学习词根---Unit 3.3
昨天的答案：
1. b 2. d 3. b 4. b 5. d 6. c 7. b 8. s
今天将学习POLY和PRIM两个词根~
POLY. 源自希腊语polys, 意为"many". A polytechnic(理工学院) institute offers instruction in many technical fields. Polygamy is marriage in which one has many spouses, or at least more than the legal limit of one. And polysyllabic(多音节的) words are words of many syllables--of which there are quite a few in the book.
polyp.(水螅体，人体内尤指鼻息肉) (1) A sea invertebrate(无脊椎动物) that has a mouth opening at one end surrounded by stinging tentacles. (2) A growth projecting from a mucous(粘液的) membrane(薄膜), as on the colon(结肠) or vocal cords.
例句：She had had a polyp removed from her throat, and for two weeks afterward she could only whisper.
This term comes from polypous, a Greek word for "octopus(章鱼)," which meant literally "many-footed". To the untrained eye, the invertebrate known as the polyp may likewise appear to be many-footed, though it never walks anywhere since its "feet" are tentacles(触须), used for stinging tiny organisms which the polyp then devours. The types of tumor(肿瘤) known as polyps got their name because some seem to be attached to the surface by branching "foot" -like roots, even though most do not. Polyps of the nose or vocal cords are usually only inconvenient, causing breathing difficulty or hoarseness(沙哑), and can be removed easily; however, polyps in the intestines(肠) can sometimes turn cancerous(癌的).
polyglot. (1) One who can speak or write several languages. (2) Having or using several languages.
例句：As a trade between countries increases, there is more need for polyglots who can act as negotiators.
Polyglot contains the root glot, meaning "language". It is used both as a noun and as an adjective. Thus, we could say that an international airport is bound to be polyglot, with people from all over the world speaking their native languages. One of history's more interesting polyglots was the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, who claimed that he addressed his horse only in German, conversed with women in Italian and with men in French, but reserved Spanish (his original language)for his talks with God.
polymer.(高分子聚合物) A chemical compound formed by a reaction in which two or more molecules combine to form larger molecules with repeating structural units.
例句：Nylon(尼龙), a polymer commercially introduced in 1938, can be spun and woven into fabrics or cast as tough, elastic blocks.
There are many natural polymers, including shellac(虫胶), cellulose(纤维素), and rubber(橡胶). But synthetic polymers only came into being around 1870 with Celluloid, known especially for its use in photographic film. After many decades of development, the polymeric compounds now include polypropylene(聚丙烯), used milk crates, luggage, and hinges(铰链); polyurethane(聚氨酯), used in paints, adhesives(黏合剂), molded items, rubbers, and foams(泡沫); and polyvinyl chloride (PVC), used to make pipes that won't rust. And let's not forget polyester(聚酯), which gave us a lot of uncool clothing in the 1970s but whose strength and resistance to corrosion(腐蚀) have ensured that it remains an extremely useful material for all kinds of goods.
polygraph.(测谎试验) An instrument for recording changes in several bodily functions (such as blood pressure and rate of breathing) at the same time; lie detector.
例句：My brother-in-law is completely law-abiding, but he's such a nervous type that he's failed two polygraph tests at job interviews.
With its graph- root, polygraph indicates that it writes out several different results. A polygraph's output consists of a set of squiggly(不规则的，弯弯曲曲的) lines on a computer screen, each indicating one function being tested. The functions most commonly measured are blood pressure, breathing rate, pulse, and perspiration, all of which tend to increase when you lie. Polygraphs have been in use since 1924, and have gotten more sensitive over the years, though many experts still believe that they're unreliable and that a prepared liar can fool the machine. They're used not only for law enforcement but perhaps more often by employers--often the police department itself!--who don't want to hire someone who has broken the law in the past but won't admit to it.
PRIM. 源自拉丁语primus, 意为"first". Something primary is first in time, rank, or importance. Something primitive is in its first stage of development. And something primeval had its origin in the first period of world or human history.
primal. Basic or primitive.
例句：There was always a primal pleasure in listening to the rain beat on the roof at night and dropping off to sleep in front of the fire.
Primal generally describes something powerful and almost instinctual. So when we speak of the primal innocence of youth or the primal intensity of someone's devotion, we're suggesting that the emotions or conditions being described are basic to our animal nature. Sitting around a campfire may feel like a primal experience, in which we share the emotions of our cave-dwelling ancestors. Intense fear of snakes or spiders may have primal root, owing to the poison that some species carry. In "primal scream" therapy, popular in the 1970s, patients relive painful childhood experiences and express their frustration and anger through uncontrolled screaming and even violence.
primer. (1) A small book for teaching children to read. (2) A small introductory book on a subject.
例句：She announced that she'd be passing out a primer on mutual funds at the end of the talk.
Primers were once a standard part of every child's education. The first primer printed in North America, The New England Primer, was typical; it contained many quotations from the Bible and many moral lessons, and the text was accompanied by numerous woodcut illustrations. We no longer use the word in early education, but it's widely used in everyday speech. Notice how primer is pronounced; don't mix it up with the kind of paint that's pronounced with a long i sound.
primate. Any member of the group of animals that includes human beings, apes, and monkeys.
例句：Dr. Leakey sent three young women to work with individual primates; Jane Goodall with the chimpanzees, Dian Fossey with the gorillas, and Birute Galdakis with the orangutans.
It was the great biologist Carolus Linnaeus who gave the primates their name, to indicate that animals of this order were the most advanced of all. Linnaeus listed human beings with the apes a hundred years before Charles Darwin would publish his famous work on evolution. When people told him that our close relationship to the apes and monkeys was impossible because it disagreed with the Bible, he responded that, from the biological evidence, he simply couldn't come to a different conclusion, Among the mammals, the primates are distinguished by their large brains, weak sense of smell, lack of claws, long pregnancies, and long childhoods, among other things. Along with the apes and monkey, the Primate order includes such interesting animals as the lemurs(狐猴), tarsiers(眼镜猴), galagos(夜猴), and lorises(懒猴).
primordial. (1) First created or developed. (2) Existing in or from the very beginning.
例句：Many astronomers think the universe is continuing to evolve from a primordial cloud of gas.
Primordial can be traced back to the Latin word primordium, or "origin," and applies to something that is only the starting point in a course of development or progression. A primordial landscape is one that bears no sign of human use, and a primordial cell is the first formed and least specialized in a line of cells. The substance out of which the earth was formed and from which all life evolved is commonly called "the primordial ooze" or "the primordial soup"--even by scientists.
Quizzes:
Fill in each blank with the correct letter:
a. primer b. polyglot c. primate d. polygraph e. polyp f. primordial g. polymer h. primal
1. The only language instruction the child had ever gotten was from a basic _____, but he was already reading at the fifth-grade level.
2. Rubber is a natural _______ that remains the preferred material for many uses.
3. The asteroids in our solar system may be remnants of a ______ cloud of dust.
4. She had never passed a _____ test, since apparently her heart rate always shot up when she was asked a question.
5. All the _____ species look after their children for much longer than almost any other mammals.
6. Having gone to school in four countries as a child, she was already a fluent ______.
7. They were charmed by the ______ innocence of the little village.
8. The medical tests had revealed a suspicious-looking ______ on his stomach.
