📚在天龍國熟悉「強制性兵役」(mandatory military service)或替代性兵役者,可藉由歐美「傭兵」(mercenary)制度的歷史背景,深入學習mercenary(圖利的) 、commerce(商業;貿易)、commercial(電視、廣播)商業廣告)、commercialize(使商業化,使商品化)、merchant(商人)、merchandise(商品;貨物)六個同字根的英文生字用法。
🪓在古羅馬希臘文化中,據史實考證,雅典城邦國(the city-state of Athens)與Sparta(斯巴達)決戰於the Peloponnesian War(伯羅奔尼撒戰爭),及羅馬帝國擴張領土過程中,皆有雇用傭兵(mercenary)作戰的紀錄。
It is known that mercenary soldiers with distinguished combat skills are willing to fight for the highest bidder. (眾人皆知,有傑出戰鬥技能的傭兵們,願意為最高出價者出戰。)
🌞例句②
The former President’s decision to hire the mercenaries raised the public’s debate on the ethical issue of using contracted soldiers. (前總統雇用傭兵的決定,引起大眾辯論關於契約士兵的倫理問題。)
Electronic commerce, also known as e-commerce, has revolutionized the way modern people buy and sell commodities. (電子商務,又叫做電商,已經徹底改變現代人購買和銷售日用品的方式。)
🌞例句④
Now that the domestic commerce involves the exchange of goods and services within its own borders, it plays a vital role in the time of the pandemic. (因為國內貿易涉及國內邊界內的商品和服務的交易,在疫情期間,國內貿易對一個國家的經濟成長扮演很重要的角色。)
📚所以,美國聯邦政府「商務部」,英語為United States Department of Commerce。「商務部」行政單位就是負責貿易救濟措施、國際貿易、出口管制。
The new commercial for the latest-released vacuum cleaner emphasizes its state-of-the-art features which may lure patrons to upgrade their household appliance. (最新發行上市吸塵器的新廣告,強調其最先進功能們,吸引老主顧升級他們的家電。)
🌷字彙④ commercialize →v.使商業化,使商品化
字源:com共同+merc貿易+ial名詞或形容詞結尾+ize動詞結尾
口訣:使共同交易→v.從…中賺錢
🌞例句⑥
Virgin Galactic aims to commercialize its innovative technology by bringing the commercial spacecraft to the market and making the space tourism flight accessible to consumers worldwide. (維珍銀河旨在將其創新商用太空船技術商業化,讓商用太空業進入市場,並且讓全球消費者能夠搭乘太空航班。)
📚在William Shakespeare(莎士比亞)喜劇作品The Merchant of Venice《威尼斯商人》中,我們得知在莎士比亞16世紀年代,「商人」英文為merchant,相當於現代英文businessman。
🌷字彙⑤ merchant →n.商人
字源: merc貿易+h+ant表示人名詞結尾
口訣:做貿易者→n.商人
🌞例句⑦
The Asian merchant traveled to Europe to procure unique merchandise for her boutique. (這位亞洲商人遠赴歐洲,為她的精品店採辦獨特的商品。)
字彙⑥ merchandise →n.(集合)商品;貨物 v.買賣,促銷
字源: merc貿易+handise
口訣:買賣的物品→n.(集合)商品
🌞例句⑧
The department store offers a wide range of merchandise, including clothing, cookware, and furniture. (百貨公司提供各式各樣商品,包括衣服、烹飪用具、及家具)
🌞例句⑨
The start-up intends to merchandise their product through targeted audiences and strategic marketing campaigns. (該新創投公司預藉由鎖定客群及戰略性的行銷活動,來推廣他們的產品。)