Skill Training
Reading Skill
GUESSING UNFAMILIAR WORDS:USING THE WIDER CONTEXT
It is impossible for you to know the exact meaning of every word you read,but by developing your guessing ability,you will be able to understand enough to arrive at the total meaning of a sentence,a paragraph,or an essay.In guessing the unknown words,you can use wider context clues as inference,attributive clause and general knowledge.
●The meaning of an unfamiliar word can be inferred when the reader puts related information from the surrounding text together.
●The attributive clause is a clause directly following a word to give the definition of that word.
●General knowledge or world knowledge means the readers’ own world experience that provides clues to word meaning.
Although there is no formula which you can memorize to improve your ability to guess the meaning of unfamiliar words,you should keep the following points in mind:
1)Punctuation marks such as commas,dashes,and parentheses are sometimes typographical signals that guide readers to the explanation for a previous difficult word;
2)Look for clues within,before and after the sentence where the difficult word is used;
3)Use your general knowledge of the subject in reading and try to understand the sentence as a whole;
4)Be content with a general idea about the unfamiliar word;the exact definition or synonym is not always necessary.
Practice 1
Read the following passage and use wider context clues to determine the meanings of the words listed below.Then write down the kind of context clue that helps you guess the word meaning(restatement,inference,or general knowledge).
corset(paragraph 1):_________________________________________________________________________
tunic(paragraph 2):____________________________________________________________________________
snub(paragraph 2):__________________________________________________________________________
Read the passage again and do the exercises that follow.
Isadora Duncan
[1]Isadora Duncan had a lifelong goal to tear down the old ballet regime.She longed to substitute it with dance that would freely express the self.But that wasn’t all.Isadora Duncan had a bias against marriage—although not against men or romance—and she called for the equality of women and men in open relationships.She preached for a freer education of children and for the release of the body from tight clothing.Keep in mind that this was the Victorian Age,known for its prudery.In Isadora’s day,women bound their flesh in stiff corsets,which is a stiff piece of underwear,and covered themselves with layers of material up to their necks and down to their shoes(which is why Victorian women were always fainting).
[2]Isadora Duncan danced barefoot and appeared in skimpy,see-through tunics,sometimes with one breast uncovered.She openly took lovers,and as an unmarried woman proudly bore two children.She indulged herself in speechmaking,even among friends,and loudly declared her admiration for Soviet Russia.In a theater she might step up to the footlights,wave a flaming red scarf and shout:“This is red.That is what I am.Don’t let them tame you!” For these reasons,she was snubbed by many Americans,at least until she won great success and fame in Europe.
[3]Isadora Duncan built her art on simple movements.She devised a natural graceful way of kneeling,rising,running and swaying,and she relied heavily on pantomimed gestures and facial expressions.Inspired by the culture of ancient Greece,she copied costumes and striking poses from Greek vases.Although she saw to it that her groups of performing children learned patterns and moved in unison,she herself often improvised.Even in front of an audience,Isadora Duncan could enter an almost trancelike state and allow famous musical compositions to motivate her to dance with intense feeling.
[4]Her liaisons with artists and millionaires,the tragedy of her two illegitimate children and her own bizarre death,strangled by her scarf when it caught in the wheel of a sportscar:the facts provided the basis for the myth.In her lifetime,she propagated her own legend in much the same way as Sarah Bernhardt had done,with a scandalous flouting of the rules.Had she been born twenty-five years later,she could have been one of the original Hollywood stars.
New Words and Expressions
tear down 逐条驳斥；批驳
regime /reɪˈʒiːm/ n.社会制度；体制
preach /priːtʃ/ vi.说教；讲道
prudery /ˈpruːdəri/ n.过分拘谨；装作正经
corset /ˈkɔː（r）sɪt/ n.（中世纪流行的）紧身外套；束腹
faint /feɪnt/ vi.昏过去；昏倒；晕厥
skimpy /ˈskɪmpi/ adj.不足的；又短又紧的
tunic /ˈtjuːnɪk/ n.束腰外衣
indulge in 沉溺于；沉迷于
step up 走近；靠近
footlights /ˈfʊtˌlaɪts/ n.聚光灯（舞台前缘灯）
snub /snʌb/ vt.冷落；怠慢
devise /dɪˈvaɪz/ vt.设计；想出
pantomime /ˈpæntəˌmaɪm/ v.演哑剧
costume /ˈkɒstjuːm/ n.服装；戏装
see to it that 务必；确保
unison /ˈjuːnɪs（ə）n/ n.和谐；一致
improvise /ˈɪmprəvaɪz/ v.即兴创作；即兴表演
trancelike /ˈtrɑːnsˌlaɪk/ adj.精神恍惚的；出神的
liaison /liˈeɪz（ə）n/ n.联系；联络
illegitimate /ˌɪləˈdʒɪtəmət/ adj.私生的；非法的
bizarre /bɪˈzɑː（r）/ adj.奇异的；怪诞的
strangle /ˈstræŋɡ（ə）l/ vi.扼死；勒死
propagate /'prɒpəɡeɪt/ vt.宣传；传播
scandalous /ˈskænd（ə）ləs/ adj.可耻的；诽谤性的
flout /flaʊt/ vt.侮辱；嘲笑
Practice 2
Match the words in Column A with the appropriate meanings in Column B.Don’t forget to use the wider context to guess the meaning of unfamiliar words.?
1—______;2—______;3—______;4—______;5—______;6—______.
Practice 3
Read each of the following sentences,and choose the word or expression that is closest to the meaning of the underlined word,using the clue of the context.
1.She longed to substitute dance that would freely express the self.
A.dislike B.desire C.want D.manage
2.She preached for a freer education of children and for the release of the body from tight clothing.
A.dictate B.resist C.advocate D.suggest
3.That is what I am.Don’t let them tame you!
A.to make less strong or intense,soften B.be attractive to
C.to fill with fear or apprehension D.to make sure that something happens or is done
4.Even in front of an audience,Isadora could enter an almost trancelike state.
A.abnormal B.intoxicating C.sleepy D.graceful
5.Her own bizarre death,strangled by her scarf when it caught in the wheel of a sports car.
A.to make it difficult to move forward
B.to make it impossible to escape from
C.to keep someone or something safe from harm,injury
D.to kill a person by squeezing his / her throat
Reading More
Scan the below QR code,read the passage and do the practices online.
New Words
choreographer /ˌkɒriˈɒɡrəfə（r）/ n.编舞者；舞蹈指导
withdraw /wɪðˈdrɔː / vt.撤退；收回 vi.撤退；离开
premiere / ˈpremieə（r）/ v.初次公演；首次露面
obsession / əbˈseʃn / n.痴迷；困扰
resemble / rɪˈzembl / vt.类似；像
tribute / ˈtrɪbjuːt / n.礼物；贡物；颂词
glamour / ˈɡlæmə（r）/ n.魅力；魔力
collaboration / kəˌlæbəˈreɪʃn / n.合作；勾结
enroll / ɪnˈrəʊl / v.登记；注册