sponsor (v.发起;赞助n.主办者)←spons(e)词根+or后缀;参response,2001年Passage 1。The longest word in the English language is the one following the phrase: "And now a word from our sponsor."英语中最长的单词是由此引发的:“现在请赞助者×××。”←此处×××不好译,因为显然不能译为“说一个词”,而译为“说几句话”则失去了原句的一语双关。 symposium (专题讨论会;专题论文集)即sym+pos+ium,sym-前缀“共同”,pos词根“放”,-ium后缀表“地方”,“把共同的问题放在一起讨论”→专题讨论会,“把共同讨论好的问题放在一起”→专题论文集。
bias (v.n.偏见)谐音“白饿死”,古人有骨气者不吃嗟来之食而饿死,后来某些人对此不以为然,认为这是古人的“偏见”,所以是“白饿死”(bias)←白白饿死。
gender (性别)可看作gen(e)+der,gene即单词“基因”,der谐音“的”,故“基因的”→“由基因决定的”→性别。
contradictory (反驳的;矛盾的;对立物)即contra+dict+ory,contra-前缀“相反”,dict词根“说”(如dictate→dict+ate动词后缀→口述;命令),-ory后缀;contradict(v.反驳;矛盾)←contra+dict。Assertion is not argument, to contradict the statement of an opponent is not proof that you are correct.坚定的看法不是论据,反驳对手的说法不能证明你是正确的。
illuminating (照明的;启发的)即illuminat(e)+ing形容词后缀,illuminate(照明;启发)可看作illumin+ate,illumin谐音“一路明”,-ate动词后缀,“使”“一路明”→照明→引申为“启发”。The man of science, like the artist, may easily have more facts than he can use. Both seek the one fact out of a million that will illuminate their idea. Both find that it is rarely to be had without research.与艺术家一样,科学家可以轻易得到用不尽的事实。他们都在上百万的事实中寻求能说明自己想法的那一个,都发现未经调查研究而得到它几乎是不可能的。
superficial (表面的;肤浅的)即super+fici+al,super-前缀“上面的”,fici看作face“表面”,-al形容词后缀,“表面上的”→肤浅的。To know things well, we must know them in detail; but as that is almost endless, our knowledge is always superficial and imperfect.为了充分认识事物,我们必须详细了解它们,然而那几乎是没有穷尽的,所以我们的知识总是肤浅和不完善的。
be known as 称为;alien to 为……所不熟悉;put down roots in 定居;get around to 抽时间做。
2001 Passage 4
重点词汇:
acquisition (收购;获得;获得物)即acquisit+(t)ion,acquisit为acquire(v.获得)之变形,-tion名词后缀。
hyperactive (过度活跃的)即hyper+active,hyper-前缀“超过;过度”(h脱落,元音y变u,即为uper),active活跃的。
unsurpassed (未被超越的)即un+surpass+ed,un-否定前缀,surpass(v.超过)←sur前缀“超”+pass过,-ed形容词后缀。If a pupil looks up at the teacher as a model, but not as a rival, he can never surpass the teacher.弟子如果视老师为榜样而非对手,他就永远超不过老师。
concentration (集中;专心;浓度)即con+centr+ation,con-前缀“一起”,centr(=center)词根“中心”,-ation名词后缀,“一起聚集在中心的”→集中;专心。No fine work can be done without concentration and self-sacrifice and toil and doubt.没有全神贯注、自我牺牲、辛劳和怀疑,就做不出优秀的工作。concentration — the ability to do your son's homework while he is watching television 专心——儿子看电视时你替他做家庭作业的本事。
multinational (跨国公司;跨国公司的)即multi+national,multi-前缀“多”(如multiple→multi+ple倍→v.加倍;多倍的;倍数),national国家的。
affiliate (v.附属;附属机构)即af+fili+ate,af-加强前缀,fili谐音“费力”,-ate后缀,想让别人成为自己的“附属”是很“费力”的。
phenomenon (现象)复数形式为phenomena。Nature is by no means inferior to art, and no works of art is not the imitation of various phenomena of nature.自然绝对不低于艺术,艺术作品无一不是对种种自然现象的模仿。
M&A(兼并与收购)即文中提到的mergers and acquisitions。
detrimental (有害的)可看作detri+mental,detri谐音“淡吃”(沪方言,表示只吃饭而不吃菜),mental谐音“馒头”,于是“淡吃馒头”→天天只吃馒头而不吃菜对身体是“有害的”。
megamerger (大兼并)←mega大+merger。
supervise (监督;管理)←super在上面+vis看+e,参supervision(2002年Text 2)。
gigantic (巨大的)即gigant+ic,gigant(=giant)巨人,-ic形容词后缀,“巨人的”→巨大的。He has a gignatic appetite, and eats gigantic meals.他食量很大,能吃很多食物。
infringement (侵害)即in+fringe+ment,in-否定前缀,fringe(边缘;刘海;穗),-ment名词后缀,已经“不”在“边缘”→侵入内部→侵害;infringe(v.侵害)←in+fringe。China's sovereignty and territorial integrity must not be infringed.中国的主权和领土完整决不允许侵犯。
pessimistic (悲观的)即pessimist+ic,pessimist悲观主义者,-ic形容词后缀。pessimist — ①a man who thinks that God created the earth in six days and then was laid off ②an optimist with a sense of reality 悲观主义者——①一个认为上帝用六天时间创造了世界,然后就被解雇了的人 ②具有现实感的乐观主义者。
warn against 告诫防范;take upon oneself 承担。