Predicting Content

The sky turned dark, and clouds gathered over the harbour.

天空轉暗，雲層在海港上空聚集。

Wind shook the trees, and leaves flew everywhere.

狂風搖動樹木，樹葉四處飛舞。

People closed their windows quickly, and some ran for cover.

人們趕快關窗，有些人跑去找地方躲避。

Look at the title of this passage: “Before the Storm”.

看看這篇文章的標題：「暴風雨前」。

From the title, we can predict that a big storm is coming.

從標題可以預測，一場大風暴即將來臨。

The picture of grey clouds also gives us a clue.

灰雲的圖片也給我們提示。

When we see these signs, we can guess the topic even before we read a single word.

看到這些跡象，即使未讀過一個字，我們也能猜到主題。

Suddenly, lightning lit up the sky, and thunder followed.

突然，閃電照亮天空，雷聲隨後而至。

Heavy rain began to pour, drumming on the rooftops like a thousand drums.

大雨傾盆而下，像千面鼓一樣敲打著屋頂。

A heading in the newspaper says “Storm Warning”.

報紙上一個副標題寫著「風暴警告」。

From this heading, we can infer that the storm will be strong.

從這個副標題，我們可以推斷風暴會很強烈。

The word “warning” tells us to be careful.

「警告」一詞提醒我們要小心。

We do not need to read every sentence to understand the danger.

要明白危險，我們不需要讀完每一句。

Good readers use the context around a word to work out its meaning.

好讀者會利用詞語前後的語境推敲詞義。

After the storm, the sun came out again.

風暴過後，太陽再次出來。

Our guess was correct, and we confirmed it by reading the weather report the next morning.

我們的猜測正確，第二天早上讀天氣報告時得到確認。

A weather report said the wind reached force ten.

天氣報告說風力達到十級。

Predicting is a useful reading skill: look at the title, the pictures and the headings, make a guess, and then read to confirm or correct your ideas.

預測是有用的閱讀技巧：看標題、圖片和副標題，作出猜測，然後閱讀去確認或修正想法。

If your first guess is wrong, that is fine; adjust it as new information appears.

如果最初的猜測錯了也沒關係，隨著新資訊出現再調整。

With practice, you can infer meaning and enjoy reading even more.

多加練習，你就能推斷詞義，更享受閱讀。