本研究主旨在探討字彙解釋及例句對學習者閱讀理解和字彙學習的影響。受測者是平均年齡十六歲的國中生，研究者隨機地將受測者分成四組：E-gloss group（文章附有英文的字彙解釋）、C-gloss group（文章附有中文的字彙解釋）、E-gloss-Ex group（文章附有英文的字彙解釋加例句）、No-gloss group（文章不附任何的字彙解釋）。這些受測者接受前測、文章閱讀和三次後測，只有E-gloss group、C-gloss group 及E-gloss-Ex group的受測者接受問卷調查。本研究的主要發現摘要如下：
1、 中文的字彙解釋及英文的字彙解釋加例句對受測者的閱讀理解和字彙學習有顯著的影響。
2、 例句顯著地幫助受測者了解文章中的生字。
3、 查詢中文解釋的學習效果顯著地比查詢英文解釋的學習效果好。
4、 中文的字彙解釋及英文的字彙解釋加例句對於高成就的受測者而言比較有利；對於低成就的受測者而言，中文的字彙解釋比其他方法有效。
5、 本研究發現的遺忘糢式和Qian (1996) 及Chun (2001) 發現的類似，受測者的遺忘率在每次的後測之後趨於緩和。
6、 大部份的受測者肯定字彙解釋及例句的功用；至於字彙解釋的語言，在E-gloss及E-gloss-Ex group中，約一半的受測者支持使用可理解的英文，但是，在C-gloss group中，大部份的受測者選擇使用中文。

　　總而言之，在國中的學習環境裡，以英文學習英文是可行的；但是，字彙解釋及例句中的單字必須是學習者所能理解的；還有，因為中文的字彙解釋對學習者也有幫助，尤其是低成就的學習者，所以，本研究建議教科書的編者在提供字彙解釋時，可以結合中文的字彙解釋及英文的字彙解釋加例句。此外，為了使學習者能夠記得所學得的單字，老師必須定時地安排單字複習的活動以礭保學習者記得最多的新單字及減少遺忘，透過不斷地沉浸在這些單字中，新學得的單字和學習者已有的字庫期望得到緊密的結合。

　　The study aimed to investigate the impact of vocabulary glosses and example sentences on learners' performances in reading comprehension and vocabulary learning. The subjects were third-year students in junior high school, whose average ages were 16 years old. The subjects in the experiment were randomly divided into four groups: the E-gloss group (reading texts with English glosses), the C-gloss group (reading texts with Chinese glosses), the E-gloss-Ex group (reading texts with English glosses plus example sentences), and the No-gloss group (reading texts without any help in vocabulary). A pre-test, a reading text, and recall tests were given for all the subjects and a questionnaire was for the E-gloss, C-gloss, and E-gloss-Ex group to fill after text reading. The findings are summarized as follows:
1. Chinese vocabulary glosses alone and English vocabulary glosses plus example sentences had a significantly positive effect on the subjects' performances in reading comprehension and vocabulary learning.
2. The example sentences significantly facilitated the subjects' comprehension of unfamiliar words in the text.
3. The Chinese glosses led to better learning results than the English glosses.
4. Both the Chinese glosses and the English glosses plus example sentences worked better for the subjects with high proficiency levels. As for the low proficiency subjects, learning with Chinese glosses was significantly more advantageous than with other kinds of vocabulary assistances.
5. The forgetting patterns found in the study were similar to those in Qian's (1996) and Chun's (2001) studies. The subjects' decline of retention slowed down after each recall test.
6. Most of the subjects supported the use of vocabulary glosses and example sentences. About half of the subjects in the E-gloss and E-gloss-Ex group favored comprehensible English, but most of the subjects in the C-gloss group opted for Chinese.

　　In conclusion, learning English by means of English is feasible in junior high school. However, the words in the glosses and example sentences must be comprehensible for learners. Furthermore, it is recommended to integrate Chinese glosses with English glosses plus example sentences in the textbooks because Chinese glosses also contribute a lot to learners' vocabulary learning, especially for low proficiency learners. In addition, for words to be learned and retained by learners, teachers should arrange frequent review of the new words to ensure maximum retention and slower forgetting. Through successive encounters, the connection between the new words and learners' existing lexicon hopes to be reinforced.

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