(1) 语义题表现形式

释义题一般会明确地告诉考生出题点在哪里，不需要考生查找所考查内容。它可以考一个单词的含义，一个词组的意思，或者考一个句子的弦外之音。

温馨提醒：释义题同主旨题一样，是考查少，但要想比别人多拿分，拿高分，必备哟~

(2) 语义题方法和真题示例

需要考生从上下文中进行分析，推敲单词背后的意思。问单词或词组的意思时，强调上下文逻辑分析；有时用转折逻辑，但更多是利用并列逻辑。

真题示例：

It’s an annual argument. Do we or do we not go on holiday? My partner says no because the boiler could go, or the roof fall off, and we have no savings to save us. I say you only live once and we work hard and what’s the point if you can’t go on holiday. The joy of a recession means no argument next year—we just won’t go.

Since money is known to be one of the things most likely to bring a relationship to its knees, we should be grateful. For many families the recession means more than not booking a holiday. A Gov poll of 2,000 people found 22% said they were arguing more with their partners because of concerns about money. What’s less clear is whether divorce and separation rates rise in a recession—financial pressures mean couples argue more but make splitting up less affordable. A recent research shows arguments about money were especially damaging to couples. Disputes were characterised by intenseverbal (言语上的) aggression, tended to be repeated and not resolved, and made men, more than women, extremely angry. (cet4,2011.12)

What does the author mean by saying “money is known … to bring a relationship to its knees” (Line 1, Para. 2)?

A. Money is considered to be the root of all evils.

B. Few people can resist the temptation of money.

C. Disputes over money may ruin a relationship.

D. Some people sacrifice their dignity for money.

【答案】C

【解析】语义题。这是一篇关于金钱对夫妻关系的影响的文章。根据第二段的上下文，即. What’s less clear is whether divorce and separation rates rise in a recession—financial pressures mean couples argue more...一句可知，大萧条时期，不太良好的经济状况常常影响了夫妻关系，导致更多争吵。所以，答案为C。

动手练一练！

Reaching new peaks of popularity in North America is Iceberg Water which is harvested from icebergs off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada.

Arthur von Wiesenberger,who carries the title Water Master， is one of the few water critics in North America. As a boy, he spent time in the larger cities of Italy， France and Switzerland， Where bottled water is consumed daily. Even then， he kept a water journal， noting the brands he liked best. My dog could tell the difference between bottled and tap water. He says.

But is plain tap water all that bad? Not at all. In fact， New Yorks municipal water for more than a century was called the champagne of tap water and until recently considered among the best in the world in terms of both taste and purity. Similarly， a magazine in England found that tap water from the Thames River tasted better than several leading brands of bottled water that were 400 times more expensive.

Nevertheless, soft－drink companies view bottled water as the next battle－ground for market share－this despite the fact that over 25 percent of bottled water comes from tap water：PepsiCos Aquafina and Coca－Colas Dasani are both purified tap water rather than spring water.

As diners thirst for leading brands， bottlers and restaurateurs salivate（垂涎） over the profits. A restaurants typical mark－up on wine is 100 to 150 percent， whereas on bottled water its often 300 to 500 percent. But since water is much cheaper than wine， and many of the fancier brands arent available in stores， most dines dont noticeorcare.

As a result, some restaurants are turning up the pressure to sell bottled water. According to an article in The Street Journal, some of the more shameless tactics include placing attractive bottles on the table for a visual sell, listing brands on the menu without prices， and pouring bottled water without even asking the dinners if they want it.

Regardless of how its sold, the popularity of bottled water taps into our desire for better health, our wish to appear cultivated， and even a longing for lost purity.

The “fancier brands” (Line 3 Para 5) refers to ________.

A. tap water from the Thames River

B. famous wines no t sold in ordinary stores 
C. PepsiCos Aquafina and Coca－Colas Dasani

D. expensive bottled water with impressive names

【答案】D

【解析】

语义题。fancier是fancy的比较级，fancy意为“昂贵的，高档的”相当于expensive；brands“品牌”即something with impressive names，由前面一句As diners thirst for leading brands， bottlers and restaurateurs salivate（垂涎） over the profits.可知，这里的品牌是指瓶装水的品牌，故答案为D。

提醒：沪江考后放出2012年12月英语四级答案及真题下载信息