高三英語復(fù)習(xí):逆向思維 巧用形容詞和副詞
2008-02-12 08:57:42城市快報
南開中學(xué) 段勝利
高考英語對形容詞、副詞等修飾詞的考查,每年都多有涉及,所占比例相對穩(wěn)定。近幾年高考天津卷,除了在單項選擇中命制兩道形容詞對名詞,副詞對形容詞或動詞的恰當(dāng)修飾題目之外,在完形填空中也會有三、四個選項涉及形容詞和副詞的選擇。單純從詞匯角度看形容詞和副詞,在使用時要克服中文思維,采用逆向思維的方法,從下面幾個方面掌握好它們的使用。
一、一詞多義、一義多詞和同義、近義詞辨析
任何一種語言都有“一詞多義”的現(xiàn)象,英語也不例外。其中,形容詞和副詞的一詞多義更是豐富多彩。
例一:Mary kept weighing herself to see how much ______she was getting.
A.heavier B.heavy
C.the heavier D.the heaviest
答案A。Mary一直稱體重看(比前一次)重多少,題干中暗含比較,much修飾比較級。這里的heavy是我們最常見的“重”的概念。
例二:That his only son was killed in car accident was a ________ blow to the old man.
A. heavy B. broad
C. plain D. main
答案A。老人的兒子在車禍中喪生對他來說是沉重的打擊。這里的heavy是“強烈的”“沉重的”意思。
例三:Mr. Smith used to smoke ________but he has given it up.
A.seriously B.heavily
C.badly D.hardly
答案B。Mr. Smith以前煙抽得很兇,但現(xiàn)在已經(jīng)戒掉了。這里的heavy指的是量大,次數(shù)頻繁。
從上面三個例子不難看出,同一個形容詞和副詞,在不同的語境中,會有其不同的詞義。這里,heavy一詞,我們只提到了三個詞義,當(dāng)然在a heavy heart、heavy food、something not too heavy to read、a heavy winter coat等短語中還分別有 “沉郁的”“膩人的”“乏味的”“厚實的”等詞義。
與形容詞和副詞一詞多義相伴,在選擇修飾語時,某一個中文詞的意思,對應(yīng)到英文,是不是就是我們想象的那個詞呢?
例如,漢語的“大”一字,用在“大雨”“大風(fēng)”“大樹”“大聲”“大山”“大勝”等詞語中,在英語里,能簡單地用一個big(大)而一概而論嗎?不行!要根據(jù)搭配,分別使用不同的形容詞,即“a heavy rain” “a strong wind”“a tall tree”“in a loud voice”“a high mountain”“a big win”等。
在形容詞和副詞考查中,有時會碰到同義、近義詞的辨用。辨用時,單從漢語意思上有時是無法辨清的。我們要逆向思維,采用反義對比、分析構(gòu)詞等方法,使詞的語義一目了然。
例一:請回答下面這一組題
1.When I took his temperature, it was two degrees above _____.
A. average B. ordinary
C. regular D. normal
2. Letterboxes are much more _____in the UK than in the US, where most people have a mailbox instead.
A. common B. normal
C. ordinary D. usual
3. It’s in the _____ interest that we should have a well-run health service.
A. ordinary B. usual
C. particular D. general
4. Now, in our country free medical treatment covers sickness of mind as well as___ sickness.
A.normal B.average
C.regular D.ordinary
答案D A D D。這組題目主要涉及ordinary,usual,common,normal等詞語的辨用,而這幾個詞語的中文意義十分相近,甚至英文也是在相互釋義,如common:usual and ordinary; happening or found often and in many places。
要辨清這幾個詞的用法,我們不妨來個逆向思維,從它們的反義詞上去找些“蛛絲馬跡”:ordinary—special (特殊);general—specific,particular (具體的,個體的);common—rare (少見);normal—abnormal (不正常,對應(yīng)標準和尺度)。從反義詞的角度,把同義、近義詞做一比對,它們的區(qū)別便一目了然。另外,使用這些同義、近義詞,再生成一些搭配,也可以幫助我們進一步辨用詞語。如:a common experience,a usual practice;in ordinary dress,general knowledge等。
例二:請回答下面這一組題
1. She has the ability to keep ______in an emergency.
A. quiet B. calm
C. still D. silent
2.——You'd better be___about what happened in your family.
——Of course I will let no one else know it.
A. silent B. quiet
C. calm D. speechless
3. They lived a life in the countryside.
A. quiet B. still
C. silent D. calm
答案B A A。與上面的例子一樣,我們可以從這幾個“靜”的反義詞角度來加以辨析。calm對wild,指海上無浪,情緒鎮(zhèn)靜;still對應(yīng)not moving,指不動;silent對應(yīng)wordy,指不出聲;quiet對應(yīng)noisy,安靜,無噪音。