Rose English Fantasy

EARLY CINEMA
The cinema did not emerge as a form of mass consumption until its technology evolved from the initial "peepshow" format to the point where images were projected on a screen in a darkened theater. In the peepshow format, a film was viewed through a small opening in a machine that was created for that purpose. Thomas Edison's peepshow device, the Kinetoscope, was introduced to the public in 1894. It was designed for use in Kinetoscope parlors, or arcades, which contained only a few individual machines and permitted only one customer to view a short, 50-foot film at any one time. The first Kinetoscope parlors contained five machines. For the price of 25 cents (or 5 cents per machine), customers moved from machine to machine to watch five different films (or, in the case of famous prizefights, successive rounds of a single fight).
 
These Kinetoscope arcades were modeled on phonograph parlors, which had proven successful for Edison several years earlier. In the phonograph parlors, customers listened to recordings through individual ear tubes, moving from one machine to the next to hear different recorded speeches or pieces of music. The Kinetoscope parlors functioned in a similar way. Edison was more interested in the sale of Kinetoscopes (for roughly $1,000 apiece) to these parlors than in the films that would be run in them (which cost approximately $10 to $15 each). He refused to develop projection technology, reasoning that if he made and sold projectors, then exhibitors would purchase only one machine-a projector-from him instead of several.

THE ORIGINS OF CETACEANS
It should be obvious that cetaceans-whales, porpoises, and dolphins-are mammals. They breathe through lungs, not through gills, and give birth to live young. Their streamlined bodies, the absence of hind legs, and the presence of a fluke1 and blowhole2 cannot disguise their affinities with land dwelling mammals. However, unlike the cases of sea otters and pinnipeds (seals, sea lions, and walruses, whose limbs are functional both on land and at sea), it is not easy to envision what the first whales looked like. Extinct but already fully marine cetaceans are known from the fossil record. How was the gap between a walking mammal and a swimming whale bridged? Missing until recently were fossils clearly intermediate, or transitional, between land mammals and cetaceans.
 
Very exciting discoveries have finally allowed scientists to reconstruct the most likely origins of cetaceans. In 1979, a team looking for fossils in northern Pakistan found what proved to be the oldest fossil whale. The fossil was officially named Pakicetus in honor of the country where the discovery was made. Pakicetus was found embedded in rocks formed from river deposits that were 52 million years old. The river that formed these deposits was actually not far from an ancient ocean known as the Tethys Sea.

DESERT FORMATION
The deserts, which already occupy approximately a fourth of the Earth's land surface, have in recent decades been increasing at an alarming pace. The expansion of desertlike conditions into areas where they did not previously exist is called desertification. It has been estimated that an additional one-fourth of the Earth's land surface is threatened by this process.
 
Desertification is accomplished primarily through the loss of stabilizing natural vegetation and the subsequent accelerated erosion of the soil by wind and water. In some cases the loose soil is blown completely away, leaving a stony surface. In other cases, the finer particles may be removed, while the sand-sized particles are accumulated to form mobile hills or ridges of sand.

GROUNDWATER
Groundwater is the word used to describe water that saturates the ground, filling all the available spaces. By far the most abundant type of groundwater is meteoric water; this is the groundwater that circulates as part of the water cycle. Ordinary meteoric water is water that has soaked into the ground from the surface, from precipitation (rain and snow) and from lakes and streams. There it remains, sometimes for long periods, before emerging at the surface again. At first thought it seems incredible that there can be enough space in the “solid” ground underfoot to hold all this water.
 
The necessary space is there, however, in many forms. The commonest spaces are those among the particles—sand grains and tiny pebbles—of loose, unconsolidated sand and gravel. Beds of this material, out of sight beneath the soil, are common. They are found wherever fast rivers carrying loads of coarse sediment once flowed. For example, as the great ice sheets that covered North America during the last ice age steadily melted away, huge volumes of water flowed from them. The water was always laden with pebbles, gravel, and sand, known as glacial outwash, that was deposited as the flow slowed down.

THE ORIGINS OF THEATER
In seeking to describe the origins of theater, one must rely primarily on speculation, since there is little concrete evidence on which to draw. The most widely accepted theory, championed by anthropologists in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, envisions theater as emerging out of myth and ritual. The process perceived by these anthropologists may be summarized briefly. During the early stages of its development, a society becomes aware of forces that appear to influence or control its food supply and well-being. Having little understanding of natural causes, it attributes both desirable and undesirable occurrences to supernatural or magical forces, and it searches for means to win the favor of these forces. Perceiving an apparent connection between certain actions performed by the group and the result it desires, the group repeats, refines and formalizes those actions into fixed ceremonies, or rituals.
 
Stories (myths) may then grow up around a ritual. Frequently the myths include representatives of those supernatural forces that the rites celebrate or hope to influence. Performers may wear costumes and masks to represent the mythical characters or supernatural forces in the rituals or in accompanying celebrations. As a person becomes more sophisticated, its conceptions of supernatural forces and causal relationships may change. As a result, it may abandon or modify some rites. But the myths that have grown up around the rites may continue as part of the group’s oral tradition and may even come to be acted out under conditions divorced from these rites. When this occurs, the first step has been taken toward theater as an autonomous activity, and thereafter entertainment and aesthetic values may gradually replace the former mystical and socially efficacious concerns.

TIMBERLINE VEGETATION ON MOUNTAINS
The transition from forest to treeless tundra on a mountain slope is often a dramatic one. Within a vertical distance of just a few tens of meters, trees disappear as a life-form and are replaced by low shrubs, herbs, and grasses. This rapid zone of transition is called the upper timberline or tree line. In many semiarid areas there is also a lower timberline where the forest passes into steppe or desert at its lower edge, usually because of a lack of moisture.
 
The upper timberline, like the snow line, is highest in the tropics and lowest in the Polar Regions. It ranges from sea level in the Polar Regions to 4,500 meters in the dry subtropics and 3,500-4,500 meters in the moist tropics. Timberline trees are normally evergreens, suggesting that these have some advantage over deciduous trees (those that lose their leaves) in the extreme environments of the upper timberline. There are some areas, however, where broadleaf deciduous trees form the timberline. Species of birch, for example, may occur at the timberline in parts of the Himalayas.

1 acrophobia 恐高症 acro-高；phobia-恐懼
2 affiliate 支部；分會；子公司
3 aperitif 飯前酒 Aperient 瀉藥
4 appetizer 開胃菜
5 ASAP =as soon as possible 越快越好
6 baggage claim 行李提領處
7 banner 標語；旗幟建築物禁止（ban）貼標語
8 bill of lading 提貨單
9 billiards 檯球，撞球 Billion【美制】和Milliard【英制】都是“十億”的意思
10 boarding pass 登機牌
11 bond 債券
12 brainstorm 腦力激蕩，集思廣益
13 brochure 小冊子 Broke+“袖”，把袖子剪破就可以放小冊子
14 buckle up 系安全帶
15 buffet 自助餐
16 burglar 竊賊；夜間入屋行竊的小偷 Burgle-“不夠”，盜賊永遠都不會滿足
17 buyout/buy out 買進全部產權或股權；收購全部
18 checkout 結帳退房的時間 check out 辦理退房；結帳離開
19 chef 主廚；大廚注意讀音有點像“學府”，現在連廚師都要學歷
20 choreography 舞蹈設計；編舞 Chore 家務，芙蓉姐姐表演過個幹家務活舞蹈
21 circular 廣告；傳單；通告傳單到處發太浪費，應該迴圈利用（circulate）
22 commitment 承諾；許諾
23 concierge 管理員；門房 “看戲礙著”，去看戲忘了帶票，被看門的攔著
24 consignee 收件人；受託人
25 contagious 接觸傳染的
26 contractor 立契約人；承包商
27 convertible 敞篷車，可改變的
28 conveyance 運輸；交通工具 Convey 搬運，傳達
29 cost-effective 符合成本效益的
30 courier 遞送急件的信差；郵物專遞公司 Carrier 郵遞員
31 crash landing 迫降
32 crave 渴望 “魁梧”，渴望長得很魁梧
33 cross-reference 前後參照；（使）前後參照
34 cruise 乘船遊覽
35 cuisine 烹調
36 curriculum vitae 履歷 Vita 個人簡歷，vitae的單數形式
37 curtain call 謝幕
38 cutting edge 尖刻；尖銳；先鋒地位尖端的
39 default 違約；棄權
40 delicacy 佳餚；微妙
41 depreciation 跌價；貶值
42 dissuade 勸阻 Dissuade sb. from = Persuade sb. not to do
43 down payment 頭期款；預付金；定金
44 embezzle 盜用；挪用；侵佔（公款等） “硬逼走”
45 endorse 贊同；支持；簽名；背書（重點）
46 entice 誘惑；引誘
47 entree 主菜，入場許可 Entrance 入口
48 etiquette 禮節；規範
49 excruciating 極痛苦的；極度的 Ex + crucia+ting, Exposed to 酷暑，還要“挺”
50 fancy 精心設計的；特技的；花俏的；昂貴的
51 farfetched 牽強的；不大可信的；不自然的 Far to fetch
52 ferry 渡輪
53 floppy(disk) 軟碟 Loppy 無力地下垂的
54 forfeit 罰款；喪失
55 forward 送到，轉號
56 franchise 經銷權；加盟權火箭隊的Francis的外號就叫特權
57 ground crew 地勤人員
58 haggle 討價還價別像“黑狗”一樣爭價
59 hands-on 實地操作的；親身體驗的
60 hilarious 狂歡的；令人捧腹的目前希拉蕊（Hillary）的支持率比對手高出20多個百分點，值得她去狂歡了
61 indemnity 保證物，賠償物；損害保障，損害賠償
62 intercom 對講機 =Intercommunication System
63 intrude 闖入；侵入；把……強加諸於
64 invoice 發票；發貨清單；完成工作的清單（明列數量和價錢）
65 itemize 詳細列舉；分條列舉 Item 條目
66 itinerary 行程表；旅程
67 jaywalk 不遵守交通規則穿越馬路；闖紅燈 jay-傻瓜，傻瓜走路經常闖紅燈
68 jeopardy 風險；危險；危難 Jeopardize 危害
69 jet lag 時差
70 jot down 略記下；匆匆記下
71 know-how 技能；專業知識；竅門
72 laundromat 自助洗衣店 Laundry + automat(自動售貨機)
73 lay off （暫時）解雇
74 leading edge 居領先優勢的
75 ledger 總帳；分類帳 Ledge 壁架
76 leftovers 剩飯剩菜
77 life vest 救生衣
78 liquor 烈酒（如威士卡） Liquid 液體
79 loan shark 放高利貸者
80 malfunction 故障；發生故障，機能失常 Mal- 表示壞的，錯誤的意思
81 manual 使用手冊，指南；手工的
82 miscellaneous 不同種類的；各式各樣的；混雜的 Mis + cella +neous à miss+ cellar 很想念地窖，因為那裡有各種各樣的好酒
83 munch 用力嚼；大聲咀嚼聯想Mouth, much
84 nosy 好管閒事的；愛打聽的
85 novice 生手；新手；初學者 No+vice（惡習，壞脾氣）新手一般會隱藏惡習
86 oblivious 遺忘的；遺忘的；不注意的；不在意的 Obvious 明顯的
87 outage 電力中斷；斷電
88 overtime 加班的時間；超時
89 palatable 美味的；順耳的；怡人的 Palace + table 宮殿的桌子上都是美味佳餚
90 parched 焦幹的；極渴的 Parch 烤幹
91 peak season 旺季
92 pending 未決定的；待決定的；即將發生待“判定”的
93 periodical 雜誌；期刊
94 portfolio 作品夾，公事包；部長職務
95 postage 郵資
96 premiere 首次公演；首映 Premier 第一的，首要的
97 preservative 防腐劑
98 proofread 校正；校對
99 prospectus 計畫書；說明書；慕股書 Prospect 前景
100 pushcart 手推車 = Cart
101 quote 報價
102 ravenous 饑餓的；貪婪的 Rave 咆哮
103 refreshment 茶點
104 reimburse 償還；補償 Re + im + burse（錢包）
105 remuneration 報酬；酬勞
106 repulsive 使人反感的；令人厭惡的
107 rigor 嚴格；嚴苛；艱苦
108 rnner-up 第二名；亞軍
109 seasoning 調味品；佐料
110 shortcut 近路；捷徑
111 shorthand 速記，速記法
112 silverware 銀器；鍍銀餐具
113 snack 速食,小吃；點心吃點心
114 solicit 請求；懇求；祈求 “舍利息”,懇求高利貸不算利息（做夢~）
115 spreadsheet 電子製表軟體；試算表
116 stapler 釘書機 Staple 訂書釘
117 state-of-the-art 使用最先進技術的；達到最高水準的
118 stockbroker 證券和股票經紀人 Broker 經紀人，別以為是“破產者”
119 stopover 中途停留
120 stunt 特技；噱頭 Stun 驚嚇，使暈倒
121 subsidiary 子公司
122 suite （旅館的）套房 Suit 一套衣服
123 tardy 遲緩；遲到的；遲延的拖“遝”的（di）
124 Track record 過去的記錄
125 trauma 外傷；心靈的傷被“錯罵”，心靈留下創傷
126 trendy 時髦的；流行的
127 troubleshooting 檢修；解決困難的
128 umpire 裁判；仲裁 Empire 帝國
129 usher 引座員；招待員好像香港人喊員警的讀音
130 vague 含糊不清的；模糊不清的
131 voucher 保證人；憑證；憑單；折價券
132 waive 放棄；棄權
133 workmanship 技巧；手藝
134 write-up 報告書 write up 詳細寫
135 xerox 複印，影印

01. When the contracts are ready, have them _____ to the purchasers. (A) send (B) sent (C) be sent (D) been sent
 
02. The variety of insurance benefits ____ very broad under this policy. (A) are (B) is (C) be (D) has been
 

1. The conference site was located in a quiet community; unfortunately, it was much farther than we __________. (A) have expected (B) expected (C) had expected (D) was expected.
 
2. I suggested ______ in more exhibitions to make our product well-known to the public. (A) participate (B) to participate (C) participating (D) participated.
 

01. The advertising agent, putting up with a low salary for three years, tried to convince his boss that he was worth a ______. (A) rise (B) raise (C) arouse (D) lift
 
02. Simply let me know ahead of time when you plan to visit us so that I can arrange to have someone ______ then. (A) capable (B) effective (C) available (D) open