筆者執(zhí)教多年,每年都會有考生問:老師,為什么我清楚地知道每個選項的意思,卻不能正確地選擇答案呢?這反映了很多考生存在的問題——沒有整體意識,甚至沒有讀懂前后句的意思。當(dāng)然,如果考生連選項的意思都沒有弄明白,那就不存在判斷和選擇了,只能猜。不過,“猜”在完形填空里用不上,考生只能踏踏實實掌握一定的詞匯量,老老實實讀懂完形填空題的每個句子。
解答完形填空題,第一步一定是瀏覽全文,了解文中所敘述的人物、時間、地點、事件。解答完形填空題需要用的方法只有一種,那就是前后呼應(yīng),聯(lián)系上下文,摸透大語境和小語境,再根據(jù)蛛絲馬跡來敲定最后的答案。下面我們就以一篇完整的完形填空題為例進(jìn)行詳解。
The young woman entered the pool where an injured dolphin(海豚) was swimming.Despite her fear,she felt strong wearing her new leg.
In her second grade.Maja 1 her cousin,Jasmina. After Jasmina’ s death.Maja swore she would honor the little girl by 2 with a dolphin,an animal that both girls 3 .“Jasmina never got the chance to do it.”says Maja,now32,“so I 4 that someday I’ d do it for her.”
In high school,Maja was 5 about sports.She even planned to become an athlete. 6 , in 1993,during the civil war in her home country,a bomb 7 her left leg.
After two years’ 8 in the U.S.,Maja received her first artificial (人造的)leg,but 9 it didn’ t fit well,walking for Maja was very painful 10 ,she managed to graduate from a local high school.Then after receiving a 11 from Saint Francis University,she got a job at an insurance firm and 12 started her own company.
To relax,Maja 13 often watch the dolphins play at an aquarium(水族館)near her home. A young dolphin,Winter,who had lost its tail,caught her 14 . One day,Maja happened to see trainers 15 Winter with a high-teeh tail.When they were done.Winter swam freely in the water.Maja was 16 .She managed to find the inventors of Winter’ s tail.Within ten days,she had a new leg which freed her of the 17 that had troubled her for almost 16 years.
Now Maja was ready to keep her 18 .She went to the aquarium.Lowered herself into the pool and held out a hand to Winter,who approached 19 ,then swam away.After a few minutes, the dolphin let Maja 20 its back.Finally,the two began to swim around the pool together.
1. A. lost B. visited C. rescued D. left
2. A. talking B. living C. swimming D. surfing
3. A. adored B. adopted C. possessed D. purchased
4. A. pretended B. decided C. perfected D. agreed
5. A. positive B. enthusiastic C. particular D. curious
6. A. Undoubtedly B. Surprisingly C. Strangely D. Unfortunately
7. A. took away B. took over C. cut down D. cut out
8. A. study B. operation C. treatment D. experiment
9. A. until B. because C. although D. if
10. A. Otherwise B. Therefore C. Besides D. However
11. A. scholarships B. degree C. prize D. notice
12. A. gradually B. actually C. eventually D. naturally
13. A. might B. should C. could D. would
14. A. eye B. leg C. nose D. hand
15. A. decorating B. guiding C. marking D. fitting
16. A. inspired B. puzzled C. shocked D. amused
17. A. worry B. sadness C. pain D. fear
18. A. appointment B. promise C. record D. habit
19. A. blindly B. angrily C. gratefully D. cautiously
20. A. strike B. cover C. touch D. wipe
做完形填空時,要始終抓住文章本身,聯(lián)系“雙語境”來判斷,即大語境——全文中心和基調(diào),小語境——空格前后句子所構(gòu)成的語境。以上例子的大語境:一個缺少雙腿的女孩最后實現(xiàn)了對已故表妹的承諾——和海豚一起游泳。
1.小語境。選A。通過第一空的后一句可知瑪佳的表妹死了,也就是說瑪佳失去了她的表妹。
2.大語境和小語境。選C。蛛絲馬跡法。通讀全文后可知瑪佳和她的表妹都很崇拜海豚,但是這個空有四個選項,分別是“談話”“生活”“游泳”“沖浪”,考生應(yīng)該選哪一個呢?其實文章有一個明顯的暗示,也就是文章的最后一句:Finally,the two began to swim around the pool together。從這一句可知瑪佳發(fā)誓要跟海豚一起游泳以紀(jì)念自己的表妹??赡苡行┛忌诖藭r還敢大膽地選擇C選項,因為覺得證據(jù)不足。筆者在這里要告訴考生一條規(guī)則:不選憑空想象的選項,只選有蛛絲馬跡的選項。分析該題的四個選項,文章中只出現(xiàn)了C選項,根本沒有出現(xiàn)其他選項的痕跡。故考生可以大膽地選擇C選項。
3.小語境。選A。根據(jù)“瑪佳發(fā)誓和海豚一起游泳”,可知兩個女孩都很崇拜海豚。
4.小語境。選B。根據(jù)前一句“Jasmina never got the chance to do it”可知,瑪佳覺得表妹沒能夠?qū)崿F(xiàn)和海豚一起游泳是一件遺憾的事,于是她決定幫助表妹完成夢想。
5.小語境。選B。根據(jù)后一句——She even planned to become an athlete,可知瑪佳對體育的熱愛。
6.小語境。選D。從后一句中可知瑪佳在內(nèi)戰(zhàn)中失去了雙腿,這是一件很不幸的事情。
7.小語境。選A。詞匯辨析。從前后文可知,一次爆炸奪去了瑪佳的雙腿。
8.小語境。選C。雙腿斷了,那么接受治療就是人之常情了。有些考生可能會錯選B,B選項是手術(shù)的意思,手術(shù)只是治療過程的一個環(huán)節(jié),從全文來看,手術(shù)不可能持續(xù)兩年,故不能選B。
9.小語境。選B。根據(jù)下文的“走路對瑪佳來說是痛苦的”,可知是因為假腿不合適。
10.小語境。選D。根據(jù)下文的“她設(shè)法完成了中學(xué)學(xué)業(yè)”,可知雖然痛苦,但是……,故選D。
11.小語境。選B。根據(jù)空格前后的“receiving”和“University”,可知瑪佳獲得了大學(xué)學(xué)位。
12.小語境。選C。合乎常理的推理:大學(xué)畢業(yè),得到工作,最后建立起自己的公司。
13.語法題。選D。詞句的意思:為了放松,瑪佳過去經(jīng)常去看水族館理的海豚表演。
14.固定搭配。選A。有一只失去尾巴的海豚吸引了她的注意力。catch one’ s eye意為“吸引……的注意力”。
15.大語境和小語境。選D。選根據(jù)下文“海豚能自由地游泳了”,可知是工作人員正在給海豚安裝高科技的尾巴。很多考生覺得這也是一道難題,如果單從小語境來看的話,這題確實有一定的難度,看起來四個選項似乎都是對的,但如果考生回過頭來看到瑪佳剛剛裝上假肢時用的一個動詞“fit”,再根據(jù)“蛛絲馬跡法”可知非fitting不選。
16.小語境。選A。很多考生在A和C之間徘徊,認(rèn)為瑪佳被安裝上假尾巴能游泳的海豚震撼了,其實,這一種可能也許是存在的,但是如果考生能夠深入理解后面的句子,就能知道瑪佳是受到了鼓舞,才去尋求幫助,給自己也裝上這種高科技的假肢。
17.大語境。選C。從上文瑪佳第一次裝上不合適的假肢讓她很痛苦(painful)可知,瑪佳安裝了合適的假肢后,她終于從pain中解脫了。用的同樣是“蛛絲馬跡法”。文章沒出現(xiàn)過的“擔(dān)憂”“悲傷”“害怕”可視而不見。
18.大語境,同時也是固定搭配。選B,keep promise。
19.小語境。選D。根據(jù)空格后的“then swam away”可知海豚是小心謹(jǐn)慎地靠近她的。根據(jù)常理也能選擇答案,我們靠近一個新事物時,一般也總是試探性地、小心地行動。
20.小語境。選C。根據(jù)上文的“伸出一只手去碰Winter”,可知過了幾分鐘后Winter就讓她碰它的背了。