穿行于“言”“文”之中

一、引言

著名語言學家威爾金斯（D. A. Wilkins）曾經說過：“Without grammar， very little can be conveyed; without vocabulary， nothing can be conveyed.” 這句話揭示了詞匯學習的重要性。詞匯學習的目標包括如下四個層次：識記、領會、應用及交際。識記是指記住單詞的拼寫、發音、詞義和用法；領會是指知道單詞的詞性、構詞方式、用法和來源等；應用是指能在不同的情境中準確使用單詞；交際是指在日常生活中活用詞匯交流信息、獲取信息、分析問題和解決問題。為了提高詞匯教學的效率，筆者在教學中嘗試通過“在語篇學習中掌握詞匯，在寫作中提升運用”的方法來進行詞匯教學。

二、以語篇為載體學習詞匯，做到“言”“文”融合

語篇是微型的語料庫。在這個語料庫里，有著豐富的詞匯，我們可以水到渠成完成“言”的教學。所謂“言”，就是使學生掌握詞義、詞的搭配和用法。而詞義的掌握離不開語篇，因為語篇是彰顯詞義的“天空”。我們只有將語篇作為詞匯學習的背景，相關的詞匯才會因為語篇的襯托而使內在的語言意義得到更好的彰顯。而“文”，主要是指篇章結構、文化內涵及思想內涵，是蘊涵于“言”中并借助“言”來表達與傳遞的。下面是筆者通過閱讀一篇題為“Gates gives back”的文章進行“言”“文”融合詞匯教學的實例。

【閱讀材料】

Gates gives back

He topped the list of the world’s richest men for 13 years. He is said to make US$1 million an hour. But Bill Gates， founder of Microsoft， will no longer spend most of his time earning money， but using his wealth to help those in need.

The billionaire retired from his job with Microsoft at the end of June. He pledged last week to give all of his $58 billion fortune to charity. He said his money would go to The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation， which he and his wife set up. The foundation funds health and education projects around the world.

“We want to give it back to society in the way that it will have the most positive impact，” said Gates.

From the biggest taker to the biggest giver， the 52-year-old is a living legend. The computer whiz-kid discovered his interest in computers during middle school and began programming at 13. At 18， Gates was accepted by Harvard University as a prelaw student. But he soon found that his heart wasn’t in law. He would spend his nights in front of the school’s computer and， the next day， sleep through class. Two years later， the young man decided to drop out of Harvard to devote himself to Microsoft， the company he founded with childhood friend Paul Allen.

The pair’s desire to put “a computer on every desk and in every home” was one reason why the company became the biggest business in the world. More than 90 percent of computers run on Microsoft Windows.

“With the success of Microsoft， I’ve been given the gift of great wealth. But I believe with great wealth comes great responsibility， the responsibility to give back society，” said Gates.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has become the world’s biggest charity foundation. The world’s richest man， Warren Buffett， also decided to give 85 percent of his fortune to Gates’ charity programs. It is said that his great fortune will be used to put the latest technology in the hands of kids and fight global disease.

“Bill Gates has set an example for people like you and me，” said Leonard Pitts， a US columnist. “He has me thinking about things I can do， the responsibility I have， to change my corner of the world.”

【教學設計】

在解讀這篇文章時，筆者是基于reading for words and structures—reading for information—reading for thinking的主線來設計的。下面是為第一步（reading for words and structures）所設計的練習。

a. Find the proper expressions in the text according to the Chinese meaning.

1. 不再 2. 從……退休

3. 活著的傳奇人物4. 迅速成功的人

5. 退學 6. 致力于……

7. 回饋 8. 慈善基金會

9. 最新技術 10. 為……樹立榜樣

b. Translate the following sentences into Chinese.

1.“We want to give it back to society in the way that it will have the most positive impact，” said Gates.

2. At 18， Gates was accepted by Harvard University as a prelaw student.

（設計意圖：a、b兩組練習是英漢互譯，引導并培養學生對于new words、new expressions的自學能力）

c. Explain the following words and expressions in your own words in English.

1. pledge2. impact

3. He topped the list of the world’s richest men for 13 years.

4. The foundation funds health and education projects around the world.

（設計意圖：c組練習注重培養學生的英語思維能力和表達能力，為寫作的一句多譯或同義替換提供典范）

d. Analyze the following sentence structures.

1. He is said to make US$1 million an hour.

2. It is said that his great fortune will be used to put the latest technology in the hands of kids and fight global disease.

3. The pair’s desire to put “a computer on every desk and in every home” was one reason why the company became the biggest business in the world.

（設計意圖：d組練習涉及句子結構的分析，既是重點句型的展示，又為篇章分析掃除了理解的障礙）

以上練習都是針對低層次的詞匯教學目標，但這個過程暗含了要求學生完成對文本最原始的解讀（意思的理解），也鋪設了由“言”到“文”的平臺。

接著，抓住文章“from the biggest taker to the biggest giver”這一主線，來展開“What were the two important achievements that Bill Gates made?”使學生清晰理解課文內容的脈絡。這就是以“言”帶“文”，在學生學習詞匯的過程中把握文章的主體框架。此外，讓學生思考“Why is Bill Gates considered as the biggest taker as well as the biggest giver？”并讓學生再次體會pledge， impact， give it back to society， desire， great responsibility， charity foundation這些詞或短語，以詞語的理解、品析為抓手，架起由“言”悟“文”的橋梁。

接下來，讓學生思考以下兩個問題：

1. What would you do if you had 58 billion dollars like Bill Gates?

2. How do people deal with their fortune after their death in China?

通過結合自己的想法和身邊的案例，讓學生感悟到“the differences in dealing with fortune between China and Western countries”，這是一種從“篇章”到“文化”的滲透。

最后，順其自然拋出：Bill Gates realized that with great wealth comes great responsibility， the responsibility to give back society. Similarly， we always take from our parents or teachers or someone else， what should we do to be grateful to people and to society? 讓學生有所悟。選取文章的目的不是要宣揚Bill Gates，而是讓學生領悟文章所傳遞的思想內涵：On one hand， we should give back to society. On the other hand， we should be grateful. 從而達到了思想的升華，也就是完成了對學生的情感教育，并且不露聲色做到了“言”“文”融合——既處理了pledge、impact等詞匯，又理解了篇章，并領悟到了其思想及文化內涵。

當然，要進行有效的詞匯教學，僅僅靠這一途徑是遠遠不夠的，我們應設計多樣化的練習，考查學生綜合運用詞匯的能力，如：詞匯辨析、選詞填空、一句多譯等。詞匯辨析其實除了單純的單項選擇外，還應該重視在具體語境中的一詞多義（包括不同詞性），如：

We walked a couple of blocks until we came upon the downtown El Paso Public Library.

The government’s stubborn attitude was a block to further talks.

The accident blocked traffic in the town center.

通過以上三個不同的語境來展現block這一詞的不同含義，既讓學生掌握了這一詞的不同意思與詞性，又讓他們意識到了語境的重要性。

一句多譯可以開拓學生的思維，又可以激活學生的已學詞匯。更重要的是，能潛移默化引導學生在書面表達時善于采用不同詞匯來表達相同的意思。如“卓別林被認為是最滑稽的演員之一”可以有以下多種譯法：

Chaplin is considered to be one of the funniest actors.

Chaplin is regarded as one of the funniest actors.

Chaplin is known as one of the funniest actors.

Chaplin is looked on as one of the funniest actors.

值得一提的是，可以通過網絡、報紙、雜志等媒介收集跟課文內容相關的英文資料，從而讓學生在了解這些緊跟時代步伐的材料時，進一步激發學習的興趣。而在這些材料中已經學習過的詞匯的再一次出現，讓學生在不同的語言環境中反復遇到和反復理解詞匯的過程中，真正實現對詞匯的識記，從而到達運用。

總之，語篇是滋潤詞義的“沃土”，詞匯是組成語篇的重要元素。一方面，語篇必須通過一個個詞匯的組合才能表達比較完整、系統的思想內容；另一方面，詞匯也因為語篇才能更好地體現出其豐富的詞匯意義。在教學過程中，要注重“言”與“文”的融合。這樣，“言”的學習才不會空洞乏味，同時也能促進對“文”的理解；反過來，“文”理解了，“言”也就自然而然生動了，有意義了。

三、以寫作提升運用，完成鑒賞—模仿—創造的蛻變

如果說語篇的閱讀是有效輸入的話，那么寫作就是一種成效性的輸出。當然，在完成創造性運用之前得做一些鋪墊，比如讓學生摘抄語篇中的一些好詞好句。這既是學生鑒賞能力的體現，也能為寫作積累素材。不過，摘抄語篇中的一些好詞好句并非簡單抄寫，而是伴隨著理解與內化的過程，同時也是一種積淀。進行有效摘抄也就完成了“三部走”中的第一步——鑒賞。

其實，學生在摘抄一些好詞好句的過程中，會偏重于好詞，而忽視了好句，這就需要我們進行引導。如在教授NSEFC Book 5 Unit 4 Making the News這一單元時，主要的語法是局部倒裝，而閱讀理解中也出現了有關局部倒裝的句子。我們可以抓住這一契機，既學習局部倒裝這一新語法，又進行進一步的拓展，旨在為寫作打下基礎。如：

Never will Zhou Yang forget his first assignment at the office of a popular English newspaper.

Not only am I interested in photography， but I took an amateur course at university to update my skills.

Only if you ask many different questions will you acquire all the information you need to know.

以上句子是學生在課文文本中找出來的。摘抄的目的不但要讓學生自己體驗并探究局部倒裝的構成與形式，更要讓學生體味為什么文中要采用倒裝句，并比較若不用倒裝形式，在文章的表達效果上又會怎樣。緊接著，趁熱打鐵，讓學生運用倒裝句造句，學生的創造力得到了進一步體現。

在完成鑒賞、模仿的基礎上，我們可以再進一步向創造性運用邁進。在這一環節，筆者一般采用兩種常規方式。第一種方式主要是用于初級階段，基本上是讓學生對所學課文進行縮寫，旨在培養學生的概括能力及運用已學詞匯的能力，側重點在于“言”。如在學習NSEFC Book 3 Unit 4 Astronomy: the science of the stars中“How life began on the earth”這一閱讀文章時，筆者著重引導學生對于篇章結構的把握，使他們在學習的過程中在腦海里形成一個非常清晰的篇章脈絡：

Stage 1The development of the earth

Para 1The formation of the universe

Para 2The formation of the earth

Para 3The importance of water for life

Stage 2The development of life

Para 4The development of plants and animals on the earth

Para 5The arrival of humans and their impact on the earth

第二種方式的難度比第一種方式有所增加，對“言”與“文”的融合有更高的要求。具體操作如下：先讓學生自己確定一篇課外文章，然后開始寫作。寫作分兩部分：一是讓學生用自己的語言概括文章大意，這既有仿寫的成分，更重要的是能夠體現他們的語言表達能力；二是讓學生寫看了文章之后的感受，這既能使學生有感而發，更能體現出他們的語言運用能力及理解能力。

四、結束語

總之，詞匯的學習不是簡單的機械背誦，一味的機械背誦就易背了會忘，無法真正體驗詞匯的無窮魅力，久而久之會對詞匯學習產生厭煩情緒。因此，詞匯的教學應更注重詞匯所承載的深層含義的理解，注重表達的恰當性，注重語篇的支持和文化的傳授。通過“文”的教學，不但可以樹立學生的篇章意識，挖掘其思想內涵，還可以進行深層文化的教學，使學生獲得一般的、整體意義上的文化意識以及反思的、寬容的態度，能使他們擁有更加寬廣的胸懷、更加開闊的思維和更加敏銳的頭腦，在“言”“文”穿行過程中，不斷提升語言的綜合運用能力。