一、专题背景介绍

　　高考英语考纲明确规定,考生不但应掌握所学语言,而且应了解所学语言国家的文化背景,因此语言背景知识的介绍是高考英语阅读理解的重要考查内容。这种阅读材料常向读者介绍英国、美国和澳大利亚等英语民族文学名家、名著和其他文化背景,以便丰富他们的知识,拓宽他们的视野。

　　二、常见题型分析与应对方法

　　(一)名家成功秘诀判断题

　　语言背景知识介绍阅读理解材料常介绍著名作家和诗人艰辛的成长过程,这种艰辛的成长过程使他们对祖国对人民充满深厚感情,并成为其创作动力,因此文史知识介绍文常出现名家成功秘诀判断题,这些试题往往以Why could the hero succeed?/ What is the secret of the hero's success?/What can we learn from the writer? 为设问方式考查对名家成功秘诀的准确判断,其答案往往为The terrible experience of the writer made him succeed.之类的句子。

　　应对方法揭秘:解题时一定要明白生活是创作的源泉,同时还应认真阅读原文,感受主人公艰辛的生活历程,并分析这种痛苦历程是如何成为主人公创作动力和成功源泉的。

　　(二)所学语言国家特定时间所讲语言判断题

　　了解所学国家语言是中学生英语学习重要内容,因此语言背景知识介绍的阅读理解材料常出现所学国家特定时期所讲语言判断题,这种试题常以What was the language spoken in...?或How many languages did the...speak in...? 为设问方式考查对所学语言国家特定时间所讲语言的判断。

　　应对方法揭秘:解题时既需从记忆中调出对所学语言国家文化背景知识的掌握,也需要认真阅读原文找出正确答案。

　　(三)不同社会阶层语言特点判断题

　　语言是有阶级性的,英语在长期发展过程中也深深地烙上阶级的印迹,上层社会的官方语言和劳动人民的生活语言有明显区别,因此语言背景知识介绍阅读理解材料常出现不同社会阶层语言特点判断题。这些试题常以Which of the following words were spoken by the farmers/governors?为设问方式考查对不同社会阶层语言特点的判断。

　　应对方法揭秘:解题时应认真阅读原文,分析不同阶层人士语言特点,尤其应分析文章所举例词的来源,从而加以正确判断。

　　三、高考题例:(NMET 2001 D篇)

　　If you ask people to name the one person who had the greatest effect on the English language, you will get answers like "Shakespeare," "Samuel Johnson," and "Webster," but none of these men had any effect at all compared to a man who didn't even speak English-William the Conqueror.

　　Before 1066, in the land we now call Great Britain lived peoples belonging to two major language groups. In the west-central region lived the Welsh, who spoke a Celtic language, and in the north lived the Scots, whose language, though not the same as Welsh, was also Celtic. In the rest of the country lived the Saxons, actually a mixture of Anglos, Saxons, and other Germanic and Nordic peoples, who spoke what we now call Anglo-Saxon(or Old English), a Germanic language. If this state of affairs had lasted, English today would be close to German.

　　But this state of affairs did not last. In 1066 the Normans led by William defeated the Saxons and began their rule over England. For about a century, French became the official language of England while Old English became the language of peasants. As a result, English words of politics and the law come from French rather than German. In some cases, modern English even shows a distinction(区别)between upper-class French and lower-class Anglo-Saxon in its words. We even have different words for some foods, meat in particular, depending on whether it is still out in the fields or at home ready to be cooked, which shows the fact that the Saxon peasants were doing the farming, while the upper-class Normans were doing most of the eating.

　　When Americans visit Europe for the first time, they usually find Germany more "foreign"than France because the German they see on signs and advertisements seems much more different from English than French does. Few realize that the English language is actually Germanic in its beginning and that the French influences are all the result of one man's ambition.

　　1.The two major languages spoken in what is now called Great Britain before 1066 were ________.

　　A. Welsh and Scottish

　　B. Nordic and Germanic

　　C. Celtic and Old English

　　D. Anglo-Saxon and Germanic

　　析:C。因为根据就题找文法的原则,我们从原文第二节信息中可知The Welsh spoke Celtic. The Scots also spoke Celtic. The Saxons spoke Anglo-Saxon (or Old English),由此可见1066年之前英国人讲的两大语言应是 Celtic 和Old English。本题是一道所学语言国家特定时间所讲语言判断题,解题关键在于既要对外国语言背景有一定了解,又要对原文进行阅读分析。

　　2.Which of the following groups of words are, by inference, rooted in French?

　　A. president; lawyer; beef

　　B. president; bread; water

　　C. bread; field; sheep

　　D. folk; field; cow

　　析:A。由原文第三节"As a result, English words of politics and the law come from French rather than German."可知含政治性、法律性英语更多来自法语而不是德语。这是一道不同社会阶层语言特点判断题,解题关键在于分析不同阶层人士所讲语言特点,尤其应着重分析文章所举例词的来源。

　　3.Why does France appear less foreign than Germany to Americans on their first visit to Europe?

　　A. Most advertisements in France appear in English.

　　B. They know little of the history of the English language.

　　C. Many French words are similar to English ones.

　　D. They know French better than German.

　　析:C。原文最后一节原句When Americans visit Europe for the first time, they usually find Germany more "foreign" than France because the German they see on signs and advertisements seems much more different from English than French does.表明很多法语词汇比德语词汇更接近于英语,这是导致相对英国人来说德语看起来比法语更像外语的原因。本题是一道细节判断题,解题关键在于运用直接就题找文法。

　　4.What is the subject discussed in the text?

　　A. The history of Great Britain.

　　B. The similarity between English and French.

　　C. The rule of England by William the Conqueror.

　　D. The French influences on the English language.

　　析:D。认真阅读原文不难发现第一节重点提及谁对英语的影响最大,由此可猜测本文主题必与谁对英语的影响最大有关。第二节讲1066年前英国人主要讲本地语Celtic 和外来语German,可见1066年前对英语影响最大的是German,然而第三节交待William 率领Normans 征服英国后法语成了英国的主要语言,尤其是英国上层社会几乎全用法语。由此可见,本文重点讲法语(而不是德语)对英语造成的影响,所以本题应选D。文章当然或多或少提到英国的历史,英语和法语的相似之处,以及William the Conqueror曾统治过英国 ,但它们都只是片断信息而不是全文的主题,所以A、B、C均为错误答案。本题是一道逻辑推理题,解题关键在于运用逻辑推断法。

　　(文/郝昌明；英语通高中一年级版 03～04学年第4期； 版权归英语辅导报社所有，独家网络合作伙伴新浪教育，未经许可，不得以任何形式进行转载。)