week 9: 2014/05/05 ~ 2014/05/09

week 9: 2014/05/05 ~ 2014/05/09

part 1: unit 7 note - etymology

• What a nuisance.= I resent you.

• tutor 英(大學中)的老師；師徒制

• governess 陪讀老師

• metafiction 後設認知小說  

• swap=switch 交換

• Frailty, the name is woman. 弱者是女人 

         fra- : break
         ex: fragile(a. easily broken), fragment(n. a small part broken or separated off something)

• 贊成、同意

1. propose (v.):  put forward (an idea or plan) for consideration or discussion by others.  
2. proposal (n.): the action of putting forward such a plan or suggestion.  
3. approve (v.): officially agree to or accept as satisfactory
4. approval (n.): the action of officially agreeing to something or accepting something as satisfactory

part 2: vocabulary

day 1     5/5

mainstream     \ˈmān-ˌstrēm\

sentence(in the article): The mainstream belief was that humans would need to travel long distances to find out whether there were planets outsides our own solar system.

n.
meaning: a prevailing current or direction of activity or influence
v.
meaning: to place (a child with special educational needs) in regular school classes

simple sentence: The poor should be mainstreamed into the private health-insurance system.

orbit     \ˈȯr-bət\

sentence(in the article): Planets are big, and their weight affects the star orbit.

n.
meaning 1: the bony socket of the eye
meaning 2: a path described by one body in its revolution about another (as by the earth about the sun or by an electron about an atomic nucleus); also :  one complete revolution of a body describing such a path
v.
meaning: to travel around (something, such as a planet or moon) in a curved path : to make an orbit around (something)

simple sentence: The Moon orbits the Earth.
part of speech: 

• orbital     a.

wobble      \ˈwä-bəl\

sentence(in the article): The pull causes the stars they orbit to wobble.

v.
meaning: to move with an unsteady side-to-side motion: to be or become unsteady or unsure
n.
meaning: a hobbling or rocking unequal motion (as of a wheel unevenly mounted) : an uncertainly directed movement

simple sentence: The vase wobbled but didn't fall over.
part of speech: 

• wobbler     n.

launch     \ˈlȯnch, ˈlänch\

sentence(in the article): Another method of identifying planets is being used by NASA's Kepler mission, which was launched in March 2009.

n.
meaning 1: a large boat that operates from a ship : a small motorboat that is open or that has the forepart of the hull covered
meaning 2: an act or instance of launching
v.
meaning 1: to send or shoot (something, such as a rocket) into the air or water or into outer space
meaning 2: to put (a boat or ship) on the water
meaning 3: to throw (something) forward in a forceful way

simple sentence: The company is expected to launch several new products next year.
part of speech: 

• launchable     a.
• unlaunched     a.

essential      \i-ˈsen(t)-shəl\

sentence(in the article): Astronomers believe that the planet has the perfect conditions for water, which is essential for life as we know it.

n.
meaning: something that is basic or necessary : something essential
a.
meaning 1: extremely important and necessary
meaning 2: very basic

simple sentence: As a fighter pilot, he knows that good vision is essential.
part of speech: 

• essentially     ad.
• essen·ialness     n.

day 2     5/6

criteria     n.     \krī-ˈtir-ē-ən also krə-\

sentence(in the article): Along with Earth, these planets meet the main criteria for supporting life.

meaning: something that is used as a reason for making a judgment or decision
simple sentence: What were the criteria used to choose the winner?

part of speech: 

• criterial     a.

galaxy     n.     \ˈga-lək-sē\

sentence(in the article): There are over 100 billion stars  in our galaxy, known as the Milky Way.

meaning 1: (astronomy) any one of the very large groups of stars that make up the universe

meaning 2: the Galaxy : the galaxy in which we live

meaning 3: a large group of important or well-known people or things

simple sentence: The event was attended by a galaxy of artists.

dismiss     v.     \dis-ˈmis\

sentence(in the article): The probability that one of these planets is actually sustaining life seems too high to dismiss. 

meaning 1: to decide not to think about or consider (something or someone)

meaning 2: to send (someone) away : to cause or allow (someone) to leave

meaning 3: to officially make (someone) leave a job : to end the employment or service of (someone)

simple sentence: I don't think we should dismiss the matter lightly.

part of speech: 

• dismission     n.
• dismissive     a.
• dismissively     ad.

credible     a.     \ˈkre-də-bəl\

sentence(in the article): I find it credible that every star with a planetary system has at least one Earth-like planets.

meaning 1: able to be believed : reasonable to trust or believe
meaning 2: good enough to be effective
simple sentence: We've received credible information about the group's location.
part of speech: 

• credibility    n.
• credibly     ad.

extraterrestrial     \-tə-ˈres-trē-əl, -ˈres(h)-chəl\

sentence(in the article): The universe is most likely filled with extraterrestrial life, just waiting to be discovered.

n.
meaning: an extraterrestrial being
a.
meaning: coming from or existing outside the planet Earth

simple sentence: For those who hanker after extraterrestrial life that is a pity.
part of speech: 

• extraterrestrially     ad.

day 3     5/7

envy     \ˈen-vē\

sentence(in the article): I envy Kaveh and the world he is growing up in.

n.

meaning: the feeling of wanting to have what someone else has : someone or something that causes envy

v.

meaning: to feel a desire to have what someone else has : to feel envy because of (someone or something)

simple sentence: Their exotic vacations inspired envy in their friends.

part of speech: 

• envyingly    ad.

being     \ˈbē(-i)ŋ\

sentence(in the article): ...,or make contact with another being.

n.

meaning: a living thing : the state of existing : the most important or basic part of a person's mind or self

a.

meaning: present —used in the phrase for the time being

simple sentence: I knew it was true in the core of my being.

skepticism     n.     \ˈskep-tə-ˌsi-zəm\

sentence(in the article): I began this project with a healthy dose skepticism and as open  a mind as possible.

meaning: an attitude of doubting the truth of something (such as a claim or statement)
simple sentence: She regarded the researcher's claims with skepticism.

account     \ə-ˈkau̇nt\

sentence(in the article): There have been countless accounts of alien visitations around the world, but one of the things that prompts skepticism is how they would get here in the first place.

n.

meaning 1: a record of money that has been paid and money that has been received

meaning 2: accounts : records of income and expenses

meaning 3: an arrangement in which a bank keeps a record of the money that a person puts in and takes out of the bank

v.

meaning: to think of (someone or something) in a specified way

simple sentence: We always keep very good accounts.

part of speech: 

prompt     \ˈpräm(p)t\

sentence(in the article): There have been countless accounts of alien visitations around the world, but one of the things that prompts skepticism is how they would get here in the first place.

n.

meaning: the lines of a play that are said to an actor who has forgotten them
meaning: (computers) a message that appears on a computer screen asking the user to do something or to provide information
v.
meaning: to cause (someone) to do something : to be the cause of (something) : to say (something that encourages a person to talk)
a.
meaning 1: of or relating to prompting actors
meaning 2: performed readily or immediately <prompt assistance>
simple sentence: Curiosity prompted her to ask a few questions.

part of speech: 

• promptly     ad.
• promptness     n.

day 4     5/8

overestimate

sentence(in the article): It is hard ti [overestimate] the difficulty of going from star to star.

n.

meaning: an estimate that is too high.

v.
meaning: to estimate at too high a value, amount, rate, or the like
meaning: to hold in too great esteem or to expect too much from

simple sentence: Don't overestimate the car's trade-in value.

part of speech: 

• overestimation     n.

probe     \ˈprōb\

sentence(in the article): The faster object made by man, the scientific probe Helios 2, traveled at 2500 miles per second.

n.

meaning 1: a careful examination or investigation of something

meaning 2: a thin, long instrument that is used especially for examining parts of the body

v.

meaning 1: to ask a lot of questions in order to find secret or hidden information about someone or something

meaning 2: to touch or reach into (something) by using your finger, a long tool, etc., in order to see or find something

meaning 3: to look into or examine (something) carefully

simple sentence: The FBI probe did not produce any new evidence.

part of speech: 

• probeable     a.
• prober     n.

vast     \ˈvast\

sentence(in the article): The distances are so vast, the energy requirements are so extreme, it would be very, very difficulty to travel between the stars.

n.

meaning: a boundless space <the vast of heaven — John Milton>

a.

meaning: very great in size, amount, or extent

simple sentence: She has a vast amount of knowledge on this subject.

part of speech: 

• vastly     ad.
• vastness     n.

planetarium     n.     \ˌpla-nə-ˈter-ē-əm\

sentence(in the article): ...,director of the Rose Center's Hayden Planetarium at the American  Museum of Natural History in New York. 

meaning: a building or room in which images of stars, planets, etc., are shown on a high, curved ceiling
simple sentence: Reach for the stars with this double-threat tabletop planetarium. 

fabric     n.     \ˈfa-brik\

sentence(in the article): In Einstein's theory, space and time is a fabric.

meaning: woven or knitted material : the basic structure of something
simple sentence: The curtains are made of expensive fabric.

day 5     5/9

wormhole     n.     \ˈwərm-ˌhōl\

sentence(in the article): You see, if you fold the sheet of paper and punch a hole through it, you begin to realize that a wormhole is the shortest distance between two points.

meaning 1: a hole or passage made by a worm
meaning 2: a hole or tunnel in outer space that some people believe connects two very distant places
simple sentence: We found tiny wormholes in the potatoes.

shortcut     \ˈshȯrt-ˌkət also -ˈkət\

sentence(in the article): A civilization that could harness the power of stars might be able to use that shortcut through space and time, and perhaps bridge the vast distances of space to reach Earth, he said.

n.
meaning: a method or means of doing something more directly and quickly than and often not so thoroughly as by ordinary procedure <a shortcut to success>
v.
meaning: to shorten (as a route or procedure) by use of a shortcut; also :  circumvent

simple sentence: Wait, I know a shortcut. Turn left here.

fundamental     \ˌfən-də-ˈmen-təl\

sentence(in the article): The fundamental mistake people make when thinking about extraterrestrial intelligence is to assume that they're just like us except a few hundred years more advanced.

n.
meaning: one of the basic and important parts of something : a fundamental part
a.
meaning 1: forming or relating to the most important part of something
meaning 2: of or relating to the basic structure or function of something

simple sentence: We need to address these problems on a more fundamental level.
part of speech: 

• fundamentality     n.
• fundamentally     ad.

worthy     \ˈwər-thē\

sentence(in the article): This is worthy of scientific investigation.

n.
meaning: an important or respected person
a.
meaning 1: good and deserving respect, praise, or attention
meaning 2: having enough good qualities to be considered important, useful, etc.

simple sentence: Your donations will be going to a worthy cause.
part of speech: 

• worthily     a.
• worthiness     ad.

literally     ad.     \ˈli-tə-rə-lē, ˈli-trə-lē, ˈli-tər-lē\

sentence(in the article): That can  literally change the course of human history.

meaning 1: in a literal sense or manner :  actually <took the remark literally> <was literally insane>
meaning 2: in effect :  virtually <will literally turn the world upside down to combat cruelty or injustice — Norman Cousins>
simple sentence: Many words can be used both literally and figuratively.