学生做英语阅读时往往很怕遇到生词。但遇到生词又是很普遍的，第一是有些文章的主题就是介绍新事物，而这个新事物是学生未曾接触过的，自然感到陌生；第二是学生平时掌握的基本是熟词熟义，而有些文章涉及到了熟词生义；第三是学生在背高考范围内的3500词时掌握不够扎实。
生词如此普遍，高考英语也有对应的猜词题。那么，就要考虑如何通过各种技巧来攻克猜词题，甚至把这些猜词技巧推广到其它生词。
猜词题可以划分为两大类，实词和虚词。实词包含几个小类，分别是单词、短语、句子（短句为主）。虚词通常为代词。
本文主要介绍短语类。
2019年普通高等学校招生全国统一考试（全国卷II）B篇第25题
如下：
What does the underlined phrase“tug at the heartstrings”in paragraph 2 mean ?
A. Encourage team work .
B. Appeal to feeling.
C. Promote good deeds.
D. Provide advice.
题干问的是第2段中tug at the heartstrings这个短语的含义。对应原文第2段
I guess that there's probably some demanding work schedule, or social anxiety around stepping up to help for an unknown sport. She may just need a little persuading. So I try again and tug at the heartstrings. I mention the single parent with four kids running the show and I talk about the dad coaching a team that his kids aren’t even on … At this point the unwilling parent speaks up,“Alright. Yes, I’ll do it.”
由原文可知作者试图去劝说一位女性家长。“她可能仅需要一点劝说，所以我又试了一下，并tug at the hearstrings。”后文提到作者的话术是讲了其他家长的案例，这更多属于诉诸情感。因此选项B比较符合。
如果考生仍觉得不是很有把握，也可以考虑用反向推导。这段话是作者给一位家长讲其他家长的案例，并不涉及A选项的鼓励团队合作，也不涉及C选项的促进善行，也不涉及D选项的提供建议。
考生亦可以通过字面含义来推导。hearstrings字面义是心灵绳索。这也是偏向于感性，与B选项更为
2019年普通高等学校招生全国统一考试（全国卷III）B篇第26题
如下：
What do the underlined words "taking on" in paragraph 4 mean?
A. learning from
B. looking down on
C. working with
D. competing against
题干问的是第4段的taking on的含义。原文第4段如下：
"China is impossible to overlook," says Hill. "Chinese models are the faces of beauty and fashion campaigns that sell dreams to women all over the world, which means Chinese women are not just consumers of fashion — they are central to its movement. "Of course, only are today's top Western designers being influenced by China-some of the best designers of contemporary fashion are themselves Chinese." Vera Wang, Alexander Wang, Jason Wu are taking on Galiano, Albaz, Marc Jacobs-and beating them hands down in design and sales," adds Hil.
原文提到中国女性对世界时尚潮流的影响力。原文出现了beating them hands down in design and sales说明是前者打败了后者，因此这是在描述时尚竞争，D选项competing against符合文意。
2017年普通高等学校招生全国统一考试1卷D篇第33题
如下：
What does the underlined phrase “the water catcher” in paragraph 2 refer to?
A. The tube.
B. The still.
C. The hole.
D. The cup.
题干问的是第2段的the water catcher的含义。原文第1、2段如下：
A build-it-yourself solar still（蒸馏器） is one of the best ways to obtain drinking water in areas where the liquid is not readily available. Developed by two doctors in the U.S. Department of Agriculture, it’s an excellent water collector. Unfortunately, you must carry the necessary equipment with you, since it’s all but impossible to find natural substitutes. The only components required, though, are a 5＇ 5＇ sheet of clear or slightly milky plastic, six feet of plastic tube, and a container— perhaps just a drinking cup — to catch the water. These pieces can be folded into a neat little pack and fastened on your belt.
To construct a working still, use a sharp stick or rock to dig a hole four feet across and three feet deep. Try to make the hole in a damp area to increase the water catcher’s productivity. Place your cup in the deepest part of the hole. Then lay the tube in place so that one end rests all the way in the cup and the rest of the line runs up — and out — the side of the hole.
原文讲的是一种自助式蒸馏器的制作，这种蒸馏器能够在干旱缺少地区集水。因此water catcher其实指的就是这种能“捕捉水”的集水器，即这个蒸馏器，因此B选项符合。
最后来一道练习题
大家可以在留言区写下答案哦！
2016年普通高等学校招生全国统一考试3卷C篇第10题如下：
What does the underlined phrase “a pipe dream” in Paragraph 3 mean?
A. A practical idea.
B. A vain hope.
C. A brilliant plan.
D. A selfish desire.
原文第3段如下：
There are also varieties developed to suit specific local conditions. One of the very best varieties for eating quality is Orleans Reinette, but you'll need a warm, sheltered place with perfect soil to grow it, so it's a pipe dream for most apple lovers who fall for it.