词汇是构筑语言大厦的基石和砖瓦.语言学习者对于词汇的掌握将直接影响其听、说、读、写、译各方面的能力.教育部1999年《大学英语教学大纲(修订本)》对词汇提出了明确的要求,其中四级水平应达到:(1)领会式掌握4200个单词,其中复用式词汇2500个左右;(2)由这些词构成的常用词组1600条(中学所掌握的词和词组均包括在内);(3)具有按照基本构词法识别生词的能力.CET-4中词汇和结构部分共有30道题,总分15分,其中词汇题大约占一半.CET-4中词汇测试的侧重点主要体现在以下方面:近义词辨别、多义词辨义、形似词辨异、固定搭配和习惯用法等等.本文着重讲解难度较大的近义词.

　　1. 近义词辨别

　　近义词辨别题是考生最感头痛的方面.由于两个或两个以上的选项含有相同或相近的意思,考生很难判断哪一个是正确答案.其实,英语中一词多义的现象很常见,有时题目考查的重点就在于某一选项的其它含义,而并非与其它三个选项相近的含义.另外,英语中真正的同义词却很少见,每个单词都有其不同的内涵、使用场合或用法.对于这类题目必须依靠上下文,在上下文中揣摩命题人的思路,还可以根据搭配确定正确答案.

　　例1:The government is trying to do something to ________better understanding between the two countries. (CET-4: 1997, 6)

　　　A. raise　B. promote 　　C. heighten 　　D. increase

　　答案B.参考译文:政府正在努力做些实事以促进两国之间的相互了解.四个选项都有"提高"之意,但所修饰的对象不一样.promote促进,增进(友谊,理解等);raise提高(产量,工资等);heighten(对建筑物等的)增高,加高;increase增加(产量,收入等).所以选项B为正确答案.

　　例2:The soldier was________of running away when the enemy attacked. (CET-4: 1998, 1)

　　A. scolded 　　B. charged 　　C. accused 　　D. punished

　　答案C.参考译文:这个士兵被控告当敌人进攻时临阵逃脱.四个选项中charge和accuse为近义词,但只有accuse与of搭配使用,而charge要与with搭配使用,scold和punish均要与介词for搭配使用,所以选项C为正确答案.

　　例3:Only a selected number of landladies in the neighborhood have been allowed by the university to take in________. (CET-4: 2001, 6)

　　A. residents B. inhabitants C. lodgers D. settlers

　　答案:C.参考译文:该大学只允许其周围的一些入选女房东接受房客. 四个选项中的名词都与"居住的人"有关:residents居民、定居者;lodgers寄宿者、房客;settler定居者、开拓者;inhabitants居民、住户,其中只有C与题中landladies(女房东)形成对称关系.

　　例4:The________stuck on the envelope says "By Air". (CET-4: 2002, 1)

　　A. diagram B. label C. signal D. mark

　　答案B.参考译文:粘在信封上的标签上写着"航空邮寄". diagram图解,图表;label标签;signal信号,标志;mark痕迹,标记.该题中D项最具干扰性,但原句中有stuck(粘)一词,所以答案应该为B.

　　例5:My brother's plans are very________; he wants to master English,French and Spanish before he's sixteen. (CET-4: 2002,1)

　　A. arbitrary B. aggressive

　　C. ambitious D. abundant

　　答案C.参考译文:我兄弟雄心勃勃地计划着:在十六岁之前掌握英语、法语和西班牙语. arbitrary随意的,武断的;aggressive侵略的,有进取心的;ambitious雄心勃勃的,野心勃勃的;abundant充足的. 根据题意只有选C.

　　例6:Tryon was extremely angry,but coolheaded enough to________storming into the boss's office. (CET-4: 2002, 1)

　　A. prevent B. prohibit C. turn D. avoid

　　答案D.参考译文:Tryon极度生气,但还是保持了足够的冷静,没有冲到老板的房间里去.prevent防止,预防,阻止,阻挡,e.g.prevent war防止战争,prevent sb.from doing sth.阻止某人做某事; prohibit禁止,阻止, e.g.prohibited goods违禁品, prohibit sb.from going不许某人前往;turn转,转动,挡开;avoid避免,躲开,avoid doing sth.为习惯搭配,符合题意,答案为D.

　　2. 常见的近义词

　　ability, capacity, capability/ accident, incident, event / adequate, enough, sufficient / announce, declare, claim / appliances, equipment, facilities, instrument, utilities / bare, empty, hollow, vacant, blank / base, basis, foundation / bear, endure, stand, tolerate / certain, sure, definite / change, alter, convert, modify / contain, include / crash, smash, strike, collide / delay, postpone / extend, stretch, prolong / expand, enlarge, increase / grant, offer, award, reward / grade, mark, point, score / habit, hobby, custom / hurt, harm, injure, wound / journey, voyage, trip, tour, travel / let, allow, permit, grant / neglect, ignore, overlook / origin, source / possible, probable, likely / refuse, reject, deny, decline / remember, recall, remind / scene, scenery, view/suspect, doubt/win, beat, defeat, conquer

　　(文/刘炜　英语辅导报大学一年级版03~04学年第42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。)