学习词根---Unit 4.4
昨天的答案：
1. h 2. a 3. c 4. b 5. g 6. f 7. d 8. e
今天将学习FLECT和POST两个词根。
FLECT. 源自拉丁动词flectere, 意为"to bend." 这个词根有时会才有变种flex-的形式. Things that are flexible can be bent, and when you flex a muscle, you're usually bending a limb--which, as a trainer at the gym will tell you, requires the use of flexor muscles.
deflect. To turn aside, especially from a straight or fixed course.
例句：The stealth technology used on bombers are fighter jets works by deflecting radar energy, making them "invisible."
Use of the physical meaning of deflect is common. Thus, a soccer goalie's save might involve deflecting the ball rather than catching it, and workers wear eye shields to deflect tiny particles flying out of machines. But the nonphysical meaning may be even more common. A Hollywood actress might deflect criticism about her personal life by giving lavishly to charity, for example, and we've all tried to change the subject to deflect a question we really didn't want to answer.
reflective. (1) Capable of reflecting light, images, or sound waves. (2) Thoughtful.
例句：He likes action movies and going out drinking with friends, but when you get to know him you realize he's basically reflective and serious.
Reflective people are people who reflect on things--that is, look back at things that have been done or said in order to think calmly and quietly about them. Most reflective people would agree with Socrates that (as he told the jury that would soon sentence him to death) "The unexamined life is not worth living." Reflective people tend to be a bit philosophical and intellectual. But almost everyone has reflective moods; gazing into a fireplace or a campfire seems to do it to almost everyone.
genuflect. To kneel on one knee and then rise as an act of respect.
例句：At religious shrines in China, pilgrims(朝圣者) may not only genuflect but actually lie down flat on the ground.
Genuflection, which contains the root genu-, "knee," has long been a mark of respect and obedience. King Arthur's Knights of the Round Table genuflected not only when he knighted them but whenever they greeted him formally, and this custom remains in countries today that are still ruled by royalty. In some churches, each worshipper is expected to genuflect whenever entering or leaving a pew on the central aisle.
inflection. (1) A change in the pitch, tone, or loudness of the voice. (2) The change in form of a word showing its case, gender, number, person, tense, mood, voice, or comparison.
例句：She couldn't understand her grandfather's word, but she knew from his inflection that he was asking a question.
Changing the pitch, tone, or loudness of our words are ways we communicate meaning in speech, though not on the printed page. A rising inflection at the end of a sentence generally indicates a question, and a falling inflection indicates a statement, for example. Another way of inflecting words is by adding endings:-s to make a noun plural, -ed to put a verb in the past tense, -er to form the comparative form of an adjective, and so on.
POST. 源自拉丁词语，意为"after"或"behind." A postscript (or PS) is a note that comes after an otherwise completed letter, usually as an afterthought. Postpartum refers to the period following childbirth, with any related events and complications, To postdate a check is to give it a date after the day it was written.
posterior. Situated toward or on the back; rear.
例句：In a human posterior and dorsal can both refer to the back, but in a fish posterior refers to the tail area.
Posterior comes from the Latin word posterus, meaning "coming after." Posterior is often used as a technical term in biology and medicine to refer to the back side of things, and is the opposite of anterior, which refers to the front side. For example, as more people took up running as a sport, doctors began to see an increase in stress fractures along the posterior as well as the anterior surface of the lower leg bones. In some technical field, posterior may mean "later." When used as a noun, posterior simply means "buttocks(半边臀部)."
posthumous. (1) Published after the death of the author. (2) Following or happening after one's death.
例句：Though Van Gogh scarcely sold a single painting during his lifetime, he rose to posthumous fame as one of the world's great artists.
Posthumous fame is fame that comes a little late. In fact, its original meaning in English is "born after the death of the father." Bill Clinton was the posthumous son of a father who died in an automobile accident. The word is now mostly used of artistic works that appear after the death of the artist, or the changing reputation of a dead artist. Such posthumous works as Herman Melville's Billy Budd, the diary of Anne Frank, and almost all the poetry of Emily Dickinson have become legendary, and in each case they had a major influence on the writer's reputation.
postmodern.(后现代主义的) Having to do with a movement in architecture, art, or literature that is a reaction against modernism and that reintroduces traditional elements and techniques in odd contexts as well as elements from popular culture.
例句：The postmodern AT&T building in New York, with the "Chippendale" top that reminds viewers of an antique dresser, aroused a storm of criticism.
With its prefix post-, postmodern describes a movement that has reacted against modernism. Modernism, dating from around the start of the 20th century, represented a sharp break from 19th-century styles. But in the 1970s architects began to be dissatisfied with the stark simplicity of most modern architecture and began including in their mostly modern designs such traditional elements as columns, arches, and keystones and sometimes startling color contrasts such as might have come from advertising and pop culture. In art and literature, as in architecture, postmodernism often seems to be making fun of tradition, especially by denying that there's any real distinction between serious and popular art or writing. Wherever it has shown up, postmodernism has been greeted with a mixture of approval, disapproval, and sometimes amusement.
postmortem. (1) Occurring after death. (2) Following the event.
例句：In their postmortem discussion of the election, the reporters tried to explain how the polls and predictions could have been so completely wrong.
Post mortem is Latin for "after death." In English, postmortem refers to an examination, investigation, or process that takes place after death. A postmortem examination of a body (often simply called a postmortem) is often needed to determine the time and cause of death; the stiffening called rigor mortis is one postmortem change that doctors look at to determine when death occurred. Today we've come to use postmortem to refer to any examination or discussion that takes place after an event.
Quizzes:
Choose the closest definition:
1. posthumous a. before the event b. born prematurely c. occurring after death d. early in development
2. reflective a. merry b. thoughtful c. glowing d. gloomy
3. posterior a. on the front b. on the back c. underneath d. on top
4. deflect a. fold over b. kneel c. turn aside d. protect
5. postmodern a. ultramodern b. traditional c. contemporary d. mixing styles
6. inflection a. style in art b. change in pitch c. muscle d. part to the rear
7. genuflect a. kneel b. flex a muscle c. fold back d. change one's tone of voice
8. postmortem a. after the event b. before the event c. cause by the event d. causing the event.
