A

The average person learns most of the 30，000—40，000 words whose meanings he or she recognizes by hearing them or getting familiar with them in the context （语境） of simply absorbing them without conscious effort. The best way to build a good vocabulary， therefore， is to read a great deal and to take part in a lot of good talks. There are relatively few words that we learn permanently by purposefully referring to dictionaries or keeping word lists. However， even those extra few are of value， and no one will make a mistake by working on developing a larger vocabulary. Here are some suggestions on how to do it.

Read plenty of good books. When you come across a new word， or a new meaning of an old word， stop and see if you can understand it from its context. If you cant， and if you can manage without interrupting the thought of the book too much， look it up in a dictionary or ask somebody and then repeat its meaning to yourself a couple of times. If you are really serious-minded preferably using it in a sentence， you can keep a special vocabulary notebook. Go over the list from time to time. Further， try to use a new word in writing or conversation a few times over the next several days.

Listen to good talks and be alert to new words you hear or to new meanings of words you already know. Then treat them just as you do the new words you read.

Learn and be alert to the parts of words： prefixes （前缀）， suffixes and roots. Knowing them enables you to make intelligent guesses about the meaning of words.

If you are studying a foreign language， be alert to words in that language which relate to words in English. English has inherited （继承） or borrowed much of its vocabulary of 500，000-600，000 words from Latin， Greek， French， Spanish and German.

1. What is one of the best ways to build a good vocabulary？

A. To remember a lot.

B. To read some novels.

C. To refer to dictionaries.

D. To take part in a lot of good talks.

2. What should you do first when you meet a new word in reading？

A. Guess its meaning from its context.

B. Look it up in a dictionary.

C. Repeat reading it.

D. Ask somebody to help.

3. The underlined phrase “be alert to” in Paragraph 3 may best be replaced by “___”.

A. learn by heart B. pay attention to

C. write down D. look at

4. What does the underlined word “them” in Paragraph 4 refer to？

A. The parts of words. B. Prefixes.