【续前文】

二、Paraphrase实例分析

我们来看看paraphrase的几种方式:词的替换、词序的替换、结构的替换的具体表现。分析认为,词汇的替换是paraphrase的常见和主要手段,这既可以是用同义词、近义词来转述,也有可能是反义词的恰当使用。后者同样可以达到效果,有时候,甚至会更隐蔽一些。我们先来看看一些同义、近义结构的使用。

{经典再现} 题目:Modern-day plastic preparations is based on the same principles as that patented in 1907.

原文:On 13 July 1907, Baekeland took out his famous patent describing this preparation, the essential features of which are still in use today.(剑5 Test 2)

解析 可以看到,本例中原文和题目之间进行了大量的同近义词的替换。题目用modern-day替换了原文的today;词组is based on the same principles用来代替the essential features … are still in use。而其他的表达如preparation及patent则原封不动照抄。这是一个很清楚的通过词的替换判断为正确的例子。

我们再来看看更多的例子。

{经典再现} 题目:Modern official athletic records date from about 1900.

原文:Since the early years of the twentieth century, when the International Athletic Federation began keeping records, there has been a steady improvement in how fast athletes run, how high they jump and how far they are able to hurl massive objects, themselves included, through space.(剑4 Test 4)

解析 题目很短。但是我们几乎把题目的每一个单词都在原文中找到词的替换。Modern official使用国际田联(International Athletic Federation)来替换的,date from在原文中变成了since …, when the IAF began …,而最关键的是时间的替换。题目的1900看上去和文章中的the early years of twentieth century存在具体和含糊的差别,但题目中about一词的恰当使用,是得它与文章的the early years配合的天衣无缝。

词的替换,也可以通过反义词的使用来进行。有时候,这意味着结构上同时也要进行替换。请看下例。

{经典重现} Questions 1-4 (剑4 Test 2)

… This has been encouraged through programmes of language classes for children and through schemes, in which the endangered language is used as the medium of instruction to teach people a 4…… . Some speakers of endangered languages …

解析 在文章定位过程中,我们可以注意到programmes的表达,这样就可以把题目和如下句子进行匹配:In California, ‘apprentice’ programmes have provided life support to several indigenous languages. Volunteer ‘apprentices’ pair up with one of the last living speaker s of a Native American tongue to learn a traditional skill such as basket weaving, with instruction exclusively in the endangered language。

但是,如果没有注意到题目和文章一个用教“teach”,一个用学“learn”,只是死板地带着“找teach”同义词替换的思路,就会陷进牛角尖出不来。事实上,随着反义词的使用,文章和题目的对应部分句子的局部结构也发生了改变。因为teach的人不是learn的人,被teach的人才是。所以该反义词的替换使用过程正好伴随着结构上的替换。原来的宾语变成主语了。词序在这个过程中也有了变化。