11. In some cases, the meaning of a word may be influenced by the structure in which it occurs. This is called ______ context.
A.non-linguistic
B.lexical
C.grammatical
D.cultural
A B C D
C
[解析] 在有些情况下一个词的意义可能受其所在的结构影响。这就是我们所称的语法语境。答案为C。
12. I don't know what will become of him after the war. "Become of" means ______.
A.happen to, often in a bad way
B.suit, befit
C.begin to be
D.none of the above
A B C D
A
[解析] The phrase "become of" means "happen to, often in a bad way",意为:“发生……(经常以一个不良的方式)”。题目中这句话意为:我不知道战争后他怎么样了。答案为A。
13. Which of the following is one of the main functions of verbal context?______
A.Elimination of ambiguity.
B.Indication for referents.
C.Provision of clues for inferring word-meaning.
D.All the above.
A B C D
D
[解析] 语言环境有三大作用:消除歧义、限定所指和提供线索以猜测词义。答案为D。
14. The sentence "He is a hard businessman." is ambiguous due to ______.
A.grammatical structure
B.lexical context
C.homonymy
D.polysemy
A B C D
D
[解析] 由于词的多义性和同音同形异义性,歧义现象经常出现。多义词出现在不完整的语境中时,歧义就出现了,如:He is a hard businessman. 在这样的语境中,hard一词既可以作“勤劳的”讲,又可以作“难对付的”讲。这句话的语境没能对该词的意义加以限定,所以读者难以确定其确切的含义。如果原句扩展为He is a hard businessman to deal with,就不会有误解了。答案为D。
15. When a word with multiple meanings is used in an inadequate context, this word may create ______.
16. The ambiguity in "pass the port" is caused by ______.
A.lexical terms
B.a grammatical structure
C.homonymy
D.polysemy
A B C D
D
[解析] 题目中,pass the port出现在不完整的语境中,而pass一词是多义词,即polysemy,因而产生了歧义。答案为D。
17. The sentence "I lost Betty's picture." is ambiguous due to ______.
A.grammatical context
B.polysemy
C.antonymy
D.hyponymy
A B C D
B
[解析] 题干译文:"I lost Betty's picture"一句出现歧义的原因是什么?词的多义性是导致歧义现象出现的一个重要原因,本题中“picture”一词既有“照片”的意思,又有“图片”等的意思,因此出现了歧义。答案为B。
18. ______ may prove extremely valuable in guessing the meanings of new words.
A.Grammar
B.Context
C.Pronunciation
D.Ambiguity
A B C D
B
[解析] Context may prove extremely valuable in guessing the meanings of new words. 语境在新词的意义猜测中证明是极有价值的。答案为B。
19. Context clues have ______ ones in all.
A.seven
B.six
C.eight
D.five
A B C D
C
[解析] Context clues vary a great deal but can be summed up as follows: (1)definition; (2)explanation; (3)example; (4)synonymy; (5)antonymy; (6)hyponymy; (7)relevant detatails; (8)word structure. 可见一共包括8个。答案为C。
20. Hints given in a context are known as ______.
A.referents
B.clues
C.ambiguity
D.definition
A B C D
B
[解析] Hints given in a context are known as clues.语境里出现的暗示叫做线索。答案为B。
21. As the fighting on all fronts reached its peak, the economy neared its nadir. In the sentence, ______ is applied.
23. In the sentence "Italian artists were more active in the quattrocento than in the sixteenth century which followed." the meaning of quattrocento can be inferred from the clue of ______.
A.definition
B.explanation
C.example
D.relevant detail
A B C D
D
[解析] 题干译文:句子中“quattrocento”的词义是根据什么线索推测出来的?Relevant details: In some cases, the author provides details relating to the unknown word, such as the functions, characteristics, nature, etc. of the referent. 相关细节:在有些语境中,作者提供了与未知词相关的细节,诸如其功能、特征、本质等。“more active in the quattrocento than in the sixteenth century”可以看出,than前后的内容应该是具有可比性的,than后面为“16世纪”,所以其前面也应该是时间的内容。所以属于relevant details(相关细节)。答案为D。
Ⅱ.
1. Context can fall into ______ context and non-linguistic context.
linguistic
[解析] 语境可以分为什么语境和非语言语境?Context is in a narrow sense linguistic context and in a broad sense extra-linguistic or non-linguistic context. 答案为linguistic。
2. ______ context refers to the words, clauses, sentences in which a word appears.
Linguistic
[解析] 一个词所在的词群、从句和句群环境叫作什么语境?Linguistic context refers to the words, clauses, sentences in which a word appears. 答案为Linguistic。
3. Physical situation or environment relating to the use of words is ______ context.
extra-linguistic
[解析] 物理环境称为什么语境?Extra-linguistic context includes the physical situation as well.答案为extra-linguistic。
4. Non-linguistic situation often exercise ______ influence on the meaning of words.
greater
[解析] 非语言环境通常对词义有什么样的影响?Non-linguistic situation often exercise greater influence on the meaning of words. 答案为greater。
5. Against the cultural background of western countries, "trade unions" have strong political ______.
overtones
[解析] 在西方国家文化背景下,“公会”这个词带有很强的政治什么?Against the cultural background of western countries, "trade unions" have strong political overtones. 答案为overtones。
6. Ambiguity often arises due to ______ and homonymy.
7. In the sentence "Copernicus believed in a heliocentric universe, rather than in the geocentric theory.", the word "heliocentric" is explained by the clue of ______ structure.
8. Generally speaking, the immediate verbal context will suffice for interpreting meanings of a word as ______.
indicated
[解析] 一般来说,语言环境足够推测出一个词的什么意义?Generally speaking, the immediate verbal context will suffice for interpreting meanings of a word as indicated. 答案为indicated。
9. The sentence "I like Mary better than Jean." will lead to ______.
ambiguity
[解析] 本句可以看作是省略句引起的歧义。为了明了大意,我们要么说I like Mary better than Jean does(我比Jean更喜欢Mary),要么说I like Mary better than I do Jean(比起Jean,我更喜欢Mary),或者说I like Mary better as Jean is untidy(我更喜欢Mary,因为Jean不整洁),等。答案为ambiguity。
Ⅲ.
1. context
In a narrow sense, it refers to the words, clauses, sentences in which a word appears. This is known as linguistic context which may cover a paragraph, a whole chapter and even the entire book. In a broad sense, it includes the physical situation as well. This is called extra-linguistic or non-linguistic context, which embraces the people, time, place, and even the whole cultural background.
2. lexical context
Lexical context refers to the meaning of a word is often affected and defined by the neighboring words.
3. grammatical context
Grammatical context refers to the meaning of a word may be influenced by the structure in which it occurs.
Ⅳ.
1. State the difference among the three terms: linguistic context, grammatical context and context clue.
Linguistic contexts refer to the words, clauses, sentences, paragraphs, or chapters in which a word appears. Grammatical contexts refer to structural patterns where a particular word is used. Context clues are hints given in a context to help explain the meaning of a word.
2. Why is context very important for the understanding of word-meaning?
As most words have more than one meaning, it is often impossible to tell the meaning of a word before it is used in context. Context is very important for the understanding of word-meaning because the meaning is influenced immediately by the linguistic context, and in many cases by the whole speech situation as well. Without context, there is no way to determine the very sense of the word that the speaker intended to convey; whereas with context there is generally no danger of misinterpretation, for meaning lives in context and the context defines meaning.
3. How many types can linguistic context be classified?
Linguistic context can be subdivided into lexical context and grammatical context. (1)Lexical context: This context refers to the words that occur together with the word in question. The meaning of the word is often affected and defined by the neighbouring words. (2)Grammatical context: In some cases, the meanings of a word may be influenced by the structure in which it occurs. This is what we call grammatical context.
4. Can you determine the meanings of the following sentences? Explain and make some alterations in the context so as to pin down the meaning. (a)The fish is ready to eat. (b)I like Mary better than Jean.
Yes. On a grammatical basis, both sentences can have two interpretations. The first sentence may mean "The fish is cooked or served, so ready for people to eat" or "The fish is ready to eat things". However, in the context of "What a nice smell! The fish is ready to eat", "fish"definitely means the former. To achieve clarity, we can say "The fish is ready to be eaten". The second sentence can be regarded as an elliptical one, which gives rise to ambiguity: "I like Mary better than I like Jean" or "I like Mary better than Jean likes Mary". To achieve clarity, we can either say "I like Mary better than Jean does" or "I like Mary better than I do Jean" or "I like Mary better as Jean is untidy", etc.
5. How do you account for the context function as indication of referents?
English has a large number of words such as now/then, here/there, I/you, this/ that, which are often used to refer directly to people, time, place, etc. Without clear context, the reference can be very confusing. For example, the word now always means the time of speaking, naturally referring to a past time when the speech took place in the past or a present moment if the person is speaking. It is the same with all referring expressions. Even a phrase like the Prime Minister may bring about ambiguity without adequate verbal context, for it can be used to refer to any of the Prime Ministers in British history.
6. What are contextual clues? Guess the meaning of the word underlined in the following sentence and tell what contextual clues have helped you in arriving at the meaning. (a)Perhaps the most startling theory to come out of kinesics, the study of body movement, was suggested by Professor Birdwhistell. (b)It's just one more incredible result of the development of microprocessors—those tiny parts of a computer commonly known as "silicon chips".
Context may prove extremely Valuable in guessing the meaning of new words. In many cases when a new word appears for the first time, the author generally manages to give hints which might help the reader to grasp the concept or understand the idea. This is called contextual clues. (a)Definition: the study of body movement. (b)Explanation: those tiny parts of a computer commonly known as "silicon chips".
7. What context clues are commonly used?
Context clues vary a great deal but can be summed up as follows: (1) Definition; (2) Explanation (3) Example; (4) Synonymy; (5) Antonymy; (6) Hyponymy; (7) Relevant details; (8)Word structure.
Ⅴ.
1. Rose ran the badminton game. Study this sentence. Can you find anything wrong? Please explain why and then improve it.
(1)It is ambiguous. (2)Ambiguity caused by polysemy. (3)"Ran" can be understood as "organized" or "participated". (4)Improvement. ①Rose ran the badminton game and won the first place. ②Rose ran the badminton game and was regarded as the best organizer.
2. State the roles of context in determination of word meaning. Illustrate your points with examples.
Context plays a vital role in the following three aspects. (1)Elimination of Ambiguity. When a word with multiple meanings is used in inadequate context,it creates ambiguity, e.g. "He is a hard businessman. "The word hard in this context can mean both "hardworking" and "difficult". The context fails to narrow down the meanings so that it is difficult for the reader to decide what exactly the speaker means. (2)Indication of Referents. English has a large number of words such as now/then, here/there, I/you, this/that, which are often used to refer directly to people, time, place, etc. Without clear context, the reference can be very confusing: For example, the word now always means the time of speaking,naturally referring to a past time when the speech took place in the past or a present moment if the person is speaking. (3)Provision of Clues for Inferring Word Meaning. Context may prove extremely valuable in guessing the meanings of new words. Context clues vary a great deal but can be summed up as follows: definition; explanation; example; synonymy; antonymy; hyponymy; relevant details; word structure.
3. Study the following sentence. If you find anything wrong, please explain why and then improve the sentence. Flying plane is dangerous.
(1)It is ambiguous. (2) Ambiguity caused by the grammatical structure. (3)This sentence can be understood as: ①It is dangerous to fly a plane. ②A plane that is flying is dangerous. (4)Improvement: ①John told me that he didn't want to be a pilot, because flying a plane is dangerous. ②A flying plane is dangerous.
4. Study the following sentence. If you find anything wrong, please explain why and then improve the sentence. The boy ran after the girl with the flowers.
(1)It is ambiguous. (2)Ambiguity caused by the structure. (3)This sentence can be understood as: ①The boy who carried the flowers ran after the girl. ②The boy ran after the girl who carried the flowers. (4)Improvement: ①After he bought some flowers, the boy ran after the girl with the flowers. ②The boy ran after the girl with the flowers, because she had stolen his flowers.