词汇题概述
题量：新托福阅读考试中一篇文章一般有2--3道甚至更多词汇题。一般 每题1分，出现频率非常高。 目的：词汇题主要检测考生对于某一个单词或词组的理解。
特点：被考查的单词或词组在原文中会被高亮突出显示，非常方便考生在原文中定位，要做的就是从4个选项中选择一个最佳的选项。
本质：选择在特定语境下可以相互替换的单词或词组。
例：One result of rent control is a decrease in the construction of new rental units. Rent controls have artificially depressed the most important long-term determinant of profitability – rents. The word depressed is closest in meaning to (TOEFL, 1997.1) A. saddened B. created C. lowered D. defeated
词汇题类型
新托福阅读中的词汇题可以分成两大类型：单词类和词组类。 A. 词汇题（单词类）
The word … in the passage is closest in meaning to. … The word … could be best replaced by …. B. 词汇题（词组类）
The phrase … in the passage means. … In stating … the author means that….
The phrase … in the passage is closest in meaning to. The phrase … could be best replaced by….
词汇题解题思路（一）
词汇题可以遵循以下三个原则着手解题：词汇线索原则、语境线索原则及词汇+语境线索原则。
一、词汇线索原则: 以单词识别能力为主，以构词识别能力为辅 (单词识别能力由词汇量多寡决定)；巧用词缀、词干解题(构词识别能力)。 例1：
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.
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 例2：
Flag, light pieces of cloth, is usually rectangular in shape, but varying in size, color, and design, and intended for use as an emblem or as a kind of signaling device. The flag, the most common symbol of national identity in the modem world, is also one of the most ancient. The traditional flag of fabric is still used to mark buildings, ships, and diplomatic caravans by national affiliation, but its visual design makes it adaptable for other roles as well. Most flags have a compact, rectangular shape and distinct visual symbolism. Their strong colors and geometric patterns are usually instantly recognizable even if miniaturized to less than a square centimeter. Images of flags can thus serve as identifying icons on airliners, television broadcasts, and computer displays. … The word miniaturized in the passage is closest in meaning to A. publicized B. colored C. made brighter D. made smaller 解题关键：前缀mini-和后缀-ize.
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例3
The large hind legs were used for propulsion in water. On land, where it probably bred and gave birth, ambulocetus may have moved around very much like a modern sea lion. The word propulsion in the passage is closest in meaning to
A. staying afloat B. changing direction C. decreasing weight D. moving forward
据构词法，该词由三个部分组成：前缀pro-, 词干pul 和后缀 -sion. 只要认识前缀 pro-, 此题便迎刃而解。
词汇题解题思路（二）语境线索原则
如果词汇量足够，不必考虑通过语境推断词义去寻找答案。 但是，…… 在词汇量不足的情况下，语境线索非常重要。 1、下定义
Religion is a worldwide phenomenon that has played a part in all human culture and so is a much broader, more complex category than the set of beliefs or practices found in any single religious tradition. The Celtic religion centered on the worship of a pantheon of nature deities. Their religious ceremonies included animal sacrifices and various forms of magic. Druids were the priests who led the people in this highly ritualistic worship … The word Druids could be best replaced by
A. deities B. ceremonies C. sacrifices D. priests Be 动词常被广泛地用以“下定义”。 2、同位语
It is believed to have originated among the Egyptians, probably before 4000 B.C., and was used by them for more than 30 centuries. Seventeenth-century attempts to preserve anatomical specimens brought about modem techniques of embalming, the preservation of the body tissue after death by artificial chemical means. Much evidence demonstrates that embalming is religious in origin, conceived as a means of preparing the dead for the life after death. …
The word embalming in the passage is closest in meaning to A. death by a chemical means B. the preservation of body tissue
C. a common agent related to formaldehyde D. the replacement of body fluids
除了逗号，有时也用破折号、方/圆括号、单/双引号等标点符号表示同位关系。 3、 并列连词
The interaction of improved processing and high demand led to the rapid spread of the cultivation of cotton and to a surge in production. (TOEFL: 2003.1) The word surge in the passage is closest in meaning to A. sharp increase B. sudden stop C. important change D. excess amount
考虑一下 and 的用法，答案也就出来了。（连接并列成分：结构一致、作用一致、感情色彩一致……） 4、转折（一）
The Anasazi lived in houses constructed of adobe and wood. Anasazi houses were originally built in pits and were entered from the roof. But around the year 700 A.D., the Anassazi began to build their homes above ground and join them together into rambling multistoried complexes, which the Spanish called pueblos or villages. (TOEFL: 1997.8)
The word pits in the passage is closest in meaning to A. stages B. scars C. seeds D. holes
注意第三个句子中的 “but”，它是转折连词，表示前后两种不同的情况（房子建造的地方）。 除了but, 常用的转折连词还有though, although, however. （可以称之为“显性”转折连词）
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4、转折（二）
Hunting is at best a precarious way of procuring food, even when the diet is supplemented with seeds and fruits. Not long after the last Ice Age, around 7,000 B.C. (during the Neolithic period), some hunters and gatherers began to rely chiefly on agriculture for their sustenance. Others continued the old pastoral and nomadic ways. (TOEFL: 2002.9)
The word precarious in the passage is closest in meaning to A. uncertain B. humble C. worthy D. unusual
出题者巧妙地运用了“even” 一词，带有一定的“欺骗性”：它一般被理解为“甚至”，表示递进的意思（或者更好，或者更坏）。但在这里，它和前面的“at best”（充其量） 构成了一种转折关系（取“尽管”之意）。相对于显性转折连词，我们把它称为隐性连词。类似的词还有 “yet”, “instead” 等。 5、 时间
Wind power is a virtually unlimited source of energy at favorable sites, and even excluding environmentally sensitive areas, the global potential of wind power is much higher than the current world electricity use. In theory, Argentina, Canada, Chile, China, Russia, and the United Kingdom could use wind to meet all of their energy needs. Wind power experts project that by the middle of the twenty-first century wind power could supply more than 10 percent of the world’s electricity and 10-25 percent of the electricity used in the United States. The word project in the passage is closest in meaning to A. estimate B. respond C. argue D. plan
“project” 的宾语从句中的一个表示将来时间的短语, 这段文章是说明文，说的是风能到下个世纪中时的发展前景，据此可以推断A项为正确选择。 6、定语（从句）
…The Pueblo Indians are those who dwell in pueblos，a name derived from the Spanish word for village. The pueblo is usually built against the face of a cliff and- generally consists of connected houses rising in a series of receding terraces. The roof of one house is the yard or patio of the next house. The kiva, where Pueblo Indians hold their secret ceremonies, is entered by an opening in the roof ... （An Outline of America: VOA) The word kiva in the passage is closest in meaning to A. patio B. ceremonial room C. series of terraces D. Pueblo Indian village
定位kiva后，我们发现一个由 where 引导的非限制性定语从句，解释了kiva 的用途。 7、举例
There are three families of seals: the true seals, the eared seals, and the walrus. … The stout-bodied walrus, with its wrinkled skin and unique tusks, is the only member of its family. Because of their similar teeth, seals and walruses are believed to have evolved from the same ancestral groups as the weasels, badgers and other mustelids …
The word mustelids could be best replaced by
A. animals B. birds C. insects D. plants
很明显，这个词所在的句子中出现了 用以举例的字眼“groups as” ，处在所举例子中的最后一项，说明它是所列事例之一。短文说的是海豹家族的情况，用排除法可以确定答案为A项。 表示举例的结构还有: 名词+ such as …；such + 名词 + as … 等。 8、列举
If someone is said to have “a chip on his shoulder”, he is angry, pugnacious, sullen, and looking for trouble. The word pugnacious in the passage is closest in meaning to A. friendly B. aggressive C. sociable D. responsible
句子连续使用几个表示负面/消极意思的形容词来描绘一个 to have “a chip on his shoulder” 的人，A，C 及D项都是正面/积极的形容词，惟有B项与所考核单词同类。
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9、对比/比较
The campanile is chiefly a medieval form of Italian architecture. Built in connection with a church or town hall, it served as a belfry , watchtower, and sometimes a civil monument. Unlike other bell towers that are attached to buildings, the campanile generally stands as a detached unit. Probably the world's most famous campanile is the Leaning Tower of Pisa (1174-1350), the freestanding Tuscan Romanesque Bell Tower of Pisa Cathedral. … The word campanile could be best replaced by A. church B. town hall C. tower D. unit
常见/用: alternatively; conversely; however; nevertheless; rather; while; whereas; on the other hand; on the contrary … 10、指代
… At least 50 different weed species fight off competitors by emitting toxins from their roots, leaves, or seed. These poisons do their work in a variety of ways, such as inhibiting germination of seeds and destroying photosynthesis abilities …
The word toxins in the passage is closest in meaning to A. roots B. leaves C. seeds D. poisons 词汇题解题思路（三）词汇+语境线索
Maria Montessori (1870-1952), Italian educator and physician, best known for developing the Montessori Method of teaching young children. … While the methods used at other learning institutions are based on the theory that children need a teacher, the Montessori Method is based on the theory that a child will learn naturally if placed in an environment rich in learning materials. These materials are suited to children’s abilities and interests, and learning takes place as the child plays. Children following this method are autodidactic, and only when a child needs help does the teacher step in …
The word autodidactic in the passage is closest in meaning to A. playful B. self-taught C. able to learn D. dependent teachers
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