自強之路

990-860 Gd
855-730 Bl
725-470 Gn
465-220 Br

親愛的同學們，對不起，我這陣子身體有點不太舒服 (這是藉口)，所以拖了兩個禮拜該有的進度，非常抱歉。考完我請吃飯補償啦 ㄏ。

suc 'cinct a. without wasted words; short and to the point; terse

super 'fluous a. more than required; excessive

sur 'pass v. go beyond the powers of; outdo; transcend

新制多益聽力題型

1. Photographs 照片描述 6
2. Question-Response 應答問題 25
3. Conversations (13 conversations, 3 questions per conversation) 簡短對話 39 (3*13)

ardent a. characterized by intensity of feeling

apprehension n. fear of future evil, trepidation

appease v. cause to grow calm or subside

apathy n. lack of concern, esp. about things that others find important

duplicity n. deceit, deception, double-dealing

ebullient a. exuberant, efferverscent, high-spirited, 

efferverscent a. active, positive, and full of energy; (An effervescent liquid produces bubbles of gas; 易起泡的)

eclectic a. assorted, diverse, heterogeneous

Tristan and Iseult is a romance story, retold in numerous sources with as many variations since the 12th century. The story is a tragedy about the adulterous love between the Cornish knight Tristan and the Irish princess Iseult. The narrative predates and most likely influenced the Arthurian romance of Lancelot and Guinevere, and has had a substantial impact on Western art and literature. While the details of the story differ from one author to another, the overall plot structure remains much the same.

The story and character of Tristan vary from author to author; even the spelling of his name varies a great deal, although "Tristan" is the most popular spelling. Nevertheless, there are two main traditions of the Tristan legend. The early tradition comprised the French romances of Thomas of Britain and Béroul, two poets from the second half of the 12th century. Later traditions come from the vast Prose Tristan (c. 1240), which was markedly different from the earlier tales written by Thomas and Béroul.

After defeating the Irish knight Morholt, Tristan travels to Ireland to bring back the fair Iseult for his uncle, King Mark of Cornwall, to marry. Along the way, they ingest a love potion which causes the pair to fall madly in love. In the courtly version, the potion's effects last a lifetime, but, in the common versions, the potion's effects wane after three years. In some versions, they ingest the potion accidentally; in others, the potion's maker instructs Iseult to share it with Mark, but she deliberately gives it to Tristan instead. Although Iseult marries Mark, she and Tristan are forced by the potion to seek one another, as lovers. While the typical noble Arthurian character would be shamed by such an act, the love potion that controls them frees Tristan and Iseult from responsibility. The king's advisors repeatedly endeavour to have the pair tried for adultery, but the couple continually use trickery to preserve their façade of innocence. In Béroul's version, the love potion eventually wears off, and the two lovers are free to make their own choice as to whether to cease their adulterous relationship or to continue.

As with the Arthur-Lancelot-Guinevere love triangle in the medieval courtly love motif, Tristan, King Mark, and Iseult of Ireland all love each other. Tristan honours and respects King Mark as his mentor and adopted father; Iseult is grateful that Mark is kind to her; and Mark loves Tristan as his son and Iseult as a wife. But every night, each has horrible dreams about the future. Tristan's uncle eventually learns of the affair and seeks to entrap his nephew and his bride. Also present is the endangerment of a fragile kingdom, the cessation of war between Ireland and Cornwall (Dumnonia). Mark acquires what seems proof of their guilt and resolves to punish them: Tristan by hanging and Iseult by burning at the stake, later lodging her in a leper colony. Tristan escapes on his way to the gallows. He makes a miraculous leap from a chapel and rescues Iseult. The lovers escape into the forest of Morrois and take shelter there until discovered by Mark. They make peace with Mark after Tristan's agreement to return Iseult of Ireland to Mark and leave the country. Tristan then travels to Brittany, where he marries (for her name and her beauty) Iseult of the White Hands, daughter of Hoel of Brittany and sister of Kahedin.

hardy a. strong enough to bear extreme conditions or difficult situations

altruistic a. showing a wish to help or bring advantages to others, even if it results in disadvantage for yourself

brevity n. using only a few words or lasting only a short time

dissent n. a strong difference of opinion on a particular subject, especially about an official suggestion or plan or a popular belief

laconic a. =  using or involving the use of a minimum of words : concise to the point of seeming rude or mysterious = curt

terse a. = using few words : devoid of superfluity / smoothly elegant

curt a. = marked by rude or peremptory shortness

pithy a. = consisting of or abounding in pith / having substance and point : tersely cogent

firms that are mature and have a lower probability of failure should therefore trade at higher market values, for any given variable such as revenues, earnings, or book value, holding all else (growth and risk) constant.

故較穩健且績優的公司應可游刃於較高獲利的市場，因該公司對於營收、獲利、帳面價值等可影響其成長或使風險增高的種種變因，能有較穩定的掌控。

laud v. = to exalt, eulogize

shore up v. = to stop a wall or a building from falling down by supporting it with building materials such as wood or metal

abolitionist n. = a person who supports the abolition of something

declaimer n. = a person who expresses something with strong feeling, especially in a loud voice or with forceful language

Team building is a collective term for various types of activities used to enhance social relations and define roles within teams, often involving collaborative tasks. It is distinct from team training, which is designed by a combine of business managers, learning and development/OD (Internal or external) and an HR Business Partner (if the role exists) to improve the efficiency, rather than interpersonal relations.

Many team-building exercises aim to expose and address interpersonal problems within the group. Over time, these activities are intended to improve performance in a team-based environment. Team building is one of the foundations of organizational development that can be applied to groups such as sports teams, school classes, military units or flight crews. The formal definition of team-building includes:

aligning around goals
building effective working relationships

There are four parts to the Listening Comprehension section of the toeic test. You will have approximately 45 minutes to complete this section.
Part 1: Photographs 6 Questions
Part 2: Question-Response 25 Questions
Part 3: Conversations 39 Questions

substantiate v. 證明…屬實；證實

corroborate v. 證明…屬實；證實

foment v. 挑起，激起，煽動（事端）

shrill a. （爭論或批評）尖刻的，刻薄的

noxious a.  harmful to living things; injurious to health

anomaly n. something anomalous;  one that is peculiar, irregular, abnormal, or difficult to classify

rationale n. the fundamental reasons for something; the basis (not always reasonalbe)

idiosyncrasy n. a structural or behavioral characteristic peculiar to an individual or group.

這些是從一位讀小學的小朋友英文課本裡所看到、我第一時間說不出中譯的單字。薄薄的一本小冊書，自己還有那麼多字不會，慚愧至極... 操他媽我真爛啊！

adjourn v. postpone; suspend a meeting to a future time

alfalfa n. A southwest Asian perennial herb (Medicago sativa) in the pea family, having compound leaves with three leaflets and clusters of usually blue-violet flowers. It is widely cultivated as a pasture and hay crop.

arresting a. Attracting and holding the attention; striking:

exonerate v. 

discrepancy n. 

authoritarian a. of, relating to, or favoring blind submission to authority

defiance n. 

prases: 

make it count

to great lengths

deter to

日常生活中，常常可見 heat, warm, roast, bake, toast, grill, broil, flambé, brew, stew, boil, sauté, simmer, steam, smoke, fry, deep-fry 等 '與火有關' 的食物烹調用字，但若非廚師，相信不多人能熟知箇中的差異吧？今天被問到有點心虛，趕快整理一下：

heat = 最廣義的 '加熱'，可以各種方式作成

warm = 也是廣義的 '加熱'，只是溫度不高，一般約在高於體感承受最大溫度區間附近

bake = 烘、焙、烤，熱源從四方來，食物離熱源最遠，偏 '高熱氣流加熱'，狹義上專指現代大型烤箱給熱方式

@ drab =  a. Dull or commonplace in character; dreary: a drab personality. 

@ grim = a. Discouraging or depressing: The business news has been grim lately. / Dismal; gloomy 

@ expediency = n.  Appropriateness to the purpose at hand.

@ self-indulgent = a. indulging one's own desires, passions, whims, etc., esp. without restraint.

people just love keanu, always want to be his maybe, and make him puns... :)

Keanu Reeves as Naproxen: Keanu Aleves.
Keanu Reeves with allergies Keanu Sneeze. 
Keanu Reeves at a funeral: Keanu Bereaves.