TOEFL iBT Listening Idioms Test 001

cut off

stop, discontinue a service, for example

a far cry from
not similar, not as good as

run of the mill
ordinary

over one's head
not, understandable a joke, for example, obscure

be rusty
need practice or review

stand for
1. tolerate, put up with
2. symbolize, represent

bound to
certain to, sure to

Link: http://englishteststore.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=85&Itemid=279

as, when, while 之間有何差別？

Q: as, when, while 之間有何差別？

Answer in English: http://www.perfectyourenglish.com/usage/as-when-while.htm

Answer in Chinese:

三者可表示“當……時候”，區別如下：

(1) 若主句表示的是一個短暫性動作，從句表示的是一個持續性動作，三者都可用：He fell asleep when [while, as] he was reading. 他看書時睡著了。

【注1】as 用於引出一個持續性動詞表示“在……期間”時，其謂語通常只能是那些含有動作(action)和發展(development) 意味的動詞，一般不能是那些不用於進行時態的動詞(如 be, seem, love, want, agree, see, know, have 等)，所以下面一句中的 while 不能換為 as：

A：I’m going to the post office. 我要去郵局。
B：While you’re there, can you get me some stamps? 當你在郵局時，能幫我買幾張郵票嗎?

【注2】as 常用於接「較不重要的訊息」，且其所接的子句，也較常放在「句首」的位置。但何謂「較不重要的訊息」，並未有公認的標準，例：

-As I was writing my homework in the classroom, George was eating his breakfast. 當我在教室裡寫功課的時候，George 正在吃他的早餐。
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(2) 若主、從句表示兩個同時進行的持續性動作，且強調主句表示的動作延續到從句所指的整個時間，通常要用 while：

-Don’t talk while you’re eating. 吃飯時不要說話。
-I kept silent while he was writing. 在他寫的時候，我默不作聲。

【注1】但是，若主從句表示的兩個同時進行的動作含有“一邊…一邊”之意思，通常用 as：She sang as she went along. 她邊走邊唱。

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(3) 若從句是一個短暫性動作，主句是一個持續性動作，可用 as / when 但不用 while：

-It was raining hard when [as] we arrived. 我們到達時正下著大雨。

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(4) 若主從句表示的是兩個同時(或幾乎同時)發生的短暫性動作，用 as / when：

-I thought of it just when [as] you opened your mouth. 就在你要說的時候，我也想到了。

To talk about two short actions or situations that happen/happened at the same time, we usually use as. When is also possible.

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(5) 若要表示兩個正在發展變化的情況，相當於漢語的“隨著”，一般用 as：

-Things are getting better and better as time goes on. 隨著時間的推移，情況越來越好。

-As it grew darker, it became colder. 天色越晚，天氣越冷。

As is used to refer to two situations which develop or change together. We normally use simple tenses.

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(6) 表示“每當…的時候”(暗示一種規律性)，一般要用 when：

-It’s cold when it snows. 下雪時天冷。
-He smiles when you praise him. 你誇獎他時他總是笑笑。

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(7) 若主從句所表示的動作不是同時發生，而是有先後順序時，一般要用 when：

-I will go home when he comes back. 他回來時，我就回家去。

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(8) when 可用作並列連詞，表示“這時(突然)”；while 也可以用作並列連詞，表示“而”、“卻”(表示對比)；但 as 則沒有類似用法：

-We were about to start when it began to rain. 我們正要出發，這時天開始下雨了。

-He likes coffee, while she likes tea. 他喜歡咖啡，而她卻喜歡茶。

Sources:
http://www.yygrammar.com/Article/200802/154.html
http://210.240.55.2/~t311/moe/engb6/b6grammar/b6when_while_as.htm
http://www.perfectyourenglish.com/usage/as-when-while.htm
http://www.englishpractice.com/improve/as-when-and-while/

From: Eric's English Lounge

2013.6.5

nor   conjunction
1 — used after neither to show something is also not true, possible, allowed, etc. 
▪ It's neither good nor bad. 
▪ I neither know nor care what they think. 
▪ Neither you nor I nor anyone else will tell him. 
▪ His problems are neither my business nor yours. 
◊When neither and nor are used to join two subjects, the verb should agree with the subject that is closer to it. 
▪ Neither my mother nor I am going there today. 
   neither here nor there : not important or interesting 

▪ What I think is really neither here nor there. You have to make up your own mind.

2 — used after a negative statement to introduce a related negative word or statement 
▪ She's not the best student in her class, (but) nor is she the worst. 
▪ He didn't quit his job, nor was he fired.
▪ He is not going to the meeting (and) nor am I. 
▪ (formal) “I don't know her.” “Nor do I.” [=neither do I; I don't know her either]

2013.5.20 英語學習

rescind /rɪˈsɪnd/ verb

rescinds; rescind·ed; re·scinding

 

[+ obj] formal : to end (a law, contract, agreement, etc.) officially : to say officially that (something) is no longer valid 
▪ The navy rescinded its ban on women sailors. 

▪ The company later rescinded its offer/decision.

flatten /ˈflætn̩/ verb

flattens; flattened; flattening

1 a [+ obj] : to make (something) flat or flatter 
▪ He opened the map and flattened it (out) against the tabletop. 

▪ He flattened himself against the wall. [=he pressed himself against the wall so that he was as close to it as possible] 
b [no obj] : to become flat or flatter 
▪ The dough flattened smoothly/easily. 

▪ The land flattens (out) as you approach the coast.

2 [+ obj] a : to knock down (something or someone) 
▪ Dozens of houses were flattened by the tornado. 

▪ The boxer was flattened in the seventh round. 
b informal : to defeat (a competitor) easily or completely 
▪ The team got flattened in the first round of the play-offs.

3 [no obj] : to go to and stay at a lower level 
▪ Prices are expected to flatten after the holiday shopping season. — often + out 

▪ Student performance flattened out after the second month of the school year.

curative adj. able to cure disease or heal people

staggering adj. very large, shocking, or surprising

A barometer is an instrument to measure air pressure.

2013.5.9 英文學習

[文法Q&A] 
Q: by和until有什麼區別?

A: 
1. by表示在某特定的時間之前或不遲於某特定的時間，意為“最遲在;不遲於”或“在……之前”等。如：
①I will finish my task by nine. 我將在九點鐘前完成任務。
②The plane takes off at 10:00, so you must try to be at the airport by 9:30. 

    飛機在十點鐘起飛，所以你必須在九點半趕到機場。

2. until用在肯定句，謂語動詞通常是延續性動詞，如stand, stay, talk, wait等，表示主句動作終止的時間。如:
③I waited until he came back. 我一直等到他回來。
④The war lasted until 1945. 戰爭持續到1945年。

如果用在否定句，謂語動詞通常是瞬間性動詞，如open, start, leave, arrive, finish, stop等，強調主句動作開始的時間。如:
⑤I didn't leave the boy until his mother turned up.直到這孩子的母親來，我才離開。
⑥The noise of the street didn't stop until it was midnight. 街上的噪音直到半夜才停止。

Sources:

http://ask.koolearn.com/topic/show/308996.page
http://www.pearsonlongman.com/ae/azar/grammar_ex/message_board/archive/articles/00016.htm
http://www.engvid.com/by-until/

From : Eric's English Lounge

2013.4.29 英文學習

Vocabulary

unify
[+ obj] : to cause (people or things) to be joined or brought together : unite
▪ The creation of the national railroad system unified the country.
▪ two very different people unified by a common belief.

2013.4.27 (六) 英文學習

 (be) supposed to _____

Idiomatic and passive, "be supposed to" shows expectation.

Someone expects you to do something in the present or the future 

Link : http://www.learnamericanenglishonline.com/Green%20Level/G7%20Suppossed%20to.html

prefer

Usage notes

• The verb can be used in three different forms:
1. prefer + noun + to(or over) + noun. Example: I prefer coffee to tea.
2. prefer + gerund + to(or over) + gerund. Example: I prefer skiing to swimming.
3. prefer + full infinitive + rather than + bare infinitive. Example: I prefer to eat fish rather than (eat) meat.

0sources :  Wiktionary

Link :  http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/prefer

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以下為"口語"使用 , 不宜用在寫作

↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓

gotta

1. (informal) must; need to; be required to

   I gotta learn this for my examination.

2. (informal) have a; have got a  [quotations ▼]

hafta (third-person singular simple present hasta or hafta, present participle -, simple past and past participle hadda)

1. (colloquial) Eye dialect spelling of have to. Be required to; must.

   I hafta fill in my tax return.

gotcha

1. (colloquial) Got you; have you; as in capture or apprehend.

   I gotcha now, ya little twerp.

2. (colloquial) Understand; comprehend.

   Yeah, I gotcha. Good thinkin'!

3. (colloquial) Got you covered, got your back; when you have an advantage or responsibility over someone.

   Gotcha! Go on in...

4. (colloquial) Got you back; as in after causing some form of retaliation or revenge against someone.

   Gotcha! And don't ever do that to me again.

5. (colloquial) Got you by surprise; Exclamation indicating a successful trick or prank.

   Gotcha! They never notice the whoopie cushion!

6. (colloquial) Got you by surprise; as in engineering or computer programming; typically an unintended consequence or problem caused by a small variation in areas such as command syntax, function definition, results application.

sources : Wiktionary