利用相关信息
有时提问的词或词组可能有几种释义，要选择正确的、合乎题意的答案，考生可以从上下文的有关信息中获得某个词或词组的线索或暗示。
例1.(1996年考题第2篇57题)
.........
The debate was launched by the Government, which invited anyone with an opinion of the BBCincluding ordinary listeners and viewersto say what was good or bad about the Corporation, and even whether they thought it was worth deeping. The reason for its inquiry is that the BBC's royal charter runs out in 1996 and it must decide whether to keep the organization as it is, or to make changes.
The BBC's "royal charter" (Line 4.Paragraph 4) stands for _____ .
［A］ the financial support from the royal family
［B］ the privileges granted by the Queen
［C］ a contract with the Queen
［D］ a unique relationship with the royal family
该题中的"charter"一词在大纲中只有一个词义"宪章"，显然在该句中这种释义不妥。句中的"run out"表示"到期"，"royal"是"皇家的"。众所周知，英国是君主立宪国家，国王代表国家，"royal"就代表"the Queen"，"charter"在此为"特许证"、"契约"，因此"royal charter"就指"a contract with the Queen"(与女王签订的合同)。
例2.(1993年考题第3篇44题)
Because a patent remains permanently public after it has terminated, the shelves of the library attached to the patent office contain details of literally millions of ideas that are free for anyone to use and, if older than half a century, sometimes even repatent. Indeed, patent experts often advise anyone wishing to avoid the high cost of conduction a search through live patents that the one sure way of avoiding violation of any other inventor's right is to plagiarize a dead patent. Likewise, because publication of an idea in any other form permanently invalidates further patents on that idea, it is traditionally safe to take ideas from other areas of print. Much modern technological advance is based on these presumptions of legal security.
The word "plagiarize" (line 5, paragraph 5) most probably means _____ .
［A］ steal and use
［B］ give reward to
［C］ make public
［D］ take and change
要判断"plagiarize"的正确含义，首先要了解该句在本段中的意义。在第五段中，第二句在意义上与第一句和第三句相同，都是谈论利用不受专利权保护的发明设想或理论来重新获得新的发明专利。因此，通过上下文相关信息可以推断出"plagiarize"的同义词应是与之相并列的上句的"... of ideas that are free for anyone to use..."和下句的"... it is traditionally safe to take ideas from..."。故从相关信息中能猜出"plagiarize"是"抄袭，盗用"，选择项A中所提供的"steal and use"是该题的正确答案。
例3.(1994年考题第5篇67题)
Discoveries in science and ethnology are thought by "untaught minds" to come in blinding flashes or as the result of dramatic accidents. Sir Alexander Fleming did not, as legend would have it, look at the mold (霉) on a piece of cheese and get the idea for penicillin there and then. He experimented with antibacterial substances for nine years before he made his discovery. Inventions and innovations almost always come out of laborious trial and error. Innovation is like soccer; even the best players miss the goal and have their shots blocked much more frequently than they score.
What does the author probably mean by "untaught mind" in the first paragraph?
［A］A person ignorant of the hard work involved in experimentation.
［B］ A citizen of a society that restricts personal creativity.
［C］ A person who has had no education.
［D］ An individual who often comes up with new ideas by accident.
大纲中没有"untaught"这个词，如果按照构词法，"taught"是"teach"的过去分词，前缀"un"表示"不，未"，"untaught"就是"未受过教育的"。但是，从本文第一段来看，这里并非指未受过教育的人。第一句说的是"untaught minds"这些人"认为科学技术发明来自于一时闪现的念头或突然什么事件。"但第二、三句表达相反的内容，"Alexander Fleming"可不是一看到奶酪上有霉就有青霉素的想法，他是实验了9年才发现的。所以发明和革新几乎都来自于辛劳的实践和失败。由于第一句与第二、三句的信息值相反，所以"untaught minds"与"laborious trial and error"隔隔不入。也就是说"untaught minds are against或ignorant of laborious trial and error"。所以，正确答案为A项。
3.2.2 利用相关信息推断词义
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