本文分析了高三学生因遇到生词、缺乏有效的学习策略而在阅读时如何猜测词义中出现问题的现状，从理论和实践的角度就如何提高阅读技巧课的教学效果进行了探索
【关键词】阅读技巧，学习策略，语境 http://www.of365-education.com/
一、 引言
《普通高中英语课程标准（实验）》（以下简称《新课标》）中指出，高中英语课程应根据高中学生认知特点和学习发展需要，在进一步发展学生基本语言能力的同时，着重提高学生用英语获取信息、处理信息、分析和解决问题的能力；逐步培养学生用英语思维和表达的能力。在教学方式上，新课标强调学生参与、实践、讨论、探究和合作中学会英语来表达、交流，发展学生的综合语言运用能力。随着新课程标准的实施，对学生学习策略的培养越来越受到教师们的青睐。
在上海高考英语中，阅读主要测试考生理解书面英语并完成相关任务的能力，具体目标为：1. 能理解文章的基本内容；2. 能根据上下文正确理解词语和句子；3.能归纳文章的主旨大意；4. 能推测文章中的隐含意思；5. 能运用阅读技能完成不同问题的阅读任务。其中，猜测词义题是是高考英语试题阅读理解中的一类必考题，它是从特定的角度考查考生的阅读理解能力和处理生词的能力，包括对词、词组和句意的理解。在高三阅读中，有效的阅读技巧之一------如何猜测词义，就能切实的提高学生的阅读能力，因此，教师在阅读教学中指导学生形成有效的猜测词义的学习策略和技能具有重要意义。
二、 高三阅读存在的问题
1. 缺乏词汇，阅读中生词多
在阅读中，学生不可避免地会遇上生词。由于生词的阻碍，学生的理解就会出现问题，反复回看文章，心理产生恐惧，逐渐从怕生词到怕阅读，最终导致做题速度慢，无法在规定时间内完成阅读。因此，生词是影响阅读速度的重要因素。要提高阅读速度就应培养学生在阅读中猜测生词的能力。
2. 片面死记单词，阅读中没有形成有效的适合自己的英语词汇学习策略
有些学生把单词看作是“死的”、“孤立的”个体，拿着词汇手册死记硬背，忽视了词义和使用语境的互相关系。虽然学生很用心地背单词，但当给出语言情景时，学生往往束手无策。这样学生就会认为背单词是一种形式单一的学习活动，背下来也不会有用，逐渐他们就失去信心，对于阅读就产生了畏惧心。在阅读中，总会遇到一些生词和短语或熟词新义。在这种情况下，就应该充分发挥猜词能力，运用阅读技巧去猜测词义。
三、 阅读技巧课的设计依据和实施
针对阅读存在的问题，基于阅读教学的理念，笔者设计并实施了一节关于如何猜测词义的高三阅读技巧课。
1．感知阅读技巧的语境，激发学生探求阅读技巧的欲望。
阅读过程中，教师首先要考虑为学生创设如何猜测词义的语境，让学生在有意义的语境中体会阅读技巧的特定意义。
语境的创设可通过为学生提供可理解性输入材料来实现。教师要确保该材料能比较集中地体现猜测词义策略，且尽量贴近学生生活，具有真实的交际意义，这样才能激发学生学习和探求阅读技巧并运用的欲望。Ellis(2002)指出，教师应为学生提够足够的可理解性输入，指导学生观察和留意语篇中包含的目标语言特征，并作归纳、总结、然后练习使用。
在讲解如何猜测词义之前，笔者先就学生对构词法的掌握程度进行了摸底，在前一节课把在高考词汇手册中的前缀和后缀通过有趣的方式呈现给学生，本课中在Warming-up阶段让学生及时反馈。为此，笔者给出了以下例子：
We are the generation of Post-80s.
Bill Gates is super-rich.
Now we are in the course of pre-reading.
这些例子较贴近学生的实际，包含了通过构词法猜测词义的现象，目的是让学生感知猜测词义的使用语境。
接着，笔者把一组问题呈现给学生：
1）The word “…” refers to / probably means / could best be replaced by _______.
2) The word “…” is most likely to mean ______.
3) What do you think the expression “…” stands for?
4) The underlined word “…” means ______.
5) From the passage, we can infer that the word …means ______.
学生了解到在高考中，猜测词义题也会出现，但他们只知道一种方法。当笔者告诉他们还有6种方法时，学生感到迷惑了，这就激发了他们学习如何猜测词义阅读技巧的欲望，笔者也就自然地引导学生开始学习猜测词义法。
2. 加强输入，及时反馈，启发学生分析和推断阅读技巧
高中学生具有一定的认知能力，能够利用已有的认知能力去分析和推断语言规律。在掌握如何猜测词义阅读技巧的过程中，教师要善于利用学生的认知能力，启发学生去分析和推断语言规律，主动探求如何猜测词义的阅读技巧，而不是等待教师的灌输。本课采用让学生自己总结阅读技巧，每次的回答都能取得老师的肯定和赞扬，他们的才华有一定的展示，以此培养学生的自信心，增强学生的自我效能感。同时，还采用小组讨论的形式，让学生互相学习、互相配合，增进同学间的友情，从而培养合作性学习的能力和习惯。这样，提高了学生对7种阅读技巧的关注度，培养学生主动运用外显知识监控语言输出的能力，帮助学生在大脑中形成如何猜测词义阅读技巧的外显特征。
在处理如何猜测词义的问题时，笔者充分利用了学生的认知能力。具体教法是：先呈现7个句子，他们分别代表在阅读中猜测词义的6种方法；接着让学生自己思考，分析推断这7个句子分别代表的6种猜测词义法，并要求学生用自己的话语归纳表述。
1. Kleptomania is an illness of the mind that gives a person the desire to steal.
2. The modern age of medicine began with the stethoscope, an instrument for listening to a patient’s heartbeat and breathing.
3. Most of us agreed, however, Bill dissented.
4. They are too excited to sleep and are not even drowsy.
5. The door was so low that I hit my head on the lintel.
6. Many United Nations employees are polyglots. For example, Mr. Simpson speaks five languages fluently.
7. John drives too fast，and he often drives in the middle of the street．He doesn't watch what the other cars are doing．He is a reckless driver．
在学生回答归纳是，笔者及时评价反馈，帮助学生形成6种猜测词义法的外显特征。归纳呈现内容如下：
1. Kleptomania is an illness of the mind that gives a person the desire to steal.（定义法）
2. The modern age of medicine began with the stethoscope, an instrument for listening to a patient’s heartbeat and breathing.（定义法）
3. Most of us agreed, however, Bill dissented. （对比法）
4. They are too excited to sleep and are not even drowsy. （相似法）
5. The door was so low that I hit my head on the lintel. （常识法）
6. Many United Nations emloyees are polyglots. For example, Mr.Simpson speaks five languages fluently. （举例法）
7. John drives too fast，and he often drives in the middle of the street．He doesn't watch what the other cars are doing．He is a reckless driver．（因果法）
接着笔者设计了以下练习，让学生将这些推断出来的猜测词义法加以实践，完成这些方法的构建和再构建。
猜测词义的练习题：
1）Children need convictions, that is, something (and someone)to trust as a belief.(定义法)
2）Mark got on the motorbike, I sat behind him on the pillion, and we roared off into the night.（常识法）
3）In the corner there may be a Christmas tree with its branches decorated with shining ornaments such as coloured lights and glass balls, and sometimes hung with gifts.（举例法）
4）A New Toy
In 1948, a lot of people got new televisions, but not us. My parents didn’t like television. They didn’t think it was good for children. Being a good, docile son, I didn’t argue with them. But I did secretly watch television --- at my friends’ homes.（相似法）
By 1955 televisions weren’t so expensive and they were much larger. My parents still thought television wasn’t good for us, but my sisters insisted. They said we were the only people in the neighborhood who didn’t have one. All their friends talked about certain programs and actors, but my sisters couldn’t. Their friends laughed at them, and my sisters felt wretched, very unhappy.（相似法）
One day, my youngest sister came from school and started to cry. She said she was never going back to school and that life without a television wasn’t worth living. She cried and sobbed. My parents’ usual arguments only made her more inconsolable. Nothing they said made her feel any better. Well, what could they do?（因果法）
The next morning, without telling us, my parents went out and got a new TV. That afternoon an antenna was put on the roof. Suzanne came home from school and ran into the house. It’s in the living room that there’s a beautiful thing called a television.（常识法）
在完成了上述任务以后，笔者引导学生对猜测词义中划线部分不是单词是短语的现象进行分析和推断，进一步归纳猜测词义方法，让学生掌握猜测词义法的外显特征，从而完成对如何猜测词义的输入。在做词义猜测时注意不要脱离语境，必须仔细地研读划线部分的上下文，有时阅读的视线还要扩大一些。如果离开特定的语言环境来理解生词意义，必然会理解错误。同时用上述所讲的方法：构词法、定义法、对比法、相似法、常识法、举例法和因果法。
I was arranging to meet someone for dinner last week, and I said “I’ll pencil it in my diary”, but my friend said “You can ink it in.”, meaning that it was a firm arrangement not an uncertain one!
Q: The underlined part “I’ll pencil it in my diary” probably means ___________. （B）
A. it was a firm arrangement
B. it was an uncertain arrangement
C. the arrangement should be written as a diary
D. he prefers a pencil to a pen
3. 创设语言输出机会，内化阅读技巧
Swain(2000)发现，许多学习者在接触了大量有意义的语言输入后，语言的准确度仍然不高。究其原因在于仅靠输入无法提高学习者的中介语水平。此外，学习者在表达目的语时可以对语言进行更深层次的句法处理，因为他们必须从理解层面过渡到准确表达层面。Swain（同上）一再强调输出应作为一个过程，而不仅是语言学习的结果。DeKeyser（1998）提出，注重语言输出的学习任务有助于学习者掌握接触过的语言形式。语言输出为外语学习者提供了表达语言和获得反馈的机会。把注意力集中在自己的语言输出上，学习者能发现自己的语言输出与目标语之间的差异，发现自己的不足之处。
笔者在设计如何猜测词义的阅读技巧输出这一环节时，利用感知阶段的例子，让学生再次通读例子，以确认理解如何猜测词义的阅读技巧的运用，这样就对本节课提出的问题有了呼应。学生第一次对单句到短文中的单词进行阅读技巧的语言输出，然后，笔者让学生第二次完成对单句到短文中的短语的语言输出。在此过程中，教师在课上所选的练习题应难易错落有序，从开始到结束，题目从简单（单词词义）到复杂（短语结构意思），设立了一定的坡度。
1. Although the hazards of the trip were many --- for example, the unbearable heat, the lack of water, the possibility of getting lost, the presence of wild animals and poisonous snakes ---- Collins nevertheless decided that she must go.
Q：What does the underlined part “hazards” refer to? （C）
A．pleasures B. conveniences C. dangers D. equipment
2. （2007 上海/D）The traditional tent cities at festivals such as Glastonbury may never be the same again. In a victory of green business that is certain to appeal to environmentally-aware music-lovers, a design student is to receive financial support to produce eco-friendly tents made of cardboard that can be recycled after the bands and the crowds have gone home.
Q:“Eco-friendly tents” in paragraph 1 refer to tents . （B）
A．economically desirable
B．favorable to the environment
C．for holding music performances
D．designed for disaster relief
3. (2009安徽/B) Of course, the good of oxen is not limited to plowing. In fact, they are seen as "boats on land" for their ability to carry loads. Besides, the whole body of an ox is full of treasures. Their meat and milk are food full of nutrition, and their skin can be used to make clothes and shoes. With all these qualities, oxen are regarded as generous creatures.
Q：The words "boats on land" underlined in Paragraph 2 refer to ________. （A）
A. animals for taking goods B. creatures for pulling plows
C. treasures of the folk culture D. tools in the farming economy
4. Most people want to know how things are made. They honestly admit, however, that they hardly know a thing when it comes to understanding how a piece of music is made. Where a composer begins, how he manages to keep going --- in fact, how and when he learns his trade --- all are covered in complete darkness. The composer, in short, is a man of mystery.
Q：What does the underlined part “covered in complete darkness” refer to? （D）
A. difficult to be made B. without any light
C. black in color D. not known
5. （2008 上海/C）A study involving 8,500 teenagers from all social backgrounds found that most of them are ignorant when it comes to money. The findings, the first in a series of reports from NatWest that has started a five-year research project into teenagers and money, are particularly worrying as this generation of young people is likely to be burdened with greater debts man any before.
University tuition fees (学费) are currently capped at ￡3,000 annually, but this will be reviewed next year and the Government is under enormous pressure to raise the ceiling.
Q: The phrase "to raise the ceiling" in paragraph 2 probably means "______". （C）
A. to raise the student loans B. to improve the school facilities
C. to increase the upper limit of the tuition D. to lift the school building roofs
在实现语言输出的同时，教师还应充分地注重学生在教学环节中运用语言进行交流的自信，鼓励学生读题目，回答问题，表达学生自己的想法，这不仅回答了问题，而且提供了机会让学生练习了朗读，更加有助于建立学生用英语表达的自信。
四、 结束语
为了达到预计的目标，就必须弄清在课堂上预计会出现的问题，并采取相应的对策。首先，所选材料是否适合学生的能力范围。选择的例题一定要极具代表性，一目了然能总结出其中所包含的猜测词义的阅读技巧。实际操练的题目全部节选于历年高考原题，更能验证这些阅读技巧的实用性；其次，万一学生不知道如何回答问题，采用先示范的方法，引导学生按照一定模式进行答案分享。最后，不能让学生单一进行猜测词义。坚持由浅入深，由易到难，层层递进的原则，设计的题目有一定坡度，给学生实践的空间，让不同水平的学生通过操练都有相应的提高。
总之，教师要注重为学生提供足够的可理解性、加强性的语言输入，培养学生的语境意识；强调语言学习的过程中，让学生在反复接触和运用语言的过程中逐步体会和感知英语阅读规律，这样才能使外显知识内化为内隐知识，才能使学生的所掌握的猜测词义的阅读技巧内化为语言能力。
参考文献
Ellis,R 2002. Does form-focused instruction affect the acquisition of implicit knowledge? [J]. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 24: 223-236
Swain, M. 2000. The output hypothesis and beyond: Mediating acquisition though collaborative dialogue [A]. In J.P. Lantolf (Ed.), Sociocultural Theory and Second Language Learning [C]. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 97-114
教育部. 2001. 全日制义务教育普通高级中学英语课程标准 (实验稿) [M]. 北京：北京师范大学出版社
上海市教育考试院. 2009年11月. 《2010年全国普通高等学校招生统一考试上海卷考试手册》，上海古籍出版社
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