这里的词汇基础不仅仅是指对所学单词的读音、拼写和意义的掌握，还要懂得常用单词的前后搭配、近义词辨析及短语动词的区别等。中考单填空题涉及到：
(1) 常用词的前后搭配。请看下面这道中考题：
The earth is
our home. We must ______it clean.
A. change
B. sweep
C. keep
D. build
答案是C，因为在这几个动词中能接“宾语+宾补”的只有keep。
(2) 近义词细微差别，特别是近义动词、名词、形容词和副词的辨析。如常考的有：spend, cost,
pay, take; talk, speak, tell, say; borrow, lend, keep, use; take, bring, fetch;
hope, wish, expect; start, begin; lie, lay; hear, listen, sound; see, look;
beat, win, lose, fail; rise, raise, lift; forget, leave; sound, voice, noise;
home, family, house, room; game, match; excuse, reason; large, big; good, well等等。请看下面这道中考题：
The
temperature was below zero. It was difficult to ______ the car.
A. move
B. get
C. begin
D. star
答案是D。温度低与能否搬动、移动汽车，或者得到汽车均无关系，极易排除答案A和B；关键是区分begin和start，只要懂得使机器开始运转或发动机的开动只能用start而不用begin，就可选出正确答案了D。
(3) 短语动词的比较，特别是由get, look, take, put,
turn, come, send等动词加up, down, for,
to, on, after, in, out, off, away等介词或副词构成的短语动词。常考的有：get on / off /
up / back; look at / for / after / up / out / like; put down / up / off / on /
away; take off / up / down / away; turn off / on / up / down; send up / off /
for; open up, made up; agree with, come up with等等。请看下面这道中考题：
I didn’t go to the park with my classmates, because my
mother asked me to ______ my little sister at home.
A. look after
B. look at
C. look for
D. look like
答案是C，由句子的意思可知母亲叫我在叫“照看(look for)”妹妹。此题要求考生熟记各词组的不同意思。
