托福寫作高分技巧——準(zhǔn)確使用24個(gè)高級(jí)詞匯
在托?？荚囍?，托福寫作考試是考生必須謹(jǐn)慎對(duì)待的一個(gè)考試科目。考生想要在托福寫作考試中取得高分，除了在規(guī)定的時(shí)間里寫出完整的做文，同時(shí)還要注意托福寫作考試中的用詞。這里小編為大家整理了24個(gè)托福寫作高級(jí)詞匯的使用方法，希望對(duì)大家托福寫作提分有幫助。
托福寫作高分技巧——準(zhǔn)確使用24個(gè)高級(jí)詞匯
1. Irony
What you think it means: Something that is funny. 你認(rèn)為單詞的含義是：滑稽的事。
What it really means: Contrary to what you are expecting.單詞的真正含義是：事與愿違的。 This is a famous one because so many people get this wrong so often. It’s also kind of hard to explain, so we’ll use an example. The Titanic was boasted about as being 100% unsinkable and then in 1912 it was sunk anyway. That is what is called cosmic irony. When a starving vegetarian eats a pepperoni pizza, that is what is called situational irony.
這是一個(gè)典型的單詞，因?yàn)榻?jīng)常有人用錯(cuò)。解釋起來可能有點(diǎn)困難，所以我們還是舉例說明吧。泰坦尼克號(hào)號(hào)稱100%不會(huì)沉沒，但1912年它還是意外沉沒了，這就叫“宇宙反諷”。要是某個(gè)餓得不行的素食者忍不住吃了塊香腸披薩，那就叫“情境反諷”。
There are other kinds too, such as dramatic irony and Socratic irony. Believe it or not, sarcasm is actually irony. When you say something sarcastically, your tone and your words mean two opposite things. That is ironic. Irony can be funny but not everything funny is irony.
當(dāng)然還有其他分類，比如“喜劇式反諷”和“蘇格拉底式反諷”。不管你信不信，irony其實(shí)和sarcasm(諷刺)是一個(gè)意思。當(dāng)說到某件事很諷刺時(shí)，你的語調(diào)和用詞意在表達(dá)完全相反的兩種情況。這就是ironic(反諷)。反諷可以是滑稽的，但并不是所有滑稽的事都可以稱得上“反諷”。
2. Travesty
What you think it means: A tragedy or something unfortunate. 你認(rèn)為單詞的含義是：悲劇或不幸的事。
What it really means: A mockery or parody. 單詞的真正含義是：拙劣的模仿或惡搞。 This is another one that people have wrong fairly frequently. You've heard people call 9/11 a travesty. Truth be told 9/11 was a tragedy. A travesty is actually a mockery or a parody. One might say that a Weird Al Yankovic album is a travesty. With how often this word is associated with tragedy, we wouldn't be shocked if that definition were eventually added as an acceptable meaning. Until then, it doesn't mean anything bad happened.
這也是人們經(jīng)常用錯(cuò)的一個(gè)單詞。有人把9.11事件說成travesty，其實(shí)他是想說是個(gè)tragedy(悲劇)。Travesty其實(shí)是指拙劣的模仿或惡搞。你可以說艾爾?揚(yáng)科維奇的專輯是travesty(惡搞的)。鑒于travesty這個(gè)單詞總是被人們和tragedy(悲劇)搞混淆，或許以后travesty里面也能加入“悲劇”的含義吧。不過到目前為止，這個(gè)單詞跟“不好的事情”完全扯不上關(guān)系。
3. Ultimate
What you think it means: The one, the only. The best. 你認(rèn)為單詞的含義是：某個(gè)，唯一的，最好的。
What it really means: The last item of a list. 單詞的真正含義是：列表中的最后一項(xiàng)。 Some people do actually use this one properly. You may see someone list off a bunch of things and hear them say, “Okay, at the store we need eggs, milk, juice, and ultimately, butter.” That is actually the proper use of ultimate. There is no other context or added context. It simply means the last one.
確實(shí)也有人能夠正確使用這個(gè)單詞。你或許看到過別人寫出一串列單，然后聽到他們說：“嗯……我們要去商店買點(diǎn)雞蛋、牛奶、果汁，最后(ultimately)還有黃油?！边@才是ultimate的正確使用方法。這里不存在其他內(nèi)容或補(bǔ)充內(nèi)容，ultimate就表示“最后一個(gè)”。
4. Conversate
What you think it means: To have a conversation. 你認(rèn)為單詞的含義是：進(jìn)行交談。
What it really means: Nothing. 單詞的真正含義是：壓根沒有這個(gè)詞。 Conversate actually doesn’t exist and I’ll prove it to you. Go into a program that underlines words with red if they’re spelled wrong. Now type out conversate. Did you see the red line? Conversate was meant to be a mixture of conversation and converse and be used as a verb. However, converse is a verb and there really isn’t a need for a second verb to describe the same action.
Conversate這個(gè)單詞其實(shí)是不存在的，這我可以證明。找個(gè)能標(biāo)紅錯(cuò)誤拼寫的程序，然后輸入conversate這個(gè)單詞，你應(yīng)該能看到這個(gè)單詞被標(biāo)了紅色下劃線吧?conversate應(yīng)該是conversation(交談)和converse(交談)的混合詞，詞性是動(dòng)詞?？墒牵琧onverse(交談)本身就是動(dòng)詞，根本就沒必要再造一個(gè)動(dòng)詞來描述同一個(gè)行為了。
5. Peruse
What you think it means: To skim or browse. 你認(rèn)為單詞的含義是：略讀或?yàn)g覽。
What it really means: To observe in depth. 單詞的真正含義是：深入觀察。 When you peruse something, you are actually taking a very close look at it. When you're at a record store and you're just running through a stack of records, you are just browsing. If you pick up a record and look at the artist, track list, and additional information on the back, then your are perusing.
當(dāng)你peruse(深入觀察)某事物時(shí)，說明你看得非常仔細(xì)。假設(shè)你在唱片店穿過一排排的唱片架，那就是“瀏覽”。如果你拿起一張唱片查看背后的藝術(shù)家、目錄和其他信息，那就叫peruse(深入觀察)了。
6. Bemused
What you think it means: Amused. 你認(rèn)為單詞的含義是：愉快的。
What it really means: Confused. 單詞的真正含義是：困惑的。 This is one of the many words on this list that will make you strongly dislike the English language. Despite looking all but identical to the word amused, bemused doesn't even come close to meaning the same thing. If you are bemused then you are actually confused.
這個(gè)單詞可能本清單中“榮膺”讓你討厭英語(精品課)的原因之一。盡管bemused(困惑的)在拼寫上跟amused(愉快的)很相似，但這兩個(gè)單詞的含義卻并不一樣。如果你bemused，說明你其實(shí)很困惑。
7. Compelled
What you think it means: To do something voluntarily by choice. 你認(rèn)為單詞的含義是：志愿選擇做某事。
What it really means: To be forced or obligated to doing something. 單詞的真正含義是：被迫或有義務(wù)做某事。 This is one that people get wrong and it's rather understandable. The real definition is very close to the definition people generally use. The difference is the motivation. When people say compelled, they think the person wants to perform the action. In fact, they are forced to do it regardless of their personal feelings. Here's an example. When you're in court, you are compelled to give honest testimony. You may not want to, but it doesn't matter because you have to.
這個(gè)單詞被人們搞錯(cuò)其實(shí)倒也情有可原。它的真實(shí)定義和人們通常誤用的含義很接近，但區(qū)別就在于動(dòng)機(jī)如何。當(dāng)說到compelled(被迫)時(shí)，人們以為說話者想做某事，但實(shí)際上，說話者是有違自身情緒而被迫去做某事的。舉個(gè)例子，在出庭時(shí)，你就是compelled(被迫)如實(shí)作證的，你可能心里不情愿，但不管怎樣你只能這么做。
8. Nauseous
What you think it means: To feel ill. 你認(rèn)為單詞的含義是：感覺不舒服。
What it really means: To cause feelings of illness. 單詞的真正含義是：令人不舒服的。 This is another understandable mishap that a lot of people make. If you actually feel sick then you are nauseated. The object that made you feel ill is nauseous. Here’s how this works. If you're at an amusement park and you’re sitting next to a full trash can, the fumes from the trash may make you feel ill. That means the fumes from the trash can are nauseous because they are making you feel nauseated.
許多人用錯(cuò)這個(gè)單詞也是情有可原的。如果你果真感到不舒服，那么你會(huì)nauseated(作嘔)，讓你感到不舒服的東西是nauseous(作嘔的)。請(qǐng)看下面的例子。假設(shè)你坐在游樂園一個(gè)滿滿的垃圾桶旁邊，垃圾桶里冒出的煙霧讓你感到不舒服。這就是說，垃圾桶里冒出的煙霧是nauseous(令人作嘔的)，因?yàn)樗屇愀械絥auseated(作嘔)。
9. Redundant
What you think it means: Repetitive. 你認(rèn)為單詞的含義是：重復(fù)的。
What it really means: Unnecessarily excessive. 單詞的真正含義是：過剩的。 This one is tough because you can use it wrong but unintentionally use it right. When you repeat something a bunch of times, it can become redundant, but redundant expands far beyond just repeating things over and over. A popular thing companies are doing now is firing people but instead of calling it “getting fired,” they call it “eliminating redundancies.” The premise being that the employee they’re firing is unnecessary and excessive and they are thus eliminating them. In pretty much any scenario where there is simply too much of something, it is redundant.
這個(gè)單詞有點(diǎn)復(fù)雜，因?yàn)槟憧赡芸倳?huì)用錯(cuò)，卻也不一定什么時(shí)候就用對(duì)了。當(dāng)你不斷重復(fù)某事很多次后，事情可能就會(huì)變得redundant(多余的)，但是redundant這個(gè)詞所包含的意思遠(yuǎn)不止“不斷重復(fù)”。當(dāng)下公司都很流行解聘雇員，但他們不會(huì)說“炒你魷魚”，而是稱之為“裁員”;但前提是，被裁的員工是可有可無的、多余的，這樣就可以裁掉了。在很多情況下，如果某事太多太剩，那就是redundant(多余的)了。
10. Enormity
What you think it means: Huge, enormous. 你認(rèn)為單詞的含義是：巨大的，龐大的。
What it really means: Profoundly immoral or evil. 單詞的真正含義是：極其不道德的或邪惡的。 Don't beat yourself up over this one because no one knows this one off the top of their head. Enormity sounds like enormous and as with many of our other examples, here we expect words that sound alike to have similar meanings. Enormity simply means really evil. An example of how to use it is the following: “The enormity of the crimes committed by the Nazis in World War II.” It doesn't mean the enormous crimes, it means the heinous crimes.
不要因?yàn)橛缅e(cuò)這個(gè)單詞而自責(zé)，因?yàn)闆]多少人能不假思索地知道這個(gè)單詞。Enormity(窮兇惡極)的發(fā)音和enormous(龐大的)比較相近，正如先前提過的許多例子一樣，對(duì)于發(fā)音相似的單詞，人們也很容易認(rèn)為它們的意思也一樣。Enormity是指“極其邪惡”。舉個(gè)例子來說明如何使用這個(gè)單詞吧。“納粹分子在二戰(zhàn)中犯下的罪行是enormity(窮兇惡極的)?！彼皇钦fenormous(龐大的)罪行，而是指十惡不赦的罪行。
11. Terrific
What you think it means: Fantastic, good. 你認(rèn)為單詞的含義是：妙極了，極好的。
What it really means: Horrific, to inspire fear. 單詞的真正含義是：可怖的，令人害怕的。 This is another one that we expect will be changed in the dictionary eventually because barely anyone uses the real meaning anymore. When people say they feel terrific, they mean to say they feel fantastic. An example of something terrific is King Kong. You see a giant monster and it inspires fear. We're going to loop awesome in with this one too. Awesome simply means to inspire awe and people often use it to describe something really good.
我們認(rèn)為這個(gè)單詞的含義以后也會(huì)在詞典里重新修訂，因?yàn)楝F(xiàn)在幾乎沒有人會(huì)去使用它的真正含義。當(dāng)人們說感覺terrific(恐怖的)時(shí)，他們是指感覺fantastic(好極了)?！督饎偂肪褪堑湫偷膖errific(可怖的)例子，因?yàn)樗蔷薰?，讓人感到恐懼。在此順?a href='http://www.rzpgrj.com/shuoshuok/' target='_blank'>說說awesome這個(gè)單詞吧。Awesome是指“讓人感到驚懼”，但現(xiàn)在人們用這個(gè)詞的時(shí)候主要是指“某事好極了”。
12. Disinterested
What you think it means: Bored. 你以為單詞的含義是：無趣的。
What it really means: Neutral. 單詞的真正含義是：中立的。 A good way to remember this one is that there is a word that means bored and it's uninterested. If you're uninterested, you're bored. Being disinterested is the long-form equivalent of stating that you don't care about something.
要記住這個(gè)單詞，有個(gè)辦法就是別忘了已經(jīng)有一個(gè)單詞表示“無趣的”——這個(gè)單詞就是uninterested。如果你uninterested(不感興趣)，那自然就“無趣”了。Disinterested是表示“對(duì)某事不關(guān)心”的一個(gè)單詞。
13. Irregardless
What you think it means: Without regard. 你以為單詞的含義是：不管怎樣。
What it really means: Nothing. 單詞的真正含義是：它也是不存在的。 Like conversate above, irregardless isn't actually a word. When people say irregardless, they actually mean to say regardless. Regardless means without regard. Irregardless has been used so often that it actually is in the dictionary now and that's kind of sad. Even though it is technically there, there are a large number of people who don't consider it a word. You can save yourself a couple of keystrokes and a tongue lashing by just using regardless.
跟前面的conversate一樣，irregardless這個(gè)單詞其實(shí)也不存在。當(dāng)人們說irregardless時(shí)，其實(shí)是想說regardless。Regardless是指“不管怎樣”。Irregardless一直被頻繁使用，所以現(xiàn)在確實(shí)也納入了詞典，這可真無奈啊!不過，盡管它在字典里占有一席，但很多人并不覺得它是個(gè)單詞。既然用regardless就行了，何必還要多敲幾下鍵盤、多發(fā)一個(gè)音符來費(fèi)事呢?
14. Chronic
What you think it means: Severe. 你以為單詞的含義是：劇烈的。
What it really means: Over the course of a long time. 單詞的真正含義是：歷時(shí)長久的。 This is definitely one that people ought to know better. When you have severe pain, it is just severe pain. If you have chronic pain, you have been in pain for a long, long time. Chronic conditions and diseases are called chronic because they won't go away and not because they're overly severe.
人們絕對(duì)需要好好了解這個(gè)單詞的含義。假設(shè)你受到劇烈疼痛，那它只是劇烈疼痛而已。如果你有chronic(慢性的)疼痛，那你可得很久很久地承受這疼痛了。慢性狀況和疾病之所以是chronic(慢性的)，是因?yàn)樗鼈儾粫?huì)消退，而不是說它們極其嚴(yán)重。
15. i.e.
What you think it means: For example. 你以為單詞的含義是：比如。
What it really means: In other words. 單詞的真正含義是：換句話說。 This is one among a number of shortened words that confuse people. Here's a quick guide on how to use them. Et cetera is etc., example is ex. or e.g., and in other words is i.e. When you use i.e. you're essentially putting it there to let people know that you're going to be stating the same information in different words. Here's how it really works. It's June and I moved into my new apartment in April, i.e., two months ago.
example(比如)的縮略詞是ex.或e.g.，而in other words(換句話說)的縮略詞是i.e.。如果你使用i.e.，就表示你在換用不同的詞來表述同一個(gè)信息。下面就是具體用法：現(xiàn)在是六月，我是四月份搬進(jìn)新公寓的，i.e.(換句話說)，兩個(gè)月前。
16. Decimate
What you think it means: To destroy or annihilate 你以為單詞的含義是：毀壞或擊敗。
What it really means: To destroy ten percent. 單詞的真正含義是：10%毀壞。 This one is really goofy and one day this won't be true. For the time being, decimate actually means removing only ten percent of something. If you know a little bit about words it's not difficult to figure out. The prefix “dec” means ten. However, the traditional definition of this word is antiquated and it'll probably be changed eventually. Until then, it's technically correct to use a word like exterminate or annihilate instead.
這個(gè)單詞有點(diǎn)別扭，或許以后就沒人用了。不過現(xiàn)在而言，decimate是指“只抽取某事物的10%”。如果你稍微了解一點(diǎn)英語構(gòu)詞法的話，這就不難理解了。它的前綴“dec”就是“十”的意思。不過，這個(gè)單詞的傳統(tǒng)定義比較古舊，估計(jì)以后會(huì)有所改變。但在那之前，最好還是使用exterminate(鏟除)或annihilate(殲滅)替代吧。
17. Panacea
What you think it means: A cure. 你以為單詞的含義是：治愈。
What it really means: A cure for a lot of things. 單詞的真正含義是：萬靈藥。 This one is easy to confuse because the explanation is virtually the same even if the definitions are vastly different. A panacea is something that cures a lot of things all at once. For instance, penicillin is a panacea. It cures a bunch of diseases. The flu vaccine is not a panacea because it only protects against the flu.
這個(gè)單詞很容易混淆，因?yàn)榧幢愣x迥異，解釋起來實(shí)質(zhì)還是一樣的。Panacea(萬靈藥)能立刻治愈各種疾病。比如說，盤尼西林就是panacea(萬靈藥)，它能治療很多疾病;而流感疫苗就不是panacea(萬靈藥)，因?yàn)樗活A(yù)防流感。
18. Fortuitous
What you think it means: Lucky. 你以為單詞的含義是：幸運(yùn)的。
What it really means: By chance. 單詞的真正含義是：偶然碰巧。 There is a difference between luck and chance. Unfortunately, people use the two interchangeably, so much so that it's difficult to explain the differences anymore. Lucky is an event that happens by chance that can be described as fortunate. Winning the lottery is lucky. Fortuitous means simply by chance. For instance if you drop your basketball and it bounces into the road and gets hit by a car, that's a fortuitous instance. It's neutral, so it can be good or bad things that happen by chance.
運(yùn)氣和機(jī)會(huì)是有區(qū)別的?？墒侨藗兛偘阉鼈兘换ナ褂?，所以很難再去解釋其中的區(qū)別了。運(yùn)氣是偶然發(fā)生的一件事，可以視為“幸運(yùn)的”。中彩票是幸運(yùn)的。Fortuitous是指“純屬偶然”。舉個(gè)例子，假設(shè)你沒拿住籃球，結(jié)果籃球彈到路上擊中了一輛車，這就是fortuitous(純屬偶然)。這個(gè)單詞是中性的，既可以指偶然發(fā)生的好事，也可以指偶然發(fā)生的壞事。
19. Plethora
What you think it means: A lot of something. 你以為單詞的含義是：很多事物。
What it really means: More than is needed. 單詞的真正含義是：多余。 This is one I use incorrectly all the time. In fact, I almost used it a couple of times in this very article. Plethora simply means that there is more of something than is needed. For instance, you may think that 5,000 people is a plethora of people. However, when you put them into a hockey arena that seats 13,000 people, it's actually less than half capacity and therefore not a plethora. If you had 13,500 people in that same arena, that would be a plethora of people.
這個(gè)單詞是我總用錯(cuò)的。其實(shí)，這篇文章里可能也有幾次相關(guān)的錯(cuò)誤。Plethora是指“再也不需要什么了”。比如，你可能覺得5000人是很多人，但是，如果你把這些人放到能容納13000人的冰球場(chǎng)，那么人數(shù)還不到容量的一半，所以就不能算plethora(多余);如果你把13500人放到那個(gè)冰球場(chǎng)，那就是plethora(多余)的了。
20. Total
Total means exactly what you think it means, but total is used unnecessarily on a frequent basis. When there is a total of 50 people who do something, the total is 50 whether or not you use the word “total.” Or you might hear someone say that they were totally surprised. Surprise is not a conditional emotion. You were either surprised or not. The use of total didn't add anything of value to the sentence. In most cases, the definition is correct but using the word is repetitive when put in context with the rest of the sentence.
Total的含義和你認(rèn)為的完全一樣，但是，total總是被不必要地使用。假設(shè)總共有50個(gè)人在干活，那么不管你有沒有用total這個(gè)詞，total(總數(shù))肯定就是50?；蛟S你聽人說過他們totally(完全)被嚇到了?！皣樀健辈⒉皇且环N條件性情緒，你要么被嚇到，要么沒有。句中添加一個(gè)total根本起不到任何意義。在多數(shù)情況下，這個(gè)單詞的定義是正確的;但是，如果把單詞放到字里行間就顯得重復(fù)了。
21. Literally
What you think it means: Figuratively. 你以為單詞的含義是：象征地。
What it really means: Actually. 單詞的真正含義是：確切地。 This is something that has come about relatively recently and my generation may have helped propagate this one. Literally means actually. When something is literally true, it is actually true. If I haven't seen my friend in literally five years then I actually haven't seen them in five years. People use literally along with hyperbole to show an emotion: “I haven't had Chinese food in literally a million years.” This is meant to denote that the person hasn't had Chinese food in a while. The word those people actually want is figuratively. They figuratively haven't had Chinese food in a million years. They probably literally hadn't had it in a few days or weeks.
這個(gè)單詞是近些年才流行起來的，我這一代人或許起到過推波助瀾的作用。Literally的意思是“確切地”。如果某事literally(確切)屬實(shí)，那它就確實(shí)是真的。如果我literally(確切)有5年沒見過朋友了，那就是說我的確5年都沒見過他們。為了表達(dá)情感，人們會(huì)夸張地使用這個(gè)單詞：“我literally(確切)有一百萬年沒吃中國菜了!”這是指那個(gè)人有一段時(shí)間沒吃中國菜了。這些人其實(shí)是想用figuratively(象征地)這個(gè)單詞，表示他們figuratively(仿佛)有一百萬年沒吃中國菜了。他們可能literally(確切)只有幾天或幾個(gè)星期沒吃中國菜罷了。
22. can
What you think it means: What is permissible. 你以為單詞的含義是：可行的。
What it really means: What is possible. 單詞的真正含義是：可能的。 This is one you have to nip in the bud in childhood because it's much harder to correct in adulthood. When you can do something, you have capacity within you to perform that action regardless of whether or not you actually do it. I can bang my head into my desk but I absolutely will not do it. When people use can incorrectly it is because they mean to use the word “may.” When you ask someone if they can open the door, you did not ask them to open the door. You asked them if they were capable of opening the door. If you wish for them to perform the task, you should ask if they will open the door. When you ask if you can have something, you're not asking someone to give it to you. You're asking if you have the capacity to own it. If you need something, ask if you may have it.
這個(gè)單詞的使用必須在兒童時(shí)就開始注意，一旦用錯(cuò)，成年以后就很難糾正了。當(dāng)你can(可以)做某事時(shí)，即意味著不管實(shí)際行動(dòng)與否，你自身都有能力去采取那個(gè)行動(dòng)。我can(可以)把頭撞到桌上，但我絕對(duì)不會(huì)這么去做。有時(shí)人們錯(cuò)用can這個(gè)單詞，是因?yàn)樗麄儽鞠氡磉_(dá)may(可能)。當(dāng)你問別人是否can(可能)開門時(shí)，你其實(shí)并沒有要求對(duì)方一定得開門，只是在詢問對(duì)方能不能開門;要是你希望對(duì)方開門，你就會(huì)直接問“是否開門”了。當(dāng)你問對(duì)方是否can(可能)有某事物，你其實(shí)并沒有要求對(duì)方把它給你，你只是在問對(duì)方有沒有擁有那個(gè)東西的可能性。如果你需要某物，你會(huì)直接問“是否可以擁有它”。
23. Defective
What you think it means: That something is broken or missing pieces. 你以為單詞的含義是：某物碎了或缺了部分。
What it really means: Simply that it's broken. 單詞的真正含義是：某物壞了。 You'll see this one a lot in Amazon reviews. People will say that their unit came defective because it was missing a screw or pieces in the box. That's actually incorrect. What they mean to say is that their product is deficient. It's missing pieces, it is not actually broken. The machine may work perfectly fine once the missing pieces have been re-added, which means that it actually isn't defective at all.
你會(huì)在亞馬遜網(wǎng)評(píng)上看到很多人用這個(gè)單詞。人們會(huì)說網(wǎng)購的產(chǎn)品是defective(壞的)，因?yàn)楹凶永锶鄙倌硞€(gè)螺絲釘或部件。其實(shí)這種用法是不對(duì)的。人們本想說產(chǎn)品是deficient(缺陷的)，產(chǎn)品只是缺少部件，而不是壞了，如果裝上缺少的部件，或許機(jī)器就能正常運(yùn)轉(zhuǎn)了，所以，產(chǎn)品根本就不是defective(壞的)。
24. Obsolete
What you think it means: Old, out of date. 你以為單詞的含義是：舊的，過時(shí)的。
What it really means: Not produced, used, or needed. 單詞的真正含義是：未生產(chǎn)的，未使用的，不需要的。
You'll see this one in the tech industry a lot. People in tech article comments will comment that a phone is obsolete when they really mean that it's out of date. The literal definition of obsolete is an item that it isn't produced, needed, or used anymore. An example of this is is the steam engine. It's largely inefficient compared to today's combustion engine and even more inefficient than the emerging electric engines. Thus, steam engines are not used, produced, or needed anymore. Yes, they are also old and out of date, but obsolete is kind of the next step after old and out of date.
這個(gè)單詞在科技行業(yè)經(jīng)常出現(xiàn)。在科技文章評(píng)論中，人們會(huì)說某個(gè)電話機(jī)obsolete(未使用的)，其實(shí)他們是想說電話機(jī)過時(shí)了。Obsolete的字面定義是指某物未被生產(chǎn)、不被需要或不再使用。一個(gè)例子就是蒸汽機(jī)。跟如今的內(nèi)燃機(jī)相比，蒸汽機(jī)相當(dāng)不給力，甚至都比不上新興的電發(fā)動(dòng)機(jī);因此，蒸汽機(jī)是不被使用的、不被生產(chǎn)的或不再被需要的。沒錯(cuò)，蒸汽機(jī)也是舊的、過時(shí)的，但obsolete是“舊”與“過時(shí)”更后一步的階段了。
Wrap up 總結(jié)
The English language is a finicky one but it's also ever changing. Words are updated and definitions change. New words are added every year and some are retired. Very few people will ever master the entire language and the rest of us will just have to do the best we can!
托福寫作模板：花長時(shí)間做決策是否是好的品質(zhì)
題目：
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement:
Taking a lot of time to make an important decision is often considered as a bad quality for a person. However, some people think that it is a good quality for a person.
Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
范文1：Argument 1 (for)
It is wise to take plenty of time to make an important decision. If you stop to think, you can make a logical decision that is not based on passing emotions. Time lets you evaluate possible outcomes and consult with others.
Most importantly, emotions can cloud logical thinking. Giving yourself adequate time to consider a problem lets you look at it calmly. For example, I once got into an argument with a co-worker and was furious enough to quit my job. In my anger, it was the best decision, because I could not imagine looking at that person again. However, I went home and thought about what had happened. As I calmed down, I realized it would be better to talk with my supervisor and the co- worker. The next day I did. Now we work together well. I have a good job, but I would not if I had made the decision to quit in haste and anger.
Not only does taking time allow anger to fade, it also gives time to think through possibilities. It is important to look not just at the immediate decision, but also at its effects into the future. Considering different outcomes and possibilities can be a slow process. In the argument with my co-worker, I needed to look not just at my immediate satisfaction of getting away from the person I argued with. I needed consider what would happen if I quit my job: I could not pay my bills or save money for fun activities. I would need to find a different job. Any important decision has dozens of effects, so it is wise to evaluate what those might be.
Finally, you can get the opinion of others if you take time. You can discuss the situation with family or friends. You can consult the internet or other resources. If you get the advice of people who are not involved or who have more experience, you will have a greater chance of seeing all sides of the problem. You have all the information you need to analyze the different possibilities. For example, if I had talked with my family about quitting my job, they might have suggested changing to a new department in the same company, or other reasonable solutions that I may not have thought of on my own.
Giving yourself time to think lets you base the decision on logic, think about potential effects, and find more information. Therefore, it is wise to take time when making an important decision.
emotions can cloud logical thinking 情緒會(huì)模糊或影響邏輯思維
in my anger 在我憤怒的時(shí)候
in haste and anger 在匆忙和憤怒的情況下
allow anger to fade 讓憤怒消退
the immediate decision 立即做出的決定
the different possibilities 不同的可能性
base the decision on logic根據(jù)邏輯做出決定
范文2：Argument 2 (against)
When it comes to making a decision, you should go with your instincts and commit to an answer as soon as possible. If you take too long to consider, you can inconvenience others, miss opportunities, and make a poor decision.
It is important to remember that your decisions affect not just you but also the people around you. They must wait for your answer before they can go on with their own activities and plans. For example, if you are thinking about going on a vacation, you need to arrange for someone to take care of your pets or home. That person can’t make other plans until he or she finds out if you really are going. Therefore, if you take too much time to make a decision, other people are inconvenienced.
You might also miss opportunities if you are very slow about making a decision. While you are thinking, an event might be filled, a sale might end, or an offer might be withdrawn. The vacation example is a good illustration. If you see an advertisement for a cruise and take too long to respond, there may be no spaces left because other people responded faster. The friend offering to care for your pet cat may decide to do something else for the weekend, leaving you without help. In the end, your careful consideration was for nothing because the opportunity to go on vacation is no longer there.
One last concern about debating for a long time is that only you can know what is right for yourself. Everyone has different opinions, and those opinions may or may not apply to you.Others mean well by giving you advice, but they do not know every detail about you. For example, it is common for others to suggest entering a career where you can make lots of money, such as becoming a doctor or lawyer. However, if you like working outside alone, you will be unhappy and stressed in a career like that. Instead, you should follow your own instincts and enter a lower-paying career that you are happy in, such as becoming a gardener. If you allow yourself time to change your mind and listen to others, you will end up feeling unfulfilled or disappointed.
Therefore, it is important to make decisions in a timely manner. If you take too long to think them over, you can cause problems for others, miss opportunities, or follow a path that is not ideal.
go with your instincts 根據(jù)你的直覺去做,憑直覺行事
be inconvenienced 不方便
your careful consideration was for nothing 你的仔細(xì)考慮是徒勞的,是無用的
others mean well by giving you advice 別人基于好意給予你建議
a lower-paying career 一份薪水稍低的職業(yè)
allow yourself time to 給自己時(shí)間去做
in a timely manner 及時(shí)地
怎樣才能寫出一篇高分托福作文?
俗話說知己知彼百戰(zhàn)不殆，想要在托福寫作中獲得高分，我們需要首先明確高分作文到底長啥樣，而其實(shí)當(dāng)我們認(rèn)真揣摩了OG(官方指南)上的托福寫作評(píng)分標(biāo)準(zhǔn)后，我們會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)，ETS 其實(shí)早已告知我們托福寫作的高分秘訣了。
《新托福官方指南(第三版)》(英文版)P209：
? effectively addresses the topic and task;
? is well organized and well developed, using clearly appropriate explanations, exemplifications, and/or details;
? displays unity, progression, and coherence;
? displays consistent facility in the use of language, demonstrating syntactic variety, appropriate word choice, and idiomaticity, though it may have minor lexical or grammatical errors.
01 作文要“切題”
恰當(dāng)?shù)拈_題源于仔細(xì)的審題。這一點(diǎn)對(duì)于同學(xué)們來說應(yīng)該沒有什么問題，因?yàn)橥懈懽鳠o非是問你是否同意某個(gè)特定的觀點(diǎn)，只要題目中的單詞大部分都認(rèn)識(shí)，理解上就不應(yīng)有誤差。但值得注意的是，對(duì)于某些特定的、看似能夠從“兩個(gè)或者更多角度來分開闡述”的話題，無論選擇其中的哪一個(gè)角度(甚至兩個(gè)角度都討論到)，也都可算“切題”。比如關(guān)于“Parents are the best teachers”這個(gè)話題，無論是從“the best”入手，討論“父母是否是最好的老師”，或者從“parents”來入手，討論是否“所有的父母都是好老師”都沒有問題，都符合“切題”的要求。
02 條理清晰，言之有物
第二條標(biāo)準(zhǔn)，直譯過來喚作“良好的組織，良好的發(fā)展，并且使用了恰當(dāng)?shù)年U述、舉例和/或細(xì)節(jié)”。
我們把這條標(biāo)準(zhǔn)分為兩個(gè)部分，前半部分稱為“條理清晰”，后半部分稱為“言之有物”。若只有條理，沒有內(nèi)容，文章難免陷入空泛，讀者則味同嚼蠟，毫無趣味;若只有內(nèi)容，沒有條理，則會(huì)讓讀者覺得一團(tuán)亂麻，不知所言;兩者著實(shí)缺一不可——想要做到這一點(diǎn)，我們當(dāng)然需要狠下些工夫。
03 行文流暢
第三條標(biāo)準(zhǔn)，是要求文章展現(xiàn)出良好的“統(tǒng)一、發(fā)展和連貫性”：總的來說，就是要求“行文流暢”。
這一要求十分嚴(yán)苛，絕非一朝一夕所能練就。說到這里就不得不提一下“模板作文”，這是一個(gè)很值得“再商榷”的方法，事實(shí)上ETS在《新托福官方指南(第三版)》英文版 P207 頁就有專門針對(duì)模板的論述，ETS的態(tài)度可謂不堅(jiān)決，勸考生“不要僅僅為了增加文字字?jǐn)?shù)而死記硬背一些冗長的首、末段，評(píng)分人員不會(huì)看好那些累贅的段落”。所以，使用模板有危險(xiǎn)性，要慎重。
04 良好的語言能力
第四條標(biāo)準(zhǔn)，強(qiáng)調(diào)的是“良好的語言能力”，無論是“多樣性”和“恰當(dāng)性”，都不易于達(dá)到。
而且要體現(xiàn)自身的語言“掌控能力”，方法的確并不唯一：有些滿分作文以“精妙”取勝，使用諸多復(fù)雜句型來展現(xiàn)語言水平;也有人是使用“簡明質(zhì)樸”的句子，清楚地表達(dá)自己的含義，往往也能夠取得近乎滿分的成績。但不管哪種方法，都不是一天能達(dá)成的。我并不是認(rèn)為語言不重要，但語言的確不是在短期取得分?jǐn)?shù)飛躍的突破口。
托福寫作高分技巧——準(zhǔn)確使用24個(gè)高級(jí)詞匯相關(guān)文章：
9.新托福滿分攻略
托福寫作高分技巧——準(zhǔn)確使用24個(gè)高級(jí)詞匯
