论文部分内容阅读
如何提高英文水平,如何快速、准确地理解各类英文资料,我认为加强英文阅读技巧训练应该是必不可少的手段。本文旨在探讨提高英语阅读技能的有效途径。
一、确定文章的中心思想
中心思想是全文思想的生命线,文章大部分段落都是以此为中心而展开阐述的。中心思想统领全文,将文章的各个部分有机地组织成一个整体,请看下例:
Storm run off is greatly accelerated when fires burn the vegetation and surface plants on steep slopes.A flood that caused $347,000 worth of damage in 1945 came directly from a boo-acre burned area on the grass-and-brush-covered hills north of the city. Flood of 1934 in California ,that caused $5 million damage and took 34 lives,came from a watershed area that had been burned about a month earlier. Damage flood similarly followed fire on the watershed area near Los Angles in 1954. Following the big Columbia River flood of 1948,watershed technicians found ample evidence that much water would have been held back until after the flood peaks had passed and damage would have been less if the plant and forest cover in the up-land watersheds had not been destroyed,mainly by forest fires.
当火烧掉了陡峭斜坡上树木植被后,暴雨的水流量剧增。在城北草木茂盛的山上,一片在1945年被大火烧后的区域,遭受了一场损失为34.7万美元的水灾。1934年,加州的一分水岭地区在遭受水灾的一个月后,又遭受了一场水灾,其损失为500万美元,34人丧生。1954年,邻近洛杉矶的分水岭地区在火灾之后同样地发生了数次大水灾。继1948年加伦比亚河的大水灾后,分水岭地区的水质技术人员已获得充分证据,证实了如果高地势的分水岭地区的植被和森林植被没有被破坏,那大量的水就会被留住,等洪峰过后再流去,损失也会相应减少。
1st example: A flood in 1945.
2nd example: The flood of 1934 in California.
3rd example: Floods followed fire on the watershed area near Los Angles in 1945.
4th example: The big Columbies River flood in 1948.
以上诸例所列举的水灾, 虽时间、地点各不相同,但共有的事实就是:森林大火的危害之一就是引起了该地区水灾,这就是贯穿于全段的中心主题。在阅读大段的文字时, 准确地理解主题有助于读者宏观上把握文章主脉, 提高阅读效率。
二、分析句子结构
中等难度的英语读物,句子结构较复杂。主语、谓语之间经常会插入一些诸如定语、状语和同位语之类的句子成分, 这是英文的一大特点。正确分析、理解和理顺句子之间的内在关系,是对阅读的一大挑战。
例1:From his lofty perch, the passenger can see Huascaran whole,the summit glacier projecting over the cliffs,the lower glacier lying in a circle beneath,the valley leading down to the fertile plain.This plain,slooping gently down-hill from the toe of Huascaran to the Santa River,is dotted with cropland and villages.But what holds the eye of the man who knows mountains is a gray scar that twists from side to side down the mountain valley and then spreads over the plain all the way to the river.
从这个高度乘客可以看见Huascaran山脉的全貌。山顶上的冰河突出悬崖之上,下面的冰河形成一个圆形,山谷通向下面肥沃的平原。平原从Huascaran山脚下缓缓地向下面的Santa河延伸。平原上到处分布着农田和村庄。但是,了解这山脉的人,其目光会被一道灰色的线路所吸引,这线路沿山谷歪歪扭扭地向下延伸,横过平原,直至下面的Santa河。
影响阅读理解的有以下若干句子结构:
1.三个并列作状语的独立主格结构
①the summit glacier project ing over the cliffs
②the lower glacier lying in a circle
③the valley leading down to the fertile plain
2.两个定语从句
①who knows mountains(修饰the man)
②that twists from side to side down the mountain valley and then spreads over the plain all the way to the river.
在纷繁复杂的长句阅读中,首先应确定主干句以免枝叶短句肢解原有的句子结构。
例2:During world war Ⅱ,he constantly visited wounded American soldiers to talk about stamps and to ask them to write to him after they were discharged from the hospital. Many did and Mr. Herst now owns the first letter mailed by American Marines, a collection of stamps used for espionage purpose, and the only remaining propaganda leaflets dropped on the Japanese by Americans during the war.
二战期间,他不断地去看望受伤的美国士兵,和他们谈论邮票,请他们出院后给他写信。很多人确实给他写了信。现在Herst先生收到了第一封由美国海军士兵写给他的信,搜集到了一批(过去)用于间谍活动的邮票,得到了战争期间美国人撒向日本人的一些宣传传单。
切忌混淆三个并列的名词短语:
①the first letter mailed by American Marines
②a collection of stamps used for espionage purpose
③the only remaining propaganda leaflets dropped on the Japanese by Americans during the war.
例3:词的省略同样会影响对句子的正确理解:
1.He had been on the throne for barely eight months when he authorized this measure, which was as much a product of necessity as of careful planning, although there may be divided views on this.
他授权这一措施时,刚在位八个月,这一措施既是需求的产物,又是周密计划的结果。虽然对此人们有不同的看法。
在as和of之间省略了a product, as…as…表同等级。
2.Idealists have objected to the practice of camping, as to packaged tour.
理想主义者既反对由旅行社全部代办的旅游,也反对野营。
在as与to之间省略了they have objected, as在此表示“正如,像”,是连词。
3.The seeds must be carefully chosen and tended, if the vivifying fruits are to be at hand when needed.
只有仔细地选择和照顾好种子,才能在需要时随手采下生机勃勃的果实。
在when和needed之间省略了the vivifying fruits are。
三、确定词义
同一英文单词不仅有词性的不同,而且在不同的上下文中,还存在着词义的差异,如:
例1: Although she was visibly annoyed by this possibility, she was not driven to tears and there was really not scene at all.
虽然她对这种可能性明显地感到不快,但并没有因此而哭,更没有大吵大闹。
Scene: 大吵大闹
例2: When he strolled onto the scene at something like twelve, there was really no harm done.
当他十二时左右漫不经心地抵达指定地点时,确实没造成什么不好的后果。
Scene: 地点,地方。
例3: The boats in the harbour makes a beautiful scene.
海港中的船构成很美的风景。
Scene: 风景。
单词不仅有一词多义的特点,有时会因作者采用了某种修辞手法,使原有的词义有所变化和引伸。如:
Under Huascaran’s summit,an immense shape was borne.A mixture of broken ice, rocks torn from the cliff, sand and stone pieces. A big snake with a head 170 feet high went twisting down the valley.
在Huascaran山峰下,一巨物已形成。这是断裂的冰,悬崖上滚落下来的岩石,还有沙子,石块和融化了冰的混合物。一条首部为170英尺高的巨蛇沿山谷扭曲而下。
在这一段落中,作者采用了比喻的手法,把冰、泥、沙的混合物比作一条巨蛇,这使得原有的词义发生了变化。看清了词义的变化,理解全文也就不难了。
参考文献:
[1]胡春洞.英语阅读论[M].广西教育出版社.
[2]Lan Jie.How to improve reading speed[J]中国英语教学,2003.9.
(作者单位:中航工业洪都航空工业集团质量部)
一、确定文章的中心思想
中心思想是全文思想的生命线,文章大部分段落都是以此为中心而展开阐述的。中心思想统领全文,将文章的各个部分有机地组织成一个整体,请看下例:
Storm run off is greatly accelerated when fires burn the vegetation and surface plants on steep slopes.A flood that caused $347,000 worth of damage in 1945 came directly from a boo-acre burned area on the grass-and-brush-covered hills north of the city. Flood of 1934 in California ,that caused $5 million damage and took 34 lives,came from a watershed area that had been burned about a month earlier. Damage flood similarly followed fire on the watershed area near Los Angles in 1954. Following the big Columbia River flood of 1948,watershed technicians found ample evidence that much water would have been held back until after the flood peaks had passed and damage would have been less if the plant and forest cover in the up-land watersheds had not been destroyed,mainly by forest fires.
当火烧掉了陡峭斜坡上树木植被后,暴雨的水流量剧增。在城北草木茂盛的山上,一片在1945年被大火烧后的区域,遭受了一场损失为34.7万美元的水灾。1934年,加州的一分水岭地区在遭受水灾的一个月后,又遭受了一场水灾,其损失为500万美元,34人丧生。1954年,邻近洛杉矶的分水岭地区在火灾之后同样地发生了数次大水灾。继1948年加伦比亚河的大水灾后,分水岭地区的水质技术人员已获得充分证据,证实了如果高地势的分水岭地区的植被和森林植被没有被破坏,那大量的水就会被留住,等洪峰过后再流去,损失也会相应减少。
1st example: A flood in 1945.
2nd example: The flood of 1934 in California.
3rd example: Floods followed fire on the watershed area near Los Angles in 1945.
4th example: The big Columbies River flood in 1948.
以上诸例所列举的水灾, 虽时间、地点各不相同,但共有的事实就是:森林大火的危害之一就是引起了该地区水灾,这就是贯穿于全段的中心主题。在阅读大段的文字时, 准确地理解主题有助于读者宏观上把握文章主脉, 提高阅读效率。
二、分析句子结构
中等难度的英语读物,句子结构较复杂。主语、谓语之间经常会插入一些诸如定语、状语和同位语之类的句子成分, 这是英文的一大特点。正确分析、理解和理顺句子之间的内在关系,是对阅读的一大挑战。
例1:From his lofty perch, the passenger can see Huascaran whole,the summit glacier projecting over the cliffs,the lower glacier lying in a circle beneath,the valley leading down to the fertile plain.This plain,slooping gently down-hill from the toe of Huascaran to the Santa River,is dotted with cropland and villages.But what holds the eye of the man who knows mountains is a gray scar that twists from side to side down the mountain valley and then spreads over the plain all the way to the river.
从这个高度乘客可以看见Huascaran山脉的全貌。山顶上的冰河突出悬崖之上,下面的冰河形成一个圆形,山谷通向下面肥沃的平原。平原从Huascaran山脚下缓缓地向下面的Santa河延伸。平原上到处分布着农田和村庄。但是,了解这山脉的人,其目光会被一道灰色的线路所吸引,这线路沿山谷歪歪扭扭地向下延伸,横过平原,直至下面的Santa河。
影响阅读理解的有以下若干句子结构:
1.三个并列作状语的独立主格结构
①the summit glacier project ing over the cliffs
②the lower glacier lying in a circle
③the valley leading down to the fertile plain
2.两个定语从句
①who knows mountains(修饰the man)
②that twists from side to side down the mountain valley and then spreads over the plain all the way to the river.
在纷繁复杂的长句阅读中,首先应确定主干句以免枝叶短句肢解原有的句子结构。
例2:During world war Ⅱ,he constantly visited wounded American soldiers to talk about stamps and to ask them to write to him after they were discharged from the hospital. Many did and Mr. Herst now owns the first letter mailed by American Marines, a collection of stamps used for espionage purpose, and the only remaining propaganda leaflets dropped on the Japanese by Americans during the war.
二战期间,他不断地去看望受伤的美国士兵,和他们谈论邮票,请他们出院后给他写信。很多人确实给他写了信。现在Herst先生收到了第一封由美国海军士兵写给他的信,搜集到了一批(过去)用于间谍活动的邮票,得到了战争期间美国人撒向日本人的一些宣传传单。
切忌混淆三个并列的名词短语:
①the first letter mailed by American Marines
②a collection of stamps used for espionage purpose
③the only remaining propaganda leaflets dropped on the Japanese by Americans during the war.
例3:词的省略同样会影响对句子的正确理解:
1.He had been on the throne for barely eight months when he authorized this measure, which was as much a product of necessity as of careful planning, although there may be divided views on this.
他授权这一措施时,刚在位八个月,这一措施既是需求的产物,又是周密计划的结果。虽然对此人们有不同的看法。
在as和of之间省略了a product, as…as…表同等级。
2.Idealists have objected to the practice of camping, as to packaged tour.
理想主义者既反对由旅行社全部代办的旅游,也反对野营。
在as与to之间省略了they have objected, as在此表示“正如,像”,是连词。
3.The seeds must be carefully chosen and tended, if the vivifying fruits are to be at hand when needed.
只有仔细地选择和照顾好种子,才能在需要时随手采下生机勃勃的果实。
在when和needed之间省略了the vivifying fruits are。
三、确定词义
同一英文单词不仅有词性的不同,而且在不同的上下文中,还存在着词义的差异,如:
例1: Although she was visibly annoyed by this possibility, she was not driven to tears and there was really not scene at all.
虽然她对这种可能性明显地感到不快,但并没有因此而哭,更没有大吵大闹。
Scene: 大吵大闹
例2: When he strolled onto the scene at something like twelve, there was really no harm done.
当他十二时左右漫不经心地抵达指定地点时,确实没造成什么不好的后果。
Scene: 地点,地方。
例3: The boats in the harbour makes a beautiful scene.
海港中的船构成很美的风景。
Scene: 风景。
单词不仅有一词多义的特点,有时会因作者采用了某种修辞手法,使原有的词义有所变化和引伸。如:
Under Huascaran’s summit,an immense shape was borne.A mixture of broken ice, rocks torn from the cliff, sand and stone pieces. A big snake with a head 170 feet high went twisting down the valley.
在Huascaran山峰下,一巨物已形成。这是断裂的冰,悬崖上滚落下来的岩石,还有沙子,石块和融化了冰的混合物。一条首部为170英尺高的巨蛇沿山谷扭曲而下。
在这一段落中,作者采用了比喻的手法,把冰、泥、沙的混合物比作一条巨蛇,这使得原有的词义发生了变化。看清了词义的变化,理解全文也就不难了。
参考文献:
[1]胡春洞.英语阅读论[M].广西教育出版社.
[2]Lan Jie.How to improve reading speed[J]中国英语教学,2003.9.
(作者单位:中航工业洪都航空工业集团质量部)