2013.12.31 word (week17-2)

1.coherent(a.)

[more coherent; most coherent] 1) : logical and well-organized : easy to understand
▪ He proposed the most coherent plan to improve the schools. ▪ a coherent argument/essay

2) : able to talk or express yourself in a clear way that can be easily understood
▪ The drunk man was not coherent. [=understandable]

3) : working closely and well together
▪ They are able to function as a coherent group/team.

2.cohesive(a.)

[more cohesive; most cohesive]

1) : closely united
▪ Their tribe is a small but cohesive group.

2) : causing people to be closely united
▪ Religion can be used as a cohesive social force.

*cohesively ( adv.)

*cohesiveness ( n.) [noncount]

 

3.collude(v.)

[no obj] : to work with others secretly especially in order to do something illegal or dishonest
▪ The two companies had colluded to fix prices.

— often + in or with ▪ She colluded in misleading the public. 

▪ He is accused of colluding with criminals.

 

4.alleviate(v.)

[+ obj] : to reduce the pain or trouble of (something) : to make (something) less painful, difficult, or severe
▪ The doctor tried to alleviate [=relieve] her symptoms/suffering.

*alleviation  (n.) [noncount]
▪ the alleviation of suffering/poverty

 

5.annex(v.)

[+ obj] : to add (an area or region) to a country, state, etc. : to take control of (a territory or place)
▪ The United States annexed Texas in 1845. ▪ The government planned to annex the islands.

*annexation   (n.)  plural

 

2013.12.30 word (week17-1)

1.tardy(n.)
formal
1) : slow in moving, acting, or happening
▪ tardy progress

2)

a : done or happening late
▪ a tardy payment/arrival
b : arriving or doing something late
▪ She was tardy to/for work. ▪ They were tardy in filing the application.

*tardily(adv.)
▪ arrived/responded tardily

*tardiness(n.)

[noncount]
▪ Please excuse my tardiness.

2.asset(n.)

[count] 1) : a valuable person or thing
▪ Good looks can be an asset [=advantage] in an acting career. 

▪ The state's natural assets include mountains and beautiful lakes.

— often + to 

 ▪ Good looks can be an asset to an actor. ▪ She is a great asset to the team. [=she's a valuable member of the team]

2)  : something that is owned by a person, company, etc.

— usually plural 

▪ The company had to sell some of its assets to avoid bankruptcy. ▪ a bank with billions of dollars in assets ▪ business assets and liabilities ▪ They bought the company and stripped it of its assets. [=they sold the property owned by the company]

 

3.bleach(v.)

[+ obj] : to remove color or dirt and stains from (hair, clothing, etc.) especially through the effect of sunlight or by using chemicals : to make (something) whiter or lighter in color
▪ Those pants will look nicer if you bleach them. [=use bleach to make them cleaner and whiter] ▪ bones bleached white by/in the sun ▪ She bleached her hair blonde.

4.solvent(a.)

[more solvent; most solvent] : able to pay debts
▪ He couldn't stay/remain solvent after losing his business.

*(n.)

[count, noncount] technical : a liquid substance that is used to dissolve another substance
▪ turpentine and other solvents

5.cocky(a.)

[also more cocky; most cocky] informal : having or showing confidence in a way that is annoying to other people
▪ a cocky young athlete ▪ Don't get too cocky about your chances of getting the job.

 *cockily(adv.)
▪ She's cockily confident about getting the job.

*cockiness[noncount]

2013.12.27 word (week16-5)

1.repressive(a.)

[more repressive; most repressive] 1) : controlling people by force
▪ a repressive government

2) : not allowing certain feelings or desires to be expressed
▪ a sexually repressive culture

 

2.reverent(a.)

[more reverent; most reverent] formal : showing a lot of respect : very respectful
▪ a reverent crowd of worshippers ▪ a reverent tone of voice

*reverently ( adverb)
▪ They all spoke of her reverently.

 

3.irrevocable(a.)

formal : not capable of being changed : impossible to revoke
▪ She has made an irrevocable decision. ▪ an irrevocable change

 

4.combatant(n.)

[count] : a person, group, or country that fights in a war or battle
▪ Britain was a main/major combatant in World War II. — often used before another noun ▪ combatant ships/nations

 

5.refund(v.)

[+ obj] : to give back money that someone paid for something (such as a product that was returned or a service that was not acceptable)
▪ If you are not completely satisfied, we will refund the purchase price. ▪ We will refund (you) your money. ▪ They refused to refund the ticket. [=to give back the money that I had paid for the ticket]

* refundable  (adj.)
▪ The fee is not refundable. ▪ a refundable security deposit

2013.12.26 note:The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (week16)

Note

1. 書名→書寫時不是畫底線就是要斜體

2.湯姆歷險記



The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain is an 1876 novel about a young boy growing up along the Mississippi River. The story is set in the fictional town of St. Petersburg, inspired by Hannibal, Missouri, where Twain lived.









*《湯姆歷險記》的確擁有許多兒童文學經典的共通特質：諸如爭取小讀者認同的孩童主角(child protagonist)、弱勢族群的集結以挑戰權威、領導統禦與兄弟情誼、追求夢想與冒險等暢銷元素。 且書中對於每一個情節，都有合理而深刻的動機描述，讓這本少年成長冒險寫實小說，多了心理層面的深刻。

*許多兒童文學經典的共同點：這些主角們不是孤兒單親就是窮苦無依，要不然就是些極度孤絕的心靈，舉凡像哈利波特(Harry Potter)、《綠野仙蹤》的桃樂絲(Dorothy)、《秘密花園》的瑪麗(Mary Lenox)、爸爸命喪隔壁Mr. McGregor 菜園的彼得兔(Peter Rabbit) 、《小婦人》中的馬爾屈女孩(March girls)或是《漫遊奇境》的愛麗思(Alice)。小孩子最怕的荒涼和孤單，不被認同與沒有反應(unfair and ignore)，這本小說也多所著墨：譬如第三章「戰爭與愛情」中被冤枉打破糖罐的湯姆，「遠離那些男孩常聚集的地方，故意走到人煙罕至的荒涼處，以配合他當時尋求孤獨的心情。」或是在第七章「壁虱之戰與失戀」中自覺被湯姆背棄的蓓琪

* 《湯姆歷險記》雖然是本男性成長小說(male bildungsroman)，但是從前述湯姆的角色型塑來看，和狄更斯式的(Charles Dickens, 1812-1870)勵志主角卻又不盡相同。美語文學中的男主角，不管大人小孩，大多是逸逃避世的反英雄形象(run-away anti-hero)，這多少和美國人是那批逃離母國的清教徒後代有關。例如《李伯大夢》(Rip Van Winkle, 1819)中閃惡妻而逃到後山睡二十年的李伯，躲在華騰湖(Walden, 1862又譯《湖濱散記》)邊思考兩年的梭羅(Henry David Thoreau, 1817-1862)，《玻璃動物園》(The Glass Menagerie, 1944)中，窩在電影院裏逃離現實的Tom Wingfield，還是阿普戴克(John Updike, 1932- )的《兔子快跑》系列(Rabbit, Run, 1960)。這種非傳統典型的情節與角色，一如馬克·吐溫的生平，卻是典型的美國故事。

  

3. realistic fiction (Initiation, Quest/Journey and Bildungsroman)

*initiation:
Initiation is a rite of passage marking entrance or acceptance into a group or society. It could also be a formal admission to adulthood in a community or one of its formal components. In an extended sense it can also signify a transformation in which the initiate is 'reborn' into a new role. Examples of initiation ceremonies might include Hindu diksha, Christian baptism or confirmation, Jewish bar or bat mitzvah, acceptance into a fraternal organization, secret society or religious order, or graduation from school or recruit training.
*Journey
for example:The Wonderful Wizard of Oz/Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

4.bildungsroman:成長小說
In literary criticism, a Bildungsroman ("novel of formation/education/culture"), novel of formation, novel of education,or coming-of-age story is a literary genre that focuses on the psychological and moral growth of the protagonist from youth to adulthood (coming of age),^[3] and in which, therefore, character change is extremely important.

*no moral lesson (西方文學並不注重文以載道)

*for example:
The protagonists in The Secret of Garden, Mary Lennox, and in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Dorothy, turn from a  usual self girls to women who can render charity to others.

5.The Red Shoes

→"The Red Shoes" (Danish: De røde sko) is a fairy tale by Danish poet and author Hans Christian Andersen. The story is about a girl forced to dance continually in her red shoes. "The Red Shoes" has seen adaptations in various media including film.








*Karen was now old enough to be confirmed, she was to have both new frock and new shoes.
*but the old lady did not know that they were red, for she would never have suffered Karen to go to confirmation in red shoes.
→confirm:授堅振禮
[+ obj] : to make (someone) a full member of a church or synagogue : to administer confirmation to (someone)
 — usually used as (be) confirmed 
 ▪ Our son will be confirmed in the spring. 
 ▪ What year were you confirmed?

6.The Wonderful Wizard of Oz 
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, published in 1900, is the first American fairy tale and the first fantasy written by an American to enjoy an immediate success upon publication.

 *OZ
A→O
P→Z(圖書館書卡排序)

*author:
L. Frank Baum
L. Frank Baum (1856-1919) children's author, playwright and journalist wrote the American classic The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. (1900). He also wrote under numerous pseudonyms including Edith Van Dyne (Aunt Jane's Nieces and Mary Louise series), Floyd Akers, Capt. Hugh Fitzgerald, John Estes Cooke, Laura Bancroft, Schuyler Staunton, and Suzanne Metcalf.
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, published in 1900, is the first American fairy tale and the first fantasy written by an American to enjoy an immediate success upon publication

* plot:
The Wizard of Oz is a tale about Dorothy Gale her pet Toto. They were carried away from their home by a strong wind to a new Land of Oz. The two were lost and needed to get back home and in the process, they made enemies and friends. But due to the team work and loyalty of Gale and her pet, their enemies got persuaded to help them achieve their individual wishes.

*main characters
-Tin Woodman:The Tin Woodman first appears in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, joining Dorothy's quest to see the Wizard in order to get a heart-Cowardly Lion:The Cowardly Lion is one of Dorothy Gale's first companions in Oz, joining Dorothy's journey to the Wizard in search of courage. At the end of the book, he becomes King of the Beasts.
-Dorothy Gale:Dorothy Gale is the main character in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and several other of the Oz books. She is depicted as being a young girl from Kansas. After returning to Kansas via the ruby slippers (or silver shoes), she returns to Oz several more times before settling there in The Emerald City of Oz.
-Scarecrow:The Scarecrow first appears in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, when he joins Dorothy to go to the Wizard in search of brains.-Toto:Toto is Dorothy's pet scruffy dog
-Wizard of Oz:The Wizard of Oz is the title character of the first book. In that book, the characters journey to him for assistance with their problems. It is later revealed that he is a humbug circus performer named Oscar Diggs from Omaha, Nebraska; and that he had usurped Ozma's throne with the assistance of Mombi. The Wizard later returns to Oz in the fourth book and later learns real magic from Princess Ozma.

*places:
-Emerald City:The Emerald City is the capital city of the fictional Land of Oz in L. Frank Baum's Oz books, first described in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. The city is sometimes called the City of Emeralds.

-Omaha:Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska. It was the birthplace of the Wizard of Oz before he visited and later emigrated to the Land of Oz.
Formally, Omaha was founded in 1854 by settlers from nearby Council Bluffs, Iowa, though the earliest arrivals dated back to the 1840s. These facts would limit Digg's age at the time of the adventures recorded in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
*Up In The Air(omaha 是公司總部的據點)

由蒙大拿州(Montana)發源的密蘇里河，流域廣及美國中部和西部10個州，從密蘇里州的聖路易注入密西西比河，是密西西比河的最大支流。河至中游，成為愛荷華州(Iowa)和內布拉斯加州(Nebraska)的天然邊界，州際高速公路I-29縱行東岸，I-80橫走東西，兩條高速公路的交點就是內布拉斯加州的最大城市歐馬哈(Omaha)。





-yellow brick road:The road is introduced in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. The road functions as a guideline for Dorothy to follow, as it leads to the Emerald City where the Wizard is.
→The road of yellow brick is an element in the novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, with additional such roads appearing in The Marvelous Land of Oz and The Patchwork Girl of Oz. It has a sister road, the Red Brick Road, which leads south to the Country of the Quadlings.

*conflict: Lion, Dorothy, Scarecrow and Tin woodman eager to gain the thing they want.

7.Shirley Temple:
Shirley Temple Black (born Shirley Temple; April 23, 1928) is an American film and television actress, singer, dancer, and former U.S. ambassador to Ghana and Czechoslovakia. She began her film career in 1932 at the age of three, and in 1934, found international fame in Bright Eyes, a feature film designed specifically for her talents.

*A Shirley Temple is a non-alcoholic mixed drink made with ginger ale and a splash of grenadine, garnished with a maraschino cherry. Modern Shirley Temple recipes may substitute lemon-lime soda in part, or in whole, for ginger ale.

8. three adjectives or objects to describe the character
-cinderella: rag/broom/shoes
-Tin Woodman:oil can/chopper(ax)/trunk

9. the special media especally in transportation used in Fantasy or Bildungsroman
-哆啦A夢:時光機、任意門
-阿拉丁:魔毯(carpet)
-The Wonderful Wizard of Oz : the strong wind

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Word

1.confirm:再次確認(登機前72hr 去 confirm the plane ticket)


2.commencement:畢業典禮

3.

• cowardly:懦弱的
• lovely:可愛的
• friendly:親切的、友善的
• elderly:年長的
• dealdly:致命的(seven deadly sins: The seven deadly sins, also known as the capital vices or cardinal sins, is a classification of vices (part of Christian ethics) that has been used since early Christian times to educate and instruct Christians concerning fallen humanity's tendency to sin. In the currently recognized version, the sins are usually given as wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony.)

       →adj

4.Baptism:  受洗
(水具有洗滌、淨化的含意)

2013.12.26 word (week16-4)

1.mutable(a.)

[more mutable; most mutable] formal : able or likely to change often
▪ mutable opinions ▪ the government's mutable economic policies

 

2.plausible(a.)

[more plausible; most plausible] : possibly true : believable or realistic
▪ a plausible [=possible] conclusion ▪ a plausible excuse ▪ I thought her explanation was perfectly/entirely/completely plausible. [=I believed her explanation]

 

3.potent(a.)

[more potent; most potent] 1)

a : very effective or strong
▪ potent medicine ▪ The tea was potent.
b : having a very powerful effect or influence on someone
▪ He had potent arguments for going to war. ▪ Her story serves as a potent reminder of the dangers of drug use.

2)  of a man : able to have sex

 

4.prudent(a.)

[more prudent; most prudent] : having or showing careful good judgment
▪ He always listened to her prudent advice. ▪ You made a prudent choice/decision. ▪ She's a prudent investor.

 

5.refute(v.)

[+ obj] formal 1) : to prove that (something) is not true
▪ The lawyer refuted the testimony of the witness. ▪ refute an argument/claim

2 ) : to say that (something) is not true
▪ He refuted [=denied] the rumor about him. ▪ He refutes the notion that he's planning to retire soon. ▪ She refuted the allegations against her.

2013.12.25 word (week16-3)

1.disputable(a.)
[more disputable; most disputable] : not yet proved or shown to be true : likely to be questioned or doubted 
▪ The source of the text is disputable. [=debatable] ▪ a disputable claim ▪ The conclusion was based ondisputable [=questionable] evidence. 
 
2.edible(a.)
: suitable or safe to eat
▪ edible fruit ▪ a plant with edible leaves ▪ All of the decorations on the gingerbread house were edible.

3.extricate(v.)

[+ obj] : to free or remove (someone or something) from something (such as a trap or a difficult situation)
▪ Several survivors were extricated from the wreckage. ▪ They extricated the tractor from the mud. ▪ She hasn't been able to extricate herself from her legal problems.

 

4.tangible(a.)

1) : easily seen or recognized
▪ tangible benefits/results ▪ There is no tangible evidence to support her claim.

2) : able to be touched or felt
▪ tangible objects ▪ the company's tangible assets [=its buildings, equipment, etc.] ▪ Their sense of relief was almost tangible.

 

5.urbane(a.)

[more urbane; most urbane] 1) : polite and confident
▪ an urbane diplomat ▪ The dialogue is witty and urbane.

2) : fashionable and somewhat formal
▪ the hotel's urbane sophistication

2013.12.24 word (week16-2)

1.fruitless(a.)
: producing no good results : not successful
▪ They made a fruitless attempt to find a solution.

*fruitlessly (adv.)
▪ They argued fruitlessly.

*fruitlessness [noncount]

 

2.decimate(v.)

[+ obj] 1) : to destroy a large number of (plants, animals, people, etc.)
▪ This kind of moth is responsible for decimating thousands of trees in our town. 

— usually used as (be) decimated 

▪ The bay's lobsters have been decimated by disease. 

▪ The village/population was decimated by plague.

2)  : to severely damage or destroy a large part of (something)
▪ Budget cuts have decimated public services in small towns. 

— usually used as (be) decimated 

▪ The landscape is decimated by pollution.

 *decimation  (noun)

3.unwind(v.)
1) : to move the end of something (such as a piece of string) that is wound in a roll, coil, etc., so that it becomes straight
[+ obj] 
▪ She unwound some thread from the spool.
[no obj] 
▪ The fishing line unwound quickly.

2) [no obj] : to relax and stop thinking about work, problems, etc.
▪ I wanted to unwind after a hard day.

 

4.patronage(n.)

[noncount]

1) : money and support that is given to an artist, organization, etc.
▪ The college relied on the patronage of its wealthy graduates to expand its funds.

2) chiefly US, somewhat formal : support that is given to a business, library, etc., by buying its goods or using its services
▪ The city should do more to encourage patronage of local businesses.

3) often disapproving : the power to give jobs or provide other help to people as a reward for their support
▪ a system of political patronage

 

5.comply(v.)

[no obj] : to do what you have been asked or ordered to do
▪ I asked the waitress to refill my coffee cup and she happily complied.  

— often + with 

▪ You still have not complied with our request. [=have not done what we requested you to do]