Lesson 01 : Vocabulary Questions¶
About Synonym¶
How many words can we use to describe the meaning 'bad'?
- harmful
- damaging
- negative
- adverse
- detrimental
- destructive
- disastrous
- catastrophic
- calamitous
- paralyzing
- cripping
- deleterious
- traumatic
- debilitating
- pernicious
- pestilential
- malignant
About Pronunciation¶
| Words | Pronunciation | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edinburgh | /ˈɛdɪnbrə/ | 爱丁堡 | |
| Illinois | /ˌɪləˈnɔɪ/ | 伊利诺伊州 | s 不发音 |
| Cambridge | /ˈkeɪmbrɪdʒ/ | 剑桥 | |
| suite | /swiːt/ | 一套 | |
| desert/dessert | /ˈdezət/ /dɪˈzɜːt/ | 沙漠/甜点 | |
| colonel/colonial | /ˈkɜːnl/ /kəˈləʊniəl/ | 上校/殖民地 | |
| clean/cleanliness | /kliːn/ /ˈklenlinəs/ | 干净 | |
| rebel/rebellion | /rɪˈbel/ /rɪˈbeljən/ | 反抗 | |
| indictment | /ɪnˈdaɪtmənt/ | 诉讼 | |
| annihilate | /əˈnaɪəleɪt/ | 歼灭 | |
| aisle | /aɪl/ | 过道 | |
| paradigm | /ˈpærədaɪm/ | 范式 | |
| poignant | /ˈpɔɪnjənt/ | 令人感伤的 |
About Prefix, Root and Suffix¶
e.g. supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
- super-
- cali-: beauty
- calisthenics 健美操
- calligraphy
- fragil-: delicate
- fragment
- fraction 片段
- frail 脆弱的
- expia-: compensate
- expiate(vt.) 赎罪
- expiation
- doc-: teach
- doctor
- document
- docile 温顺的，驯服的
- doctrine 学说，教义
- docent 讲解员
原意：用精致的美丽补偿可教育性的缺失（atone for educability through delicate beauty）
引申：人见人爱花见花开车见车爆胎
Vocabulary Questions¶
Contrast / Antonym Clues¶
- A word or phrase is clarified by the presentation of the opposite meaning somewhere close to its use. Look for signal words when applying context clues.
Signal Words
| instead | rather | but | however | nevertheless | nonetheless |
| albeit | unlike | conversely | reversely | on the contrary | on the reverse |
| in/by contrast | whereas | while | despite | in spite of | notwithstanding |
| even though |
Example 01
The major conflict in the novel is between a mother who places a high value on diligence and a son who repudiates his mother's value instead preferring an easier path to fortune and celebrity.
- The word repudiates is closest in meaning to _______.
- A) renounces
- B) sanctions
- C) appreciates
- D) reinforces
A) renounces
可以看到这里的 Signal Word 是开头的 conflict，说明 and 前后两者是截然相反的，因此这个词的大概意思应该是反对。
Example 02
Lou thought that her mother's recovery was unavailing, but Oz remained faithful to the course of his mother's restored health.
- The word unavailing is closest in meaning to _______.
- A) trivial
- B) imminent
- C) furtile
- D) promising
C) furtile
可以看到这里的 Signal Word 是 but，说明前半句大意为 Lou 认为她妈妈的治疗没希望了（和 faithful 相对应）
Example 03
Johnny was besotted in not checking the depth of the water before he plunged in, but it was fortunate that his father was judicious and checked it first.
- The word besotted is closest in meaning to _______.
- A) insensitive
- B) unaware
- C) irrational
- D) incompetent
C) irrational
可以看到这里的 Signal Word 是 but，其实从后面大意也能看出这个词大致意思就是糊涂的，与后文 judicious 正好相反。
Example 04
Brad made a cursory effort to finish his homework. This was unlike him; usually he worked hard to finish before dinner.
- The word cursory is closest in meaning to _______.
- A) casual
- B) genuine
- C) fruitless
- D) strenuous
A) casual
可以看到这里的 Signal Word 是 unlike，前后对比就可以发现这个词的大意是马虎的，敷衍的。
Example 05
We were all pretty apathetic in the movie about animals, but we became interested when it started showing all the tricks dogs could do.
- The word apathetic is closest in meaning to _______.
- A) gracious
- B) sentimental
- C) unresponsive
- D) sluggish
C) unresponsive
可以看到这里的 Signal Word 是 but，能看出大致意思就是不感兴趣的（与后面 interested 对应）。
Parallel Structure / Synonyms¶
- A challenging word or phrase is clarified in simpler language. Look for signal words when applying context clues.
Signal Words
| and | not only...but also | as...as | both...and... | either...or... |
| neither...nor... | as if | as though | as well |
Example 01
The sorcerer's minions, or devoted followers, were willing to perform any sorcery he could conjure.
- The word minions is closest in meaning to _______.
- A) superiors
- B) adherents
- C) companions
- D) adversaries
B) adherents
可以看到这里的 Signal Word 是 or，已经对这个词进行了详尽的解释，devoted followers。
Example 02
The business downturn of the Great Depression was pervasive-it affected all sectors of the economy.
- The word pervasive is closest in meaning to _______.
- A) persistent
- B) pessimistic
- C) prevailing
- D) catastrophic
C) prevailing
可以看到这里的 Signal 是破折号后面的内容，对这个词作出了解释，可以看出这个词的大意就是影响广泛的。
Example 03
The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance and benevolence were all my business.
- The word forbearance is closest in meaning to _______.
- A) stubbornness
- B) tolerance
- C) rigorousness
- D) malevolence
B）tolerance
根据列出的这些词，可以知道我们应该选一个积极的词，看这个词的构造有个 -bear-，可以猜测跟忍耐有关（bushi。
Definition / Explanation / Example Clues¶
- A word's or phrase's meaning is explained immediately following its use.
Signal Words
| contribute to | be responsible for | account for | since | therefore | inasmuch as |
| for | because | in that | as a consequence | as a result |
Example
An evanscent ring surrounded the moon as it rose. It was there for a moment, and then it disappeared.
- The word evanscent is closest in meaning to _______.
- A) crescent
- B) eternal
- C) transient
- D) fabulous
C）transient
最后一句话解释了这个词的意思，转瞬即逝。
Word Relationships¶
- Sometimes a word's or phrase's meaning might be inferred from the relationship between words, say, between V. and its object, N. and its adjective modifier, V. and adverb, and the like.
Example
When the gas reaches the air, it comes into contact with available oxygen from atmosphere and combines with the oxygen to produce nitrogen dioxide, which is a gas with a brownish hue.
- The word hue is closest in meaning to _______.
- A) color
- B) odor
- C) thickness
- D) smoke
A）color
很明显，brownish 一词就说明了这是一个颜色。
New words¶
| Words | Part of Speech | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| buoyancy | n. | 浮力 | |
| photosynthesize | v. | 光合作用 | photo- 前缀表示与光有关的 n. photosynthesis |
| biomass | n. | 生物质 | |
| euphotic | adj. | 透光的 | eu- 前缀表示好的 |
| euphoria | n. | 欣快感 | |
| euphonious | adj. | 悦耳的 | syn. melodious -phon- 与声音有关的 |
| euphemism | n. | 委婉语 | -phem- 与说话有关的 |
| eulogy | n. | 颂 | -log- 与说话有关的 |
| euthanasia | n. | 安乐死 | -than- 与死亡有关的 |
| eugenics | n. | 优生学 | -gen- 与基因有关的 |
| furnish | v. | 提供 | |
| nourishment | n. | 营养 | |
| prerequisite | n. | 先决条件 | |
| phytoplankton | n. | 浮游植物 | phyt- 与植物有关的 |
| plank | n. | 平板支撑 | |
| plankton | n. | 浮游生物 | |
| zooplankton | n. | 浮游动物 | zoo- 与动物有关的 |
| hydrophyte | n. | 水生植物 | hydro- 与水有关的 |
| xerophyte | n. | 旱生植物 | xero- 干的 |
| cryophyte | n. | 冰雪植物 | cryo- 冷的 |
| lithopyte | n. | 岩生植物 | litho- 与岩石有关的 |
| epiphyte | n. | 附生植物 | |
| appreciable | adj. | 可观的 | syn. considerable |
| renounce | v. | 宣布放弃 | -nounce 后缀表示说 -re 前缀表示 (1) again (2) back syn. deny, abandon |
| denounce | v. | 谴责 | syn. condemn, reprimand |
| enunciate | v. | 阐明 | -nunc- 也表示说 |
| sanction | v. | 同意，制裁 | sanct- 前缀表示神圣的 |
| sanctuary | n. | 庇护所 | -ary 后缀表示一个地点 |
| sanctum | n. | 圣所 | |
| sanctimonious | adj. | 伪善的 | syn. hypocritial |
| imminent | adj. | 迫在眉睫的 | |
| eminent | adj. | 杰出的 | |
| preeminent | adj. | 卓越的 | |
| prominent | adj. | 著名的 | |
| pertinent | adj. | 有关的 | 后面加 to |
| geyser | n. | 间歇泉 | |
| intermittent | adj. | 间歇的 | |
| trivial | adj. | 不重要的 | |
| futile | adj. | 徒劳的 | |
| besotted | adj. | 不明智的 | |
| perfunctory | adj. | 敷衍的 | syn. casual |
| strenuous | adj. | 奋力的 | |
| cursory | adj. | 仓促的 | curs- 前缀表示 run |
| cursor | n. | 光标 | |
| cursive | adj. | 连笔的 | |
| discursive | adj. | 东拉西扯的 | |
| excursion | n. | 远足 | ex- 前缀表示出去 |
| incursion | n. | 入侵 | in- 前缀表示进来 syn. invasion adj. incursive |
| precursor | n. | 先驱，先锋 | syn. forerunner, predecessor, ancestor |
| recursive | adj. | 递归的 | |
| apathetic | adj. | 不感兴趣的 | syn. unresponsive, indifferent a-/an- 前缀表示否定 -path- 表示情感 n. apathy |
| anarchy | n. | 无政府状态 | |
| antipathy | n. | 厌恶，反感 | |
| telepathy | n. | 心灵感应 | tele- 前缀表示远的 |
| pathology | n. | 病理学 | path- 前缀表示疾病，痛苦 |
| pathogen | n. | 病菌 | |
| pathogenesis | n. | 发病机制 | |
| cardiopathy | n. | 心脏病 | |
| adherent | n. | 拥护者 | v. adhere (+to) her- 前缀表示黏住 syn. proponent, advocate, supporter |
| adhesive | n./adj. | 黏合剂/黏合的 | |
| coherent | adj. | 连贯的 | |
| cohesive | adj. | 结合的 | n. cohesion |
| inherent | adj. | 内在的 | |
| sector | n. | 部门 | |
| pervade | v. | 弥漫 | adj. pervasive (syn. prevalent, prevailing) n. pervasion -vade 后缀表示走 per- 前缀表示每一个，彻底的 |
| invade | v. | 入侵 | |
| evade | v. | 逃避 | adj. evasive |
| benevolence | n. | 仁爱 | bene- 前缀表示好的 |
| malevolence | n. | 恶意 | male- 前缀表示不好的 |
| malicious | adj. | 恶意的 | |
| maltreatment | n. | 虐待 | |
| malnutrition | n. | 营养不良 | |
| malignant | adj. | 恶性的 | |
| transient | adj. | 短暂的 | syn. fleeting, temporary, ephemeral |
| evanescent | adj. | 转瞬即逝的 | -escent 表示逐渐变成 |
| crescent | n. | 新月 | |
| candescent | adj. | 白热的 | |
| quiescent | adj. | 静态的 | |
| iridescent | adj. | 色彩斑斓的 | |
| descent | n. | 下降 | |
| odor | n. | 气味 | |
| inasmuch | adv. | 因为 | +as |
| hue | n. | 颜色 |