大學生英語了沒？關鍵2500單字（附MP3）

前言

就使用的角度而言，英文單字略可分成兩大類：認識類或被動類（recognition or passive vocabulary）與製造類或活用類(production or active vocabulary)。認識類的單字，顧名思義，僅停留於學習者的認知層面，無法實際應用於生活、職場或學術上；製造類的單字化被動為主動，學習者將其內化據為己有，隨時能在適合的情境派上用場。
依據教育部公佈的資訊，台灣學生在高中時期累積約 7 千個英文單字量，大學學測以 4 千個單字量為主，大學指考則要求高中畢業生應有的 7 千個單字。照理說，高中生進入大學時，基本的閱讀能力與生活上的溝通應無大礙，事實則不然。許多大學生書寫基本的電子書信(email)覺得困難重重，更遑論溝通與閱讀能力。究其主因，高中畢業時應具備的7千個單字量，許多是屬於「認識」單字，生活上用不著，所以無法加以活用。因此，本書編寫的初衷，主要是挑選目前大學生活情境中使用頻率最高，最可能派上用場的 2500個 單字，約佔高頻率(high-frequency)7 千 5 百個英文單字的三分之一，搭配學術領域的運用，重現這些「製造」單字的活用性，強化大學生在生活上與學術上必備的字彙能力。
學好英文，除了掌握文法，遣詞用字和句子結構外，增強字彙量絕對是第一要務。單字是學好英文的基本功，如同蓋大樓要先奠基一樣，好的基處是成功的保證。然而，聽起來很簡單的道理，卻因為學習內容不當，扼殺了許多年輕學子的英文夢。本書的出版主要在喚起學習者的記憶，將高中的7千個單字量轉換成最實用的2500單字，活用單字是掌握單字學習的第一步！冀望透過嚴格的過濾，學習者能在短時間內化書中全部的單字，使之成為生活上、校園裡的溝通利器。
當然，每個人因為不同的目的，對字彙量也有差別的需求，例如要閱讀《新聞周刊》（Newsweek）或《經濟學人》 (Economist) 等刊物，大約要有3-4萬個單字量，方能享受吸取知識的樂趣；如要閱讀大學英文教科書，因為專業術語的關係，至少要有2萬個單字量；要看懂一般雜誌或大眾小說大約需要1萬5千個單字。要學習的單字量多寡，取決於個人的需要，越專業，需要的單字量越多。然日常生活口語(spoken)或書寫(written)的溝通，只需具備本書的字彙量，就足以應付一般的溝通需求。
熟記單字至少需要兩項要訣：聽讀與句子脈絡。本書中的例句一來可輔助學習者理解單子的詞性與正確用法，二來可拓展學習者閱讀文本的廣度，符合所謂「置單字於句中脈絡學」(Learn a word in a context)的字彙學習策略；再者，藉由 MP3 中 native speaker的正確發音與單字音節，可刺激學習者腦中的記憶體，強化單字聯想(association) 的功能，達到事半功倍的成效。

亞洲大學語文教學研究發展中心主任 陳英輝

account
ac • count n. ( pl. accounts) 帳戶；帳單；說明　v. 說明；解釋 (for)
New foreign students were required to open bank accounts on campus.
Can you account for your behavior at the party last night?
adequate
ad • e • quate 　adj. 足夠的；充分的；適當的
We didn’t have adequate funding to complete the whole project.
The new house is just adequate for our family.
cease
cease v. 停止；結束；終止
The factory has ceased production.
The troops have been ordered to cease fire.
commence
com • mence v. 開始；著手
Students were preparing for their final exams, which were to commence in a week.
The war commenced in 1914.
extensive
ex • ten • sive adj. 廣闊的；廣泛的　
His knowledge is extensive.
The fire caused extensive damage to the island’s forests.
genuine
gen • u • ine adj. 真的；真實的；不造作的
The medal is genuine gold.
He thanked her with genuine affection.
hesitate
hes • i • tate v. 躊躇；猶豫
If you have further questions, don’t hesitate to contact me.
He did not hesitate to ask her to marry him.
incentive
in • cen • tive n. ( pl. incentives) 誘因；獎勵
The government decided to offer incentives to help young people get hired.
What kind of incentive did you offer to make them work harder?
legitimate
le • git • i • mate adj. 合法的
Stopping this legitimate practice is going to be difficult.
The people’s concern for the political reform in question is legitimate.
margin
mar • gin n. ( pl. margins) 邊；邊沿；頁邊；幅度；餘量
I used to make notes in the margins of my books.
The President won the election by a narrow margin.
notable
no • ta • ble adj. 值得注意的；顯著的；出名的
I met a notable writer yesterday.
There is a notable difference between her on-screen and off-screen personalities.
oppose
op • pose v. 反對；反抗；妨礙
Local residents will strongly oppose the new urban plan.
They bitterly oppose this charity campaign.
practical
prac • ti • cal adj. 實踐的；實際的；實用的；有實用價值的
He’s a very practical person; perhaps the most sensible person I’ve ever met.
Practical experience is often very important in doing a job well.
relevance
rel • e • vance n. 關聯；相關；適宜
Your argument seems to have no relevance to the issue in question.
The course has some relevance to contemporary painting.
specialize
spe • cial • ize v. 專攻；專門從事；使專門化；使特殊化
He wanted his daughter to specialize in political science.
This company specializes in international trade.
temporary
tem • po • rar • y adj. 臨時的；短暫的　n. 臨時工；臨時房屋
All I can find is a temporary job.
He worked in the factory as a temporary.
withdrawal
with • draw • al n. 收回；撤回；撤退；提款
The government is negotiating the withdrawal of 10,000 troops.
You can make a withdrawal from any ATM