考研英语试题分析之词义猜想技巧 (1)利用重述猜想词义 重述(restatement)指作者在阐述某一概念或某一事情时,为使其更易理解,会实行另一种方式来加以解释说明。重述时往往采纳比前面一种表达更为简单易懂的词语,而后面这种简单易懂的词语无疑为前面较难的词语提供了猜想的线索,因此,考生在阅读的过程中如遇到生词,不妨看一下该生词后面是否有另一种阐述或解释。表达重述的信号词有:in other words, to put it another way, that is to say, or, that is, i.e. , to be precise, refers to 等。此外,作者也会利用括号、冒号、破折号等标点符号为一些生词直接提供定义或解释。 But one insidious form continues to thrive: alphabetism. This, for those as yet unaware of such a disadvantage, refers to discrimination against those whose surnames begin with a letter in the lower half of the alphabet. [分析] 第二句句首的指示词 This 指代 alphabetism,线索词 refers to 之后的内容是对它的解释:对姓氏首字母位于字母表后半部分的人的卑视。 Today, surrounded by promises of easy happiness, we need someone to tell us as religion once did, Memento mori: remember that you will die, that everything ends, and that happiness comes not in denying this but in living with it. [分析] 冒号之后的.内容解释了 Memento mori 的意义所指:人总会死去,一切都会结束,幸福并不是否认这些,而是与之共存。Memento mori 为拉丁语,意为谨记死亡或人终有一死。 Donovan believed in using whatever tools came to hand in the great game of espionagespying as a profession. [分析] 破折号之后是对 espionage 的释义:以间谍为业,即间谍活动。 (2)利用对比猜想词义 对比(contrast)通常出现在作者讲述两种事物或两面个话题之间的不同时,二者之间常有表示对比或相反意义的过渡词,如 however,in contrast,but,whereas,while,yet,on the contrary 等。当考生遇到生词时,看到这些相关的过渡词或起相同作用的标志词,要意识到可以尝试通过后面的内容来推测前面生词的意思。 Even Tommasini, who had advocated Gilberts appointment in the Times, c...