有不會背的GRE單字嗎?照過來!我教你!

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Re: 有不會背的GRE單字嗎?照過來!我教你!

文章spank » 2015-02-17 08:16

Benedict Cumberbatch Marries Sophie Hunter

Those sounds you hear? They’re the sobs of Cumberbabes across the world.

Benedict Cumberbatch is officially off the market. The Imitation Game actor tied the knot with theater director Sophie Hunter on Saturday.

The private ceremony took place at St. Peter and St. Paul’s Church in Mottistone, located on the Isle of Wight in England. A reception followed at Mottistone Manor.
(TIME 2015-02-15)

2014年11月5日,The Imitation Game《模仿遊戲》男主角英國演員Benedict Cumberbatch康柏拜區宣佈跟劇場導演蘇菲•杭特訂婚,婚訊由康柏拜區的父母以英國傳統方式,於《泰吾士報》的婚訊版刊登宣告。2015年1月,康柏拜區的發言人證實,兩人的首個孩子將於同年稍後時間出生。2015年2月14日,兩人於懷特島郡上的聖伯多祿聖保祿堂結婚,喜宴則在Mottistone莊園舉行。

一身喜氣的Benedict Cumberbatch能否靠The Imitation Game《模仿遊戲》,奪下2015的奧斯卡是眾所矚目的焦點。

Benedict Cumberbatch在電影《模仿遊戲》詮釋了英國數學天才艾倫圖靈,更被視為演藝生涯裡最大的挑戰。1931年艾倫圖靈進入劍橋大學國王學院,畢業後到美國普林斯頓大學攻讀博士學位,二戰爆發後回到劍橋,後曾協助軍方破解德國的著名密碼系統Enigma,對盟軍取得了二戰的勝利有一定的幫助。因為艾倫圖靈在上個世紀時,還幾乎是幽靈人口,他破解了德軍的密碼機加上同志身份,讓他一直不在歷史中留名。在沒有存有太多影像和史料參考的情形下,讓班奈迪克的詮釋更形困難,還好靠著他多年累積的實力和智慧,忠實且突出地演繹了這位自閉天才。

#################################################################
off the market 字面意思是「離開(單身)市場」,也就是「不再單身」的意思。至於

tie the knot (with)當然就是結婚的意思。

註:
1.有趣的是,小寫的benedict正是新婚的男人的意思(尤指獨身多年方結婚者),我們恭喜Benedict終於成為benedict。
2.提到benedict,有人提到:「字首、字根」不是萬無一失,像benedict(新婚者),拆開bene(好), dict(誓言)。從(好)和(誓言)要想到「新婚者」,還有一段距離。(見https://tw.knowledge.yahoo.com/question/question?qid=1510071403346)

其實就一個「新婚者」而言,大家一起對他說(dict-)好話(bene-)(例如百年好和、恭喜有情人終成眷屬----)是個必然的事情,因此用benedict表示「新婚者」看來還是滿有道理的,說「從(好)和(誓言)要想到「新婚者」,還有一段距離」,顯然不是事實。但是上句話所說的「字首、字根不是萬無一失」,這我是同意的(可以解釋的單字不到50%,甚至有人說不到30%)。
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Re: 有不會背的GRE單字嗎?照過來!我教你!

文章spank » 2015-02-19 23:56

CNN驚呼:春晚規模比超級盃大多了 2015年02月19日 14:24

Behind the show that's bigger than the Super Bowl

Story highlights
• China wants its annual Lunar New Year Gala to go global.
• It has made deals with YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Google.
• Gala organizers say 700 million viewers tuned into the show last year.
• CCTV has even rented a video billboard in the heart of New York's Time Square to plug the show.

gala:慶典﹐演出盛會
The gala, a variety show broadcast on state television since 1983, is a cultural phenomenon and a key propaganda tool of the Chinese Communist Party. It's also a ratings juggernaut.

ratings:rating的複數形,表示(電視節目)收視率

juggernaut:a massive inexorable force that seems to crush everything in its way駭人的毀滅力量/【印神】世界主宰(大寫)

a ratings juggernaut:表示是收視率的冠軍(相較於 the Super Bowl, Oscars, Emmys, American Idol finales and MTV Video Music Awards)

plug(在廣播或電視中)一再宣傳;大打廣告
People are always plugging their books on TV talk shows . 人們總是在電視訪談節目中一再推薦自己所寫的書。



中國大陸央視的春晚節目於昨(18)日晚間播出,雖然收視率尚未統計出爐,但美國有線電視CNN已先對春晚與超級盃作了比較分析。CNN認為,美國最富盛名、收視率最高的超級盃,收視規模遠遜於春晚,就連奧斯卡、艾美獎、美國偶像總決賽、MTV音樂盛典加起來也沒比春晚多。

根據觀察者網報導,春晚組織者聲稱,超過90%的中國大陸家庭會收看春晚,而去年春晚觀眾達到7億(一說是7.5億),這數字幾乎是美國總人口的2倍,相當於超級盃(the Super Bowl)賽事觀眾人數的6.9倍。
等同於美國春晚級的「超級盃」年度冠軍賽,通常在每年1月最後一個或2月第一個星期日舉行,這項比賽是美國最大體育盛事,就連旅居海外的美國人也絕不會錯過。今年2月2日落幕的超級盃,以扣人心弦的比賽吸引近1億1400萬人(打破美國史上最高收視紀錄)觀賞;而豪華的中場表演則瞬間吸引1億1800萬人收視。

CNN指出,今年中國大陸的春晚正逐漸全球化。最近幾個月央視CCTV和YouTube、谷歌以及推特接觸,以便服務更多全球觀眾收看到今年的春晚,CCTV甚至在紐約時代廣場租賃大螢幕為春晚進行宣傳。

往年大部分西方媒體會在春晚結束後跟進吐槽,今年西方媒體則提早進入到春晚模式。依照央視今年積極對外宣傳春晚的態勢來看,2015年春晚的收視必然有番新表現,而這也肯定會讓CNN等美國主流媒體大聲驚呼:中國春晚比我們的超級盃規模大多了。

CNN以一位此次將要參加春晚演出的女孩胡明明(音)作為敘述的切入點,CNN介紹説胡明明是著名的河南少林武術體育學校的一名學生,去年,明明的同班同學在臺上演出,今年終於輪到她了。胡明明的教練説,參加演出壓力很大,每次綵排都是一次檢查。

CNN説,今年中國的春晚正逐漸全球化。最近的幾個月,中國中央電視臺CCTV和Youtube、谷歌以及推特(音:twitter)進行商務接觸以使得更多的全球觀眾收看到今年的春晚。

同時,CNN指出CCTV在紐約時代廣場的中心地帶租賃了一塊大螢幕對春晚進行推介。

英文原文在下,值得一看!
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文章: 1466
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Re: 有不會背的GRE單字嗎?照過來!我教你!

文章spank » 2015-02-20 10:02

Behind the show that's bigger than the Super Bowl By David McKenzie, CNN
Updated 0621 GMT (1421 HKT) February 19, 2015

China's Lunar New Year show is bigger than the Super Bowl 02:27
Story highlights
• China wants its annual Lunar New Year Gala to go global.
• It has made deals with YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Google.
• Gala organizers say 700 million viewers tuned into the show last year.
• CCTV has even rented a video billboard in the heart of New York's Time Square to plug the show.


Beijing, China (CNN)Hu Mingming lands spin-kicks and splits with ease, but her hands are shaking too much to tie a bow.
She is a student at the famous Henan Shaolin Martial Arts School. In recent years, their gravity-defying brand of kung fu has become a staple of the annual televised Lunar New Year Gala.

"Last year I watched my classmates perform on stage and I felt nervous for them. Now it is my turn," says Hu.
She has a right to be nervous.
The gala, a variety show broadcast on state television since 1983, is a cultural phenomenon and a key propaganda tool of the Chinese Communist Party.

It's also a ratings juggernaut.

Ratings anyone?
Combine the viewers of the Oscars, Emmys, American Idol finales and MTV Video Music Awards -- then throw in the Super Bowl ratings for good measure -- you are not even close.

Organizers like to say that more than 90% of Chinese families tune in. Last year, it drew more than 700 million viewers.
"There is a huge amount of pressure," says Zhang Hu, Hu's coach, who has also performed in the gala. "And each rehearsal is like an inspection."

Just days before the real deal and after months of practice, the producers are still cutting segments to fine tune the show to around 36 acts.

At Saturday's rehearsal, performers hustled backstage near studio doors manned by security guards in white gloves.
Chinese opera singers adjusted their elaborate headgear; 5-year-old acrobats swarmed around movie stars and a group of glamorous dancers posed for selfies.

Going Global
On the sidelines of the mayhem, the acrobats, crooners and pop starlets all had the same mantra for me: This year the gala is going global.They are impressively on message.

In recent months, state broadcaster CCTV has touted business deals with YouTube, Google and Twitter to reach out to a global audience with coverage of this year's Gala.

Never mind that all of those websites are blacked out by Communist Party censors inside of China, provoking widespread ridicule by Chinese netizens.

"Different countries have different Internet regulations. It's not up to us," said Jing Chunhan, a spokesman for CCTV, adding that the Chinese have plenty of ways to watch inside China.

CCTV has even rented a video billboard in the heart of New York's Time Square to plug the show.
Some academics see it as an unusually overt push to win hearts and minds amongst the some fifty million Chinese in the diaspora.

"This aggressive push for Chinese soft power is new," says Tao Xie, a professor of International Studies at Beijing Foreign Studies University. "The approach in the past used to be cautious and low profile."

Time for a nap?
For soft power to work, though, the gala needs to stay relevant. When it began more than three decades ago, there wasn't much else on offer for entertainment in China.
Now, even the heavily censored Chinese internet is stiff competition.

Last year, young Chinese started a meme online with photos of their relatives sleeping through the gala on the couch.
But watching the program is still a force of habit for many Chinese.

Xu Baoyu, a college senior at the University of Iowa, says she used to watch the show because it was "just there."
On Wednesday, she says she will be watching the gala on YouTube from her off campus apartment in Iowa City.
"The Spring Festival just doesn't feel complete without the gala," she told CNN by phone. "Although I do like to mock the show while my mom is watching in China."

CNN's Serena Dong and Shen Lu contributed to this report.
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文章: 1466
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Re: 有不會背的GRE單字嗎?照過來!我教你!

文章spank » 2015-02-22 09:11

英媒:中國學生出國留學潮的新特點 2015年02月22日 03:10
(http://finance.sina.com.cn/world/201502 ... 1153.shtml)

本期《經濟學人》雜誌關注農曆新年前後浩蕩的春運潮,以及逐年高漲的出國留學潮。

  關於出國留學潮,《經濟學人》說,自中國向世界打開國門以來,西方一流大學光燦奪目的牌子是無數中國學子夢寐以求的目標,但今天,出國留學本身就成了目的、理想和抱負,而曾經默默無聞的二、三流大學成為直接受益者。

  文章說,2012和2013這兩年,總共80多萬中國留學生進入美國各層次的大學。這兩年的留洋學生人數,占1978年以來中國留學生總數(300萬人)的四分之一以上。除了發達英語國家,其他非英語國家的中國留學生近年來也急劇增多。


  美國的情況最引人矚目。2013/14學年,美國各大學本科註冊的中國學生超過11萬人,是7年前的11倍,占所有本科外國留學生的30%;目前在美國各類高等院校的中國留學生總數為27.4萬人,是7年前的4倍多。而且,出國上中學的小留學生越來越多。

  雙向流

  文章分析說,內外各方因素的共同作用推動了中國學生留洋大潮愈漲愈高。這些因素包括美國高等院校品質普遍而言超過中國一般的大學,也歡迎交學費的國際學生;中國家庭越來越有錢而在中國上大學競爭日趨激烈,出國留學更容易;而中國政府對出國留學也持鼓勵態度。

  文章也指出,出國留學潮的漲勢卻不如“海歸”潮。2013年有35萬名留學生回國,2003年只有2萬。

  文章最後指出,出國留學人數增速今後幾年可能會下降,原因包括適齡人口減少,以及打擊黨政官員貪腐的運動。但中國民眾財富將繼續增多,抵制西方價值觀的意識形態運動也將成為促使學生留洋的重要因素。

《經濟學人》雜誌的英文原文在下,喜歡的人可以讀看看。
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Re: 有不會背的GRE單字嗎?照過來!我教你!

文章spank » 2015-02-22 09:22

The Economist Feb 21st 2015
(http://www.economist.com/news/china/216 ... rgia-their)

Studying abroad
Georgia on their minds

A yearning for American higher education has driven a surge in overseas study

MILLIONS of Chinese have dreamed of attending Harvard University. “Harvard Girl”, a how-to manual published in 2000 by the parents of one successful applicant, was a national bestseller. Georgia Institute of Technology, a prestigious university in Atlanta, has enjoyed less name-recognition. Yet this is fast changing: the number of Chinese applicants to Georgia Tech has surged, from 33 in 2007 to 2,309 last year. Some applicants are from the best schools in China, and all are ready to pay around $44,000 (for yearly fees and housing costs)—the equivalent of nearly ten times the average annual disposable income of urban households.

The ambitions of Chinese students are shifting: no longer are they attracted just by the glittering names. Pursuit of education abroad is becoming an end in itself. Universities far less renowned than Georgia Tech are reaping the benefits. More than 800,000 Chinese went abroad to study at all levels in 2012 and 2013. In those two years they made up more than a quarter of the 3m who had done so since China began opening to the outside world in 1978. At the end of 2013 nearly 1.1m Chinese were studying abroad, according to the Ministry of Education—more than three times as many as a decade earlier. China has long been the largest source of foreign students enrolled in higher education globally, with its share rising steeply. Since at least 2009 China has provided the most foreign students not just to the English-speaking countries of the developed world but also to numerous others including France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Finland, Japan and South Korea.

The boom in study in America is especially striking. More than 110,000 students from China were enrolled as undergraduates at American universities in the academic year of 2013-14, eleven times as many as in 2006-07. They now account for 30% of all foreign undergraduates. By comparison, the number of Chinese undergraduates in Britain less than doubled over the same period, to 35,000 (see chart). The total number of Chinese in all types of higher education in America—274,000—was more than four times as many as in 2006-07, according to the New York-based Institute for International Education.


A fast-growing number of families are sending their children to America earlier to study (and moving with them) as well. In 2013 about 32,000 Chinese received visas for study at secondary schools in America, up from just 639 in 2005. The growth has occurred despite a steep decline since 2010 in the number of Chinese aged between 18 and 22, from 121m to 89m this year.

Several converging trends explain this. One is growing demand for education beyond the compulsory nine years. In 2011 nearly 25m Chinese were enrolled in senior secondary school (the level feeding into universities), more than twice as many as in 2000. Helped by a rapid increase in recent years in university places, the number of undergraduates has soared. But the quality of instruction is poor at all but a handful of universities, where a total of just a few thousand places are available each year. As well as its Ivy League colleges, America has dozens of high-quality private universities and large colleges funded by states, such as Georgia Tech, which are world class.

Another trend is growing middle-class wealth: many more Chinese families can now afford to send their children abroad. They prefer a well-rated university overseas to a second-tier option at home. Their choices are swayed by an educational system in China which many regard as too rigid and ideologically stifling. The world has also become more welcoming: visas to study have become easier for Chinese to obtain in many developed countries, especially America.

American universities, keen to take on fee-paying Chinese students, have helped this by lobbying the government to issue more visas. They send teams to China’s best secondary schools to encourage applicants. Some American campuses have set up courses to help newcomers from China improve their English.

Families who know from early on that they want to send their children overseas can enroll them in private courses at publicly funded schools. The courses, costing as much as 100,000 yuan ($16,000) a year, prepare students for the entry exams used by American universities. Schools offering them include elite ones such as Beijing No. 4 High School and the army-linked Beijing Bayi High School. The education authorities have murmured disapproval, but have not yet tried to ban them. Such programmes are aimed at an upper crust whose members they might be reluctant to annoy (President Xi Jinping’s daughter went to Harvard). Four out of five of China’s wealthiest people—those with assets worth more than 10m yuan—want to send their children to study abroad, according to Hurun Report, a Shanghai-based firm.

The government, eager to nurture foreign-educated talent familiar with cutting-edge technology and Western ways of doing business, has reason to encourage the outflow. While the number heading overseas to study has been growing quickly, the number coming back has grown even faster; lured by good job prospects in a buoyant economy. More than 350,000 Chinese returned from overseas study in 2013, up from just 20,000 ten years earlier. They accounted for almost one-quarter of the 1.4m who had returned in total since 1978. So great are the numbers that there is a derogatory term for those who are unable to find work: hai dai, which means seaweed but also sounds like “[returning from] abroad and waiting”.

The growth rate in the numbers going abroad to study may prove difficult to sustain at such high levels in the years ahead. The number of college-age Chinese has been shrinking since 2008, and will continue to do so until 2021, when there will be about 20m fewer people aged between 18 and 22 than now. President Xi’s anti-corruption campaign has taken aim at Communist Party officials who send money and family members overseas.

But the aspiration to go abroad extends far beyond the party’s members and their families. And despite a slowing economy, disposable incomes will continue to grow fast. McKinsey, a consultancy, reckons they will double in urban areas by 2020 compared with ten years earlier. A recent escalation in official efforts to stem the influence of Western political thinking on Chinese campuses should only fire ambitions to leave.
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Re: 有不會背的GRE單字嗎?照過來!我教你!

文章spank » 2015-02-24 08:56

名人的第一份工作
徐薇─從糊塗祕書到補教天后


為了一圓上班族的夢,徐薇畢業後曾當過外商總經理的英文秘書,發現不擅長處理事務的自己,比總經理還迷糊,她專心經營英文補教事業,成為一代補教天后。
撰文 / 張志誠

週末夜的台北南陽街,其中一棟大樓教室中,老師活潑生動的肢體語言,如珠妙語,解釋一道道難解的英文考題,聽得全場如沐春風,沒錯,她就是立下新一代英文教學風格的徐薇。

「其實能受到學生的歡迎,我應該要感謝父親的刻意栽培,」徐薇說。

3歲的徐薇就隨著父母從苗栗舉家北遷到台北,雖然父親的貿易公司經營得並不順遂,常常為了房租和三餐發愁,但她父親卻肯將僅有的金錢投資在培育孩子身上。

徐薇回憶,從小父親就教她們英文並訓練她們隨時都能上台表演,因為他認為只要英文學好,日後不管是到外商公司上班或自己做生意都非常有幫助。

那時候父親的朋友來家裡拜訪時都很可憐,因為吃飯前都被強迫要看我們家三姊弟表演,」徐薇大笑回憶,父親也鼓勵她們從小多參加演講比賽,甚至還會一起改稿子、做事前預演。

體諒母親,打工賺學費

順利考上北一女與台大外文系後,眼見母親為了她第一年的大學學費而四處奔走,有著客家人硬頸刻苦精神的徐薇,從此下定決心不再讓父母為自己和弟妹的學費煩惱,在大學時代,她已經開始打工賺取學費及生活費。

難道徐薇從小就立志要成為補教名師嗎?「當然不是!」徐薇說,雖然從大二她就開始在補習班教課,不過起初她也覺得畢業後應該到大公司上班才是正途,因此雖然她大四時一個月光是補習收入就有11、12萬元,不過為一圓上班族的夢,她在畢業後還是順利成為一家外商廣告公司總經理的英文秘書。

認清自己,不當糊塗祕書

不過個性大而化之,天生沒有事務才華的她,在白天當秘書,晚上到補習班教英文的方式工作一段時間後,終於體會到自己比老闆還迷糊,絕不是從商的料,「我捫心自問,除了教英文外,其他比較瑣碎的事我大概都做不好,」短暫的上班族生涯就在她自我覺醒後草草收場。

為此讓徐薇體會到一點,「年輕人在選擇職業時,不要因為別人告訴你做什麼好,或是哪個行業最熱門就跳下去,每個人都應該問問自己做什麼最有成就感,」她語重心長地說。

認清自己的優勢,徐薇不再把英語教學當副業,而是視為終生事業來經營。

其實,英文好,不見得就會教英文,她從小培養的能力在教學時派上用場,她不斷思索該如何用最平易近人的方式來解釋乏味的文法,甚至不斷面對鏡子調整自己的肢體動作,而她的教學功力與日俱增。

培養聲譽,捨家教就補教

不過,徐薇並非一入行就紅透半邊天。當她大二第一次站上台開始教國中英文時,那時候補習班老闆還不敢讓他教大學重考班,「因為台下可能還有一堆比我年紀大的學生,老闆大概怕我壓不住陣腳,」而且一晚上3小時教學只能拿1,050元,那時候台大學生的家教費用一小時就有4、500元的身價,但她知道,年輕如她只有靠累積經驗,培養自己在學生中的聲望,才能有出頭天。

雖然當家教的收入比在補習班教英文高,但只去了兩次,就讓徐薇決定棄家教而就補教,「每天陪小學生念書雖然輕鬆,但我卻看不到自己有何成長空間。」

徐薇利用課餘時間到處趕場,只要是南陽街紅牌老師不想教的課,她都攬下來教,到大四畢業時,不僅她一個月的收入已抵過好幾個上班族的薪水,而且這幾年她那種生動活潑,不落俗套的英文教學法也傳到南陽街補習班老闆的耳中,就這樣當她白天當英文秘書時,晚上就在南陽街逐步建立自己的王朝。

黑函危機,打死不退

徐薇的英文教學之路看似一路順遂,然而當她決定成立屬於自己的文教機構時,攻擊她的黑函從未斷過,甚至有補習班業者威脅房東以集體退租的方式,想迫使她退出市場。然而面對危機,徐薇愈是展現「打不死的蟑螂」的精神,「其實我只是很誠心地告訴房東,如果現在不租我,以後當我坐大之後,那他的損失不是更大嗎?」

經過一次次拜訪,以誠意說服房東的徐薇,總算順利進駐南陽街。

從19歲到現在,每天工作超過14小時,雖然只有時間賺錢,沒空享受青春,但卻也建立了橫跨補教、出版、電視、廣播、網路的英文教育版圖,喜歡被倚賴的感覺,以及學生那句「老師,沒你教我們英文,我們會死啦!」讓她堅持到今天。

徐薇認為,每個人選擇工作時都應該以適性為最高原則,如果當時她不能認清自己的才華,她現在可能還是個不稱職的秘書,她深信,只要認清自我,堅持做最拿手的事,每個人總能闖出自己的一片天地。

全文詳見348期就業情報雜誌
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Re: 有不會背的GRE單字嗎?照過來!我教你!

文章spank » 2015-02-24 09:17

Taiwan rated world’s 2nd safest country

Taiwan is the world’s second safest country in 2015 on the strength of its low crime rate and friendly people as determined by U.S. magazine Presscave. (CNA)

Publication Date:02/16/2015
Source: Taiwan Today

Taiwan was ranked the second safest country in the world in 2015, according to a survey released earlier this month by U.S. lifestyle magazine Presscave.

Low exposure to crime, robbery and violence were the main reasons for the result, as well as robust performances in such areas as economic freedom, education, health care and human development. Top spot went to Iceland, with Denmark, Austria, New Zealand rounding out the top five in that order.

The rating was based on the annual Global Peace Index compiled by Australia-based nonprofit research organization Institute for Economics and Peace, as well as criteria including corruption, culture, economic crisis, natural disaster and terrorism.

Presscave said Taiwan is a relative haven for tourists and the “perfect place to lead a safe life, boasting many beautiful scenic attractions. People in this country are kind-hearted, friendly and help you before you approach them.”

Other Asian countries making the list are Japan and Singapore at No. 8 and 10, respectively. The former was named for minimal criminal activity and strong rule of law, while the latter was praised for its low incidences of crime and corruption.

Taiwan was also rated No. 2 among the world’s top 10 safest countries to settle in 2014, according to a survey published in July that year by U.S.-based online publication Lifestyle9. The study draws upon data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. (DF-JSM)
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Re: 有不會背的GRE單字嗎?照過來!我教你!

文章spank » 2015-02-24 09:20

全球十大安全國家 台灣奪第2
中央社中央社 – 2015年2月14日 下午7:19

(中央社台北14日電)住在哪裡最不用心驚驚,網路票選2014-2015年全球十大安全國家排行出爐,台灣奪下第2名,僅次冠軍冰島,名次勝過第8的日本和第10的新加坡。

犯罪率被視為決定一個國家安全與否的主要因素,其他還包括天災、貪腐、恐怖主義、經濟危機和文化等。這份排名就是依據上述條件,以及經濟與和平研究所(IEP)自2007年來每年都會公布的全球和平指數(Global Peace Index)得出。

台灣以低竊盜、犯罪率和暴力案件拿下第2名。台灣人善良、友善,在你開口前就會伸出援手。觀光客在台灣不會遭遇任何暴力,也不用擔心。台灣是個很棒的地方,有眾多美麗景點,因醫療、經濟自由、教育、人文發展等衝高排名。

冰島以低犯罪率及高度安全,在全球和平指數名單排名第1。而即使天災頻傳,日本仍因低犯罪拿下第8名。
去年7月,美國網站Lifestyle9根據美國聯邦調查局(FBI)的數據分析,選出全世界十大安全國家,台灣也高居第2。

全球十大安全國家名次如下:
第1名:冰島。
第2名:台灣。
第3名:丹麥。
第4名:奧地利。
第5名:紐西蘭。
第6名:喬治亞。
第7名:加拿大。
第8名:日本。
第9名:挪威。
第10名:新加坡。
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Re: 有不會背的GRE單字嗎?照過來!我教你!

文章spank » 2015-02-24 18:21

2015-02-24一大早雖有大雨,但乾旱(drought)依舊,二階段限水措施(water rationing)即將在2015-02-26開始。

ration[`ræʃən]
v. 對……實行限量供應/定量配給與ratio(比例)有關,
ration就是算出比例後再分配,也就是「對……實行限量供應/定量配給」。

petrol rationing石油配給、mortgage rationing限額分配抵押借款、energy rationing能源限額配給、electricity rationing限電等也是ration常見的搭配詞

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Phase 2 water rationing to hit North, Central & South
(http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/nati ... hase-2.htm)

CNA
February 17, 2015, 12:01 am TWN

TAIPEI -- Taiwan Water Corp. said that phase-two water rationing will hit major users of water resources like street cleaners starting on Feb. 26 after the Lunar New Year holiday due to a lack of rainfall.

The company said that affected regions will range from the north of the country to the south, covering New Taipei's districts of Linkou, Banqiao and Xinzhuang; Taoyuan; Hsinchu; Miaoli; Taichung; northern parts of Changhua County; Tainan; and Kaohsiung.

Water supplies will be suspended there for water fountains, street cleaners and other major uses of water that are not urgent.
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Re: 有不會背的GRE單字嗎?照過來!我教你!

文章spank » 2015-02-25 09:42

想過這個問題嗎?為什麼學單字這麼痛苦?為什麼記單字的效率這麼低?

我們在不知不覺中掌握了數以萬記的方塊漢字和片語,可以在玩遊戲的時候記住幾百個技能和上千個小技巧,可以記住N多衣服化妝品的牌子,和他們價格品質的對比,可是要我們記住幾千個單字卻常常要花幾個月甚至幾年的時間,最後卻常常效果不佳氣餒而終,這是為什麼?

那再讓我們一起來想想,什麼事情你能夠過目不忘?

例如,一天你和幾個朋友去山裡露營,你們剛搭好帳篷,拿出燒烤架來,這個時候你看見一隻老虎從樹上跳下來,衝著你走過來-----。
如果你順利活下來,你今後一定會記得出去野營要檢查一下周圍是否有某種野生動物活動的痕跡,你會記得老虎附近是一股什麼味道,老虎的聲音,老虎撲向你時每 一個瞬間的動作……為什麼你會記住?你的腎上腺素急劇分泌,全身血液流動加快,視覺信號聽覺信號,甚至嗅覺信號都在刺激著你的神經系統,告訴你的大腦這一切十分重要,必須分配一切可以調動的資源處理這件事情,然後大腦皮質(cerebral cortex)遵從大腦的吩咐,在它上面留下深深的記憶刻痕,然後你就記住了。

你的大腦一直在積極的做著重要和不重要事物的區分,一切新奇的,有趣的,危險的,常用的,有利可圖的……會被區分為重要的,而其它的,你的大腦會盡一切方法 去阻止它們佔用你大腦有限的資源,換句話說,你的大腦在盡一切可能阻止你記住它認為不重要的東西(不是你自己,而是你的大腦!)。今天,你大概不太可能成 為老虎的晚餐,但是在你永遠不知道,你的大腦其實一直在認真的準備應對這些你祖祖輩輩們曾經面對過的危機。

好了,現在假設一個風光明媚的下午,你在家,在宿舍,在辦公室,半躺在舒服的沙發椅上,舒服的空調風向你吹過來,你一手端著一杯熱可可,一手拿著gre單字書在背,哇!!好愜意啊!!你看來看去,哦,剛才背了多少?背過了嗎?不知道……Boring…過了一會,你看到了一個詞,ubiquitous (a. 普遍存在的)於是你想,普遍存在的,是個啥玩意?這個我什麼時候能用上?背這玩意有用嗎?Boring…又過了一會,你發現背了半天好辛苦(嗯,15分鐘了……),怎麼也沒個人關注一下?……Boring…

又或者你是很認真的在背gre單字,口一直念,手一直的寫-----,一口氣背了30個單字,但是當你回過頭從新再來複習那30個單字時,完蛋了,你只記得5個,有印象的8個,其他17個完全陌生----。就這樣,你在承受背GRE單字的種種折磨,並且常常處在發瘋和崩潰的邊緣,你的意志告訴你需要繼續下去,可是大腦卻告訴你應該放棄這件無聊低效痛苦的事情----。

為什麼會這樣?
一、因為上述的一切都在告訴你的大腦:背gre單字,它不是生死交關的大問題;它沒有聲音、畫面、顏色----大腦對它沒興趣;它不重要,記不起來頂多不要出國讀書,沒什麼大不了-----,然後呢?大腦皮質就沒有在它上面留下深深的記憶刻痕,然後你就記不住,然後就沒有然後了……。

記憶刻痕才是重點!怎樣才能讓大腦皮質在它上面留下記憶刻痕?想通了,你記憶gre單字的功力就一定會更上一層樓!

二、因為新資訊與舊知識沒有產生掛勾,使記憶新知識的短期記憶難以透過舊知識,進入人的長期記憶區。

舉例來說, 《字彙的力量》在介紹temerity指出:
「temerity來自拉丁文temere, (輕率的、 性急地、盲目地;不顧一切地), 照字源解
釋是「輕率、魯莽的蠻幹舉動,低估危險 或罔顧後果的行為.」

可是讀的人本人就不知道temere是啥鬼呀. 用temere來解釋temerity只是越來越多新資訊, 根本無法幫
助記憶.

此時,你可以使用諧音法聯想記憶temerity: 「他媽的」(亂罵髒話真是魯莽), 簡單直觀,生動有趣,讓你再也忘不了temerity。

(諧音法具有簡單直觀,生動有趣,過目難忘的效果,它使新資訊與舊知識有掛勾,讓短期記憶很順利進入你的長期記憶區,使人很快記住英文單字,很適合趕考者或短時間內想提昇word power的人一試。)
最後由 spank 於 2015-03-24 08:59 編輯,總共編輯了 2 次。
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Re: 有不會背的GRE單字嗎?照過來!我教你!

文章spank » 2015-02-25 15:00

美國海軍傳奇狙擊sniper手凱爾(Chris Kyle)遭槍殺案,今天2015-02-25判決出爐。德州陪審團判定被告Eddie Ray Routh謀殺罪名成立,法官判處其無期徒刑,不得假釋(the sentence of life imprisonment without parole was imposed by the judge)。

27歲被告(defendant)、前海軍陸戰隊成員魯斯(Eddie Ray Routh),退伍後心理適應困難,凱爾約他去靶場進行特定輔導,卻遭魯斯以半自動手槍近距離槍殺。凱爾的朋友利特菲爾德(Chad Littlefield)也慘遭殺害。被告律師指魯斯罹患創傷後壓力症候群,因嚴重精神失常,開槍時根本就不知自己做錯事。
(Routh, who suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, was under extreme mental distress and was convinced the two men would turn on him on the day of the killing, his lawyers argued.)

凱爾在海豹部隊服役期間,曾派駐伊拉克10年,宣稱在此期間曾射殺255名敵軍,由國防部紀錄為160名,最遠狙擊射程達1920公尺,為美軍史上確認狙擊人數記錄最高者。他的事跡已拍成電影《美國狙擊手》。

parole (n. 假釋)
origin:1610s, "word of honor," especially "promise by a prisoner of war not to escape," from French parole "word, speech" (in parole d'honneur "word of honor") from Vulgar Latin *paraula "speech, discourse," from Latin parabola (see parable).

Sense of "conditional release of a prisoner before full term" is first attested 1908 in criminal slang.

來自法文parole d'honneur,原意為word of honor,原指戰俘發誓自己不會逃走所立下的誓言,至於現在的「假釋」的意義---犯人在服完刑期前有條件的被釋放出來並發誓釋放出來之後不會再犯罪(這很像「戰俘發誓自己不會逃走所立下的誓言」)---則可溯源到1908年罪犯的粗話俚語中。

idiom 慣用語:
1. on parole假釋中
He was released on parole after serving 2 years . 服刑兩年後他獲假釋出獄。

2. break parole (=not behave as you are supposed to when you are on parole) (假釋期間)違誓

~to be continued~
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Re: 有不會背的GRE單字嗎?照過來!我教你!

文章spank » 2015-02-26 07:41

法語的parole是 "word, speech" 的意思,與字根「par(l)=說,談 」有關(見上面parole的英文字源說明),同字根的其他字,羅列如下:

parley [parl說,談→談判] 會談,談判

parlance [parl說,-ance名詞字尾] 說法,用語,發言,講話

parody [par 說,ody=ode 唱 --> 說說唱唱逗人發笑的詼諧性模仿詩文] (文章或音樂的)詼諧性模仿作品﹐滑稽的模仿作品

parse [par 說]v.對.作語法分析 ( 把句子分解成各個組成詞類,並從形式、功能和各部分的句法關系上加以說明 )

parlo(u)r [parl說,談,-our名詞字尾;’談話”的地方] 會客室,客廳,私人談話室

parliament [parl說,談→議論→商議商談→會議,-ia-,-ment名詞字尾] 議會,國會

parliamentary [見上,-ary形容詞字尾,…的] 議會的,國會的,議會政治的

parliamentarian [見上,-arian表示人] 國會議員,議會法規專家,議會中的雄辯家

parliamentarism [見上,-ism表示主義,制度] 議會主義,議會制度

parrot [parr(r是l的變形)說;ot名詞字尾,如carrot,zealot-->學人說話的鳥]鸚鵡
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Re: 有不會背的GRE單字嗎?照過來!我教你!

文章spank » 2015-02-28 09:21

字源故事---
dictator(獨裁者):源自古羅馬的獨裁官

dictator,來自拉丁語,由dictare(dictate,命令,口述)+or(人)構成,字面意思就是“下命令的人”,原本是古羅馬的政治職務“獨裁官”。

古羅馬人民推翻暴君塔克文後,意識到了一人獨裁的壞處,便開始實行共和制,每年選舉兩位執政官擔任最高行政長官,任期只有一年。兩人相互制衡,避免一人獨攬大權。然而,這種政體雖然有效保障了權力的相互制衡,但有一個弊端無法避免,那就是當兩名執政官的意見無法達成一致時,便無法開展工作。針對這個弊端,聰明的古羅馬人又發明了“獨裁官”這種制度加以補充。

“獨裁官”是古羅馬共和國時期的非常任長官,是國家處於緊急狀態時由元老院任命的獨裁人物(An ancient Roman magistrate appointed temporarily to deal with an immediate crisis or emergency.)。在任何情況下,獨裁官的數量絕不能超過一位。獨裁官享有超越法律的權力,無須為他的任何行為承擔法律後果,以便獨裁官可以不受任何掣肘,全力以赴地運用自己的權力和智慧來拯救國家於危難中。

最初的獨裁官都是戰事獨裁官,任期最長不得6個月。一旦任務完成,此人將卸去獨裁官的職務,權力交還給元老院。歷史上任期最短的獨裁官是古羅馬傳奇英雄辛辛納圖斯,他在田間勞作時臨危受命,擔任獨裁官,指揮羅馬軍隊抵抗外敵入侵。打敗敵人後他便辭職返回農莊,只擔任了16天的獨裁官。在第二次布匿戰爭中,為了對抗迦太基的戰神漢尼拔,羅馬元老院曾經兩次任命費邊擔任戰事獨裁官。

但在共和國後期,古羅馬的獨裁官制度逐漸變味。蘇拉當政之後,利用自己手中掌握的軍隊,迫使公民大會委任他擔任任期無限的“共和體制獨裁官”,除了享有戰事獨裁官的全部權力之外,還不受時間的限制。凱撒大帝則在五次擔任獨裁官後,擔任“終身獨裁官”,最後被擔心他顛覆共和制度的元老院議員們刺殺身亡。

凱撒在三月十五日(Ides of March)被謀殺之後,他的執政官同僚馬克·安東尼通過了安東尼法(lex Antonia),撤銷了獨裁官任期,並且將它從共和國的憲法中除去。這個職務後來提供給凱撒·奧古斯都烏斯,但他謹慎地拒絕了它,而選擇了保民官的權力與執政官的統治大權,除最高祭司與第一元老之外未握有任何職務。這項政治上的安排使得他成為職能上的獨裁官,而沒有必要擁有這一引起爭議和嫉恨的頭銜或職務。

在西方歷史上,dictator(獨裁者)和dictatorship(獨裁政體)的感情色彩經歷了從褒義詞到中性詞再到貶義詞的重大變化。古羅馬共和國早期的獨裁官被視為拯救國家的大英雄,享有比執政官還要高的榮耀。因此,後世的一些政治家也以“獨裁官”自稱,如義大利建國三傑之一的加里波第在義大利統一運動中就曾自任獨裁官。到了20世紀後,義大利的墨索里尼和德國的希特勒都大力推行獨裁政體,以獨裁者自居,使得dictator(獨裁者)和dictatorship(獨裁政體)徹底成為一個貶義詞。

dictator: n.獨裁者,獨裁官
dictatorship:n.獨裁政體,專政
dictation:[dɪk'teʃən] n.聽寫,口述,命令
spank
黃金會員
黃金會員
 
文章: 1466
註冊時間: 2006-06-17 01:28

Re: 有不會背的GRE單字嗎?照過來!我教你!

文章spank » 2015-02-28 20:12

德國有一位著名的心理學家名叫艾賓浩斯,他發現一件沒有意義的事件是忘得最快和最徹底的,有意義的事件則會記得比較久一點。因此,用自己設計的有意義的記憶方式,如諧音法,造句法---等方式記單詞最為持久。

諧音法
用諧音法助記的方式充斥整個華人世界,這已經是華人生活的一部分,例如:。
168 一路發;
5201314 我愛你一生一世;
用諧音背圓周率、週期表、八國聯軍---
這些都是大家熟到不能再熟的諧音應用,助記英文單字,自然少不了諧音法。

諧音助記法是根據單字的讀音所作的聯想,用這種方法要注意單字本身的正確發音,因為有時我們為了記憶方便,會稍微改變單詞本來的發音。

對要參加gre考試的人而言,上述發音的問題都不大(因已熟悉音標、拼讀規則,且程度一定不差,否則不敢挑戰GRE),最重要的是如何記住單字。記單詞其實難在記發音及字義,發音記住了,拼寫就很容易,而諧音助記法將字音與字義結合,是記憶發音及字義的極好工具,恰好可以解決單詞難記的問題。

比如記菊花(chrysanthemum)一詞:
chry + san + the + mum
諧音: 庫裡 鮮 花 滿

按音節上下一對應,拼寫就出來了。而「庫裡 鮮 花 滿」也提醒chrysanthemum是一種花,再由花想到菊花,單字的意思就被帶出來了。

好的諧音助記法可以反過來幫助記憶字根。再以菊花(chrysanthemum)一詞為例:
chry + san + the + mum
諧音: 庫裡 鮮 花 滿

-> chrys+anth+e+mum
其中希臘文khrysos(金黃色)經拉丁文引入英文,譯成英文字根chrys,anthm則是flower的意思,之後的e是連接性母音,mum為名詞字尾,合起來意思即為金黃色之花->菊花(最常見就是金黃色的)。

「庫裡 鮮 花 滿」讓我們記住chrysanthemum是菊花的意思,再反過來分解chrysanthemum為chrys+anth+e+mum,讓我們輕易的就記住chrys,anth這兩個字根的意思,記住這兩個字根,與chrys,anth有關的單字就好記多了(如,
anthology文集, chrysalis蛹-----)

可惜好的諧音助記法難得,臺灣有位將紅寶書逐頁錄音講解的xination提到他對諧音助記法的看法:「這是一個很妙不可言的記憶法, 比起兩兩成對的背法又更富有靈性了一點」,此方法要先單字英文讀音轉成中文的讀音後再去聯想出字義,中文的讀音跟中文的釋義間要存在直接的關連,才能記的久。

諧音助記法具有簡單直觀,生動有趣,過目難忘的效果,它使新資訊與舊知識有掛勾,讓短期記憶很順利進入你的
長期記憶區,使人很快記住英文單字,很適合趕考者或短時間內想提昇word power的人一試。

諧音助記法其他例子:
chicane------"欺、坑(人)" ->詐騙
exhaust->一個早(or若)死的他->耗盡,弄空(能量,所以早死or跟死人差不多)
ponderous 笨重的——胖的要死-笨重
nuptials->那不羞死->婚禮

caste->卡死他->等級制度、種姓制度 (在印度,婚姻是受種姓制度約束的,卡的很嚴格,高種姓婦女不可以嫁給低種姓男子)
(Caste is a form of social stratification characterized by endogamy, hereditary transmission of a lifestyle which often includes an occupation, ritual status in a hierarchy and customary social interaction and exclusion based on cultural notions of purity and pollution.[1][2] According to Human Rights Watch and UNICEF, caste discrimination affects an estimated 250 million people worldwide.)

sting死叮->蜇、咬

robust 裸剝(ㄅㄚ)獅頭->強壯的(要空手剝獅頭,絕對是要超級強壯)

temerity->「他媽的」->亂罵髒話真是魯莽
最後由 spank 於 2015-03-24 08:42 編輯,總共編輯了 4 次。
spank
黃金會員
黃金會員
 
文章: 1466
註冊時間: 2006-06-17 01:28

Re: 有不會背的GRE單字嗎?照過來!我教你!

文章spank » 2015-03-02 16:46

謝忠理老師新春送給大家的大禮->

作者xiezl (xzl)
看板GRE
標題[字彙] 分享《字彙方法學》征服 GRE 單字的利器
時間Sun Mar 1 08:04:14 2015

我是謝忠理,今天要跟大家分享我新整理出來的字彙書。一本幫助讀
者學習英文字彙的書。

我把這本書稱為《字彙方法學》。這本書的內容是取材自美國傳統字
典的印歐語詞根大全。在我教學的過程中(再過三年就滿 30 年了)
,這個印歐語詞根是我見過最棒的系統單字資料庫,以拿來背 GRE
單字的效率而言,絕對完勝韋氏字典,當然也超過紅寶書(紅寶書裡
有一大堆牽強附會的解說)。

可惜因為印歐語是一門語言學的學問,有其入門門檻,所以一般人無
緣認識它。我之前在來欣上課時,就一直跟同學推薦,希望用這套有
系統的方式來幫助大家克服 GRE 的大量單字。

簡單說,印歐語詞根中,就包含了我們一般學習英文字彙常用的希臘
與拉丁字首字根,另外還包含了德語、法語、梵文等印歐語系的詞根
(這個聽起來很嚇人,但是實際上不難)。除此外,還包含了發音引
起的字形變化,像是著名的格林法則等,都包含其中。學習印歐語詞
根,對於 GRE 單字中的疑難雜症尤其有效,可以讓大家瞭解少見的
單字,進而能夠記得這些字。

最近我花了一些時間,將這份資料整理出來,長度有 A4 紙張的 300
頁,總共字數有一萬出頭,其中 GRE 內容的單字(包含高中 7000
字在內)有四千多,我都做了分類標示與索引,應該能夠幫助想要有
效快速征服 GRE 單字的考生。

這份資料連同我推薦給同學的 GoldenDict 字典及其相關檔案都放在
百度雲上,大家不妨下載來看看。或許這一個點擊,就能讓你的英文
單字能力脫胎換骨。

關於這份資料的內容或使用,有任何問題,歡迎來信。在我能力範圍
內,盡量幫大家解決。

下載點:http://pan.baidu.com/s/1bnaYDA3

謝忠理 xiezl.info@gmail.com

經典美語:台北市新生南路三段88號2樓 02-2364-1015
spank
黃金會員
黃金會員
 
文章: 1466
註冊時間: 2006-06-17 01:28

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