词义猜测题

英语阅读理解中，词义猜测题，一直是学生最头疼的事情。一方面，因为是学生词汇积累存在问题，导致上下文没有理解；另一方面，知道词语的本意，而文中的引申的意思，却无法感受，造成误选。一般来说：词义猜测题的解题原则是根据上下文猜测某个生词的意思。如下文：

I am Peter Hodes, a volunteer stem courier. Since March 2012, I've done 89 trips -- of those, 51 have been abroad. I have 42 hours to carry stem cells (干细胞) in my little box because I've got two ice packs and that's how long they last. In all, from the time the stem cells are harvested from a donor (捐献者) to the time they can be implanted in the patient, we’ve got 72 hours at most. So I am always conscious of time.

Which of the following can replace the underlined word “courier” in this Paragraph?

A. provider B. delivery man C. collector D. medical doctor

第一句 I am Peter Hodes后的 a volunteer stem courier是 I am Peter Hodes的同位语，应判断划线单词courier为人。然后根据第一段第二行carry stem cells可知，作者是运送干细胞的人，所以是delivery man。答案为B。

词义猜测题答题技巧

1、根据定义，举例或解释说明猜测词义

在一些文章中、特别是新闻报道及科普说明文中、生词后面往往用that is to say、 mean、 stand for、 namely、 refer to、 in other words等或破折号、冒号引出说明性或补充的内容；有时也用同位语、定语从句进行解释说明。还可以用例子来说明前面的生词、 这些例子可帮助考生准确猜测生词。

举例时、常常会用一些连接词、如such as、 like、 for example等，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也可以在出现判断词或出现定语从句的判断句中，或者通过一个语境来解释、说明要猜测的单词。

1. A person who is skilled at making or repairing wooden objects is called a carpenter.

定语从句解释句中划线生词。根据定语从句中making or repairing wooden objects可判断划线单词carpenter为“木匠”。

2. A mosquito is a small flying pest that thrusts（刺） the skin and then drinks blood.

表语解释句中划线生词。表语为a small flying pest，再根据表语后的定语从句内容， 可判断划线单词mosquito为“蚊子”。

3. Desert can be defined（下定义） as a large area of land where there is not enough rain and vegetation（植被） to support human life.

as后的介词短语解释划线单词。根据该介词短语解释的内容，可判断划线单词desert为“沙漠”。

4. Shopkeepers may have to spend extra hours to deal with problems、 such as shoplifters, who always take away things from the shop without paying for them. …

What does the word “shoplifter” mean?

A.商店里的小偷 B.商店里的推销员 C.商店里的老客户 D.商店里的搬运工

句中划线单词shoplifters后接的定语从句解释该单词。根据定语从句的内容可判断答案为A。

5. The weather in Hawaii is always mild. It is pleasant and warm. There is usually a light wind

to cool the air．

A. not natural B. very hot C. not too hot or too cold D. rainy

B.

2、根据同等关系猜测词义

所谓同等关系、这里指的是一个词或词组在句中作用一成分、而且它们的词义属于同一范围。这样的单词或短语中通常有and、or、like、as…as、the same as、that is to say、namely 等作同等关系的标志词。据此、我们只要认识其中一个或几个词或短语、即可确定同等关系中生词的词性，在句中的作用和大概范围。

1. In the ancient city of Rome、we visited every mansion, church, battle site, theatre and other public halls. 不难看出，mansion是名词，根据后面跟进的几个并列名词看，意思应为“建筑物或场所”。

2. There is no reason to insult and defame the man simply because you do not agree with him.根据to insult and defame… 可知，defame为动词，又and 连接的两个动词是同等关系，insult意思是“侮辱”，则defame应为“诽谤，诋毁”之意。

3. 高考题

I noticed an empty chair next to an elderly, unshaven man, who looked somewhat disheveled. He was wearing a worn-out hat and was alone.

A. unfriendly B. untidy C. gentle D. kind

4. 高考题

When things are getting hard, a voice inside my head tells me that I can’t achieve something. Then, there are other distractions, such as family or hobbies. The key is to concentrate. When I feel tense, it helps a lot to repeat words such as “calm”, “peace” or “focus”, either out loud or silently in my mind.

A. ways that help one to focus B. words that help one to feel less tense

C. activities that turn one’s attention away D. habits that make it hard for one to relax

5. 高考题

With the communication gadgets, such as mobile phones and ipads, people often do not take the effort to visit one another personally. A personal visit carries with it the additional feature of having to be in the person’s presence for as long as the visit lasts. We cannot unnecessarily excuse ourselves or turn the other person off.

The underlined word “gadgets” is closest in meaning to 　　　. 

A. tools B. messages C. barriers D. skills

3、根据对比关系猜测生词的词义

在but、though、however、otherwise、while、though、on the one hand… on the other hand、for one thing…for another thing、instead of 等表示意义转折的词出现在句中，或前后的词有着明显的相反意思，则可通过这种对比关系猜出生词词义。

1. Some human actions are learned、but other actions are innate.

从句中出现表示意义转折的词but可知划线单词innate为learned的反义词being part of one's character since one was born(天生的)。

2. Though Tom's face has been washed quite clean, his neck still remains grubby.

不难看出，划线生词grubby的意思是clean的反义词dirty。

3. If you agree, write "yes"; if you dissent, write "no".

句中出现yes和no一组反义词，可知划线生词dissent是agree的反义词disagree.

4.高考题

We can allow time to slip by and let it be our enemy. Or we can take control of it and make it our ally.

A. somebody or something that is your slave and serves you

B. somebody or something that is your supporter and helps you

C. somebody or something that is under your control and obeys you

D. somebody or something that is under your influence and follows you

4、通过因果关系猜测词义

当because、since、for、due to、so、therefore、so(such)……that、thus 等词出现在句中时，可通过因果关系，依据已知部分，猜测生词词义。

1. Rubber can be made to stretch more than nine times its normal length because it's very elastic.划线生词elastic可根据句中stretch more than nine times its normal length猜得词义为"有弹性的"。

2. The river is so turbid that it's impossible to see the bottom even when it's shallow.

划线生词turbid可根据句中it's impossible to see the bottom猜得词义为dirty and muddy(浑浊的)。

5、通过上下文语境及前后的提示来猜测词义。

任何一篇文章中的句子在内容上都不是绝对孤立的，都跟句子所在的段落及整篇文章有联系。因此，考生可以利用上下文提供的情景和线索进行合乎逻辑的综合分析，进而猜测词义。这是阅读过程中的一大关键,也是近年来高考考查的热点。

6、 根据生活常识猜测词义

普通生活常识加上自身的生活经验，然后合理运用逻辑推理能力也是猜词的一种方法。下面这段文字中的三个划线的词是不常用的词，但根据常识，利用已知的内容便可猜出它们的词义。

1. Fish live in water and have fins which help them to swim. Most fishes have slimy skins covered with scales, so it is difficult to get firm hold of them.

这段文字的已知部分和生活常识使我们较为确切地猜出fin的意思是“鳍”，slimy的意思是“滑溜的”，scale的意思是“鳞”。

2. When a doctor performs an operation on a patient, he usually gives an anesthetic to make him unconscious, because he does not want his patient to feel pain or to know what is happening to him.

根据because 后的解释可知该词为麻醉剂.

7、词义猜测题还可以是根据上下文猜测某个代词所代表的某个单词或某句话的意思。

Members go on the site and register the books they own and would like to share. BookCrossing provides an identification number to stick inside the book. Then the person leaves it in a public place, hoping that the book will have an adventure, traveling far and wide with each new reader who finds it.

What does the underlined word “it” in refer to?　

A. The book.　B. An adventure.　C. A public place.　D. The identification number.

答案为A。根据it所在的句子前面的内容“....hoping that the book will have an adventure, traveling far and wide with each new reader who finds it”那些留下书的人希望自己的书能够随着找到它的人走得更远。可知其中的it指代前半句提到的同一事物“the book”。

高考考题

A

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.

One of the ways these people wrongly support their view is by pointing to 100-year-old 

homes which are still solid, and arguing that it is the craftsmanship that is responsible for their 

durability (持久性). “Homes in those days were well-built,” they say. No doubt these homes 

were well-built, but what these people have done is mix up the quality of material used in the 

house with the quality of the craftsmanship.

What does the underlined word “they” (paragraph2) refer to?

A. Carpenters who are fond of oak stairways.    

B. Carpenters who have college degrees.

C. People who think highly of carpenters of old.     

D. People who think that modern material is of low quality.

B

You may think that sailing is a difficult sport, but it is really not hard to learn it. You do not need to be strong. But you need to be quick. And you need to understand a few basic rules about the wind.

First, you must ask yourself, “Where is the wind coming from? Is it coming from ahead or behind or from the side?” You must think about this all the time on the boat. The wind direction tells you what to do with the sail.

Let’s start with the wind blowing from behind. This means the wind and the boat are going in the same direction. Then you must always keep the sail outside the boat. It should be at a 90° angle (角度) to the boat. Then it will catch the wind best.

If the wind is blowing from the side, it is blowing across the boat. In this case, you must keep the sail half way outside the boat. It should be at a 45° angle to the boat. It needs to be out far enough to catch the wind, but it shouldn’t flap (摆动). It shouldn’t look like a flag on a flagpole. If it is flapping, it is probably out too far, and the boat will slow down.

What does the word “It” underlined in Paragraph 4 refer to?

A. The boat. B. The wind. C. The sail. D. The angle.

8、词义猜测题还可以是根据上下文猜测某个熟词在上下文中新的意思。

She smiled. It was a nice smile ─warm and relaxing ─and I returned her gift by smiling back.

A. her words B. her smile C. her flowers D. her politeness

gift原意为礼物，但在此根据上下文可判断出答案为 B。

1. 高考题

Many years ago, when I was fresh out of school and working in Denver, I was driving to my parents’ home in Missouri for Christmas. I stopped at a gas station about 50 miles from Oklahoma City, where I was planning to stop and visit a friend. While I was standing in line at the cash register (收款台), I said hello to an older couple who were also paying for gas. I took off, but had gone only a few miles when black smoke poured from the back of my car. I stopped and wondered what I should do.The underlined words “took off” mean______.

A. turned off B. moved off C. put up D. set up

2. 高考题

Frequently it happens that a place has two names. One is named by the people and the other by the government. As in many areas, old habits die hard, and the place continues to be called by its unofficial name long after the meaning is lost.

The underlined words “die hard” mean______.

A. change suddenly B. change significantly

C. disappear mysteriously D. disappear very slowly

3.高考题

One of Britain's bravest women told yesterday how she helped to catch suspected (可疑的) 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.

The underlined phrase “be in line for” means ______.

A. get B. be paid C. ask for D. own

4.高考题

It was a warm April day when a big fat envelope came in the mail from the only college I had ever imagined attending. I tore open the packet. My eyes were fixed on the word “congratulations.” I don’t remember ever smiling so wide.

Then I looked at my financial(财政的) package.

The cost of Dream School’s tuition(学费), room and board was around $40,000—an impossible sum! How could I afford to attend? What good reasons did I have to go there when three other fine colleges were offering me free tuition? My other choices were good, solid schools even if they weren’t as famous as my first choice.

In my mind, attending my dream university would be the only way to realize my dream of becoming a world-class writer. My parents understood how I felt. They told me that even though it would be a financial problem, I could go wherever I would be happiest. But as I was always careful with money, I wasn’t sure what to do.

One of the schools that offered me a full ride had an informational dinner one night in the spring. Considering my parents’ financial difficulties, I decided to drive the 45 minutes and attend. At first, all I had planned to do was smile politely, eat free food, listen quietly. But I surprised myself.

At dinner the president of the university talked about the wonderful activities on campus(校园)including guest lectures and social gatherings. He also made it perfectly clear that free food would be offered at all future events. He continued with explanations of professors, class sizes, activities, and sporting events on campus. As he spoke, I began to realize that this school, though not as good as my first choice, might be the best one for me. It seemed small yet with many great programs. It seemed challenging yet caring.

In Paragraph 5, “offered me a full ride” can be replaced by “______”.

A. would pay for transport to the school B. would show me around the campus

C. would offer free meals at all events D. would charge me nothing for tuition

词义猜测题每年都会在高考题中出现，但出题量不大，约为1 — 3题。

（高考题）词义猜测综合练习

1. The new type of pineapple was selling fast, and the Del Monte Gold pineapple rapidly became a fixture in the shopping basket of the healthy eater.

A. something that people enjoy eating B. something that is always present

C. something that is difficult to get D. something that people use as a gift

2. The nine shorts to be shown range from a Claymation biography of B. B. King to a science fiction adventure set in the year 3005. “A lot of the material is really mature,” Ms Gardener said, talking about films by the New York City branch of Global Action Project, a media arts and leadership-training group.

A. short trousers B. short kids C. short films D. short stories

3. Music was not the only gulf. From clothing and hairstyles to activities and expectations, earlier generations of parents and children often appeared to move in separate orbits.

A. interest B. distance C. difference D. separation

4. As water percolates (渗透) downward, it dissolves organic matter and mineral from the soil and carries them to deep layers.

The underlined word “dissolve” is used to express the idea that organic matter and minerals from

soil are ___________ .

A. rushed away into the river B. cleaned and purified by water

C. destroyed and carried away by water D. mixed with water and become part of it

5. New archaeological discoveries suggest that trade between Europe and Asia along the Silk Road probably began in some form many centuries earlier than once thought. The findings, coupled with a widening range of scientific and historical research could add a fascinating new page to the epic of the Silk Road.

A. produced B. continued C. doubled D. combined

6. Even though science can tell us that some of our traditional beliefs don’t hold water, there is still a lot of truth in the wives’ tales. After all, much of this knowledge has been accumulated from thousands of years experience in family health care.

A. be believable B. be valuable C. be admirable D. be suitable

7. Honesty comes in many forms. First there is self-honesty. Is what people see the real article or do you appear through smoke and mirrors ?

A. to be honest B. to be unreal C. to become clear D. to come from an imagined world

8. Once you form the habit of blaming somebody or something else for a bad situation, you are a

loser. You have no power and could do nothing that helps change the situation. However, you can

have great power over what happens to you if you stop focusing on whom to blame and start

focusing on how to remedy the situation.

A. avoid B. accept C. improve D. consider

9. When I first got an e-mail account ten years ago, I received communications only from family,

friends and colleagues. Now it seems that every time I check my e-mail, I have an endless series

of advertisements and other correspondence that do not interest me at all.

A. messages B. ideas C. connections D. programs

10. I noticed an empty chair next to an elderly, unshaven man, who looked somewhat disheveled.

He was wearing a worn-out hat and was alone.

A. unfriendly B. untidy C. gentle D. kind

11. Mum wept and told me that the poor little thing had been sent to a hospital. It had a fever. For

several days, I heard Mum and Dad whispering such words as “hopeless”, “pitiful”, and “dying”,

which sounded ominous.

A. impossible B. boring C. difficult D. fearful

12. There are no obvious limits to the escalation of demands for quality. For example, Porsche, a

famous car producer, has a model which was considered perhaps the best sports car on the market.

Priced over $120,000, it handles perfectly well and has great speed acceleration. But in 2004, the

producer introduced some changes which made the model slightly better in handling and

acceleration. To get them, however, they must pay almost four times the price.

A. understanding B. increase C. difference D. study

13. Spelling helps students translate ideas into words in their mind first and then to transcribe

(转换) “those words in the mind into written symbols on paper or keyboard and screen,” the study

said. Seeing the words in the “mind’s eye” helps children not only to turn their ideas into words,

says Berninger, but also to spot(发现)spelling mistakes when they write the words down and to

control them over time.

A. window B. soul C. picture D. imagination

14. ISS(国际空间站) crewmembers usually live in space for at least a quarter of a year. They work five days on and two days off to mimic the normal way they do things on Earth as much as possible.

A. find B. copy C. change D. lose

15. Some years ago, I was hired by an American bank. I received a letter from the head of the Personnel Department that started, "Dear John, I am quite pleased that you have decided to join us." That "quite" saddened me. I thought he was saying "we're kind of pleased you decided to join us although I wish we had hired someone else." Then I discovered that in American English "quite" sometimes means "very", while in British English it means "fairly".

So the first lesson about working in other countries is to learn the language and by that I don't just mean the words people speak. It is body language, dress, manners, ideas and so on. The way people do things highlights many of the differences we see between cultures(文化）.

The word "highlights" in Paragraph 2 probably means_____.

A. encourages B. helps to narrow C. increases D. draws attention to

16. Honey(蜂蜜)from the African forest is not only a kind of natural sugar, it is also delicious. Most people, and many animals, like eating it. However, the only way for them to get that honey is to find a wild bees' nest(巢)and take the honey from it. Often, these nests are high up in trees, and it is difficult to find them. In parts of Africa, though, people and animals unexpected helper一a little bird called a honey guide.

The honey guide does not actually like honey, but it does like the wax (蜂蜡) in the beehives (蜂房). The little bird cannot reach this wax, which is deep inside the bees’ nest. So, when it finds a suitable nest, it looks for someone to help it. The honey guide gives a loud cry that attracts the attention of both passing animals and people. Once it has their attention, it flies through the forest, waiting from time to time for the curious animal or person as it leads them to the nest. When they finally arrive at the nest, the follower reaches in to get at the delicious honey as the bird patiently waits and watches. Some of the honey, and the wax, always falls to the ground, and this is when the honey guide takes its share.

What do the words "the follower" in Paragraph 2 refer to?

A. A bee. B. A bird. C. A honey seeker. D. A beekeeper.

17. Passenger pigeons (旅鸽)once flew over much of the United States in unbelievable numbers. Written accounts from the 18th and 19th centuries described flocks (群)so large that they the sky for hours. It was calculated that when its population reached its highest point, they were more than 3 billion passenger pigeons—a number equal to 24 to 40 percent of the total bird population in the United States, making it perhaps the most abundant bird in the world. Even as late as 1870 when their numbers had already become smaller, a flock believed to be 1 mile wide and 320 miles (about 515 kilometers) long was seen near Cincinnati.

Sadly the abundance of passenger pigeons may have been their undoing. Where the birds were most abundant, people believed there was an ever-lasting supply and killed them by the thousands, Commercial hunters attracted them to small clearings with grain, waited until pigeons had settled to feed, then threw large nets over them, taking hundreds at a time. The birds were shipped to large cities and sold in restaurants.

The underlined word “undoing” probably refers to the pigeons’ ________.

A. escape B. ruin C. liberation D. evolution

18. During the first week of his stay, he went out one day to do some shopping. He came back in the late afternoon to discover that his suitcase was gone. He was extremely worried as the suitcase had all his important papers, including his passport (护照).

… …

My husband rushed to their home to find a kind family holding all his papers and documents (文件). Their young daughter had gone to the trash can and found a pile of unfamiliar papers. Her parents had carefully sorted them out, although they had found mainly foreign addresses on most of the documents. At last they had seen a half-written letter in the pile in which my husband had given his new telephone number to a friend.

That family not only restored the important documents to us that day but also restored our faith and trust in people. We still remember their kindness and often send a warm wish their way.

What does the underlined word “restored” in the last paragraph mean?

A. Showed. B. Sent out. C. Delivered. D. Gave back.

19. One of the latest trend(趋势) in American Childcare is Chinese au pairs. Au Pair in Stamford, for example, has got increasing numbers of request for Chinese au pairs from zero to around 4,000 since 2004. And that’s true all across the country.

“I thought it would be useful for him to learn Chinese at an early age” Joseph Stocke, the managing director of a company, says of his 2-year old son. “I would at least like to give him the chance to use the language in the future,” After only six months of being cared by 25-year-old woman from China, the boy can already understand basic Chinese daily expressions, his dad says.

What does that term” au pair” in the text mean?

A. A mother raising her children on her own

B. A child learning a foreign language at home

C. A professor in language education of children

D. A young foreign woman taking care of children.

20. We shared the belief that if you’re fortunate enough to have success, you should put something back -- he with his Newman’s Own food and his Hole in the Wall camps for kids who are seriously ill, and me with Sundance and the institute and the festival. Paul and I didn’t see each other all that regularly, but sharing that brought us together. We supported each other financially and by showing up at events.

I last saw him a few months ago. He’d been in and out of the hospital. He and I both knew what the deal was, and we didn’t talk about it. Ours was a relationship that didn’t need a lot of words.

What does the underlined word “that” in paragraph 1 refer to?

A. Their belief. B. Their care for children.

C. Their success. D. Their support for each other.