人物

Question 1

virtuoso

Answer 1

virtuoso [ˌvɝtʃʊˈoso]
(n) 各領域的大師 (原指藝術大師)
(MW1) a person who does something in a very skillfulway; especially: a very skillful musician
(MW2) a person who has great skill at some endeavor < a computer virtuoso > < a virtuoso at public relations >
[源] 來自義大利文，形容 skilled, learned, of exceptional worth 的人。
[衍] virtuosity [ˌvɝtʃʊˈɑsətɪ] (n) “(在藝術、音樂上的) 精湛技藝”。
[例] The child prodigy (神童) Yehudi Menuhin grew into a virtuoso whose virtuosity on the violin thrilled millions.
[解] 原指 one who excels inthe technique of an art; especially: a highly skilled musical performer(as on the violin) “藝術大師” (特別指音樂上) ，也可泛指各領域的一流能手。

Question 2

ascetic

Answer 2

ascetic [əˈsɛtɪk]
(a) 禁慾的 (= austere)
(MW) practicing strict self-denial as a measure of personal and especially spiritual discipline
[源] 字源來自 to train for athletic competition, practice gymnastics, exercise，古希臘人認為運動比賽 前的訓練要禁慾以求得好成績。
[衍] ascetic [əˈsɛtɪk] (n) “禁慾者”。
[衍] asceticism [əˈsɛtɪsɪzəm] (n) “禁慾”。
[例] The wealthy, self-indulgent (放縱的) young man felt oddly drawn to the strict, ascetic life led by members of some monastic(修道院的) orders.
[解] ascetic做名詞用法常見，指像修士修女般過著“清心寡慾的”生活型態，或指 “生活困苦的” (必須節制慾望以渡過難關) 。

Question 3

snob

Answer 3

snob [snɑb]
(n) 勢利眼的人
(MW1) someone who tends to criticize, reject, or ignore people who come from a lower social class, have less education, etc.
(MW2) one who blatantly (大剌剌地) imitates, fawningly (奉承地) admires, or vulgarly (粗俗地) seeks association with those regarded as social superiors
[衍] snobbish [ˈsnɑbɪʃ] (a) “勢利眼的”。
[源] snob 原是 “修鞋匠、修鞋匠學徒”，泛指社會地位低的人，他們羨慕、甚至模仿地位高的人，而瞧不起如同自己社會地位低的人。
[例] Most of the people in the club are snobs who look down on people who attended public schools.
[形] snub (v) to ignore (someone) in a deliberate and insulting way “(故意) 忽略、瞧不起”。

Question 4

dilettante

Answer 4

dilettante [ˌdɪləˈtɑnt]
(n) 只懂皮毛知識的人 (= amateur)
(MW) aperson having a superficial interest in an art or abranch of knowledge: DABBLER
[反] professional [prəˈfɛʃənəl] (n) “專業人士”。
[源] 從義大利文來，指 lover of music or painting，原指 devoted amateur (並無負面意涵) ，後指 “對某領域只有表面認識的人”。
[例] In an age of increasing professionalism, the terms amateur and dilettante have taken on negative connotations they did not originally possess.

Question 5

iconoclast

Answer 5

iconoclast [aɪˈkɑnəˌklæst]
(n) 破除陳規的人 (“新” 的概念)
(MW) a person who attacks settled beliefs or institutions
[源] icon- (image) + -clast (break) ，原指破壞宗教畫像 (對神明不敬) 的人，引申為 “破除陳規者”。
[衍] iconoclastic [aɪˌkɑnəˈklæstɪk] (a) “破除陳規的”。

Question 6

layman

Answer 6

layman [ˈlemən]
(n) 門外漢 (= amateur)
(MW) a person who does not belong to a particular profession or who is not expert in some field
[源] 這裡的 “門” 指的是教堂的門，因為 layman 字面上是 “非宗教人士”。
[衍] laity [ˈleɪtɪ] (n) “非專業人士 (外行人) ”。Ÿ

Question 7

clergy

Answer 7

clergy [ˈklɝdʒɪ]
(n) 神職人員 (牧師、神父等)
(MW) a group or dained to perform pastoral (牧師的) or sacerdotal (神父的) functions in a Christian church
(AL) people (such aspriests) who are the leaders of a religion and who perform religious services < amember of the clergy >
[衍] clerical [ˈklɛrɪkəl] (a) “神職人員的”。
[例] Local clergy have been invited to participate in an inter faith service.

Question 8

atheist

Answer 8

atheist [ˈeθɪɪst]
(n) 無神論者 (認為 “神不存在”)
(MW) a person who believes that God does not exist
[源] a- (not) + the- (god) + -ist (表人) ，無神論者心中 “沒有神”。
[衍] atheism [ˈeθɪˌɪzəm] (n) “無神論”。
[衍] atheistic [ˌeθɪˈɪstɪk] (a) “無神論的”。Ÿ

Question 9

agnostic

Answer 9

agnostic [ægˈnɑstɪk]
(n) 未可知論者 (無法確定“神是否存在”)
(MW) a person who does not have a definite belief about whether God exists or not
[源] a- (not) + gnos- (know) ，未可知論者 “不知道” 神是否存在。
[衍] agnostic [ægˈnɑstɪk] (a) “未可知論的”。
[衍] agnosticism [ægˈnɑstəˌsɪzəm] (n) “未可知論”。
[解] agnostic 對 “神的存在” 持保留態度，此字可泛指對其他觀點 “持保留態度”(不願意表態、不願意選邊站) 的人。Ÿ

Question 10

cynical

Answer 10

cynical [ˈsɪnɪkəl]
(a) 憤世嫉俗的
(MW) having or showing the attitude or temper (特質) of a cynic: based on or reflecting a belief that human conduct is motivated primarily by self-interest < a cynical ploy (手段) to cheat customers >
[衍] cynic [ˈsɪnɪk] (n) “憤世嫉俗者”。
[解] cynical 翻 “憤世嫉俗的”，這種人對他人的動機是 “懷疑的”，認為 “人都是自私的” 不可能有慈善或犧牲奉獻這種事存在。cynical 出現時，呼應的關鍵字是 skeptical或 selfish。

Question 11

contrarian

Answer 11

contrarian [ˈkɑntrərɪən]
(n) 反其道而行的人
(MW1) a person who takes an opposite or different position or attitude from other people
(MW2) a person who takes a contrary position or attitude; specifically: an investor who buys shares of stock when most others are selling and sells when others are buying (常指 “與主力對作” 的投資者)
[例] As an investor, he’s a contrarian, preferring to buy stocks when most people are selling.
[記] 用 contrary (相反的) 來記此字。