有不會背的ＧＲＥ單字嗎？照過來！我教你！

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英國前首相柴徹爾夫人（1925-2013）人稱「鐵娘子」，1982年發動福島戰爭（Falkland Islands war），
她自稱「I am not a consensus politician. I am a conviction politician.」
（我不是追求共識的政治家，我是追求信念的政治家）

福克蘭是懸在阿根廷國土外的海上孤島，非常小，人口不及三千。英國在18世紀海外殖民時代獲取此島，
自此後島上住的都是英國後裔。1982年，阿根廷派軍佔領此島，母國英國嚥不下這口氣，鐵娘子一聲令下，
派軍反侵略，作戰74天，雙方損傷共近九百人，以阿根廷投降結束。

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強颱海燕重創菲律，許多英語新聞媒體不約而同出現這個標題：

Philippines reels after Typhoon Haiyan

請問大家，reel在此作何解釋呢？

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一般大家比較知道reel作名詞解釋：(電線, 棉紗等的)捲軸, 捲筒; 捲線車

其實，reel作動詞用，在日常生活似乎還更常用，如

1、reel(off)：滔滔不絕地講(或背誦); 流暢地寫
He could reel off the names of all the capitals of Europe . 他能一口氣說出歐洲各國首都的名字。



2、reel(又作 reel back)：to step backwards suddenly and almost fall over, especially after being hit or getting a shock 〔尤指遭受打擊或震驚而〕站立不穩

Diane reeled back in amazement . 黛安娜吃驚得朝後打了一個趔趄(音「列居」，身體搖晃，站立不穩的樣子)。
A punch in his stomach sent him reeling . 他的肚子上重重地挨了一拳﹐使他直打趔趄。

「Philippines reels after Typhoon Haiyan」中的reel就是作「站立不穩」解，
整句可譯為「海燕颱風肆虐之後，菲律賓搖搖欲墜」

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reel(verb)英文解釋

Definition: 1. to feel shocked or confused; 2. to whirl around and around in circles; 3. to move unsteadily; 4. to be struck or thrown back by something

Synonyms: spin, turn, whirl, stagger, teeter, waver

Antonyms: stand, steady

Tips: For the verb reel, think of a fishing-pole reel and how it is turned around in circles to reel in a fish. Now, think how dizzy you would get if you spun around in circles. This physical reeling (whirling, circling) might lead to emotional reeling (feeling dizzy, shocked). Use reel to denote feeling confused or shocked about something, especially something unexpected.

Usage Examples:

Still reeling from the shock of being fired, he was mumbling and incoherent when talking to his wife. (feeling confused and shocked, wavering)

I was able to ace him in tennis because he was still reeling from my previous shot. (feeling confused, feeling shocked, thrown off)

The Democrats are still reeling from all the seats they lost in the House. (feeling confused, feeling shocked)

Republicans are still reeling over losing the governor's race. (confused, shocked)

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2013年11月24日 陳怡妏╱綜合外電報導】

又到了年底送禮的旺季，美國科技大廠微軟（Microsoft）最近推出新的周邊商品吸金，不過，這批商品的主題為「去你的Google」，從馬克杯到T恤上的標語，都在嘲諷對手Google侵犯用戶隱私。

原本貴為科技界一哥的微軟，在Google搜尋引擎崛起後，就被比了下去。微軟去年成立「去你的Google」（Scroogled）網站，結合英文單字screwed（去你的）和對手Google名號而成，大肆批評Google利用瀏覽器、Gmail電郵等業務，窺探用戶喜好，獨佔廣告市場。
微軟上周三悄悄推出「去你的Google」周邊商品，共有馬克杯、帽子、T恤、外套等8項商品，售價從7.99美元到25.99美元（約237元到770元台幣）不等，上面印著Google商標和「當我們偷你的資料時，請保持冷靜」或「我正在監視你」等標語，諷刺意味十足。

商品一推出，部分T恤和馬克杯已被搶購一空。有網友留言：「要是微軟的Surface平板電腦也賣得這麼好就好了。」

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safari---apple電腦的browser的專屬名稱，英文意義為「獵遊」。
發音記法：殺伐旅(行)(剛好可對應到「獵遊」之義)

USAGE EXAMPLES
1.We went on a safari to see wild animals but ended up getting our first sustained look at extreme poverty.
Forbes Nov 21, 2013

2.It’s also being tested in a South African safari park to see whether it can help identify illegal rhinoceros poaching.
Washington Post Nov 3, 2013
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古時候的原意指貴族狩獵之旅，進入現代，則以眼睛、望遠鏡和相機取代獵槍，以吉普車取代馬匹，在大草原上奔馳欣賞野生動物的蹤跡。
電視裡、雜誌上看了讀了無數次，著實憧憬不已的「動物大遷徙」主要路線大多都落在坦尚尼亞的賽倫蓋提國家公園境內。當地Elewana旅館集團推出「SkySafari」包套行程。
以專屬8人座精緻私人飛機接駁，快速有效率，不僅可以從空中盡享地景動物風光；還能直接降落在景區正中心位置，遠離人潮。
按SkySafari的規畫，各地旅客們先以坦尚尼亞東北大城市：吉力馬札羅山腳下的阿魯沙為起點，搭乘私人飛機，不過短短20分鐘，窗下景觀已從成畦良田轉而為朗朗平野，直接降落在這趟Safari之行首站──塔蘭吉雷國家公園。

甫落地，登上4人座吉普車，獵遊行程隨即展開。
Tarangire國家公園在面積上雖只在坦尚尼亞排行第六，卻是聲名赫赫，以園區內超過三千頭以上的龐大象群，和同樣數量頗多的牛羚、斑馬、長頸鹿、水牛、各種羚羊，以及豐富多樣的鳥類聞名。
乾季時節，草樹盡皆乾枯，一片蒼黃，空寂成一種懾人的沉靜。土乾地裂間，卻得一彎Tarangire河自北而南貫穿其中，形成一道細細蔥翠綠帶，引得動物們自四方聚攏而來覓食飲水。
居高攬觀，遠山、黃土、綠茵、碧水，和河畔成群點點扶老攜幼、有的進食、有的飲水、有的警戒、有的懶洋洋，草中優閒靜望之動物影跡相映成趣；邈無人跡大自然裡無比和諧平靜的美麗，感動不已。
在Tarangire停留兩日夜，再次乘上飛機，一樣短短20分鐘飛行，抵達戈龍戈龍保護區。主要景區「Ngorongoro Crater是一整座火山爆發崩落形成的巨大山谷，規模穩居世界第一。在這兒相遇的動物們，一點不怕生，吉普車左右前後旁若無人堂堂大搖大擺揚長來去，有幾次甚至近得彷彿伸手可及。
(參考: 商業周刊／非洲三大朝聖地　看動物遷徙 )

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Paul Walker, `Fast and Furious` Actor, Dies at 40
Fans gathered at the site of a vehicle collition that killed actor Paul Walker, who was best known for his role in the "Fast and the Furious" movie franchise. KTLA`s Kimberly Cheng reports from Valencia on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2013.

玩命系列未完 保羅沃克車禍亡
集結兄弟義氣、香車美人、速度激情的電影「玩命關頭」系列，目前已經拍到第7集，從來沒人能預料到一部續集電影，能不斷刷新票房記錄，但片中重要演員保羅沃克（Paul Walker）於美國時間11月30日車禍過世，享年40歲。
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非常實用的一段文字。標紅色的字是gre單字。

請問上列文字中的franchise是什麼意思呢？

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很多人對franchise的意義很困惑(見奇摩知識)，因為臺灣(奇摩)字典裏所列的字義太少(公民權,選舉權,經銷權..)，跟文章兜不起來，需要加入新義。

以下是franchise的英文說明，主要有三大意義，第三意義大家比較不清楚，其實就是「同一系列的小說、電影---」/續集的意思，所以"Fast and the Furious" movie franchise可以翻成---電影「玩命關頭」系列(電影「亡命關頭」一系列的電影，目前拍攝完成的共有七集)。

A franchise is a right granted by a government or corporation to an individual or group of individuals. One of the most important government-issued rights — so important it's known simply as "the franchise" — is the right to vote.

In its more commercial meaning, the fast-food chain McDonalds is a franchise. So are Burger King and Kentucky Fried Chicken and the New York Yankees. In other words, businesses from which you can buy a license in order to sell or use their products.

More recently, the term has come to have an intellectual meaning as well, as in a particular series of books or films, such as the Harry Potter franchise.

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看完上述franchise的說明，對於下列在奇摩知識提問的句子，應該就沒有什麼問題了。

"The Nuggets set NBA season highs for points in a half with 84 and points in a game with a 168-116 rout of the Seattle SuperSonics on Sunday night. Denver set a franchise record(金塊隊這支球隊的一系列比賽紀錄) for most points in a regulation game(正規比賽) and fell just 16 points shy of the franchise record for points in a game."
(丹佛在正規比賽時間內創造了隊史上最多分的紀錄，差16分就達到隊史上一場比賽的最多分)
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This action-packed prequel tells the story of Logan, the Wolverine character(金剛狼) in the X-Men comic franchise(漫畫系列).

Star Trek, the 11th film in the Star Trek franchise, tells the story of the early years of the crew of the USS Enterprise.

Director Abrams brings his unique blend of action and drama to the billion-dollar franhise.(說的是不可能的任務第三集的導演)
註：Abrams艾布拉姆斯 (J. J. Abrams)，在電視圈最具影響力的人之一，著名的電視影集，包括Lost檔案，雙面女間諜( Alias)，都是他導演的，他也出任星艦迷航記 Star Trek的第11集的導演一職(在2008年上映)。
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至於以下的BBC的句子，當然也是沒問題

Meanwhile, the Fast & Furious franchise continued to gather pace(事情發展很快/加快腳步) as the exploits英勇表現 of Walker's character kept fans hooked.
BBC Dec 1, 2013
(Paul Walker在片中的英勇表現在緊緊抓住粉絲們的同時，the Fast & Furious的續集也加快腳步開拍)

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在這個網址(http://magoosh.com/gre/2013/gre-vocab-w ... ble-words/)
提到四組confusable words：

1. capitulate (投降) vs. recapitulate (重述要點)

2. founder (失敗) vs. flounder (舉步維艱)

3. prodigious (大量的) vs. prodigal (浪費的)

4. gallivant (遊覽) vs. galvanize (產生巨大刺激)

不知道大家有沒有好記的方法，可以提供給其他網友？

在將後的發文，我將一一與大家分享我的記法，歡迎繼續收看本欄。

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1.capitulate (投降) vs. recapitulate (重述要點)

To capitulate is to give up or surrender, usually in some competition or battle. The word comes from the Latin, caput, meaning head. I think of someone relenting, or lowering his or her head in defeat.

To recapitulate means to recap, or summarize the main points of. Unlike, recap, recapitulation tends to show up in more fancy academic contexts:

Thorton’s text, in an attempt to recapitulate the history of Plantagenets, misses some salient aspects of the dynasty.
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capitulate (投降)/ recapitulate (重述要點) 記法：

牢記以下這個口訣---有阿姨(re)，就重述要點(字根re-：again)；沒阿姨就投降

說明：有人力(阿姨)，就做點事(重述要點)；沒人力(沒阿姨)就不做事(投降)

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2. founder (失敗/沈沒) vs. flounder (胡亂地[困難地]說話[做事] /舉步維艱)

記法：

founder 發音：帆(船)倒->沈船(再聯想負面字義「失敗」)

flounder 發音：胡亂倒(走路倒來倒去)-> 胡亂地[困難地]說話[做事] /舉步維艱

第二個記法是由熟悉的字義(作名詞時，founder=建立者 flounder=比目魚)開始記字串(我比較喜歡此法)：

founder：建立者-失敗-沈沒(想成：建立者失敗->沈默)

flounder：比目魚-胡亂行動-舉步維艱(想像比目魚掙扎行動卻一步都動不了的樣子)


英文說明在下。

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To flounder is to struggle, but to founder is to sink like a stone and fail. Both are fun as nouns, not so fun as verbs.

The word founder can also mean somebody who starts a company(創立者)— you knew that already. But as a verb, founder literally means "to sink." Figuratively, it's "to collapse or fail completely (which no founder wants to think about at the inception of his or her company )."

Here are some examples of sinking and failing:

Pratt resisted the impulse of most Mormons to head back to the foundering ship. (Salt Lake Tribune)

Xinhua, in an English-language commentary, said China could not stand by while its largest trading partner foundered. (Reuters)

Yet negotiations over new gas contracts have foundered. (Economist)
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A flounder is a flat fish with both eyes on one side of its head(比目魚). But as a verb, it means to move with great difficulty, usually because of the medium (they floundered about in the mud, moving only a few paces at a time). To flounder can also connote mental struggle (he took the GRE cold-turkey and floundered in the beginning sections). To flounder means something is struggling but hasn't completely failed.

If you flounder in the ocean, you need a surfer dude to scoop you up. You don't have to be in water, though; you can flounder any time you're a little wobbly — like after a long hike or during the last hour of the SATs. Either way, when you flounder, you wish you were a flat fish at the bottom of the sea.

In the following examples, something is struggling but hasn't completely failed:

He set out for it, limping, while the sharp gravel rolled under his bleeding feet as he floundered up the climbing trail. (Harold Bindloss)

It is a war that has floundered for nine years(胡亂地打了九年仗) without a rational strategy and may endure for another decade. (Sydney Morning Herald)

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3. prodigious (大量的) vs. prodigal (浪費的) 記法之前提過，在此略過

A Jeopardy champion has a prodigious memory; elephants have prodigious ears. The amount of mineral wealth in Africa is prodigious; the number of GRE Wednesdays are verging on the prodigious (I think I’ve done over a 100 J). If you haven’t guessed, prodigious means great or immense in size, degree, or intensity. And if you want to do very well on the GRE verbal, you need a prodigious vocabulary.

The prodigal son is a story from the Bible about a young man from a wealthy who decides to take a little trip, gallivanting (and gambling!) about the Mediterranean. After blowing all his father’s wealth he comes back and asks for forgiveness. In modern American, the prodigal son would probably be thrown out of the house or put on some 12-step program. In the story from the Bible, however, the father forgives the son his prodigality. If you haven’t guess it yet, prodigal means wasteful, especially of money or resources.

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4. gallivant (遊覽) vs. galvanize (產生巨大刺激)

記法
gallivant 發音：傑拉(人名)玩透(透)->遊覽/閒逛

galvanize 發音：給我奶子->一定會對我產生巨大刺激(有點顏色的記法)

英文說明
The first word means to have a great night about the town (a word that probably wouldn’t show up on the GRE, and something we definitely don’t recommend doing the night before taking the GRE).

informal or humorous -to spend time enjoying yourself and going from place to place for pleasure
【非正式或幽默】閒逛﹐遊蕩﹐尋歡作樂

慣用語gallivant about/around She spent six months gallivanting around Europe .
她花了六個月的時間在歐洲到處遊玩。
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Galvanize, a relatively high-frequency GRE word, means to stimulate or excite into action. As in, this list should galvanize you into studying vocabulary if you don’t know most of these words—and your test day is imminent

字源部分，請參看2013-01-10 「細說Galvanize」一文