关于“Paraphrase”定义,在《COBUILID英汉双解词典》的解释为“If you paraphrase something written or spoken, or the person who said it, you give its meaning using different words.”而在 “Webster’s Third New International Dictionary”则定义为,“restatement of the meaning of a piece of writing in other words.”。
按照上述的两种定义,paraphrase的能力即是在用另一种表达来重新表达词汇,句子甚至把文章的内容。通过paraphrase,学生在句子理解、逻辑思维和语言运用等能力方面均可获得提高。而从近几年全国各地的高考英语试题的变化上可以看出,英语试题要求学生拥有更强的语言基础知识运用能力,在语篇中理解和解决问题的能力和语言的在实际情境中的运用能力。可见,高考改革所重视的这些能力的与paraphrase能力息息相关,相互相成。下面我们来看高考试题在哪些方面体现它们的关系。如下:
1.阅读理解题
以2016年全国卷1为例,其中的阅读理解题第22题题干和选项是:
22. What is the reason for O‘Connor‘s being rejected by the law firm?
A. Her lack of proper training in law.
B. Her little work experience in court.
C. The discrimination against women.
D. The poor financial conditions.
而这道题在文章中给予的线索内容如下:
When Sandra Day O‘Connor finished third in her class at Stanford Law School, in 1952,she could not find work at a law firm because she was a woman.
这道题的正确选项是C。这个答案的产生需要学生理解“she could not find work at a law firm because she was a woman”,根据这个语境,学生得懂得“C. The discrimination against women”正是,这样才能选出正确的选项;否则则不能。
又比如第24题:
24. What can we infer about the women mentioned in the text?
A. They are highly educated. B. They are truly creative
C. They are pioneers.D. They are peace-lovers.
这道题要根据上面提到的内容来总结文中提到的女性的共同点,通过文章中这些女性所做的是以前没人做过的而可以推断出正确选项是“C. They are pioneers.”
学生解决这些问题时需要建立在语篇内容上去理解问题,从文中找出相关线索,同时把理解到的内容与选项中用不同的表达转化成的同样意思的表述匹配起来。其实就是在选项中找出正确paraphrase出原文意思的表述。
2.广东听说训练“retelling”
广东的听说训练的考试中part C部分的故事复述,考察的是学生在听的基础上,理清故事的发展脉络,用自己的语言直接复述出他们听到的故事。
由此,我们可以看到学生对语义的理解和对语义的复述的重要性日渐突现。可见,文章理解和对语言的运用的能力的培养的一个很重要的方法就是练习paraphrase。通过paraphrase,学生加深句意的理解,更好地掌握篇章内容。因此,本文将试图提出在高中教学中的几个不同的环节中可以如何渗透培养学生paraphrase能力的建议和做法。
1.学习新单词用法时
对于新单词的学习,很多学生都有种困惑,单词除了背还有什么方法呢?也有学生产生了误区,认为单词只要背就好了。但是背过了很容易忘记,因为容易忘记所以觉得背单词麻烦,因为觉得麻烦就不想学了。所以,现在的学生都认为英语难学。
其实,在教授新单词时,我们可以利用paraphrase来扩大学生的词汇量,同时提高学生的词汇理解能力。
首先,可以挑几个重要的,让学生当堂通过合作,paraphrase出新单词的意思。比如选修7第2单元的新单词guarantee,学生经过合作之后,会有如下的paraphrase:1make sure that sth. will happen;2promise to sb. that he/she will do sth.;3an assurance。这样合作下来,大家既复习了之前的单词,又可以检验学生对新单词的理解。
其次,课堂时间有限,因此能进行的练习毕竟有限。所以,我们在课后的练习中可以布置作业,即单词或短语的替换,帮助巩固学生新学词汇的paraphrase能力。比如:
1.Most states guarantee the right to free andadequate education.
2.Most states__ __ is given the right to free andadequate education.
有些多义词还可以提供它们几个英文意思同时给出几个句子,让学生根据句意,从几个英文意思中找出它们的释义。以run为例:
1.operate a machine or make it work properly;
2. move fast by using one’s feet;
3. in charge of sth. such as a shop,business , organization, etc.;
4.flow in a particular place or direction
a. I excused myself and ran back to thetelephone.
b. She ran the office as a captain runs aship.
c. The water runs into a bucket.
d. You don’t need a degree in mathematics torun a computer.
2.讲解课文语言点时
讲解课文的语言点时,长难句的分析是最痛苦的,而且老师可能分析了半天之后还无法判断学生对这句话的理解是否正确到位。通常老师们是让学生通过把句子翻译成中文来帮助判断学生是否理解了。然而,paraphrase句子能更全面的帮助老师判断学生的理解程度。以选修7第16面的课文(A biography of Isaac Asimov)中的第26行至第28行这句话为例。
Among his most famous works of sciencefiction, one for which he won an award was the Foundation trilogy, three novelsabout the death and rebirth of great empire in a galaxy of the future.
对于这句话,老师分析完结构后,通过paraphrase,可以看到学生对句子的理解还是各有不同。
Student1:Asimov wonan award for the Foundation trilogy, which is his most famous works. TheFoundation trilogy is three novels. The novels talks about a great empire.
Student2:Amonghis most famous works of science fiction is he Foundation trilogy, and he wonan award because of it. The books has three. The story happens in a galaxy.
Student3:Heproduced many famous books. The Foundation trilogy won him a reputation, whichis three books talking about how a great empire located in a galaxy of thefuture disappears and comes into being again.
当然,学生的基础不同,用来paraphrase的句子的难度也要呈现递进的形式。我们可以在平时布置作业时,先以句式的替换为练习形式,如:
1.The boy is too young to go to school.
The boy is __ young __ he couldn’t go to school.
2.He is said to go to Beijing next month.
__ __ __ he will go to Beijing next month.
再抽取课文的短句,让学生paraphrase出来它们的意思。
比如:1. Asimov’s life began in Russia.
2.He died as a result of an HIV infecton.
3.He started to take himself seriously asa writer.
往后就是用长难句为练习题了。值得一提的是,长难句的paraphrase不要要求学生仍用复合句形式来复述,只要学生能把句子的大意表达到位即可。
3.训练retelling时
Story retelling,即paraphrase故事,是学生一谈到就犯难的题目,所以这部分的训练也应循序渐进地训练。如果一开始就拿高考模拟题或真题来练习,学生跟不上内容,抓取不到信息,那样会导致他们没有信心。
开始接触故事复述时,老师们应找一些短的文章(推荐新概念2),而且不要一开始就设计成高考听说考试的那种模式。而可以先提几个问题(先展示问题再听,练习一段时间后,先听再展示问题),让学生听完两遍后回答问题(并且答案有助于学生理解故事的情节发展);再听一遍后paraphrase故事。以新概念第二册的lesson 2为例,可以这样设计问题:
1. What did the beggar ask the author for?
2.What did the beggar do in return for this?
3.How often does the beggar call at everyhouse?
4. Who told the author about the beggar?
5.What did the beggar put in his pocket?
刚开始可以给予提示(如下),并让多人paraphrase同一句话,让学生体会不同的paraphrase形式,有助于学生再体会paraphrase的过程中习得更好的表达。
Sentence1: Percy button knock ask …for…
Sentence2: In return stand sing
Sentence3: give a meal put cheese
Sentence4: later neighbor tell
练习过程中,注意渐渐减少提示,提高难度。经过一个学期的训练之后,看学生的情况,而不断增加篇章的难度。
以上就是为高中阶段平时上课中如何训练学生的paraphrase能力的一些基本建议。老师们要灵活运用,针对自己的学生的学情设计难度适中的题目,引导学生自己平时学会整理归纳互相paraphrase的词汇,短语,句式,丰富语言表现手段的同时提高对篇章的理解能力。