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托福考试中,尤其是在托福阅读里面会有针对文章中较难词汇的考查,让很多的同学都比较头痛,那么我们在遇到这些比较难的词汇要怎么办呢?下面是小编给大家整理的内容,希望能给大家提供帮助。
一. 构词法的汉字会有偏旁部首,而
英语词汇也是如此。词汇的构成有一定规律可循,通常有如下两种:
1. 合成法:将两个单词合成构成一个新词。
out break = outbreak 爆发
down hill = downhill 下坡的
over throw = overthrow 推翻
hot foot = hotfoot 匆忙地
before hand = beforehand 事先
2. 派生法:在词根前后加上前缀或后缀,构成一个与原单词意义相近或截然相反的新词。
前缀:
value (名词,价值) de-(下,向下) devalue (动词,降低…的价值)
little (形容词,小的) be- (使……成为) belittle (动词,轻视)
后缀:
inflame (动词,点火) -ability (能……) inflammability (名词,易燃性)
conceive (动词,设想) -able(可……的) conceivable (形容词,可想象的)
例题:This unprecedented development of a finite groundwater resource with an almost negligible natural recharge rate—that is, virtually no natural water source to replenish the water supply,has caused water tables in the region to fall drastically.
Q: The word “unprecedented” in the passage is closest in meaning to
A: difficult to control B: without any restriction C: unlike anything in the past D: rapidly expanding
解析:un表示not没有,pre表示before之前,precede是在……之前的意思,所以选择C正确。
二. 语境法
根据上下文语境内容来推断出某个词汇的含义,就是语境法。通常托福阅读中考查到以下两种语境:
1. 并列语境:所考查的词汇跟前后形成一个同义的关系。
例题:Given a year of favorable precipitation, such plants will develop vigorously and produce large numbers of flowers and fruit.
Q: In saying that ephemerals will develop “vigorously" when there is favorable precipitation, the author means that their development will be
A: sudden B: early C: gradual D: strong and healthy
解析:可以利用句子的并列关系来推测,develop vigorously和生产大量的花和果实并列,那么很明显,D选项比较合适。

2. 转折语境:所考查的词汇跟前后形成一个相反的关系。
For example, a pond in hilly country that maintains a steady water level all through a dry summer in spite of having no streams flowing into it must obviously be seepage dominated. Conversely, a pond with a stream flowing in one end and out the other, which dries up when the stream dries up, is clearly surface water dominated.
Q: The word Conversely meaning to
A: on the other hand B: in the same way C: in other words D: on average
解析:原句说有河水流入流出的是surface water dominated,前一句说一个没有地表水流入的pond是seepage dominated,那么后文当然与之相对,所以正确答案是A。
三. 归纳法
“狂背单词,疏于整理”是一大误区。积累单词的同时,要进行整理归纳,以下有两种推崇的方法:

1. 意群法:将意思相近的单词放在一起进行记忆。
吝啬:stingy, penurious, niggardly, miserly, parsimonious, petty
贫穷:indigent, impoverished, destitute, penniless, impecunious, poverty
2. 类比法:将形式相近的单词放在一起进行记忆。
infect v.感染,传染
affect v.影响;感染;感动;假装
inflect v.弯曲;改变;使屈曲
effect n.影响;效果;作用