| 俺最近有幸看到了《GRE1999词汇精选》 (世界知识出版社 2000年11月)(即所谓的红宝，下面简称“红宝”)，对照上海前进进修学院的词汇用书《英语词汇快速突破》和词汇材料(以下通称《突破》)，发现两者有很大的不同。俺本着“百花齐放，百家争鸣”的精神，本着“实事求是”的原则，稍微引证几个实例，希望对广大G友有点启示。 1. 以构词法记忆单词
这是“红宝”与《突破》的一个共同点。但“红宝”分散不全，构词分析用的是中文；《突破》则集中，用的是英语。 《突破》实例与“红宝”对照：
SCI = to know or understand 知道
SCI comes from the Latin verb scire, “to know” or “to understand.” This root appears in the word science, which refers to factual knowledge, and in conscience, which refers to moral knowledge. And to be conscious is to be in a state where you are able to know or understand. conscience n. (con- = with) “knowledge with” a moral sense of right and wrong 是非观念；道德心；良知；良心
(“红宝” 无该词条) (这里的词条是指书中作为词条列出，并有英中文解释的单词) conscientious adj. scrupulous; careful 按良心办事的；小心谨慎的 ?A conscientious editor, she checked every definition for its accuracy. 她是个一丝不苟的编辑，为正确起见对每一个定义进行核实。
(“红宝” 无该词条) conscionable adj. conscientious, scrupulous 凭良心办事的，有道德原则的，正直的
unconscionable adj. (The word unconscionable comes from conscience. An unconscionable person is one whose conduct is not guided by conscience.) unscrupulous; excessive 肆无忌惮的；过度的 ?She found the loan shark’s demands unconscionable and impossible to meet. 她发现那个放高利贷者的要求太过分了而无法给予满足。 “红宝”： unconscionable adj. 无节制的，过度的(not guided or controlled by conscience; unscrupulous; excessive, unreasonable)
(记) un (不) + conscionable (有节制的)
无例句 conscious adj. aware of; known to oneself 意识到的；自觉的 consciousness n.
(“红宝” 无该词条) unconscious adj. having lost consciousness 失去知觉的 unconsciousness n.
[类比] COMA : UNCONSCIOUSNESS :: delirium : confusion
(“红宝” 无该词条) subconscious adj. (sub-= incomplete(ly)) of one’s mental activities of which one is not (wholly) aware 下意识的；潜意识的
(“红宝” 无该词条) omniscient adj. all-knowing 无所不知的 ?I do not pretend to be omniscient, but I am positive about this fact. 我不敢自命无所不知，但对这一事实我确有把握。 omniscience n. (该词条排在OMNI) “红宝”： 无所不知的；博识的(having infinite knowledge; knowing all things)
(记) omni (全) +scient (知道的) ’ 全知道的
同根词： prescient (预知); conscience(良心)
(例) God is said to be omniscient and omnipotent. prescience n. ability to foretell the future 预知能力；先知 ?Given the current wave of Japan-bashing, it does not take prescience for me to foresee problems in our future trade relations with Japan. 鉴于当前非难日本的浪潮，我能预见我们同日本将来的贸易关系会有诸种问题出现，这并不需要什么先见之明。 [反] myopia [类比] PRESCIENCE : FUTURE :: erudition : esoterica
prescient adj. (pre- = before) having knowledge of an event before it occurs 预知的 “红宝”： prescient adj. 有先见之明的(having foreknowledge of events)
(记) pre (预先) + scient (知道的); n. prescience
参考： omniscient (全知的)
无例句 nescient adj. “not knowing,” ignorant 无知的 nescience n.
(“红宝” 无该词条) sciolism n. quackery; superficial knowledge or learning 假充内行；肤浅的知识 ?His superficial scientific treatises were filled with schiolisms and outmoded data. 他的肤浅的科学论文通篇是一知半解的论点和过时的资料。
(“红宝”无该词条)
sciolist n. 知识浅薄的人；假充内行的人 sciolistic adj.
(“红宝” 无该词条) 俺的想法：“红宝”的作者有没有系统深入地研究过英语词源学？ 2. 以例句巩固单词
这也是“红宝”与《突破》的一个共同点，但“红宝”的例句大多可能由作者自编的，而《突破》的例句则取自多本世界一流英语专著。 “红宝”：pugnacious adj. 好斗的(having a quarrelsome or combative nature; truculent)
(例) The pugnacious student was sent to the principal’s office.
俺的想法：好斗的学生送到校长办公室干吗？这样的例句对解答GRE完句题有帮助吗？ 《突破》：pugnacious adj. combative; disposed to fight 好战的；好斗的
As a child he was pugnacious and fought with everyone 他小时候很好斗，和谁都要打架。 (译自BARRON’S GRE) “红宝”： repugnant adj. 令人厌恶的(exciting distaste or aversion)
(例) The art exhibit was called repugnant and repellent.
俺的想法： 这句话啥意思啊？ 《突破》：repugnance n. loathing 厌恶
She looked at the snake with repugnance. 她厌恶地看着那条蛇。(译自BARRON’S GRE)
repugnant adj. causing repugnance; distasteful; offensive 令人厌恶的；使人反感的
repellent adj. driving away; unattractive 驱除的；可厌的 ?Mosquitoes find the odor so repellent that they leave any spot where this liquid has been sprayed. 蚊子发现这种气味很讨厌，所以凡喷洒过这种液体的地方它们都飞离远去。 (译自BARRON’S GRE) also n. 驱虫剂 ?Rub on some mosquito repellent, if you don’t want to be stung. 如果你不想被蚊子叮，就擦上些驱蚊剂吧。 3. 以例句扩大单词量
这是例句的一大功能，也是《突破》的一大特色！“红宝”在这方面几乎无例可选，故以下的例子都出自《突破》。
fusion n. (fus- to melt; pour + -ion the state or process of e) process of merging by melting; union; coalition 熔合；结合；联合 ?Brass is formed by the fusion of copper and zinc.
黄铜由青铜和锌熔合而成。 (译自How to Increase Your Word Power)
?The opponents of the political party in power organized a fusion of disgruntled groups and became an important element in the election. 执政党的反对派把心怀不满的各团体组成一个联合体，成为选举中的一股重要的力量。(译自BARRON’S GRE)
例句中的DISGRUNTLED在机考中考到，反义词是content。
(“红宝” 无该词条，也无DISGRUNTLED词条)
illuminate v. (1) to brighten; clear up or make understandable; enlighten 照亮；阐明；启迪 ?Just as a lamp can illuminate a dark room, a perceptive comment can illuminate a knotty problem. 正如灯能照亮黑暗的房间，具有真知卓见的评论亦能阐明棘手的问题。
[类比] ENFRANCHISE : VOTE :: illuminate : see
ILLUMINATE : DARKNESS :: educate : ignorance
(2) to decorate (a manuscript) with pictures or designs in brilliant colors 用鲜明色彩的图画(或图案等)装饰(手稿) illumination n.
[类比] FRIEZE : BUILDING :: illumination : manuscript
例句中的KNOTTY在机考中考到，其反义词是simple。
(“红宝”无illuminate词条)
inquisitor n. questioner (especially harsh); investigator (尤指严厉的)审问者；调查者 ?Fearing being grilled ruthlessly by the secret police, Marsha faced her inquisitors with trepidation. 马沙害怕被秘密警察彻底地盘问，战战兢兢地面对着那些严厉的审问者。
例句中的grilled，trepidation均是GRE词汇。
(“红宝” 无inquisitor词条)
俺的想法：“红宝”的作者在编著“红宝”的时候有没有系统深入地研究过GRE词汇？ 4. 释义的全面性
一本好的词汇书应尽可能包含词条的多义性 (当然，词汇书不是词典；限于篇幅，不可能把所有释义都列出)，这方面“红宝”与《突破》也存在很大的不同。
“红宝”：profligate adj. 挥金如土的(widely extravagant; prodigal)
n. 挥霍者 (a person given to wildly extravagant self-indulgent expenditure) 《突破》profligate adj. (struck down e broken down in character, degraded e) dissipated; wasteful; licentious 放荡的；挥霍的；淫佚的 ?In this profligate company, she lost all sense of decency. 厮混于这一群行为放荡的人里，她完全丧失了廉耻心。 also n.
[反] frugal
“红宝”只有1个释义，而《突破》有3个。有GRE题目：PROFLIGATE反义词virtuous。
TEMPERANCE (moderation in satisfying appetites or passions 节制；禁欲)反义词profligacy
5. 释义的简明性
为了方便读者记忆，释义尽可能地要高级而简明。在这方面，“红宝”与《突破》也有很大不同。
“红宝”： metaphor n. 隐语，暗语 (the application of word or phrase to an object or concept it does not literally denote, suggesting comparison to that object or concept)
(记) meta (变) +phor (带有) ’ 以变化的方式表达’ 隐语
(例) The candidate’s speech contained many metaphors and little substance. 《突破》metaphor n. (Metaphor comes from a Greek word meaning “transfer”; thus, metaphor transfers the meaning of one word or phrase to another.) implied comparison 隐语 ?“He soared like an eagle” is an example of a simile; “He is an eagle in flight,” a metaphor. “他像雄鹰一般翱翔”是明喻的一个例子；“他是飞翔的雄鹰”则是隐语的一个例子。
[类比] METAPHOR : LITERAL :: melody : spoken
metaphorical adj.
Cf euphoria
“红宝”的英语释义用了13个词，而《突破》只用了2个词: implied comparison! 6. 词源分析的正确性
“红宝”： adjutant n. (军队的)副官(a staff officer who serves as an administrative assistant to the commanding offer); 助手(an assistant)
(记) 请和adjust(调整)一起记
俺的想法：adjutant这个词里无s，释义也与adjust完全不同，怎么可以一起记啊？！这不是存心要干扰读者的记忆？ 《突破》adjutant n. (ad- to, toward + ju- to help + -t- + -ant e) staff officer assisting the commander; assistant 副官；助手 ?Though Wellington delegated many tasks to his chief adjutant Lord Fitzroy Somerset, Somerset was in no doubts as to who made all major decisions. 虽然威灵顿把许多任务委托给他的副官长萨默塞特勋爵， 但对由谁作所有重大决策这一点，萨默塞特是心知肚明的。
《突破》的词源分析取自Webster’s Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language， 例句译自BARRON’S GRE。 “红宝”：preposterous adj. 荒谬的(contradictory to nature, reason, or common sense; absurd)
(记) pre (前面) + poster (招贴) +ous
联想：像玩牌时在额前贴上纸条一样’ 可笑的
(例) a preposterous idea (荒谬的想法)
俺的想法：“红宝”的作者懂不懂这里的post- = after？难道世界一流的以英语为母语的词汇专家不如“红宝”的作者？ 《突破》preposterous adj. (Note that this word contains both the prefix pre- meaning “before” and the prefix post- meaning “after.” Combining “before” and “after” is absurd, and that is how preposterous got its meaning.) absurd; ridiculous 荒谬的，荒唐的；可笑的 ?The excuse he gave for his lateness was so preposterous that everyone laughed. 他为其迟到所作的辩解极其荒谬，以至众人都大笑起来。 [反] commonsensical
《突破》的词源分析取自How to Increase Your Word Power，例句译自BARRON’S GRE。 “红宝”中存在着不少“荒谬的”(作者自己在前言中的话)记忆法，如：adamant (记) 联想记忆： adam (亚当) + ant (蚂蚁)， “亚当”和“蚂蚁”都有坚定的性格。
俺的想法：“亚当”和“蚂蚁”都有坚定的性格？如俺说这样的话，恐怕别人会认为俺得了“青年痴呆症”！
其实，adamant与希腊词meaning “the hardest metal”有关；这个单词读的时候读得重一点，就能记住它的释义: hard; inflexible 又如：“红宝”：adulate v. 谄媚，奉承 (to praise too highly or flatter sycophantically)
(记) 和下面的adulterate(掺假)一起记，都可以看作成人(adult)做的坏事； n. adulation; adj. adulatory
俺的想法：adulate是adulation的逆构，源于拉丁词meaning “to flatter”；adulterate中的ulter (alter)是“other”的意思，掺了“别的”东西当然是“掺假”，管成人(adult)什么事？！ 《突破》： adulation n. flattery; admiration 奉承；赞赏 ?The rock star thrived on the adulation of his groupies and yes-men. 那位摇滚乐明星靠“追星族”和拍马者的吹捧而发达。 adulate v. [类比] FULMINATE : CRITICIZE :: adulate : flatter
adulterate v. (ad- to + ulter (alter) other, another +-ate e) to make impure by mixing with baser substances 掺杂；掺假 ?It is a crime to adulterate foods without informing the buyer. 不通知买主就对食物掺杂是犯罪。 adulteration n. [反] purification
[类比] ADULTERATE : PURITY :: enervate : vigor 俺以为，可以通过《突破》了解英语构词法，并突破一部分GRE词汇；其余的GRE词汇可以结合做题来学习掌握。时间是宝贵的，尤其青春岁月更宝贵。做事有“事半功倍”与“事倍功半”之分，我们应当力求“事半功倍”！ |
