有时所猜词汇位于一个长句子中,而其后恰有对它的定义和解释,而这个解释成分通常是句中的定语成分,同位语成分或例子解释。我们可以根据这些解释成分的含义推测词义,来看一道2002年的考研英语真题:As a result, the modern world is increasingly populated by intelligent gizmos whose presence we barely notice but whose universal existence has removed much human labor. Our factories hum to the rhythm of robot assembly arms. Our banking is done at automated teller terminals that thank us with mechanical politeness for the transaction. Our subway trains are controlled by tireless robot-drivers.
猜测划线词gizmos的含义,根据后面定语从句的内容whose presence we barely notice but whose universal existence has removed much human labor.这个东西的可以帮人们干很多的活,并且后边有具体的举例提到了robot assembly arms机器人组装臂,automated teller terminals自动出纳终端,robot-drivers机器人驾驶员。所以可见这个帮人们干活的东西就是机器设备,选项[C] devices既是正确答案。
(2)根据词义关系猜测
如何能看出一个未知词义与已知词义的关系呢?当然是通过并列关联词and, or, but,however等,如happy and gay,我们不认识gay这个词,也可以知道它是愉快的意思,因为和它并列的词是快乐。再例如Man has known something about the planets Venus,Mars,and Jupiter with the help of spaceships.此句中的Venus(金星)、Mars(火星)、Jupiter(木星)均为生词,但只要知道planets就可猜出这几个词都属于“行星”这一义域。
再看一个表示并列关系的示例:But sometimes,no rain falls for a long,long time.Then there is a dry period,or drought.根据并列关系a dry period干旱时期,以及前文的no rain我们得知很久不下雨,由此可见drought意思为“久旱”,“旱灾”。