to guess meanings

To Guess Meanings

阅读理解之猜测词义

　 A research team in the USA examined pieces of bones belonging to Beethoven. They found a large amount of lead in the pieces, or bone fragments.

　 What does the underlined word “fragments” 　 mean?

A.spare parts B. small parts

C. metal elements D. bone cells

or【解】 碎片

Questions are usually as follows:

1) According to the author, the word “…” means _______.2) The word “…” most likely means _______.3) The word “…” in Line ...probably means4) By the word “…”, the author

means_______.5) In Line ... , the word “…” refers to _______.6) Which of the following is nearest /closest in

meaning to “…” ?7) In Line …, the word “…” could best be

replaced by which of the following?

using word formation

using synonym context clues

using antonym context clues

using reasoning or logic

exercises and homework

SKILLS

super- inter- mini- micro- re- sub- co- post- pre- trans- under-

在……之间

超

再反复

极少的

底下，分支的

后

超越

微小

一同，一起

之前

在…下，

mis-un-,in,im,dis,non; anti--hood-ish-proof-ship-some-wards-less

不，非

反对，

时期，状态，性质

如同…的

不，无

误，恶

易于…的

向…

身份，资格。

防…的

postmodern prehistoric transform underwear nonhuman antibody childhood childish waterproof

supergirl interaction miniskirt microphone rearrange subway co-author troublesome countless

例如： This possibility was unforeseeable ， because it almost never happened.

分析 unforeseeableunforeseeable

un

fore

see

able

不

先、前、预

看见能…的；

可以…的

不可预见的

1. like, as...as…, the same as, to be ，mean ， refer to 等；

2.be defined as, be known as , be called, be termed 等；

3.and 和 or 等

4. 以同位语从句，定语从句为线索

5. 以标点符号为线索

【例 1 】 Mother was tall, fat and middle-aged. The principal of the school was an older woman, almost as plump as mother, and much shorter.

【解】 “圆胖的 , 丰满的”

fat, as plump as mother

【例 2 】 Children often try to emulate or copy the behavior that they see on television. 　

【解】 “仿效”　

or,copy

【例 3 】 At forty-two he was in his prime and always full of energy.

【解】 从“年龄 42 岁”以及与 prime 具有同等关系的 full of energy, 可以猜出 in his prime 的意思是“在盛年时期”。

and, full of energy

【例 4 】 I told him my job was known as a mason, a person whose job is cutting stone into shape for building.

【解】”石 匠”

以同位语及定语从句为线索

【例 5 】 He was a juggler who entertained the children by pulling rabbits out of his hats, swallowing fire, and other similar tricks.

【解】 “变戏法者”

以定语从句为线索

【例 6 】 It will be very hard but also very brittle — that is, it will break easily.

【解】 “脆”

以标点符号为线索

阅读中应多注意带有 but, yet, however,

otherwise, nevertheless ， in contrast ， o

n the other hand ， rather than ， althou

gh ， while unlike ， whereas 等表示转折意义的词或是有分号的句子。这类句子前后存在明显的对比关系，根据已知内容，通过对比很容易猜出生词的意义。

【例 1 】 Our maths professor claims that all the problems he gives us are simple ones ， however ， we feel that they are intricate and hard to solve ．

【解】 “复杂的”

however

【例 2 】 John usually wastes a lot of money on such useless things ； compared to him, his wife is very thrifty. 　

【解】 “节俭的”

waste, compared to him

【例 3 】 Sally is an active girl. Unlike her, her sister was quite sedate.

【解】“沉闷的”

using antonym context clues

active, unlike her

1 ．以因果关系为线索 cause and effect

2 ．以列举的事例为线索 examples

3. 运用生活经验及普通常识进行推理 common sense

4. 联想法 imagination

【例 1 】 She wanted the hairdresser to trim her hair a bit because it was too long.

【解】 “修剪”

以因果关系为线索 cause and effect

【例 2 】 You can take any of the periodicals: The World of English, Foreign Language Teaching in Schools, or English Learning.

【解】 “期刊”

以列举的事例为线索 examples

【例 3 】 Most of the roses are beginning to wither because of the cold. 【解】 “枯萎”

运用生活经验及普通常识进行推理 common sense

【例 4 】 On entering the room, he began to measure his legs on the floor.【解】 他一进屋就摔了个大跟头。

联想法 imagination

1. Chicken becomes rotten very quickly ．It can go bad in a refrigerator if it is left the

re for more than a week. If you have any su

spicion that the meat is bad, don’t eat it.Inst

ead inspect it very carefully ； check the sm

ell ， how it looks and feels ．

即时训练

The first sign that the chicken is rotten is the

smell ． If the chicken has a bad 1 ） odor ，you should throw it out ． The second sign w

hether chicken is rotten is the look ． If the m

eat is black ， throw it out ．

(1)”odor”means

A. sound B. picture C. smell

The third sign is the feel of the chicken ． If the me

at is very soft ， it might be rotten. 2)Discard it if it

is ． If only part of the chicken is bad ， remove th

e rotten 3 ） portion and keep the rest ．

（ 2 ） The word“discard” means ． A ． keep B ． throw away C ． cook it again

（ 3 ） “ portion” here means ． A ． whole B ． part C ． half

2. We have collected foreign coins for years – since

our families went on holiday to Tenerife. She

explains. That was before the Euro( a kind of

money ), so we put pesetas in.

The underlined word “pesetas” in Para 2 is a kind of

_________.

A.story B.collection C.inspiration D. foreign coin

(NMET 2005 湖南 )

3.“But,” said Kim, “I 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

(NMET 2005 上海 )

上下文

1 、“ Why didn’t you keep the money? ” asked the thief. The professor replied, “I couldn’t because it is not mine.” Then he walked off, spurning the thief’s offer of a reward.

(02 上海春季 A) A. accepting B. claiming C. rejecting D. canceling

巩 固 训 练

2 、 One of Britain’s bravest women told yesterday how she helped to catch suspected police killer David Bieber—and was thanked with flowers by the police. It was also said that she could be in line for a share of up to ￡ 30,000 reward money.(04 湖南 E)

A. get B. be paid C. ask for D. own 生活常识

3 、 There is no cure for Alzheimer’s. But a drug called ARICEPT has been used by millions of people to help their symptoms( 症状 ).(04 湖北 B)

A. a medicine to cure Alzheimer’s B. a medicine to delay signs of aging C. a medicine to reduce the symptoms of Al

zheimer’s D. a medicine to cure brain damage

上下文

4.It is true that lighthouses were built in out-of-the-way places. But in a pleasant sunny summer day, this very isolation( 隔离、孤立 ) has a natural beauty that many people love to experierce.(05 重庆 D)

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

构词法

5.Unlike vitamin C, leadership skills can’t be easily swallowed down. They must be carefully cultivated.(05 广东 B)

A. encouraged B. compared C. examined D. developed

对 比

6.Rainforsts like the Amazon are important for mopping up CO2 from the atmosphere and helping to slow global warming.(05 福建 C)

A. cleaning up B. taking in C. wiping out D. giving out

常识

7 、 Growing economic problems were highlighted by a slowdown in oil output.

8 、 Unlike her gregarious sister, Jane is a shy, unsociable person who does not like to go to parties or to make new friends.

突出（构词法）

爱交际的（对比关系）

9 、 Semantics, the study of the meaning of words, is necessary if you are to speak and read intelligently.

10 、 Doctors believe that smoking cigarettes is detrimental to your health. They also regard drinking as harmful.

11 、 There were so many people in the Red Square that he had to elbow his way through the crowd.

语义学（同位语）

有害的（同类关系）

挤过（因果关系）

12 、 Today young couples who are just starting their households often spend lots of money on appliances, for instance, washing machines, refrigerators and color televisions.

13 、 Anthropology is the scientific study of man.

14 、 The door was so low that I hit my head on the lintel.

15 、 14,000 sanitation workers carry off, yearly, three million tons of refuse and keep 7,500 miles of streets clean and free of snow.

（家用）电器 （举例）

人类学（定义）

（门窗等的）过梁（经验常识）

环卫工人（上下文）