拿到一篇文章,你怎么讀?仔仔細(xì)細(xì)地讀,還是隨便翻看,這似乎和個人興趣有關(guān)。但在英語學(xué)習(xí)相關(guān)的閱讀領(lǐng)域,學(xué)習(xí)上的功用成為選擇的最重要標(biāo)準(zhǔn)。仔仔細(xì)細(xì)地讀,所謂精讀。隨便翻看,所謂泛讀。精讀和泛讀,雖然都是讀,但竅門多多。
首先,我們來了解精讀和泛讀之間的不同點(diǎn)(見表一)。
一般認(rèn)為,高中英語階段,精讀有助于對語法和句法的熟練培養(yǎng),而泛讀則有助于鞏固單詞和詞組的記憶并能有效擴(kuò)充詞匯量,兩者之間并無優(yōu)劣之分。
其次,我們再來看看到底該如何選擇精讀和泛讀。請看表二。
從表二中我們可以看出,在閱讀的功能性上,泛讀和精讀是6:4,泛讀的功能性略勝精讀。對于高中學(xué)生來講,平時要以泛讀為主,精讀為輔,因?yàn)楦呖伎荚嚂r,受時間和考試心理等多個因素的影響,所以閱讀理解事實(shí)上就是泛讀。
那么,如何進(jìn)行精讀,又如何開展泛讀呢?下面筆者就從2012年的高考閱讀理解真題中隨機(jī)選取幾篇來舉例說明。需要注意的是:雖然考試時的閱讀屬于泛讀,但有些文章其實(shí)可以用來做精讀材料,因此舉例說明的時候,筆者會告訴你此文是否適合精讀以及為什么。共有七篇,每篇僅摘取其起始段,一般從起始段就可以作判斷。
A例——2012全國卷Ⅱ閱讀理解C篇:
Facial expressions carry meaning that is determined by situations and relationships. For example, in Ameri-can culture (文化) the smile is in general an expression of pleasure. Yet it also has other uses. A woman’ s smile at a police officer does not carry the same meaning as the smile she gives to a young child. A smile may show love or politeness. It can also hide true feelings. It often causes confusion(困惑)across cultures.For example,many people in Russia consider smiling at strangers in public to be unusual and even improper. Yet many Americans smile freely at strangers in public places(although this is less common in big cities). Some Russians believe that Americans smile in the wrong places,some Americans believe that Russians don’ t smile enough. In Southeast Asian culture,a smile is frequently used to cover painful feelings. Vietnamese people may tell a sad story but end the story with a smile.
分析:該篇部分句子稍長,可以精讀,精讀學(xué)習(xí)包括:主要動詞carry,consider,cover等的用法,類詞組如be determined by,in general,consider to be,across cultures,end with等的用法,短句Yet it also has other uses的寫作借鑒價值,長句A woman’ s smile at a police officer does not carry the same meaning as the smile she gives to a young child中的定語從句和the same as的用法,以及文段中排比句的敘述方式,此外還要提取文章意思:面部表情的含義應(yīng)當(dāng)依具體情境和關(guān)系所定。文段以smile為例來說明,不僅提供了不同情境間的區(qū)別,還提供了多個國家的對比。另外此文也可以泛讀,泛讀就不需要分析長句的定語從句等用法了,而只需了解幾個單詞和詞組的意思,對文章大意可理解為面部表情、微笑、多個國家、不同情境四個碎片含義就行了。泛讀最主要的目標(biāo)就是一口氣讀過去,快速抓取所需。
B例——2012福建卷B篇:
At exactly eleven Sir Percival knocked and entered,with anxiety and worry in every line of his face. This meeting would decide his future life,and he obviously knew it.
“You may wonder, Sir Percival,” said Laura calmly, “if I am going to ask to be released (免除)from my promise to marry you. I am not going to ask this. I respect my father's wishes too much.”
分析:筆者之所以選擇了該文的兩段來舉例,是因?yàn)檎б豢慈恼陆杂蓪υ挊?gòu)成,但對話卻從第二段開始。對話類的文章,只需泛讀。這是因?yàn)閷υ掝愇恼陋q如生活中的對話,文意順著說話人的意思順流而下,而且對話類文章全文口語體較多,句式相對簡單,所以此類文章100%推薦泛讀。
C例——2012江蘇卷C篇:
Medical drugs sometimes cause more damage than they cure.One solution to this problem is to put the drugs inside a capsule, protecting them from the body-and the body from them-until they can be released at just the right spot. There are lots of ways to trigger(引發(fā))this release, including changing temperature, acidity, and so on. But triggers can come with their own risks—burns, for example. Now, researchers in California have designed what could be a harmless trigger to date: shining near-infrared light(NIR, 近紅外線)on the drug in the capsule.
分析:該文多處出現(xiàn)專有名詞,以泛讀為宜。你只需要了解solution to this problem,動詞trigger的用法,以及詞組come with的含義就可以了。全文大意就在首句,如果無法在首句理解到全文意思,適當(dāng)進(jìn)一步讀到第二句即可。由此,我們可以發(fā)現(xiàn),專有名詞較多的篇章最好采取泛讀方式。另外,每篇泛讀的文章,它每段的首句都應(yīng)該精讀。
D例——2012四川卷C篇:
I left university with a good degree in English Literature,but no sense of what I wanted to do. Over the next six years,I was treading water,just trying to earn an income. I tried journalism, but I didn’ t think I was any good,then finance,which I hated.Finally,I got a job as a rights assistant at a famous publisher. I loved working with books,although the job that I did was dull.
分析:此文有畫線句且此段不長,故此段必須精讀,但卻是偏重理解能力的精讀。從這個例子中,我們不難發(fā)現(xiàn),精讀和泛讀所指向的范圍并非以一篇文章為界定標(biāo)準(zhǔn),有時一篇文章里,每個段落也存在精讀和泛讀的篩選,在高考中尤其如此,對畫線句句意的理解是高考長盛不衰的題型,此段應(yīng)精讀。高考英語閱讀理解整體上泛讀,并不表示個別段落不需要精讀,此例是很好的說明。
E例——2012浙江卷A篇:
Easter(復(fù)活節(jié))is still a great day for worship,candy in baskets and running around the yard finding eggs,but every year it gets quite a bit worse for bunnies.
分析:專門介紹風(fēng)俗習(xí)慣、節(jié)日、人物之類的文章,適合泛讀,無需精讀。這是因?yàn)檫@種特寫類文章,往往有其核心。反過來,如果介紹的是多個節(jié)日、多種風(fēng)俗、多位人物的文章,則適合精讀,因?yàn)檫@樣的文章需要比較映襯。
F例——2012湖北卷B篇:
When my brother and I were young,my mom would take us on Transportation Days.
分析:對于開頭是一句話的文章,選擇泛讀往往比較劃算。這是因?yàn)?,開頭只有一句話的文章,作者點(diǎn)題十分明顯,讀者容易獲取大意。類似的也有以一句問句或祈使句開頭的,如2012安徽卷B篇的起始段:Why is pink or purple a color for girls and blue or brown for boys?和E篇起始段:Welcome to your future life!這兩篇同樣適合泛讀。但多個問句做起始段的文章,則適合精讀,如2012福建卷D篇起始段:Do you know how it is when you see someone yawn and you start yawning too? Or how hard it is to be among people laughing and not laugh yourself? Well,apparently it's because we have mirror neurons(神經(jīng)元)in our brains.這是因?yàn)檫B續(xù)的排比句(包括問句),說明作者語氣較重、情緒強(qiáng)烈,此時就需要你深入理解,所以精讀是上策。同時多個排比句出現(xiàn)時,文章之后的敘述必定起承轉(zhuǎn)合,邏輯嚴(yán)密,在句法學(xué)習(xí)上,必定能有收獲。
G例——2012海南卷:
Are you looking for some new and exciting places to take your kids to? Try some of these place... .
分析:列舉類的文章適合泛讀。同樣的道理,高考英語中的應(yīng)用文,也適合全篇泛讀。因?yàn)閼?yīng)用文一般字體特別或者信息排列突出,主要信息容易獲取,但其語法和句法功能一般也十分微弱,故泛讀是最佳選擇。
其實(shí),精讀和泛讀,并非絕對的界限分明。一般而言,平時的學(xué)習(xí)中,若要精讀,主要是全篇精讀;若要泛讀,主要是碎片泛讀。考試中,若要精讀,最多是個別段落精讀,若要泛讀,則是全篇泛讀。