吳芳新
閱讀是學習者外語語言輸入的主要途徑之一,對外語學習起著重要作用。閱讀理解是一種在閱讀中有效處理信息的能力,是中學英語教學重點培養(yǎng)的四項基本技能之一。但是,閱讀又是大部分學生難以逾越的天然鴻溝,每篇文章中的詞匯、句型和跨文化交際都是一道道屏障。學生除了要增加詞匯量外,還要掌握一些閱讀技巧。窄式閱讀是克拉申(Krashen,1981)提出的一個閱讀模式概念,是指學習者通過閱讀同一風格、同一主題或者某位作家的多部作品來提高閱讀能力的一種策略。即學習者通過大量閱讀同一或相似話題、同一或相似體裁的文章,掌握主題相關的背景知識,提高閱讀理解程度,激發(fā)閱讀興趣??傊喿x一系列相似的作品會使讀者反復接觸相似詞匯、語法結構、語篇特點及背景知識,增強輸入語言的可理解性,從而在一定程度上降低閱讀材料的難度,提高閱讀能力。
多數(shù)學生對閱讀理解的畏難情緒主要來自詞匯障礙。窄式閱讀能夠幫助讀者掌握詞匯、習得句法,從而進入閱讀狀態(tài)。具體而言,窄式閱讀具有以下特點:
學生在某個特定時間段閱讀同一主題的文章,會在不同語境中接觸同一或類似的詞匯,從而加深對這些知識的印象。例如,學生在閱讀有關電子競技的文章時,會反復接觸以下詞匯:如Esports(電子競技),digital generation(數(shù)字時代),expand its business(擴大商業(yè)規(guī)模),Call of Duty(使命召喚),Hearthstone(《爐石傳說》),League of Legends (《 英 雄 聯(lián) 盟 》),Counter-Strike:Global Offensive(《反恐精英:全球攻勢》),Dota(《刀塔》),professionals(職業(yè)玩家),awesome team player(優(yōu)秀團隊玩家),gaming gear(游戲設備),take every win and loss as a challenge(將每一次勝負當作挑戰(zhàn)),competitive(有競爭力的),the International Olympic Committee(國際奧委會),the millennial generation(千禧一代),dominance(主導地位),amateur(業(yè)余愛好者)等,這個話題可以與騰飛的電子商務完美契合起來(E-commerce takes off.E-commerce is transforming business and daily life,mostly for the better)。這些詞匯在不同的篇章中反復出現(xiàn),能加強閱讀者的記憶,很好地成為理解文章的鋪路石,使閱讀者順利地渡過詞匯難關,從而順利地掙脫閱讀中的“攔路虎”。
同一作者的文章在風格上非常一致,行文穩(wěn)定,遣詞造句有相似或相關之處,擅長運用自己偏愛的詞匯或表達方式。這樣,讀者在品讀過某位作者的某篇文章后,能很好地適應他的其他作品。例如,學生在閱讀漫威之父斯坦·李的作品《美國隊長》(Captain America)后,能順利地理解他的《神奇四俠》(Fantastic Four)、《鋼鐵俠》(Iron Man)、《綠巨人》(The Hulk)、《X 戰(zhàn)警》(X-Man)、《起義博士》(Doctor Strange)、《超膽俠》(Marvel’s Daredevil)。同時,斯坦·李還在《復仇者聯(lián)盟》(The Avengers)等電影中客串角色。他筆下的英雄人物具有以下特征:gain superpower,have faith in humanity,have selfless act,be brave,have a sense of justice,be humorous,stand against awakened threat,possess superhuman attributes,suffer a grave injury,be equipped with powerful tools。這些特征可以幫助學生更好地把握篇章內容。
為了能充分利用窄式閱讀的優(yōu)勢,教師必須認真挑選,運用好閱讀素材,并對素材進行篩選,以達到最佳效果。在高中英語教學中,教師可以通過以下方法獲得素材:第一,充分利用互聯(lián)網(wǎng)搜索相同主題并貼近教材內容的文章,同時注意文章的層次,讓學生循序漸進地掌握相關知識;第二,充分利用同期或近期的報刊上摘選的相同主題的文章,讓學生品味教材以外的美文;第三,查找同一作者不同時期的作品,并根據(jù)難易程度進行甄別。
例如,在教學北師大版高中《英語》選修6 Unit 1時,筆者要求學生閱讀有關龐貝和樓蘭城的文章。文章介紹了維蘇威火山爆發(fā)后龐貝被埋,后來再次被發(fā)現(xiàn)的過程。文章中的下畫線詞匯需要學生借助文本猜測詞義,從而破除閱讀障礙。
Starting from 20 August AD 79,there were some earthquakes near the volcano—Mount Vesuvius.However,no one paid them much attention.Then,on 24 August,the mountain exploded,pouring out a cloud of ash.The people were fleeing the city for their lives.However,they could not get away fast enough,so they were buried beneath the ash.The city was abandoned and forgotten for many years until the 18thcentury when a farmer discovered a stone with writing on it.People started to dig in the area for treasure,and many archaeologists,historians and even treasure hunters swarmed there,which caused much damage.Thus,the area was put under government protection,so it could be preserved and studied.
The town which was home to some of Rome’s most affluent citizens provided a detailed insight into ancient Roman life,culture and civilization,allowing us to glimpse into a time that was not ours to see,a time long long gone.
文章中重點詞匯的含義摘錄見表1:
表1:重點詞匯
同一主題的文章會不斷重復同一含義的詞匯。學生在上下文中反復學習同一詞匯及表達方式,有利于掌握語言的用法。
學習了課本文章后,筆者選取一篇摘自英語畫刊的介紹意大利南部海濱城市的文章。文章內容為一座歷史悠久的古城在公元79年維蘇威火山爆發(fā)后被掩埋。直到1500年后,人們偶然發(fā)現(xiàn)這座沉睡了千余年的神秘古城——龐貝。筆者要求學生列出教材文本中已學和重復的詞匯,即畫線部分。
From Affluence to Ashes—The Story of Pompeii.
Pompeii was one of a number of towns located near the base of the volcanic mountain,Mount Vesuvius.In 79 AD Mount Vesuvius erupted and buried the entire ancient city under a thick carpet of volcanic ash.One witness wrote“the dust poured across the land like a flood,and shrouded the city in darkness...like the black of closed and unlighted rooms”.
Two thousand people died.The people and buildings of Pompeii were covered in up to twelve different layers of ash,which rained down for close to 6 hours.After the eruption,the city was abandoned and forgotten in its entirety.It was as if it had never existed at all.
For 1,500 years it remained untouched until 1599 when it was discovered by an architect who unearthed some frescoes(壁畫)just to cover them again.The site was then rediscovered in 1748,by a team of archaeologists led by Spanish military engineer Rocque Joaquin de Alcubierre.Buildings were intact,bodies in the exact positions they had died,everyday objects and household goods and objects were found lying in the streets and even uncovered jars of preserved fruit and bread were discovered.The objects that lay beneath the debris were preserved for centuries because of the lack of air and moisture.
To this day,the destruction of Pompeii remains one of the world’s infamous and tragic events.
文章中重點詞匯的含義摘錄見表2:
表2:重點詞匯
在第二篇文本中有許多第一篇文本中出現(xiàn)的詞匯且生詞量比第一篇文章大。在掌握了以上詞匯后再閱讀第二篇文章,學生會輕松許多,能從中體會閱讀的樂趣,快速記憶單詞,激起再次閱讀的欲望,構成良性循環(huán)。同時,筆者鼓勵學生查找失落的文明的相關知識,開闊學生的眼界,之后趁熱打鐵設計了以下問題:
1.Do you think it is important to protect objects from the past?
2.Do you have any suggestions on how to protect them?
3.Can you plan an outline for a speech about helping more historical places around the world and educate people so that they can better enjoy the treasure from the past?
A simple outline of the speech includes the following:
a word of welcome
a word of thanks to the audience
an explanation of why the speaker is there,or what the speech is about
the main body of the speech
your hopes for the future
the conclusion of the speech
有了一定的信息積累后,學生順利地回答了以上問題,提升了語言輸入與輸出能力。
筆者以所教普通班A班和普通班B班為例,普通班A為對照班,按部就地按照教材和大綱順序教學。普通班B為實驗班,除教學教材內容外,從《英語世界》《21世紀報》等摘取一些相關話題的素材,進行話題補充閱讀,要求學生理清文章脈絡并摘錄好詞、好句,拓寬背景知識,鞏固新增詞匯。在教學過程中,筆者采用多種形式,如小組討論、講座、演講或專題報告等進行窄式閱讀教學。經(jīng)過一個學期的實驗,筆者發(fā)現(xiàn)B班比A班平均分高出近5分。實驗后,筆者對B班部分學生進行單獨訪談,受訪學生均表示在進行窄式閱讀后對英語文章更感興趣了,有能力應對一些閱讀障礙了,英語閱讀的自信心也提高了。
在選擇同一話題的閱讀材料時,教師應盡可能多地選擇與教材內容有重復詞匯的文章,從而使學生能更好地在語境中鞏固詞匯。
在高中英語教學中,教師應根據(jù)學生的詞匯和語言基礎,選擇與他們生活較貼切的話題,讓他們有據(jù)可依,有話可說,有語可言,使其能夠運用概括總結、觀點區(qū)分等策略將自己的已有知識與素材信息建立聯(lián)系,積極、主動地完成輸出任務(王曉穎2008)。
在高中英語教學中通過窄式閱讀訓練能夠緩解學生詞匯量不足而導致的由閱讀障礙產(chǎn)生的壓力,豐富學生的背景知識,使其理解同一主題的文章,提高閱讀效果。