雅思阅读生词破解妙招:上下文判断词汇 由于雅思考试非常专业的特性,必定会出现许多读者不熟悉的词汇。这一点不必担心。事实上,雅思考试出题者看来已经进行着意的设计使词汇根本不成为问题。一旦我们知道对付词汇的一些固定规律,这些文章就再也不难了......
词汇――上下文是关键
当然,准备考试的最佳方法是增加词汇量。实现此目的的绝佳方法是泛读。因为雅思文章的来源都与商业和科学相关,研读商业期刊、报纸及与具体社会潮流相关的文章最为理想。然而我们用于阅读的时间有限。掌握所有的英文单词是不可能的。
简单得多的办法是应用我们对于词汇的另一条黄金法则,即上下文是关键。雅思考试的特点之一就是,在实际操作中,不必掌握应用于特定文章中的词汇。文章本身就会给出与不熟悉的词汇相关的所有必要信息。
例如,雅思出题者总爱在文章之一的题目中用一个难词。以biometrics为例。说英语的人也不大可能知道这个词,因为这个词相对较新且不常用。但出题者并非只给出这个词而不作解释。在文章中就给出了biometrics的定义。我们得知它是一种:little-know but fast-growing technology that involves the use of physical of biological characteristics to identify individuals. 这样我们就知道了词意。如果我们密切留意并不要忘记黄金法则,我们总是可以找得到这些生词的定义。在这一点上雅思出题者似乎对我们很是关照。
举关于port city的一篇文章为例。同样,大多数说英语的人可能也不能区分a port 和a harbour。 这些词就可能存在问题。那出题者会怎样使其简单化呢?他们会在文章中给出明确的定义。Harbour is a physical concept, a shelter for ships; port is an economic concept a center of land-sea exchange which requites good access to a hinterland even more than a sea-linked foreland. 在对它们提问之前,混淆就已经澄清了。出题者不会不对关键的词汇作出解释。不用担心。只需仔细阅读,在文章中找到这些定义,就没有问题啦。
必须承认,有时也会有非常细致的问题问到复杂的词汇。同样,出题者也会手下留情。这类问题最好举例来说明。在以下的片断中我们读到:
The genetic inheritance a baby receives from its parents at the moment of conception fixes much of its later development, determining characteristics as varied as whether it will have blue eyes or suffer from a life-threatening illness such as cystic fibrosis In 1986, American researchers identified the genetic defect underlying one type of muscular dystrophy. In 1989, a team of American and Canadian biologists announced that they had found the site of the gene which, when defective, gives rise to cystic fibrosis.
如果我们被要求完成下面的句子:
The second success of research into genetic defect was to find the cause of
如上面文章中所说的,句中缺失的词是cystic fibrosis。尽管我们可能根本不知道cystic fibrosis是什么,我们也根本不需要知道。需要我们做的只是理解它前后的词。将它当作数学题中的x变量即可。知道它与前后文怎样连接就足够了。
出题者绝不会这样问:Why is cystic fibrosis a genetic defect? 这样的问法就会要求我们掌握这个词。相反,雅思考试是要考查我们联系上下文理解事物的能力。一旦我们了解了这一点,看到生词就再也不会紧张了。
此法则还有另一种应用途径。出题者有时可能会在不是考点的地方使用复杂的表述甚至或是口语化的表达。要理解全文知道它们的意思仍然很重要。以下文为例:
The consumer research manager for Mintel, Angela Hughes, said it has become firmly established as a mainstream market. She explained that as far as the average person is concerned environmentalism has not gone off the boil. In fact, it has spread across a much wider range of consumer groups, ages and occupations.
gone off the boil 这种表达只用于英国。许多说英语的人也不会了解,应试者可能也是同样。但如前一个例子一样,上下文可能帮助我们了解它的意思。
在密切关注连接词及它前后的词后,我们可以猜测它的意思。词组in fact就是好线索。例如在此句中,in fact 让我们了解到我们所期待的情况并未发生。相反,出现的是生态消费主义(environmental consumerism估译)的增长。那么,期待发生的又是什么呢?一定是对生态消费主义兴趣的衰退。不必完全懂得off the boil 的含义,我们现在也知道它意味着对环境问题关注的减退。
这一方法不仅可应用于口语化的表达方法。每当我们看到but, however, on the other hand, 及 instead,我们就知道前面论述的内容遭到了抵触或否定。当我们看到as well, in addition, 及 moreover时,后面是支持前面的论述。密切留意句中的选词。上下文是关键。应用此法则,文章就会变得清晰起来。
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