学习词根---Unit 3.1
上周总结篇的答案：
A. 1. b 2. b 3. b 4. d 5. d 6. c 7. c 8. c 9. a 10. d
B. 1. c 2. f 3. e 4. a 5. i 6. d 7. b 8. g 9. j 10. h
本周将学习Unit3，今天学习AMBI和EPI。
AMBI. 意为"on both sides"或者"around". 源自拉丁语。大多数人都是左撇子或者右撇子，但是ambidextrous双手都很灵巧。
ambiguous. (1) Doubtful or uncertain especially from being obscure or indistinct. (2) Unclear in meaning because of being understandable in more than one way.
例句：Successful politicians are good at giving ambiguous answers to questions on difficult issues.
Ambiguous源自拉丁动词ambigere, 意为"to be undecided". When we say someone's eyes are an ambiguous color, we mean we cannot decide which color they are--blue or green? The ambiguity of the Mona Lisa''s smile makes us wonder what she's thinking about. An ambiguous oder is one that can be taken in at least two ways: on the other hand, the order "Shut up!" may be rude but at least it's unambiguous.
ambient. Existing or present on all sides.
例句：The ambient lighting in the restaurant was low, and there was a bright candle at each table.
Ambient light is the light that fills an area or surrounds something that's being viewed, like a television screen or a painting. Scientists sometimes refer to the ambient temperature, the temperature of the surrounding air. "Ambient music" is the term used today for "atmospheric" background music usually intended for relaxation or meditation. The candlelit restaurant in the example sentence is probably trying for a romantic ambience, or "atmosphere".
ambivalent. (1) Holding opposite feelings and attitudes at the same time toward someone or something. (2) Continually wavering between opposites or alternative courses of action.
例句：He was ambivalent about the trip: he badly wanted to travel but hated to miss the summer activities at home.
Ambivalent is a fairly new word, less than a hundred years old, and, not surprisingly, it was first used by psychologists. Since being ambivalent means simply having mixed feelings about some question or issue, some of us spend most of our lives in a state of ambivalence. We might fell ambivalence about accepting a high-paying job that requires us to work long hours, about lending money to someone we like but don't know well--or about ordering a Tutti-Frutti Chocolate Banana Sundae El Supremo(反正是好吃的) after we've been starving on a strict diet for weeks.
ambit. The range or limit covered by something (such as a law).
例句：The treatment of farm animals generally falls outside the ambit of animal-cruelty laws in the U.S.
Ambit is a rather formal term, often used by lawyers, as in, "With this new legislation, tobacco now falls within the ambit of FDA(食品及药物管理局) regulation." It almost always refers to something abstract rather than an actual physical range. So, for example, an immigrant might live completely within the ambit of her immigrant community until she started college, where she might find herself in a much broader social ambit. Most of the Latin American colonies(殖民地) were established by Spain, but in the 19th century, the U.S. became stronger and Spain became weaker, they began to enter the ambit of U.S. power.
EPI. 希腊前缀，意为"on, over"或者"attached to". So an earthquake's epicenter is the ground right over the center of the quake. And your epidermis is the outer layer of your skin, on top of the inner dermis(真皮).
epilogue. The final section after the main part of a book or play.
例句：Her editor told her the book really needed an epilogue, to tell where each member of the family is today.
源自希腊词根，意为"words attached(at the end)." An epilogue often somehow wraps up a story's action, as in the one for a famous Shakespeare play the ends, "For never was a story of more woe / Than this of Juliet and her Romeo." In nonfiction(纪实文学) books, we now often use the term afterword instead of epilogue, just as we now generally use foreword instead of prologue. Movies also often have a kind of epilogue--maybe a scene after the exciting climax when the surviving lovers meet in a cafe to talk about their future. The epilogue of a musical composition, after all the drama is over, is called the coda(Italian for "tail").
epiphyte.(附生植物) A plant that obtains its nutrients from the air and the rain and usually grows on another plant for support.
例句：The strangler fig(无花果) begins life as an epiphyte on a tree branch, drops its tendrils to take root in the ground around the trunk, and slowly covers and strangles the tree to death.
Epiphytic plants are sometimes known as "air plants" because they seemingly survive on their air. They rely on their host plants merely for physical support, not nourishment. Tropical(热带) epiphytes include orchids(兰花), ferns(蕨类植物), and members of the pineapple family. To a newcomer in the tropical rain forest, the first sight of a great tree with large epiphytes hanging from every level can be eerie(怪异的，可怕的，瘆人的) and astonishing. Familiar epiphytes of the temperate(温带) zone include lichens(地衣), mosses(苔藓), and algae(水藻), which may grow on rocks or water without touching the soil(土壤).
epitaph.(墓志铭) An inscription on a grave or tomb in memory of the one buried there.
例句：The great architect Christopher Wren designed London's majestic St. Paul's Cathedral, the site of his tomb and epitaph:"Si monumentum requiris, circumspice."("If you seek my monument, look around you").
Epitaph包含希腊词根taphos, 意为“tomb"或"funeral". Traditionally epitaph refers to a tombstone inscription, but it can also refer to brief memorial statements that resemble such inscriptions. One of the most famous is Henry Lee's epitaph for George Washington:"First in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen".
epithet.(修饰语) (1) A descriptive word or phrase occurring with or in place of the name of a person or thing. (2) An insulting or demeaning word or phrase.(骂人的词语)
例句：King Richard I of England earned the epithet "Lionhearted," while his brother, King John, was given the epithet "Lackland."
源自希腊词根，epithet would mean something "put on," or added. Sometimes the added name follows a given name, as in Erik the Red or Billy the Kid. In other cases, the epithet precedes the personal name, as in Mahatma("Great-souled") Gandhi. In still others, it's used in place of the actual name, as in El Greco ("The Greek") or El Cid("The Lord"). In its other common meaning, an epithet is a mocking or insulting name(like "Lackland" in the example sentence). When enemies are said to be "hurling epithets" to each other, it means they're exchanging angry insults.
Quizzes:
Match the word on the left to the correct definition on the right:
1. ambivalent a. having more than one meaning
2. epithet b. surrounding
3. ambit c. wavering
4. epiphyte d. grave inscription
5. ambiguous e. range
6. epitaph f. descriptive nickname
7. ambient g. ending
8. epilogue h. non-parasitic plant growing on another
