30. (B) 此處應指觀賞的整體感覺,故此應選擇「sensation」。而「adj. + sensation」的搭配常見,如「a wonderful sensation; a strange sensation」。
31. (D) 因為返鄉與家人團聚,「travel back to their hometowns」。「Origin from」也常見於文章開首溯源。
32. (A)補充例子說明。
33. (C)「Conclude with」的配搭指「以…作結」,因而不能是靠前的選擇。
34. (B) 最後說明活動的普遍性。
35. (B) 「Wrapped around his body」應該為包裹全身,也應該有盾牌。
36. (A) 文中「adopt a more modern lifestyle」就是選項A的相近意思。
37. (C) 見「They were then replaced by colorful glass beads」,熱潮被彩色琉璃寶石所取代。而此題的「then」帶有「然後,接著」的意思。
38. (C)「a part of their being」,可視為「不可或缺的部分」。
39. (D) 沒有談及用途限制。
40. (A) D選項先行,文中「Before the war」已說明時間之早,而「used to」形容動作的連貫性,配搭「+ infinitive 不定詞」。
41. (B)「having witnessed the life-saving power of the metal helmet in the War」戰時親身目擊了…拯救生命的威力。
42. (B)選項B與選項D跟「helmet」的性質無關。
43. (D)段落四並無直接解釋重新生長的能力從何而來。
44. (C)「GABA」的濃度有所變化。
45. (A)「reproduce」不單解「繁殖」,亦可解作「重現;重做」。
46. (D)結論並未推論至所有器官(organs)都適用。
額外閱讀/ 文章細讀(示例)
Pitchfork (音樂評論網站,下例為外國評論家對Taylor Swift 的大碟Folklore 所作的賞評,值得留意當中的議論修辭。)
Folklore will forever be known as Taylor Swift's “indie” album, a sweater-weather record released on a whimin the blue heat of this lonely summer, filled with cinematic love songs in search of a film soundtrack. There are those who already dislike Folklore on principle, who assume it's another calculated attempt on Swift's part to position her career as just so (how dare she); meanwhile, fans will hold it up as tangible proof that their leader can do just about anything (also a stretch). While it's true that Folklore pushes the limits of Swift's sound in a particular, perhaps unexpected direction, her reference points feel more like mainstream “indie” homage than innovation, taking cues from her collaborators' work and bits of nostalgia.
句子「in the blue heat of this lonely summer」較為特別,「in the heat of (something)」本指「某事盛極之時」,而「blue heat」的配搭在Merriam-Webster dictionary(韋氏字典)中解釋是「a temperature (such as 550° to 600° F) at which iron or steel becomes bluish」,實則金屬燃燒時呈藍色為最高溫,而呈紅色時則相較低溫,文中說法可引申理解為「孤身度過盛夏」。
另外,同學宜廣泛吸收片語,例如「on a whim」(突然的念頭)、「on sb.'s part」則是「由某人所作…」(e.g. The information was copious and meticulously detailed, and revealed no prejudice on the part of the questioner. 可見盤問人所作絕無偏見)。而「While, ...」可用作表示constrasting views。
At its best, Folklore asserts something that has been true from the start of Swift's career: Her biggest strength is her storytelling, her well-honed songwriting craft meeting the vivid whimsy of her imagination; the music these stories are set to is subject to change, so long as it can be rooted in these traditions.
下段仍有可學習的要點,我們可見concession句式,即「At its best ...」。這在議論性文章中,可帶出以退為進的效果。這種長評論文章多見complex sentence,同學可多加留意作者的句型變化,日後寫作論述式文章時特別適用,例如「so long as」與「only if」同義(亦見'provided that', 'providing that' or 'on condition that'),均可解「只要/如果」,但留意「so long as」語調略為正式,需要配合語體運用,這就涉及文體學(Stylistics),容日後另花篇幅談論。
由此,同學可多留意用詞搭配,如「hold up sth.」可以有多種用法,包括「延遲做某事」及「搶劫」,此處根據文意則解「以…作證明」。
2. 新聞分享 (The Guardian 《衛報》)
Officials hope the generous sums on offer will encourage families with children aged up to 18 to revitalise regions and ease pressure on space and public services in greater Tokyo, the world's biggest metropolis with a population of about 35 million.
In principle, relocating families receive 1m-3m yen per household provided they meet one of three criteria: employment at a small or midsize company in the area they move to; continuing in their old jobs via remote working; or starting a business in their new home, according to the Nikkei business newspaper. After the higher payments are factored in, a family with two children could be eligible for up to 5m yen.
The population of the world's third-biggest economy suffered a record fall of 644,000 in 2020-21, according to government data. It is expected to plummet from its current 125 million to an estimated 88 million in 2065 – a 30% decline in 45 years.
While the number of over-65s continues to grow, the birthrate remains stubbornly low at1.3 children – well below the 2.1 needed to sustain the current population size.
In 2021, the number of births totalled 811,604, the lowest since records were first kept in 1899. By contrast, the number of centenarians stands at more than 90,500 – compared with only 153 in 1963.