。例如：
Car rentals （出租）are becoming more and more popular as an inexpensive way of taking to the roads.
解析：句中的斜体词 inexpensive 是由 expensive 派生而来的。 expensive 是形容词，意为“昂贵的”， in- 是表示否定意义的前缀。因此，我们可以推知 inexpensive 意为“便宜的”。
◆语境推断法
英语单词的一个特点是一词多义，一个单词在不同的语境中有不同的含义。离开了一定的语言环境，词汇的意义就难以确定。因此很多词的词义可以根据上下文来推测出来。例如：
（ NMET 2004 浙江， B 篇 61 题） These days a green building means more than just the color of the paint. Green building can also refer to environmentally friendly houses， actories，and offices. “ Green building ” means “ reducing the impact （影响） of the building on the land ” ，Taryn Holowka of the U.S. Green Building Council in Washington，D.C.， said.
61. In the second paragraph， the underlined words “ the building ” most probably refers to ______________.
A. an ordinary building
B. an energy-saving building
C. a green-colored building
D. a building in Washington，D.C.
解析：该段第二句提到了当今的 green building 是指环保型的 houses， factories 和 offices .第三句指出环保型建筑就是要减少 the building 对地球造成的（不良）影响。由上下文可以推断，答案为 A .
◆同义词法
很多情况下，在生词出现的上下文中，有时会出现由并列连词 and 或 or 连接的与之同义或近义的词语，我们可以通过这些熟悉的同义词或近义词的意义来推知该生词的含义或它的义域。例如：
（ NMET 2003 全国， C 篇 65 题） In 1963，a schoolboy called Andrew，while reading in his school library， came across the world’s greatest mathematical problem ： Fermat’s Last Theorem （定理）. First put forward by the French mathematician Pierre de Fermat in the seventeenth century， the theorem had baffled and beaten the finest mathematical minds， including a French woman scientist who made a major advance in working out the problem， and who had to dress like a man in order to be able to study at the Ecole Polytechnique.
65. Which of the following best explains the meaning of the word “ baffle ” as it is used in the text？
A. To exncourage people to raise questions.
B. To cause difficulty in understanding.
C. To provide a person with an explanation.
D. To limit people’s imagination.
解析：从上下文看， and 把 baffled 与 beaten 连接起来，表示它们是并列关系，应该是同义词，故答案为 B .[1][2]
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